From Bonnet to Boot

Above you will see yours truly only a couple of decades ago pretending to get into the proper side of a Morris Minor, with the National Theatre in the background.

I post this now because I would like to acknowledge, in a year of dreadful anniversaries (I'm thinking, of course, mostly of the anniversary of John Lennon's murder and the melancholy 70th anniversary of his birth) ... in this year of difficult anniversaries, a happy one.

Forty years ago, the Morris company made their one millionth Minor. It was the first British motor company to make a million cars. They stopped production in the early 70s, which I guess makes this anniversary a tad melancholy as well. But for now, let us sing its glories. As they say, from bonnet to boot, there was nothing more British than a Morris Minor. Not flashy, somewhat dependable, made lots of noise, but got the job done -- with more soul than you'd expect at first blush.

I actually contemplated buying one about 16 or 17 years ago. My friend had found one for sale in Connecticut. Although the steering wheel had been changed for export, it was a Minor through and through. My father (may his memory be for a blessing) begged me not to get it. "Ronnie," he said, "The engine is the size of battery."

I didn't get it, as I'm not the best with a spanner and I couldn't trust it to do the hefty commute at the time. Ah, but what might have been ... Maybe it's not too late ...

Christmas Number One

If you're reading this blog, this probably at least sounds familiar: the Christmas Number One.

It's the top single in the UK for the week before Christmas. They've been naming it since the 50s.

Yes, this is a thing. In fact, it's a major part of the plot of Love, Actually. You know, Bill Nighy plays and aging rocker who re-records his hit, "Love is All Around" as "Christmas is All Around" in the effort of getting the Christmas Number One. Fact is, that is the kind of fare you can expect for the Number One.

The list of winners is a strange, strange list. It can be Christmas song, but certainly doesn't have to be. Everyone from Al Martino to the Beatles have been on it. Of course, the Fab Four have been on it more than anyone (three years in a row during the mid-60s). For the last several years, it's been mostly X-Factor winners. Sometimes the song is a comment on a previous Number One: I think "Do They Know It's Christmas?" has won two or three times. Sometimes, there are exciting letter-writing campaigns (now Facebook campaigns) ... last year, fans made sure Rage Against the Machine won for "Killing in the Name," even though that song is nearly a decade old.

This year, the honor goes to Matt Cardle, a Factor alum, with "When We Collide." That song is taken from "Many a Horror" by Biffy Clyro.

You know, the UK really is another country (as evidenced by almost everything in that last paragraph), even though they import all kinds of stuff from here. The amazing thing is that Brits have these little things that bond them. Apparently, people around the country used to arrange their Christmas dinners around the Top of the Pops special that highlighted the Number One, which in turn, aired right before the Queen's Christmas message.

That the kind of thing that unites a people. I can't think of anything like that in America. The Super Bowl? Sport doesn't count. Elections? I really can't think of anything.

Now I just have to find somewhere to download Matt Cardle's song. Believe it or not, iTunes only had the karaoke version.

Smeg Me!!

"This is too weird for words."

For the heck of it, I checked Netflix for Red Dwarf. It turns out that not only did they have it, but there was a whole series (read "season") that I didn't even know about! And it's in Haitch Dee!

For the uninitiated, Red Dwarf was -- is! -- a BBC science fiction/comedy series. The premise is this guy wakes up on a spaceship to find that the rest of the human race became extinct millions of years ago. He befriends an ancestor of his cat, who has evolved to become somewhat humanoid, although vain; an hologram of his best friend, who is irrationally arrogant; and sycophantic android. Oh, there's also a surly computer interface. It's actually very clever.

The new shows were produced in 2009 after a 10-year hiatus. Although there are just three episodes, Red Dwarf: Back to Earth is collectively considered Series 10. I'm sorry there were so few episodes, but it's good to see that the lads are back. I have read that they are making more in 2011. Who knows what (if any) channel they will play on in the U.S., but at least there's hope.