Last time I was in Brighton (many, many years ago) I was walking around with some mates when one of them said “Oh look, it’s the alley where Phil Daniels shagged Leslie Ash!” and there it was, the scene of Jimmy’s quick knee-trembler with Steph in Quadrophenia. We wandered down to take a look but, as there were no girls to hand, didn’t try to reenact the scene.
Apparently it’s quite the famous spot. There should be a plaque on the wall or something.
I really love this London A-Z style “Song Map” poster, it’s a brilliant idea and looks great too. A bit late now to buy it as a Christmas present for someone so just get one for yourself, I know I will.
The London A-Z is the one guide book that even natives of the city own (or at least they did before the invention of Google Maps) and I’ve always loved its visual style, it says “London” to me just as much as the Tube map does. I have an old hardback colour A-Z from the 1960s that used to belong to my Dad and I think it’s as beautiful as any art book I’ve got.
This song is on there, head left on The 59th Street Bridge Song, right on Desolation Row, and it’s the first left.
I’m very sad to hear about the death of the great illustrator Ronald Searle. His black humour and scratchy, inky drawings pretty much defined English cartooning when I was growing up and, though he produced a lot of other work through his very long and brilliant career, he’ll be best remembered (much to his chagrin) for creating the girls of St. Trinian’s and illustrating the Molesworth books.
The great thing about the worlds of St. Trinian’s and Molesworth — and why we kids loved them — was they showed life in an English school as an only slightly more darkly exaggerated version of the reality as we knew it, a Darwinian jungle with useless teachers trying to keep a lid on total anarchy. I was a bully-hating daydreamer like Nigel Molesworth (though with better spelling I hope) and we all joked and sang songs about setting the school on fire the way the St. Trinian’s girls did.
Searle was a legend to me, one of the greatest illustrators — hell, artists even – that England has ever produced. As any fule kno.
The sentimental musings of an ageing expat in words, music, and pictures. Mp3 files are up for a limited time so drink them while they're hot.
Contact me: lee at londonlee dot com
