tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post3213680327963105504..comments2023-10-24T11:11:49.568+01:00Comments on There Are Places I Remember: Songs About Places: White ChalkGeoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10966328708258079467noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-53378597314836113042012-05-20T22:32:33.541+01:002012-05-20T22:32:33.541+01:00Hi Geoff
I've just come across your interesti...Hi Geoff<br /><br />I've just come across your interesting blog and added a link from my own: http://landscapism.blogspot.co.uk<br /><br />There are many things to admire in the music and lyrics of Polly Harvey, but I'm particularly interested in how she is shaping up to be one of the most acute observers of the English landscape and sense of place (in its warts and all complexity):<br />http://landscapism.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/pj-harvey-let-england-shake-film.html<br /><br />I would agree that American music has often had landscape and place - both epic and everyday - as part of its DNA; However, I think the cultural cringe factor only holds water when it comes to British musicians who most closely follow US idioms (so yes, it would be hard to take the Stones seriously singing about the Thames Estuary, even though we happily take in Mick drawling about Mississippi etc); as you have eluded to, music that is more wedded to the British Isles (whether Vaughan Williams, folk ballads, Wicker Man soundtrack, Ray Davies or PJ Harvey's recent offerings) is just as able to evoke sense of place.Eddie Procter (Landscapism)https://www.blogger.com/profile/10196792135158959223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-11272721008233963082012-02-10T19:31:11.800+00:002012-02-10T19:31:11.800+00:00It was meant as 2 separate statements, Rosie - a m...It was meant as 2 separate statements, Rosie - a marrow joke and a reference to morris dancers! The 'joke' is in English Country Garden by the Darkness.<br /><br />I dont think the oddity of the Black and White Minstrel Show has ever been really explained. It ran on prime time TV for 20 years yet as far as I know the 'minstrel show' was never part of things in the past as it was in the USA.<br /><br />I havent been to Portland for years but recent stats show a white population of 97%<br /><br />Thanks for the info and photo, Laura-it would be really strange to go back there, I thinkGeoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10966328708258079467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-47477789525764433292012-02-10T01:16:27.555+00:002012-02-10T01:16:27.555+00:00I want to know the jokes about Farmer Giles’ giant...I want to know the jokes about Farmer Giles’ giant marrow and the morris dancer! Especially if there is a joke that involves both the marrow AND the morris dancer!Rosienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-13418051762588369592012-02-10T01:15:34.158+00:002012-02-10T01:15:34.158+00:00"There were even stories of people who had go..."There were even stories of people who had gone from Weymouth on the steamer to Guernsey and had French food. Why would they do that when they could go and sit on the shingle at Dead Man's Bay with a bag of Portland dough cakes?"<br /><br />Ha ha, this made me laugh a lot. But Geoff, did you really spend time doing this as a child? (sitting on the shingle at Dead Man's bay with a bag of Portland Dough cakes?)Clintonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-14773197164063439782012-02-10T01:13:20.807+00:002012-02-10T01:13:20.807+00:00Thank you for mentioning the Tolpuddle Martyrs'...Thank you for mentioning the Tolpuddle Martyrs' festival and rally. I hope you and your readers will consider attending this year (July 13th-15th). We also have the Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum, which is well worth a visit.Keithhttp://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/index.php?page=museum-villagenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-2151451271961001502012-02-10T01:09:50.628+00:002012-02-10T01:09:50.628+00:00Geoff, is Portland still uniformly white? I can...Geoff, is Portland still uniformly white? I can't imagine there are any places in England still like that....M.J.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07615974799201593427noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-23741779569938585682012-02-10T01:08:43.131+00:002012-02-10T01:08:43.131+00:00Geoff, your reference to the Black and White Minst...Geoff, your reference to the Black and White Minstrel Show intrigued me, so I tried to find out about it - wow! I can't believe England was showing this on TV until the 1970s!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_and_White_Minstrel_Show - we tend to think of England as way more progressive, but even the U.S. got rid of blackface minstrelsy about 50 years earlier than that!Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12345880035877836117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-50056902537715883902012-02-10T01:06:37.957+00:002012-02-10T01:06:37.957+00:00Wow Geoff, that really is a spooky looking church ...Wow Geoff, that really is a spooky looking church (and graveyard!). And I think I may know the church you are talking about - it is in Church Ope Cove, near Rufus Castle. It is called St Andrew's church. It has been abandoned since the 18th century, because it was too small for the island's population, and is in need of repairs because it has been raided by pirates! I visited it once when on holiday in Dorset, quite a few years ago now. The church has been there since the 13th century, and gravestones of victims of the Black Death can be seen in the graveyard.<br /><br />It has been reported that a mysterious cowled figure has been seen passing under this archway!: <br />http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_5aEBTlFsBI8/S9xa__vo42I/AAAAAAAAAlE/rI6ld6qZpKs/s1600/P1010324.JPGLaurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10190486337916706104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-4434642833585435632012-02-07T21:18:48.603+00:002012-02-07T21:18:48.603+00:00Bournemouth was so remote it might as well have be...Bournemouth was so remote it might as well have been the dark side of the moon!<br />What a wealth of fascinating links and comments here! This clip is the famous scene on the Cobb at Lyme Regis from the French Lieutenants Woman, with Meryl Streep looking like a Scottish Widows advert<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFZPSQKjwwc<br />Fascinating to hear about the Hovis ad, Carl-sounds like you earned your money!<br />Thanks for writing in about Wimborne, Robert..Geoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10966328708258079467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-24088639823043772422012-02-07T04:10:28.466+00:002012-02-07T04:10:28.466+00:00Ha ha, yes, I grew up in Portland, and Weymouth wi...Ha ha, yes, I grew up in Portland, and Weymouth with its arcades and cinema, certainly seemed to my parents to be a mixture of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gay Paree and Las Vegas. Although of course nothing compared to the HELL that was Bournemouth in their minds - a mixture of Sodom and Gomorrah, Gay Paree, Las Vegas and the era of New York depicted in the film Gangs of New York. Basically, they thought it was like this clip (from 3.30 mins): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJGIi7PC208Camillenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-14858442067441397912012-02-07T04:04:06.513+00:002012-02-07T04:04:06.513+00:00Thank you for mentioning our famous model town in ...Thank you for mentioning our famous model town in your blog. Built well over 50 years ago, the magnificent 1/10th scale models continue to surprise and amaze visitors from all over the world with their superb quality and realism. Re-creating the historic market town of Wimborne Minster exactly as it was during the 1950s, you can get really close up and even touch the buildings, checking out every minute detail of over 100 shop window displays. Peer into the Butchers, the Ironmongers, the Bakery and the Fishmongers, not forgetting the stunning interior of the Minster Church. As you begin to explore in more detail, your mind will turn to wondering just how the group of skilled and dedicated model makers achieved such amazing ‘life like’ results – working as they did over six decades ago in a rural England still recovering from the war years.<br /><br />We hope to welcome your readers to our model town very soon!Brianhttp://www.wimborne-modeltown.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-35818188715756138422012-02-07T04:00:45.881+00:002012-02-07T04:00:45.881+00:00Hello, Robert (Bob) Fripp here. Greetings from a f...Hello, Robert (Bob) Fripp here. Greetings from a fellow Dorset man. Wimborne has always had an influence, for me. In many ways, it is still the centre of the universe. When I first left, though, I remember feeling that London moved three times faster than Wimborne. Then I went to New York and saw that moved three times faster than London. So I was having nine Winburnian years in twelve months in New York.Bobhttp://www.dgmlive.com/diaries.htm?artist&show&member=3&entry=21059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-89092655827646967842012-02-07T03:48:00.427+00:002012-02-07T03:48:00.427+00:00I didn't know about The French Lieutenant'...I didn't know about The French Lieutenant's Woman either! It's harder to find a landscape scene from that, but the woodland looks nice in Dorset! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faqZLeLOdcUMickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129475788686123015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-34838997059846488972012-02-07T03:45:53.287+00:002012-02-07T03:45:53.287+00:00I had no idea that Far from the Madding Crowd was ...I had no idea that Far from the Madding Crowd was filmed there - here's a scene that shows lots of landscape - http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/387994/Far-From-The-Madding-Crowd-Movie-Ciip-Since-I-Beheld-You.html - I always thought it was Wales or Yorkshire!Mickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04129475788686123015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-50057335843473103882012-02-07T03:44:06.104+00:002012-02-07T03:44:06.104+00:00Geoff, this was your funniest column ever:) "...Geoff, this was your funniest column ever:) "Carolina In My Mind sounds fine, Suffolk In My Mind doesn’t. Sweet Home Alabama –yes, OK. Sweet Home Buckinghamshire –not really". Brilliant! One of my favourites:)Tiffanyehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01945758814187026754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-9602538128565279412012-02-07T03:42:25.406+00:002012-02-07T03:42:25.406+00:00Also, in case the licorice, kippers and butters re...Also, in case the licorice, kippers and butters reference was a bit oblique, there was actually a Hovis ad filmed in Lancashire that references these things. <br /><br />Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvmU7iR8Tb4<br /><br />It was from 1973 and was filmed on Exchange St, Colne, complete with the butcher, Richard Laycock, working outside his own shop. He was our family butcher.Sam Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08523013822784596338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-48420593460474577142012-02-07T03:39:34.281+00:002012-02-07T03:39:34.281+00:00Ah the Hovis advert! It makes me pine for the days...Ah the Hovis advert! It makes me pine for the days when the simple things in life kept us happy: family life, licorice, a few kippers and some butter!Sam Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08523013822784596338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-65256927897340577442012-02-07T03:36:18.236+00:002012-02-07T03:36:18.236+00:00I like this Hovis ad better - where he runs throug...I like this Hovis ad better - where he runs through British history, seeing the Titanic depart, suffragettes and soldiers, and the Blitz, and the rocking 60s, all the way to the millennium, then contemporary England, still in the North. GENIUS advert, it almost makes me love England! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsD6KZcsoHgMikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15992349400128489370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-81208765142738336232012-02-07T03:30:24.058+00:002012-02-07T03:30:24.058+00:00Thought you might enjoy this Hovis ad parody:) htt...Thought you might enjoy this Hovis ad parody:) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cUZ1idKthYMaggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07138573821875872323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-88410802632166571022012-02-07T03:28:42.969+00:002012-02-07T03:28:42.969+00:00I was the boy in that advert. I was only 13 and th...I was the boy in that advert. I was only 13 and they paid me 60 quid. I was the only boy who auditioned who could ride a bike, that's how I got the part! Ridley Scott made us film for two days, I must have walked up that hill at least 50 times.Carl B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-51578987997953470982012-02-07T03:20:54.815+00:002012-02-07T03:20:54.815+00:00Wait, according to that Youtube clip you posted, t...Wait, according to that Youtube clip you posted, the director of the Hovis ad was Ridley Scott (director of Bladerunner, etc). I guess we all start somewhere!!Josiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04475708672247853519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-61058215427497249152012-02-07T03:18:30.584+00:002012-02-07T03:18:30.584+00:00I'm from the North, and I definitely always th...I'm from the North, and I definitely always though that Hovis ad was from Yorkshire or somewhere!!! Fraud!!K.B.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07064887918789647799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-54827127457828831182012-02-07T03:17:22.960+00:002012-02-07T03:17:22.960+00:00It does sound like a very unusual combination - th...It does sound like a very unusual combination - the British southern coast: "Plebeian fish and chips, candy floss and donkey rides on one hand and the more genteel –superficially at least - thatched cottages, village churches and County shows on the other." Like a combination of Atlantic City and rural Vermont, two entirely different cultures in the U.S.!Jimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07613965085652294339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-92223338852764838052012-02-07T03:16:01.861+00:002012-02-07T03:16:01.861+00:00Wow Geoff, it's funny to imagine your childhoo...Wow Geoff, it's funny to imagine your childhood looking in any way like a Donald Mcgill postcard - http://www.europe-autos.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/saucy-seaside-postcard.jpgJackiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01014678269133561659noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3774690407548657707.post-64911103430217329402012-02-05T21:05:08.213+00:002012-02-05T21:05:08.213+00:00And there is still an annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Fes...And there is still an annual Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival - <br />http://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/index.php?page=2012-festival-and-rally<br /><br />I found an internet photo of the church I think I peeked in as a child -no wonder I felt a chill!<br /><br />http://www.photo4me.com/uploads/4249/84464_m.JpegGeoffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10966328708258079467noreply@blogger.com