Oh-ay, ay-ay

Our Grand Annual Picnic was a fabulous day of booze, food, merriment, sunshine and good friends.

Born on this day (among many others): Henri Nestlé [who marketed the world's first milk chocolate], composer Alexander Glazunov, Miss Norma Shearer [“What do you expect? She sleeps with the boss.” - Joan Crawford], the "Queen of Technicolor" Rhonda Fleming, soul diva Patti Austin, [the former Mr Debbie Reynolds then Mr Elizabeth Taylor] Eddie Fisher, first female Lord Justice of Appeal [and auntie of Nigel Havers] Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, the "Tin Man" in The Wizard of Oz Jack Haley, the fantabulosa and much-missed Miss Kate O'Mara, the equally fab Miss Ronnie Spector, TV garden makeover queen Charlie Dimmock, sex god Antonio Banderas...

...and ME!!

By way of a celebration, here's something from one of my birthday compatriots:

Antonio Banderas - Cancion del Mariachi

As for getting older, I'm with Sophia:

Our Lady of the Flowers grows shadier by the hours

It's my birthday!

As I am opting for a verrrry laid-back sort of day - where "a bit of pottering" or "doing fuck all" are both in the mix - here's a little personal fave of mine, that I might as well have as my theme tune for the occasion:

Marc Almond - Lavender

Mauve cravat and corduroy jeans
Well we all know what that means
A halo of curls
For Satyricon girls

Our Lady of the flowers
Grows shadier by the hours
Lady Stardust, Judy Teen
In your own Moonage Daydream

Blusher smeared across your cheeks
Kohl that stayed around for weeks
Smudged on your eyes
A Biba disguise
Maybelline in shades of green
Coloured up your teenage scene
Light of foot and limp of knees
In the 1970's

Last night's panstick
On yesterday's grime
You displayed all your bruises
While I covered all mine
Elusive mercurial
Effeminate ethereal
They whisper as you swish by
Your eyes up to the sky
Lavender, lavender
He's got a touch of lavender
Lilac and lavender
Lavender

Heartache Noir leaving a scar
Exploring all the shades to be
Through life's black and white TV
St. Dirk of Bogarde
Showed you what to discard
So you splashed on some Brut
And lowered your voice
When Charlie was really your choice

Last night's Lurex gave yesterday shine
You held on to your sparkle
While I lost all mine
Those long drunken nights
With the misfits and rebels
Playing the angel
While sleeping with devils
Lavender, lavender
He's got a touch of lavender
Lilac and lavender
Lavender

And this is the part
Where you'd get beaten up
But you're saved by a quip
And a whole lot of luck
Frankie and Charlie have gone
Now Larry and Kenny
Once they all had a beard
Sadly now don't have any

Last night's indiscretion
Was yesterday's crime
You stayed true to yourself
But I was poisoned by my time
Elusive mercurial
Piss-elegant ephemeral
They whisper as you swish by
Your eyes up to the sky

The renters on the 'Dilly
In their fake leather jackets
Say she's 'ere on the meat rack
Knowing all of the rackets
Where everything's gift wrapped
And coming in packets
Just a knock on the door to some
Club where no need to say more

Lavender, lavender
He's got a touch of lavender
Lilac and lavender
Lavender

So much there's not to say
You don't have to anyway

Indeed.

Always posing, but you love it all

Yes. I used to look like this. Time's a terrible thing.

As it's my 60th birthday today, I thought I'd indulge myself with some of my favourite music...

How about six decades' worth?

1960s:

Dusty Springfield - You Don't Have To Say You Love Me

1970s:

Blondie - Picture This

1980s:

Pet Shop Boys - It's A Sin

1990s:

Youssou N'Dour ft. Neneh Cherry - Seven Seconds

2000s:

Madonna - Hung Up

2010s:

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers

Then there are the songs that transcend decades. The likes of Soft Cell - Tainted Love [and just about anything Marc Almond has ever done], David Bowie - Queen Bitch [and just about anything Bowie ever did (check out the "Queen Bitch" link for my week-long tribute to the man on the news of his death)], Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill [and an endless list of beloved works by her], Grace Jones - Private Life [and, again, just about anything else in her repertoire], Raffaella Carra - Do It, Do It Again, White Town - Your Woman, Visage - Fade to Grey, Patti Smith - Because The Night, Liza Minnelli - Mein Herr, Erasure - A Little Respect, Shakespear's Sister - Stay, Tom Robinson - War Baby, Dead Or Alive - You Spin Me Round...

...and gazillions of others from the likes of Doris Day, Eartha Kitt, Bette Midler, Dalida, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Divine, Style Council, Gary Numan/Tubeway Army, All Seeing I, Petula Clark, Ofra Haza, Dinah Washington, Laura Branigan, Ian Dury, Lisa Stansfield, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Nina Simone, Three Degrees, KLF, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Cilla Black, Associates, Caro Emerald, Régine, Postmodern Jukebox, Talking Heads, Elaine Stritch, Simple Minds, Celia Cruz, Beautiful South, S-Club 7, Carol Channing, Sam Brown, Jimmy Somerville, Vikki Carr, Donna Summer, Blossom Dearie, ABC, Mika, Etta James, Duran Duran, Lou Reed, Scissor Sisters, Cher, Pearl Bailey, Fangoria, Hot Chocolate, Rocio Jurado, Queen, Klaus Nomi, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Mitzi Gaynor, B-52s, Loleatta Holloway, Adam and the Ants, Gina G, Gina X, Eurythmics/Annie Lennox, Roisin Murphy, Chaka Khan, Conchita Wurst, Edith Piaf, Human League, Rose Royce, Dolly Parton, Depeche Mode, Faithless, Monica Naranjo, Ethel Merman, Alison Jiear, Ysa Ferrer, Divine Comedy, Peggy Lee, Steps, Ella Fitzgerald, Mamas and The Papas, George Michael/Wham, Baccara, Yma Sumac, New Order, Puppini Sisters, Take That, Ultra Nate, Bananarama, Isabel Pantoja, Heaven 17, Diana Ross, Kirsty McColl, Roxy Music, Tina Turner, Flying Lizards, The Cure, Marianne Faithfull and so on. And on. And on...
[All searchable on this very blog]

Then there are the musicals - including Sweet Charity, Chicago, La Cage Aux Folles, Gypsy, Cabaret, Little Shop of Horrors and everything by Stephen Sondheim [that link takes you to the week-long series of tributes I did when he departed for Fabulon] - and the classical and operatic stuff [too numerous to mention].

However, dear reader, I still have one more beloved song by one more - the ultimate - diva to play. It's rather appropriate, you see:

Shirley Bassey - If I Never Sing Another Song

In my heyday
Young men wrote to me
Everybody seemed to have time to devote to me
Everyone I saw all swore they knew me
Once upon a song

Main attraction, couldn't buy a seat
The celebrity celebrities were dying to meet
I've had every accolade bestowed on me
And so you see

If I never sing another song
It wouldn't bother me
I had my share of fame
You know my name

If I never sing another song
Or take another bow
I would get by, but I'm not sure how

Always posing, but you love it all
Though you have to learn to act like you're above it all
Everything I did the world applauded
Once upon a star

Framed citations, hung on every wall
Got a scrapbook full of quotes, I can recall them all
There were times I felt the world belonged to me
And so you see

If I never sing another song
It wouldn't bother me
I had my share of fame
You know my name

If I never sing another song
Or take another bow
I would get by, but I'm not sure how
But I'm not sure how
But I'm not sure how

Someone read my Amazon list...

...and got a perfect birthday delivery pour moi!

Transitions to another place

It's my birthday today - and, as is my wont, I'm taking another trip down memory lane to the year I turned eighteen [and a year I have been featuring at irregular intervals throughout 2021], 1981!

Forty years ago, the media were still rammed full of Royal stories and features and souvenir pull-outs in the wake of the wedding of Charles and Diana at the end of July. In the headlines: IRA hunger strikes, the second escape from Broadmoor maximum security hospital in a matter of weeks, escalating tensions between the West and Gadaffi's Libya, the trial and conviction of John Lennon's murderer Mark Chapman, Moira Stewart became the UK's first black newsreader; and a small local cable station called MTV was launched in the US, prompting the massive rise of the music video [we had to wait a further six years before the station arrived in Britain, however]. In our cinemas: Raiders of the Lost Ark; Herbie Goes Bananas; Time Bandits. On telly: That Beryl Marston!; Three of a Kind; Miss Morrison's Ghosts.

My eighteenth birthday chart was not the greatest line-up of that year of faboo music, however... Shakin'-bloody-Stevens was at #1 with Green Door, holding off the equally dreadful Happy Birthday by Stevie Wonder, and there were not one, not two, but three of the then-ubiquitous "dance-medley" records clogging up the charts, in the form of Stars on 45, Tight Fit and the Royal Philhamonic Orchestra's Hooked on Classics. There was some redemption in the presence of Spandau Ballet and the Specials in the Top Ten, with Bad Manners, The Jacksons and Sheena Easton making up the numbers.

However, just outside the Top Ten a group of fresh-faced youngsters from Basildon in Essex were [like me] just embarking on their eventual world-conquering journey...

Depeche Mode - New Life

I stand still stepping on the shady street
And I watched that man to a stranger
You think you only know me when you turn on the light
Now the room is lit, red danger

Complicating, circulating
New life, new life
Operating, generating
New life, new life

Transitions to another place
So the time will pass more slowly
Your features fuse and your shadow's red
Like a film I see, now show me

Complicating, circulating
New life, new life
Operating, generating
New life, new life

Your face is hidden and we're out of sight
And the road just leads to nowhere
The stranger in the door is the same as before
So the question answers nowhere

I stand still stepping on the shady street
And I watched that man to a stranger
You think you only know me when you turn on the light
Now the room is lit, red danger

Complicating, circulating
New life, new life
Operating, generating
New life, new life

It seems like yesterday.

Where did all those years go?

"Lady Peaceful", "Lady Happy"

For my birthday treat yesterday, a little coterie from our "gang" (Me, Madam Arcati, Crog, Hils, John-John, Jim and Paul) went along to our fave cabaret venue [described by our star turn as "the most fabulous of London's tube stations"] Crazy Coqs at Café Zedel - to see the triumphant return of an old "friend", the fantabulosa Rick Skye as "Slice O'Minnelli"!

As he helpfully reminded us when we met up after the show, it has been eight years since he last performed in the UK but, my word, he's lost none of the Bazazz for which we love him so!

Displaying Minnelli’s physical and vocal mannerisms along with a smashing voice, Skye has created an outrageous show, tracing Minnelli’s legendary career. This is an evening of new writing, comedy, characterisation and musical performance. - Musical Theatre Review

Adding to the repertoire of (fondly) piss-taking routines and numbers we loved at previous Slice O'Minnelli shows - see here - such as My Wheelie Chair, Don't Tell Mama and Too Quiet, Love, Rick worked into this new revue a brilliant "mash-up" of Kander and Ebb [or "Scrambled and Egg", as he put it] style music with Liza's famous (notorious?) cover of Beyonce's Single Ladies from Sex and the City II, Liza's famous collaboration with the Pet Shop Boys Losing My Mind, and a selection of Liza songs sung "straight" from a range of her shows/films, including Say Yes! from Liza With A Z, My Own Best Friend from Chicago, And The World Goes 'Round and the eponymous theme from New York, New York, and (of course) this one from Cabaret...

Rick Skye (Slice O'Minnelli) - Maybe This Time

An absolute blinder of a show! I do hope [as Mr Skye hinted] that this is not the last time we see the best "Liza" in town in London!

Birthday Princess

Born on this day (among many others): Henri Nestlé (who marketed the world's first milk chocolate), composer Alexander Glazunov, Miss Norma Shearer [“What do you expect? She sleeps with the boss.” - Joan Crawford], the "Queen of Technicolor" Rhonda Fleming (still with us; she blows out 95 candles today), (former Mr Debbie Reynolds then Mr Elizabeth Taylor) Eddie Fisher, Baroness Elizabeth Butler-Sloss (former Lord Justice and auntie of Nigel Havers), the fantabulosa and much-missed Miss Kate O'Mara, the equally fab Miss Ronnie Spector (75 today), sex god Antonio Banderas...

...and ME!!

As of midnight tonight, I will officially be nearer 60 than 50... Gulp. To "celebrate" this fact, here's something rather appropriate from the charts this week in 1979:

Gibson Brothers - Ooh, What a Life!

Thank Disco It's my birthday Friday!

This is me

On this day in..
1678 – France and the Dutch Republic signed the first Treaty of Nijmegen, ending war between the two countries - and in celebration, Marc-Antoine Charpentier wrote his Te Deum, the prelude of which is better known as the Eurovision Song Contest theme:

Eurovision Song Contest theme

1787 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his chamber piece Eine kleine Nachtmusik:

Mozart - Eine kleine Nachtmusik

1897 - Jack Haley, the "Tin Man" in The Wizard of Oz was born:

We're off to see the Wizard

1923 - The birth of Rhonda Fleming:

Rhonda Fleming - I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy

1950 - The premiere of Sunset Boulevard starring William Holden and Gloria Swanson took place in New York:

Gloria Swanson - I'm Ready for My Close-up

1963 - I was born.

Oh, and...

1970 - Jim Morrison went on trial for “lewd & lascivious behaviour” in public by exposing his private parts and by simulating masturbation and oral copulation.

How appropriate.

As is this, dear reader!

Gerard Joling - This is My Life

Funny how a lonely day can make a person say:
What good is my life?
Funny how a breaking heart can make me start to say:
What good is my life?
Funny how I often seem, to think I'll never find a dream
In my life
Till I look around and see, this great big world is part of me
And my life

This is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that's the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me

This is my life
And I don't give a damn for lost emotions
I've such a lot of love I've got to give
Let me live
Let me live

Sometime when I feel afraid, I think of what a mess I've made
Of my life
Crying over my mistakes, forgetting all the breaks I've had
In my life
I was put on earth to be, a part of this great world is me
And my life
Guess I'll just add up the score, and count the things I'm grateful for
In my life

This is my life
Today, tomorrow, love will come and find me
But that's the way that I was born to be
This is me
This is me

This is my life
And I don't give a damn for lost emotions
I've such a lot of love I've got to give
Let me live
Let me live

This is my life
This is my life
This is my life

Roll on Amsterdam!

I'll make you so proud of me

Bottoms up!

Such celebrations. On this day were born such unlikely bed-fellows as Norma Shearer, Alexander Glazunov, Rosanna Arquette, Martha Hyer, Herbert Hoover, Jack Haley ("the Tin Man" in The Wizard of Oz), sex god Antonio Banderas, Rhonda Fleming, Patti Austin, Baroness Butler-Sloss, former England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio, Eddie Fisher, Justin Theroux, the much-missed Kate O'Mara...and ME!

Also sharing our birthday is Miss Ronnie Spector. However, this being a Tacky Music Monday, I thought it somewhat appropriate to let our Patron Saint Miss Bette Midler take the stand to sing Miss Spector's most famous hit from her Ronettes days...

Bette Midler - Be My Baby [Royal Variety Performance, 2014]

Champagne all round, I'd say...

The Queen

It's my birthday, and, as is my wont - given the marathon drinking session that was yesterday's fantabulosa picnic - I'm nursing a hangover from hell...

Never mind, birthdays are always worth celebrating - and here's a highly appropriate little number from Miss Marie Dressler to cheer the day along:

Marie Dressler - For I'm The Queen

I'm the Queen, indeed.

I feel better already...

[Eternal thanks to the lovely Muscato for this one...]

Genteel?

We're off to Regent's Park for our annual jolly picnic, laden with chairs, groundsheets, grub and booze as always.

It pissed down with rain last night but the sun is blazing now, so fingers crossed it won't be as windswept and damp as depicted by the marvellous Mr Vettriano above.

Let's have some suitably classy music for what is always a genteel (ish) and delightful day, courtesy of the ever-wonderful Soft Tempo Lounge...

Soft Tempo Lounge - Women of the World '67

Music: Requiem Per Un Agente Secreto by Piero Umiliani

Grachten, cocktails, broodje and Angela Lansbury

We had a fab time in Amsterdam!

We toured the grachten...



We drank...



We sang...



We did the infamous "Kylie Wave" to All The Lovers...

Kylie Minogue - All The Lovers

We ate (mainly broodje, with the occasional pannenkoek)...



And drank...



We paid tribute to Angela Lansbury (we all wore badges with "I am Angela Lansbury" on them - it's an in-joke amongst our gang)...



...and to Tante Leen...

Tante Leen - Oh Johnny

And drank some more...



Thanks to Madam Arcati (Tony), Hils, Crog, Baby Steve, Alex, TJ, John-John, Russ, Joe, Paul, Jim, Ange, Alistair, Mark, Johnno and Ramon [and to the hosts at the Golden Bear Hotel, Café Rouge, De Spyker, Café Americain, Eetsalon Van Dobben, Café 't Mandje, de Engel van Amsterdam, Café De Barderij, Café René and the Queen's Head - plus, of course, to all the splendid men of the Thermos Sauna] for making it all so very, very memorable indeed...

In all, the absolute best way I could possibly have spent my 50th birthday!

You're in the mood for a dance - and when you get the chance...

There's a weekend looming, and a rather jolly day pour moi - it's my birthday!

To celebrate in an appropriate fashion, gather your shocking pink Marabou, girls! - and let's shimmy along to a rather understated and subtle (ha ha) take on Abba's classic Dancing Queen by our eternal Princess Kylie...

Kylie Minogue - Dancing Queen

Thank Disco It's Friday!

It's big and it's black and it's furry, and I be afraid of it

How terribly glamorous! I share a birthday with the fantastic Kate O'Mara...

She's been in everything camp, has our Kate - Dynasty, Ab Fab, Dr Who, The Avengers, Jason King, The Protectors, The Persuaders, The Return of the Saint, and of course that ill-fated "soap" Triangle - and we love her in all of them!

Here is one of my all-time favourite scenes featuring this marvellously vampy lady:

The Two Ronnies Season 6 Episode 2

Kate O'Mara on IMDB

Older, and wiser?

I often "do" famous birthdays here at Dolores Delargo Towers. However, alongside the likes of Norma Shearer, Rosanna Arquette and Ronnie Spector, there is another birthday today - MEEEEEEE!

Oh, and the lovely Antonio Banderas, of course - a good enough prezzie for any gay boy, I'd say! Fancy blowing THAT candle...

Antonio Banderas - Take The Lead - Tango scene

José Antonio Domínguez Banderas (born 10th August 1960)