The gleeful anarchist Jul 2, 2008
As I flip through the channels, Rist appears, miming to the late, great Kevin Coyne's Jackie and Edna, looking like a cross between Annie Lennox and George Formby. I nearly missed the collaged erect penis that bounced by. (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Molten hot and scary as thunder Jun 4, 2008
Boys such as Mick Jagger, John Lennon and Pete Townshend, who grew up in homes where Handel, Gilbert van, George Formby, Gracie Fields or Victor Silvester provided the soundtrack, but who came out of grammar schools and art colleges, responding to the transgressive power of music that could only be heard, like coded messages from another world, via the crackly signal of Radio Luxembourg, or, for a couple of hours each week, the Light Programme's Saturday Club. Voices that had previously sung... (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Pat Kirkwood Dec 29, 2007
However her experience working with George Formby as the love interest on his film Come On George. the same year was less happy. (Telegraph.co.uk)
BBC censors The Pogues' Christmas classic Dec 18, 2007
" I'm shocked to find that it's been censored here as well. Sad, that. Posted by Cary on December 18, 2007 6:47 AMWhy is it that traditional minded folk, whose sensitivities mean that they are offended by certain vulgar words are ignored by the BBC, whilst others sensitivities are so important? The BBC goes out of their way to insult the former group. Its not like the song in question is a homophobic rant or anything. Posted by Serf on December 18, 2007 6:46 AMWhat the f*** is happening to this... (Telegraph.co.uk)
Violin losing out to guitar in music lessons Nov 22, 2007
Or, perhaps, champions of George Formby. Just weeks after a craze for ukeleles over recorders in primary schools was revealed, a government-backed study has found that guitars and drums are, in fact, becoming the instruments of choice in the classroom. (Guardian Unlimited)
With my little ukelele: A revolution in music for youth Oct 19, 2007
It's small, cheap and easy to pick up: no wonder the instrument made famous by George Formby is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to learn music in school ... " Less well known but every bit as serious is classical musician John King, who teaches music at a university in Florida. He has arranged works by Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi and others for the ukulele. But musicians such as King and Shimabukuro are struggling to change the perception that the ukulele is played only for laughs. In... (Independent)
School music Oct 17, 2007
Ask the average 10-year-old about George Formby and almost certainly you will be met with a puzzled look ... George Formby is probably Britain's most famous ukulele player. (Guardian Unlimited)
Memphis magicThe British singer hoping to be crowned the 'ultimate Elvis' Aug 18, 2007
"My father used to play the ukulele as George Formby and I'd grown up with that. I've always played the banjo as a little kid and I loved Elvis - he's always been an idol of mine," he recalls. "When I joined the navy at 16 I used to entertain the troops, and when I left in 1995 I put a little cabaret show together.". (BBC News -- UK)
Plenty of pop, not enough soul Jul 4, 2007
The closest Blake ever gets to feeling is a sort of sadness-tinged nostalgia, with his old postcards and 45rpm singles, his Victoriana, faded music-hall playbills, and photos of George Formby and forgotten comedians. There is, however, one painting that stands out, A Remembered Moment in Venice California (1981-91). (Guardian Unlimited)
Radio review Jun 26, 2007
Music (George Formby), memories ("2,000 people slept on the promenade because the boarding houses were full"), and even dated comedy routines ("he was the master of the single entendre") added to a highly evocative, charming mix. . (Guardian Unlimited -- Arts)
Still streets ahead after half a century May 29, 2007
It seems like a lucky actress/actor pulled from the Old Vic to star on the show has been told to sound like a combination of George Formby sans ukelele and Noel Gallagher on a bender. Jim A / 2:01am 28 May 2007. (Scotsman)
Why a man needs an axe Jan 26, 2007
On display in Dublin, it looks more like a bizarrely extended version of George Formby s ukelele than its sturdier successors that would conquer the world. From such origins, however, mixed with the blues descended from Robert Johnson, the gradual blurring of the racial divide in 1950s America, and the advances made by Les Paul, Leo Fender and others, came the electric guitar and the rock music that could not exist without it. (TimesOnline)
Cheerful rebel Jan 21, 2007
In the mid-1950s, Griffith and O'Toole shared a dressing room in Manchester with George Formby. Formby, they found, kept two ukuleles, tuned to different keys, and they asked him if one was a spare. (Guardian Unlimited)
