Hi folks, welcome to my column for Happy House. A thousand apologies to Rick for taking so long to get this to him, many thanks for being so kind to ask me. I'm not sure if I'll have a column for every issue, but most probably every other one. Time is always against me and I don't like committing myself to people for fear of letting them down. No doubt your sitting comfy with your tea and biscuits, so I'll get on with it.
Any of you who read Happy House #7 will have read Rick's growing old column. In the issues since then, I've seen a couple more columns with a similar theme and I thought I'd give my penny's worth.

This year I will hit the ripe old age of 30 and to be honest I don't think of myself as a 30 year old. I never usually think about age, unless I read about it in a zine, newspaper or magazine and even then it doesn't even bother me. It's life and each birthday is another year closer to the grave. I mean that in a fun sense and I'm not even bothered about dying either though it does really rattle my bones when I read some kid going on about being so old and all that and them being 20 - Give me a break. What is your problem ? Quit worrying about your age and enjoy yourself. I'm pretty much still that 16 year old punk kid of the 80s and I still believe in the same things. The only difference between then and now is that I look before I leap. Life's experience along that rocky road and learning from my mistakes has told me that one… Ha, it's funny because I've been reminded, at work, that I am not a 16 year old and getting old like everyone else. So when I see a girl of say 17 or 18 and I fancy her rotten, it's off limits and I'm just way too old for her. Ah well!!! That's Life I guess, but it doesn't mean I have to walk around wearing blinkers, Ha, ha.

The most notable difference I've found when you get older and have to work and pay bills, it that you just don't have enough money you once had to spend on records, zines and things like that. Usually my pay is gone, on household bills and what not, before I even get it. Bloody boring, huh?! Frustrating as it is and maybe it seems quite a petty thing, but there's nothing we can do about that. Unless you earn loads of money. It does knock you when you have to buy tools or whatever instead. Unlike Rick, I don't really like having to do all that household crap - but the reality of things is that you do have to do it. When I was living with my parents I always helped with decorating and the daily stuff of dishes, hoovering and things like that. I didn't have any problem with that, it just came natural. Even having to mow the lawn every week, weed the flower beds and making sure everything stays alive is cool. I like being outside anyway and growing things is cool. I hope to have my own greenhouse in a couple of years, down the bottom of my garden so I can grow tomatoes and other lovely stuff. I even laid a patio and built a raised flower bed around it a couple of years ago and it's pretty cool to sit out there on a nice summer's day, basking in the sun with all the flowers around me - Very relaxing. There's a field at the bottom of my garden and it's usually full of cows munching away.
But enough of that, I sound like a domesticated hippy. Ha, Ha. As I said I can't really say I've changed that much since I first got into punk roughly 14 years ago. As I said I've learnt from my mistakes, but hey that's what life is all about - Living and learning. As some would have it in the scene, we are not all robots pre-programmed with punk ideals and ready to fuck the system as soon as we are born. A lot of older people seem to have a problem about new kids coming into the scene. Why ? I'm always glad to see new people, so what if they get into it by listening to Sick of It All, Biohazard, Green Day or NO FX. As they delve deeper they will find more than what's perceived on the surface and a new world will unfold before their very eyes. I speak from experience, though it was different bands and a different decade and most definitely harder to get into punk. There's nothing as cool as a 14 year old kid from a completely different country, or even the same country who's just bought your zine and has a thirst to know more. I'll gladly help anyone on their way, be it taping my old records or getting contact addresses for them.

As far as punk is concerned, I've always been alone really. I think it's amazing that Rick and Sam are both punks and married that has always been a dream of mine. Mind you, I've never ever had a girlfriend who was into punk - so I guess getting married to one is completely out of the window. Though when I was 16 or so my 2 punk friends (from my hometown) and I had so many dreams. Like getting an old VW van and travelling all around Europe, meeting like minded people, checking out their scenes and spreading the good old word of punk rock. Though it never happened I still do think about it, both these guys are married with kids, I know one still likes punk. But I'm still at this with no wife or kids, all I have is memories, my collection of records, CDs, tapes, videos and zines. Basically this is all my life has amounted to so far.

I've only had one, what could be described as a mid life crisis. I had been to Bradford for the festival in 1995, a whole weekend of hanging out with like minded people, watching bands and what not. I came home and surveyed my life, all that I had contained in my bedroom was it. I felt more lonelier than I had previously done before, because of all the cool people I had met at the 1 in 12. That bond that keeps all us like minded people involved in this scene and doing things to keep it going. Up until then I had got used to just being myself and not having anyone to talk to face to face about some great record, zine or like minded politics. All I could think about was wanting to travel and every time I watched a holiday programme it depressed me because I just hadn't any money to go anywhere. It really frustrated me but I know in a year or two at the most I shall be able to do that, so I just bide my time.

But as we know we have to keep working at keeping this scene going. I think you are as young as you feel and age is irrelevant. I for one know that I'll stay young until I die. Thanks for reading.
For those who I do a zine NO BARCODES NECESSARY, #6 is out in March and has interviews with Rich (Armed with Anger), Sned (Flat Earth), Jon (Active Distribution), Stampin Ground and three Belgium guys (Brob Tilt, Step Empower and Nico Outrage). It has all the usual stuff too. It's £1.50 (UK)/$3(Europe) & $4 (Elsewhere). Prices are post paid. Back issues containing: #4 Capability Green, Mid (Deviated Instinct), Rain Still Falls, Dan Second Nature Zine and Upset. #5 Drop Dead, Unborn, Mainstrike, Hellkrusher and Andy Thompson (punk photographer). Prices as above. Please write to: Mel Hughes, 83 Glebe Park, Chanterhill, Enniskillen, BT74 4DE, N. Ireland. I want to wish Rick and Sam congratulations and all the happiness with their new born. I love kids. XXX

Mel Hughes