SINGAPORE 60's: ANDY's POP MUSIC INFLUENCE IS A PERSONAL MUSIC, MEMORY TRAIL. BLOGGER DOES NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO VIDEOS, AUDIO TRACKS AND IMAGES. THEY ARE UPLOADED FOR FUN, EDUCATIONAL, ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES AND HAVE BEEN CREDITED. BLOG IS NOT SPONSORED NOR ADVERTORIAL IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER. INFORM BLOGGER OF COPYRIGHT ISSUES AND POST WILL BE DELETED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT COPY THE POSTS; GET PERMISSION N CREDIT ME IF YOU DO. ANDY LIM LA (NOVEMBER, 2008) -
(新加坡六十年代安迪的流行音乐影响力), SUDI MAMPIR !
Mr. Wong wrote a comment in July 2023 for the blog about his younger days wearing leather boots with horseshoes attached to them. More importantly he described those rough and tough days in the 60s when he faced his "enemies" who challenged him...
He writes in his own stylish and identifiable way. And I just love his name. Like Charles Bronson, he's fierce and muscular. Thank you, Ericbronson for your contribution to this blog.
"Oh Yes Come to think of it those were indeed d trend during those roaring days of d 60s walking on d wild side,, l remember not hard synthetic rubber horseshoes but iron horseshoes banged behind d leather boots n leather shoes making sure it is loud clickety clack sound when U walk pass some people to show them U R some kind of A Rebel,, ha ha ha.
Gangsters in Chinatown Singapore 60s. They identify themselves
using numerals as gang members of groups like 08; 24; 329 .
l realised l attracted more enemies than friends, enemies wanted to make trouble saying that, "U R actsy!" [arrogant] n a showoff to be a tough guy, haters want to challenge U exchanged hostilities; true to say l got into a couple of fights because of that.
Just Like Rumble On D Streets Of Old Chinatown. Those Lorongs [side lanes] in Fierce Geylang,, Terror in Katong and Fist Waving Street Fighters of Jalan Joo Chiat Tiong Bharu, Red Hill [road names] etc. etc. Honestly!
l survived through it all,, thank GOD I am still breathing today. l still remember the days patronizing cobblers in makeshifts stalls, hammering those horseshoes.
🤠😎😃😁🤩😍🤘🤟✌️👍☕☕🍺🍺.
Ericbronson Wong is also a jolly fellow and does creative work like the above.
Andy Young,, Oh Yes Brother Andy Those were d unforgettable days,, Days unlike today,, l could hardly find genuine cobblers under makeshift stalls nowadays,, U find them in air conditioning plazas and big departmental stores instead with very high technology type of machines charging expensive prices getting your shoes mended.
Surely Gone R The Days where U find a truly just n humble Cobblers offering a reasonable price to work on your shoes,, the fee to hammer the iron horseshoes were so cheap the price U pay for a plate of Char Kway Teow [fried noodles] and a bottle of Sinalco with chopped ice. l remember too, for a pair of tea-dancing rugged boots; ha ha ha."
Horseshoes fitted onto the soles of ordinary shoes that created a chinky sound to show style and aggressiveness among teens in the 60s.
😎🤠😃😁🤟✌️👌👍☕☕🍺🍺🍻🍻🍹🍹
Author: Ericbronson Wong [HongKong].
24.7.23
Why Ericbronson wrote this article. Click below to read:
Another group of tough guys from Singapore 60's. You know there's going to be a gang fight when you see a pile of jack-knives, a few parangs [Chinese chopping knives], brickbats, long screw-drivers and hammers in the dry monsoon drain near your home at Geylang Road or Chinatown.
Gangland weapons used in the 1960's.
Elvis Presley with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra:
In the Ghetto (HD). YouTube Video by: CsillagRobert.
Mata, Mata - The Singapore Police Force in the 1950's.
Something on my Mind with d'Starlights. Video by Mr Rainbow.
UP TO 3,200 VIEWS &
40+ COMMENTS/CHATS
Singapore Police Force n Nightclub Scene: "Mata. Mata lai leow. (cops are here). Time is tight man! Let's make a run for it before we get caught by the special squad!" The nightclubs in the 1960's were usually quiet with conflicts and rowdiness more or else contained. But there were instances when fights and clashes erupted and the police would appear quickly to appease the situation and handle the trouble makers. Guru Happy, who now lives in Vancouver is here again to discuss certain tough areas that he had been patrolling those years. Personal names have been left out and the article has been edited:
*d'Starlights: Karate-kicks on stage before music performance.
"D'Starlights, I'm sure many of you could remember, was one of the first and top band from the Philippines to perform at the El Amigo in Singapore. We would always frequent the Lounge or Nite Club (as they were known those days) located at the New World Amusement Park. This group were karate exponents and would include some Japanese art of self-defence techniques at the beginning of their music performance to show the gangsters their own agility.
Is this a **BLACK MARIA with reinforced steel bars?
Located at Kitchener Road (City Square Mall has now replaced New World) it was one place where well-known gangsters and hard-core fugitives would also congregate and come to know me pretty well too. We would always land up making arrests in the club when I was then with the Police Special Squad working together with one Mr Singh (Special Squad or plain clothes policemen were known as arm-pai amongst the Chinese).
Another place we used to frequent often was at the Pink Panther off Orchard Road and the Shamrock Bar and Nite Club. "If you're looking for trouble, you came to the right place, If you're looking for trouble just look right in my face (Elvis Presley's Trouble from King Creole)."
Elvis Presley spells trouble in King Creole.
Childhood Friends: Cathay Nite Club and Restaurant at the Cathay Cinema at Mount Sophia and Handy Road was another favourite joint and that was where my present better half and I had our first date, together with childhood friends, a well-known radio DJ and another friend who was one of Singapore's great footballers. We grew up together in primary school and if we didn't frequent the nightclubs we would spend most of our time on the soccer field in Queenstown.
Nightclubs in the 50s and 60s
Besides D'Starlights I still remember Susan Lim with The Crescendos and would still listen to her on You-Tube today to recall all those memorable times where we enjoyed our T-Dances and house parties in the 60s. Yes, so much to talk about, but so little time-lah, especially when you're far away from your kampung in Pasir Ris. Original article by Guru Happy."
Angchia (red van) arrests begin with warning messages over loudspeakers.
Takes A Crook To Catch A Crook - Singapore Gangsters Call them what you will: triad, secret societies, thugs or samseng kia, these criminal organisations were known to identify themselves using numerals like 08 or 329. In the 60's gangsters would be detained under the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance. In the month of February 1965 alone more than 3,000 suspects were screened and about a dozen gangsters arrested. They lived in hideouts at Geylang, Yeo Chu Kang, Havelock, Chinatown and other areas. Undercover police officers who dressed like thugs would penetrate hideouts and together with ex-gangsters recruited by the police, raid dens and red-light areas like Geylang and Sago Lane. The exploits of these reformed criminals were legendary as they helped to capture some of the worst in our society. Mata mata means Eyes in the Malay Language. It is the colloquial term for Policemen.
Gangsters caught by the mata-mata and arm-pai. From stomp.com.sg
Images: Vinyl from d'Starlights:It's Soul Man with A Man Without Love, Hip Hug Her, El Pussy Cat and Louie Louie on EMI/ECHK 598.
Police vans to transport prisoners inside a specially adapted cell in the vehicle; also for rapid transport of police officers to an incident. The vehicle most gangsters fear was the ang-chia or red van, used to round up troublemakers and placed under arrest. They would be escorted under heavy guard in these red vans and charged at the police station. Such vehicles have been phased out today and replaced with smaller ones.
If you take information from this article for your own use,
at least credit me because copying is stealing.
Andy.
Images from: Google, stomp.com.sg, Andy Lim Collection. Original article: Guru Happy from Vancouver, BC.
(The above video is a masterpiece, creatively crafted by Shane Woodbury showing Bruce Lee at his peak. Watch it in full.)
UP TO 6,000 VIEWS, 40+ CHATS, COMMENTS When martial-arts mania flexed its muscles and extended its flying kicks in Singapore 70s, "Kato" or "Big Boss" Bruce Lee became a cult hero on the big screen and "Grasshopper" David Carradine became one on the goggle box. I remember watching these two actors who had by then a large international following.
1. Carl Douglas Album Cover
Every other day some exponent of TKD, karate or whatever else was chopping bricks, slicing wooden boards on TV or at the Community Centres in Singapore. The mass hysteria even produced a single called Kung Fu Fighting (not Kung Fu Panda) by Carl Douglas that sold eleven million copies in 1974 (plenty in those days). So everyone listen up, for here's a story about what happened at a cinema in Singapore in 1972 when fists of fury found their target on blackmarket ticket thugs.
2. Poster of Bruce Lee's movie in the 1970s.
The writer is a friend of James Kwok who is with our FOYers Group: Hi Andy, It would be nice like they say to *talk cock (pardon my language) and reminisce over the good old days, especially those days when T-Dances were so popular! One of my most unforgettable memories, and believe me, there're quite a few, was an incident at **The Orchard Theatre, which I would like to share with you.
3. David Carradine on the goggle box.
I vividly recalled, it was the first screening of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury and the queue for tickets was almost a kilometer long. I was in the queue, like all law-abiding citizens, when I noticed a gang of black-market thugs jumping the queue in front, shoving, and threatening those who dared to voice out. I overheard one lady screaming, "Where's the police?" and was immediately told off by one of the gang members. That was when I sprung into action. Nobody realised that I was an arm-pai or mata-mata (plain-clothes cop). With my revolver at my side (I was in plainclothes), and fresh from receiving a black belt in TKD (Tae Kwon Do from one of my Korean Masters at the then, Gay World), I started pulling these thugs out from the line. They were too shocked by my action to retaliate, and before they were aware of what was going on, two of then were on the floor after having received my TKD kicks while the others took off!
4. An artist's impression of TKD which need not necessarily be violent.
I was pleasantly surprised when most of the fans in the queue started to clap and shouted their approval after what I did. How about that! Pity it was not reported in the local media then. Anyway, that was a REAL Bruce Lee's preview-lah and I did not even realise my action then. A mata-mata was in action to defend members of the public. So many stories to recap Bruddher, and this is just one. I simply love those good old days and can never, never, forget that, no matter where we are to-day.
Till we meet over our teh-tarik, and maybe, roti prata again. God Bless,
Guru Happy.
About the writer:
Guru Happy lives in Vancouver, BC, Canada and is in the Police Harley Davidson (the latest Police Escort Bike) as their Fleet Co-ordinator, after retiring from the RCMP (the Federal Police). He was with the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to supervise the fleet for the 2010 Winter Olympics. He was the first, and only former Singaporean - an honour he is proud of - to be involved with the security for the Olympics which was a once in a lifetime dream. He was entrusted not only with the arrangements for the local VVIPs, but also the US President, working along with the US Secret Service Agents.
5. Letter writer Guru Happy with his Harley Davidson.
Like the saying goes, "Once a cop, always a cop" no matter where you are. Happy promises more stories on this blog soon. Original article/image 5: Guru Happy Copyrights Reserved.
You Tube video from: Shane Woodbury. Images 1, 2, 3, 4: from Google.
In 1965 when Singapore gained independence, Cathay Organisation opened their second cinema after Cathay. It is the Orchard Cinema (国宾戏院) at Grange Road. It was closed in 1995 for renovation and re-established itself as Orchard Cineleisure today.
Today: February: 2023.
It's best to mask up like Kato, or you'll be in trouble, not with the law but with your health. Covid Nineteen and family are still around...
"Me and my friend came walking down the avenue/Just like the girls we had nothing to do/So we both whistled but they wouldn't look back/And four little heels went clickety-clack... 'Four LittleHeels' (Brian Hyland)".
I remember in the 60s when Beatle boots were in fashion. Nearly every Singapore band boy was buying a pair to show his worth.
Some of these boots even had cleats (left image) which were metal on the sole, supposedly to provide secure footing. They made a clickety-clack sound to announce the arrival of the proud user who would display his footwear either on the streets or the dance floors.
The heel has a horseshoe and
the upper sole has 3 studs.
Then came the extraordinary. Some of these boots and common leather sneakers or loafers were fitted with horseshoes, yes, horseshoes. Youth of yesteryear had genuine horseshoes on soles to prance and gallop around with.
"See the way he walks down the street/Watch the way he shuffles his feet/My, he holds his head up high/When he goes walking by, he's my guy/When he holds my hand, I'm so proud/'Cause he's not just one of the crowd... 'He's A Rebel' (Gene Pitney)."
This freakish fashion footwear was the ultimate in the 1960s as teenagers would cock their fancy studs, some with cowboy Stetson hats and flowery patterned garb to boot! Like the younger guys today, 60s kids wanted to be different. Like James Dean - a rebel without a cause.
Horseshoe on sneakers or loafers.
I bought a pair of horseshoes myself and had them nailed to my boots for a while. They were shiny when new and rusty when used and had holes for the iron nails to fit into. Some boys had the horseshoes nailed loosely on the leather heels to accentuate the sound. In fact, the owner could tighten or loosen the nails until they were comfortable. They went chink, chink, chink as the owner strutted around. Exciting it was!
Brian Hyland - Clickety, Clack.
Video from YouTUBE by Oz Malo.
I don't remember where I bought my pair of horseshoes but they were available at the cobblers on the streets, in shoe-shops and at some hardware places but when my father saw me one evening clickety-clacking in the middle of the night on the cement floor of our home he literary put his foot down. I had to get rid of them sooner than I thought.
"Do anything that you want to do, but uh-uh,/Honey, lay off of my shoes/Blue, blue/'Blue Suede Shoes'... (Carl Perkins)."
"The boots look good but the chink, chink, chink sound is annoying!" remarked my father glancing at my shoes while reading his favourite Indonesian newspaper.
Rusty horseshoes and large cleats on boots.
Of course, I didn't get rid of them but hid them in my cupboard and would only put them on when I was out of the house. So with slick, greasy hair, a pair of moon-glasses, a yellow shirt, tight drainpipe blue jeans and leather boots I thought I had it made. But it didn't go that way for me. Ah, but it was fun while it lasted.
"Now I’m stepping out this old brown shoe/Baby I’m in love with you/I’m so glad you came here/It won’t be the same now,/I’m telling you... 'Old Brown Shoes'. (The Beatles)."
#With the latest dance craze where Gangnam Style takes the world by storm and Korean singer Psy leading the pack of galloping horses followed by nearly one billion YouTube viewers, I am just wondering how effective the movements will be if he wears a pair of boots with cleats and horseshoes intact.
These gadgets are made for the speedy trots. But there will be more noise I suppose. Someone could offer him a pair of these shoes when he comes to Singapore 's Marina Bay Sands (MBS) on Saturday, l December 2012. Perhaps you could do it?
24.7.2023.
Jimmy Chng [percussionist says]:
"My brother had these fitted onto his shoes. When he pillioned me on his motorcycle at night, he would take his feet off the foot-rests and let the heels of his shoes make contact with the tarmac.
This resulted in twin streams of bright sparks - like what you would see when metal comes into contact with a spinning grindstone. What a sight it was!"
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