I am a bit late with the newest Matty James Cassidy product that reached my place already a month ago. I am of course talking about the Acoustic Souls. Live at The Waterloo DVD that was officially released on 15 January 2021. Sorry about the delay, but fortunately you can still buy the DVD, so... Continue Reading →
Oskar Simolin 1838–1911
The name "Simolin" is a household name in my home town, Porvoo. The Simolin department store was, and is still standing on the edge of the Old Town and it was a place where I visited with my parents when I was a kid. The building is full of other activities nowadays as is the... Continue Reading →
William Hogarth’s Gin Lane
William Hogarth's most famous print, Gin Lane, was published on 14 February 1751. Gin Lane is still known, it's also an inspiration for new works of art. It's also my favourite work from Hogarth. It's sometimes forgotten that it had a pair, Beer Street. But as I am a gin person myself, I concentrate on the more... Continue Reading →
Astley Cooper – the World Famous Surgeon Died 180 Years ago
Today, 12 February, died a man called Astley Cooper, a world famous surgeon. The year was 1841. I read Druin Burch’s biography of him, Digging up the Dead. Uncovering the Life and Times of an Extraordinary Surgeon and this story is just written after the book. I haven’t used other sources. Druin Burch’s book was... Continue Reading →
P. Kropotkin – Hirmuvalta Venäjällä (The Terror in Russia)
This is not a real blog post, but I cannot ignore the hundredth anniversary of the death of Peter Kropotkin. A proper story of him is scheduled for the 180th anniversary of his birth, the ninth of December 2022. This time I just show one little booklet from my library. Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin died on... Continue Reading →
Tatsuo Hata, SUGIZO and the Serenity of a Forest
A book called Traces of Yakushima by photographer Tatsuo Hata and an album called 愛と調和 by musician SUGIZO are two works of art that I want to write about this time. These two separate artistic products are connected together and it all ended up in a photographic exhibition called Harmony by Tatsuo Hata. The link between... Continue Reading →
The Lanterns of the Bell Rock Lighthouse Were Lit for the First Time 210 Years ago
The lanterns of the Bell Rock lighthouse were lit first time on 1 February 1811. The lighthouse stands in the North Sea 11 miles east from the Firth of Tay, Scotland. It’s the oldest sea washed lighthouse that still exists. Its creator, or, I should say, one of its creators, Robert Stevenson, a civil engineer,... Continue Reading →
Various Artists: Hatful of Holloway – A Cover Album to Help The Lamb
Hatful of Holloway is a compilation album (download album only), 22 artists/bands performing as many cover songs. The album is made as a fundraiser album to help The Lamb, a favourite haunt of many local musicians. Its loyal customers wanted to help as much as possible to save the pub that is struggling during these... Continue Reading →