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• OUR BOOK OF 2006 - JOHN TAYLOR'S MEMOIRS |
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THE late, great former Editor of SAVILE ROW Style Magazine, John Taylor, died at the end of 2003 - but managed to complete his books of memoirs in that year, and also left an archive of style notes that we will continue to carry on the SAVILE ROW Style website.
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Meantime, his book will be coming out early in 2006 and, as was to be expected from such a consummate writer, it is a wonderful read. 'From Ovaltiney to Angry Old Man' is a mixture of lyrical nostalgia, funny anecdotes, wry observations and a savage critique of modern mores. |
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He became the arbiter on male style matters, first as Editor of the Tailor & Cutter magazine, then of Man About Town and as contributor on men's fashions and lifestyle topics to a host of publications at home and abroad, as well as on TV and radio. But this book is certainly not a fashion tome. |
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It covers a childhood that saw him become a star of the weekly radio show, 'The Ovaltineys' , where he worked with a host of names later to become famous. At 18 he joined the Royal Navy, becoming first a TAG (Telegraphist/Air Gunner) then pilot in the Fleet Air Arm. On demob, with a wife and coming baby to support and little training other than to fly an aircraft, he became a journalist. "I hung up my wings and put on my horns", he says.
As with many ex-servicemen, he avoids references to the actualities of war, and concentrates instead upon the farcical elements. There's a wonderfully absurd story of how he kidnapped some natives in Madagascar, where he was "a deep sea sailor in the middle of the jungle".
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He reveals his personal invasion of the United States. And he details a succession of injuries all treated with the same sovereign remedy, the blue unction. |
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With his launch of Man About Town at the beginning of the 1950s, he created the first men's consumer style magazine, which achieved cult status. TV and radio work added to his considerable work output, yet despite this he was a legendary carouser of old Fleet Street and Old Soho. "I wonder how all the work got done considering all the drinking", he writes. This might make it seem a bit rich for this man to then become an angry critic of what he saw as bad behaviour in the following generations. |
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Yet as his generation fought to preserve the freedoms and standards that he now saw being eroded, he maintains he had a right to be angry and his castigations are widespread and caustic. His final memories turn again to childhood, and to the small boy. A sweet ending to a real memoir. |
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'From Ovaltiney to Angry Old Man' is published by Scott Taylor Publishing Ltd in conjunction with Booksurgepublishing.com. It may be ordered through this site - savilerow-style.com at £15.95 for the hardback. Selected bookshops will have copies. |
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• GOING TO THE PICTURES IN STYLE
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FOR those who prefer going out for their entertainment, the latest vogue in 'going to the pictures' is to opt for one of the small and exclusive cinema clubs - following a trend already established in the U.S. |
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These screen cult and classic movies in small, luxury screening rooms where the audience may watch whilst enjoying a drink from the bar. In London, the Charlotte Street, Covent Garden and Soho hotels all have these clubs, the Soho House club in Soho, the Everyman in Hampstead and the Electric in Notting Hill are others. |
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More venerable and reasonably priced membership is offered by the National Film Theatre, the Barbican and KinoKulture in Bloomsbury. |
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• a comedy of village errors |
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On a lighter note, Entertainment In Video has released the DVD of 'Keeping Mum' in time for Mother's Day. This Ealing-style comedy, starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Dame Maggie Smith, was a box-office success, a wickedly funny send-up of English village life and the bumbling vicar. Cat No EDV 9389, price £13.61. |
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::
Living With Violence
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WE were sorry to learn that an old friend of Savile Row, Lord Weatherill, former Speaker of the House of Commons, has been unwell. The son of a tailor, he has always kept a thimble in his pocket to remind him of his beginnings and has kept up his links with Savile Row and SAVILE ROW Style Magazine over the years.
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He was to have been guest of honour at a recent book launch we attended at the House of Commons but a recent heart problem and hospitalisation meant that he could not attend.
But we can now report he is progressing well at home.
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The book in question is by former MP, Professor Eric Moonman, and is a timely look at 'Learning to Live in the Violent Society'. This may seem somewhat removed from our usual 'style' topics but when you think how acts of terrorism spread their ripple effects out into our society and personal and business lives, it is a subject that has relevance to us all. |
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As a leading European counter-terrorist specialist, known on both sides of the Atlantic , and a senior member of the Inter-University Centre for Terrorism and Legal Studies in Washington , Eric Moonman brings an uneviable insight to the subject. But he also looks at other aspects of violence, in sport and in the home, with some pretty chilling statistics. It is a compelling read. |
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Published in America, it available through www.authorhouse.com or Amazon Books site, at £20.49 hard cover, £10.99 paperback, and will be in selected retailers. |
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