RIP the utterly surreal cartoonist Glen Baxter (4th March 1944 – 29th March 2026)
It's another snippets post, dear reader:
- Yes! We have
nobananas news: Tesco in Kirkwall, Orkney, is giving away boxes of bananas for free after mistakenly ordering 38,000 of the things - apparently equivalent to two per person living on the island! They had, it seems, intended to order 380kg (750lb) of the fruit. However, a mistake meant that 380 wholesale boxes arrived at the weekend instead. - Fashion maven news: A new landmark exhibition dedicated to one of the most off-beat fashion pioneers the late Dame Vivienne Westwood opened last weekend - featuring dozens of items from the personal collection of a Lancashire chemistry teacher(!), as well as items on loan from other museums across the country. I was getting excited when I read about it, but then realised that it's actually on at the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle, County Durham! I'm not likely to be travelling 262 miles just to see it. Let's hope it arrives in London some time in the future...
- Easter, ruined? news: The theft of a shipment of 12 tonnes of the eternally popular Nestle KitKat chocolate bars somewhere en route between Italy and Poland has led to warnings that there might be a shortage - just in time for the "peak chocolate season", Easter. I imagine Cadbury's is rubbing its hands with glee...
- British holidays nostalgia news: To celebrate 90 years in operation, the pioneering holiday-camp company Butlins [the inspiration for the comedy series Hi-de-Hi, of course] has commissioned a bejewelled version of its iconic "redcoat" (as worn by the camp hosts) to mark the occasion in style. The "Rhinestone Redcoat" [designed by The Masked Singer costume designer Tim Simpson] is being auctioned now to raise funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital charity. I could be a "camp host" in that...
- Old people and social media news: The venerable and venerated Sir Paul McCartney found himself banned from Reddit for sharing photos of his own concert! Apparently attendees at the Fonda Theatre in LA were instructed to deposit the mobile phones before the show, and this was intended to be his way of rewarding them with official pics taken by his team. Oops...
- And finally: Happy 55th birthday today to "sex god" Ewan McGregor!
And the weather? Blustery, showery - but warming up. Typical Spring.
PS - more Glen Baxter:
[click any pic to embiggen]
Loved his work!
You have to get that jacket. It’s so you. And it’s for the Great Ormond Street Hospital! Ewan McGregor, yum. I was going to say he could eat my chocolate any time, but that sounds disgusting doesn’t it?
ReplyDeleteI would make a bid - but it's already at £2,500, with a whole month to go!
DeleteI could sit and watch Ewan McGregor gobbling all day... Jx
Oh, Ewan McGregor! I feel the need to watch him as Catcher Block in Down With Love. Immediately!*
ReplyDelete* Although, my sister has the DVD, so that's not going to happen. I suppose I'll go out in the garden to repot my fuchsias instead. I wonder if Bitey is up to seeing off big cats...?
P.S. I think a massive, frou-frou Vivienne Westwood skirt topped with the Rhinestone Redcoat would really suit you, Jon.
I've never seen Down With Love, although it sounds quite a hoot, from what I read. If it really does manage to ape the style and feel of those old Rock Hudson-Doris Day movies, then I know I'll enjoy it. [And it helps that Mr McGregor is just soooo sexy, of course.]
DeleteI could definitely wear the Redcoat, but a frou-frou might be too-too much! Jx
I think MRS. McGregor might have beaten you to it...
ReplyDeleteWhich one? The one he ditched after 22 years of marriage and four children, or the one he was having an affair with behind her back and is married to now..? Either way, I still would. Jx
DeleteRe: Ewan McGregor - has anyone managed to watch Eye of the Beholder all the way through?! It's up there with Caravan to Vaccares as being super boring.
ReplyDeleteRIP Glen Baxter - superb.
Sx
I just looked up Eye of the Beholder - it sounds dreadful. It only has a 9% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so I think the world agrees.
DeleteGlen Baxter was a genius. Jx
I loved Glen Baxter and his surreal cartoons. The New Yorker, where several of his cartoons appeared, sent out a very sweet bit about him.
ReplyDeleteHe deserved every accolade. Jx
Delete"Hands out of those pockets, Sylvia!"
ReplyDeleteHa! Jx
DeletePS I met "Sylvia" once at Polari.