John: Cynthia Lennon

When someone gave me a box of discarded books recently, I pulled out one that caught my eye and began to read. The book was Cynthia Lennon's John, her 2005 personal expose of her ten year relationship with a legend.

I knew nothing about John Lennon's first wife...only that she existed. So much has been written about the Beatles and their relationships that to write more feels like adding a droplet of water to an already overflowing glass, not to mention the parasitic element of publicly raking over people's private lives. Yet Cynthia's book is interesting for its first-hand insights into the effects of  fame, adulation, wealth and the problematic nature of creating cultural legends, alive or dead.

Liberace Fashion

Fun Times with the King of Kitsch
Strangely, I've never thought of Liberace as a fashion consultant or even remotely fashionable for that matter but perhaps there are those out there who do and if you're one of them (please, seek help!), this book purports to "swing open the closet door" on Liberace's extensive wardrobe in order to give us some sartorial guidance on the "fine art of extraordinary dressing for ordinary occasions". Tempted?

Penny Dreadfuls

The Original Pulp Fiction
Although the term 'penny dreadful' is now used as a generic adjective to describe any pulp fiction which is is cheap and sensationalised, Penny Dreadfuls were originally a genre of fiction that began in Great Britain in the 19th century: they were published in serial form and readers had to pay a penny to get each new episode. The stories were printed on cheap paper and with enticing, lurid titles like Feast of Blood or Adventures of a Notorious Burglar and in some cases were shortened versions of the popular fiction of the day - a kind of condensed, fast-food Gothic novel.

First printed in the 1830s as a cheap alternative to books and pricey periodicals (even the Dicken's serials cost over a shilling a pop), they were aimed at an undemanding readership, who wanted some inexpensive escapism to wile away their limited leisure hours. 19th century educational reforms in Britain now meant that for the first time, literature was accessible to the working classes. This, together with the industrial revolution and the invention of the steam powered printing press meant that a whole new market opened up for the print pedlars.

Huey, Dewey and Louie

Donald and his nephews in a corny scene.

Poor Donald Duck. Huey, Louie and Dewey, his wise-racking identical triplet nephews, trumped him at every turn. They were smarter, cuter and great favourites of their uber-rich uncle, Scrooge Mc Duck. The triplets acted in unison, almost acting as one entity and often finished each other's sentences.

However, despite the rivalry between Donald and his nephews, theirs was a close relationship. In the early comic strips, the nephews were a tad mischievous and uncontrollabe but they matured as the characters developed; taking on a more supportive, responsible role in the Duckburg lexicon.

Gladstone Gander

             Lucky Gladstone Gander

The Lucky Guy

Some people are just lucky. Annoyingly so. They seem to sail through life with nary a ripple of aggravation - no calamities come their way, they never seem to be in debt or trouble, their clothes are always impeccably neat and their hair is always perfectly in place.

In Gladstone Gander,  legendary cartoon artist Carl Barks, created a character that represented the eternally lucky guy.  The golden Gander also provides a striking contrast to the hapless Donald Duck - where Gladstone is perpetually lucky, Donald suffers one misfortune and mishap after another. Gladstone, with his curly hair, spats and walking stick, is dapper without even trying, whereas Donald always appears frazzled, no matter how hard he tries. Much to Donald's chagrin, Gladstone always falls on his feet. If there's a lost wallet to be found, Gladstone will find it.

Daisy Duck

Daisy Duck

Daisy Daisy you're the one, thats got me captivated
Every time you look at me I get so addlepated
And when I'm riding along the street, everybody that I meet
Says there goes the guy that's crazy over sweet Daisy  May...
~From, Crazy Over Daisy, 1950

Disney creation Daisy Duck made her debut appearance in the 1940s animation,  Mr Duck Steps Out and continued to appear in Disney animations as Donald's permanent  love-interest, making 14 film appearances in all. From the beginning she had all the markers of girly charm - long eyelashes, puffed sleeves, high heels, an oversize bow and a coquettish manner. Whereas Minnie Mouse had been originally designed to reflect 1920s flapper fashion, Daisy took on the aspect of a jitterbugging 40s babe, though they share the big shoes/big bow combo.

Vintage Batmobiles

Corgi Toys Batmobile, 1966
I have it on good authority that the Corgi 1966 batmobile is worth investigating. This British Batmobile is a pretty schmick item and highly collectable, especially if it's a first issue, which if in good nick can sell in the high hundreds and a thousand or more if it comes with the box. Collectors are often aging Babyboomers reaching out poignantly for their childhood toys and look upon the Batmobile as an iconic memory from their youth.