Do you remember the good old days before the ghost town?
We danced and sang, and the music played in a de boomtown.
Perhaps it was never those halcyon days but one thing we do know is that come the Thatcher government of 1979 the idea that people could be anything other than an atomised unit of production to be squeezed dry became much more improbable. Only the Foreign Office and their co conspiritors saved the Tory government (as they continue to do to this day). In 1981, Thatcher was as popular as scepsis and yet twelve months later, following the conflict in The Falklands, she was given a mandate to destroy society at will. Nationalism, patriotism and good old murdering foreigners saved her government from oblivion.
During that dark and malignant 1981 The Specials summed up many a UK city with a song called ‘Ghost Town’ now revered as more than a hit NO.1 single but as an allegory of that time and not coincidentally this time too.
We now know what the next forty years became. Obsession with personality. Obsession with materialism. Obsession with being defensive and not taking responsibility. Obsession with remaining ignorant of anything outside of the ‘comfort zone’. Anyone who does not obsess with these things is seen as the enemy. As a threat to the nation.
For those who did not consume the malignant ideology imposed on the nation, the likes of Terry Hall and thankfully many, many others became the esprit de corps. People who ‘survived’ the malevolence of the Thatcherite and post Thatcherite eras needed cultural symbols and yes personalities to keep many a head above absolute despair. Terry Hall was one such symbol.
In recent times Terry spoke about the sexual abuse he experienced as a boy and how he had to manage his mental health from that day forward. This included consuming valium and alcohol. Yet through all of this he also passed on pearls of wisdom for others who were struggling with their mental health.
“These are terribly testing times for those of us with mental health issues. My mental health deteriorated towards the end of 2020. The thing that got me through was communication. If you’re suffering, then it is incredibly important to tell people… family, friends, doctors, Tonic! Tell them to check on you… always. Share your health issues… they aren’t problems. Most of all… stay safe… stay secure… We’ll get there!”
In 2019, whilst struggling with yet another legacy set by what consecutive Conservative governments had yet again done to the nation Terry and The Specials released ‘Vote For Me’.
In nearly forty years nothing ever changes as The Specials had noted in 1980.
Satire is sometimes an excellent way to reflect reality but as Terry knew satire may make some smile but it does not pay our bills or keep many alive. This is Christmas 2022 for millions and millions of us:
We all needed Terry Hall as he needed us.
In the last couple of months Terry Hall became very sick as a result of pancreatic cancer. On the 18th December this terrible disease claimed his life.
In a Facebook post, The Specials bassist Horace Panter gave a touching account of Terry’s final days.
He said The Specials were due to record a new album in Los Angeles in November this year, which had previously been put on hold due to the pandemic, when Hall fell ill.
Panter, 69, wrote that “confidence was high” ahead of the project, and that the group had been looking forward to “making magic”.
He said that in September, Hall had emailed to say he was “in bed with a stomach bug”, but then did not improve in the following weeks.
“Sunday October 2nd and I get a phone call from Manager Steve. And everything turns to s***,” he wrote.
“Terry’s illness is a lot worse than we thought. He has been diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas which has spread to his liver. This is serious. Like life-threatening serious.
“He has developed diabetes due to his pancreas being attacked. This has to be treated first, then it’s a regime of chemotherapy.
“There is nothing anyone can do. Everything is put on hold.”
Panter said that Hall’s chemotherapy had “started favourably” and that a date of March 2023 had been set for work to continue, but then news of his condition had “gone quiet”.
The bassist went on to describe a decline in Hall’s condition in recent weeks, and that on December 17 he and Hall’s sisters rang him to say their goodbyes.
“It was tough,” he wrote.
“Terry died around half past 5 the next evening, Sunday 18th December.”
This is a heartbreaking read but it is similar to many others across the nation.
However, I believe Terry would want us to know that a major cause of pancreatic cancer is alcohol consumption.
In Terry’s case it helped (or perhaps it didn’t) keep the memories of his childhood abuse in check. Nonetheless, for those who have similar experiences and have turned to alcohol as a suppressant please reflect if you can and seek help. Do as Terry suggests above and talk with people and let them help you.
Terry Hall represented so much to many. Let him also be there now and in the future and help save some more of us.
Let that be part of his legacy.
Jason Cridland
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