"The Palladium of Drag" in 1895 and today. [click any pic to embiggen]
It's another snippets post, dear reader:
- Gays of London rejoice! news: The legendary Black Cap in Camden ["The Palladium of Drag"], subject of an impressive eleven-year battle over its closure and proposed conversion into flats by property developers, has finally re-opened. We plan to pay a visit soon, of course!
- Old age is no place for sissies news: A new exhibition at the Wellcome Foundation The Coming of Age explores experiences and perceptions of ageing, from adolescence to later life, and asks how societies can adapt for us all to age better. Apparently, one in ten children in the UK are expected to live beyond the age of 100! As the curator says, however: “people want to live for ever, but they don’t want to get old”. Could be interesting. Or scary.
- Hosepipe news: Apparently, England is no longer in drought. No shit, Sherlock! It was pissing down for months this winter...
- Icon news: Dame Shirley Bassey [pictured above, accepting her "Women of Monaco" award at a society do on 10th March] has announced - at the age of 89 - that she can no longer write replies to every one of her fan letters, as she has always done throughout her long career, because she has to have surgery on her hand. What a trouper! Imagine any other star of her magnitude answering their own post...
- It's not just the Robinsons news: Sperm get lost in space, scientists have discovered. In zero gravity, I'd make sure I was wearing eye-shields - you never know what might float your way!
- And finally: RIP, Chip Taylor. Who? I hear you ask. Apart from being Jon Voight's brother [his real name was James Voight] he was a prolific songwriter, and among his hits were PP Arnold's Angel of the Morning [a hit in the US for Merrilee Rush, and later Juice Newton], the Hollies I Can't Let Go and this one [memorably covered by Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie aka The Creatures]. This sort of thing never happens to me when I'm on London Underground!
And the weather? Sunshine again - but really quite chilly!
That Dame Shirley....she is one classy broad. And yes go to the Black Cap by all means. Once these institutions of night life and pubs get threated it is only a matter of time till another bastard developer comes along.....
ReplyDeleteWhat we really need is for Dame Shirl to pay the place a visit! The queens would be queuing around the block... Jx
DeletePart of my 'hood, back in the day.
ReplyDeleteCamden? Or Monaco..? 😍 Jx
DeleteDame Shirley. There is nothing like a dame! The Black Cap is a work of art! Never knew about John Voight’s (that asshole) brother.
ReplyDeleteThere is certainly nothing and no-one quite like Dame Shirl!
DeleteAs for the Voights, I have no idea whether the late brother was also a Trump acolyte or not, but I certainly hope the latter. Jx
I didn't know Dame Shirley personally replied to every letter.
ReplyDeleteWe should have popped her a note through.
Wouldn't it have been lovely to have a handwritten letter from Dame Shirl? Too late now. Sigh. Jx
Delete