KNUCKLE SANDWICH: Red Saunders

"When the new housing estates began to go up after the war... family after family moved out of the old Edwardian or Victorian rows into the new little boxes. It was all right..But when they looked around for the pub there wasn't one! And no fish and chip saloon! That was the catch in it. Jack Common; The Freedom of the Streets." Epigraph to the first chapter of Knuckle Sandwich.


The Knuckle Sandwich on this cover was photographed by Red Saunders, a.k.a MC Redman, He is a Photographer and an Activist. You can read a bio on his site red dog online

I love the Gritty 1970's image on this cover, it's so evocative, and the type (Gill Sans Ultra Bold) is Spectacular. The scratches and creases on the cover just add to it's power and charm.

The Book itself is the story of the rise and fall of Black Horse Disco, a youth club set up in the centre of a large working-class estate in North London, at a time when racism was rife in England and working-class dissatisfaction was at it's peak. It was the time of Punk and on the back cover there are a few lines from The Clash's 1977 song What's my name.
"What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not what I want to be...
I got nicked for fighting in the road; The judge didn't even know..... What's my name !"


Red Saunders today


Coincidentally some of Red's recent work is currently on display in the foyer of the Museum of London under the title HIDDEN, It depicts some of the 'Hidden' neglected scenes of working class history.

From the MOL press release: "Red Saunders combines his photographic practice with cultural, artistic, musical, and political activism. He made his name as a photographer with the innovative Sunday Times colour supplement, a relationship that ended with the Wapping dispute, and was a founder member of the Rock against Racism campaign."

A nice article coinciding with the Hidden show, with a bit more info on Red can be found here at the Camden New Journal.
And here some more in-depth background information on The subject matter of Hidden.

Pelican-A1977-ISBN_01402_1977_3
KNUCKLE SANDWICH - Growing Up in the Working-class City
David Robins and Philip Cohen
First Published: 1978
Cover Photo: Red Saunders
Type: Gill Sans Ultra Bold
Made and printed in Great Britain by
Richard Clay (The Chauser Press) Ltd.
Bungay, Suffolk
Set in Monotype Times