3000 Hangovers Later

"Photos of the Warwick Castle and Portobello in the 1980s" By Ray Roughler Jones, Tangent Books, Bristol, 2015. Unpaginated (96 pages), 21 x 15 cm. Condition : Very Good.

Out of stock

In the early 1980s, the public house of Warwick Castle in Portobello Road seemed to be near the center of the world. A veritable gateway to creativity, the clientele could boast of having diverse talents ranging from manual labor to filmmaking – from the music business to the monkey business. For some it was the combative opportunities the pub had to offer. It could boast of having a pool team, a quiz team, a darts team, a football and cricket team and, on more than one occasion, a tug of war team. For others less competitive, was it the shabby chic decor, with Christmas decorations hanging from the ceilings, in July? Maybe it was the sight of Harry Dean Stanton sharing anecdotes and drinking Guinness with Keith Allen, or maybe John Lydon huddled in a corner with John Savage, spilling the beans for “England’s Dreaming” or, for s ‘sit transfixed, enjoying Joe Strummer playing a ‘Junco Partner’ acoustic live there as part of an Old Roughians C.C. fundraiser. That vibe didn’t hold much magic for Elvis Costello, though. He hadn’t been inside for two minutes when a fight broke out, which sent him and a friend rushing for the exit. He dined with the best (and worst) in there and, the Warwick having an Irish accent, always received a royal welcome.