I had reservations about the weaponry. The gun was a toy, but the knife was real.
We walked through a supermarket to get to the cinema as well. People looked and pointed. Some laughed. Some nodded in recognition. But, strangely, nobody seemed concerned. Same at the flicks ... where it was obvious, what with the staff all taking pictures and me posing with the manager, that I wasn't a threat.
Best of all, though, was parading around the pubs of New Brighton and then Liverpool (after another viewing) the next day in the full gear. Once again ... nobody was concerned. They all seemed to get it. Mind you, as both nights wore on and more alcohol was consumed, the questions I was getting got a little bit more bizarre and heated. It certainly wasn't easy dancing with the gear on and people kept coming over to touch the goodies, as it were. Which was ok if they were fit 'n' female (who all went for the gun!), but not so welcome if they were a Humungous-sized scally ogre. Ha. The vermin, eh? They get everywhere.
Mostly, over a good solid two days of wearing the full rig, I was complemented and the banter was extremely good-natured. The ONLY casualty was the plastic nebuliser tubing attached on the left shoulder. That simply vanished in a boozer on Day One.
Chris Mad McEneany
