Famous Hatches, Matches and Dispatches from this year Births: Cielo Bublé (daughter of Michael Bublé and Luisana Lopilato), ?? (son of Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton), Ilaria Baldwin (daughter of Alec and Hilaria Baldwin), August Cage (daughter of Nicolas Cage and Riko Shibata)
Marriages: Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
Deaths: Queen Elizabeth II(96), Olivia Newton-John(74), Ray Liotta(68), Christine McVie(79), Meatloaf(75), Dennis Waterman(74), Angela Landsbury(97), Leslie Phillips(98), Sidney Poitier(95) and Irene Cara(63)
Famous Hatches, Matches and Dispatches from this year Births: Lily-Rose Depp, Sabrina Carpenter, Brooklyn Beckham, Kiernan Shipka, Morgan Turner, Bailee Madison & Madison Bailey
Marriages: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, David Arquette and Courteney Cox, Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Gladys Portugues, David Beckham and Victoria Adams, Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria, Fatboy Slim and Zoë Ball
Deaths: Ernie Wise(74), Oliver Reed(61), Dusty Springfield(60) & Curtis Mayfield(57)
It all began because I tried in vain to list my top 13 songs of all time – 130 would be nearer the mark. So then I thought of my top 13 acts and tried to pick one song. I started to write that these are probably the band’s one defining song (think Journey: Don’t Sop Believing, Billy Joel: Piano Man, Meatloaf: Bat Outta Hell), the one most people expect to hear if they go to a live show. But then I realised those weren’t the ones I’d necessarily pick as a favourite – iconic, for sure, but not my go-to on my comfort-songs playlist – these tend to be longer than normal, usually a story song, huge arrangements bordering on operatic and when the last note dies, you need a pause because you’ve been put through a massive emotional journey. A Magnum Opus. I’d intended to call these “Opus” songs, but after a lively debate with my better half, decided on epic instead.
To my mind, these are the exact definition of a magnus opus – “a large and important work of art, music, or literature, especially one regarded as the best work of an artist composer, or writer.” The first one of those, for me, was Keith West’s awesome “Excerpt From a Teenage Opera,” ending poignantly with a bunch of kids singing: “Grocer Jack, Grocer Jack, is it true what Mummy said, you won’t come back? Oh no, no.”
After that, there were a bunch of standout songs, all the way to Queen’s unashamedly operatic offering in 1975 – which most people would have as their number one. But for me there were a couple which are more personal to me for one reason or another. This post will be a work in progress as I remember more and more I can’t leave off the list.
1. Blue Oyster Cult – Don’t Fear the Reaper 1978 2. Disturbed – Sound of Silence 2015 3. Whitesnake – Still of the Night 1987 4. Thin Lizzie – Still in Love with You 1974 5. Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody 1975 6. Billy Joel – Scenes from an Italian Restaurant 1977 7. John Miles – Music 1976 8. Richard Harris – MacArthur Park 1968 9. ELO – Mr Blue Sky 1978 10. Ultravox – Vienna 1981 11. Slade – How Does it Feel? 1975 12. Styx – A.D. 1928/Rocking the Paradise 1981 13. Carpenters – Goodbye to Love 1972
Interesting that 8 of them were from my favourite decade – the 70s. And only one from this millenium! As ever, I had so many, so here’s another bunch: Journey – Change for the Better 2008 Spandau Ballet – Through the Barricades 1986 David Bowie – As the World Falls Down 1986 City Boy – Ambition 1979 Manfred Man’s Earth Band – Joybringer 1973 Meatloaf – Paradise by the Dashboard Light 1977 My Chemical Romance – Welcome to the Black Parade 2006 Foo Fighters – Everlong 1997 Wings – Live and Let Die 1973 Python Lee Jackson – In a Broken Dream 1972 Richard Marx – Hazard 1991 Hollies – Air that I Breathe 1974 Sad Café –Every Day Hurts 1979 Beach Boys – Good Vibrations 1966 Rush – Spirit of Radio 1980 Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush Don’t Give Up 1986 Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich – Legend Of Xanadu 1968 Keith West – Excerpt From a Teenage Opera 1967 Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballe – Barcelona 1987 Bee Gees – New York Mining Disaster 1941 1967
Famous Hatches, Matches and Dispatches from this year Births: Emma Stone, Vanessa Hudgens, Rupert Grint, Rose McIver, Adele, Jessie J & Rhianna Marriages: Mike Tyson and Robin Givens, Mick Fleetwood and Sara Recor, Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Jonathan Frakes and Genie Francis, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis
Deaths: Roy Orbison (52), Andy Gibb (30), Kenneth Williams (62), Trevor Howard (75) & Roy Kinnear(54)
Famous Hatches, Matches and Dispatches from this year Births: Adam Sandler, Helena Bonham Carter, Halle Berry, John Cusack, Kiefer Sutherland, David Schwimmer, Rick Astley, Salma Hayek, Janet Jackson, Jon Favreau, Eric Cantona, Mike Tyson, & Gordon Ramsay
Marriages: George Harrison and Patti Boyd, Sophia Loren and Carlo Ponti, Frank Sinatra and Mia Farrow, Brigitte Bardot and Gunter Sachs, Dolly Parton and Carl Dean
Deaths: Walt Disney(65), Montgomery Clift(46), Evelyn Waugh (63), Johnny Kidd(31) & Buster Keaton(71)
If you listen to radio/watch TV in the UK, you can’t be unaware that this Sunday marks the 40th anniversary of a rather special day back in 1985. Where were you when Mr Geldorf was letting loose his potty mouth all over the BBC? If you listen to Greatest Hits Radio (home of Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo), you’ll know they’re playing all the original recordings from 12 noon on the 13th. Enjoy.
Famous Hatches, Matches and Dispatches from this year: Births:
Rowan Atkinson, Bruce Willis, Kevin Costner, Kelsey Grammer, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruno Tonioli, Olga Korbut, Simon Rattle and Yo-Yo Ma
Marriages:
Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck and Veronique Passani, Rock Hudson and Phyllis Gates, Clark Gable and Kay Spreckles, Michael Caine and Patricia Haines
Deaths:
Albert Einstein (76), James Dean (24), Alexander Fleming (74), Charlie Parker (35)
While researching, I noticed some fun coincidences among people born that year, must have been something in the water.
Inventors: Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple) & Tim Berners-Lee (World Wide Web)
Musicians: Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen), Angus Young (AC/DC), Billy Idol (Generation X)
Actresses in Sci-Fi series: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Katherine Janeway), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Mira Furlan (Ambassador Delenn), Whoopi Goldberg (Guinan) – can you guess the odd one out?
Famous Hatches, Matches and Dispatches from this year: Births Liv Tyler, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Tom Hardy, Orlando Bloom, Michael Fassbender, Chris Martin, Richard Ayoade & Shakira
Marriages David Cassidy and Kay Lenz, Brian May and Chrissie May, Marvin Gaye and Janis Hunter, Bruce Boxleitner and Kathryn Holcomb, Chris De Burgh and Diane Davison, Graham Nash and Susan Sennett, Donald Trump and Ivana Zelníčková
Deaths Elvis Presley(42), Charlie Chaplin(88), Bing Crosby(74) & Marc Bolan (30)
I just happened to be up at the crack of dawn (or actually quite a while later) in time to watch the sun rise above the horizon, and the scene through my front window had that golden orb shining between the tall trees in the park opposite. Unfortunately I wasn’t sharp enough to grab my camera, but the closest I could find was this.
The sun reflecting off the white side door had a buttery creaminess to it, reminding me of how special the sunrise is at that time of year.
I only joined the throng at Stonehenge once and was most disappointed by the lack of respect of the lumpenproletariat as they swarmed all over the stones and left their detritus behind. And it was cloudy! This year’s figure mentions 25 thousand – my idea of hell. I much prefer the celebration at Avebury – much smaller and more spiritual, although plenty of entertainment with drummers and fire-poi dancers.
It’s been a while since I did the epic drive – these days the spirit is willing, but you know the rest. I keep promising myself to do Glastonbury Tor one year – we’ll see.
For years, I got quite worked up about the fact Mother’s Day is always on the shortest day of the year (not the Winter Solstice, but because the clocks move forward). And then Father’s Day is on the longest day of the year (but not when the clocks go back). For several years the Summer Solstice fell on the same weekend, so I had to run around doing stuff for my husband, his father and mine before I could drive down to Avebury to celebrate with like-minded people.
So this year, with it being on the 15th, nearly caught me out, and I looked into why it wasn’t on the 22nd as I would have expected. A few keystrokes later, I discovered it’s celebrated in the UK on the third Sunday in June.
The one in June celebrated in the UK is a relatively modern tradition, adopted from the United States. where the first unofficial Father’s day was held on 19 June 1910. It was introduced by Sonora Smart Dodd from Arkansas, who wanted to honour her widowed father’s dedication to raising six children after his wife died in childbirth. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day. From there, it was made a permanent national holiday by President Richard Nixon in 1972.The idea spread internationally, and by the 1970s, it became popular in the UK. Many people celebrate with cards, gifts and homemade school projects. The day often starts with children preparing breakfast in bed, followed later by a family meal. Dad is treated like royalty and not allowed to lift a finger – not even to make a cup of tea.
In Germany, Father’s Day – Vatertag – (also known as Männertag gentlemen’s day/boys’ day out) is celebrated on Ascension Day – the Thursday forty days after Easter. One tradition involves young and older males taking parts in hiking tours. They take small wagons filled with beer and Hausmannkost – simple, hearty dishes prepared at home. Alternatively, they ride beer-bikes, but the general idea is plenty of fun, beer and no responsibility.
In Paraguay, Father’s Day is celebrated with a traditional banquet of Paraguayan food like chipa (cheese-flavoured rolls), mbeju (starch cake) and sopa paraguaya (similar to corn bread).
First promoted In France by the manufacturer of cigarette lighters “Flaminaire” in Bretagne (1946 to 1969) known for inventing the first gas cigarette lighter, who had the brilliant idea to boost his sales by pushing the then little known holiday. At the time, smoking was a sign of masculinity and virility and a cigarette lighter was the perfect gift choice. Officially recognised in 1952 (on the third Sunday in June), dads and father figures got nominated for a national prize by the social services of each town hall or mayor’s office.
In Thailand, Father’s Day takes place on 5 December, (birthday of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej). Traditionally, Thais would celebrate by giving their father figures a canna flower, although this is not as popular anymore. They also wear yellow and light candles to show respect for the late king, who was seen as the “father of the nation”.
In Japan, traditional gifts for Father’s Day include sake (Japanese rice wine), shochu (Japanese liquor), gourmet food and various sweets.
JRo Author 