User:Jakeyboy291

Questionnaire: Were they really the ‘Swinging 60’s’? Personal information: © Name:Pam Wiltshire © Gender:Female © Birthday: 7 December © In the 1960’s you were: 11-20

Shops and stores: Where did you and your family mainly shop and what was the name of the store? There were many stores – For example you couldn’t buy the range of goods you find in Tesco in any one shop back in the 1960’s. You would go to a baker for bread and cakes; the milkman for milk (usually delivered to your door every morning); the butcher for your meat; the cycle shop for your bicycle pump; the ironmonger for your new saucepan, a new kettle, candles, a washing machine (very new in the early sixties), or for those who could not afford a washing machine, a new scrubbing board, or a new lock for the bathroom door; the fishmonger for your fish; the greengrocer for your fruit and vegetables; the milliner for your new hat; the newsagent for your newspapers, tobacco or sweets; the grocer for your general food stuff (other than that referred to above), including flour, margarine, butter, eggs, tinned food, cereals, sugar, gravy browning, rice, spices, etc. One of the few shops (if you can call it a shop) that hasn’t changed too much is the hairdresser – that is something you still can’t get in Tesco – a haircut or a perm! How often would you visit the shops to buy the necessary grocery needs? As often as you needed – shops generally were not too far away unless you lived in the country. Was there a wide range of themed shops and what were they? (E.g. DIY, clothes, groceries, appliances) See answer to first question above. How far away was the nearest shop from your house? About half a mile. What were the popular shops that you liked to shop in? We only went to shops when we ‘needed’ something – ‘wants’ were not an option – money was very scarce for most people in the 60’s. What do you think are the major changes in shops and stores today, than in the 1960’s, and have they made life better or worse? Much bigger shops; shops that sell a whole range of things like Tesco; Out-of town shopping areas. One of the big advantages of the large stores such as Tesco, is that their purchasing power is so great that they have brought prices down in real terms. Most goods are considerably cheaper now that 40 years ago in real terms. Another big advantage is that you can get almost anything in a couple of large stores these days. Some of the disadvantages are the loss of most of the small traders and the very personal service they were able to provide, and the fact that large retailers frequently squeeze the price given to manufacturers/producers that many cannot make a decent living anymore, then the large retailers go elsewhere such as the far East to get their goods even cheaper despite the cost of transport. Music: What types of music did you listen to? Pop What were your favourite bands and why? Gerry & the Pacemakers and The Beatles How would you listen to your music? (E.g. Through ... a Sterio, mp4, ipod, radio) The first three did not exist. A record player. Were the Beetles a popular band in your local school, and if so, why? Yes – because they were young, attractive, and performed excellent music. NB. Please note spelling of ‘Beatles’ Are the Beetles a true image of the sixties or one created by the media? True image Would you attend lots of ‘pop concerts’ or ‘gigs’? No, only ever attended one. Were there a wide range of types of music? (Classical, jazz, pop, rock, rave, rap) The first three and ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’, the last of which I consider to be different to what people call ‘Rock’ these days. What is ‘Rave’ and ‘Rap’? What do you think are the main difference in music now and music when you were in the 60’s? Quite a lot of current pop music is too loud – often cannot understand what the lyrics are saying – perhaps I would think it worse if I did understand what the words were about! Do you think the change in music was a good change for our society or has it made a downfall effect? Not quite sure what this question is asking. The 60’s perhaps was the start of the downward spiral of standards, but even the worst standards of the 60’s are generally much higher than many of the standards of today.

Fashion: Was fashion a big thing in the 1960’s where you grew up, and did fashion matter to you?? Yes, but I couldn’t afford fashion. Who were the main fashion models that you or maybe your friends admired? I remember Twiggy being a fashion icon, but neither my friends or I were bothered about fashion – no point, there was no cash for fashion. Was there certain fashion labelled clothes that you liked to buy/wear? (E.g. Next, gap, new look, fat face, etc.) None of these existed. Not interested – couldn’t afford it anyway. What shops were the popular fashion shops that you and your friends may have regularly shopped in? None. Was the mini skirt a popular item of clothing in the 1960’s? Yes In your opinion, do you think fashion has got better or worse? – Why? – explain your thought and ideas. Worse – In the 60’s the mini skirt was popular – showing a bit of leg, but these days most popular young peoples fashion shows much more than the leg – doesn’t leave much to the imagination! What do you think are the main differences in fashion today and the fashion you used to wear in the 1960’s? See last answer

Groups, culture and club organisations. Did the stereotypes of today exist in the 1960’s? (E.g. Goths, emos, chavs, chemos and skaters) Not at all. Not even sure what these are. Were you stereotyped as any of these names? If so which one? No Were you a member of the Mods or rockers, and were they really against each other as portrayed? I had a scooter in the late 60’s so I thought of myself as a Mod. In our village Mods & Rockers got on well together, but in some areas – particularly the cities, it appears that they had many violent clashes. If so what activities were involved of being part of the group? Gather together on our scooters and pootle around the village. Were you a member of any clubs? – If so what were they and when would you attend? No

Media ---- television/ magazines/ entertainment Did you own a television and was it colour? Not until the early 60’s, then only black and white. If yes, what kinds of programs did you watch and what was your favourite program? Coronation Street How often would you be able to sit down to watch TV and for how long? Not very often – I preferred to be out with my boyfriend Was having television a luxury or was it just taken for granted? Luxury – even black & white on a 10 inch screen. Was there such a thing as the ‘water shed’ or is modern TV becoming more unsuitable? No such thing – virtually everthing was very suitable for the family What would you like to do in your free time? Have fun- hanging around milk bars with friends – beach parties at Mudeford – dancing (jive) at the youth club! What contents were found in magazines in the 1960’s and what were your particular favourite magazines, if any?? Couldn’t afford magazines, so do not know Do you think that TV in the 60’s was more of a bad influence on people or today’s programs? Definitely today is much worse Do you think the change in the media has made today’s society better or worse? Much worse

Hippies Were hippies as important as they were portrayed, and why/why not? Yes – we called them ‘flower people’ in those days Were hippies classified as being ‘cool’? And why/why not? Yes – were they not the first to ‘coin’ the word ‘cool’? Did you personally know any hippies? – If yes explain what they would act like and what they would do! No Do you think that the ‘hippie role’ made a difference to today’s society? No Do you think that the ‘hippie role’ played a vital part in make the 60’s, ‘the swinging 60’s’? No. The ’swinging 60’s’ was much more to do with the music scene.

Transportation What was the most popular form of transportation in the 1960’s? Legs, bicycles, buses & trains. Most people didn’t have personal motorised transport, particularly in the early 60’s. Our family had a minibus even though we were very poor – but then you should have seen the state of it. What transportation (if any) would you and your family use most often? Cycles – our family used cycles much more than the minibus (probably more reliable as weel) even to visit grandparents about 10 – 11 miles away. Were cars a popular form of transportation? Popular mostly for the middle class and above Did many people own cars? No What was your favourite car at that time and what were the most famous/popular cars at that time? Didn’t really have a favourite – but probably anything other than our old falling apart Bedford minibus. Rarely saw a non-British car on the roads. Most popular cars were probably the Ford Anglia, and the Morris Minor 1000, and of course the Morris Mini Minor. Was crossing the roads safer than crossing a road in today’s society? Absolutely yes. Do you think life is easier with transportation now then in the 60’s? Modern personal motor transport allows us to cram so much more into life – but then as a consequence we all live much more stressful lives What do you think are the main differences in transport today and the transport you used in the 1960’s? Road transport is much faster, but then individual vehicles are much safer than in the 60’s, (most 1960’s cars even in first class condition could not come anywhere near the modern MOT standards), and we only have old classic cars on the road because the standards required for them, is adjusted to account for the standards to which they were built). We all drive much faster despite the roads being much more crowded than they were in the 60’s. These days the standard of public transport is much poorer in as much as there is much less of it, and even then it is not nearly as reliable (timekeeping and even just ‘turning up’) than the 60’s.

Other issues Was drug taking the ‘norm’? No Were there many people taking drugs, alcohol and cigs in the 1960’s? Much more tobacco in those days. But virtually no ‘binge drinking’ in those days. Was drug taking a ‘big issue’ when you were living in the 1960’s? No Do you think that living in the 60’s was a better time to live than today? Yes - Not as many ‘worldly’ things, and higher moral standards Were roads as busy as they are in today’s society? Nothing like as busy, despite the roads being of a generally much lower standard (very few motorways, and not nearly as many dual carrigeways and bypasses for towns and villages. Were kids able to safely play out on the roads with out parents panicking about the safety of their kids? Yes, apart from main through routes Overall, what do you think? – do you think that the sixties were really the ‘swinging sixties’, or not? - explain your answer – please if so, can you go into great detail. Compared to the austere early 40’s (war time), and the late 40’s – 50’s (it took some time to recover from the war years), for some people maybe who had more cash the 60’s brought a much more ‘upbeat’ feel and probably more freedom than for many a year.