February 2010 I was standing at the bus stop on the strand having lost all my money in the Empire, I was broke; I didn't have enough money in my pocket to get myself a drink from the 24 hour Spar shop.
A beggar walked past and asked me if I could spare some change. I couldn't even reply! spare some change? how was I to tell this man that I didn't have enough change to get myself water from the shop. I got onto the bus and realized that my bus pass had expired, I flashed it at the driver and held my breathe, luckily for me it was a busy night and he didn’t realize. On the long journey home to crystal palace I started thinking about my life, I started day dreaming and nearly missed my stop. I arrived home made myself some breakfast ate and went straight to sleep. I slept for two days, I was depressed I felt down.
"When a man is at his lowest his brain is not rational, I started thinking of all sorts of negative things, all sorts of things that I would never have thought if I hadn’t have gone to the Empire 2 days prior"
That's when I remembered DTD I felt a good vibe when I was in Nottingham and London had nothing more from me I was 53 years old and I had nothing, my record business had gone down and left me poking around for scraps. I wasn’t ready to give up. I sold some of my old stuff and got some money together.
It was a Thursday, early 2010 I caught the train to Nottingham and called my friend I had a suitcase and £200 in my pocket, my friend met me at the station and we caught the bus to his house. I told him I was moving to Notts and needed somewhere to stay until I could find a place. He said I could stay at his for a couple of weeks. When I told him I was moving to Nottingham to play poker he thought I was crazy.
We got to his house at around 6 I dropped my stuff off and asked how I could get to DTD he called one of his mates who dropped me off. I remember walking through the doors of DTD that day knowing this was my last Shot, this was it! It was make or break! I’d never left London in my life, my family thought I was crazy, if I failed I would be ridiculed by friends and family, I couldn’t afford to lose this was it…
Next post will be how I became Rastafish
Transcribed by Steven S