Of ballet, Trekkies, Old Masters, Morph, Freddie, a boa and a TV legend departs

RIP, choreographer Sir Richard Alston - his boys always could get their legs up higher, and wider, than anyone else!

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

• To boldly go news: Happy birthday, Star Trek - which celebrated its 60th anniversary yesterday, with a series of events worldwide. Remarkably, our very own "super-fan" on Blogger Mr DeVice didn't even emerge from the wilderness in which he's been languishing since August to celebrate it!

• I still reckon that's Murray Melvin! news: In a groundbreaking new exhibition at the National Gallery, all nine portraits by the Northern Renaissance master Jan Van Eyck will be on display together for the very first time, including his famous "Arnolfini portrait" (above [click to embiggen]). Van Eyck: The Portraits runs at the National Gallery from 21st November 2026 to 11th April 2027.
• Your very own Gromit news: Action figures and original models of some of the world's favourite stop-motion on-screen characters from the creative geniuses at Aardman Animations, such as "Morph", "Wallace and Gromit" and "Sean the Sheep", will be going under the hammer in an online auction to mark the studio's 50th anniversary, ending on 24 September 2026. Get your bid in quick for "Feathers McGraw"..!
• Ready, Freddie! news: Eight of Freddie Mercury’s most memorable stage costumes are going on display at the V&A this autumn to mark his 80th anniversary year, including the “Mercury Wing” catsuit he wore in the Bohemian Rhapsody video, and the crown and cloak he wore on tour with Queen in the 80s. The Freddie Mercury: Splendid Things trail will include displays across the whole museum, and opens on 24th October 2026.
• Hissing Sid Siegfried? news: There was an major audition held at the New York Metropolitan Opera last weekend - for the role of a snake! A boa constrictor named Princess won. Not John Hamm...

And the weather? Erratic. Yesterday, it lashed it down all day, then brightened up early evening. Today, it's been lovely (on and off) again - but much cooler than it was on the weekend.

---

• And finally: We here at Dolores Delargo Towers are distraught at the announcement that Monty Don is leaving Gardeners World at the end of the current series - after being at the helm [with a hiatus for ill-health] since 2003!

  No matter who takes over when he retires, things will never be the same again...

Monty Don reveals the five plants ANYONE can propagate

So soothing. So brilliant. So irreplaceable.

Fa-fa-fashion

The Madam and I are off to see the much-vaunted Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art exhibition at the V&A this afternoon!

I fully expect to return wearing a lobster, a hat in the shape of a shoe, or "a thing that isn't a thing"...

---

STOP PRESS:

Before I left this morning, I was trying to find a particular verse from which that final line came, to no avail - not only is that new "A.I. Google" really annoying, it's also a crock of shit that doesn't actually find anything you're looking for.

I located it in a book (remember them?!) called Camp: The Lie That Tells The Truth:

On the pale yellow sands
There's a pair of clasped hands
And and eye-ball entangled in string,
And a piece of raw meat
And a bicycle seat
And a thing that isn't a thing.
- William Plomer - "A recipe for a Surrealist picture"

Of pie-flinging, Dame Judi, pottery, Istanbul not Constantinople, gay spliffs and Who?

Only in Britain: The World Custard Pie Championship was held this week at Coxheath in Kent, where it was founded way back in 1967.

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

• National treasure news: In a ground-breaking announcement - no theatre has previously been named after a living actress - the West End's Shaftesbury Theatre is to be renamed in honour of the sublime Dame Judi Dench in 2027. All hail!
• Potty news: RIP, Denby Pottery, one of the mainstays of the ceramics industry in Britain since 1809. Bizarrely, cheap-and-nasty household store chain Home Bargains appears to have placed a bid to save the brand (but not the actual factory, I bet!).

• Nobody's Business But the Turks news: The latest announcement from our beloved Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is the first UK exhibition to tell the story of one of the world's most influential cities, Istanbul. Spanning 330 AD to 1922, Constantinople to Istanbul: One City, Two Empires will bring together remarkable works of art, design and architecture to reveal the enduring creative legacy of an imperial capital that shaped the Mediterranean world and far beyond. Another one for the list! It's on from 7th November 2026 to 9th May 2027.
• Who's for sale? news: It's all change for one of the BBC's most iconic series, as Doctor Who is being put out to tender for a new production company to take over, Russell T Davies [who was behind the successful revival of the show back in 2005] has announced that he is departing, and the previously announced Xmas special has been cancelled. A regeneration is afoot, it seems...
• And finally - god-bothering bigot news: One of the US's many crazy self-proclaimed "Christian" pastors has said that marijuana makes you gay! Idiot. However, a word of wisdom comes to mind: "When you smoke the herb, it reveals you to yourself." - Bob Marley.

And the weather? Still far too breezy, but there's been a noticeable rise in temperature - and more sunshine ahead...

---

STOP PRESS:

Here we go again. I published this yesterday evening [Wednesday], and here we are, half a day later [on Thursday] - and it still hasn't arrived in the Blogger Reading List! Bastard Google Gnomes...

Of tourism, testicles, chasing cheese, Medieval wonderment, carbuncles, clubbing and a cow for President!

RIP Judith Chalmers, who for almost 30 years brought the British viewing public dreams of sunshine getaways into our living-rooms. [click any pic to embiggen]

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

• Bull mosaic’s testicles worn down by pirouetting tourists news: A floor mosaic of an anatomically detailed bull in one of Milan’s grand arcades is getting a sensitive makeover after being worn down by thousands of passers-by honouring an unusual tradition. Legend has it that grinding your heel on the bull’s testicles at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II guarantees you will return to the city. You can't make this kind of stuff up!
• Fondue, anyone? news: On what was officially the hottest Bank Holiday Britain has ever seen, the usual gaggle of the utterly insane chased a wheel of cheese down a perilously steep hill in Gloucestershire! The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake was won by a German YouTuber. Apparently, no participants (nor the cheese) came to any harm...

• Illuminated history news: One of the earliest manuscripts to tell the tale of King Arthur and the search for the holy grail – a richly illuminated medieval tome which, for more than 700 years, has been in private hands - is headed for auction by Christies this July, where it is estimated to fetch around £1.5m to £2m ($2m to $2.7m). I do hope the British Museum or British Library wins it and puts it on display!
• Planners see sense, shock horror, news: A developer has lost a controversial bid to build a 29-storey tower near Battersea Bridge, which drew opposition from celebrities including Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton. Good. It's about time planning departments, the government and the bloody Mayor realised that nobody actually wants or needs these monstrosities popping up all over the place in London. It's bad enough that The City resembles some kind of giant glass graveyard, without our leafy boroughs getting the same treatment.
• Nightclubbing, we're nightclubbing news: The newest (free) exhibit at the V&A museum, opening this weekend, is a proper trip down memory lane for many - a new display exploring the legacy of lost music venues and club culture. Lost Music Venues will showcase over 100 objects that tell the story of around 50 British venues - including The Astoria, Rainbow Theatre and Turnmills in London, Moles in Bath, and The Hacienda in Manchester; venues that launched the careers of myriad acts such as Blur, Oasis, Kate Bush, Tears for Fears, New Order and many, many more - such as gig posters, membership cards, club photography, band merch, and subculture fashion staples.

• And finally: A rare albino buffalo has been spared from ritual sacrifice as part of Eid al-Adha celebrations in Bangladesh - because of a social media buzz that pointed out its close resemblance to Donald Trump! Bullocks, indeed!

And the weather? Still hot - and with more cloud about, oppressively humid. I've even heard a rumble or two of thunder! Oo-er.

Of a lost Joan, eagles, Winnie Atwell's piano, octopi, totty, Time Warp, and the return of a Queen

Costume designer Edith Head called this frock "cinema’s single biggest influence on fashion"

It's another snippets post, dear reader:

• Nymphomaniac news: Letty Lynton, a scandalous Joan Crawford film about sex and murder that - thanks to a long-standing lawsuit - was pulled from cinemas and has remained unseen for ninety years, is finally getting shown, thanks to the great lady's grandson. The Art Deco settings and outfits by Adrian [as per "that dress" above] alone would make it worth a watch!

• Where eagles dare news: The magnificent golden eagle, one of Britain's biggest birds, is finally set to be reintroduced to England after more than 150 years, with a boost of government funding.

• Go East, young man news: The remarkable new V&A East museum opens its doors this weekend. Planned as an "open space" for visitors and locals alike, its emphasis is on 'making' and the process of craft and creation. The first showcase exhibition The Music is Black: A British Story apparently features outfits worn by everyone from Dame Shirley Bassey to Sade to Stormzy, Joan Armatrading's guitar, Winifred Atwell's piano and much more besides.
• When is an octopus not an octopus? news: A fossil believed to be "the world's oldest octopus" has been proven, using new technology, to be another primitive sea creature altogether.

[click any pic to embiggen]

• Hot Paprika news: Hungary's new prime minister Péter Magyar is not just a breath of fresh air for that country after years of repressive government, he's also a rather tasty bit of totty! [And Mistress Maddie agrees.]
• It's astounding news: Half a century on, and three of its stars Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn ("Brad", "Columbia", "Magenta") are reuniting for The Rocky Horror Picture Show 50th Anniversary Spectacular UK tour, which hits London's Dominion Theatre this weekend. Little Nell spills the tea on everything from Freddie Mercury to Mick Jagger to Disney erasing her nipple...
• And finally - Our Glorious Leader news: Madonna has a new album out this year - and even more fabulous is the fact that it's a sequel to her superb Confessions On A Dance Floor, from way back in 2005! Confessions II, released in July, is a return collaboration with Stuart Price - who produced the original - and here, for your delectation, is a teeny-tiny teaser snippet:

Madonna - I Feel So Free (Preview)

It's a bit trance-y, so more like her Ray of Light era - but exciting nonetheless!

And the weather? It's been threatening to rain all day, but that never happened. I'm back in work for the day tomorrow, and it looks better (sigh) - but then, so does the weekend!

Bowie and Burns

Me with the powder-blue suit Bowie wore in the iconic music video for Life On Mars

Back in 2013, the V&A staged one of the most comprehensive and mind-boggling exhibitions dedicated to the life of one person, ever - the wonderful David Bowie Is..., the most visited exhibit in the museum’s history. I went along, and was blown away by it!

Then in 2023, thanks to a donation from the Blavatnik Family Foundation and Warner Music Group, and in collaboration with the great man's estate, the entire archive around which that exhibition was based was acquired by the V&A for the nation - and for a permanent [albeit with items on rotation] display at the new David Bowie Centre in Stratford, which officially opened in September 2025, with tickets strictly limited, and members a priority.

So it was that Madam Arcati and I (V&A members) were able to snaffle tickets - for us and for John-John [Hils, for whom we also booked a ticket, couldn't make it] - for a viewing yesterday!

The V&A takes great pains to emphasise that this is not solely an "exhibition" - and indeed, in comparison to their usual dazzling multi-room, multitudinous-exhibit events (dozens of which we have been to, and thoroughly enjoyed), it is quite tiny; just one room, with ten visual display cases, a big screen and floor-to-ceiling shelves around a table. 

It's the latter part that makes clear the true purpose of the centre - for anyone, by request in advance, can take a closer look at any of the 90,000 items in the collection! If you want to handle Bowie's platform boots, his fedora from The Man Who Fell to Earth, or his personal diaries, you can do so!

Of the items currently on display [as I mentioned above, many of these will periodically be refreshed and changed], I was enthralled by the variety and range, from all eras of his career. Highlights: That suit [pictured at the top of the post] from Life On Mars (and the cream suit from the Serious Moonlight tour I went to see in 1983, and his "Ziggy Stardust" costume), a pair of letters - one a "reference" written by David's dad, the other a very curt rejection letter from Apple Records - his high-drama metal "wings" from the Glass Spider tour in 1987, the handwritten lyrics to Heroes (and the synths played in those "Berlin sessions"), the Stylophone he played on Space Oddity, and, and, and... everything!

It was a brilliant day!

[Click any pic to embiggen]

About the David Bowie Centre

[PS We also took a wander around the V&A East Storehouse itself, which is a stunning (and bewildering) warehouse-scale display of objects of all types and from all eras, that are a mere part of the museum's gargantuan collection, which visitors walk around, under and above - worthy of another visit, and another blog post all of its own - read the review from the ever-wonderful The Londonist instead.]

---

Meanwhile...

...happy Burns Night!

Bringing the two things together nicely, here's Scotland's uncrowned Queen, Lulu singing the song Bowie wrote for her (together with the great man on backing vocals):

Lulu - The Man Who Sold The World

We passed upon the stair, we spoke of was and when
Although I wasn't there, he said I was his friend
Which came as some surprise; I spoke into his eyes
I thought you died alone, a long long time ago

Oh no, not me
I never lost control
You're face to face
With The Man Who Sold The World

I laughed and shook his hand, and made my way back home
I searched for form and land, for years and years I roamed
I gazed a gazely stare at all the millions here
We must have died alone, a long long time ago

Who knows? not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the Man who Sold the World

I'd like to be a gallery, put you all inside my show

Those rancid little gnomes at Blogger just cannot leave well alone, can they?

This week's little "surprise"? - yesterday, the function for comments-upon-comments in a thread [aka "embedded", as it's described in the settings menu] stopped working, with the "reply" link greyed-out. Whatever this shit is, it's also hit the setting whereby the reader clicks a photo to embiggen and it opens in "LightBox" (a widget that lets you scroll through posted photos) - photos currently open in a new window/tab instead. Other navigation functions have also been affected. Sigh.

I digress...

This afternoon, Madam Arcati, Hils, John-John and I are off to the wilds of Hackney Wick, to visit the new David Bowie Centre at the V&A's "East Storehouse" - and that's a collection I am champing at the bit to see [despite already having already been overawed by the David Bowie Is... exhibition back in 2013] !

Something appropriate for the occasion is in order:

David Bowie - Andy Warhol

Like to take a cement* fix
Be a standing cinema
Dress my friends up just for show
See them as they really are
Put a peephole in my brain
Two New Pence to have a go
I'd like to be a gallery
Put you all inside my show

Andy Warhol looks a scream
Hang him on my wall
Andy Warhol, Silver Screen
Can't tell them apart at all

Andy walking, Andy tired
Andy take a little snooze
Tie him up when he's fast asleep
Send him on a pleasant cruise
When he wakes up on the sea
Be sure to think of me and you
He'll think about paint and he'll think about glue
What a jolly boring thing to do

Andy Warhol looks a scream
Hang him on my wall
Andy Warhol, Silver Screen
Can't tell them apart at all

Andy Warhol looks a scream
Hang him on my wall
Andy Warhol, Silver Screen
Can't tell them apart at all

Apparently Mr Warhol was not best pleased. I'm certain David lost no sleep over it.

[*I'm pretty sure that in his original lyrics, this word was not "cement" at all, but "semen"; sanitised for 1970s audiences, no doubt.]

Of Shirl, sacrilege, sheep, sausage poisoning, stolen penis and "a statement, darling!"

Many happy returns, Dame Shirley Bassey!

It's another snippets post, dear reader!

• Vandals are coming news: Our beloved "Horticultural Mile" - north London's Crews Hill, home of the highest concentration of garden centres anywhere is under threat from this benighted government's determination to build "new towns" on "greenfield" land, and the complacency of Enfield Council towards those plans. Bastards!
• Ewe news: Staff and customers at a supermarket in in the village of Burgsinn, Bavaria were startled - as a flock of sheep caused havoc by invading the aisles!
• Ewww! news: A train crew member on London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has been sacked for serving passengers sausage rolls that he had apparently fished out of the bin. LNER's advertising slogan is "Freedom all the way". I assume it refers to bowel movements.

The Daily Mash. Of course.

• Donkey's penis stolen news: A drunken punter nicked a "beloved" antique walrus penis bone from behind the bar at a "cheesesteak" restaurant named Donkey’s Place in New Jersey. What he intended to do with it remains a mystery...
• And finally: A most unexpected focus on items in their collection, from the V&A!

Which Lamp is CAMPEST? - Rating Camp Decor with Reece Davey - V&A

And the weather? Grey, with storms and rain forecast. Yuk!

Of postmodernism, Marie, fish fingers, sperm, a royal cow, Bolan and blasphemy

RIP Sir Terry Farrell, architect of two of my fave postmodern buildings on the Thames - the MI6 Building and Charing Cross Station (Embankment House)

More snippets today, dear reader:

• Unbridled luxury news: Hot on the (bejewelled) heels of - and overlapping with - the breathtaking Cartier exhibition we went to see in August, the newest showcase at the magnificent Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) is Marie Antoinette Style, an exploration of the life and luxurious lifestyle of one of the most notorious (and certainly most famous, even if only for her fate) Queens that France ever had. We're making plans for our visit as we speak...
• Favourite food of children everywhere news: Happy 70th birthday to the humble BirdsEye [other brands are available] Fish Finger! I doubt there's a freezer anywhere up and down the country that doesn't have a box of these in it...
• Frankenstein science news: Scientists in the USA have made embryos from human skin DNA and sperm. If that's all it took, I'm surprised my face didn't get pregnant - many times - when I was younger😋!
• Never appear with children or animals news: King Charles III looked on as a prize cow trampled his hedges and peed on the path at a reception at Clarence House.

• Glam icon "returns from the dead" news: On what would have been his 78th birthday, not only has a blue plaque been unveiled at Marc Bolan's former home in Maida Vale in London, but also a new, previously unheard T.Rex track from fifty years ago has been released! - hear I'm Dazed on YouTube.
• And finally: Happy Blasphemy Day! I'll leave the last word on that to the magnificently erudite and much-missed Mr Christopher Hitchens, one of my idols:

  “I am not even an atheist so much as an antitheist; I not only maintain that all religions are versions of the same untruth, but I hold that the influence of churches and the effect of religious belief is positively harmful. Reviewing the false claims of religion I do not wish, as some sentimental materialists affect to wish, that they were true. I do not envy believers their faith. I am relieved to think that the whole story is a sinister fairy tale; life would be miserable if what the faithful affirmed was actually true... There may be people who wish to live their lives under cradle-to-grave divine supervision, a permanent surveillance and monitoring. But I cannot imagine anything more horrible or grotesque.”

And the weather? Warm and sunny for a change! Love it.

Sparkling 'round my little finger

A smattering of our little gang (Me, Madam Arcati, Hils and Our Sal) entered the hallowed halls of the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) this afternoon, for a magnificent wallow in the glittering world of Cartier - and we emerged with diamond sparkles in our eyes! [more on that later, inevitably]...

...and we know a song about that, don't we, dear reader?

Shirley Bassey - Diamonds Are Forever

Diamonds are forever
Sparkling 'round my little finger
Unlike men, the diamonds linger
Men are mere mortals who
Are not worth going to your grave for!

Amen.

Of jewellery, confectionery, awards, whispering and one of the best drummers ever

Utterly divine...

Another snippets post today, dear reader:

• Diamonds are a gay's best friend news: The Cartier exhibition at the V&A opens this weekend - and, among loads of delicious sparklies, features Wallis Simpson's sapphire cabochon panther brooch (as pictured above)! We're now members of the prestigious museum, so can go along as many times as we like - I wonder if they'll let us try on any of the jewellery?
• Non-lethal snacks news: The Scottish-born delicacy Tunnock's teacakes has finally been exonerated by scientists after being banned by the RAF from cockpits for decades for fear that they could explode and cause a disaster!
• Iconic cameo roles news: The woman behind the whispered "Big boys don't cry" line in 10CC's classic I'm Not In Love tells all.
• Luvvies news: Congratulations to John Lithgow, Lesley Manville and Dame Imelda Staunton (among others), who all won "Best Actor/Actress" in their category at last night's Olivier Awards!
• More sickly confectionery news: Manufacturer Cadbury's has unveiled the world's largest - 3ft tall! - Creme Egg. The world asks "Why?!"

• And finally - RIP, a membranophonic maestro: Clem Burke, world-renowned drummer and founder-member of Blondie with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, has died, aged 70. By way of a tribute, a double-bill of the man's finest moments:

Blondie - Call Me

Blondie - Dreaming

Class.

And the weather? Sunny, sunny, sunny! Hoorah!

Reality is something you rise above

• "Unless you show off, you're not going to get noticed." - Elton John.
  [above: Elton's outlandish costume for his 50th birthday party in 1997; designed by Sandy Powell - so enormous, complete with model galleon atop the wig that emitted real smoke, that he had to be transported to the party in a removal van!]

Our "gang" went en masse to the V&A's opulent DIVA exhibition (before it closes next week) yesterday. It was my, Sal's and John-John's second visit, but a first for Madam Arcati and Hils.

Here are some (more) highlights...

• "I'm too busy putting my energies into my performance to be a diva." - Shirley Bassey.
  [top left: Dame Shirley Bassey's stage costume, complete with monogrammed wellies, from Glastonbury Festival in 2007]
• "To be good is to be forgotten. I'm going to be so bad I'll always be remembered." - Theda Bara.
  [top right: Theda Bara's costume from Cleopatra, 1917; possibly her own design]
• "For me, a diva is like the great opera singer, the great film star - out of reach, in their own world, with a real gift for invention: attention-demanding performance artists with a flamboyant, compelling sense of their own importance so special and inimitable it verges on the alien." - Grace Jones.
  [bottom left: Issey Miyake bustier worn by Grace Jones on stage (it's tiny!)]
• "I'm a curiosity in Hollywood. I'm a big freak, because I'm myself!" - Clara Bow.
  [bottom right: Clara Bow's costume from The Wild Party, 1929 - the only known surviving "flapper dress" worn by her - designed by Travis Banton]

• "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe.
• "I believe that it's better to be looked over than it is to be overlooked." - Mae West.
  [top left: Marilyn Monroe's "shimmy dress" from Some Like It Hot by Orry Kelly; also Mae West's diamante trimmed frock from I'm No Angel by Travis Banton]
• "When I sing, people shut up." - Barbra Streisand.
  [top right: Costume worn by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl, 1968; designed by Irene Sharaff]
• "A woman has just as much right in this world as a man and can get along in it just as well if she puts her mind to it. I've lived by a man's code designed to fit a man's world, yet at the same time, I never forget that a woman's first job is to choose the right shade of lipstick." - Carole Lombard.
  [bottom left: Carole Lombard's frock from We're Not Dressing, 1934; by Travis Banton]
• “Until you’re known in my profession as a monster, you’re not a star.” - Bette Davis.
  [bottom right: Bette Davis' gown from All About Eve; by Edith Head]

• "Reality is something you rise above." - Liza Minnelli.
  [top left: Gown worn by Liza Minnelli in New York, New York; designed by Theadora Van Runkle]
• "Use your faults, use your defects; then you're going to be a star." - Edith Piaf.
  [top right: The (tiny) stage costume worn by Edith Piaf (on display alongside her comb, hairbrush and throat spray!)]
• "If I can't be me, I don't want to be anybody. I was born that way." - Joan Crawford.
  [bottom left: Joan Crawford's costume from Mildred Pierce, 1945; by Milo Anderson]
• "The only person I really believe in is me." - Debbie Harry.
  [bottom right: Outfit worn by Debbie Harry on Blondie's European tour, 1979; by Stephen Sprouse]

• “I’m sort of the patron saint of drag queens.” - Bob Mackie.
  [Stage outfits by Mr Mackie for Cher, Tina Turner, Cher and - um - Cher]
• "You're born naked, and the rest is Bob Mackie." - RuPaul.

Simply stunning...

[Madam Arcati enjoyed it so much he took every one of these photos - click any pic to embiggen.]

Got to be some good times ahead

It may only have been a short week, but it has been a complete pain in the arse! I have been counting down the hours for it to end...

Now we are almost here. Our "gang" is gathering after work to go (again in my case) to the V&A's magnificently camp DIVA exhibition before it closes next week, so there is cause for celebration already!

Speaking of Divas - here's one who is (obviously) featured in the exhibition:

Freddie Mercury - Living on my Own

Thank Disco Divas It's Friday!

Have a great weekend, dear reader!

Viva la Diva

As I'm trolling off with chums to South Kensington for the rave-reviewed Diva exhibition at the V&A this afternoon, I thought I would dig out an old fave - the utterly remarkable Signorina LaLa McCallan!

She's a queen who knows an appropriate song for an occasion:

LaLa McCallan - Casta Diva

Fantabulosa!

[More LaLa here]

First you push it up here, pull it down there

As the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) unclothes [see what I did there?] its new exhibition all about the history of underwear, so I thought that on this Tacky Music Monday I should seek out an appropriate song.

Here is, of course, the irrepressible Carol Channing (with Ginger Rogers) with their tribute to the garment:

Carol Channing and Ginger Rogers - A Corset Can Do A Lot For A Lady

However, as that clip is such poor quality, here's a corset-themed slideshow to accompany the same song, this time by Fran Warren...

Fran Warren - A Corset Can Do A Lot For A Lady

Now, a corset can do a lot for a lady
Especially when a lady's got a lot
And a lady can do a lot for that cor-set
By filling in the bottom and top.

First you push it up here
Pull it down there
Tighten up the middle
Till you're gasping for air

Oh, a corset can do a lot for a lady
'Cos it helps to show a man what she's got

Indeed.

Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear is on at the V&A until Sunday, 12th March 2017

I love that sound

Today has been taken up mainly by...

SHOES*!

And the adorable Tiga knows a song about that:

Tiga - Shoes

What's that sound?
I like that sound
I love that sound
It's the sound of my shoes

Indeed.

[*We went to the "Shoes - Pleasure and Pain" exhibition at the V&A today. More of that later, no doubt.]