Dior's New Look

70 years ago this past February, Christian Dior brought out his "New Look". It put Paris and fashion back on the world's front page of newspapers. It signaled the end of war time austerity.
PBS' current Masterpiece series 'The Collection' is a veiled look at those heady days but they have used a fictitious Fashion House, with Nazi collaborator undertones for its story. Having lived through those times, and having a mother who loved fashion and told me stories about the impact of The New Look, it is interesting to me; However, I find this Masterpiece production below their usual fine standard. Watch it to see what Mary Quant was rebelling against in the 1950's with her mini skirts and "Mod" look which truly caught on in the sixties with the Beatles music and fashion melding together in pop culture sensibilities.

Quote from DW.com:
Sociologists and historians who've analyzed the first post-World War II years agree. The long hems and petticoats made of yards of fabric were a sign of the end of the governmental restrictions on materials, while the comeback of corsets signalized the return of women from offices, hospitals, and munitions factories back to homes.

men and women

Let's start with an unusual example. Forty years ago, I was in a  Urban Geography lecture, the lecturer was actually also my friend and mentor. The class began discussing an issue concerning The Toronto Islands. When the islands were acquired by the city for recreational purposes, there were residents on it who were permitted to stay. The homes were to be acquired later as they became vacant. That never happened. Many owners, moved out but rented the houses to people who were warned that it could not be a permanent situation. Now decades later, the City wanted the houses to use the land for "The people of Toronto" It was the Seventies, so, naturally, there were marches protests, etc "Save the Island Homes."
I actually felt that they SHOULD be evicted. The renters knew exactly what the deal was; why complain now. I wanted the greater good to prevail and said so in the class discussion.
The lecturer said, "Yes, Michael, but sometimes we need to re-assess our position. It is OK to change our minds. Having people living on the Islands is a good thing for the whole city. Haven't you ever changed your mind?"
Well... he was exactly right. I was annoyed at people who knew what they were getting into claiming "It's my home, leave me alone." They should have known better. However, having citizens in the heart of city is a good thing for everyone. I should change my mind.
Well, back in those days, just like so many other young men, I called women "girls" thought it OK to "check them out" and went up to women I did not know and ask "would you like to go for a coffee?" (For what it is worth, my success rate was dismal. That should have told me something  about my approach, rather than about my looks.)
Anyway, the times have changed, so should we men. It is not OK to view women in that fashion. Everyone is NOT dating material. I do believe I changed my attitude all those decades back, because I was fortunate enough to mix with women who were intelligent and modern and let me know how they wanted to be treated. I lived my life accordingly.
It is entirely possible. However, it is not just women who should be calling out men about their behaviour, we men  need to call out our friends who treat women this way, too. Society has changed, we men must do so, too.

Kids on the bus

A Canadian father is mounting a legal challenge after child safety officials told him his children aged 7-11 could no longer take the bus alone.

CBC headline

What is the modern world coming to.

When our family arrived in London in 1953, I was 9. By January 1954, we were living in our own home. On arrival, we shared a 3 bedroom house with friends who had 3 children also. Four adults, 5 children, one small bathroom and a small kitchen.
Imagine the joy of our own 3 bedroom home with a garden.
However, my parents decided to let me continue attending the Elementary school I had begun in July 1953;It was in another school district, but the people in charge agreed to let me stay on.
It was not only in another district, it was two bus rides away. I made both bus journeys un-escorted; Well, usually. If we got our acts together, my 13 year old sister, who also attended a school in that district, took the first bus journey with me. However, the second bus journey as well as the return home journeys, I did on my own. Each leg of the bus journey cost one penny. No such thing as transfers back then.
Often, on the second leg of the return journey, the bus conductress would say to me: "Keep it sweetie, buy yourself a lolly." That is what I usually did. Right where I got off was the newsagent/confectionery shop and I would go in and buy a 'penny lolly!' I would then walk around the corner to our house and let myself in with my own key.
I never had any problems; never got lost, never lost my key nor was I ever accosted by strangers.
My memories are sweet and of a happy, quite safe, world.

Here are the buses I took. First the route 52 to Burnt Oak, then the 251 to the Watling Estate where my school was located. It was called Woodcroft Primary School. It has a web page now!! 

August 31

I finally got a new printer that works!!
After years of dodgy functioning of my devices, we (Margo,) got a new one on sale, absurdly cheap... so, of course, I worried that it would not only fail  to print but more importantly, print from my iPad.
Whoopee! It does both: prints from the PC and the iPad. (A public thank you to my wife.)

Today is one of those life-stones (my word for events that mark a milestone in one's life, either in a physical sense or emotional one.) August is in fact one of those life-stones that is shared collectively by a whole community - or in this case, the whole World : the day that Lady Diana, Princess of Wales died. Millennials all remember where they were when they heard the news of her death. It is burned into the collective consciousness.  For us baby boomers, it was the day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated that marks a similar Life-stone.

On August 31, 1997, The children, my mother and I had returned from a touring holiday in Cape Breton; My mother was sleeping in my son Andy's bedroom; I had a bed in the living room. I could not sleep so was watching CNN. Around 4.a.m. AST it came on as Breaking News. I flicked between CNN & CBC to get as much detail as I could. It was stunning, an emotional  shock, This woman whom I had never met, died and I  was profoundly sad. I cried. My mum came down around 5:30, she was an early riser in the days before Alzheimer's cruelly took her simple functions away from her. We sat and watched the TV for the next 24 hours - straight.

Lady Diana was arguably the most recognizable woman on the planet, and possibly, save for the Royal Family, the most loved celebrity. The Princess is dead! Long Live the Princess, at least in our memories.

After school snacks

My sister and I had some weird after school snack experiences. In Calcutta, after the school bus brought us home, the Ayah would have our cuppa Chaa waiting, (not Chai, regular, most probably Darjeeling tea.) However, she would also bring us each a plate of toast with a thick spreading of Nestle's Condensed milk. We loved it ! All dripping and gooey and sweet.

When we moved to London, and then when  Sis & I got home from school, (I was 10 and took 2 London Transport Double-deckers to get home. One penny for each leg, no such thing as "transfers" back then,) we still had tea and toast. Mum worked, so dinner was later after she and Dad returned. On our toast in this period we favored Kraft's DairyLea cheese spread. Mild and yet tasty.

Beatles and Beyond - playlist for August 16th

Hello, this is the playlist from The Beatles and Beyond on   97.5 CIOE-FM for August 16th 

The perfect Beatles song for a summer gathering, from their final studio LP, Abbey Road, Come Together.

SONGS

Come Together - The Beatles

 Ob-La Di, Ob-la Da - Marmalade

After "Come Together" we heard  Ob-La Di, Ob-la Da done here by Marmalade. Their version was the hit single as the Beatles track from the White album was never released as a single in the UK. Marmalade's tune topped the UK charts.

One of the big groups of the British invasion but not from Liverpool, were the Zombies. Here is their Time of the Season. It is followed by a Motown stalwart covering the Beatles' We can work it out from, no longer Little,  Stevie wonder.

SONGS 

Time of the season - the Zombies

We can work it out - Stevie wonder

The first Beatles' film was A Hard Day's Night and it was a really good depiction of the crazy times they were going through. Here is the movie's title song plus others from the soundtrack,  I should have known better and If I Fell. 

SONGS

Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

 I should have known better - The Beatles

If I Fell - The Beatles

 A British singer who had many US hits, remained a TV and Broadway celebrity for decades, right up to this century, is Petula Clark. This is Pet's I Know a Place.  An American Duo who truly embodied the spirit of the 1960's and continued into the late part of the C20th as this duo, then as solo artists were  - Sonny & Cher. After Pet Clark is the iconic 1960's  hit, I Got You, Babe.

SONGS

I Know a Place - Pet Clark

I Got You, Babe - Sonny & Cher

Can't Buy Me Love -  - Beatles

Right after the Break we heard the Beatles  with Can't Buy Me Love - which is also from the Hard Days Night movie. Coming up are 2 more tunes from the soundtrack album,  I'll Cry Instead and Things We Said Today. I really like this soundtrack LP it has so many lovely simple pop song melodies. The Boys at their early days' best.  The Hard Day's Night tunes are followed by Am I that Easy to Forget from my fellow Anglo-Indian,  Englebert Humperdinck. Real name Arnold Gerry Dorsey who born in Madras.

SONGS

I'll Cry Instead - - Beatles

Things we said today - - Beatles

Am I that Easy to Forget - Englebert Humperdinck

Now,  2 groups that had major hits with the British invasion were  Edison Lighthouse mostly a studio-group, with Love Grows and Build Me Up (Buttercup) from  The Foundations.

SONGS

Love Grows - Edison Lighthouse

Build Me Up (Buttercup) - The Foundations

 

The second Beatles film was called Help! Here is the title song plus You Like Me Too Much, also from the soundtrack.

 SONGS

Help! -  - The Beatles

You Like Me Too Much -  - The Beatles

 

The next song is the most covered tune in recording history, but was also included in the Help soundtrack. McCartney's beautiful Yesterday.

SONGS

Yesterday -  - The Beatles

For the Millennials listening to this show, it may come as a surprise that American Idol, or America's Got Talent are nothing new in concept. From the days of radio, programmers have had talent shows from the earliest days of mass communications. For us in London in the 60's it was a show called Opportunity knocks. The world famous petite  model Twiggy, saw welsh singer Mary Hopkins winning the British ITV 's talent show, Opportunity Knocks and she telephoned Paul McCartney and recommended her. She became one of the first artists to record on The Beatles' Apple record label.This is her first big hit -- Those were the Days. It produced by Paul McCartney.

Listen in again next week to the Beatles and Beyond with Michael Lavalette on 97.5 CIOE.

 

SONGS

Those were the Days - Mary Hopkins

PLAYLIST SONGS

Come Together - The Beatles

Ob-La Di, Ob-la Da - Marmalade

Time of the season - the Zombies

We can work it out - Stevie wonder

Hard Day's Night - The Beatles

 I should have known better - The Beatles

If I Fell - The Beatles

I Know a Place - Petula Clark

I Got You, Babe - Sonny & Cher

Can't Buy Me Love -   Beatles

Help! -   The Beatles

You Like Me Too Much   - The Beatles

Yesterday -  - The Beatles

Those were the Days - Mary Hopkins

Life in the 1950's London

Not surprisingly as a child of 8, going on 9, I had no pre-conceived notion of what to expect when we arrived in London. All I knew is that Queen Elizabeth II 's coronation had occurred 4 days before we arrived. The city was still decked out in bunting and Union Jacks and all manner of fancy decorations. It looked lovely to a young child's eye.
However, six months after arriving we moved into our first (and only,) home in London.
It was about 900 square feet; no basement, no attic as  livable floor space. It was exciting nonetheless.
Outside, on the pavement, (sidewalk,) beside a street lamp stood the garbage can for "pigs swill" as the neighbours told us. In 1953, a war measures attempt for the UK to be more self-reliant, lots of communities still had this productivity item. A truck came along and emptied it regularly for distribution to Farmers to supplement live stock feed.