Britain is still a country for and says "Happy Birthday" to a flamboyant, controversial old museum curator called Sir Roy Strong

Roy, art historian, museum curator, writer, broadcaster and landscape designer is 78 years old today.

What you possibly didn't know about Roy, that he :

* was born in Winchmore Hill, North London in 1935, four years before the outbreak of the Second World War, had a father, who sold hats, who was a bully, in a family where there was next-to-no money.

* went to Edmonton County School after the War, then gained a first class degree in History at Queen Mary College, University of London and after earning his doctorate from the Warburg Institute, became a research fellow at the Institute of Historical Research.

* rose quickly and became Assistant Keeper of the National Portrait Gallery at the age of 24 in 1959, and came to prominence at 32 when he became the youngest Director of the Gallery and set about transforming its conservative image with a series of extrovert shows, including '600 Cecil Beaton portraits', to which the public flocked and the queues made national news.

* in these years,later said : " I discovered that I was photogenic and became the subject of every photographer from Cecil Beaton to Bill Brandt".

* astonished the art world in 1971 when he abandoned the bachelor life and 'eloped' at the age of 35 with Julia Trevelyan Oman, age 41 marrying her at Wilmcote Church, near Stratford-upon-Avon with a special licence from the Archbishop of Canterbury.

* in 1973, aged 38, became the youngest Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, remained there for 14 years and amused audiences in 1974 with his collection of fedora hats, kipper ties and maxi coats.

* regularly introduced new exhibitions and doubled attendance with 'The Destruction of the Country House' in 1974, 'Change and Decay: the future of our churches' in 1977 and 'The Garden: a Celebration of a Thousand Years of British Gardening' in 1979 all of which were credited with boosting their conservationist agendas.

* at his home in the village of Much Birch in Herfordshire designed, with his wife, one of England's largest post-war formal gardens,'The Laskett'.

* at the age of 45 In 1980, was awarded the prestigious Shakespeare Prize by the FVS Foundation of Hamburg in recognition of his 'contribution to the arts in Britain' and awarded The Royal Photographic Society's 'President's Medal and Honorary Fellowship' at the age of 68 in recognition of a 'sustained, significant contribution to the art of photography'.

* after leaving the V&A, published a set of diaries infamous for their often critical assessments of figures in the art and political worlds about which Jan Moir commented : "His bitchy, hilarious diaries caused a storm when they were published in 1997 and although he has no plans at present to publish another set, he is keeping a private diary again."

* In 1999, published 'The Spirit of Britain: A Narrative History of the Arts', his widely acclaimed 700-page study of British arts through two millennia.

* in 2008, hosted a six-part tv reality series, 'The Diets That Time Forgot' in which he acted as the Director of the fictitious 'Institute of Physical Culture', where nine volunteers spent 24 days testing three weight loss diets and fitness regimes popular in the late Victorian, Edwardian and Roaring 20s periods http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u9AE9-pjdQ and 2 years later made 'The Genius of British Art'  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtbrqGjde9k

* developed a friendship with the fashion designer, Gianni Versace who took a keen interest in his wardrobe, regularly sending him items of clothing.

* is a practising member of the Church of England, an altar server at Hereford Cathedral, a High Steward of Westminster Abbey and as its 'High Bailiff and Searcher' attended the funeral service of the Queen Mother in 2002.

* in 2007, in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral, delivered the annual Gresham College Special Lecture, entitled 'The Beauty of Holiness and its Perils (or what is to happen to 10,000 parish churches?)' and deeply critical of the status quo, said: "little case can be made in the twenty-first century for an expensive building to exist for a service once a week or month lasting an hour." and recommended someone taking "an axe and hatchet the utterly awful kipper coloured choir stalls and pews, drag them out of the church and burn them," and "letting in the local community" in order to preserve many rural churches in Britain.

Britain is a country where old men don't have a problem with themselves but believe the rest of society does have a problem with them

More than 2,000 old men and women aged 65-93 have been surveyed by 'YouGov' for a firm providing support services for older people, Invicta Telecare. The results were interesting indicating that :

* about 63% agreed that being old was 'just a mindset' and refused to define themselves as old.

* more than a third (39%) said they were 'happier' than at any time and 42% described themselves as 'more tolerant'.

* only 6% feel their age 'changes the way they live their life' and would class themselves as ‘old’.

However :

* almost half of those questioned (47%) complained of ageism.

* almost two-thirds (62%) were concerned about 'being seen as a problem by society'.

* one in five of those polled (21%) worried about being thought of as a 'burden to friends and family' as they grew older.

* 48% said they thought their generation was 'ignored'.

* more than a third (37%) felt 'treated disrespectfully' because of their age.

* About 34% complained the word 'old was derogatory', while 27% disliked the word 'elderly' and 30% objected to being described as an 'OAP' (Old Age Pensioner).

Wendy Darling of Invicta Telecare said:
 "It's important to tackle the old-fashioned taboos that many are coming up against. It's clear many worry they will lose their identity and be seen as a problem as they grow older so it's important not to underestimate the support out there which will give full control of your freedom and independence."

Britain is still a country for and says "Happy Birthday" to an old film critic called Barry Norman

Barry, film critic, writer and media personality, best known as the presenter of BBC TV's 'Film 72' for 26 years until 1998 is 80 years old today.

I followed his programmes as a young man of 23 to a middle aged man of 51. Like many old men today, he educated my sensibilities to the world of movies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8ckhKTgKWA

What you possibly didn't know about Barry, that he :

* became increasingly irritated by the BBC's reluctance to screen his programme at a regular time and in 1998, finally accepted an offer to work for BSkyB, where he remained for three years.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPw_E-yRvTE

* was interviewed in 1977 : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFzZKhgXaDs

* also wrote and presented a number of documentary series for the BBC, 'Hollywood Greats' from 1977–79 and 1983, 'British Greats' in 1980 and 'Talking Pictures' in 1987.

* was associated with the phrase "and why not?", which originated not as his catchphrase, but as that of his puppet likeness on the satirical show 'Spitting Image' and then adopted the phrase himself and used it is the title of his autobiography.

* admitted that he initially hated the way his puppet looked on the programme, mostly because it had a large inexplicable wart on its forehead, but later moderated his attitude and felt flattered that the series found him famous enough to include him in its sketches. 

Britain is suddenly a country for old men deemed fit for jury service

Under existing rules in Britain, old men and women up to the age of 69 can be called to serve as a juror. Now the Government intends to change the law to include those even older men and women aged 70 to 75. This will add two million to the list of potential jurors and up to 6,000 old people over 69 are expected to be called every year.

In addition to claiming for travel, lunch and refreshments, jurors can claim for loss of earnings and other expenses, for example, employing a child-minder or carer.

Could it be that the Government has found a new cost-saving source of jurors in the shape of old pensioners who won't claim for loss of earnings ?

Of course not. Perish the thought. Old men and women are to be taken on as jurors because, 'suddenly' the Government has been recognised that they have something to offer to juries in terms of their age and experience.

Criminal Justice Minister Damian Green said the shift would enable the criminal justice system to benefit from the knowledge and ‘life experiences’ of older people.
"The right to be tried by your peers is, and remains, a cornerstone of the British Justice system laid down in the Magna Carta almost 800 years ago. Our society is changing and it is vital that the criminal justice system moves with the times. The law as it currently stands does not take into account the increases to life expectancy that have taken place over the past 25 years. This is about harnessing the knowledge and life experiences of a group of people who can offer significant benefits to the court process."

And by the way, the Office for National Statistics estimates that the average old Briton remains ‘disability-free’ until the age of 75.

Saga Director of Communications, Paul Green said: "Older people have a great deal of life experience and many remain astute, savvy and mentally agile well into later life and will be a valued addition to any jury. This is a common sense reform and should be applauded."

 

Jane Ashcroft, Chief Executive of housing charity, 'Anchor', said:
"Older people have already contributed a great deal to society and their experiences and views are invaluable. I’m pleased that more older people will now be able to share their wisdom and participate in the criminal justice system.’ 

 

Michelle Mitchell, Director General of 'Age UK, said:
"Judging someone on the basis of their date of birth alone risks overlooking a person’s unique skills and knowledge. While it’s true that increasing longevity brings its challenges, there is also extraordinary human capital within our older population – older people are working, volunteering and contributing a huge amount to communities and the wider marketplace. We welcome all ways of including older people into the different aspects of society including eligibility to sit on a jury."

So old men of Britain, rejoice ! Your unique skills, knowledge, life experiences and being astute, savvy and mentally agile have all finally been recognised.

Britain is still a country for and says "Happy Birthday" to an old pop singer called Billy J. Kramer who sang when old boys were teens and all the world was young

Billy, who in the 1960s was a Merseybeat singer, managed by Brian Epstein and recorded several Lennon and McCartney compositions, is 70 years old today.

What you possibly didn't know about Billy, that he :

* was born William Howard Ashton in Bootle Lancashire, the youngest of seven children and went to the St George of England Secondary School and then took up an engineering apprenticeship with British Railways.

* in his spare time played rhythm guitar in a group he had formed, 'The Coasters', before switching to vocalist with the name 'Kramer' chosen at random from a telephone directory.

* came to the attention of Brian Epstein on the look-out for new talent add to his expanding roster of local artists, turned   professional with a new backing group, 'The Dakotas' and at John Lennon's suggestion, added 'J' to his name to further distinguish him by adding a "tougher edge".

* once the Beatles broke through, found, as a Merseybeat artist, his way was paved for success and was offered the chance to cover "Do you want to Know a Secret ?" with George Martin as producer in 1963 when I was 16 and he was 20.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myBIK4LmBts

* had another Lennon- McCartney song. "Bad to Me" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDyxG6xOo7M
reach Number 1 and sell over a million vinyl copies and was awarded a gold disc and in 1964, when I was 17 and in love with Heather, his "I'll Keep You Satisfied" earned him appearances on the tv programmes 'Shindig', 'Hullabaloo' and 'The Ed Sullivan Show'.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI3zRdEgDBE

* in 1964, despite being advised against it, turned down the offer of another Lennon–McCartney song, "One and One Is Two", and insisted on recording the Stateside chart hit "Little Children" which  became his second chart topper and biggest hit.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD-M_sWs-x8

*  his Lennon–McCartney composition "From a Window"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBROl7UQ6Xo
only just became a Top Ten hit, then in 1965, when I was 18, his cover of "Trains and Boats and Planes" found itself in direct competition with Dione Warwick's version, which won the day and proved to be his swansong with the Dakotas.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XKZQrTtocU

* in 1983 at the age of 40, released a solo single called "You Can't Live on Memories"/"Shooting the Breeze" which failed to chart.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3tWBxUB_uk

* in this century in 2005, recorded the "Cow Planet" for Sandra Boynton's children's album, 'Dog Train' after she had sought him, having in 1964, at age 11, bought a copy of his 'Little Children'.

* last year at the age of 69, went back into the studio for the first time in years to record  "I Won the Fight",  featuring  new songs written by him as well as covers and said in an interview in the 'Liverpool Echo' :
“The main thing about these new songs was that I finally decided to write them for me, and as it turned out, about me. I remember when I was a little boy and my mother use to take me into Liverpool and I used to look at all the guitars and I always felt something special was going to happen, but I was a very shy and self-conscious boy from Liverpool. When I was forced to take the lead, I really found it very difficult and struggled to deal with the attention and, like a lot of other people, I got into drinking, but in the end I got sober and I won the fight”.

 

Britain is no country for old men without access to the web

Britain's 'Office for National Statistics' in its 'Internet Access Quarterly Update' has announced that :

* almost all, 99%, of those young people aged between 16 and 24 years of age have used the web.

* only 33%, 1.5 million of those old men and women over 75 years of age have used the web.

* the 3.2 million non-users over 75 year made up 45% of the 7.1 million people who had never used the Internet.

* Internet non-use was 28% for old men aged 65 to 74 years.

Access to the Internet has become part and parcel for life in Britain in the 21st century and like many old men I have been online for a number of years, but what of those millions of old men who have no access ? How are their lives diminished ? What don't they have and can't they do which the rest of us can ?

Number One : Methods of personal communication which could be the antedote to the loneliness and isolation which can blight lives , no :

* instant emails to family, friends and business. Instead, letter writing - expensive and time-consuming.
 
* online chat, social networking and facetime. 

Number Two : Easy professional communication, no : 

* ordering repeat prescriptions from the doctor, online banking, submission of gas and electricity readings. 

Number Three : Online shopping which could give access to the range of products which could save money and increase choice, no :


 * access to Amazon or ebay and other electronic market places. Instead, arduous visits to local shops and for those in rural locations without a car, even greater difficulties. 

* online booking for tickets for travel and entertainment. 

Number Four : Instant access to information, no : 

* access to news, web search to answer questions about, for example, local bus timetables, clubs and entertainment. 





Number Five : Downloading software, no : 

* access to free music, videos, movies and video games denying the opportunity to improve cognitive functions and improve eye-hand co-ordination.

Britain is still a country for and says "Happy Birthday" to an old cinematographer and film director called Nicholas Roeg

Nicholas is 85, second-unit cinematographer on 'Lawrence of Arabia', cinematographer on Roger Corman's 'The Masque of the Red Death' and 'Fahrenheit 451', co-director and photographer of 'Performance' in 1970 and director of 'Walkabout', 'Don't look Now' and 'The Man Who Fell to Earth', is 85 years old today.

What you you possibly didn't know about Nicholas, that he :

* was born in London in 1928 and after doing National Service at the age of 18, after the Second World War, joined the film industry as tea-maker and clapper-boy at Marylebone Studios then worked his way up to camera operator on Ken Hughes' 'The Trials of Oscar Wilde' at the age of 32 in 1960.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiTfRoFeg3Q

* was cameraman on Fred Zinnermann's 'The Sundowners' in 1960 and contributed to scripts for Cliff Owen in 'Prize of Arms' in '61 and Lawrence Huntingdon's 'Death Drums along the River' in '62.

* came into his own as a cinematographer, helping directors realise what was in their heads, creating a consistent look for the film, making images that help tell the story in the frame through the lighting, getting the mood right, getting images to push the story along and keep the audience inside, not outside.


* worked as cinematographer with Roger Corman on his 'The Masque of the Red Death' in 1964
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JPAJa0yUuw
, Francois Truffaut on his 'Fahrenheit 451'  in 1965 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9n98SXNGl8
 and Richard Lester in his 'Petulia' in 1968. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clfVZWgd8aE

* moved into direction in 1968 and paired with the painter and writer Donald Cammel on 'Performance', centring on the confrontation between a gangster on the run, James Fox, and a pop idol in retreat, Mick Jagger, but saw the films cockney accents, graphic violence, sympathetic view of London's hallucinatory drug culture and a complex narrative concerned with identity and power, delay its release by a more conservative Warner Bros, for two years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFxfn3LakeM

* in Australia directed and photographed 'Walkabout', a rite-of-passage drama built round the relationship between a teenage Aborigine, David Gulpilil and two white children, Jenny Agutter and his son Luc Roeg, who become lost in the Australian desert after their suicidal father tries to kill them and saw playwright Edward Bond's dialogue and own startling images of fierce orange suns, lizards and insects and savage terrain, attract audiences and critics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdqwbs8uKwQ


* achieved his biggest success in 1973 with a story of mystery, tragedy, sensuality in 'Don't Look Now', a bizarre supernatural tale, based on a Daphne du Maurier short story with glamorous, fashionable couple, Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland haunted by the accidental drowning of their little daughter in Venice, where they attempt to come to terms with their grief.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8yqq6uBrKc

* in 'The Man Who Fell to Earth' in 1976, made clever use of David Bowie's otherworldly weirdness, casting him as a benign but unhappy alien but, with the character's drift into exhaustion and confusion, left the film with an unsatisfactory dying fall. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHkOyAh8WiI

* with 'Bad Timing' in 1980, used Theresa Russell, subsequently his second wife as a sensual, sexually liberated young woman and Art Garfunkel as the inhibited psychoanalyst and found that film's  disturbingly frank depiction of cruelty and sexual perversion upset the Rank Organisation, which preferred to lose their substantial investment rather than show the film in their cinemas.

* in 1982 made 'Eureka', a big budget film backed by MGM, based on the real-life story of the successful gold prospector Sir Harry Oakes, murdered, most probably by the American Mafia in 1943, which despite the striking imagery became  an ill-resolved murder mystery and forced the studio complain that he had not delivered the film he had promised and saw them rein in the expected wide release.

* saw The Big Audio Dynamite in 1985 release "E=mc2" as a tribute to his work, with each verse relating to one of his films, 'Don't Look Now', 'The Man Who Fell To Earth', 'Performance' and 'Insignificance'.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHTDkJ-bQqM

* made 'Castaway' in 1986, with Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohoe marooned on a desert island https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C9SwPXbAlY
and followed it with his last mainstream movie at the age of 61, an adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's story 'The Witches'  in 1989.

*  filmed Joseph Conrad's classic novella 'Heart of Darkness' for cable tv in 1994 and it was Conrad who uttered what could be his own credo: "A man who believes he has no illusions has at least that one".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX1T4EkD_cM

* produced his book, 'The World is Ever Changing' this Summer, named after a line in 'The Man Who Fell To Earth'  by David Bowie's alien : "The world is ever changing, Mr Farnsworth, like the universe," underlining his own keen sense of life's fleeting nature and containing his jumble of thoughts, opinions and observations during which he zips back and forth between his early years as a camera operator's assistant and his movie directing heyday and produced as an ebook complete with clips from his films.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hniHzDbsO64

* wrote : 'the magic of the captured moving image, that is for me the most magical ability I can think of. It has already, and still does, open doors of revelation which will finally show us the future'.

Somebody I never met

But in a way I know.
Didn`t think that you could get
So much from a picture show.

Man dies first reel.
People ask what`s the deal?
This ain`t how it`s supposed to be,
Don`t like no aborigine.

Ritual ideas relativety,
Only buildings no people prophecy.
Timeslide place to hide nudge reality,
Foresight minds wide magic imagery.

Took a trip in Powis Square,
Pop star dyed his hair.
No fans to scream and shout,
When mobsters came to flush him out.
Gangland slaying underground,
New identity must be found.
On the left bank for a while,
Insanity Bohemian style.

Ritual ideas relativety,
Only buildings no people prophecy.
Timeslide place to hide nudge reality,
Foresight minds wide magic imagery.

Met a dwarf that was no good,
Dressed like little Red Riding Hood.
Bad habit taking life,
Calling card a six inch knife.
Ran off really fast,
Mumbled something `bout the past.
Best sex I`ve ever seen,
As if each moment was the last.
Drops of blood colour slide,
Funeral for his bride.
But it`s him who`s really dead,
Gets to take the funeral ride.

Ritual ideas relativety,
Only buildings no people prophecy.
Timeslide place to hide nudge reality,
Foresight minds wide magic imagery.

Space guy fell from the sky,
Scratched my head and wondered why.
Time slide into time,
Across international dateline.
Scientist eats bubblegum,
Hall of fame baseball.
Senators a Hoodlum,
Big chiefs in the hall.
Ritual ideas relativety,
Only buildings no people prophecy.
Timeslide place to hide nudge reality,
Foresight minds wide magic imagery.

Stray thoughts fear to tread,
Placed upon the screen instead.
Shes my flame too hot to hold,
Had to settle for her cold.

Bloodlust - Greek God - Gold discovery
Gone bust - Tight wad - Slow recovery
Axe job - Flame thrower - Ironbar and gun
Betting shop - New owner - A walk in the sun

Ritual ideas relativety,
Only buildings no people prophecy.
Timeslide place to hide nudge reality,
Foresight minds wide magic imagery.

Spread the news the Maestros back,
With a beat - box soundtrack.
The King of brains - Queen of the sack`,
Executives have heart attack.
It`s assault course celluloid,
The money makers would avoid.
Sometimes notions get reversed,
Centre of the universe.

Britain is no country for an old tv broadcaster called Jeremy Paxman unable to grow his beard without : comment on Twitter, reports in the press and odds at the bookies

The 63 year old Jeremy Paxman, appeared twice on tv on Monday. First, clean shaven. on the prerecorded 'University Challenge' at 8.00 pm and then bearded on the live 'Newsnight' at 10.30 pm. The difference was arresting. It aged him instantly, as a grey beard can do.

Jeremy later released a statement :

'I may keep it or I may shave it off, but I think I'll make my own decision. I have grown a beard for the last few summers, and suddenly wondered whether I really needed to shave it off to present 'Newsnight'. Unless you're lucky enough to be Uncle Albert on Only Fools and Horses, Demis Roussos or Abu Hamza, the BBC is generally as pogonophobic as the late-lamented Albanian dictator, Enver Hoxha.'

Albert                                                                                                                              Demis

Twitter went into meltdown on Monday after his facial hair made its 'Newsnight' debut. Minutes after the news programme started on BBC Two, the phrase 'Paxman beard' had become a trending topic.

Bookmakers, 'Ladbrokes' announced new odds on the future of the veteran broadcaster's beard - offering odds of 4/5 for him to keep the beard for the rest of his 'Newsnight' appearances this week, and 33/1 for him to retire without shaving.

Alex Donohue (right) said: "Paxman is odds-on to keep the pruners away this week. The future of the beard isn't as certain but if it lasts the month we'll have to slash the odds about it sticking around all year."

The beard news made the national newspapers.


What’s all the fuzz about, then? Jeremy Paxman's new beard lights up the Twitterverse

He is renowned for being bristly, but not like this. The Newsnight host’s unexpected facial hair created a social media frenzy, and now has its own Twitter account
 

Jeremy Paxman's beard sparks Twitter posts
Jeremy Paxman, the BBC journalist, saw himself trending on Twitter within minutes of appearing with a beard on Newsnight


Jeremy Paxman's beard tickles Newsnight viewers and Twitter

Presenter laments BBC pogonophobia and says his facial hair may stay after it became one of Twitter's most popular topics

If nothing else, we now know that pogonophobic  is 'an irrational hatred of beards'.

Britain is no country for more and more old men languishing in prison at the end of their days

Nick Hardwick, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, has said that old men over the age of 60 are now the fastest-growing part of the jail population in England and Wales.

Back in April Nick told the House of Commons Justice Select Committee that the prison service had become a significant carer of elderly people but was struggling to meet their social and healthcare needs. He made the following points, that :

* some prisons, such as Leyhill open prison in Gloucestershire, had developed day-centre-type activities and 'quieter wings' where older prisoners could escape the hurly burly of general prison life.

* other prisons had a lack of awareness among prison staff of how they should meet the health and social care needs of old prisoners who were less likely to complain or raise problems with staff.

*  there were 3,333 prisoners aged over 60 in jails in England and Wales last September, an increase of more than 100% over the previous 10 years and  included 42 prisoners over the age of 80 with the oldest at 92.

*  the rapid rise in old men prisoners was a result of the courts passing tougher sentences, particularly for sex offenders and more than 40% of prisoners aged over 60 have been imprisoned for sexual offences.

Nigel Newcomen, the 'Prisons and Probation Ombudman', also raised the issue of old prisoners who died in jail and said :

* a study of 200 'end-of-life cases'  had shown that while there was generally equitable treatment, compared with the care and help the prisoners would have received in the community but in a quarter of the cases the possibility of compassionate release had not been adequately explored.

* 50 dying prisoners had been wrongly chained or handcuffed during their final days in hospital or in a hospice over the past five years.

My posting on old men in prison last year :

http://britainisnocountryforoldmen.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/britain-is-country-where-old-men-die-in.html

Thursday, 19 January 2012

Britain is a country where old men die in prison " at the last stop before Heaven or Hell"