FIRST up, let's have a whip round to buy John Lennon's handwritten lyrics for the song Give Peace a Chance when they come up for auction at Christie's next month. If we all club together, we can make them an offer.
Christie's say the lyrics are being flogged by comedy writer and presenter Gail Renard, who was 16 when the famous Beatle and his other half, Yoko Ono, staged their famous bed-in at a Montreal hotel back in 1969.
It seems Renard and a friend sneak
ed into the Queen Elizabeth Hotel where the recently married Lennon and Ono were holding a protest for peace, and became friendly with the couple.
Anyway, story is that Lennon gave Renard some mementos, including the lyrics, telling her, "One day they'll be worth something".
He was right, the scribbled lyrics are expected to fetch up to £30,000 when they go under the hammer – hence the whip round, folks.
Now onto the serious business of the week.
In a word, dancer. Just as I was losing the will to live, in the post comes the album I've waited ages for – no, not Tiffany's Greatest Hits, not the new Falco album either, but a record that restores one's faith in music.
The album in question is The Age Of The Under-statement by the Last Shadow Puppets – who are, of course, Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane from the Rascals.
Not, as I might have imagined, sounding anything like the Arctic Monkeys (or even the Rascals for that matter), but rather a veritable toast to 60s chamber psychedelia. It's got spaghetti-Western gallop, a touch of Ennio Morricone, and string arrangements by the 22-piece London Metropolitan Orchestra to elevate it high above the usual indie fare.
For those who may have doubted Turner's versatility, The Age Of The Understatement suggests this guy's in it for the long haul. And that's no overstatement.
Turner reckons his side project won't affect his full-time outfit, but how those other Monkeys must be worried, especially after the LSP's nice press lady told me he plans to go on tour with the album. Now, you're probably thinking to yourself 'that album's been out for weeks, how's he just got it now?' (it's been at number one and everything – Ed]. But, you see, the LSP's nice press lady forgot to send me a copy, that's how. She more than made up for this, though, by sending me a fetching Last Shadow Puppets bag, which I feel will go down a storm on the beaches and calanques of Marseille this summer.
I can tell you right now that that same bag will be holding my reading matter for the trip, which will almost certainly include Prince's first book, 21 Nights.
'Tis right, the little purple fella's only gone and put together a photographic essay incorporating images, lyrics and poetry based on his 21-night residency at the O2 Arena in London last year.
According to Atria books, it offers "a rare glimpse into the life, lyrics, and mystique" of the Minneapolis maestro and will feature "124 full-colour sumptuous, never-before-published images by celeb-rated photographer Randee St Nicholas."
In addition to the new lyrics, photos and poetry that make up the tome, an exclusive CD entitled Indigo Nights will also be included.
Only £21 – and cheap at half the price. Now, where did I put that number for Prince's nice press lady?
The full article contains 588 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
