Now retired after more than 40 years in full-time journalism, Alan takes a wry look at life in the 21st Century. You can also read Alan's column every Monday in The Bolton News . . .
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AFTER enjoying a performance of a classic Bolton play - Bill Naughton's Spring And Port Wine - we shuffled out of the Octagon Theatre feeling proud of the town and its theatrical tradition.
These sentiments were helped by the Octagon's decision to end the evening by playing a recording of a Bernard Wrigley song - The One Place For Me.
The next day I contacted our very own "Bolton Bullfrog" to ask him if the song had been written for the new production.
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Not so. It seems Bernard wrote it originally for the theatre's 1970 version of the same play.
"The opening scene was slides of Bolton on a screen with the song playing at the same time," he told me.
"I recorded it with Ted Richards (one of the Octagon actors) on the drums.
"At that time the sound system in the theatre was awful - so bad, in fact, that for the opening night I took my B & O tape recorder down and dangled the lid speakers out of the window of the lighting booth - it was better."
These days he says the sound is superb and he is equally complimentary about the Octagon's sound designer, Andy Smith.
The version played during the recent successful run was recorded for a Bernard Wrigley CD in 1991 - Buggerlugs.
His lyrics speak proudly of living in Bolton rather than anywhere else, including by the sea or in the hills.
"There's no finer place and I'll say to your face, Bolton's the one place for me," it goes.
The second verse refers to "a funny shaped theatre" built near to the town hall that "looks quite a gem."
The song also talks about fountains, statues, a precinct where cars must not go, pubs by the score, a town that is changing its face all the time and the fresh moorland air nearby.
It ends with praise for beer that is "one of the best" and will "even mend holes in your vest."
Bernard says he remembers sending the song to the Mayor's office in 1991 for use as a town anthem, but he "never heard a dicky bird."
Maybe somebody should re-consider and contact Bernard to discuss giving his song a new lease of life.
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