Withdrawn, Condemned - A Childhood of Punk Rock Music and Railway Enthusiasm

Train in vain! 'Withdrawn, Condemned' examines a kid's inner world during a seventies childhood which was dominated by twin obsessions. Firstly, railway enthusiasm − a conventional boyhood obsession stoked by the Rev W Awdry and Tri-ang Hornby. In contrast to this parentally approved pastime, taboo preoccupations began to intrude − specifically punk rock. This phenomenon derailed the young Gadjit into a world of music weeklies, late night radio shows, records your parents wouldn't approve of and all round pre-teen discontentment.
Could an aspiring Clash kid credibly nurse a fixation for Western Region hydraulics? How far could innocent enthusiasm withstand punk's shockwaves and the ravages of adolescence? 'Withdrawn, Condemned' pulls together the disparate threads of junior school discos, 'seven penny nightmare' comics, the pop dichotomy between Abba and the Sex Pistols, your first pair of Doc Martens, Smash Hits, punk rock records, 00 gauge layouts and Ian Allen books. A fan’s-eye view of bands of the era − including The Clash, Sex Pistols, The Damned, Skids, The Ruts, The Adverts, Sham 69, The Tubes, Slade, Heavy Metal Kids and, er, The Goodies − is juxtaposed with an equally obsessive fixation with the 1970s British Rail system.
‘Withdrawn, Condemned’ is a retrospective love letter to childhood obsessions in all their absurdity, a demented portfolio of trivia, and an affectionate perspective on a vanished time whose aftershocks still rumble.
Hugh Gadjit has written for publications including Big Cheese, Vive Le Rock, Bucketfull of Brains and Sabotage times, covering music, cinema and cultural matters, and garnering accolades from the great-and-good such as:
“Gosh, Hugh… you do know your stuff!” – Howard Devoto
“Hugh Bastard!” – David Johansen
“Get that little boy out of my garden!” – Rod Stewart

Initial print run is limited to 85 copies which will be hand-numbered by author.