A wealth of colour on display at the Orchid Festival at Kew Gardens yesterday
Sharing a birthday as he does with a mish-mash of "names" such as Kim Novak, Stockard Channing, George Segal, Peter Tork, Oliver Reed, Robbie Williams, Jerry Springer, Simon Schama, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Peter Hook of New Order, Joyce DiDonato, Emanuel Ungaro, Kevin Bloody Wilson and Sonia, another of our fave artists Mr Peter Gabriel blows out 70 candles on his cake today.
To my surprise, in almost thirteen years of this very blog, I have never featured the man (nor his extraordinary stage costumes) nor his music before! To make up for that, here are just a few hits from his memorable (and decades-long) back-catalogue - from when he left Genesis in the 1970s to his commercial breakthrough in the 1980s:
...and my personal fave:
Jeux sans frontières
Jeux sans frontières
Jeux sans frontières
Hans plays with Lottie, Lottie plays with Jane
Jane plays with Willi, Willi is happy again
Suki plays with Leo, Sacha plays with Britt
Adolf builds a bonfire, Enrico plays with it
Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes we're kissing baboons in the jungle
It's a knockout
If looks could kill,
They probably will
In games without frontiers
War without tears
Games without frontiers
War without tears
Jeux sans frontières
Jeux sans frontières
Jeux sans frontières
Andre has a red flag, Chiang Ching's is blue
They all have hills to fly them on except for Lin Tai Yu
Dressing up in costumes, playing silly games
Hiding out in tree-tops shouting out rude names
Whistling tunes we hide in the dunes by the seaside
Whistling tunes we piss on the goons in the jungle
It's a knockout
If looks could kill,
They probably will
In games without frontiers
War without tears
Games without frontiers
War without tears
Jeux sans frontières
Many happy returns, Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950)
I love Peter Gabriel. Thanks for this today! But in my experience, willie has never really enjoyed it when jane has played with him. Peter and dickie, yes, jane, no.
ReplyDeleteJust call me "Jane", and Willi would be happy again. Jx
DeleteBlimey, I remember when Games without frontiers was released. Probably my favourite by Peter Gabriel as well.
ReplyDeleteSx
It hasn't lost much in the way of "cool" in the intervening decades, either... Jx
DeleteThose orchids are gorgeous. Especially the bottom two. But especially the one on the right because it reminds me of Black Forest gateau.
ReplyDeleteNow, where's my La-Mar reducing soap?
Official notice: PLEASE DON'T EAT THE ORCHIDS. Jx
Delete