Saturday, November 05, 2005
The NME Years - The Advertising Girls; Part three
Tracy Bennett
Tracy was the advert managers secretary during her time at NME in the early eighties, and should not be confused with the soap actress of the same name. She lived in Albany Park, Sidcup, not too far from me, and was really good fun.
Her main claim to fame - pre-NME - was that her picture featured on the inside cover of the first Madness album; fans of the band had been asked to send in images of themselves, and Tracy did so. She was quite shocked I think when it made it into print (see left), and one day while working at NME this fact slipped out during conversation. She then struggled to live down the repercussions mainly due to the funny face she was pulling in the image...
Tracy loved going to gigs, and as I was a constant supply of entry, we went to see quite a few bands together, sometimes along with others. Tracy was good friends at NME with Jilly Horne, Karla Faerber, and others, and the three women (Tracy, Jilly, and Karla) could cause havoc in the office if they started giggling!
One of the funniest nights out I had with Tracy was on the occasion of one of my (many) birthdays I think; a whole bunch of us had been out to see a band (Guns for Hire I think, who were a pre-curser to Department S) at a small venue somewhere in the Soho area. On our fairly drunken walk (or stumble more like...) back afterwards towards Charing Cross, we were walking through Newport Passage, just behind London's Chinatown, where we came across, among all the rubbish bags, a deflated but still round football. It sat there, in full view as we slowly approached it, waiting, and then Tracy made her move; she ran toward it and swung her leg in an attempt to kick it very hard but proceeded to miss completely. A total air shot! The momentum of her swinging leg swung her off balance, up into the air, before coming back down to earth on top of the black rubbish bags. She creased up in laughter, as did all of the rest of us! It was hilarious (maybe you had to be there...). We then dribbled and passed the ball through the back streets until it got run over by a black cab and was no more round...
Tracy and some friends also came over to my house for cocktail drinks one night and to watch videos. I had put together a music video containing lots of stuff I liked that had been on TV over the previous couple of years, including a few of David Bowie's videos that breakfast TV had been showing, on consecutive mornings at 7.55am, around that time. Included in this music collection, was the banned China Girl video which featured the Beckenham boy sploshing around in the surf with a semi-naked Asian lady, who continued to lose her clothes as the video progressed - all a bit too much for Breakfast time TV but it had been shown late one night where I had added it to my tape.
Tracy, her best mate Lorraine, and a male friend arrived and we got stuck in to beers, before hitting the cocktails in a major way, all the time watching this three hour tape. I made myself one of my "special" drinks - based on one called Apres Ski served in the Studio Six bar near Kings Reach - which consisted of vodka, tequila, pernod, orange squash, and lemonade. Yes, I know! I drank this, but soon found myself in the bathroom being sick! I wasn't normally sick from drink (or not too often except when I'd had a lot more than I had this particular night), and I didn't feel bad at all, but here I was driving the porcelain bus! Tracy called out to ask if I was OK, and I replied that I was, but the night sort of came to an early end after that.
On another occasion, it was Tracy who messed up around my house; once more we'd been out to see a band, and this time it had been very late by the time we got back to my place - we'd probably caught the last train home. My house-mate, Steve, was still up when we got home, so we poured ourselves a beer each (in a pint glass), and sat watching TV with Steve (I have no idea what though...). Unfortunately, Tracy fell asleep in the armchair, and as the beer was in her hand, balanced on the armrest, it tipped and poured its contents all over the carpet! She woke straight away (no dropping a glass for our Tracy!) and was very apologetic. I think we were all a bit tired and drunk, so I stuck Tracy in a cab home, and cleaned up.
We would chat a lot about football, as she claimed to be a big West Ham fan, but her friends and family all had Charlton connections, and she did get dragged down to The Valley every now and then.
Tracy left NME in 1984 as she did not want to work at Commonwealth House, where the new offices were to be based following the move from Kings Reach Tower; I cannot remember who she went to work for. She eventually had children with her long time partner, and we did stay in some sort of loose contact (mainly through Jilly) for a few years, but I don't know her whereabouts nowadays.
Carolyn Hine
Now this was one crazy woman! Caroline came to work at NME when we were at Commonwealth House, selling mail order advertising. She was originally from Blackpool, and was quite tall with very long legs, spiky blonde hair, too much make up, and a punky dress sense. She was always wearing loose fitting tops with no bra and took pleasure in giving the lads in the office an eyeful too much; she didn't care!
She claimed to be a part-time model - she certainly had the figure/legs for it - but all attempts to see any of her photo shoots failed.
Caroline liked a drink, and would join us in the pub at lunchtime; she quite often would be joined by her long time boyfriend - Steve Bishop - who was a very muscular "chippy" who also had his own band. He had long matted blond hair, and they really did look like the rock star and his moll when they were out together. She also had a big "thing" for John Barnes thighs, and would drool over pictures of him when he played for her team Liverpool at every opportunity.
Caroline left NME under a cloud, after three other female members of staff complained to her boss about something that she had allegedly said. To me, what she said was just female bravado, but they took her comments seriously, and so did the management, and she was asked to leave.
She then went to work for an employment agency, and I met her for lunch on a few occasions, either in Docklands, or Covent Garden. It was quite strange seeing her dress respectably when compared with what she would wear at NME.When I met her for lunch in Docklands, I had the misfortune to drop my full pint just after buying it. The amazing thing was that the glass didn't break; however, the contents leapt from the glass and proceeded to hit the ceiling before coming down on top of me! I got some very funny looks after that episode! I did her a favour one time when she was in need of a person to cover a job for a day, having been let down late by someone else; I had just left NME so took the advantage of a days salary, being bossed around in the postal area by some little upstart at a city law firm. I didn't repeat that experience.
Eventually, Caroline split up from Steve and moved up to Lincolnshire, to work in a pub, and we lost touch. I can't imagine her being married with kids, unless John Barnes was available, but you never know...
Tracy was the advert managers secretary during her time at NME in the early eighties, and should not be confused with the soap actress of the same name. She lived in Albany Park, Sidcup, not too far from me, and was really good fun.
Her main claim to fame - pre-NME - was that her picture featured on the inside cover of the first Madness album; fans of the band had been asked to send in images of themselves, and Tracy did so. She was quite shocked I think when it made it into print (see left), and one day while working at NME this fact slipped out during conversation. She then struggled to live down the repercussions mainly due to the funny face she was pulling in the image...Tracy loved going to gigs, and as I was a constant supply of entry, we went to see quite a few bands together, sometimes along with others. Tracy was good friends at NME with Jilly Horne, Karla Faerber, and others, and the three women (Tracy, Jilly, and Karla) could cause havoc in the office if they started giggling!
One of the funniest nights out I had with Tracy was on the occasion of one of my (many) birthdays I think; a whole bunch of us had been out to see a band (Guns for Hire I think, who were a pre-curser to Department S) at a small venue somewhere in the Soho area. On our fairly drunken walk (or stumble more like...) back afterwards towards Charing Cross, we were walking through Newport Passage, just behind London's Chinatown, where we came across, among all the rubbish bags, a deflated but still round football. It sat there, in full view as we slowly approached it, waiting, and then Tracy made her move; she ran toward it and swung her leg in an attempt to kick it very hard but proceeded to miss completely. A total air shot! The momentum of her swinging leg swung her off balance, up into the air, before coming back down to earth on top of the black rubbish bags. She creased up in laughter, as did all of the rest of us! It was hilarious (maybe you had to be there...). We then dribbled and passed the ball through the back streets until it got run over by a black cab and was no more round...
Tracy and some friends also came over to my house for cocktail drinks one night and to watch videos. I had put together a music video containing lots of stuff I liked that had been on TV over the previous couple of years, including a few of David Bowie's videos that breakfast TV had been showing, on consecutive mornings at 7.55am, around that time. Included in this music collection, was the banned China Girl video which featured the Beckenham boy sploshing around in the surf with a semi-naked Asian lady, who continued to lose her clothes as the video progressed - all a bit too much for Breakfast time TV but it had been shown late one night where I had added it to my tape.
Tracy, her best mate Lorraine, and a male friend arrived and we got stuck in to beers, before hitting the cocktails in a major way, all the time watching this three hour tape. I made myself one of my "special" drinks - based on one called Apres Ski served in the Studio Six bar near Kings Reach - which consisted of vodka, tequila, pernod, orange squash, and lemonade. Yes, I know! I drank this, but soon found myself in the bathroom being sick! I wasn't normally sick from drink (or not too often except when I'd had a lot more than I had this particular night), and I didn't feel bad at all, but here I was driving the porcelain bus! Tracy called out to ask if I was OK, and I replied that I was, but the night sort of came to an early end after that.On another occasion, it was Tracy who messed up around my house; once more we'd been out to see a band, and this time it had been very late by the time we got back to my place - we'd probably caught the last train home. My house-mate, Steve, was still up when we got home, so we poured ourselves a beer each (in a pint glass), and sat watching TV with Steve (I have no idea what though...). Unfortunately, Tracy fell asleep in the armchair, and as the beer was in her hand, balanced on the armrest, it tipped and poured its contents all over the carpet! She woke straight away (no dropping a glass for our Tracy!) and was very apologetic. I think we were all a bit tired and drunk, so I stuck Tracy in a cab home, and cleaned up.
We would chat a lot about football, as she claimed to be a big West Ham fan, but her friends and family all had Charlton connections, and she did get dragged down to The Valley every now and then.
Tracy left NME in 1984 as she did not want to work at Commonwealth House, where the new offices were to be based following the move from Kings Reach Tower; I cannot remember who she went to work for. She eventually had children with her long time partner, and we did stay in some sort of loose contact (mainly through Jilly) for a few years, but I don't know her whereabouts nowadays.
Carolyn Hine
Now this was one crazy woman! Caroline came to work at NME when we were at Commonwealth House, selling mail order advertising. She was originally from Blackpool, and was quite tall with very long legs, spiky blonde hair, too much make up, and a punky dress sense. She was always wearing loose fitting tops with no bra and took pleasure in giving the lads in the office an eyeful too much; she didn't care!
She claimed to be a part-time model - she certainly had the figure/legs for it - but all attempts to see any of her photo shoots failed.
Caroline liked a drink, and would join us in the pub at lunchtime; she quite often would be joined by her long time boyfriend - Steve Bishop - who was a very muscular "chippy" who also had his own band. He had long matted blond hair, and they really did look like the rock star and his moll when they were out together. She also had a big "thing" for John Barnes thighs, and would drool over pictures of him when he played for her team Liverpool at every opportunity.
Caroline left NME under a cloud, after three other female members of staff complained to her boss about something that she had allegedly said. To me, what she said was just female bravado, but they took her comments seriously, and so did the management, and she was asked to leave.
She then went to work for an employment agency, and I met her for lunch on a few occasions, either in Docklands, or Covent Garden. It was quite strange seeing her dress respectably when compared with what she would wear at NME.
When I met her for lunch in Docklands, I had the misfortune to drop my full pint just after buying it. The amazing thing was that the glass didn't break; however, the contents leapt from the glass and proceeded to hit the ceiling before coming down on top of me! I got some very funny looks after that episode! I did her a favour one time when she was in need of a person to cover a job for a day, having been let down late by someone else; I had just left NME so took the advantage of a days salary, being bossed around in the postal area by some little upstart at a city law firm. I didn't repeat that experience.Eventually, Caroline split up from Steve and moved up to Lincolnshire, to work in a pub, and we lost touch. I can't imagine her being married with kids, unless John Barnes was available, but you never know...
