Singapore 60s Out Of Tune 60 Years Ago. Racial Riot @ Kallang Gas Works 21 July 1964.

This story was featured on 23rd November, 2014 during Brian Richmond's 90.5fm radio show, Sundays With Brian during the 'Reminiscing with Andy' segment.

EXACTLY 60 YEARS AGO TODAY.
21st JULY, 1964:

Mine is not a political blog but I have to address this matter because it shaped my mind for later years and because the Velvetones pop guitar band and I were together that day. We met during this holiday and spent our time till late. 

The Velvetones in 1964 and morphed into The Firebyrds [Philips Records.]

Members of the pop guitar band called The Velvetones were jamming at a bungalow in Lorong 39, Geylang that day; the house was diagonally opposite the former Chief Minister's Lim Yew Hock's bungalow on Sims Avenue. This group consisted of our usual Singaporean mix.  We had been practising for a few weeks and I was enjoying myself as one of their many singers. It was the first time that I had joined a band and it was extremely exciting for a 24 year old. 

While we were practising the leader of another Singapore pop band visited us to watch me sing.  Both of us had thoughts that I could join his group as a singer since I had met him some time ago to discuss it. 

The jam session lasted till late evening when we decided to call it a day. Meanwhile there were goings-on in the streets that we were not aware of. My friend only told me when he was sending me home in his car since he did not want to alarm the others during our practice. Although I was living around the corner I took his offer only after learning what had happened earlier.

Quietly in the car he told me how he had to dash through a barricade at one of the roads in Geylang before coming to the bungalow. He was not sure whether it was a police barricade or otherwise. No one stopped him as he sped to where we were, fearful for his life.

When he left me at my home at about 6.30 pm I experienced a strange quiet and uneasy stillness in the air. There was not a single vehicle or human being anywhere near my home or street. It was an eerie, eerie feeling as I felt my hair behind my head stood on ends. I felt as if an atomic bomb had dropped on Singapore and that the whole island had been devastated.  

"Not a soul on earth..." was the thought in my mind.  The whole stretch of Geylang Road, from the Paya Lebar end on one side, to the other where I could see the distance at Lorong 30, was totally empty and quiet. It was truly frightening. And the memory lives to this day!

My family, who were anxiously waiting for me and huddled behind the door, told me that a racial riot had started at the Kallang Gas Works earlier that day. I realised how serious the situation was when I read about it in the newspapers the next morning. The Gas Works was not too far from my home.

We shouldn't, as Singapore citizens, let this incident happen ever again!

On the music scene, the Beatles were hot those years with so many of their songs on the Top Hits list, "I Want to Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You", "A Hard Day's Night", "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me". 

But the most ironical song those months was Dean Martin's, "Everybody Loves Somebody Somehow." I wish! Ironical it was!

[I cannot remember the details but the story is reasonably accurate.]

Dean Martin: 'Everybody Loves Somebody Somehow'. 

YouTube Video from Dean Martin.

Were you aware of this 1964 Singapore riot? Comments are welcome.

The roads were empty with 

a few bystanders and the police.

Racial riots affected the country as 

people were in chaos and business disrupted. 

Reference:

'The Singapore Story. Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew' 

Pg: 556-559. (SPH/Times Edition 1998).

Images: 

Google; National Heritage Board, Personal Collection.

(3) Racial Riots In Singapore 60s Out Of Tune

Racial riot affected the country as people were killed and business disrupted. Chaos reigned.
(Image: National Heritage Board Website)

Andy 60s Fiat 600 1964 Model Silver Strings Overload

#This story was featured on 9th November 2014 during Brian Richmond's 90.5fm radio show, Sundays With Brian during the Reminiscing with Andy segment. 

A Memory Trail:

We didn't know how but Audie, bass guitarist of the Silver Strings, owned a Fiat 600 in the 60s and the 5 or 6 of us squeezed into the tiny car with two doors.

We were entangled all over like a human octopus, limbs dangling, with probably three sitting in front and four seated behind, with at least 3 Fender guitars, a snare drum, and sticks. We knew how sardines felt after that. Compact travel. It was fun though as our driver went round before that picking everybody up. The cramping got worse as the numbers increased.

Wilfred, Danny Boy, Andy, Audie and David during one of the first few gigs at the old Kallang Airport Dance Hall.

If I remember correctly, the usual troupe was in the car, handsome Hainanese boy David Chan lead guitarist, Wilfred Chew rhythm, the rich young man from a bungalow house in Katong, 'Danny Boy' or Osman our drummer and our taxi-driver Audie Ng who owns the car, the band, and the bass. 

Somewhere in that mess, I was inside too. Five so far. Sometimes a fan would come in; he would help carry our guitars. You wouldn't believe it but the car can take in five people easily.

Audie still does it now, picking band members up and sending them way back home in the night from as far as Yishun and Pasir Panjang. I remember him driving home the band boys after our studio practices in November 2008. He drives a bigger car now. This particular car took us home during the racial riots (check postings) in 1964.

I bought one in the mid-60s too. Kiasu. Red in color; no choice. Second hand. The above illustration shows the two doors opening V-shaped, facing the engine. They were wide when opened, very wide indeed. It was easy to enter and exit the car because of the wide gaps the two doors made (image). 

Once I fooled a friend, telling him that the Fiat 600 didn't use any engine [image below]. He was shocked when I opened the front bonnet to prove it. The space for an engine was empty. If only I had shown him the boot, where the engine was. 😂
Good old Eddie is still around today. I'm just wondering if he knows...

My first car ever!

The engine is behind? Fooled a friend who was shocked

when he saw there wasn't any...

Classic Cars and Music of the 50s

YouTube Video from: 1970s English Teddy Boys

This fantastic video took a lot of patience and energy

to produce. Thank you very much guys.

With Brian Richmond during the recording session at MediaCorp which was at Caldecott Hill. He is a DJ at Singapore's 90.5 FM Radio Station.

Image: Google and A Personal Collection.
This post has been rejuvenated from 1.1.2009.