How to judge a middle aged man's age - 7-02-16
How old are these men, or a better question, what year were they born? No idea? Then look for the following clues in their conversation...
There are a few give aways i would suggest those who trawl Tinder, or suspect a man is being economic with the truth when he says he's 39, should look out for. Football, books, travel, TV and comedy. Heres how it works...
Football - dont switch off when a man starts to talk soccer - it can give you loads of info.
World Cup - If he remembers England winning the World Cup, he is at least 55. The great day for our nation was in 1966, so i think the age of 5 is a reasonable time to say "yes i remember it ". If he fought in the war, that was 1945, he is in his 90s, at least.
Chelsea - CFC won the FA cup in 1970. Many Chelsea fans started supporting them in that year , so if this is mentioned they are well into their 50s.
Arsenal - Gooners glory years were just after the CFC v Leeds final. In 1971 they triumphed over Liverpool 2-1 in what was probably the best final of the glory years, although Sunderland supporters would dispute the point. Charlie George , a most old fashioned type of smoking and drinking professional, scored the Arsenal winner with a shot from outside the box and lay on his back to celebrate. That team had the mothers favourite and TV pundit Bob Wilson in goal. Similar age group - in their 50s.
West Ham - only won stuff in the 60s , most fans who were there are 60 +.
Spurs - Tottenham havent won anything for years, if the chap starts saying he was there when spurs won the Cup in 81, 91, etc, dont believe a word he says, he's a bullshitter.
Books - this is a tough one and the following generalisations aren't necessarily true, so pinch of salt etc...
George Orwell, Graham Greene, John Fowles, Carlos Castaneda, F Scott Fitzgerald, Evelyn Waugh, Hunter S Thompson. It strikes me these writers have fallen out of fashion. In the 60s and 70s everyone at least read Orwell, even if they didnt love him. Any English A Level student would be able to talk about Animal Farm and 1984. Greenes Brighton Rock was another novel everyone had read. The rest of the list was not so de rigeur, but Fowles and Castaneda are fairly hippy type writers, so if they are mentioned, your companion is nearing 60, at least. Waugh was old fashioned by the 70s, but Hunter S Thompson was the coolest writer of the time. Everybody's favourite book was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Fans of this are probably 50 +.
Travel - it was different in the 70s. People used to hitch-hike.A phrase like "we hitched all over Europe following The Ramones" isnt as preposterous as it may sound. Similarly;"we hitched across Europe and met in The Pudding Shop" was commonly heard until Midnight Express came out and no westerner went to turkey for the next 20 years.People also went to Goa, especially in the hippy era. If the person you are examining has hippy tendencies, likes Bob Dylan and goes misty eyed at a whiff of patchouli, they were probably born in 1950, making them 66. the punk era had a saying - never trust a hippy. If the man saw the Sex Pistols gig at Central St Martins, or The Clash tour in 1977, they would have been at least 15, making them mid 50s now. The Iron Curtain existed until 1989, as did Checkpoint Charlie. Anyone who went to East Berlin is not only interesting and worth talking to, they are not necessarily old.
TV - children's TV is one of the best ways to judge someones age. In the 60s, French programmes dubbed into English ruled. Belle & Sebastian, White Horses - great theme tune btw - Flashing Blade, were all super cool among 4 year olds in the 60s. If these make for misty eyed memories, you are looking at someone in their 50s. Animal Magic, Daktari, Banana Splits, Jackanory, Tiswas, Blue Peter all had followers. The hards in the playground only liked Tiswas because there was something about Sally James they liked, they just couldnt articulate what it was.
Comedy - the best indicator - The Goons & Hancocks Half Hour appealed to those born in 1950. Prince Charles' age group. Monty Python was a 70s show, so fans were born in 1960 or after. The Two Ronnies and Morecombe & Wise were big in the 70s, so again, appealled to those in their 50s now. Rick Mayall, Ben elton and The Young Ones crew came later, so now we are probably talking to a 40 year old. The Inbetweeners is strictly for teenagers, so youve landed someone who's never grown up and expect a selfish adolescent in the behaviour department.
Physical Appearance - hair gives you no clues. Hands maybe, teeth are a possible, but its easy to look young nowadays. You cant fake your memories though.
If said individual fails to mention any of the above, it means one of two things. Either he really is as young as he claims to be, or he was brought up abroad.
