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Murderecords

My order came from murderecords today:

  • Closed by jale (1995, ep cd)
  • Smart Bomb by Thrush Hermit (1994, ep cd)
  • Peppermint by Sloan (1992, ep cd)
  • Mock Up, Scale Down by The Super Friendz (1995, cd)
  • Peter by Eric’s Trip (1993, cd)

Three months but who cares. Five disks of Halifax scene. I used a cheque with 19__ on it. Thanks Mike Nelson – everyone buy up the back catalog from Mike Nelson. Who uses cheques now anyways? People raised by wolves? Neato small catalog for murderecords up to their 26th release (as illustrated below). I want the Al Tuck shirt.

I want the Al Tuck shirt
Looks like one soft NSCAD summer job to me

By the way, calling something an “ep cd” is a bit of a misnomer but it was the 90s. We should have all been eating food from tubes by now.

Heist!

art has a message and the message here is I am a rich bastardI noticed at The Star this morning that there was an art theft thisweekend in Toronto – a heist. Is there any other crime which so warms the heart what with unending bad 70’s police TV episodes guest starring the likes of George Peppard centering on the thievery of art.

But why these things? Likely because they are literally pocketable and worth millions. Like Stalin’s retention of the great czarist buildings, our relationship to the image is not so simple. This is the face of another polticial era, that of the tyrant. This man never lifted a shovel or pen, a product of solely the power of inheritance. Google the name. The figure, Charles Mordant, left the world nothing of note other than this nasty, purse lipped, bloated face under a ridiculous wig, a symbol of virility affordable and wearable only by the wealthy and unvirile.

Later: Recalling that Google sucks, I did some more digging on the lost art and found this at the AGO’s web site:

Portrait of Charles Mordant, 3rd Earl of Peterborough and 1st Early Monmouth of the second creation (1658-1735)
Made by David Le Marchand (1674-1726) between 1704 and 1713
French, active in England
Ivory
Inscribed with artist’s monogram on front center of panel beneath truncation: ‘D.L.M.’
21.6 cm ht.; 17.8 cm w.; 5.1 cm d. ( 8 ½ x 6 ½”)

Hmm, doesn’t help that the AGO spells his name differently from other records which refer to Charles “Mordaunt” as the 3rd Earl of Peterborough. Here are records for five portraits of him at the National Portrait Gallery in London. He was an ambassador with an unhappy diverse career and private life as pointed out by notes to these portraits:

Admiral, general and diplomatist. A vehement whig and a supporter of William III until his ejection from political office in 1697 and imprisonment in the Tower. As General of the expeditionary force to Spain in 1705, he fought a controversial but largely successful campaign…

Here seen shortly after his return from serving as British ambassador to the Duke of Savoy, and his final fall from royal favour. The last of Kneller’s four portraits of the sitter….

Title: ‘Hon Mrs F- and Incautious Lothario’ (Charles Mordaunt, 3rd Earl of Peterborough; Mrs Edward Foley)…

I am now starting to warm to the jerk. Voltaire was his guest for 3 weeks in 1727. He was perhaps the first to cultivate fennel in England. A Colonel of the Royal Horse Guards in 1712 He has a slim but curious relationship to Nova Scotia’s Oak Island gold. He died on board his yacht off Lisbon 25 Oct 1735, is buried Turvey, Beds, 21 Nov 1735 and is the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather of Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince Chuck’s fancy lady. Cooling off again…

Blackness

Another Black day? What other wacky puns can be drawn from the slide Connie finds himself on? Nicest new touch?

Hollinger International also launched a lawsuit claiming $200 million US against Black, his right-hand man David Radler and companies controlled by the two men.

I’d be all scowlly, too. Unlike most lives his hand has influenced, a relative of mine actually benefitted at one stage of his life amongst acquisitions of the yellow presses by Black. For that we thank you, Big Con, for the extra ale change and Thomas the Tank Engine budget. Few and far between in the case of an anti-capitalist like Black. A capitalist uses capital to create wealth. Where he made money, Black split and sold off capital, a scavenger creating his own carrion – a denial of the power of asset. Where he did not make money, he was running newspapers (now removed from him and soon in the hands of others maybe themselves of that ilk) and making himself the cartoon-like semblence of an important person he willed himself into being. Nothing illegal in any of that. Make yourself as you wish, I say, and answer to your Maker for your choices. He is in deeper water now, though, than just being thought pompous and tedious. What is he worth compared to the charges and claims he faces? This glory-days-era site has him as follows:

Conrad Black, chairman and CEO [net worth (1995): $302.6-million, making him the 28th richest person or family in Canada (Financial Post Magazine, January, 1996)]

I sure hope, but doubt on a net basis, that he is better off the noo compared to eight nine years ago as these law suits will be just beginning and a few hundred million Canuck will not go far if even these first claims are founded.   Why, by the way, do some Canadian media call him Lord Black anyway. It is a foreign title system in which we do not participate. Would we really call her Lady Thatcher? Lord Heath? Doubt it – well maybe if she were shouting at me. Well, good thing you can make a buck selling a title, too. He may need it all. Good luck to you, Connie! We’re all going to learn a whole lot about you over the next few years as the ugly spectacle of a breach of fiduciary duty by corporate director – or whatever is actually alleged – unfolds.

Life with Kids

Back from a Saturday over night with old pals with kids. Eighteen years ago he and me looked like this with the car shown left. It was the first night over at someone’s place where there were more kiddlies (5) than adults (4). Still, got a few Upper Canada Darks in, watched the Leafs lose to the Flyers and discussed other pals long since seen – one turning 40 the same night, another divorced years ago unbeknownst to me. Some others planning a get-together bringing some from BC and the Maritimes. Maybe even an invite to see Syracuse play b’ball this winter.

exactly one generation leap in toy technologyThis link should start a short movie (beware: biggish file, 10 megs mov00291) about the sound of a dinner party with kids. Same kids right planning Battling Tops, a 1970 revival in whirling plastic. I believe I was usually Hurricane Hank.