# 'Leather thong man' RIP



## Geri (Apr 7, 2008)

Just a quick post to say that 'leather thong man' AKA Colin Toogood, Militant's most well know supporter (in Bristol anyway) died last week.

I don't know how old he was, or the details yet.

Colin was a cult figure at Ashton Court festival due to his, erm, unusual attire comprising leather motorcycle boots, leather thong and big flagon of scrumpy! 

A true eccentric character who will be sadly missed by many people, probably more than he ever thought.


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## JTG (Apr 7, 2008)

I remember him. And his thong.

RIP


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## Sunspots (Apr 7, 2008)

Yeah, R.I.P. to a real non-conformist character; he walked his own path through the crowd (-not always an easy thing to do in that thong...).  

-Must've only been in his early fifties?  Too young...  

If you find out any more details, would you mind letting me know?  (-Somebody I used to work with will want to know about it.)


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## geminisnake (Apr 7, 2008)

Geri said:


> Colin was a cult figure at Ashton Court festival due to his, erm, unusual attire comprising leather motorcycle boots, leather thong and big flagon of scrumpy!



I think I remember seeing him and Krs explaining a bit about him. Sad to hear he's gone. RIP dude.


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## Geri (Apr 7, 2008)

Sunspots said:


> If you find out any more details, would you mind letting me know?  (-Somebody I used to work with will want to know about it.)



I will do. I'm seeing my friend who told me about it next week.


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## Sunspots (Apr 7, 2008)

Geri said:


> I will do. I'm seeing my friend who told me about it next week.



Cheers.


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## Geri (Apr 7, 2008)

Right, I've been looking for a picture and sadly I can only find one in which he is fully clothed, and it's from behind. I thought I'd post it anyway as it's quite funny. I remember the day well - it was during the anti poll tax campaign (June 1989 according to the back) and I was dressed as Thatcher and put in some stocks for people to pay money to throw sponges at. CT was really into it and threw them with such gusto that I thought he would have my eye out! 







I believe he was told by members of the party to 'cover up' at public events, as there had been a couple of incidents at Labour Party meetings when he had to be told to 'adjust' himself following complaints that he was innocently exposing himself...


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## Sunspots (Apr 7, 2008)

Geri said:


> Right, I've been looking for a picture and sadly I can only find one in which he is fully clothed, and it's from behind.



I've got a blurry photo of him somewhere; I've had a quick rummage, but I can't find it at the mo'.  It was taken at Ashton Court several years ago: he's wearing the thong and the boots, plus a rather fetching leather waistcoat too IIRC.  (-Must've been a bit chilly that afternoon... ) 

-Damn.  Can't believe he's dead.  

-And yet that daft E'd-up GP in the day-glo catsuit continues to vogue...


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## Jografer (Apr 7, 2008)

..... oh, bloody hell, he was only about 50, was in the LPYS about the late 70s..... a real one off, nice bloke..... 

... please post any details of funerals/wakes etc.....


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## butchersapron (Apr 7, 2008)

Anyone got the story of when he threw up on a baby on the bus to to tollpuddle?


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## Jografer (Apr 7, 2008)

butchersapron said:


> Anyone got the story of when he threw up on a baby on the bus to to tollpuddle?



No, but on the way back from Tolpuddle one year the coach stopped at Weymouth, and Colin went for a swim....

.... didn't have a costume...

... left his clothes on the coach where they were safe....


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## Serotonin (Apr 7, 2008)

Sad news, a local legend.


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## Geri (Apr 8, 2008)

Jografer said:


> ..... oh, bloody hell, he was only about 50, was in the LPYS about the late 70s..... a real one off, nice bloke.....
> 
> ... please post any details of funerals/wakes etc.....



The funeral is on the 17th. I'll find out where and what time from my friend.


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## dennisr (Apr 8, 2008)

RIP Colin


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## dennisr (Apr 8, 2008)

Serotonin said:


> Sad news, a local legend.



It is and he was - actually an international legend in the Militant/SP


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## dennisr (Apr 8, 2008)

This is the Obituary from the Socialist:

"Obituary Colin Toogood: 1955-2008

Socialist Party members in Bristol are sad to report the sudden death of long-standing comrade Colin Toogood.

He and I attended the same school and I first came across him one day when I entered a classroom and found him chalking ‘Long live Karl Marx’ on the blackboard.  A few years later he became a supporter of Militant, never once wavering thereafter in his commitment.

Colin suffered a very difficult childhood without any support from social service or educational agencies and as a result did not always find it easy in later life to consistently fit into the expectations of mainstream society, or conventional dress codes. As soon as the sun appeared in the sky, his shorts (and boy, were they short) would appear. As spring turned into summer, even these were prone on occasion to disappear! 

Whatever these secondary idiosyncrasies however, his dedication to building our forces was demonstrated over and over again by his incredible financial generosity. Inheriting £20,000 in 1988, he donated half of that to the CWI to finance its first steps in building a section in the former Soviet Union. The other half of the money was given two years later to the Federation of anti-Poll Tax Unions. So, he helped to topple both Stalinism and Margaret Thatcher. An epitaph I know he would be very pleased with.

You can have revolutionaries both wise and ignorant, intelligent or mediocre as Trotsky once observed, but the most effective revolutionaries are those that face down obstacles both personal and political, always strive to give the best they can of themselves and are prepared to back their understanding with deeds and self-sacrifice. 

Colin triumphed over the traumas of his childhood and ultimately found in our party a positive purpose to his life and a role he could faithfully fulfil."
by Robin Clapp


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## butchersapron (Apr 8, 2008)

Nice one.


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## Jografer (Apr 8, 2008)

Geri said:


> The funeral is on the 17th. I'll find out where and what time from my friend.



thanks


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## butterfly child (Apr 9, 2008)

dennisr said:


> This is the Obituary from the Socialist:
> 
> "Obituary Colin Toogood: 1955-2008
> 
> ...



Made me well up, that did.

Again.

Seems end of an era somehow. Very sad. I was only talking about him to a friend last week, laughing at the memories.


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## Bakunin (Apr 10, 2008)

Sunspots said:


> I've got a blurry photo of him somewhere; I've had a quick rummage/QUOTE]
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Sunspots (Apr 10, 2008)

Bakunin;7354791][QUOTE=Sunspots said:


> I've got a blurry photo of him somewhere; I've had a quick rummage





SOrry, just trying to lighten the mood.[/QUOTE]


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## Geri (Apr 10, 2008)

OK, well the funeral is a week today at South Bristol Crematorium, 11.30. 

I'm assuming all are welcome.  I don't really know about funeral etiquette, I've only ever been to one.


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## dennisr (Apr 11, 2008)

Geri said:


> OK, well the funeral is a week today at South Bristol Crematorium, 11.30.
> 
> I'm assuming all are welcome.  I don't really know about funeral etiquette, I've only ever been to one.



Had to go and sing the 'internationale' with a load of workmates at a crem. once for an old activist in the (old) LP - great old lass she was - over 80.

unfortunately, we were red faced coming straight from a site covered in crap (we were demolishing old buildings) in our work clothes (on a dinner break). We apologised to her family after - they just said, don't apologise - she would have loved that just the way it was done 

"etiquette schmetiquette"...(remember this is CT we are talking about - he'd probably be well happy if you all ripped your clothes off and run around the crematorium waving whatever bits you had to hand in defiance of it all  )


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## Pavlik (Apr 11, 2008)

Geri said:


> Just a quick post to say that 'leather thong man' AKA Colin Toogood, Militant's most well know supporter (in Bristol anyway) died last week.
> 
> I don't know how old he was, or the details yet.
> 
> ...


I remember seeing him about.

Reading this thread has just got me wondering why I never found it unusual seeing him dressed like that.

Anyway RIP to him. He was obviously a dude.


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## fizzerbird (Apr 12, 2008)

Oh no!

When friends from out of the area visited me and we saw him walking past on Redcliffe hill once, I was like "what you gawping at ffs sake it's only leather thong man..." lol

How did he die? I don't think he was that much older than me? Well no more than about ten years?

R.I.P Colin


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## Geri (Apr 13, 2008)

Born in 1955, so that would make him 52 or 53. I went to his flat once, when he lived in St Pauls,  and it was in a pretty bad state, so I kind of get the impression that he might not be someone who took very much care of himself.


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## fizzerbird (Apr 13, 2008)

Only 8 years older then.

And what the blazing hell were you doing in his flat young lady!


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## Geri (Apr 13, 2008)

fizzerbird said:


> And what the blazing hell were you doing in his flat young lady!



We were having a torrid affair 


No, we had taken round some clothes for him, as he didn't have any or the money to buy them.


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## fizzerbird (Apr 13, 2008)

Geri said:


> We were having a torrid affair
> 
> 
> No, we had taken round some clothes for him, as he didn't have any or the money to buy them.



He never wore them then


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## Geri (Apr 13, 2008)

Only when he was forced to!


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## butterfly child (Apr 13, 2008)

I'm not convinced he wore a leather thong though - wasn't it just shorts that he rolled up to make them indecently short???????

I suggest we all raise a glass of cider to commemorate his passing on Thursday.


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## Geri (Apr 13, 2008)

butterfly child said:


> I'm not convinced he wore a leather thong though - wasn't it just shorts that he rolled up to make them indecently short???????



I think I have seen him in both.

'Leather shorts rolled up really small man' doesn't trip off the tongue very easily though


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## Sunspots (Apr 13, 2008)

Geri said:


> I think I have seen him in both.
> 
> 'Leather shorts rolled up really small man' doesn't trip off the tongue very easily though



Yeah, I have to admit, I always used to refer to him as _'Leather Shorts Man'_; but I think you're probably right: he had the full range of outfits!


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## fizzerbird (Apr 13, 2008)

Geri said:


> I think I have seen him in both.
> 
> 'Leather shorts rolled up really small man' doesn't trip off the tongue very easily though



That made me laff!


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## Geri (Apr 17, 2008)

Just got back from the funeral. Colin didn't have any family so it was mainly Socialist Party members, some neighbours and work colleagues. There was a lot of faces from my political past!

Some moving tributes from Robin Clapp, Paul Moorhouse, Domenico Hill and Mark Baker. 

At the end there was a rendition of The Red Flag and the Internationale, which almost made me cry.

Me & butchers are off to the pub now to raise a pint in his memory.


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## jema (Apr 17, 2008)

It was a fitting tribute to someone who will be missed by many 

As you say a lot of old faces there.


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## Geri (Apr 18, 2008)

As we sat in the pub raising a toast, I suddenly remembered that CT used to call lager "trendy juice" 

He was a character, that's for sure.


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## jema (Apr 18, 2008)

He had an expression for most things 

I have been trying to guess who you are and failing  

I don't come on this forum much, but Mark Baker had a copy of this thread so I looked it up.


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## butchersapron (Apr 18, 2008)

jema, geri will pm you tonight, she can't access this site from work.


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## Fedayn (Apr 18, 2008)

dennisr said:


> This is the Obituary from the Socialist:
> 
> "Obituary Colin Toogood: 1955-2008
> 
> ...




Nice one, always a pleasure seeing him and the other member of the RSL Revolutionary Scrumpy League and their fraternal organisation RCP Revolutionary Cider Party at various Militant events.

Sad news indeed.

Cheers to Butchers for the heads up.


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