The family of children named Walker in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons novels was based on a family called Altounyan which Ransome had met in the Lake district. It is an Armenian name. Ransome casually transforms them into the quintessentially English Walkers.
Ransome himself was a strange cat. He seems to have been a British agent, and perhaps a Soviet one too, in the early days of the Soviet Union. He married Leon Trotsky's secretary.
Not everyone likes the Swallows and Amazons books, but I think they are wonderful. I suppose Ransome used them as a sort of escape into purity and pastel colours from the lurid, and no doubt frightening, background of the nascent cold war. He wrote himself into them as the Blackett girls' uncle Jim.
What an artist the cat was though.
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There was an American student with that surname at the college where I worked. It's such an unusual name that I remembered her straightaway. This website supports what I'm saying:
www.namespedia.com/details/Altounyan
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>> but I think they are wonderful
Me too.
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>> He married
>> Leon Trotsky's secretary.
>>
Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?
(70s chaps will know...)
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...he should have watched out for the skin deep.....
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>> Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?
Dunno, but there's always the sun.
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Just searching through 300Gb of music... found a few Stranglers songs, but not that one.
Must download. (Used to have the CD, but alas... or in this case, a lass )
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I saw the Stranglers live about 4 years ago - really good.
Always the Sun is my favourite.
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The Stranglers performed on the penultimate night at the Grassington Festival this year, July 1st. Sold out, obviously, but friends who had tickets really enjoyed their set.
As did the local badgers
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>> or in this case, a lass
.....don't they always.....
(But I've still got my Stranglers, including Always the Sun....)
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Mmm, one got all my mix tapes ( music cassettes I'd recorded myself). In hindsight perhaps not much of a loss, but I was devastated at the time.
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quite frightening, looking at albums, and thinking 'i used to have that...'
I must have 'lost' hundreds of CDs, tapes, videos, DVDs, LPs and books over the years on the 'can I borrow this' basis.
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Given that I have spent all my life buying vinyl, tape and CD and now own about 20 vinyl, no CD and no tape, I do wonder where they all went.
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The precise argument I use to justify piracy!
I've paid my royalties a dozen times over!
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What's a pirate's favourite letter?
You might think its Arrr, but in fact their first love is Ceee.
I've worked quite a lot in the media industries, and one point worked with specifically the music industry in LA.
The often stated and puzzled over subject in board meetings was how to cope with music piracy where statistically the music pirates were in fact also in the top 30% of music purchasers and concert visitors. There was little market cannibalisation.
How to restrict music piracy without hacking off their best customers.
The same is not true of video piracy.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 2 Aug 16 at 19:03
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>> The often stated and puzzled over subject in board meetings was how to cope with
>> music piracy where statistically the music pirates were in fact also in the top 30%
>> of music purchasers and concert visitors. There was little market cannibalisation.
Virgin once brought out a whole set of 'samplers' - mini CDs with 4 songs of different genres on each. A pound a throw, I recall.
Apparently the spin-off was that lots of folk bought Cds by artists they'd never heard of before the sampler.
And, on the other side of things, how many albums did you buy which contained one or two decent tracks, and 7 or 8 piles of poo, just rushed through as a 'filler'?
I'm sure lots of audiophiles download mp3s these days, just to see whether the new stuff from an established artist is any good (it often isn't!) and then buy the stuff properly.
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As I am sitting here writing a tedious report (the subject is tedious you understand, not my writing style) and since the conversation earlier about the Stranglers I've had YouTube on autoplay.
It is now playing "Walk Like an Egyptian". I had forgotten just how much I fancied Susanna Hoffs.
Just thought you should know.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cv6tuzHUuuk (specifically 2.50)
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Sadly, the Bangles are remembered best for Manic Monday and Egyptian.
In your room and Hazy Shade of Winter are much better.
Having said that, was in the pub at lunchtime today, and the tv was playing VH1 80s hits.
Astley, Culture Club, Yazz etc. Terrible.
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"Do you really want to hurt me?"
Yes. A lot. Every time I hear that song.
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"I'm a man/without conviction" was today's offering.
Sorry george, I think that now it is drug taking, possession, false imprisonment and assault...
Oh yes, the 80s. Some very good stuff. But a lot of tat as well.
Still, to brighten up your evening....
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYVDN27CrOo
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No. Just no.
Rocky Horror was just an excuse for men to wear women's clothing.
Blues Brothers was much more fun.
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My girls (14 & 11) *love* the Rocky Horror Picture Show. I didn't introduce them to it, apparently there was some Doctor Who parody which got them started.
Perhaps I should be worried.
But as it happens i think its fun. Although since one of the most gorgeous girls I've ever been out with in my life was a huge fan, it is conceivable that some association may be involved.
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My sprogs love the Blues Brothers.
And Shrek.
Amazing, I'll be playing music, and they'll be "hey, this is from Shrek!' Led Zep, really?
And damn right it is! Immigrant Song.
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Works the other way too though, No. 1 is seriously into Pink Floyd, but with the odd exception I've never really liked their stuff.
Mind you, No. 2 likes Nirvana, EMF and Offspring, so its not all bad.
No. 1 also does Led Zeppelin and the like.
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>..it is conceivable that some association may be involved.
It's because Frank-N-Furter reminds them of their Dad.
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Hardly, he's got hair.
Other than that though....
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>> Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?
Not positive, but I think he was murdered, on Stalin's orders. (I looked it up after writing that. More or less right, but it was a complex, tangled story).
Risky business, being a Bolshevik. Weird thing was, they all meant well and were prepared to lay their lives on the line for the good of society, or anyway the proletariat.
Idealists: don't they just scare the living Scheisse out of you? Dangerous cats.
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Whatever happened to Leon Trotsky?
He got an ice pick
That made his ears burn
The Students Union bar at Salford ( the Mandela bar as it happens) was always to the sound of this on the jukebox at lunchtimes. Somebody must have liked it - a lot.
No more Heroes by the Stranglers
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Stranglers Golden Brown is the only one of their work I know. Reminds me of Brubeck.
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Go and get some more, Norton. You don't know what you are missing.
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Don't care for heroin in any shade:)
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Nelson or Winnie?
Like many students at the time, I didn't even know Nelson was married...
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>> Nelson or Winnie?
>> Like many students at the time, I didn't even know Nelson was married...
>>
At the time, many white South Africans didn't even know Nelson existed!
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>>Not everyone likes the Swallows and Amazons books, but I think they are wonderful>>
Spot on. Just as are those of Enid Blyton (despite the revelations about her life which surfaced much later).
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>> Spot on. Just as are those of Enid Blyton
No doubt you are looking forward to a new series depicting the famous five as adults.
Four titles due out for this Christmas
Five Give Up the Booze;
Five Go Gluten Free;
Five Go On A Strategy Away Day;
and Five Go Parenting
;-)
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You must be aware of these CGN.
www.waterstones.com/booklist/262226/waterstones-booksellers-books-
I was given The Husband and it's quite entertaining.
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I got a few at Christmas and they are entertaining. :-) Pricey mind for what they are.
Anyone read this one as a child?
i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l583/Garnantgnome/image.jpg1_zpsfewx2rjp.jpg
or even:
i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l583/Garnantgnome/image.jpg2_zpsa3r0jh4r.jpg
For me at school in the seventies it was Gareth a Sian.... For others I guess it was Peter and Jane.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Wed 3 Aug 16 at 02:00
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>>Four titles due out for this Christmas>>
LOL!
Actually it's far more years ago than I care to remember when I read (all of) the Enid Blyton and Arthur Ransome books, along with many others, but every time I go to the Lake District I remember the former....:-)
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Hachette bought the rights to all of Blyton's stuff in 2012, and there's going to be a steady stream of film, tv and theatre over the next few years I guess.
I'm looking forward to this one, but I expect there will be lots of stuff, in due course.
www.theguardian.com/books/2014/oct/22/enid-blyton-faraway-tree-series-film-sam-mendes
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>> Hachette bought the rights to all of Blyton's stuff in 2012, and there's going to
>> be a steady stream of film, tv and theatre over the next few years I
>> guess.
Five go mad in Dorset?
'and lashings of ginger beer!'
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>> 'and lashings of ginger beer!'
"Sounds heavenly", breathed Ann.
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>>
>> >> 'and lashings of ginger beer!'
>>
>>
>> "Sounds heavenly", breathed Ann.
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"Oh look, Timmy'd dead!"
"Don't worry, we'll get another..."
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Only if Uncle Quentin stumps up for it, and he's stuck on that mysterious island.
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>> >>Not everyone likes the Swallows and Amazons books, but I think they are wonderful>>
>>
>> Spot on.
>>
Absolutely.
We've just spent a few days in the Lakes. Although I think Windermere was the "real" setting, Ullswater is much closer to the books. Still totally unspoilt, and far fewer natives :)
Shame on them for changing t**** to Tatty in the latest film.
t**** Altounyan was her real name, I remember reading her obituary a few years ago.
Someone was asking what happened to Trotsky - I thought everyone knew he got an icepick through his head in Mexico on Stalin's orders?
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Did you see the Martindale red deer herd between Ullswater & Haweswater?
Hope you enjoyed good weather....
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I thought everyone knew he got an icepick through his head in Mexico on Stalin's orders?
The means of his death are not in dispute, and it is highly probable it was on Stalins order, but not proven. Someone did say it at the time, but there was no proof.
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>> Spot on. Just as are those of Enid Blyton (despite the revelations about her life which surfaced much later).
Not sure Blyton and Ransome should be mentioned in the same breath. Enid Blyton was pretty good in her way, but she's wimpish and sentimental compared to Arthur Ransome whose books were rather like adult novels for children.
Never mind their private lives. Interesting no doubt, but none of our business.
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I agree. Blytons' books could have been written by a machine and the same plots were used over and over gain. The language was very simple and didn't present much of a challenge which I guess we're both their enormous attraction and fault. I seem to member that teachers held the books in disdain.
Like a lot of 1950s books, even Ian Fleming's James Bond novels They tended to feature long descriptions of feasts and food. I guess that what we were all wanting after the rationing years.
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>> Like a lot of 1950s books, even Ian Fleming's James Bond novels They tended to
>> feature long descriptions of feasts and food. I guess that what we were all wanting
>> after the rationing years.
>>
That's an interesting observation, CG.
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Quintessentially English - John Boy
