My old man

Being back in London for a while, hearing 'London' being spoken all week, helping my Dad get settled back home all led me to hum this song all the way back home and most of today. I really enjoyed getting back to digging in the roots of a living language.

For non native London speakers here's a glossary:
3 piece whistles = 3 piece suits (Cockney slang "whistle and flute = suit)
Roller = Rolls Royce
Digs = lodgings
his Guv'nor = his boss
Made a racket = was very noisy
Dropped his 'aitches = London way of speaking e.g "that's an 'orrible 'at"
Gor Blimey = that's suprising - (or Knock me down with a feather)

Ian was more than a textual healer - he was a proper wordsmith catching the way that Londoners morph the language -to quote the man himself "(he)....he was a charmer, as a writer he was brahma". He coined, or at least popularised the phrase, Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll (never released as a single because of fears it would not get any air time). If you like the two clips above you will also enjoy two other favourites "Reasons to be cheerful" and "There ain't half been some clever bastards." Pure genius.