Jonathon King & friend in one of his discreet publicity snaps
Britain's most irreverent blogger Madame Arcati who has a habit of getting up the nose of many a tabloid editor for her ability to scoop them, brings news about former pop identity Jonathon King's planned auto-biography.
65 year old King is a British singer, songwriter, TV personality,impresario and writer according to his wikipedia entry (did he write it himself ?)-but it's all true. His first hit song when he was still a uni-student "Everyone's Gone to the Moon", in 1965 sold 4 million copies around the world. No mean feat in the days when mass media didn't really exist. This was followed by some weird and wonderful show biz antics with King at times in fright wigs or adopting different personas to flog successful records (records-that's what they were called in those days kids)..who also discovered and produced the ginormous band Genesis , produced the Bay City Rollers and our personal favourite-The Piglets.
One older Shuttler worker here has admitted, somewhat reluctantly, to dancing joyfully to one of King's biggest hits Una Paloma Blanca in the 1980's in an Ibizia disco before it became the gay haven it is today and one could express such inhibitions watched only by puzzled local Spanish waiters.
The UK Independent's columnist Pandora ( days after Arcati broke the tale) has labeled King's book as " his latest bid for attention". A somewhat unusual claim from a newspaper regarded as a more intellectual tabloid but which still carries tales of the earth shattering news of the marriage break-up of 2 people called Jordon and Peter Andre. No, we aren't to sure who Peter and Jordon are either but Britain is obsessed with them since the demise of reality star Jade Goody.
They seem a nice pair but what they actually do is a mystery although older Shuttlers may re-call there was a mildly successful singer by the name of Peter Andre in Sydney who left for the UK years ago. That's to the land where attention seeking has become an art form and Britain's media is only too happy to assist.
King ran foul of the law and was a guest at Her Majesty's Pleasure over accusations of underage sex (the law in the UK has since lowered the legal age to 16) but says on his website he has an appeal before the European Court which he is confident of winning after discovering proof he wasn't in the UK at the times the offenses are said to have happened.
King has probably confused many of Britain's sex obsessed tabloids. Rather than slink out of prison as expected, coat over head into a waiting car to speed off-he walked out broadly smiling , thumbs high in a victory stance. Such antics just puzzle the British media who demand everyone express permanent shame. Regular visitors to London will notice most pedestrians comply.
For Jonathon King's own view of his trial, a must see is his movie Vile Pervert where King plays all roles. It is quite hilarious.
## The Shuttle hopes King's book is as fascinating as 'Brando Unzipped', the biography of the late Marlon Brando by a long-time associate Darwin Porter (a relative of Brando's pal Tennessee Williams) which revealed tales of Brando's insatiable sexual appetite and his propensity to star-f**k every Hollywood identity from Marilyn Monroe , Tallulah Bankhead, Rock Hudson, Cary Grant and James Dean (who apparently liked his nipples twisted and ciggies stubbed out on his chest with Brando happy to oblige). One story told of Brando boasting about Marlene Deitrich's oral skills and how she would helpfully get down on her knees and scrub the kitchen floor afterwards ( well, she was a Virgo and that sounds about right).
Plus the news that far from being "working class" as Brando like to portray himself-he was from a wealthy middle-class family and was expelled from military school after organizing an orgy with fellow students.
Madame Arcarti a youthful Marlon Brando
## Speaking of Tennessee Williams, the Shuttle attended the preview last night of Liv Ullman's STC production of "A Streetcar named Desire" and will post a longer review later-after we attend the official opening night on Saturday. Needless to say, Cate Blanchett is simply amazing as Blanche Du Bois which should please Cate's husband Andrew Upton who we encountered before the play looking very nervous and frantically texting on his mobile phone.
That was until Cate suffered an accident when a scene where Stanley throws a radio at Blanche. The prop grazed Cate as she fell on all fours. Audience members thought it was all part of the show but when Cate disappeared off stage, the stage manager cut short the performance. Cate's fine except for a small nick on the forehead and was back performing tonight-just one of the hitches that need to be ironed out before the gala premier later this week.
That was until Cate suffered an accident when a scene where Stanley throws a radio at Blanche. The prop grazed Cate as she fell on all fours. Audience members thought it was all part of the show but when Cate disappeared off stage, the stage manager cut short the performance. Cate's fine except for a small nick on the forehead and was back performing tonight-just one of the hitches that need to be ironed out before the gala premier later this week.
