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Walking on the spot

Most people will have heard Walking In Memphis, the 1991 multi-Grammy award song by American Marc Cohn, a 59 year old, twice divorced, singer-songwriter. I know I have, but until this week – my problem rather than anyone else’s, I admit – neither his name nor his connection to said ditty had [...]

July 20, 2018 // 0 Comments

Stop the world, I want to get off (again)

This PC madness continues! The media is currently awash with reports of the decision of Scarlett Johansson to withdraw from a new movie called Rub and Tug in which she had been cast as a transgender character, this after protests from right-on campaigners that it should only be played by someone [...]

July 14, 2018 // 0 Comments

Burt Bacharach in concert

Perhaps the most tellling thing about the legend that is Burt Bacharach is that aged 90 he is performing at all. I had expected that rather like another ageing maestro Otto Klemperer he would be going though the motions with some conducting but no over 2 hours he presented, played, sang and I was [...]

July 11, 2018 // 0 Comments

A soul legend rocks the Union Chapel

The Grade 1-listed Union Chapel in Islington/Highbury, built in the late 19th Century in Gothic-revival style, is both a working Congregationalist church and a charity drop-in centre but perhaps best well-known to irreligious bums like me as a corking-good live music venue. Somehow its combination [...]

July 11, 2018 // 0 Comments

Madame Butterfly /Glyndebourne

I had seen this Madame Butterfly 2 years ago in gestation as part of the autumn repertory and last night Puccini’s masterpiece made a powerful impression as the story is as magnificent as the music despite some tinkering by director Annilese Mackinnon. I imagine most readers know the story [...]

July 9, 2018 // 0 Comments

To 1944 and back

This may sound a degree absurd from someone in their sixties with a general interest in military history but last week I made my first-ever research trip to Normandy as a member of a small touring group spending five days ‘doing’ the D-Day Landings and elements of the 1944 Allied campaign to [...]

July 8, 2018 // 0 Comments

Anthony Quinn

The comments about cricketer Jack Russell having a second career as an artist prompted me to think of other film stars that emulated him. Yul Brynner and Gina Lollobrigida, who was 92 yesterday were excellent photographers but the only star I could think of who could really paint was Anthony Quinn [...]

July 5, 2018 // 0 Comments

France :A History from Gaul to de Gaulle / John Julius Norwich

I always have a lot of respect for writers of non fiction whose preparation involves a lot of research and who can nonetheless produce a final work that is concise. Norman Stone wrote a brilliant short history of the First World War, Neal McGregor a superb but short history of Germany and now John [...]

July 3, 2018 // 0 Comments

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My sporting weekend

Francesco Molinari winning the Quicken Loans  on the USPGA  and Alex Noren the Open de France on the Ryder Cup  venue Le National near Paris is good news for the Britain and Europe chances. It was not so bad for me too  as for the second week runningJeremy Chapman bagged a winner in Noren.  In [...]

July 2, 2018 // 0 Comments

The Bridge

The Bridge had its eighth  and final episode last Friday.  Final is the word as the ending made it clear that sadly we have heard and seen the last  of “Saga Noren, Lanskrim Malmo “ ( Malmo CID) as she answers the phone .  Never mind the unraveling of the criminal drama there was always [...]

July 1, 2018 // 0 Comments

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