The Hidden Glasgow Forums

Most of the time I'm told! I only know of her because my partner knew her. Apparently when no being Betty, he was a lecturer at Strathclyde!

Don't forget the Waterloo and the Duke of Wellington just next door. For ages, ( I'm talking early/ mid 70's here ) those two and the Vintners were the only places to go. Of course there was always Tennents on Byres Road too. A little later there was the Chiltern Hundreds for a while, a bit further along Argyle Street towards the Anderston Centre. Then discos started up - the Western Hotel at the end of Great Western Road, Fire Island at Cinders ( I think that's what it was called - at the bottom of Byres Road on Partick Bridge Street ) Oh and the "club" - the SHRG centre somewhere up in the Park Circus area- that was "dead" sophisticated 'cos you could have a meal in the restaurant or a quiet drink in the bar or dance the night away in the disco!

Hearing about Betty Hutton brought back lots of memories. I remember being terrified of her razor sharp tongue and wit and would never dare to look at her in case she saw you and thought up a line. Then, however, I remember going to a party in Shawlands somewhere with a guy from the BBC. It was the first time I had ever heard of "affair" for meaning the current "other half". A few very jealous queens were hassling me about being the BBC man' affair. I didn't really understand what they were on about but Betty must have seen what was happening and breezed in to the rescue and ushered them all away. She then gave me a drink and told me I would have to be more sure of myself in future. Wise words!! I seem to also remember she had a sidekick that was always with her but a bit in the shadows - a bit like Dame Edna and Madge. Can't for the life of me remember her name - can anybody else?

duck wrote:....................

and the "club" - the SHRG centre somewhere up in the Park Circus area- that was "dead" sophisticated 'cos you could have a meal in the restaurant or a quiet drink in the bar or dance the night away in the disco!

.......................................

Are you thinking of the Queen's (titter ye not!) Crescent venue?

Amazing!!! You're dead right Onny. If you hadn't said I would have gone on associating it with Park Circus.

Given that male homosexuality was only decriminalised in Scotland in 1980 (a full 13 years after England... god bless Presbyterianism), what was it like to go to gay bars in the '70s? Or indeed to be gay then?

^ I can't imagine but, if you want to know the extent to which Presbyterianism is still alive and well in Scotland, try running a swingers club

onyirtodd wrote:^ I can't imagine but, if you want to know the extent to which Presbyterianism is still alive and well in Scotland, try running a swingers club

pmsl

crusty_bint wrote:

onyirtodd wrote:^ I can't imagine but, if you want to know the extent to which Presbyterianism is still alive and well in Scotland, try running a swingers club

pmsl ::):

It ain't funny

Well, it's all for our own good, Onny. Too much sex leads to dancing. Maybe even on a Sunday

Arf.

onyirtodd wrote:Are you thinking of the Queen's (titter ye not!) Crescent venue?

That's my house!

Anyone have any more info on this place? This is brilliant.

edit:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/hamamelis/ ... sGN197.htm

[The building] was vacated by the shrinking Seaforth Highlanders Regimental Club when they decided the premises were too large for their declining membership.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/hamamelis/ ... _32_16.htm

"Sheriff yesterday rejected claim that giving a homosexual club a drinks licence would morally endanger the public. But he REFUSED to grant the club a licence—because the application had been made when the club had not been properly formed.
Members of the Royal Institute for the War Blinded had objected to the licence being given to the Glasgow branch of the Scottish Homosexual Rights Group.
The gay club, at 4 Queen's Crescent, Woodside, is next door to the ex-soldiers premises.
Another 700 locals and a chief constable also objected.
Glasgow Sheriff Court was told that drink was likely to lead to an increase in homosexual activities, presently contrary to Scots Law.
And the club would probably have males who had broken the law and who would be likely to make sex advances to people near the club.

maccoinnich said

Given that male homosexuality was only decriminalised in Scotland in 1980 (a full 13 years after England... god bless Presbyterianism), what was it like to go to gay bars in the '70s? Or indeed to be gay then?

Actually everything happened very fast; for me the "scene" seemed to appear almost overnight. There was never, to my knowledge, any fear of doing something criminal or being raided by police. On a Saturday night the Duke and the Vintners were crammed so full, you could hardly get in the door. The atmosphere was electric, or was so for a young 17 year old like me !!! It was the highlight of the week and looked forward to and planned with the utmost care. What to wear etc, what time to "appear". I don't think the police would have dared enter for fear of being molested as it was really so crowded and noisy. When the Vintners opened their upstairs bar that really was the icing on the cake. It was plush, sophisticated, the latest sound system, the latest " sounds "- packed full of your own folk, no hassle from "straights"- you could be yourself. After, before all the clubs and discos started up there was always a party to go to somewhere. Maybe anybody reading from that era might remember GM's flat in Novar Drive!!???
For me personally, going to Uni after a Catholic boys' school run my monks ( you know the one!!) was like a whole new life. Coming out was a dawdle- at least I was one of the lucky ones. I was able to accept who I was and not be bothered by it. Many, I know, were not so lucky and had fairly traumatised lives because they tried to conform. I must say, though, that I never, even in those days, experienced any outright hostility or discrimination. As I said, perhaps I was one of the lucky ones.
But I am so glad to have lived through that exciting, wild, reckless and carefree period before the awful 80's and all that came with it arrived.

Excellent post, Duckster

Was thinking that myself.

My one and only experience of the Vintners was as an impressionable young stage hand taken on a tour of Glasgow nightspots (all of which, curiously enough, turned out to be gay bars ) by the Assistant Stage Manager (they're all the same, allegedly) of the pantomime we were manning.

As I remember, more than seven people in there at the one time fulfilled the criteria of "crammed so full, you could hardly get in the door". Or perhaps the tables were just artfully arranged so that you couldn't get from any A to any B without having to squeeze past someone, who would then proceed to look suitably mock outraged.

And they had an uncannily accurate tv Debby Harry impersonator, too.

Yeah, thanks for that, duck. I somehow always carry the idea that being gay in the 70s was all grim repression and what not. Maybe you were indeed lucky, but its nice to hear another side to it. Sounds like a good time was had