"Routemaster - the Rock Opera!"

A review of London General Putney Bus Garage by Matt Sanders written on Friday 26th of June 2009

I worked round the corner from Putney BR Station in 1983 where the Putney based Routmaster buses used to change crews.

Some 25 years later after writing masses of songs I chose a set of songs i had written to record, which spanned from that era to late 2008.

That concept evolved into an idea for a musical / Rock Opera which I am now under way with writing, so thanks to the Putney RM crews for providing me with the theme for this work 'because we are all on a journey'.

I remember one night standing next to a Routemaster warming up to on its route, the winter night with swirling mist and exhaust, the headlights and the bus lights, I thought 'What if I just got on here now and went to the end of the route and started a new life?'

That thought, I call it the moment of piphany stayed with me since and forms one of the story lines in this new work.

I managed to find pictures of almost all the Putney RM's that were in service in 1983, some of them were still at the same garage in 2005 when the 14 and 22 routes ceased RM operation - a sad day.

So thanks to the Chelverton ladies and gents for indirectly providing me with some of the themes for my project.

I am hopeful that this work may be staged or performed in the future..

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