Mere Street Now
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Many people have written about their home town. This is my attempt.
Mere Street is in Diss, Norfolk, where I lived from the age of around six until I was eighteen when I went to University in London. I’ve lived in south London ever since. Truthfully, I could not wait to leave. It was 1969—flower power, swinging London, Carnaby Street, sex, drugs and Rock ‘n Roll. That does not describe Diss on a Sunday in 1969.
It’s a very pretty town, with a lake (The Mere), bang in its middle. I continued to visit Diss from that time until the present, and even in my mid-twenties I came to appreciate it, and the surrounding towns, villages and their pubs. I loved that time the most.
To write the lyrics I phoned my brother Dave a lot, to use his sharper memory of people, events and places –“Dave, who was the landlord of The Greyhound ? Len Maskel.” “ Dave, why didn’t you go out properly with Julia Kenworthy ? She fancied you something rotten. ‘cos I was a stupid prat”. Oh, school days. We spent many happy hours reminiscing.
Sadly Dave died just a couple of years later. I think of him a lot when I hear this song, and I’m so glad that we had those conversations.
