Iz današnje perspektive, moj život krajem šezdesetih bio je veoma zanimljiv. Deca su, u odnosu na današnju, imala nezamislivu slobodu – napolju se provodilo svo slobodno vreme, pikala se lopta i klikeri, izmišljale svakojake igre, po malo slušala muzika i, obavezno, čitali su se stripovi. Ako su roditelji dozvoljavali.
U kući profesora književnosti poželjnije je bilo čitanje knjiga, ali se moji roditelji nisu bunili – čitao sam i jedno i drugo.
I mada se u to vreme tvrdilo da je Jugoslavija prilično rigidna socijalistička država, strip 
scena je bila vrlo živa i raznovrsna. Moj omiljeni strip iz tog doba bio je Čelična pandža. Alan Ford je došao nešto kasnije.
Vremenom, sasvim sam zaboravio na stripove. Sve do trenutka kada se Tina Turner probudila iz dugogodišnje hibernacije i objavila svoj antologijski album Private Dancer (1984). Bio je to hitac u središte mete, prava uživancija za uši.
Između brižljivo odabranih pesama od kojih su neke postale veliki hitovi, provukla se žestica na koju je malo ko obratio pažnju. “Steel Claw” (Čelična kandža) je, barem meni, bila idealan izbor za jedan od singlova. Iza furiozne svirke i energije koja prosto isijava sa snimka krila se i odlična, lepo zapakovana, priča.
It’s the story of a steel claw…
It’s just a television wonderland
Just one more
Fairy tale about some rich bitch
Lying by the swimming pool,
Life is so cruel…
Easy living when you make the rulesLast Friday was the first time-
It took only about half a minute
On the stairway,
It was child’s play.
The odds turn out even
When you give up believing in the…Cold law, steel claw
Try to get on board you find the lock is on the door
Well I say no way, no way!
Don’t try to get out or there’ll be hell to pay…
I don’t know who’s right, who’s wrong
But it really doesn’t matter when you’re lying in the gutter
It’s a see-saw
A long hot battle with the cold law
Is what you get for messing with the steel clawThe politicians have forgotten this place
Except for flying visits in a black Mercedes
At election time,
They cross the line,
And everybody runs to watch the pantomime.
If they could see what’s going on around here
So many people hanging on the edge
Crying out for revolution,
Retribution,
The odds turn out even
When you give up believing in the…Cold law, steel claw
Try to get on board you find the lock is on the door
Well I say no way, no way!
Don’t try to get out or there’ll be hell to pay…
I don’t know who’s right, who’s wrong
But it really doesn’t matter when you’re lying in the gutter
It’s a see-saw
A long hot battle with the cold law
Is what you get for messing with the steel clawSometimes I think I’m going crazy,
Sometimes I do a line, makes me laugh,
Makes me want to take a joyride,
On the high tide…
Sometimes I’m contemplating suicide.
Meanwhile Eddy’s on the West Coast now
He’s making out with some sweet senorita
Up in ‘Frisco, you and I know
The odds turn out even
When you give up believing…Cold law, steel claw
Try to get on board you find the lock is on the door
Well I say no way, no way!
Don’t try to get out or there’ll be hell to pay…
I don’t know who’s right, who’s wrong
But it really doesn’t matter when you’re lying in the gutter
It’s a see-saw
A long hot battle with the cold law
Is what you get for messing with the steel claw
Za autora pesme, cenjenog irskog songwritera Paula Bradya tada sam prvi put čuo. Obodren kvalitetom ove pesme u više navrata sam, bezuspešno, pokušavao da se pozabavim njegovim ostalim pesmama. Ni jedna mi nije legla kao što se desilo sa ovom.
Stripove odavno ne čitam, a i baka Tinu retko slušam. Izgleda da sam, napokon, odrastao.