I don’t think you should remove the word ‘because’ from your vocabulary for ever.

But I do think that, every now and then, you should remove it for a day.

Because.

Imagine that you’re not allowed to say, ‘because’.

Just for a day.

I think it’d be great!

I can already feel myself smiling.

And you should too.

I actually have a feeling of mischief.

That I am going to get ‘up to something’ in this ‘because-free-day’ that I am going to create.

My thinking is freer.

My decision making is faster.

I am not thinking about consequences or other people. I feel that I can live this ‘because-free’ time – just for me.

Give it a go!

Why?

Sorry, this is a ‘because-free-day’ for me.

So you’re going to have to find out for yourself.

As our 7 day Kes journey ends.

Here is a reminder how the film Kes ends.

I watched this clip.

With David.

And an audience of 110 people at the Northern Design Centre at the end of 2017.

David cried.

And so did many of the people watching.

The End.

My Kes adventure started when I was 10 years old.

My ‘Kes’ adventure continued when I saw a young boy wandering through Byker in Newcastle in 2017.

He was carrying a bird of prey.

I wanted to make imagery for Always Wear Red that reminded me of my favourite film.

So I got the best photographer.

And the best falconer.

And the right Kestrel.

And the right Billy Casper model.

Then I went for David Bradley himself.

And he is now my friend.

A real gentleman.

A beautiful, gentle chap that helped me to push my ideas and my little adventure as far as I had dreamed.

Here are the images that we created together.

Always Wear Red’s homage to Kes, 50 years after the film was made:

As night fell on my day with David Bradley, David and I visited my friend John Kirtley. 

John is the Falconer.

When I first met John, I (naively) asked him if he liked the film Kes.

And if he knew of David Bradley.

John just stared at me. And lifted his shirt.

Across his chest is a large tattoo.

Of David Bradley.

Dreams. 

So imagine this…

I introduce John Kirtley to the boy – now the man – that has been tattooed on his chest for over 10 years.

Dan the photographer/videographer is there too.

As is John’s beautiful Kestrel.

The sun starts to set and we all walk slowly to the woods by John’s Falconry.

And this happens:

After David and I had lunch, we went for a wander.

David signs copies of Kes for people that love the film. And he wanted to buy a few DVDs for our event later that day.

So we went to HMV.

Happenings.

Happenings.

Things that happen.

Things that happen in our lives that are weird and truly wonderful.

Sometimes they happen to us.

Sometimes we make them happen.

I suggest you make them happen.

Life is too short.

And happenings are too rare for you to wait.

HMV.

A happening happened to me in HMV in Newcastle.

I was walking around HMV with David Bradley.

The gentleman that played Billy Casper in Kes and won a BAFTA for it aged 11.

Buying copies of Kes.

Here’s what happened:

Google is great. 

It told me where David Bradley was. And how to contact him.

When we first chatted, David became super-protective about Kes. And about me, a clothing brand fiddling with any of Ken Loach’s iconic imagery.

Kes is considered to be one of the top 10 British films ever made. Take a look where Time Out position it:

https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-british-films.

David imagined that I wanted images from the films on tee-shirts. Tea towels. Mugs.

I explained that this was the last thing on my mind!

Not Knowing When To Stop.

Sometimes, I dont know when to stop.

I like that about me.

So David asked me what I did actually want.

And I wasn’t sure.

So I blurted out that I wanted to put on an event in Newcastle.

And that 100 people would come.

To hear us talk about the film.

David had a think. And said yes.

All I had to do now was explore the creation of the event. The idea had only come to me in that conversation.

A Month Later.

One month later I was sat in a pub with David.

He’s brilliant.

He told me something that I am going to share with you now.

The Missing Scene.

He told me that Ken Loach’s favourite scene in the whole film didn’t make the final cut.

Here’s David describing the scene to me.

David also explains why the scene never made it to the final version of Kes.

More tomorrow.

Here’s how I ended up spending a day with David Bradley.

David won a BAFTA in 1969 for his portrayal of Billy Casper in Kes when he was (I think) 11 years old.

It all started in Byker, Northern England, in September 2017 when I really did see a young boy carrying a hawk down the street against the urban backdrop.

This came to mind:

And I hit on the idea of recreating Kes themes images for Always Wear Red. Images like this, from 50 years ago:

And images like this:

And, of course, this:

I found photographer Dan Prince:

And falconer John Kirtley:

And one of John’s beautiful Kestrels:

I needed a Billy Casper and John’s son Ayden was perfect:

The photoshoot happened:

There were beautiful, unpredictable, nostalgic moments:

But I wanted more.

I wanted the real Billy Casper as well – I wanted actor David Bradley.

So I set out to find him…

So yesterday we saw Brian Glover as our PE teacher. 

He then went on to play a great football match with the kids in the film Kes. It’s a rather more indulgent clip as it’s longer.

But it is definitely worth 4 minutes and 26 seconds of my day. And I hope yours too.

The Goalposts

It’s amazing how creativity can make inanimate objects famous.

Goalposts were never so iconic.

And I also remember the genuinely stomach-turning feeling of standing in a field.

Cold.

Worried.

Wondering about my own popularity and favour as the bigger boys chose their football team from a lineup that I was a part of.

I was never chosen first.

Creativity.

I was lucky enough to chat to David Bradley (Billy Casper) last year. And he said that what happened at 2:50 “Bloody hurt”.

I imagine it did.

Lesson.

There are two lessons for me here actually. About my business life.

1. If I play against people (brands) that I can beat easily, it’s no victory really. So I aim high.
2. And secondly, if I am the referee of my own game then of course I will win. Ultimately, the market will decide if Always Wear Red wins as the game plays out. Not me. And I need a good team around me to help. 

I’m working on that.

This is a 7 part story.

If you like Ken Loach’s 1969 film ‘Kes’ – you’ll have fun.

If you don’t like ‘Kes’, I’ll see you next week.

Or just stick around and by the end of the week – you probably will like it.

Man In Field Makes Us Laugh

OK let’s set the tone for the week. Let’s see whose ‘in’.

Because only a Kes fan will find this video funny, I think.

Scenario:

Man in field.

Runs towards camera wearing red tracksuit.

A tune made most famous by Monty Python plays in the background.

Dialogue? None.

Is he improvising and just doing what the hell he wants? Probably.

Why is it funny? Because I had a PE teacher like this.

(We all had a PE teacher like this).

More tomorrow.

(And by the end of the week I’ll have explained how I went from watching Kes wide-eyed and open-mouthed in 1978 aged 10, to wandering around HMV in Newcastle in 2017 aged 49, alongside David Bradley (Billy Casper), buying every copy of Kes in the shop).