Thursday, September 17, 2009

Giddy London



An English Car show held in Stowe, Vermont called the British Invasion is on this weekend. Lots of wee MGs were tooling down Main Street this evening and Union Jacks are fluttering from the light poles and at every retail establishment.

I have also been struggling with my Great Fiction Project (henceforth "GFP") some of which takes place in England of yesteryear. I have been researching various elements of daily life in the provinces and in the capital. I like that part. I have always loved reading about any kind of English history. I never have known why. It makes me wonder about reincarnation.



As a result, old England is on my mind and on my computer. I found a great website I wanted to share. "Twentieth Century London" is an Internet archive of objects and information from a dozen London-based museums all regarding life in London during, you guessed it, the 20th Century. (Some of us remember large swaths of that century and it was not without interest). The site has lots of great images (see above and below) and historical odds and ends. There's a cool feature for kids, a kind of animated London story book, and a London quiz (I got 8 out of 10 - and would have had 9 out of 10 if I had been paying closer attention, it was that easy).



I'll let you know how it goes (the British Invasion - maybe more later on the GFP).

Points for anyone who can tell me the name of the song, and the artist, from whom I filched the title of this post. I might even send you a bit of tat if you guess it right.

5 comments:

Catastrophe Waitress said...

damn.
i got 8/10.
i'm not really as good at arms and aircraft manufacturing history as i would have hoped.

that site is fantastic - thanks for the link, KSV!

Catastrophe Waitress said...

oh!
forgot to say - please take some photos of the Brit Invasion this weekend!

Anonymous said...

Always remember the formula for great fiction: Bar fights, car chases and gratuitous nudity.

Oh wait. That's the formula for B-movies.

Carry on.

Madame DeFarge said...

Hmm, I'd have to google it, so won't cheat. Tempting but not cricket. As I'm in London, if there's anything you need, let me know. Always keen to help the creative process.

Kim Velk said...

Proj - I thought you would like the site, internet gold miner that you are. Kids and I went to hear a Beatles tribute band last night on Main Street in Stowe, surrounded by Jaguars, MGs, Sprites, and even a Morris or two. I didn't have my camera but I hope to get to the main event tomorrow and take some pictures. The "Beatles" were great.

R - Yes, the gratuitous nudity would be difficult for me to pull off in print... I'll see if I can throw in a car crash. Oh, but I am back here working on my blog, which is fun, and not on the GFP (whihc is hard.

Madame - You are a brick and so kind. I won't prevail upon you for trips to the V&A or anything just yet but I do so appreciate the offer.

I googled "Giddy London" myself and, as with everything these days, the answer is out there on the internet. The song is medium obscure, but the average college girl in the late 80s or early 90s probably heard it at the hairdresser's or at a party... (Hint hint)