BillF

Agreed. Comparatively unknown compared to The National Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern, but with a collection of prime items by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Rousseau and a roomful of Fauves and one of German Expressionists, absolutely not to be missed! Aside from a few high profile exhibitions, the place is always nearly empty, which makes studying the works much more pleasant (actually the main floor rooms in Tate Britain are usually nearly empty as well, though the exhibitions in the basement are often packed). I shall be in London on Saturday to catch the Gauguin exhibition before it disappears from Tate Modern and also to see recent Bridget Rileys displayed among old masters at the National. (Love her recent work which I saw in a small exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool.) Incidentally, is it time we had an art thread? This seems to be turning into one ...

Foxy Knoxy John Knox John Tapscott

Agreed. Comparatively unknown compared to The National Gallery, Tate Britain and Tate Modern, but with a collection of prime items by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh and Rousseau and a roomful of Fauves and one of German Expressionists, absolutely not to be missed!

The Laughing Policeman The Chuckle Brothers George Smiley

Happy New Year to all our readers!

"If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats" (Charles Mingus song title)

Lily Savage Primitive Cats Fred Flintstone

Art Taylor Derek Draper The Honeydripper

Les Six Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Octopussy

Cookie Monster Half Man Half Biscuit The Master of the Rolls

Peter Lorre Tipper Gore Van Morrison

Guillaume Apollinaire Gwilym Simcock Kaiser Wilhelm

Phil the Greek Swiss Tony Mexican Pete

Gusty Spence John Wyndham Sandra Blow

I used to have that Art Pepper (an OJC reissue). When I went down the path of CD, my sister got it. I wonder if she'd give it me back? I bought it on Contemporary/Boplicity used vinyl in a second-hand book and record shop on Barlow Moor Road ten years ago. I hope it wasn't your copy traded in by your sister!

You know, I picked up a copy of that in '76, and still haven't read it... I guess it was the tail end of my Camus obsession, and I just never got to it. But I transport it from place to place rather than getting rid of it, so I guess there's still hope. It's been on my shelf for months. It's quite apt at the minute, as we are on the verge of a flu epidemic/pandemic (can't remember which) here in England, with a nice little pocket where I live, in the North West. Are you listening Bill? Indeed I am - and I got my free anti-flu injection for the over-65s last week! As for Camus, far and away the most significant one for me has always been The Outsider (L'étranger). I've read it twice in English and twice in French - its very short length and plain-statement style made the latter possible.

Billy Fury Super Furry Animals Gruff Rhys

Lock 'n Griff Barre Phillips Keystone Cops

Zsa Zsa Gabor Anne of Green Gables Grant Green

Florence Nightingale The Barclay Brothers J Arthur Rank

Big P V Leakey Claude Rains

A A Milne Bibi Andersson Cee Cee Rider