Pies & Prejudice - Russ & Richard

[Soulsmith]

I was at the airport, in a bit of a rush. Picked up a book by Stuart Maconie - Pies & Prejudice. It mentioned northern soul on the back cover.

Well it contains sweet FA about northern soul.

Maconie has a chip on his shoulder the size of the Pennine Way, the weight of which seems to be the cause of him reinventing some north - south divide. The section on Wigan was interesting though, apparently people from Wigan "really, really like pies" and Wigan contains one of the greatest night clubs in the country - Pemps! I think not.

The only mention of Wigan Casino I've come across in the book relates to a record shop that Russ Winstanley & Richard Searling jointly owned in Market Street. Not that this 'fact' is important in the scale of things, but did said record shop exist?

[Scallybob]

Russ' s Records was in Hallgate, not Market Street. He used to have a stall on Wigan Market before that and he also did mail order from his Mum's in Baytree Avenue. The shop was on the first floor and there was a door near where the Army Careers office is now. On Hallgate it's opposite Mr. Chips (cafe recommended by the way!) and the bolts that secured the sign that protruded into the street are still on the wall.

Pemps was just down from there towards the Santus factory where they make Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. If you can take the blinkers off ask anyone over 30 in Wigan and they all loved Pemps. Most of the music (but not all) in there reflected Wigan's heritage as a soul town. It was always a good laugh. Sadly it closed about 18 months or so ago.

[Soul-slider]

That reminds me of a book I picked up recently about Wigan Athletic Football Club, it quotes that Wigan is more famous for 'Northern Soul' than football! I had to laugh.

[Guest ShaneH]

great book by the way

[Soulsmith]

Russ' s Records was in Hallgate, not Market Street. He used to have a stall on Wigan Market before that and he also did mail order from his Mum's in Baytree Avenue. The shop was on the first floor and there was a door near where the Army Careers office is now. On Hallgate it's opposite Mr. Chips (cafe recommended by the way!) and the bolts that secured the sign that protruded into the street are still on the wall.

Pemps was just down from there towards the Santus factory where they make Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. If you can take the blinkers off ask anyone over 30 in Wigan and they all loved Pemps. Most of the music (but not all) in there reflected Wigan's heritage as a soul town. It was always a good laugh. Sadly it closed about 18 months or so ago.

Thanks for that. So there was no record shop called Russ & Richard's.

I wonder how many other facts/storoes in the book have been made up?

[pikeys dog]

The bit about people from Wigan loving Pies is 100% Fact.

[BrianB]

Thanks for that. So there was no record shop called Russ & Richard's.

I wonder how many other facts/storoes in the book have been made up?

Not many I would have thought.

I think the book puts a northerner's perspective on the north/south divide. I liked the fact that a woman in the south has a child with an unlikely posh name, and she lives next to a television producer, but thinks this is the norm.

I live next to a retired plumber called Brian, and my other neighbour Ken, worked on the parks department.

I was slightly disappointed with the book overall. I felt it was an attempt to be an English Bill Bryson, but a good read nevertheless, and the part about the BBC bias about the north was spot on.

Do you watch BBC weather, where there is nothing on the map from Birmingham to Newcastle? There is a Plymouth, Norwich, London, Cardiff, etc, but no Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield. How can this be?

But you are right, no mention of northern soul at all.

[Guest SteveJohnston]

Russ' s Records was in Hallgate, not Market Street. He used to have a stall on Wigan Market before that and he also did mail order from his Mum's in Baytree Avenue. The shop was on the first floor and there was a door near where the Army Careers office is now. On Hallgate it's opposite Mr. Chips (cafe recommended by the way!) and the bolts that secured the sign that protruded into the street are still on the wall.

Pemps was just down from there towards the Santus factory where they make Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. If you can take the blinkers off ask anyone over 30 in Wigan and they all loved Pemps. Most of the music (but not all) in there reflected Wigan's heritage as a soul town. It was always a good laugh. Sadly it closed about 18 months or so ago.

ScallyBob not just in Wigan mate! memories of Barbara's Pemps are tattooed on my brain as are the cellar at the Cross Keys!

Pemps I would not call it the greatest night club in the country but I never went in one better! and as long as you drank out of bottles did not upset Barbara or Honk! You where guaranteed a fookin good night out.

Steve J

Edited May 27, 2008 by SteveJohnston

[Reg]

Russ' s Records was in Hallgate, not Market Street. He used to have a stall on Wigan Market before that and he also did mail order from his Mum's in Baytree Avenue. The shop was on the first floor and there was a door near where the Army Careers office is now. On Hallgate it's opposite Mr. Chips (cafe recommended by the way!) and the bolts that secured the sign that protruded into the street are still on the wall.

Pemps was just down from there towards the Santus factory where they make Uncle Joe's Mint Balls. If you can take the blinkers off ask anyone over 30 in Wigan and they all loved Pemps. Most of the music (but not all) in there reflected Wigan's heritage as a soul town. It was always a good laugh. Sadly it closed about 18 months or so ago.

I think the book is very funny , especially the chapter about Wigan, having spent a few years there myself in the late eighties/early nineties. Pemps is legendary to Wiganfolk and Stuart's description of the vetting process to get in is hilarious and completely spot on! I'd forgotten the place existed until I read the book and couldn't stop laughing for ages. I was just slightly disappointed there was no mention of the famous Santibag

Yes it's hard to believe but Wigan is much more than Wigan Casino....there's Rugby League, Uncle Joes Mintballs, Pooles pies and coalmining.....come to think of it no wonder the Casino was so popular

And as for Mr Maconie having a chip on his shoulder, a lot of what he says is tongue in cheek I'm sure....he lives in the South most of the time so he must like it down there really but his image is that of a professional northerner so he has that to live up to If you read his autobiography he has a whole chapter on Northern Soul....Cider with roadies it's called.

Edited May 27, 2008 by reg

[Guest ShaneH]

its not just wigan who like pies - its most of part of lancs. I work on the road these days and I went to a pie shop in bolton last week. the queue was massive and rightly so cos the pies were amazing.

another shop does pies with a hole in the top so you can pick 4 up in one go

i really enjoyed the book.

shane

Edited May 27, 2008 by ShaneH

[Reg]

its not just wigan who like pies - its most of part of lancs. I work on the road these days and I went to a pie shop in bolton last week. the queue was massive and rightly so cos the pies were amazing.

another shop does pies with a hole in the top so you can pick 4 up in one go

i really enjoyed the book.

shane

Greenhalghs in Bolton? very nice pies....even a Haggis pie for the adventurous...our mutual mate Steve Mill gets withdrawal symptomsfrom them exiled as he is in Sheffield

[Dave Morris]

Coming originally from Blackburn you can't beat Hollands pies.Always make sure i have some when i'm visiting family.

[SteveM]

I work on the road these days

shane

A miraculous "recovery" that can only be compared to Ernest Saunders beating Alzhiemers

[Iancsloft]

The bit about people from Wigan loving Pies is 100% Fact.

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Thats reet us Leythers ( People from Leigh ) coined the term PIE EATERS Thi nowt bu a load of PieGobblin interbreds them Wigginers

[Iancsloft]

You could always tell who the locals where in the hey day of Wiggin Cas they queued up wi alminium pie cans ont yed

when it yer rainin and spent al neet sniffin crumbled up oxo cubes round back uh stage

[Guest recordman]

Ian, Leythers are a load of Lobby Gobblers Mate

Russ Records was owned by Russ Winstanley only

Pemps the nightclub in wigan was managed by a guy nicknamed Pemp he was a well known character in Wigan along with his mate Tony Burns who was back in the day a brilliant dancer

[Soulsmith]

Yes it's hard to believe but Wigan is much more than Wigan Casino....there's Rugby League, Uncle Joes Mintballs, Pooles pies and coalmining.....come to think of it no wonder the Casino was so popular

And as for Mr Maconie having a chip on his shoulder, a lot of what he says is tongue in cheek I'm sure....he lives in the South most of the time so he must like it down there really but his image is that of a professional northerner so he has that to live up to If you read his autobiography he has a whole chapter on Northern Soul....Cider with roadies it's called.

Well I thought it deserved more than one sentence. And the one sentence he gave it was factually incorrect.

So, no I wont be reading a chapter about NS in his other book. I'm still getting over this one.

[Soulsmith]

its not just wigan who like pies - its most of part of lancs. I work on the road these days and I went to a pie shop in bolton last week. the queue was massive and rightly so cos the pies were amazing.

another shop does pies with a hole in the top so you can pick 4 up in one go

i really enjoyed the book.

shane

What do you call 3 pies on a skewer?

A Wigan kebab.

[Rob Wigley]

You could always tell who the locals where in the hey day of Wiggin Cas they queued up wi alminium pie cans ont yed

when it yer rainin and spent al neet sniffin crumbled up oxo cubes round back uh stage

Ian

I saw Russ Winstanley on TV "Richard & Judy Show" claiming he invented "The Meat Pie sandwich" around 3 years ago. He was on some sort of get fit loose inches off your waist type thing they did.

So that is the second thing Russ invented.......

Rob

[Guest rachel]

Maybe you've got a different edition but on the cover of my copy it says "he travels from Wigan Pier to Blackpool Tower and Newcastle's Bigg Market to the Lake District to find his own Northern Soul" - I read it as meaning discovering his 'northern-ness' using a play on the phrase, and wasn't expecting more than a passing mention of the music. Yeah pity he made a bit of a mistake about the shop but I thought it was generally a decent read.

[Soulsmith]

Maybe you've got a different edition but on the cover of my copy it says "he travels from Wigan Pier to Blackpool Tower and Newcastle's Bigg Market to the Lake District to find his own Northern Soul" - I read it as meaning discovering his 'northern-ness' using a play on the phrase, and wasn't expecting more than a passing mention of the music. Yeah pity he made a bit of a mistake about the shop but I thought it was generally a decent read.

Same copy. I didn't read the cover properly. I was in a hurry.

In places its well written, but at times the book was more about the author than the subject matter.

I suppose I just get irritated by people harping on about north-south divide, like its still the 70s. Its right up there with mother-in law jokes.

[Peter99]

Ian

I saw Russ Winstanley on TV "Richard & Judy Show" claiming he invented "The Meat Pie sandwich" around 3 years ago. He was on some sort of get fit loose inches off your waist type thing they did.

So that is the second thing Russ invented.......

Rob

Hi Rob

Your post bought a smile to my face.

Went round one of me mates when I was about 17 - he was from Sheffield. His dad came in and offered a brew - nice. He then offered me a pork pie sandwich!

I'd never heard anything like it - but I had one anyway - with loads of brown sauce! Anyone else had a pork pie sandwhich?

[pikeys dog]

Went round one of me mates when I was about 17 - he was from Sheffield. His dad came in and offered a brew - nice. He then offered me a pork pie sandwich!

I'd never heard anything like it - but I had one anyway - with loads of brown sauce! Anyone else had a pork pie sandwhich?

He can't have been from Sheffield - Brown sauce on a Pork Pie Sarnie? - Never, he would have put Hendos Relish on it if he was.

[Peter99]

They were def from Sheffield. It was me who opted for the brown!

Seems like this is common fare to you mate! There aren't many people I know that know a pork pie sarnie!

Fook me - I quite fancy one now!

[pikeys dog]

Nowt finer than a Snake & Pigmy Pukka pie in a breadcake from the Chip'ole.

[Gert Mark]

Im a big fan of SM, his tv and radio stuff and i loved 'Cider with roadies' (his first book) but was dissapointed with this. Fell into that lazy northern thing of blaming the whole world for how crap something is rather than getting on with trying to make it better, (im in merseyside so thats magnified 1000 times over).

Some of the little stories in it are good though, i liked the one about the working mens (Doley's) club in Huddersfield trying to book Elvis for £10,000, and Tom Parker saying thats my cut whats in it for Elvis.

[Scallybob]

Wiganers weren't called Pie Eaters not because they like pies (although they certainly do!) but because after the General Strike in 1926 workers in Wigan were some of the first to cave in and were seen to be eating "humble pie" in front of their employers.

[Rob Wigley]

Wiganers weren't called Pie Eaters not because they like pies (although they certainly do!) but because after the General Strike in 1926 workers in Wigan were some of the first to cave in and were seen to be eating "humble pie" in front of their employers.

good one, didn;t know that, My mum is from St Helens and my Uncle always called Wigan folk "Fu***ng Pie eaters" I get it now !!!

Rob

QUOTE (Karen and Rob Wigley @ May 27 08, 05:07 PM) Ian

I saw Russ Winstanley on TV "Richard & Judy Show" claiming he invented "The Meat Pie sandwich" around 3 years ago. He was on some sort of get fit loose inches off your waist type thing they did.

So that is the second thing Russ invented.......

Rob

Hi Rob

Your post bought a smile to my face.

Went round one of me mates when I was about 17 - he was from Sheffield. His dad came in and offered a brew - nice. He then offered me a pork pie sandwich!

Joe's right about "The Henderson's Relish", after living around Rotherham for a while and working with Sheffield folk as well, they are all addicted to the stuff, still its not bad !

I'd never heard anything like it - but I had one anyway - with loads of brown sauce! Anyone else had a pork pie sandwhich?

Was it a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie just to complicate things