Real truth behind festive laser show
Dear Editor, I noticed with interest the photograph on the Observer’s Memory Lane page (December 4, 2019) featuring the crowd at Stirling’s 1984 Christmas lights switch-on which featured lasers in King Street.
The caption referred to a blown fuse being the cause of a less spectacular display than expected.
I was the recreation officer for Stirling District Council at the time and organiser of this event and can say with some authority it was a bit more than a `blown fuse’ – it was actually an explosion.
Throughout the `70s, I ran a mobile disco called `The Tartan Disco’ and came across many laser displays, using mirrors, mainly in nightclubs. I was also aware that lasers were even more effective in the rain and snow so the idea of lasers in an outdoor location in the winter came to mind.
In 1983, the single Argon laser, which produces a powerful green laser light, bounced off mirrors in King Street, and proved a great success for the lights switchon in Stirling that year, so the pressure was on to `top’ the 1983 display 12 months later.
I had decided to go a step further in 1984 by adding to the display an additional `krypton laser’, which has many colours.
We had over 100 mirrors positioned on streetlights, the Steeple at the top of King Street, to ensure that the laser beams would `bounce’ around the town. We even managed to fire a laser at the Walllace Monument, via a mirror.
However, I had to face many challenges. Firstly, I got into trouble with the Civil Aviation Authority for causing a problem with instruments of planes flying overhead – apparently I should have let them know in advance.
Then British Rail (which became Scotrail) called me and in a nice way let me know that
I needed to move one of the mirrors because the green laser light had overridden a stop light and almost caused a crash at Stirling Station.
There were many more laser-related `incidents’ which involved the environmental health department – noise complaints from King Street residents, and the police received a complaint of a motorist being blinded by a laser light as they headed into Stirling.
On a more interesting note, I had been wowed by the `Rocket Man’ who made an appearance at the Los Angeles Olympics opening ceremony in 1984 and after a few calls I managed to speak to one of the engineers at NASA in America, responsible for `Rocket Man’. Yes – it sounds unbelievable – but it really did happen. We had many discussions on how it might work for the Christmas lights switch-on in Stirling and finally agreed Rocket Man would fly down from the Castle and land in King Street. However, NASA eventually decided that it was a bit too dangerous with all the buildings, light cables, and the dark. That would have been spectacular. We even negotiated a fee of £10,000. Those were the days.
Iain Whitelaw Woodside Road Elie, Fife