14.3.05

Hastings Pier and Anal Beard

It was a very busy weekend, full of exciting experiences and encounters. Saturday I went to a PV at the Phoenix of the stone carvings of Marcia Bennett-Male, a friend of Nick's. It's great to see skill in art - they are reminiscent of Ian Hamilton Finlay with a West Indies slant. My neighbour Marion Charles also had work on show.

Hastings copyright Alan Fred Pipes 2005
Hastings off-season, note funicular in distance 
Then to Hastings on the train, always an adventure. I'd never been there in daylight before and experienced both funicular railways before hiking to the pier for the Mad March Fayre and a stadium rock appearance by my nephew's band Anal Beard.

Hastings Pier copyright Alan Fred Pipes 2005
Hastings Pier 
Erica and Melita dragged me off to another PV up some steps, with free wine and nibbles this time, 'fraid i can't remember the name of the artist, but Poly Styrene from X-ray Spex was there! I asked her if I could take a photo but she said no and referred me to her website. So back through the massed chavs to the station and after a cold half-hour wait at Lewes, home.

Anal Beard copyright Alan Fred Pipes 2005
Anal Beard in concert 
On Sunday I cycled down to the sea to buy a kipper (no smokies) then to Hove Museum for Where is Minnie the Minx Today? Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell (who was also spotted at Saturday's PV at Phoenix) , editor of Comics International Dez Skinn, and comics creators Woodrow Phoenix and Gavin Burrows, debated the lost art of subversion in children's comics. The last event in a 3-year long celebration of the 50th anniversary of Leo Baxendale's Bash Street Kids first appearance in The Beano. Organised by Cartoon County, the mayor and her car CD1 were there too. Got a few blurred pix cos I didn't dare switch my flash on. Spotted a new weird cycle lane near Tescos on the way back, complete with sculptures. Keep an eye on my Weird cycle lanes website for pix.

1 comment:

Nick said...

A busy weekend, Fred!

Yes, Marcia's stone carvings at the Phoenix gallery are well worth a view.

Although Germfree Adolescents was one of my favourite LPs from the punk era, I never saw X-Ray Spex live.

Good to see that Poly Styrene is still active.