A bit of morbid fun
Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2012 5:51 pm
Last week there was an article in my local newspaper about a firm of undertakers in the next village renewing the shopfront sign above their door. Behind the one they were replacing, they found a much older sign from between the wars - "The Music Lounge". They knew the premises had been part of the George Fitt Motor Company, but nobody knew what this "Music Lounge" could have been.
I knew instantly - amongst the many stitched-edge cardboard sleeves printed with gramophone and record shop details that are so common throughout the UK from the 1930s and earlier, I had one of these (probably have more buried in the collection) so I got in touch and gave it to them. The motor company had diversified at some point and also ran this gramophone and record shop - similar to so many other concerns one sees on these sleeves, often for example "gramophone and cycle stores".
Of course, I had to give them a record too, didn't I? An empty sleeve didn't seem right, especially as they wanted to frame it! So I gave them a copy of Leslie Sarony's "Ain't It Grand To Be Blooming Well Dead" - and I took a portable an PLAYED the record in the funeral parlour. I'm still laughing about it!
The newspaper photographer came - hopefully I can post a link to the follow-up article in a week or two's time. Meanwhile, for those unfamiliar, you can listen to the record here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfyBlwlCFYo - the undertaker enjoyed it immensely. Good job he didn't have any sensitive customers turn up at the time...
I knew instantly - amongst the many stitched-edge cardboard sleeves printed with gramophone and record shop details that are so common throughout the UK from the 1930s and earlier, I had one of these (probably have more buried in the collection) so I got in touch and gave it to them. The motor company had diversified at some point and also ran this gramophone and record shop - similar to so many other concerns one sees on these sleeves, often for example "gramophone and cycle stores".
Of course, I had to give them a record too, didn't I? An empty sleeve didn't seem right, especially as they wanted to frame it! So I gave them a copy of Leslie Sarony's "Ain't It Grand To Be Blooming Well Dead" - and I took a portable an PLAYED the record in the funeral parlour. I'm still laughing about it!
The newspaper photographer came - hopefully I can post a link to the follow-up article in a week or two's time. Meanwhile, for those unfamiliar, you can listen to the record here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfyBlwlCFYo - the undertaker enjoyed it immensely. Good job he didn't have any sensitive customers turn up at the time...
I nearly kicked the bucket laughing!