Alive or Illusion?

Sharing the day with another panoply of notables such as Gloria Estefan, Lily Tomlin, Yvonne De Carlo, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Johann Pachelbel, Archie Bell, Violet Carson, Steve Pemberton, Engelbert Humperdinck [the composer, not the singer], Leonard Slatkin, Rocky Marciano, Art Pepper, Marvel Comics illustrator Gene Colan [whose centenary it is today], Bruce Foxton of The Jam, Cecil Parkinson, Babydaddy of Scissor Sisters [50 today], Ruud Gullit, Conway Twitty, Boxcar Willie, Craig McLachlan and Zendaya...

...it's the "last of the Bee Gees" Mr Barry Gibb's - gulp! - 80th birthday today!

We know the Brothers Gibb were utter musical geniuses, not only for their long career of mega-hits, including the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, Tragedy, You Win Again and much much more besides, but also their work with other hit-makers, from Miss Warwick to MegaBabs to Dolly to to Miss Ross.

I wonder what they would make of this..?

Bee Gees vs Imagination - Alive or Illusion (KillerCut Mashup)

I love it!

Be Better, or Fackham!

A great time was had by all at our Film Club gathering yesterday! Between the nine of us, we brought far too much food as usual for the "picnic-substitute" buffet, but kept The Perseverance bar going strong - at times our gang upstairs in the function room were practically the only customers they had, but we're all pretty good session drinkers...

And the films on offer were both unexpectedly superb, too! First up was one I've wanted to see for ages - the autobiographic portrayal of the often-traumatic rise to fame of "national treasure" Robbie Williams, formerly of Take That:

A Better Man - Rock DJ

I certainly wasn't expecting it to be as brilliantly done, nor quite such an emotional rollercoaster, as it was!

Our second film was one I had very little knowledge or expectation of. Described by critics as "Downton Abbey meets The Naked Gun," we were all pleasantly surprised - it was utterly hilarious!

Fackham Hall trailer

Just what the doctor ordered.

Despite the fact that it is a Bank Holiday, I haven't forgotten that it is a Tacky Music Monday - so how about the very brief-but-faboo "musical soiree" from that very movie?

Have a good week, dear reader - dodge the showers...

Today's itinerary

Not this...

...but more this!

Yep, thanks to the showery Bank Holiday Weekend weather, our much-loved Grand Annual Picnic has had to be cancelled in favour of gathering at The Perseverance pub in Bloomsbury/Holborn for an all-day Film Club...

Science Fiction Double Feature Picture Show [Rocky Horror Picture Show]

Should be fun!

Back to the Future

It's a Bank Holiday weekend and, as Ms Scarlet observed: as usual in Britain, it's raining. Back to normal, then. So much for spending any time in the extensive gardens here at Dolores Delargo Towers! [And so much for our usual Grand Picnic tomorrow - which is replaced instead by one of our boozy Film Club "gatherings of the clans".]

Let us escape it all, and enter the bewildering world of 1950s futuristic technology again, courtesy of the geniuses at Soft Tempo Lounge - this time even more bewildering as this appears to be at some kind of expo in Russia, at the height of the Cold War...

Fab music, as ever:

Soft Tempo Lounge - East meets West '59

Ah, that's better.

[Music: Renè Eiffel Orchester - Desidery / Shopping in the town; Original film: RCA Whirlpool Miracle Kitchen in Russia (1959)]

Show 'em how we do it now!

Oh, thank fuck. After one of the most gruelling weeks of my life [coming back from two weeks away to hundreds of emails and dozens of needy clients all wanting to arrange meetings, I've hardly had time to breathe!], the weekend is almost upon us - and it's a three-day one to boot!

Time for a party, methinks - so, let us get our glittery jackets out of the back of the wardrobe, wiggle our tushes along with the ever-jolly Peaches & Herb - and Thank Disco It's Bank Holiday Weekend Friday!

Peaches & Herb - Shake Your Groove Thing

Have a great weekend, dear reader!

Don't know what I want, but I know how to get it

News that Sex Pistols founder-member and principal songwriter Glen Matlock blows out - gulp - 70 candles on his cake today gives me a perfect excuse to publish this old favourite tribute to the band. Hope he likes what they've done with his song, Ma!

The Puppini Sisters - Anarchy In The UK (1940s Close Harmony Swing Punk Sex Pistols cover)

Simply faboo!

Hang up the wigs

We at Dolores Delargo Towers have our black armbands on today, still reeling as we are at the very sad news that our Patron Saint of Big Wigs, Miss Dolly Parton has ascended the rhinestone-studded stairway to preside over the pinkness of Fabulon...

It cannot all be sad, however, when one remembers the great lady's wit, self-deprecating humour and sparkle. On losing a drag queen contest, she said:

“They had a bunch of Chers and Dollys that year, so I just over-exaggerated - made my beauty mark bigger, the eyes bigger, the hair bigger, everything. All these beautiful drag queens had worked for weeks and months getting their clothes. So I just got in the line and I just walked across, and they just thought I was some little short gay guy... I got the least applause.”

Such a great loss. There is little more I can offer, dear reader, but a wallow in some of her most beloved and memorable tunes...

Dolly Parton - 9 to 5

Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again

Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers - Islands In The Stream

Dolly Parton - Coat of Many Colours

Dolly Parton - Love Is Like a Butterfly

Dolly Parton performs Jolene at Glastonbury 2014

RIP, Dolly.