Two Weeks To Go – A Little Bit Of Cheer

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“Don’t you have enough images of Jim?” I hear you ask? Erm…NO! Obviously not! Lol

And with the number of images Virginia Turbett has of Jim ALONE, that is unlikely to change soon. I have only a few on my STRICT “shopping list” to go. Which will then have brought my collection of Virginia Turbett prints to (I think) 150.

Again, if money was no object, I’d keep going. I’m sure I will still buy one here and there, when funds allow. I love them all too much!

I think we can safely say that I have the biggest collection of Virginia Turbett Simple Minds/Jim Kerr photos in the entire universe now. Well, apart from Virginia herself, that is.

The one that is in the middle of the three? It accompanies the old “fiddle merchant” one that you guys know is a favourite. Now “fiddle merchant” gets joined with “holy shit! If I had been Virginia taking this photo I’d have MELTED/ sultry, brooding, down-the-camera-lens/excuse me while I rock back and forth on the spot while cradling myself/he’s just so goddamn fucking beautiful!“ photo sitting on the chair…with the boots and the white t-shirt and the jeans and the slick back hair.

Imma gonna die! Or my eyes are gonna fall out. One or the other.

Anyway…

Three more for the collection.

The Magpie Looking For Glitter?

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Someone I follow on Facebook shared a post by John Foxx’s page (actually officially labelled as “John Foxx and The Maths”) in which he posted this image of a letter from David Bowie to Tony Visconti. Foxx added – “Interesting to read this note from David Bowie to Tony Visconti from the 1970s – sending him on a mission for a copy of ‘any Ultravox album’.”

I’m taking by the things he’s asking for and esp. from the time of release on the singles that it is probably this time of year in 1977 this letter was written.

He’d be ramping up for the release of Heroes. The single comes out the same week as The Clash’s Complete Control – September 23rd, 1977. The album is released (“Heroes”) three weeks later. Episode one of the second series of So It Goes airs on October 9th.

As a “magpie” – he was always pretty quick on the uptake. It’s actually kind of intriguing to see him just…buying stuff like us normal plebs. You’d think he’d have extra know-how or would already be somehow exposed to these things and have “insider knowledge”.

There had already been one series of So It Goes by this point…but I guess it was regional and only airing on Granada in the Manchester area so…why would he know?

I love the off-handed almost disdain and disregard of punk – by his faffing about with it. Lol. But then maybe it was more his annoyance at yet another pigeonhole label for yet another genre of music that never seemed fitting? And well, I guess, for him, “punk” would be old. It had been a word used in the U.S. and New York in particular as a style of music for a few years by this point.

“Swizzleland”. Lol. He just sounds so…ordinary.

But he never was. Never ever.

It’s also brought home to me how very little I have listened to him in recent years. So caught up in all things Simple Minds and my….fixation with a certain Glaswegian fae Toryglen, that I have hardly given David’s music any of my time at all.

But I have still been avidly tuning in to the MainMan podcast every week and will be devouring the latest episode this evening. Perhaps even partaking in a listen of a Bowie album afterwards.

“Heroes” seems apt somehow.

Most appropriate tune off the album right now? Sense Of Doubt. For me. For the world. All of it.

Beating My Head Against The Wall

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Because…I don’t know what else to do with myself.

I saw this sketch on Instagram of Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill and I thought it looked really lovely. I love that the artist got Mr Kerr in the, what I like to call, the “hairdresser’s bib” – this odd black scarf/kerchief thing he wore in 1982/3. They drew it well.

Kerr is a bit abstract. It’s not an exact likeness. And it also does look a little like the guy from The Lotus Eaters, but I like it. A link to the artist’s Instagram account is below.

I wish I had a modicum of this kind of talent. Alas…

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGA2T0wD8xE/?igshid=uv1ho3if4n8w

Added Extras

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Michelle took these ones of me with “The Boys/Mr Beautiful Sir KerrLaird Dash Fandango aka Jim” 😁😁😁

The first one in B&W makes me look like I’m just…standing at the shrine. Lol

The Barrowland Star – Priptona Shrine Art

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It’s a Prip nostalgia trip of the highest order. With overt Kerr 1982 aesthetic on display. This one is made exactly four years ago today. It came up in my Facebook memories.

There are parts of that appearance on The Tube in 1982 in which Jim just floors me with his beauty. I have made SSSOOOOO much work from that Tube appearance.

Jim Kerr, you are just…jawdropping in your beauty. I will never stop adoring you. Sorry! #notsorry

Embracing The Suck Since 1981

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So…Jim. James. Sir Kerr. Laird Dash Fandango. It appears by this evidence captured by Jill Furmanovsky and taken at…the Manor House, I believe? That you, fine sir, have been practicing the “embrace the suck” mantra for some time now. And a number of years prior to Mr Forsey reputedly exposing you to such…questionable phrasing, yes? Lol

Heart Of The Crowd – Limited Edition Boxed Presentation

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So initially I held off getting the Heart Of The Crowd book on pre-order. I just wasn’t sure I wanted to expose myself to all those stories. I was slowly coming round to it and was starting to think that maybe it would be good. And the £45 didn’t seem too bad. A little more expensive than I had liked (as I said before, the 16 Years book is of a similar volume but was just that more modestly priced at £35) but, you know…I’m sure it would be worth it.

I am glad I had held off because one of the fans on one of the SM groups alerted us to THIS!

The blurb about it reads:

With foreword from Jim Kerr. The Special Box edition is limited to 1,000 copies only and are all individually numbered.

The Special Box edition comes compete with bonus items including: Certificate of Authenticity numbered 1-1000, two rare early black and white photos signed by Jim and Charlie, a plectrum made for Charlie for the 2020 tour, Simple Minds 40 Hits tour VIP pass with lanyard, Simple Minds 2020 fridge magnet, sticker sheet with 24 badges, replica Saturday Night Live ticket from 1985, replica BBC In Corcert ticket from 1979, replica Mars Bar Club flyer from 1977 (I think they mean 1978, I hope they do!), all presented in a box with artwork.

Well…I couldn’t actually resist THIS version and have gone ahead and pre-ordered it. When you make it ultra collectable, of course then you pull me in! I already have the photo of Jim. I got some prints from Laurie Evans just a short while ago and it included that particular photo of Jim. I don’t have any of Charlie (of Laurie’s in print form), so there’s a bonus already.

I won’t lie – I took a steep intake of breath when I saw the cost but it wasn’t like I wasn’t prepared. And I do think given the collectable nature of it and all the bonus content, it is actually a more reasonable price than the standard copy of the book. All of that other stuff for £40 more quid? Sounds bloody decent to me!

So, yes. This special box limited edition is priced at £85 but, in my eyes, better value for money than the standard edition.

I just pray now that my little contribution features in it…but I highly doubt it. There is nothing grandiose in my fan story I have to offer. certainly not what I had submitted anyway.

Yep. I was keeping quiet about it. About the fact I actually DID submit something. But I sat on my hands for months because I felt I had nothing to offer the book as Miss Johnny-Come-Lately “not a real fan – earn your stripes, girly” fan – so…yeah.

I’ll be no doubt desperately disheartened if my little bit doesn’t make it in…but I have had more than my share in recent times. And I’ll love Jim all the rest of my days for being so kind and lovely to me when he did. (Oh, how I miss it! STOP CRYING!!! 😭😭😭)

Nothing could ever mean more to me than that.

So…if you have £85 to burn, have contributed to the book and know you’re appearing in it (some fans already seem to know they are in it) then you MAY just want to splash out. At only 1,000 limited copies, I wouldn’t dilly dally though!

Details on purchasing the book can be viewed HERE