Yes that
time has come once more – yet another 'personality' (?) to join our
Rogues Gallery of cult thugs! Billy (Hampton Wick/Lower Teddington
Rd/Friday and Richmond/ Ormond Rd/Tuesday) will be joining such
notables as Glynne M (aka The Incredible Hulk – ex-secretary West
Kent Intergroup – bully extraordinaire with a neat sideline in
back-stabbing!), Harry K (Big Book 'expert' and Primary Purpose
franchise rep for East Kent), Harry A (aka Harry the Handbag – also
hailing from East Kent – another Big Book adept and lecturer 'to
infinity and beyond'), Ealing Tim (speciality: picking on old age
pensioners), Happy Dennis (aka Mad Dog Dennis – simply barking!),
Alexis K and Jon F, (formed their own gang – the Plymouth Road to
Recovery – biggest scalp to date: the AA General secretary), Wayne P (another desperado from the Hole in the Wall gang – although we
hesitate to include Wayne – after all who can take seriously
someone whose trousers keep falling down!)..... and so the list goes
on and on and......
Billy it
would seem is something of a smooth operator and likes nothing better
than to deliver a finely polished performance for his public's
consumption. His product is the programme, and his sales pitch well
practised, enhanced moreover by a carefully manufactured 'spiritual'
image that lends a further gloss to his slick presentation.
Unfortunately – or fortunately perhaps - from time to time the
'façade' slips and reality breaks through to show its wrinkly face,
and then we are presented with quite another 'show' indeed! When
charm fails and patience is all but exhausted Billy falls back on
that other much favoured cult technique for “carrying the message”
- the rant! Billy apparently can scream and rave with the best of
them. His victims have been variously berated in public and private.
But when Billy loses it he really does LOSE it! Screeching directly
in someone's face or across a room either way Billy goes for it BIG
TIME. If you want decibels Billy's your man! Volume control is set
to 11 (remember Spinal Tap – the band that goes to eleven –
they've got nothing on Billy!). Once you've been on the receiving end
of a Billy 'Special' if you're not sobered up then nothing's going to
work! You're a lost soul and no doubt about it! You might as well
just “step over to the nearest bar” and get it over and done
with! Indeed, and on occasion, so overcome by his own fervour is
Billy that he likes to get PHYSICAL, and has been known to engage in
fisticuffs with a recalcitrant newcomer (or indeed anyone else who
happens to be around) as he tries to sober 'em up!. Yes sirree..
Billy can shoot not only from the lip but also from the hip! Don't
mess with this bandito! He's a baaaaaad baaaaad man! His territory
stretches from down Richmond way and even across the Pecos (aka the
Thames) to Hampton Wick. Word is that his gang is holed up in
Ormond Road where he rules the roost with an iron hand, his crew of
sponsees, every man jack of them, carefully corralled, and properly
schooled in Billy's oft-times DEAFENING message! But Billy likes to
keep his ear to the ground for there's always the risk of an
ambuscade! You just never know when it's going to come – do you
Billy?
Cheerio
The Fellas
(Friends of Alcoholics Anonymous)
