I liked this more than Janie did. I thought it was a very good production and I have long had an affection for the play.
Janie sees this as an example of Tom Stoppard being “a bit too clever for his own good”, a view I can understand but with which I don’t agree. Let’s just say that Janie does not remember this fondly.
John Cowen and I had been introduced to the cartoonist Jo Sandelson (not sure by whom), with a view to collaboration over our “Metaphors For The Millennium” project, which withered on the vine/never happened. Private Eye much later introduced a “new/old sayings” idea along very similar lines; it still runs occasionally. Oh well.
Anyway, Jo was delightful and very hospitable. I tried to reciprocate with songs for her charitable Christmas activities.
Oscar Wilde is believed to have said that “the trouble with Socialism is that it takes too many evenings.”
When I think about pleasant evenings of the 18 December 1995 kind, I’d argue that the trouble with comedy is that we don’t spend enough evenings in each other’s company.
It was a pleasure to meet you last night. John and I both enjoyed the meeting and hope you did too. Has visual inspiration struck yet??
As promised, I attach some songs which might suit your festive gig for Crisis. Please feel free to use any/all/none of them at the handsome fee of “square root of diddly-squat”. If there are other subjects which you feel would be more appropriate, give me a call and I’ll see what I have – there are several hundred of these wretched things on my files now (most hopelessly out of date).
I apologise for the delay in faxing these to you, but I have been running around like an idiot from crack of dawn until late evening today and didn’t want to risk disturbing your slumbers by faxing late at night.
As we say in the Mets world; “nothing is certain but messed up faxes” so do call if this stuff doesn’t come through perfectly well first time. Basically I plan to be at home all day today (famous last words).
Thanks once again for your hospitality and happy holidays. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you again in due course.
Yours sincerely
If by any chance there are NewsRevue lyric fans out there wondering which of my lyrics I faxed to Jo that day, the answer is:
Judging by the copious notes in Janie’s diary about the March visit, we took The Duchess (Pauline) with us on that occasion and there were lengthy negotiations about the choice of hotel.
My guess is that swimming pool was a must but the price would have had to be right for Pauline (eliminating the grander Swallow), so we ended up at The Marriot City Centre.
It can’t have been too bad because Janie and I stayed there again when we went in December. Only problem is parking in the City Centre and being the wrong side of Bristol really for Stoke Bishop.
Anyway, the first visit must have been for Hilary’s (the twins’ big sister’s) 40th, which I think was a family affair. I’m pretty sure Tony & Phillie didn’t come – we wouldn’t have gone to see them in Germany just a few weeks earlier if we had been due to see them in March.
I’m pretty sure the Duchess didn’t join us when we visited again in December; I think even by then the “routine” was that we would collect Pauline’s Christmas present and deliver it to her.
Again the diary is light on detail, other than the clear “note to self” in Janie’s diary to remember Hil’s foot stool. It probably didn’t look like the public domain image below.
I recall that Janie, Steve Taylor and I performed the piece. Janie got some outlandish wigs for us to wear. Try not to think about it too much. Fortunately for the world, no-one took photographs that evening.
Steve at Paris House the year before, 1994, without wig.
However, DeepAI has had a go at revisioning the event and come up with the following:
Robo-Steve, Janie-Bot & Avatar-Ian
WHEN WILL I SEE YOU AT Z/YEN? (To the Tune of “When Will I See You Again?”)
PROPS REQUIRED/DESIRED: Wigs (sorted), mobile phones, pieces of paper (minutes, memos), left overs on plates
When will I see you at Z/Yen? When will we share precious minutes? Will we have debate for ever? Will we still be macho (macho) and work the whole night through?
VERSE 2
When will I see you at Z/Yen? When will our team eat together? Are we at work or just friends? Is this supper chicken or is it scrag end? (is this scrag end?)
MIDDLE EIGHT
When will I see you at Z/Yen? When will I see you at Z/Yen? When will I see you at Z/Yen? Haaaaaaa, oooooohhh, Precious motors.
VERSE THREE
When will I hear you at Z/Yen? When will we share precious mobiles? Are we in touch or alone? CAN YOU ****-**** HEAR ME?? Chhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh PHONE???
When will I chhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh? (When will you stop asking so many ****-**** questions?) When will I beeeeeeeeeep?
[ENDS]
Here are the Three Degrees singing When Will I See You Again:
Billington on Rosencrantz Sat, Dec 16, 1995 – 27 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
Sun, Dec 17, 1995 – 60 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com
