Snapshots #453: Haberdashery Songs

I wanted a picture of a famous dressmaker holding a camera today - but no luck with Vivienne Westwood or Coco Chanel... so here's a famous Taylor instead.

Songs you might find in a haberdashery shop. Unless you're in the US, where haberdashery doesn't mean sewing supplies and accessories, but means men's clothing instead. Apologies for any confusion.

15. Is rankle a verb? Not quite.

"Rankle a verb" was an anagram.

Lavern Baker - Whipper Snapper

14. Duane... had a strange hobby.

Duane Eddy. Arnold Layne had a strange hobby.

Eddy Arnold - Tennessee Stud

13. Leading Successor.

The lead singer in The Replacements...

Paul Westerberg - Man Without Ties

12. Don't be misled by a grateful nark.

"Grateful nark" was an anagram.

Art Garfunkel - Scissors Cut

11. Hyacinth Bucket and Frasier Crane.

The Snobs - Buckle Shoe Stomp

10. What's new in Mississippi, with Guys?

What's New, Pussycat. Pussycat also sand Mississippi. Guys & Dolls.

Pussycat Dolls featuring Snoop Dogg - Buttons

Snoop Dogg not pictured because, well, he's Snoop Dogg.

9. By J.R.R. Tolkien, abbreviated.

Tolkien wrote The Silmarillion, which is where these guys got their name.

Marillion - Hooks In You

8. Do and die with Spielberg and Seagal.

Do+die and two Stevens.

Dodie Stevens - Pink Shoelaces

7. Area, region, borough.

The Districts - Velour & Velcro

6. Strabismic cat meets Sex Machine without brakes.

Clarence The Cross-eyed Lion meets Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine.

Clarence Carter - Patches 

...or you could have had...

Clarence Carter - Thread The Needle

5. A famous Stewart (minus 100) encounters Scott and Tara.

Patrick Stewart, minus a C and two Fitzgeralds.

Patrik Fitzgerald - Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart

4. French comedian... alternatively, Han Solo's old pal.

Dawn French... or Lando Calrissian.

Tony Orlando & Dawn - Tie a Yellow Ribbon

3. Parents and siblings, initially.

Mother, Father, Sister, Brother...

MFSB - The Zip

2. They refuse.

They are refuse.

Garbage - Felt

1. Known to use engines and frequent parties.

Search engines and search parties.

The Searchers - Needles And Pins

Snapshots returns next Saturday.

Saturday Snapshots #453

I have seen the Light, brothers and sisters! I'm here to bring a New Order to your Saturday mornings! All Joy - no Division! Close your eyes and pretend you're lying on a beach in Monaco... etc. etc.

Alternatively, work out who the people below are, and how their songs might be connected.

15. Is rankle a verb? Not quite.

14. Duane... had a strange hobby.

13. Leading Successor.

12. Don't be misled by a grateful nark.

11. Hyacinth Bucket and Frasier Crane.

10. What's new in Mississippi, with Guys?

9. By J.R.R. Tolkien, abbreviated.

8. Do and die with Spielberg and Seagal.

7. Area, region, borough.

6. Strabismic cat meets Sex Machine without brakes.

5. A famous Stewart (minus 100) encounters Scott and Tara.

4. French comedian... alternatively, Han Solo's old pal.

3. Parents and siblings, initially.

2. They refuse.

1. Known to use engines and frequent parties.

Answers tomorrow morning!

Another Day #17: Don't Panic!

Lots of things to be aware of today! For a start, it's National Clean Air Day 2026...

The Hollies - The Air That I Breathe

Let's hope the air stays clean, because it's also International Picnic Day...

Mickey & Sylvia - Let's Have a Picnic

Suede - Picnic By The Motorway

Doubt you'll get much clean air if that's your picnic spot of choice, Bret.

Modest Mouse - It Always Rains On A Picnic

There always has to be someone who spoils it before we even get there, eh?

Let's not bother. We'll stay in and embrace some clean water instead, for National Clean Your Aquarium Day. Any excuse to play something from these guys... ooh, wait - looks like they've got a new song out!

Here's another way to clean the air. Today is also the International Day for Countering Hate Speech so this seems pretty appropriate...

China Street - Rock Against Racism

Over in the USA, meanwhile, it is National Wanna Get Away Day. Who can blame them?

Here's a great bit of Memphis power pop from 1981...

Tommy Hoehn - Get Away!

And here's something a little heavier from one of Superman's arch-foes in 1993...

Brainiac - Get Away

Finally though, and no prizes for guessing why I saved this one till last, Thursday the 18th of June is also International Panic Day. Enjoy.

Celebrity Jukebox #78: David Hockney

So I'm in the Tate

And I'm looking at a Hockney

And oh, Sweet Jesus!

There's something about that blue

It touches me deep inside

Amazes me when I step outside

I'm sweating

I'm sweating

I'm beginning to palpitate

I can't help myself

I just can't help myself

Modern art

Makes me

Want to rock out!

I don't know a lot about art, but I like a fair bit of David Hockney's work. He used colour very well. 

Miniature Tigers - Afternoons With David Hockney

Coals - Hockney

Polock - Hockney

I figured there wouldn't be a shortage of songs that mentioned the world-famous, Bradford-born artist... and I wasn't wrong. There's even a song that beat Sting to the punch...

Godley & Creme - An Englishman In New York

Defecting Russian dancers dance into Hockney prints

Exclusive to Bloomingdale's, gift-wrapped in red

No, that's not the Sting song. Kevin & Lol got there first. 

What else can we find?

Crayon drawing on the label

Looks like a David Hockney

But I knew it probably wouldn’t taste nice

Yet somehow it grabbed me

The Orielles - I Only Bought It for the Bottle

How about some Hamish?

It's the quiet times that really do me in

Disastrous indecision, walking in the shadow of a drawing pin

In a raincoat, on a Monday etc

Mocking all of my Hockney ephemera

Rare plagiarisms, superimpositions of Karen and Cohen

Hamish Hawk - Once Upon An Acid Glance

Meanwhile, Dan Bern is going to have to do a rewrite...

I decided I wasn't ever gonna paint again

It didn't bother me too much

Warhol's dead

David Hockney's still alive

I don't need to paint

Dan Bern - Estelle

Jake Shillingford likes to swim in a Hockney pool too...

Take a dip into the Hockney blue

Your heart will lead your hands

And you will fly

Dive

My Life Story - I Dive (Unanswered Questions and Questionable Answers)

And, of course, Nigel has something to say...

Well, I just cycled in to the

Pine floored living room

Pissed on the mystics

Scoffed at the Hockney

Took all the road signs

Back to the council

Put my foot through the TV

Not that they’d notice

Winced at the film trivia

Book at the bog-side

Burst all the bean bags

Smoked all the French fags

Hey Mr. Gauloises

Où est le hubcaps?

Half Man Half Biscuit - Song of Encouragement for the Orme Ascent

Then there's these guys...

I want to be in magazines

And be part of the scene

I want to see my paintings hang

In every gallery

I want the world to stop and stare

Whenever it sees me

But most of all I want to be

In David Hockney's diaries

Final word today though comes from another famous Yorkshire artist, this one in poetry, not paint...

Namesakes #193: The Offspring

Imagine you're a new parent, dreaming that your precious little cherubs might one day grow up to form their own band... and maybe even achieve the ultimate musical accolade of being featured on Namesakes. If so, don't let your offspring call their combo The Offspring, because they'll have missed their big chance...

OFFSPRING #1

We start today in southern England in the glorious year of 1972. This Offspring appear to have released only one record... though it did get them an appearance on LWT. Mike Brayn would go on to write disco tunes about UFOs for Sylvia Love. The honour of getting your song on a Bob Stanley compilation would have to wait for another 50 years or so...

Offspring - Windfall

OFFSPRING #2

New Wave snyth-pop group from 1982 featuring Bo Diddley's daughter, Tammi McDaniel, on vocals. Or so discogs would like us to believe. Further investigation appears to reveal that guitarist Scott Deverin Smith was also a Diddley collaborator, and that Tammi's sister, Terri Lynn McDaniel-Bridge, was also in the band. If that's not enough, Bo gets a songwriting credit on the B-side under his real name Ellas McDaniel. I can't find that track online, but it's possible it's a snythy remake of this.

Do you have any questions?

Offspring - Too Many Questions

OFFSPRING #3

British Oi! punks from some time in the 80s...

Offspring - Nightlife

OFFSPRING #4

Soulful sounds from the UK in 1990...

Offspring - Midnight Blues

THE OFFSPRING #5

Definitive Californian pop-punks who made it very big towards the end of the last century by mocking middle class white kids who talk like black inner city rappers. With nine UK Top 40 hits under their belt (including a Number One), they're not to be sneered at. (Not that that will stop George.)

The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)

Which is your cherished cherub today... and which will you be writing out of the will?