And as the amorphic motley crew watch in incredulity, they see the young, 14 year old Alvin, emerge from the alleyway, pass right through them, and walk up the path of the house near which they stand.

Les: 'Amorphic motley crew'? I think I prefer 'collective individuated spirit'.

Tony: Whatever it means.

Reg: OK. Let's walk up the path, behind Alvin.

And - scarcely believing what is happening - they do.

Alvin rings the doorbell, and a lady - probably in her 40s - opens the door.

Lady: Hello duck. Come in.

Eric: Er ... 'duck'??

Reg: Nottingham dialect. Just a friendly term of greeting.

Lady: Just go on through. Colin's waiting for you.

Pieter: 'Colin'?

Reg: Be patient. All will become clear. And let's follow Alvin in.

bobl: Is it ok?

Reg: Of course. Remember, we can't be seen or heard.

So they follow Alvin into the living room. A boy is there.

Colin: Ey up, Bud.

Ignaz: Bud?

Laurie: Bud??

Lynn: Bud???

Reg: Anyone else? You'll need four question marks.

Alan: I've only got three. Can I owe you one?

Reg: Go on then.

Alan: Bud???

Reg: Yes. 'Bud'. Alvin's nickname at school.

Les: Whaaaat? How would you know that?

Tony: Someone tell me this isn't happening!

Everyone looks at Tony.

Tony: Sorry. (Cough). I forgot.

Don: So why ... 'Bud'?

Reg: I'm not exactly sure - but as we know, the young Alvin was heavily into all things American. He developed the habit of referring to friends as 'Bud' ...

Dave: Better than ... 'duck'!

Reg: ... so that's maybe why he ended up being called 'Bud' himself.

Toni: And anything to do with Buddy Holly?

Reg: Could have been a bit of that, too. Maybe. The young Alvin was a big fan of Buddy Holly.

Stan: And I've just Googled something ... on this day the UK's number one single was 'It Doesn't Matter Any More'!

Sue: What was number two?

Stan: Hang on - I'll just check ... oh, it was Elvis. 'A Fool Such As I'.

Robin: Amazing! Those were the days.

They look around the room.

Victor: Hey! Dig that crazy floral wallpaper!

JJ: And what's that? What is that kid Colin holding?

BS: It's an improvised bass. A tea-chest bass.

Borje: Are the two of them going to play?

Jane: Look. There's a piano there as well.

Just then, the doorbell rings again. A few seconds later another boy enters the room.

Karl: Ey up Colin. And Bud. Let's get going ...

Karl ?, when did he beam aboard?

Peace,
DLM





Buddy died February 3, 1959

Website

Hi DLM. On your 'Karl' question - you may not have quite understood what is happening here. Give it another read.

On the Buddy Holly point - yes, that's when he died. But it's also true that he was number one in the UK singles chart, three months later.

Karl (typical Nordic version of the name, isn't it usually Charles over there?) should be one of the 1959 guys. Yeah, so many twists and turns - I better hold on to my head before it spins off my shoulders..