So about me…. well I was born in Neuilly Ser Saine, France at the Paris American Hospital Aug 10th 1965. Both parents were Airforce, Royal and American at the time, posted to NATO while it was still in France. So when my Dad went off to Vietnam, we went back to South Wales and my mothers home “llangeinor”.
I grew up in a sleepy mining Valley called the Garw, in an even sleepier village called Llangeinor. A pub, a chapel on the hill and a rugby field built on an old tip with three shops. Yes there are times when I miss it like crazy but what do u do? Google lets me c my house from space it is still there, the hedge we played fort in is still there and apparently the woods by the old Singer mansion too. Theres a Maple tree at the mansion part of the old driveway leading up to the main building, as a kid looking at these amazing trees I realised I recognised the names carved in the bark of one of them. They were some 15ft or so high now and stretched thin with time. What I saw was my Grandmother and Grandfathers names carved in the bark, still there after all those years “Edgar & Dilys” in a heart.
I grew up climbing trees, wading the river, throwing stones, poaching trout with my hands “thankyou Gypsies” etc. I was known far and wide as John the Yanks kid “frenchy” didnt exactly fit in, especially with a nickname like that. Yet its where I call home… I finished school at not quite 15yrs old and started looking for work, I still remember the first things I ever bought with my own money. The Clash, Pretenders Album's a Sweater and rent, yup a full third of my income went back to my parents.
We came over as a family on March 12th 1982. The economy was terrible back then and it was just easier to emmigrate over here. I for a long time felt like it was theyre way of getting out of buying me the bike they had promised me for Christmas LOL.
We landed in Seatle and ended up in Wenatchee of all places, jeez to go from Wales to Wenatchee WTF!! Yes I had an unbeliavable time trying to relate to kids my own age, They were into toys and getting drunk, I seemed to get along best with old people and babies LOL.