An utterly charming poet-ster, courtesy of andreasgripp.net 

Now, here is an event to celebrate 2nite . . . later are a few words from one of the participants, ace poet Dorothy Nielsen, to which JBNBlog would add look at that lineup . . . three ace poets, three musical aces. Plus it is free. Harmonia indeed. Go Landon etc. Over to Dorothy:

In a classic QMI Agency T-J photograph from 2011, Matt Loop, right, has packed his trunk to join fellow St. Thomas actor Harry Edison in the Odd Soul Stroll now playing in London. It’s a celebration of characters from the community’s history. Loop plays Jumbo the Elephant. Edison directed the walking tour and plays a part in it, as does his wife, Andrea. Information and tickets: londonfringe.ca
ANDREA EDISON/Contributed 

A tail tolled by an elephant in Elgin . . .  it might happen again, if Tufts U in the USA & Elgin County’s museum keep talking the Jumbo talk. Tufts is interested in a loan of Jumbo material in the museum’s collection. Incredibly, that would seem to include contents of the deceased elephant’s tummy. That residue was (apparently) gathered at the scene by an enterprising lad (you can see him in the famous dead Jumbo & crowd photograph) who must have had to fight off PT Barnum to secure any Jumbo memorabilia at all. (Apocryphal JBNBlog observation).

Anyway. If the deal goes down, Tufts might be induced to lend Jumbo’s tail to Elgin, where last it wagged & tolled, in time for 2015, the 130th anniversary of Jumbo’s death. The tail was twisted for luck by Tufts students back in the day, it is said. Twisted right off, it was secured separately from the Tufts-held Jumbo skin which was later destroyed in a fire. So only the tail lives on to be told again.

Accurate details as always are welcome . . . Jumbo is one of the many giant-sized figures associated with Elgin history. Which does loom 250 per cent (yes, 25o per cent) larger than London’s. Well, doesn’t it?

A detail from the Ready Records label for Demics’ Talk’s Cheap . . . courtesy of whatwave dave

A recent My London column about great London 45s wondered aloud if Demics’ New York City was truly a 45? As you can see here, it was on a 33.333333 RPM EP . . . but was it on a 45, My London asked.

Whatwave Dave (or is that What Wave Dave) had the answer(s) produced here with gratitude. Thanks for all this, Dave . . . but before we get to your contribution, a quick London #punk #rawk quiz … what was the spoof name for Demics on the old NFG record? The usual prizes for the first right answer . . . .

Over to Dave for the deets:

A self-portrait by Alan Dayton, master of the portrait & great Londoner

The family of Alan Dayton, the late London painter, invites friends to join them on Sunday afternoon. Details follow — pls. let others who knew & love Alan & his work know about Sunday’s informal memorial gathering.

Dear friends of Alan Dayton & family,

We are all deeply saddened by the recent death of our Dad (Alan) on Monday May 13th. We would like to invite you to share in his memory this Sunday at an informal memorial gathering. It will be held Sunday May 19th (4pm – 7pm) in the building where Alan & Philippa lived:

549 Ridout St. N
Common Room, main floor

Friends & family were so special and important to Dad and we would love to share some time with all of you who can attend.

With warm regards,

Paul, Daniel, Jeanette, Sara,
Philippa and Sue.

John Boyle, Midnight oil: ode to Tom Thomson (detail), 1969
Oil on wood, 243.7 x 248.7 x 83.8 cm
London Regional Art Gallery
General purchase fund . . . image courtesy of  landscapes.indigenousknowledge.org

Now, here is a Phantastica-L place where JBNBlog can shop till he drops … snazzy ties, cameras, oddities & curiosities  … yes, it’s Phantastica billed with truth as “London’s oddity curiosity shop” newly arrived at 232 Dundas St. Yay.

Among the gems apparent on a visit this week were London art postcards — like the John Boyle seen here, a Jack Chambers & (I think) John O’Henly’s Snow Fence (from 1963) — which have travelled up Dundas St. since Museum London closed its gift shop just in time for the world figure skating championships. The postcards are $1 & beauties.

Meanwhile, a flurry of other postcards celebrate the raunchy cover art of the so-called adult novel of say 50 or 60 years ago . . . not an expert in the field, JBNBlog still blushed for a moment to see a postcard drawn from Ted Mark’s  no doubt raunchy spy & sex spoof  I Was A Teenybopper For The CIA. Can’t say for sure but the book itself might have been a read of mine back in the day . . .  if so, maybe the copy was lined with gold. Online prices for the Mark non-masterpiece  seem to range from $7 to $117 (that might be a hallucination).

Meanwhile, hie ye to Phantastica & be amazed.