#Scottish Football Association

[calciopics]

This year #HopeUnited is tackling sexist hate women face online and on the pitch. Sexist hate starts with men, it can end with men.

#HopeUnited #NotHerProblem #sexism #sexist hate #the football association #The Football Association of Wales #The Scottish Football Association #The Irish Football Association #Jordan Henderson #football #fussball #fußball #foot #fodbod #futbol #futebol #soccer #calcio

[sant-riley]

[Task force 141 + others with Gen z!reader] [pt3]

A/N: Some of these you /may/ have seen on tiktok, that is me who posted them on tiktok. I am green haired bitch so no I didn't steal anything LMAO. I hope these live up to yalls expectations.

The last two of these my lovely friend gave me inspiration for <3 @frogchiro

Warnings: She/her pronouns swearing, age gaps, tiktok memes (like always lmk if I miss something!)

~

You steal Prices hat on numerous occasions bc its a fashion abomination and you refuse to let this man wear it around you. You hide around base as frequently as you can.

Jokes on you though bc he will literally wait til it's your birthday and buy you a matching one and will laugh at your scream of disgust.

Gaz one ups him by gifting you a matching hat as well, putting it on your head as he flicks the brim.

"Thanks Gaz! I love it!

"And not mine?"

"You're on thin ice, old man."

Price gets gifted a set from manscaped by the guys as a gag gift. He uses it for his beard bc he never bothered to look into why everyone was laughing around him.

Price takes your phone when you try and show him memes, squinting hard as fuck like a dad 💀

Soap, if yall have the time off takes you to scottish football games and it's a whole thing. You sitting there while he gets drunk out of his fucking mind, hollering and whooping and you're there trying to sink into your seat.

Chances are someone's gonna shove you and you're gonna trip and fall bc everyone's so amped up and Soap threatens to beat the shit out of them. It's a miracle y'all don't get kicked out 💀

If you have tattoos, Soap is the first one to take a marker set and color them in and adding his own additions. If you were ever to get them actually tattooed, he would tear up and pretend he isn't emotional about it.

"You like me that much Bonnie?"

He would get something of you too, so it evens out. This also makes Ghost in turn get a tattoo for you bc he refuses to be out done and he's just as attached

Neither of them get your call sign or your name, but they get something personal to what each of them associate you with.

The first time you meet Alex, you're across the room doing something that has your focus and didn't realize this is actually your first time meeting him. You ask him for a hand only to look up and see him extend his prosthetic at you with a smile and you scream.

"You asked for a hand but best I can do is a Leg." Price comes running and he sees the scene and rolls his eyes.

Everyone single one of them are the definition of "my girl can wear whatever she wants bc I'll break your jaw." meme btw. You can take care of yourself but you never need to bc they will beat a bitch up.

Laswell invites you constantly to come over and meet with her wife, esp if you don't have a mother figure. She always always tries to come on base to see you and always has a birthday and Christmas present on it's way to you wherever you may be. Her wife loves you to death and they've pretty much adopted you and you cannot escape it, oh well.

Gaz buys you whatever your little heart desires, especially if he's deployed away in a country where they sell exclusives of whatever you enjoy. It's a pain in the fucking ass to try and ship a anime figure to your place from Japan but he's gonna try his best.

Ghost doesn't share his food, or at least it was before you came along. He groans and grumbles about having to feed you but he wouldn't do it if he truly didn't want to. Soap asks and Ghost tells him to fuck off.

If you watch anime, please imagine trying to get everyone in the room and trying to explain who Dabi is. They're all so fucking old they keep thinking you're referring to the elf from Harry Potter and it infuriates you to no end.

Soap and Gaz know better but it's funnier to see you mad.

Being the youngest, they absolutely force you to do the jobs they don't want to. Whether it be cleaning the barracks, to cooking dinner when able, it doesn't matter bc they'll all pull rank on you.

"You're the new kid, get to it then."

"Ghosttttt-"

"Don't Ghost me."

Soap is the kind of motherfucker to play the fifa games and doesn't understand that he's stupid for buying it every single year bc there are no changes oncesoever. He will not listen to you about it and you've given up.

Ghost will see you talk about your etsy list and will ask for your phone, you trust him so of course you hand it over. He hands it back to you and it's just, all purchased. He says nothing while he sips on his tea while you scream at him asking why he did it. He won't tell you but it's because he knows it makes you happy and it'll keep your mood up, giving you a reason to be motivated to get through missions. It's also because he knows that retail therapy is a thing for your generation.

Soap, if you do any, is actually really good at doing your makeup! He knows how to do everything and he refuses to elaborate. (As a kid he'd do his mom's makeup when she went out for dates) he's the one who helps you doll up if you're going undercover.

Ghost, Gaz and Price find you unfunny whenever you make a "wow I wish British people were real." You say it so often and it gets annoying but they also just accept it's a part of life.

Soap personally enjoys the "SCOTLAND FOREVERRRRRRR" meme and will scream it with you. Ghost threatens to cut yalls tongue out.

Other parts can be found under #Kayla writes <3

Taglist:

@devilsfoodcake22 @simon-rileys-princess

@stupid-ninja @milkmily

@lune-la-chanson @tamayakii

@teacupcollector @sweet-as-an-angel

@perilous-pasta @ihatethisappsomuchitpains

@marsbar127xx @baddump

@xncasi @king-cookiex

@palomaxaxaxa @amatchasky @wolfyland07 @diejager

@hailstrum18 @pretty-little-bunny382728 @mzfandom

If you'd like to be tagged, go to my pinned post and comment there :)

#ghost <3 #soap <3 #price <3 #gaz <3 #call of duty #call of duty x reader #ghost x reader #soap x reader #gaz x reader #price x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #john soap mactavish x reader #john price x reader #kyle gaz garrick x reader #gen z! headcanons #kayla writes <3 #laswell <3 #fem reader

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

Which (association) football teams do you think each of the 141 team follow, including Jade?

THIS is my type of stuff as I follow football so here goes :

⚔️⚽ TF141 Football Headcanon ⚽⚔️

Price 🚬 is a BIG Liverpool fan. Barry Sloane is a Liverpool fan as well, even got it into the CoD game where Laswell actually met Price in a football game. Kinda cool ngl. Price would fight anyone who talks shit in a random pub somewhere.

Gaz 🧢 follows EPL too, but not as intense as Price. Gaz is Gooner which is the fan name of Arsenal. He deffo brags all the time since they have the number 1 standing right now. Gaz's fav player is definitely Virgil van Dijk the god-tier defender.

Ghost 💀 is from Manchester and supports Manchester City. Actually a crazy fan like Price but hides it. Often time he fails as he would also fight people over football, including Price. Gaz and Soap have to watch over them as there is no breaking them once they're on to a fistfight.

According to CoD wikipedia, Soap 🧼 is an actual football fan and used to play as a goalie . He's from the Isle of Skye so I thought he played for the local football club. He follows the Scottish Premiere League and prolly supports the Celtic. However, from EPL I feel like he'd support New Castle.

Bonus : Jade 🌹 doesn't really follow football like the boys. In fact, Ghost influenced her to watch EPL when he once took her to a football watching date. When she saw how watching football made Ghost happy, she started supporting Manchester City as well. Plus Erling Haaland is cool af.

YES I KNOW SAMUEL IS AN EVERTON FAN BUT I REFUSE THIS FACT I DO NOT ACCEPT IT.

There it goes! 👌⚽

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw #cod #cod mw22 #sleepy answers #captain price #john price #kyle gaz garrick #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #charlotte jade le jardin #task force 141 #tf 141 #call of duty oc #cod oc #call of duty hc

[scotianostra]

On March 12th 1881 Andrew Watson made his Scotland debut as the world’s first black international football player and captain.

It’s not often I venture into the world of football but this is quite a historical event, not only was he the first Black footballer to captain Scotland, but the first one in International football, although there were very few international teams at this time it is still a major event in my humble opinion, this would actually make him the first Black footballer to play international football, the firsts will continue as the post does…..

Andrew Watson was born in May 24th 1857, Demerara, British Guiana, the son of a wealthy Scottish sugar planter Peter Miller and a local girl Rose Watson. At the age of 14, he was schooled at the exclusive King’s College London, where school records show he excelled at sports including football. He later studied philosophy, mathematics and engineering at University of Glasgow when he was 19, where his natural love of football blossomed.

After first playing for Maxwell F.C., in 1876 he signed for local side Parkgrove F.C. where he was additionally their match secretary, making Watson football’s first black administrator. After marrying in Glasgow, he soon signed for Queen’s Park F.C. – then Britain’s biggest football team – and later became their secretary. He led the team to several Scottish Cup wins, thus becoming the first black player to win a major competition.

Soon Watson won three international caps for Scotland including captaining them to a 6-1 victory against England on March 12, 1881

In 1882, he moved south and became the first black player to play in the English FA Cup when he turned out for London Swifts F.C. In 1884 he was the first foreign player to be invited to join the most exclusive of football teams, a team that only allowed only 50 members of the high elite to join – Corinthians F.C. – created to challenge the supremacy of Queen’s Park and the Scottish national side.

It had been maintained that the first black footballer was Arthur Wharton, until it was only recently noted that Watson pre-dates him by 11 years.

One reason is that when historians consider black footballers, they tend to concentrate on professionals and not amateurs such as Watson. Another is that there are no known written records or match reports that mention the colour of Watson’s skin. One match report is more interested in that Watson played in unusual brown boots rather than the customary black boots of that time.

The colour of his skin was of no significance to his peers and there is no historical record of racism on the part of the Scottish Football Association. As written in the minutes, before one match where Watson was injured and unable to play, an SFA vice-president said if Watson had been fit he would have happily drugged a fellow Scottish international to give Watson his place.

Scottish Football Association Annual of 1880-81 reads…..

“Watson, Andrew: One of the very best backs we have; since joining Queen’s Park has made rapid strides to the front as a player; has great speed and tackles splendidly; powerful and sure kick; well worthy of a place in any representative team.”

There is almost no record of his later life; however, it is known that Watson later emigrated to Australia, he later retired to London in around 1910 and died of pneumonia at 88 Forest Road, Kew, in 1921. He is buried in Richmond Cemetery.

Pics are a mural on the side of Jodandys café in Shawlands, Glasgow, and another at the 1st Hampden Park.

#scotland #scottish #guyananan-scots #footballer

[stephensmithuk]

The Missing Three-Quarter

Published in 1904, this forms part of Return.

"Weird" in its present meaning is first recorded in 1815.

A three-quarter is someone who plays near the back of a rugby union formation.

Trinity College, Cambridge, was formed in 1546 by the merger of two existing colleges. It is the Oxbridge college with the lowest proportion of state-schooled pupils and no less than six British Prime Ministers are among its alumni. More infamously, four of the five members of the "Cambridge Five" spy ring went there.

Professional sport was just starting to get going on the UK, to considerable controversy. Rugby Union and Rugby League split because of a disagreement about paying players. Many of the clubs were made up of lower- and middle-class players who were missing work to play rugby, so split off in 1895 to form the latter which has slightly different rules and were pro from the get-go. Rugby Union remained amateur until 1995.

The first England international rugby match - and indeed the first such match between two national sides - took place in 1871 against Scotland; they lost. The Scottish team included a non-white player, Alfred Clunies-Ross, who was half-Malay.

Matches were mostly among the "Home Nations" until 1905.

Rugby Union has 15 players to a side - one notable difference from American football is that you're not allowed to pass the ball forwards.

Cambridge is accessible by train from King's Cross and Liverpool Street.

Klinger points out that the richest man in England is so cheap that he's taking the bus.

Intercepting someone's telegrams, telephone calls or mail legally required a warrant signed by the Home Secretary. This of course had the potential for abuse.

The Cambridgeshire Fens are low-lying, flat and marshy. Not good for hiding.

Draghounds follow a prepared scent trail instead of a live animal; thus the sport remains legal despite the more general ban on fox-hunting within dogs passed in 2004.

Pompey was a Roman Republic general and statesman, but the name is also one closely associated with Portsmouth.

Trumpington is a real village, first recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book.

"Consumption" or tuberculosis was a common thing in Victorian/Edwardian literature to inflict on innocent, attractive female characters, who could die in a "beautiful" manner.

The BCG vaccine used to prevent tuberculosis did not start being used on humans until 1921; the main treatment at the time was rest and good food.

#letters from watson #sherlock holmes #the missing three-quarter #MISS #history #factoids

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 31 December 1941, former Manchester United football team manager and worker militant Alex Ferguson was born in Scotland to mother and father who were both socialist union shop stewards. As a teenager, Ferguson became an apprentice tool-maker in the Govan shipyards in Glasgow. At the age of 19 he became a union shop steward, and led a wildcat strike in a pay dispute. After beginning work as a footballer, Ferguson continued to organise with his fellow workers, becoming chairman of the Scottish Professional Footballers' Association, and leading a walkout of players while playing at Falkirk. Following a 6-1 defeat in 1972, the manager Willie Cunningham withdrew expenses for lunch and travel for players as a punishment. Ferguson and his teammates walked out before a training session and announced they would refuse to play at a forthcoming match against Montrose. The strike was successful, and ultimately led to the departure of Cunningham from the team. More recently, Ferguson moved away from the militancy of his youth, throwing his support behind right-wing Labour Party leader Tony Blair and the controversial takeover of Manchester United by the billionaire Glazer family. Learn more about the intersection between football and working class politics in this book: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/products/soccer-vs-the-state-tackling-football-and-radical-politics-gabriel-kuhn https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.1819457841572691/2175478459303959/?type=3

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Sam Heughan has signed up to the celebrity dating app Raya in a bid to find love, MailOnline can reveal.

Despite being known for his role as the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in Outlander, the Scottish actor, 43, is yet to find his dream partner.

Sam, who was last seen enjoying a romance with Australian model Monika Clarke in 2022, has decorated his Raya profile with a slew of hunky snaps, and lists his main location as the UK.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Sam Heughan for comment.

Raya is a private membership community that started out as a dating app, but has since become a platform for networking and social discovery.

A select few are chosen to be part of the 'elite community', with the waiting list to join the app said to be in the 'thousands' and 'not even 10 per cent of those who apply get in'

It was launched in 2015, and can be used on iPhones and iPads for $9.99 a month.

Sam was previously spotted kissing Australian model Monika Clarke in 2022, and he was also romantically linked to Twin Peaks actress Amy Shiels in 2018

A select few are chosen to be part of the 'elite community', with the waiting list to join the app said to be in the 'thousands' and 'not even 10 per cent of those who apply get in'.

Other names thought to have signed up include F1 star Lewis Hamilton, actor James Norton and footballer Jude Bellingham.

Before that he was romantically linked to Into The Woods actress MacKenzie Mauzy in 2017 before they split quietly the next year, and also previously dated Cody Kennedy and Abbie Salt as well.

In May 2023, Sam shared rare insight into his love life by admitting he's still looking for 'The One.'

He told People: 'I've done all of the gift-giving and turning up when least expected, but, so far, I'm still looking.'

He has starred on Starz series Outlander throughout its run, with the second half of its seventh season set to premiere in November 2024.

Sam was previously spotted kissing model Monika two years ago, and he was also romantically linked to Twin Peaks actress Amy Shiels in 2018.

Before that he was romantically linked to Into The Woods actress MacKenzie Mauzy in 2017 before they split quietly the next year

Despite being known for his role as the dashing Highland warrior Jamie Fraser in Outlander (pictured), Sam admitted in May he is yet to find his dream partner.

Outlander is a historical drama television series based on the ongoing novel series of the same name by Diana Gabaldon.

It is centered around an English combat nurse named Claire Randall (Catriona Balfe) from 1945 who is mysteriously swept back in time to 1743.

Last year, Sam also starred opposite Poldark's Eleanor Tomlinson in the steamy Channel 4 drama The Couple Next Door.

The series saw Evie and her husband Pete (Alfred Enoch) moving into an upscale neighbourhood, where they met next door neighbours cop Danny (Sam) and his wife, glamorous yoga instructor Becka (Jessica De Gouw).

As time goes on, these two couples get increasingly close to each other and one fateful night, become sexually entangled in a way that will change their lives forever.

During filming, Eleanor and Sam worked with intimacy coordinator Vanessa Coffey.

Prior to filming, the pair also knew each other through their mutual friend Caitríona Balfe, who plays Jamie's wife, Claire, in Outlander.

Eleanor previously told The Radio Times: 'Sam is now one of my best friends. Every day was a joy and creating Danny and Evie’s complicated and dangerous relationship was a lot of fun.

'It’s a real treat to work alongside such a supportive co-star but to leave a job with a best friend is pretty rare.'

Raya

Laura Fox UK Associate Showbusiness Editor. mailonline.co.uk.

Oops! Old news SH has been on Raya for a while and still can't find what he’s supposedly looking for 😬 One-night -stand with MC a date? If after breakfast He didn't see her again. A casual first night doesn't mean a date on the table. No one had ever mentioned this to the journalist 😂

Posted 11th April 2024

[unfortunate-arrow]

𝐋𝐮𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐚 | hp next gen character profile

Warnings: Mentions of death, murder, and general associated darkness

✧ IDENTITY ✧

Full Name: Luke Percival Battersea 

Nicknames: None

Name Meanings: Luke → Greek, “man from Lucania” ; Percival → French, “one who pierces the valley” ; Battersea → Anglo-Saxon, meaning unknown. 

Date of Birth: July 21, 2000 

Gender: Male (he/him)

Sexuality: Heterosexual 

Blood Status: Half-blood 

Nationality: Irish, Scottish 

Residence: Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland (birth to age 4) ; Dublin, Ireland (age 4 to 6 & age 8 to 28) ; Edinburgh, Scotland (age 6) ; London, England (age 6) ; Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland (age 7) ; Wexford, County Wexford, Ireland (age 8) ; Leeds, England (age 8) ; Ballyroan, County Laois, Ireland (age 28 to death)

✧ APPEARANCE ✧

Faceclaim: Cameron Chapman

Height: 5’11”

Build: Lanky and athletic 

Hair: Sandy brown that’s short and usually neat

Eye Color: Hazel

Scarring:

Childhood & Hogwarts: Luke has a small scar by the corner of his right lip as the result of a lightsaber accident. 

Adulthood: None

Modifications: (glasses, piercings, tattoos, etc.) None 

Other Distinguishing Marks: None

Clothing Style: Collared shirts ; slacks ; ties ; suit jackets ; sneakers ; plaid shirts ; sweaters ; sweatshirts ; jeans ; joggers ; a trench coat

Accessories: A wrist watch, the Wexford earldom signet ring

What’s in His Pockets: His wand, his wallet

What’s in His School Bag: Textbooks, parchment, quills, ink ; a notebook ; a few photographs ; his great-great-grandfather’s pocket watch 

✧ SPEECH & LANGUAGE ✧

Voiceclaim: Cameron Chapman

Accent: Irish 

Dialect: Supraregional Southern Irish English 

Languages Spoken: English, some Irish 

Languages Understood: English, some Irish, some Latin

✧ PERSONALITY ✧

MBTI Type: INTP — the logician  

⤷ Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. Have unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical. 

Enneagram Type: 5 — the investigator 

⤷ Fives are cerebral, detached and sober. They want to understand the world and protect their privacy and independence so they can live on their own terms. They like to analyze the world, dissect it, go to the bottom of things and feel like they really understood everything there is to understand before they make a move. 

Positive Traits: Practical, organized, responsible, calm, decisive, strong-willed, courageous, curious, analytical, open-minded

Neutral Traits: Quiet, reserved, private, independent, honest, realistic, logical, observant, dutiful, generally objective

Negative Traits: Insensitive, stubborn, judgmental, a tendency to blame himself, extremely private, not the best with emotions, impatient, perfectionist tendencies 

Common Stressors: Exams ; investigating his family’s murders ; people ; schoolwork 

Comforting Things: Kicking a football (⚽️) against a wall ; Star Wars (preferably the original trilogy) ; fencing ; chocolate  

Interests & Hobbies: Football/soccer, flying, model Star Wars ships, fencing, reading, swimming, hurling

Description: Left grief-ridden and adrift after the murder of his family when he was six, Luke learned rather early on that life sucked and that was a defining moment of his life. It was the moment in his life which defined who he would become and why he was like that. He grew withdrawn, quiet, and private after the event, something that was compounded by spending two years being passed around between different guardians. Despite this, though, Luke remained a generally kind, albeit aloof and prickly, person. In addition, Luke grew determined to learn everything about the deaths of his family and his already stubborn tendencies were enhanced. He wasn’t always the best with emotions, often suppressing his own and ignoring what he was feeling. All around, though, Luke is a reserved and intelligent man with an open yet analytical mind.

✧ MAGIC ✧

Wand: Luke’s wand is made of pine wood with a dragon heartstring core and is 10 ¼ inches with an unyielding flexibility. 

⤷ Pine wands always chose an independent, individual master who might be perceived as a loner, intriguing and perhaps mysterious. Pine wands enjoyed being used creatively, and unlike some others, would adapt unprotestingly to new methods and spells. Many wandmakers insisted that pine wands were able to detect, and perform best for, owners who were destined for long lives, including Garrick Ollivander who had never personally known the master of a pine wand to die young. The pine wand was one of those that were most sensitive to non-verbal magic.

Other Magical Abilities: None

Patronus: Fire dwelling salamander 

Patronus Memory: A lightsaber fight with his older brothers, Mark and Scott (shortly before their deaths)

Boggart: The walls move in like the Star Wars trash compactor with the screams of his family echoing around the room 

Riddikulus: The screams become Chewbacca’s cries 

Amortentia:

Luke smells like sandalwood, spearmint, pepper, bergamot, and coffee.

Luke smells marinara sauce, chocolate, dog, jasmine, and vanilla. 

Mirror of Erised: Himself with his family 

✧ HOGWARTS ✧

House: Gryffindor 

OWL Classes:

Astronomy — Exceeds Expectations 

Charms — Outstanding 

Defense Against the Dark Arts — Outstanding 

Flying — Outstanding  

Herbology — Acceptable 

History of Magic — Acceptable

Potions — Exceeds Expectations 

Transfiguration — Outstanding 

OWL Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures — Acceptable 

Study of Ancient Runes — Exceeds Expectations

NEWT Classes:

Charms — Outstanding 

Defense Against the Dark Arts — Outstanding 

Herbology — Exceeds Expectations 

Potions — Exceeds Expectations 

Transfiguration — Outstanding

Extracurriculars: Seeker on the Gryffindor quidditch team starting in his third year 

✧ EMPLOYMENT ✧

Affiliations: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry ; TBD

Professions: TBD

✧ FAMILY ✧

Father: Grant Percival Edmund Battersea [deceased, 1947-2006]

Born in 1947, Grant is the only child of Oliver and Cecilia Battersea. He grew up in a home full of love, with numerous cousins and extended family. Despite being one of the younger cousins, Grant managed to form good relationships with most of his cousins. He was sorted into Ravenclaw upon starting Hogwarts, just like his father had been. He met his future wife, Janet, at Hogwarts… although their first meeting was purely accidental and they didn’t reconnect until after Hogwarts. Grant was fascinated by his family’s history, from the Wexford earldom on the Battersea side to the murder of his great-grandfather on the Kennedy side. It was this fascination that propelled Grant into a career as an auror, although he spent much of his career researching cold cases as they were the things that fascinated. In 1972, he married Janet Bruce and two years later they welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Aileen. His son, Mark, followed three years later in 1977 with Scott coming two years later in 1980 and Isla being born three years after Scott in 1983. Grant was content with his four children and was beyond relieved when his whole family escaped the second wizarding war unharmed, even though they had spent much of the war in hiding. Grant had helped with coordinating safe houses, though, unable to stand by and watch everyone else do things. The biggest shock came when Janet informed him that she was pregnant for a fifth time in late 1999. Their youngest and fifth child, Luke, was welcomed in July of 2000. Despite the shock, Grant enjoyed being a father again. He enjoyed spending time with his youngest. He just never expected that his time with Luke would be cut short. In late 2006, Grant was murdered alongside his wife and four eldest children. The culprit would eventually be identified as the same wizard who had murdered Grant’s great-grandfather, Ferdia Kennedy. 

Luke had a good relationship with his father. They had a fairly close relationship and always got along pretty well. Luke doesn’t have many memories of his father, as he was only six when Grant died. He does often wish that he could talk to and just be with his father. 

Faceclaim: George Clooney 

Mother: Janet Marie Battersea née Bruce [deceased, 1951-2006]

Born in 1951, Janet is the eldest child of Angus and Mary Bruce. She was their only child with magic, and was sorted into Gryffindor upon starting Hogwarts. She accidentally met her husband during their time at Hogwarts but they didn’t reconnect or spend time together until after they had both graduated. Janet worked as a herbalist, with a tilt towards medicinal herbology. In 1972, she married Grant Battersea and two years later, they welcomed their first child, Aileen Cecilia, in 1974. In 1977, they welcomed their second child and first son, Mark with their second son Scott coming two years later in 1980. Their second daughter, Isla was born three years after Scott in 1983. Janet was content with her four children and was greatly relieved when the Battersea family emerged from the second wizarding war unharmed. Janet had surreptitiously supplied the order of the Phoenix with medicinal plants while her husband coordinated safe houses. Of course, nothing seemed to compare the shock of discovering that she was pregnant for a fifth time in 1999. It had been seventeen years since her previous pregnancy and Janet was not expecting to have any more children, but she and Grant welcomed their youngest son, Luke, in July of 2000. Janet was happy with their newest son, though. She just never expected that her time with her youngest would be cut short. In late 2006, Janet was murdered alongside her husband and four eldest children.

Luke had a good relationship with his mother. They had a pretty good relationship, although Luke doesn’t have very many memories of his mother as he was only six when Janet died. Once again, he wishes that he could have had stronger memories of her. 

Sister: Aileen Cecilia Battersea [deceased, 1974-2006]

Born in 1974, Aileen is the eldest child of Grant and Janet Battersea, 26 years older than Luke, and a Ravenclaw. Aileen took her role as the eldest child quite seriously and was always on the serious side. In fact, many would say that she was quite similar in personality to her great-grandfather, Edmund Kennedy. Aileen was both a prefect and headgirl during her tenure at Hogwarts. After Hogwarts, Aileen went on to become a lawyer, fostering her love for doing right. She was engaged when she was murdered in 2006, at the age of 32. However, Aileen died knowing that she had protected her baby brother and had done at least one good thing in her lifetime.

Luke had a good relationship with his oldest sister, although Aileen was the sibling that he spent the least amount of time with. Aileen was the most stunned by the announcement that her parents were pregnant for a fifth time, seventeen years after their youngest child. However, despite her misgivings, Aileen adored Luke and he adored her. 

Brother: Mark Dermot Battersea [deceased, 1977-2006]

Born in 1977, Mark is the second child of Grant and Janet Battersea, 23 years older than Luke, and a Gryffindor. Mark was always the most athletic of the four eldest Battersea siblings. He loved everything to do with athletics and he joined the Gryffindor quidditch team as soon as he was able to, earning the position of beater. He also fell in love with the Star Wars movies after seeing Return of the Jedi in theaters, something he would share with his baby brother. After Hogwarts, Mark went on to play beater for the Falmouth Falcons. He was murdered at the age of 29, alongside all of his family aside from his baby brother.

Luke was closest to Mark. They had a lot of similar interests, and Mark earned the spot of favorite sibling by introducing Luke to Star Wars. They often engaged in fake lightsaber duels and Mark just adored his baby brother. Luke adored Mark as well. They loved each other dearly and Luke definitely had some hero worship towards Mark.

Faceclaim: Paul Mescal

Brother: Scott Albert Battersea [deceased, 1980-2006]

Born in 1980, Scott is the third child of Grant and Janet Battersea, 20 years older than Luke, and a Hufflepuff. Scott was the most sociable of the four eldest Battersea siblings, joining multiple clubs including frog choir and the dueling club. Attending Hogwarts in the same year as Harry Potter himself meant that Scott’s years at Hogwarts were a bit chaotic and he wasn’t able to engage in things as much as he would have liked. After graduating Hogwarts, Scott became a journalist. He was inspired by what he had witnessed in his seventh year at Hogwarts and he became quite determined to show the world what was going on beneath the surface. He also began to research the murder of his great-great-grandfather. He was murdered at the age of 26, leaving behind a devastated boyfriend.

Luke had a good relationship with Scott, although they weren’t always the closest. Scott often took Luke on tours of Dublin and London and Edinburgh, showing his baby brother the world. Luke adored his big brother, just not as much as he adored Mark. Scott loved his baby brother. 

Sister: Isla Janet Battersea [deceased, 1983-2006]

Born in 1983, Isla is the fourth child of Grant and Janet Battersea, 17 years older than Luke, and a Slytherin. Isla was the quietest of the eldest four Battersea siblings. She preferred to keep to herself and fly under the radar, not drawing any extra attention to herself. Unlike her older siblings, Isla didn’t join any clubs or teams. She kept her head down, listening and observing, filing everything away to showcase in the art that had become her passion. After graduating from Hogwarts, Isla rented a studio space and dedicated her time to the craft of art. She never sold anything in her lifetime and her paintings remained hidden until 15-year-old Luke accidentally discovered her studio. She died at the age of 23.

Luke had a good relationship with his sister, although she remained the most mysterious of his siblings. They didn't spend a ton of time together, although Luke did prove to be Isla's occasional muse. They loved in each other a lot, even though Luke didn’t adore her quite the way he did their older siblings.

Cousin: Esmanur Zeynep Battersea (@endlessly-cursed)

Luke’s second cousin once removed, Esmanur was the daughter of his second cousin, Bayezeid Battersea and a woman of high standards, who was used to being treated like royalty. She married businessman Mahmud Parsons and had one daughter, Shreya, with him. 

Luke doesn’t have much of a relationship with Esmanur as she doesn’t have much time for anyone besides her daughter and sometimes, her husband. He doesn’t mind, knowing that he doesn’t want someone to replace the family that he had had. 

Faceclaim: Melike Ipek Yalova

Cousin-in-law: Mahmud Ismail Parsons (@endlessly-cursed)

Mahmud is the husband of Luke’s second cousin once removed, Esmanur Battersea, and the father of Shreya. He is a wealthy business from the city of Kolkata in India, although he spends much of his time traveling between different holdings. It was his decision to become Luke’s guardians, insisting that it would be a way to provide his daughter, Shreya, with a playmate and companion.

Luke doesn’t have much of a relationship with Mahmud, mostly because the older man spends most of his time traveling and isn’t around often. 

Faceclaim: Rahul Kohli 

Cousin: Shreya Hümasha Battersea-Parsons (@endlessly-cursed)

Born on May 6, 1997, Shreya is Luke’s second cousin twice removed and a Slytherin. Despite being very different personality-wise, they got on alright. They were never close or talked that much, but she was the only one to really take an interest in him and well… Shreya’s family was the first real aspect of stability in his life. Luke’s a fairly prickly fellow, but he understood that she was trying her best. Their relationship was an odd one to begin with, anyways. 

Faceclaim: Maitreyi Ramakrishan

Cousin: Yasemine Neeru Battersea-Parsons (@endlessly-cursed)

Pets: 

Childhood: A black Labrador retriever named Chewie

Adulthood: A chocolate Labrador retriever named Han Solo ; a yellow Labrador retriever named Skywalker

✧ ROMANCE & CHILDREN ✧

Love Interest: Sophia Josephine “Sophie” Pembroke

⤷ Luke first met Sophie Pembroke on the train ride to Hogwarts, but he thought nothing of their first run-in. He was already a ball of nerves and he didn’t have the wherewithal to devote time to trying to make friends. Therefore, it wasn’t until their fifth year that they actually had a conversation. A charged undercurrent of romance seemed to underlie their every interaction and Luke began telling Sophie things that he had never told another person before. Their friendship continued until the end of their sixth year when they finally broke the tension and kissed. From then on, everything was different. Despite Luke’s reserve, he found it surprisingly easy to open up to Sophie. She was everything that he had never allowed himself to want or let in, out of the fear that someone else would leave him in the end. They married in a small spur of the moment ceremony on September 25, 2026.

Son: Angus John “Gus” Battersea-Pembroke 

Hufflepuff | Twin | b. September 13, 2028

Luke has a good relationship with his son, and he’s probably a tad closer to Gus, solely because they understand each other quite well. Luke is quite proud of his son and they easily get along with minimal arguments or fights. He loves Gus very much and tries to support his son in everything that the boy tries. 

Faceclaim: Grant Feely

Daughter: Kennedy Lucretia Battersea-Pembroke 

Gryffindor | Twin | b. September 13, 2028

Luke has a generally good relationship with his daughter. However, they do have some arguments and fights, especially when Kennedy’s a teenager due to her headstrong nature and Luke’s lean towards protectiveness. Despite this though, Luke is quite proud of his daughter and he wants to support Kennedy in everything that she tries. He loves his daughter very much. 

Faceclaim: Vivien Lyra Blair

✧ OTHER RELATIONSHIPS ✧

Best Friends:

Cassie Abbott (@smarti-at-smogwarts)

Close Friends: TBD

Friends: TBD

Acquaintances: TBD

It’s Complicated: TBD

Hogwarts Dormmates: TBD, 3 spaces available 

Joaquin Valdez 

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

Rivals: TBD

Enemies: The cloaked man

✧ HISTORY & BACKGROUND ✧

Place of Birth: Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland 

Hometown: Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland and Dublin, Ireland

Childhood: 

Luke Percival Battersea, born July 21, 2000, was the youngest child of Grant and Janet Battersea of Enniscorthy, Ireland. His parents were both around the age of 50. He also joined older siblings Aileen (26), Mark (23), Scott (20), and Isla (17)… who really hadn’t been expecting another sibling as Luke was an oops baby. A wanted oops baby, but an oops baby nonetheless. However, his siblings all slowly began warming up to the idea and all four of them indulged Luke.

The first six years of Luke’s life were stable and happy. In many ways, he was essentially an only child being raised by much older parents and could sometimes get away with a lot. His siblings all indulged him and did things with him that their parents would not have liked. The most important thing that his siblings did was when his big brother, Mark, let him watch Star Wars: A New Hope when he was four. From that moment on, Luke was pretty much obsessed with Star Wars, one of the few things that would always give him a sense of happiness and comfort.

However, everything changed one October night in 2006. The whole family had gathered for a small dinner and celebration when the windows blew inwards and a cloaked man appeared. At his parents’ urging, Luke’s eldest sister, Aileen, shut him into a closet with the urging to be quiet and stay put until someone came to get him. That was the last time that Luke saw his parents and siblings. He was found in the closet by aurors, who quickly pieced together that this was the missing Battersea son. Luke was shielded from the scene of his family’s murders and placed into the custody of his aging and widowed maternal grandfather, Angus Bruce. 

Nearing ninety, Angus did the best he could with his grieving and orphaned grandson. One of the first things that Angus did was get his grandson a Labrador retriever puppy. Luke named the black lab Chewie, after the Wookiee Chewbacca. Unfortunately, Angus suffered a debilitating stroke and three weeks later, he suffered a second fatal stroke. After that, Luke was placed with Battersea relatives, descendants of his grandfather’s brother, Louis, in London, England for six weeks. Unfortunately, it turned out that one of his cousins was severely allergic to pet dander and thus, Luke was moved to another relative shortly before his seventh birthday. 

This time, he was placed in Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland with his grandmother’s younger brother, Alfie. Alfie had a strong sense of duty and family, so he had no problem taking in his grandnephew. Alfie, despite having handed out the majority of his possessions to his own children, decided to give Cecelia’s grandson their father’s pocket watch. Luke was shocked to be given the pocket watch and held it close, knowing that there was a history tied to the watch’s owners. Unfortunately, Luke’s time with Alfie was cut short when Alfie found himself falling into a chronic illness. Despite his best efforts, Alfie made the difficult decision to explain to Luke that they couldn’t keep living together. It wasn’t fair to the eight-year-old, who deserved someone who could keep up with him.

After Alfie, Luke was placed with more Battersea descendants, still from his grandfather’s brother, Louis’s family, in Wexford, where the Battersea earldom had once included. Luke spent six months in Wexford, before those Batterseas had to move for their matriarch's career. Next, Luke found himself in Leeds, England with some of his Bruce relatives. They didn’t know what to do with the grieving and angry eight-year-old (and his dog). Within three months they asked for Luke to be placed with someone else. This would, thankfully, be the final placement. Mahmud Parsons and his wife, Esmanur Battersea-Parsons had arranged to take Luke in, despite the distant relationship with Luke being the second cousin of Esmanur’s father and descendants of Luke’s grandfather’s brother, Niall. They had a daughter, Shreya, who was three years older than Luke and made the effort to get to know him. Luke took nearly a year to get fully comfortable with living with the Battersea-Parsons. He kept waiting for the other foot to drop and for something to happen where they decided that they couldn’t do it anymore. Luckily, that never happened and Luke slowly became more and more comfortable.  

Hogwarts Years:

Upon starting Hogwarts, Luke was sorted into Gryffindor. He took a while to grow comfortable at Hogwarts, even though he was used to being by himself. It was just that he didn’t have his beloved dog, Chewie, with him and Chewie had been with Luke since his family died. In his third year, Luke made the Gryffindor quidditch team as their new seeker. That same year, Luke also began researching his family’s murders in earnest. It became a somewhat all-consuming search, but after nearly failing multiple assignments, Luke realized that he couldn’t let his search completely consume all his attention. 

In his fifth year, Luke formed a friendship with Sophie Pembroke which quickly gained underlying layers of romance. They danced around the romance aspect for nearly a year, even though everyone else knew that Luke Battersea and Sophie Pembroke were in love. They didn’t start dating until the end of their sixth year. 

Adulthood:

After graduating from Hogwarts, Luke continued his research into his family’s murders and discovered the connection between their deaths and the death of his great-great-grandfather. He also began to notice similarities in a variety of murders from the 1880s to the 2000s. It all led up to a confrontation between Luke and the cloaked man who had murdered Ferdia Kennedy back in 1891. The cloaked man was killed and a century-long conspiracy was discovered, one that ran deeper than Voldemort or anyone who had come before him.

After finding the truth, Luke didn't know what to do with himself. He put more and more of himself into his relationship with Sophie and with selling Isla Battersea paintings. His career is still TBD

Luke married Sophie on September 25, 2026 in a small ministry ceremony, with her family in attendance and a few of their closest friends. They had two children, twins, together. Their children, Angus John “Gus” and Kennedy Lucretia were born on September 13, 2028.

Old Age:

Luke retired at the age of 102. After his retirement, he spent time helping Sophie pass on her wand making shop and traveling. He spent time with his grandchildren as well.

Death: 

Luke passed away at the age of 116, in 2116. He died peacefully in his sleep and left behind two children, five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and two great-great grandchildren. 

✧ MISCELLANEOUS ✧ 

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: Manicotti with cheesy garlic bread 

Favorite Drink: Cinnamon hot chocolate with whipped cream 

Favorite Weather: Sunny and autumn

Favorite Season: Autumn 

Favorite Book: A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Favorite Music: U2, Bastille

Favorite Movie: The Empire Strikes Back

Dislikes: Crowds ; bullies ; seafood ; broccoli ; wet clothes ; Star Trek

Trivia:

Luke is the great-grandson of Simon Battersea, the last earl of Wexford, and Edmund Kennedy, a former head of the treasury department. Simon’s youngest son, Oliver, married Edmund’s youngest daughter, Cecilia, making them Luke’s paternal grandparents. 

Luke first watched the original Star Wars trilogy at the age of 4, courtesy of his big brother, Mark. From that point on, he would run around the house, whacking things with a plastic lightsaber. He also snuck out of Hogwarts to go and see The Force Awakens in December of 2015. 

Important Links:

tag: #Luke Battersea

More information on Luke’s children, Gus and Kennedy

#luke battersea #hp next gen oc #hp next gen #hpma #magic awakened #hp next gen character profile #my character profile #my aesthetic

[engineer-gunzelpunk]

Big Harry Is Ailing by Jack Evans

The Argus, Saturday July 21, 1951

I took the text because the article shape is so awkward.

*cues in Sad Henry music*

BIG HARRY IS AILING By JACK EVANS

HEAVY HARRY, the bad boy who later become the pride of the Victorian railways, is ill. Seriously ill. All 260 tons of him. Slumped in hospital - the repair sheds at Newport workshops, Victoria's only H220 engine could hardly raise steam above a whisper yesterday.

Heavy Harry, built at Newport - the heaviest locomotive in the Southern Hemisphere, is the only one of its type in Australia. His massive size and varied adventures made him pride of the rail engine fleet during World War II.

"Overwork, that's what caused it," he gasped yesterday. "I've got something wrong with my boiler." He said sadly: "You know, you're the first visitor I've had since I came to hospital. No one cares."

Work Of Two

"Why, Mr. Hyland, Transport Minister, was proud to drive me when I was launched in '41. Kiddies flocked to see me when I went on exhibition. "But as soon as you get sick you're forgotten. "In 10 years I've travelled more than half a million miles for the Railways. And I've pulled millions of tons of freight between Albury and Melbourne, doing the work of two engines."

He added, indignantly: "These new R Class engines are getting all the limelight now. Running around painted red and black, with all the glamor of Essendon footballers "

"And letting girls ride on their footplates. I was brought up better than that, and I've never worn anything but decent black all my life!

"Going to haul passenger trams from Bendigo, are they? Bah! When the Railways got into a jam with the Spirit, who did none Help they yell for? Heavy Harry! "They tell me those R Class engines stole the show in the Engineering section at the Festival of Britain. They sound more like mannequins instead of machines. "And boasting about their mechanical stokers! Let me tell you, I had the first mechanical stoker in the whole of Victoria. And the best! "I heard my boss, Commissioner Wishart, say that 70 of them -were coming from England. And half-a-dozen streamlined diesels from U.S.A.

"What about accommodation problems? He wants to remember there is a shortage of engine round-houses here." Harry brightened up towards the end of the interview.

"I'll be back on the track soon," he prophesied. "All 92ft. 6in. of me, and fighting fit. "Those glamor jobs had better hunt a quiet siding. If I meet them on a foggy night I'll show them that Old Harry hasn't lost his punch."

A couple of notes:

Jack Evans seems to be using the character of Heavy Harry to critique the VR, which is entirely valid since the railways were about to get absolutely slaughtered by our own native version of Beeching and didn't recover for another 60 years.

The North British Works-built Hudson R-class "glamor jobs" they talk about weren't bad engines, just wholly unsuited to the jobs VR assigned to them, which were goods trains rather than express passenger trains like they were built for.

(And they're Scottish, Harry! They were built at Glasgow! You know this!)

They did bear a scarlet and black color scheme... possibly to connote in a new era their passenger engine status (red, used on express passenger locos in the pre-Clapp era on A2s and other passenger locomotives), wedded to standard VR black.

(Hudson R 707 "City Of Melbourne")

The Lancastrian built J-Classes, the last steam engines built for VR, also bore this scarlet and black scheme.

Essendon Football Club were the glamor team of the Victorian Football League (Australian Rules football) at the time, having appeared in almost every single Grand Final since 1941, which is kinda funny that he gives the Rs a serve for their color scheme... as I have Harry as an Essendon supporter in my OC headcanon, lol. (strong IRL historical associations between Essendon and Heavy Harry).

(Outside of Essendon Railway Station, bearing a photo of ‘Harry on the Express to Albury at Essendon, 1949’… old timers living here would recall Harry shaking the earth as he passed).

Him threatening to bash the "glamor jobs" though... is dead on like my OC Harry! Cranky, prone to melancholia, painfully aware of how alone he is. That is Heavy Harry.

Also:

"Overwork, that's what caused it," he gasped yesterday. "I've got something wrong with my boiler." He said sadly: "You know, you're the first visitor I've had since I came to hospital. No one cares."

"I SUFFER DREADFULLY AND NO ONE CARES"

Both rebellious, troublesome engines with issues.

Canonically both melancholy and lonely engines with wide angry streaks.

Both are fairly unique engines. Harry is the sole Pocono with a third cylinder that exists, sole member of his class. Henry was a failed hybrid turned Black Five, the sheer fact of this makes him fairly unique.

Both seem fond of flowers (see the illustration in my earlier Heavy Harry post).

Both he and Henry were originally meant to be express passenger locomotives but turned to the purpose of night/early-morning fast goods.

Both are fond of their "special coal" (Harry worked best on the Oz version of Welsh coal, Maitland coal).

"Harry" is a variant of the name Henry.

This particular article was put out less than two weeks after the publication of the book "Henry the Green Engine", on the 10th of July 1951.

Neither seem interested in ladies, canonically.

The little drawing they put in it is basically Henry…

Just sayin'! If Twin Flames existed... It’d be these two. Har’ is basically an Oz version of Henry…

So fucking weird when you find such off-kilter content about something you are interested in. Also, H220 and its the 22nd of the month so...

#Victorian Railways H-class Pocono H220 “Heavy Harry” #The Argus newspaper #The Railway Series Down Under #trains in the wild #thomasallgrownup #Victorian Railways #real locomotives

[lindsaywesker]

Deaths In 2023

January

1: Fred White (67, American drummer, Earth Wind & Fire)

3: Alan Rankine (64, Scottish musician/producer, The Associates)

6: Gianluca Vialli (58, Italian football player/manager)

10: Jeff Beck (78, English guitarist, The Yardbirds/The Jeff Beck Group/Beck Bogart & Appice)

11: Yukihiro Takahashi (70, Japanese singer/drummer, Yellow Magic Orchestra)

12: Robbie Bachman (69, Canadian drummer, Bachman Turner Overdrive)

Lisa-Marie Presley (54, American singer/songwriter, daughter of Elvis, mother of Riley Keough)

16: Gina Lollobrigida (95, Italian actress)

18: David Crosby (81, American singer/songwriter, The Byrds, Crosby Stills Nash & Young)

27: Sylvia Sims (89, English actress, ‘Ice Cold In Alex’)

28: Barrett Strong (81, American singer/songwriter, co-wrote ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’/‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’

Tom Verlaine (73, American musician/songwriter/producer, Television)

Lisa Loring (64, American actress, ‘The Addams Family’)

February

2: Calton Coffie (68, Jamaican singer, Inner Circle)

3: Paco Rabanne (88, Spanish fashion designer)

8: Burt Bacharach (94, American songwriter, co-wrote ‘Walk On By’/‘Anyone Who Had A Heart’/‘A House Is Not A Home’/‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’)

10: Hugh Hudson (86, film director, ‘Chariots Of Fire’)

12: David Jolicoeur a.k.a. Trugoy The Dove (54, American rapper, De La Soul)

15: Raquel Welch (82, American actress)

16: Chuck Jackson (85, American soul singer, ‘Any Day Now’/‘I Keep Forgettin’’)

18: Barbara Bosson (83, American actress, ‘Hill Street Blues’)

19: Richard Belzer (78, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Law And Order: Special Victims Unit’)

Dickie Davies (94, British television personality, ‘World Of Sport’)

23: John Motson (77, English football commentator, ‘Match Of The Day’)

March

2: Steve Mackey (56, English bassist/producer, Pulp)

Wayne Shorter (89, American jazz saxophonist, Weather Report)

3: Carlos Garnett (84, Panamanian jazz saxophonist)

Tom Sizemore (61, American actor, ‘Saving Private Ryan’)

5: Gary Rossington (71, American guitarist, Lynyrd Skynyrd)

8: Topol (87, Israeli actor, ‘Fiddler On The Roof’/’Flash Gordon’)

10: Junior English (71, Jamaican reggae singer)

12: Dick Fosbury (76, American high jumper)

13: Jim Gordon (77, American drummer, Traffic/Derek & The Dominoes)

14: Bobby Caldwell (71, American singer/songwriter)

15: Greg Perry (singer/songwriter/producer)

16: Fuzzy Haskins (81, American singer, Parliament/Funkadelic)

17: Lance Reddick (60, American actor, ‘The Wire’/’Oz’/’John Wick’ films)

23: Keith Reid (76, English songwriter, Procol Harum)

Peter Shelley (80, English singer/songwriter/producer, ‘Gee Baby’/’Love Me Love My Dog’)

28: Paul O’Grady a.k.a. Lily Savage (67, English comedian)

Ryuichi Sakamoto (71, Japanese musician/composer, Yellow Magic Orchestra, composed theme to ‘Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence’)

29: Charles Sherrell a.k.a. Sweet Charles (80, American bass player/singer, The JBs, ‘Yes, It’s You’)

April

5: Booker T. Newberry III (67, American singer, Sweet Thunder, ‘Love Town’)

6: Paul Cattermole (46, English singer, S Club 7)

8: Michael Lerner (81, American actor, ‘Barton Fink’)

12: Jah Shaka (75, Jamaican sound system operator)

13: Dame Mary Quant (93, English fashion designer)

14: Mark Sheehan (46, Irish guitarist, The Script)

16: Ahmad Jamal (92, jazz pianist)

17: Ivan Conti (76, jazz drummer, Azymuth)

22: Barry Humphries a.k.a. Dame Edna Everage (89, Australian comedian/actor)

Len Goodman (78, English TV personality)

25: Harry Belafonte (95, American musician/actor/civil rights leader)

27: Wee Willie Harris (90, English rock & roll singer)

Jerry Springer (79, English-born, American TV host)

28: Tim Bachman (71, Canadian guitarist, Bachman-Turner Overdrive)

May

1: Gordon Lightfoot (84, Canadian singer/songwriter, ‘If You Could Read My Mind’)

3: Linda Lewis (72, English singer/songwriter, ‘Rock-A-Doodle-Doo’)

18: Jim Brown (87, American football player/actor, ‘The Dirty Dozen’)

19: Pete Brown (82, poet/singer/lyricist, ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’/’White Room’/’I Feel Free’)

Andy Rourke (59, English bass player, The Smiths)

24: Bill Lee (94, American jazz musician/composer, Spike’s dad, scored ‘She’s Gotta Have It’/‘School Daze’/’Do The Right Thing’

Tina Turner (84, American-born, Swiss singer/actress, ‘River Deep Mountain High’/’Nutbush City Limits’/’What’s Love Got To Do With It?’)

26: Reuben Wilson (88, American jazz organist, ‘Got To Get Your Own’)

June

1: Cynthia Weil (82, songwriter, ‘You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’’/’Here You Come Again’)

6: Tony McPhee (79, English guitarist, The Groundhogs)

12: Treat Williams (71, American actor, ‘Hair’/’Prince Of The City’)

14: John Hollins (76, English football player, Chelsea/Arsenal/England)

15: Glenda Jackson (87, English MP/actress, ‘Women In Love’/’Sunday Bloody Sunday’)

27: Julian Sands (65, English actor, ‘A Room With A View’)

29: Alan Arkin (89, American actor, ‘Catch 22’/’Little Miss Sunshine’)

30: Lord Creator (87, Trinidad-born, Jamaican singer/songwriter, ‘Kingston Town’)

July

3: Vicki Anderson a.k.a. Myra Barnes  (83, American soul singer, Carleen’s mum)

Mo Foster (78, English songwriter/musician/producer)

5: George Tickner (76, American guitarist, Journey)

16: Jane Birkin (76, French/English actress/singer, ‘Je t’aime … moi non plus’, banned by the BBC in 1969)

21: Tony Bennett (96, American singer, ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco’)

22: Vince Hill (89, English singer, ‘Edelweiss’)

24: Trevor Francis (69, English football player, Birmingham City/England)

26: Randy Meisner (77, musician/songwriter, Poco/The Eagles, ‘Take It To The Limit’)

Sinead O’Connor (56, Irish singer, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’/songwriter, ‘Mandinka’)

30: Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee-Wee Herman (70, American actor/comedian)

31: Angus Cloud (25, American actor, ‘Euphoria’)

 August

4: John Gosling (75, English keyboard player, The Kinks)

7: DJ Casper (58, DJ/artist/songwriter, ‘Cha Cha Slide’)

William Friedkin (87, American film director, ‘The French Connection’/’The Exorcist’)

9: Robbie Robertson (80, Canadian musician/songwriter/singer, The Band)

Sixto Rodriguez (81, American singer/songwriter, subject of 2012 documentary ‘Searching For Sugar Man’

13: Clarence Avant (92, owner of Sussex Records/Tabu Records, film producer, ‘Jason’s Lyric’)

Magoo (50, American rapper, Timbaland & Magoo)

16: Jerry Moss (88, music executive, the ‘M’ in A&M Records)

17: Bobby Eli (77, guitarist, MFSB/songwriter, ‘Love Won’t Let Me Wait’)

Gary Young (70, American drummer, Pavement)

19: Ron Cephas Jones (66, American actor, ‘This Is Us’)

24: Bernie Marsden (72, English guitarist, Whitesnake/songwriter, ‘Here I Go Again’/’Fool For Your Loving’)

29: Jamie Crick (57, English radio broadcaster, Jazz FM)

31: Gayle Hunnicutt (80, American actress, ‘Dallas’)

September

1: Jimmy Buffett (76, American singer/songwriter, ‘Margaritaville’)

4: Gary Wright (80, American singer/songwriter, ‘Dream Weaver’/’Love Is Alive’)

Steve Harwell (56, American singer/rapper, Smash Mouth)

8: Mike Yarwood (82, English comedian/impressionist)

13: Roger Whittaker (87, Kenyan-born English singer/songwriter, ‘Durham Town’)

16: Sir Horace Ove (86, Trinidadian-born, English film director, ‘Pressure’)

Irish Grinstead (43, American R&B singer, 702)

25: David McCallum (90, Scottish actor, ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’/’N.C.I.S.’/musician)

28: Michael Gambon (82, English actor, ‘Harry Potter’ movies)

30: Russell Batiste Jr. (57, American drummer, The Meters)

October

2: Francis Lee (79, English football player, Manchester City/England)

8: Burt Young (83, American actor, ‘Rocky’)

11: Rudolph Isley (84, American singer, The Isley Brothers/songwriter, ‘That Lady’)

12: Michael Cooper (71, Jamaican musician, Inner Circle/Third World)

14: Piper Laurie (91, American actress, ‘Carrie’/’The Hustler’)

19: DJ Mark The 45 King (62, DJ/musician/producer, ‘The 900 Number’)

20: Haydn Gwynne (66, English actress, ‘Drop The Dead Donkey’)

21: Sir Bobby Charlton (86, English footballer, Manchester United/England)

24: Richard Roundtree (81, American actor, ‘Shaft’)

28: Matthew Perry (54, American-Canadian actor, ‘Friends’)

November

12: Anna Scher (78, founder of the Anna Scher Children’s Theatre)

19: Joss Ackland CBE (95, English actor, ‘White Mischief’)

22: Jean Knight (80, American soul singer, ‘Mr. Big Stuff’)

25: Terry Venables (80, English footballer, Chelsea/Tottenham Hotspur/England manager)

26: Geordie Walker (64, English guitarist, Killing Joke)

29: Sticky Vicky (80, Spanish dancer and illusionist)

30: Shane MacGowan (65, English-born Irish singer, The Pogues/songwriter, ‘Fairytale Of New York’)

December

1: Brigit Forsyth (83, Scottish actress, ‘Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads?’)

5: Denny Laine (79, English musician, The Moody Blues/Wings, songwriter, ‘Mull Of Kintyre’)

7: Benjamin Zephaniah (65, English poet/writer/actor, ‘Peaky Blinders’)

8: Ryan O’Neal (82, American actor, ‘Love Story’/’Barry Lyndon’/’Paper Moon’)

Nidra Beard (71, American singer, Dynasty)

11: Andre Braugher (61, American actor, ‘Homicide: Life On The Street’/’Brooklyn Nine-Nine’/’Glory’)

Richard Kerr (78, English singer/songwriter, ‘Mandy’)

15: Bob Johnson (79, singer/songwriter/musician, Steeleye Span)

16: Colin Burgess (77, Australian drummer, AC/DC)

17: Amp Fiddler (65, singer/songwriter/producer)

#mixcloud #mi soul #dj #music #new blog #lockdown #coronavirus #books #weekend #democracy

[kingwilliamv]

Scotland (Day 2) - 12 May 2022

The Duke of Cambridge visited the Heart of Midlothian Football Club in Edinburgh, Scotland to see a programme called 'The Changing Room' launched by SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in 2018 and is now delivered in football clubs across Scotland. (📷Getty Images)

#prince william #duke of cambridge #british royal family #royal #may 2022

[therobertfrasergang]

Art and Artists, September 1966

Cover by René Magritte, L’Art de Conversation

Dining with Jim Robert Fraser talks to Jim Dine about London and New York Pp 48-53

The entire interview is under the cut, along with scanned pages of Dine's art from that issue.

Here's a quick cheat sheet for potentially obscure references:

Louis Seize: the architecture or furniture of the reign of Louis XVI of France

Paolozzi: Eduardo Paolozzi, Scottish artist known for his sculpture and graphic works. He had shows at the Robert Fraser Gallery.

Richard Hamilton: British painter and collage artist. He produced a series of prints, Swingeing London, based on Robert Fraser's arrest, along with Mick Jagger, for possession of drugs.

Biba: London fashion store of the 1960s and 1970s.

Nancy: Nancy Dine, American filmmaker, married to Jim Dine.

Dada: Art movement of the early 20th century, which rejected rejected the logic, reason, and aestheticism of modern capitalist society, instead expressing nonsense, irrationality, and anti-bourgeois protest. Surrealism was a branch of Dadaism.

Furlined teacup: Luncheon in Fur, surrealist art by Meret Oppenheim. In 1936, Oppenheim wrapped a teacup, saucer and spoon in fur.

Oldenburg: Claes Oldenburg, Swedish-American sculptor. He had shows at the Robert Fraser Gallery.

Robert Morris: American artist who was one of the central figures of the Minimalism movement.

Alloway: Lawrence Alloway, American art critic and curator.

George Cohen: English footballer who was awarded an MBE in 2000 for his many victories on the field.

Robert Fraser: This room is where you have been doing all the work that you have done so far in England?

Jim Dine: Yes. Just in this room, which I felt was a good place to contain it because the room is absolutely not about making anything. It’s what you’d call extra, like the game room or the hunt room with those horns and the Oxford oar and all that sort of Louis Seize business over there and the scrap books and the globe and the flowered wallpaper and the book shelves and the shot-gun shelves and the sherry bottles and all that sort of, you know, contract bridge manuals and the like. I mean it’s so completely not mine that it might as well be all white. It seems to me you could make anything in here.

RF: Yes. But it seems to be so far removed from your actual world.

JD: Absolutely.

RF: And also has a certain aimless incongruity which obviously has had an effect on you.

JD: Right.

RF: Or on what you’re doing.

JD: Absolutely. Absolutely. It’s really like a sounding board for all kinds of freedom. You know, so that one doesn’t feel type cast into making one thing here. I mean I feel like I could make a thousand different kinds of things in here.

RF: Is that more or less the sort of reaction that you’ve had in general to the landscape and general tone of life over here?

JD: Yes, and it’s because I’m not at home. You know, it’s the ‘sailor on leave’ theory. It’s like not being here, not having to answer to anything at home in New York. Being in England, then you do something different. I don’t think I could live here. At home, expatriation is not interesting to me, but as a visitor it’s interesting to see what one does purely by associating things.

RF: But are there any special freedoms or reactions or inhibitions which you’ve felt responses to, which you think are particular to London itself?

JD: Oh yes. I feel terribly much like a refined person in New York, but here I feel like a woodsman or something. I feel like a bull in a china shop, bustling through London. I never feel I’m as civilized as the natives or the artists who live here, because they seem so much part of one scene. No matter what kind of image they make – except for Paolozzi. He’s the only one who’s international. One gets the feeling he need not be anywhere; this is strictly owing to the kind of hermetic atmosphere here.

RF: This is not because you feel culturally unsophisticated?

JD: Oh, no, no, no. It’s because it’s like walking into a green-house where there are these rare plants.

RF: Would you say that this very hermetic atmosphere has brought a sudden reaction to art in this country?

JD: I think it’s obvious. I mean, One doesn’t have much trouble knowing what an English painting looks like. And there’s this sort of sense of personal freedom over here that one never feels in America. In America, one always feels like you have both hands up ready to sustain the blow.

RF: Yes.

JD: And here you needn’t even be on guard at all. There’s not that undercurrent of violence or, and I don’t mean physical so much, intellectual violence of a particular kind of chauvinism of things. One’s paranoia isn’t fed very easily here, as it is in America.

RF: Well, this would seem fairly necessary to the production of a work of art at the moment, wouldn’t you say so?

JD: What would seem necessary?

RF: This atmosphere of impending violence …

JD: Well I feel that I like the tension of New York because of the whole idea of living that way (of being on one’s guard). I like to be the block of wood against the piece of sandpaper. I like the abrasive quality, not the sweet quality.

RF: This lack of tension seems to be particularly noticeable in the art world here.

JD: The art world here is really a group of people who aren’t terribly related, it seems to me, except for the fact that they all live here so they have no choice. They may have an underlying bitchiness about each other, but there is a niceness about the whole thing that puts one off one’s guard. I don’t understand it all the time you know.

RF: But also this great detachment might be a good climate for an individual who is already so far evolved that he doesn’t need the whole bit.

JD: Yes. Oh sure.

RF: Somebody like Paolozzi or Richard Hamilton, for instance.

JD: Yes, but they’re mature artists so that’s not what I mean. I’m saying that for a young artist to live here I don’t know what it means. You know, I went to see those kids in the Royal College and there’s no question that they should be in America.

RF: Is that something to do with the way art is taught here or just the lack of attention which is being paid?

JD: No, it’s about being a presence in your world and here … you can’t get a sense of other people or other things being made, which you have in America. It’s only you.

RF: It has always seemed to be that art in England is so official.

JD: Yes, it’s easy to be an artist here, but in America it’s not. In the first place in American everybody thinks you some kind of social misfit if you’re an art student, and in terms of percentages, very few people go to art school in America. Most go to colleges where there is an art department, so it’s a different thing. It’s not as easy to be an artist there as it is here, although there are less here for some reason. They are all able to go to a place called the Royal College; that’s too much. It’s like coming on so fresh and strong. It puts such a seal on it. It’s beautiful, but of course it doesn’t mean anything. That’s what I mean about the lack of abrasions. The personal freedom aspect and the aspect of allowing everything has its advantages. I mean I like the whole scene here. The clothes scene; I like to be able to wear what I want to wear and not give a f… about anything, but one would feel that being an artist here you’d also be allowed to do whatever you wanted to do and that isn’t right either. That’s something criminal that gets in.

RF: Yes, but it seems to be that the screen of renaissance that has been broken through in terms of fashion and so on and hasn’t actually gotten through to the artist …

JD: Well, fashion it’s easy. Because fashion is so like that (clicks fingers), you know, quick.

RF: Yes, but there’s a certain atmosphere here which makes one feel that the most extreme things are happening over here but you don’t feel that in painting yet.

JD: Not here. No. Not extreme. You see it’s still easy to be a painter here. There are wall spaces available. You’d still be a 19th century painter here. In America you can’t be an artists. I mean it’s always something wrong to be an artists or even to be able to make a painting in America at this point.

RF: Would you feel that, for instance, just the very fact of this type of environment would make you paint differently here if you had to? It wouldn’t be incongruous to pain with oil paints for instance.

JD: It wouldn’t be incongruous. But I wouldn’t paint. If I lived here, I would do something else. But I would be too tempted. I mean, I don’t trust myself. It would be like a drug situation, you know. Being surrounded with hash or something because it’s like …

RF: Self-indulgence?

JD: Yes, it would be so self-indulgent I just wouldn’t allow it. If I lived here I’d get into the movies or something.

RF: Well, what are those forces which make you be an artist in America, that are so distinct from forces here?

JD: First, it’s this force of competition. Everybody’s ego is threatened every minute. There’s that sort of creeping paranoia about money and about other things that comes in, plus a new tradition there. Here it’s been going on for Christ’s-sake, I mean, for centuries. In the first place American is a much younger country and how many paintings have there even been until this part of the 20th century?

RF: But then in that case you’d say actually making art doesn’t correspond to any interior need on your part?

JD: No no, I wouldn’t say that at all, because making art as far as I’m concerned is something I do only because I can’t stop myself. But as I say if I lived here I wouldn’t allow myself to make that kind of art. I wouldn’t allow myself to paint. I would like to be in movies or something where I’m familiar.

RF: Yes.

JD: The point is I can’t control my urges here. I mean, I shouldn’t really even be working here, but should be just balling and having fun. No, but I can’t, I just can’t stop myself and that’s like a hang-up in a way. But it also produces certain things which I like, you know.

Let’s face it, the big problem I have here is that it’s not my frame of reference. You know, here I am at 30 years of age, coming to a place. You can’t expect me, since I do deal exclusively (because I can’t help it) with my sub-consciousness and the references I saw as a child and the things I have accumulated in the back of my head. These things are all foreign and they’re as pretty as can be, but it’s just like going into a clothing store, you know, and seeing beautiful fabrics, but that doesn’t make any difference. It’s not the same thing, so I hesitate to use any English objects or be intimidated by them because they’re not mind. I don’t see how one could possess them. It would take me another 30 years to do that, which isn’t very interesting.

RF: But it seems that London is interesting at the moment because of this very lack of direction and organization. Anything could be done here, but you can’t trade for a very long time on that.

JD: Of course they’ve got to produce some action. But there are people. It’s like one reads about in the early fifties; Richard Hamilton and Paolozzi and Alloway, all those people talking about popular culture and seeing America like we never saw it.

RF: Do you think that this kind of visual revolution which was sprung by you and others will have a lasting effect on the course of American art?

JD: One can’t tell because we’re the first generation in America who started off successfully in our youth, who has been able to sort of enjoy the fruits of one’s success. Also I suddenly become very much aware of my age here.

RF: You mean, older?

JD: I feel very old here at 30.

RF: But you’ve experienced far more …

JD: Also the sort of superficialities of youth, I’m not interested in. But I went to Biba’s, a gear shop, with Nancy you know and we went through all those cheap clothes and it was a gas. It was just marvelous and Nancy was knocked out by being able to buy all that stuff so cheaply. And all these kids around and I see these sort of like young hippies; maybe they’re 15, 16 years old. These guys looking at me like and (maybe it’s my paranoia) I got a feeling like an old man there. It was like the old cock and some sort of match, you know, like I had to sort of stare them down because they could have given me a lot of trouble about it. And you don’t feel that in America because we’re still of the idea that if you’re 30 years old, you’re still just beginning, because the Generation didn’t arrive until they were in their forties. We still have the aspect of youth about us; the point is people don’t want you to change there.

RF: But your success was when you were very young. When you were 24 or 25 …

JD: Not financial success, but notoriety.

RF. Yes, yes.

JD: I’ve had to carve out a way to deal with that. One way I dealt with it was for three years I hid. I didn’t see anybody, I couldn’t make it. I felt too much like a ‘starlet’, but now I’m at a point where I feel like my own man and I feel I can do a lot of things.

RF: It seems to me that there’s a very edgy atmosphere in New York among art circles and artists which wasn’t there before when, about five or six years ago, the so-called Pop artists were very close to each other. Now they seem to be like rivals who are really afraid of each other.

JD: Exactly. We’re all afraid of each other because it’s such an ego threatening situation now and really one needn’t be in the big scope of things … but it’s hard to talk about it to one another. You lose that in American; you don’t get any contact with each other and it’s a very lonesome life there. It’s a very lonesome scene.

RF: But I do think this indicates a new kind of a relationship between artist and a society, that they now have to be much closer to public relations.

JD: I hope not.

RF: I mean in the sense that these are visual discoveries which will have a much wider effect much faster. In a sense artists become visual manipulators.

JD. Yes. In a sense, one always is fighting against that in a way. For Christ’s-sake, I mean, you can only manipulate the visual so much, then what have you left? Dust? It’s an informational process, where one has always been dealing with information and putting information across. But one can’t lose sight of the fact that there’s just so much information in one’s life, otherwise you’re burned up.

RF: So in that sense you would look upon our own particular roles as a very traditional one of being an artist?

JD: Yes, I would hope so, but it’s not true. One has to think about one’s self as an artist in a traditional sense, just to keep your equilibrium – somewhere.

RF: Yes, yes. Do you think that there is a danger of an academic situation springing up in the States?

JD: There are all these third, fourth and fifth rate people who silk-screen the Beatles. They make something academic, but that’s no problem because that’ll just be shelved anyway. There was academicism after Expressionism too. I think the real dangers are in not having enough time for an academic thing to spring up. It’s this rushing towards something that’s really just death. Kids will say, I can wait till I’m 16 or I can’t wait till I’m 21, so I can do something. There comes a time when you’ve got to stop. I can wait because I’ve accumulated a back log of things that have to be talked about or have to be dealt with. If those things aren’t deal with the you just keep zooming on ahead, and you end up with zero.

RF: But you don’t think that by the very fact of art being popular now, it brings it into a different level of communication?

JD: Oh, it does. It’s a bit more close to show business.

RF: Here I feel there’s still a very strong concept of an academic kind of an artist.

JD: Yes, and that’s a hang-up.

RF: I think traditional art, like period style, is most acceptable to the English as something which is complex and indefinable.

JD: It’s interesting too, because with all this sort of personal freedom they really don’t want to see your fly open. Whereas in American there’s not any of this personal freedom, but that’s the only way you can deal with it – with your fly open.

RF: So people really want to be comfortable about art.

JD: Titillated! It’s more like titillation. No orgasms. I like to put down information and facts very straight sometimes. I went and bought these beautiful handmade papers and I couldn’t use them, because what does it mean when you use them? You use them with a big brush and you make fa��ades and Georgian buildings. To cut through all that I had to make these aggressive images.

RF: These drawings aren’t pornographic. They’re more anti-social?

JD: Exactly. I’ve nothing to do with pornography. They’re not sexual at all. I would say they’re rather asexual.

RF: But in this more recent series of collages, you seem to have integrated yourself into the English scene in that you’re using elements without any satirical intent.

JD: In each one I used a drawing, a little painting that Eduardo Paolozzi gave to me. I’d spent this nice day with Paolozzi and I wanted to sort of like talk about the sweetness down there at Thorpe-le-Soken.

RF: Someone can have very private reactions to things and feel the more intensive.

JD: If you have a private reaction in America, in the broad sense, you’re thought of as a spy or something. There’s no private life there. Here it’s all private. Since I’m an American I feel that I can work within the open much easier, but this situation is certainly more desirable from a personal point of view.

RF: Do you think that when you go back to the States, there will be certain changes?

JD: I have things planned that I want to do in America which I’ve planned before and they still seem right now. What I’m doing here seems just right for here. I’m interested in the fact that you, as my dealer, and I can have a discourse like this which we could not have in America, because one’s dealer in America …

RF: Has a specific realm?

JD: Yes. He isn’t someone you see in the evening. If he is then you think there’s something wrong with him.

RF: It has to be very …

JD: Tough …

RF: Interpersonal relationship.

JD: And here, if it was that, it wouldn’t interesting at all. It wouldn’t have any point.

RF: That’s due to the kind of tempo of English life. I think it’s much friendlier.

JD: Also I’ve never had a dealer who’s of my generation, which makes a difference.

RF: I feel that there’s a much tighter sort of atmosphere in New York than there was three or four years ago when I used to live there. I mean, now all the interest and activity seem to be much more concentrated on fewer artists, fewer art galleries, fewer art critics, fewer art collectors. One of the things I like about here, is that there’s a younger generation. It’s a sort of Beatle generation that has a kind of natural attitude to Dada.

JD: What do you mean by Dada?

RF: The atmosphere.

JD: Oh, I see.

RF: It seems to be completely natural to them to express themselves in that kind of way.

JD: Yes, but in America we’ve been doing it for years.

RF: But not in an artistic way.

JD: No, but people have grown up with that idea.

RF: There seems to be a kind of difference of emotional intensity here among young people. I think that it’s really the generation under 35 who are interesting here anyway. Or that has anything to say.

JD: That’s not the case in America because the generation under 35 is getting there, but then there’s this other generation of very young kids who are very corny in their rebellion, you know ‘anti’. It seems that you all go through that before here. We’ve having the first. Suddenly a generation comes up that puts everything down and that’s not terribly productive because you spend your life putting things down.

RF: But it seems to me that the youth here has a very objective viewpoint.

JD: Yes, they do. They’re quite removed. They can stand outside of it somehow. In America it’s still very self-conscious.

RF: I think Oldenburg and so on are still kind of sensational even to some sophisticated people, whereas although the non-sophisticated works is so far behind, the actual hip people seem to be much further ahead and they’re more selective. It seems to them to be completely, totally neutral and they’ve gone through the hoop.

JD: I’ve found in my short life as an artist that there’s always these sort of rare people who get it. They’re not specific, they’re not people of any particular nature but they’re always those sort who get what I’m doing or care about what I’m doing, but they certainly aren’t a group.

RF: I remember reading something that you said some time ago that in relation, particularly to your early paintings about liking the “Furlined teacup’ and that you never thought it was in any way a freak production. It was a natural thing.

JD: When I came upon that thing in the museum as an art student I wasn’t shocked you see. It only reaffirmed something, an idea what one had of, well yes, right, why not?

RF: It seems there’s a hope for a new way.

JD: I hope so. There’s got to be. We’re really hopeful, in the net 30 years of seeing a revolution in the scene, en masse. Suddenly now it’s available through communication. Look at the generation of kids who grow up with solid T.V. all the time. It’s another way of seeing. It’s not rare. It’s not even classifiable as a Surrealist thing, nor as a far out thing. It’s just part of life.

RF: So that famous gap between art and life just won’t exist any more?

JD: It doesn’t exist for me anyway. I never felt that. People always ask if you’re one of those people who bridge that gap. Well, what gap? I mean there’s art and there’s life. What does it mean?

RF: But you don’t feel that a certain school of artists in the States now seem to get around that by denying the fact of composition. That would be their way of denying the existence of art.

JD: What do you mean?

RF: Well, people like Robert Morris.

JD: Oh, I see.

RF: It’s always seemed to me that you’re particularly interested in composition.

JD: Yes, in a musical way. I really feel like a composer. Many times I feel suites of drawings are like string quartets and I think there’s a parallel. I mean just pure information …

RF: You’re interested in style?

JD: Exactly. I’m interested in style at all kinds of levels. Like today, I saw that soccer player George Cohen. There was a style you know.

#robert fraser #jim dine #nancy dine #robert fraser gallery

[coochiequeens]

If the choice is giving him the record for being the first openly trans whatever or calling his achievements a woman's achievements I'm OK with the first one.

ByReduxx Team July 1, 2023

A trans-identified male is being honored with a Guinness World Record for being the first “openly transgender football referee.” Lucy Clark referees matches in the Women’s National League and at men’s grassroots level. On June 30, Guinness World Records (GWR) posted a short clip to Twitter naming a male who identifies as transgender as the “first openly transgender football referee.”

In addition to a short video profiling Lucy Clark, GWR posted an accompanying article featuring an interview with him and his wife.In the article, Clark says that football “saved” his life. The article reads: “When she considered taking her own life, glancing at a football stadium in the distance gave her strength. It felt like a sign. ‘It allowed me to come down in an elevator rather than in other ways,’ she says.”

After suffering a heart attack at the end of 2017, Clark decided to come out as transgender, though was initially hesitant to tell the Football Association out of concerns he would not be accepted. At the beginning of the 2019 season, he came out publicly as a “transgender woman” with the Football Association’s support.Clark has since launched Trans Radio UK (TRUK), a radio station focusing on creating a “safe space” for transgender people. TRUK also has its own dedicated football club, which appears to have “female trans” and “trans masc” teams for males who identify as women and females who identify as men. The club also seems to allow for an open category in which the team configuration can comprise of anyone.

The all “trans masc” team for females who identify as men made headlines earlier this year after competing against a non-transgender male team and taking a devastating loss of 8-to-1. Clark’s wife, a female named Avril, recently won a “Trans Ally of the Year” award. “You have to be an ally. You have to stand up, because the hate against trans people now is virulent,” Avril is quoted by Guinness World Records as saying. On Twitter, Guinness World Records was ruthlessly mocked by netizens for referring to Clark as a “woman” using “she/her” pronouns.“What record did he set? The first ref who thinks he’s a lass AND said so in public,” user @Adhib asked.

“Another bloke who escalated in his fetish and now demands women to participate,” another user wrote in reply.

As of the writing of this article, the Guinness World Records tweet has over 1,200 overwhelmingly negative replies compared to just 900 ‘likes.’

On his Instagram, Clark recently posted a photo with former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, praising her for her work on behalf of the transgender community

Sturgeon resigned from her post earlier this year after becoming the target of widespread backlash for her attempts to push through devastating gender self-identification legislation in Scotland. Just prior to her resignation, Surgeon’s government attempted pass controversial amendments to the Gender Recognition Act which would streamline the process of altering sex markers on legal documents. Notably, an amendment to the bill which would have prohibited anyone convicted of a sexual offense from changing their legal sex was rejected.

But Scotland would become the target of international criticism in January after a number of highly dangerous male inmates expressed an interest to be moved to the female estate, with some being green-lit to do so. The debate flared up after it was learned a male double-rapist had been placed in a women’s prison ahead of his sentencing. News of the placement resulted in global outcry, and the rapist was removed from the female estate after Sturgeon agreed that he should not be held in the female estate. Sturgeon resigned amidst the controversy. On Twitter, Clark expressed repeated support for Dr. Michael “Helen” Webberley, a transgender doctor who runs the much-decried GenderGP — an online clinic providing “gender affirming” care.

Webberley was found guilty of recklessly prescribing puberty blockers and cross sex hormones to patients as young as 9, and only recently won an appeal on the suspension of his medical license.

#guinness world records #So it's OK for trans identified females to have their own teams? #And it's OK to have an open league when it's trans people running it?

[scotianostra]

On 13th March 1873, the Scottish Football Association was formed.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) was founded at a meeting held at Dewar's Hotel in Glasgow, clubs represented at this meeting were Queen's Park, Clydesdale, Vale of Leven, Dumbreck, Third Lanark Rifle Volunteer Reserves, Eastern, Granville and Rovers. Archibald Campbell (Clydesdale) was elected president and Archibald Rae (Queen's Park) became secretary of the SFA. It was decided that there should be a knockout competition open to all member clubs and the Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup was formed. Following the FA Cup, it is the second oldest competition in association football.

The Scottish FA imposed new rules for these competitive games, helping to raise standards and putting the foundations in place for the professional game in Scotland.

The first tournament began in October 1873 and a total of 16 teams entered the competition. The final was held on 21 March 1874 at the original Hampden Park with Queen’s Park emerging victorious against Clydesdale. It was a tournament that Queen’s Park would dominate during that early period.

Scotland marked the latest chapter in the oldest rivalry in world football by hosting England in a special 150th Anniversary Heritage Match at Hampden last September, unfortunately we were beaten 3-1 on the night, but hey, we're off to Geay for the Euros in Germany this June! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

#scotland #scottish #history #football #international football #sport #sporting history

[thewales-family]

The Duke of Cambridge visits Heart of Midlothian Football Club to see a programme called 'The Changing Room' launched by SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in 2018 and is now delivered in football clubs across Scotland, in Edinburgh, Scotland -May 12th 2022.

📷 : Kensington Palace.

#prince william #duke of cambridge #british royal family #england #2022 #may 2022 #scotland #scotland 2022 #mental health awareness week #mental health awareness week 2022 #the cambridges #my edit

[mmccraybranding]

Do you want to play foot...soccer? We call it soccer.

Tuesday’s Branding Workshop made apparent a few perceptions about Major League Soccer (MLS) that I would like to explore using Roger’s Five Factors which carries an underlying premise that product differences rather than people differences have the greatest impact on an innovation’s diffusion.

I should start by saying that MLS is not inherently innovative, given the American league’s founding in 1993 on the heels of a game that was invented in 12th century England and the first Association started in 1888. Still, I wish to explore if innovation within the MLS brand has gone untapped and whether there may still be opportunities for greater diffusion.

Relative Advantage. While the historical perspectives on the roots of soccer in the United States are varied, one of the more prominent lineages suggests that the modern game entered America in the 1850s through New Orleans when Scottish, Irish, German and Italian immigrants brought the game with them. There were also other leagues – American Soccer League and the International Soccer Football League that existed for short periods of time from the 1920s to the 1980s. To this end,  MLS’ domestic audience may have had legacy product when their 10 teams launched in 1993; however, there was not a shared generational experience that shifted from one product to the other and so MLS was in many respects an attempt to link international, Olympic level aspirations (1994 games) with a single, domestic sport.

Compatibility. I would argue, and believe others would agree that MLS is inconsistent with the existing values and experiences of the American people, considering that few played the sport, the sports style of play was unlike other popular team sports, it competition for space among the other popular and more deeply rooted sports as well as the failure of the league to promote young talent especially when education and sports are so closely linked to skills, longevity and family norms. These conditions make  linking values such as justice, fair play and teamwork that much more challenging for soccer relative to the successes seen in American football, basketball, and baseball does. (source: usa.usembassy.de)

Complexity & Trialability. Notably, all leagues other than MLS, enjoy wide-ranging domestic media coverage and considered preeminent leagues in their respective sports. Lack of exposure to the sport and international viability possibly that much more alien. Additionally, pick-up soccer often requires more space and is so distant in rules from the actual game that the experience from player to audience member is that much more distinct. Talent is often associated with international players and games, making the mental and physical associations of a league, teams and players to rally behind in a America unforeseeable. I am interested in exploring how globalization and digital connectivity gives soccer in America and the MLS league in particular a fighting chance!

Observability. While MLS has grown to include 29 teams across the United States and Canada today, distribution is still a challenge. MLS recently surpassed the National Hockey League as the fourth most popular sport and the competition is still great when compared with Premier League, National Football League and National Basketball Association viewership. That soccer is spread across many leagues makes it all the more challenging for fans to engage. Finally, given that the average viewing age is under 40 years old, the sports community surrounding the league – broadcasters, advertisers, and athletes – must have a different strategy to achieve mainstay attraction.

That the United States calls the game soccer when the rest of the world refers to it as football, could be said to be asking for attention at best or staying out of the NFL’s way at worst.

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