When I become a very old lady I think I’ll end up living in something that resembles a Womble’s house which comprises of tunnels burrowed between walls of old stuff that I can’t bear to throw away.

In the meantime I’m trying to at least be more organised in how I store the objects that I keep accumulating. I gathered these gadgets together after a recent sort out in the attic. My kids have told me on no account must I throw away the old PS1 and Gameboy, which makes me think that this hoarding thing must be genetic.

The Walkman Sports is also staying with us. It belongs to my other half and I love how it symbolises the 80′s in its jaunty yellow casing. It makes me want to get a perm and then go for a jog whilst listening to Now Thats What I Call  Music 4.

The first time I used a Sony Walkman was when I was thirteen and the song was Malcolm MacClaren’s Madame Butterfly. An older (17) and wiser (had more cash than the rest of us) friend had turned up with his Walkman one evening and we all took turns listening to it and saying ‘WOW ITS AMAZING!’ really loudly. But it was amazing and I’m glad that I’m from a generation that saw this bit of technology appear for the first time because it felt completely new to be able to walk down the street immersed in your own world.

I’m also eternally grateful that the first song I heard on a personal stereo was by Malcolm Maclaren when it could so easily have been Wham.

Story donated by Pete Z / DJ Booth

I bought these DMs in Armley in the late 1990’s. I think it was in the British Heart foundation in about 1997. I needed a new pair of boots to do shows in and up until that point I had always bought handmade boots from “made to last” in Woodhouse. Its quite odd to find a pair of size 12’s in a charity shop and they fitted a treat and I needed some boots that didn’t look ‘hippy’ and a bit more mainstream.

With these boots and a fake leather jacket from a charity shop in Morley I created DJ Booth for Cabaret Heaven. For the first few cabaret’s nearly all of the playlist came from vinyl bought in charity shops across Leeds, but eventually I switched to my first mixer and cd players.

DJ Booth at that time always wore the jacket and boots and jeans and a big bunch of keys from my top desk drawer that holds lots of useless things, including keys that we don’t know what they are for anymore.

PeteZ

Story Donated By Marjory Pickles

I bought this Karaoke machine from an Oxfam shop a few years ago. I wouldn’t say I’m the worlds best singer but this Karaoke machine really boosts my confidence, my friends have said I could easily be mistaken for Madonna when I’m singing Like A Virgin.

Mind you, I was at a party a while ago and I was doing Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go and someone said that I sounded like a dead ringer for George Michael as well.
Marjory Pickles