How To Play Guitar In The Middle Of The Road

When I was a youngster back in the turbulent ’60,s, like most of my peers I used to hang out in the various coffee bars that were around town, and I would feed the juke box which always stood in the corner.

It used to be the unspoken word that everybody drinking coffee in the shop would take their turn to feed the juke box, and by doing this you were announcing to the world (or at least those in the coffee shop) what type of music you enjoyed listening to.

I remember that I used to stay in the coffee bar until about 9 or 10pm each evening (in those days entertainment options were rather limited) and then I would go to my bedroom and tune in to Radio Luxemburg.

Do any of you remember Radio Luxemburg? It was a well known, and much loved, radio station.

There were a lot of radio stations around in the 1960’s, and many of them were stationed in offshore ships. I can’t remember any of the names of those stations or ships now, but if any reader can remember then please let me know.

I also cannot recall now whether Radio Luxemburg was a ship, or whether it was based on land, in Luxemburg. Again, if anybody can enlighten me it would be appreciated.

Well, it was while I was tuned in to these radio stations that I first got a ‘taste’ for the guitar. Somehow it seemed to resonate with my soul and I just loved listening to any record which had a guitar solo in it.

Much as I loved the guitar, I never considered playing it for myself, that is, not until a rather curious event occurred.

Those of you familiar with the road system in the U.K., will know that we have many roundabouts on our roads. These are designed to aid the flow of traffic, without stopping it as happens with traffic lights. They are literally a large circle placed at the junction of two roads, and they often have a small area of grass in the middle just to improve the appearance.

Well one day I was out on my bicycle ( I was too young for a car then) and about a mile from my home I came across a roundabout, and there, sitting in the middle of this roundabout was a friend of mine who was happily strumming away on his guitar.

All the cars that went past could not help but notice him, it was such an unusual sight right there in the middle of a roundabout. It was a bit like being on stage, in the middle of the road!

I sat with him there for an hour or so, and I just wished that I had a guitar to take out and start playing.

But that started me on the path from which I have never turned back. I saved up furiously until I had enough money to go out and buy my own guitar, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Over the years I have played in many bands, and have made music all around the world, but I have never forgotten that ‘roundabout experience’.

Now I spend my time teaching others how to play the guitar, and how to find their own roundabout to sit on.