Lord Bassington-Bassington, Rock n'Roll Manager

Yes, not content to be a rock n'roll (press release) writer, Lord Bassington-Bassington has gone and become a rock n'roll manager. Well, if being a manager for a one-man ukulele band qualifies as rock'n'roll, that is. And as His Lordship's idea of a rocking lifestyle means a nice nap on the sofa followed by a small glass of port, then surely it qualifies him as a real rock'n'roll rebel.



So far, His Lordship is in the process of negotiating a record deal for Death in Uke with favourite label Extremocidente. Lord Bassington-Bassington, who normally tries to avoid lifting a paw for anything, feels very pleased with his efforts and is hoping to get a small treat...

Though some would say it's just an excuse for His Lordship to exercise one his recent sporting enthusiasms...



First things first, though. The most urgent project is to create a Tiki drink for both Death in Uke and Extremocidente. This promises to be a tipsy night indeed. Stay tuned to these Chronicles!

Bow to the Basset

No, it's not another rallying cry for the New Hound Order. It's just a plug for one of Lord Bassington-Bassington's small eBay finds.

His Lordship tries to not fill Bassington Manor with trinkets like this. While normally not one to appreciate discrimination on the basis of sexual preferences, Lord Bassington-Bassington does think that, as a general principle, heterosexual males should not do interior decoration.

There are surely men whose taste qualify for exemption from this rule. But with Lord Bassington-Bassington's appreciation of aesthetic eccentricity, his interior ideas tend to turn out as mild disasters. Including His Lordship's insistence that a home can be furnished exclusively with books and records. A lot of fun, but a bit impractical come bedtime.

But who could resist this adorably bow-tied, long-eared little hound? Now it has been given a good home, guarding the small Basset hound section of Bassington Manor's library. And yes, there are a few strange titles on the shelves here.

And anyway, it is not a coincidence that this post is published on a Wednesday. Perhaps Lord Bassington-Bassington is less of a rebel than he would fancy. After all, hounds are pack animals.

Oh, and by the way, here's one of His Lordship's favourite Basset titles. Reading it at bedtime (or any other time...) guarantees a good snooze. That it was a gift from the good Lord's better three-quarters just adds to the coziness.

Lovecraftian book news

Things move slowly at the Chronicles these days. Lord Bassington-Bassington is, as usual, rather un-occupied (unless you count loafing on the sofa here at Bassington Manor as an occupation) but His Lordship's secretary has to earn his keep. As a result, the Chronicles tend to be neglected. We apologize for this - we'd like to say something like "reality is a bitch", except here at Bassington Manor, "bitch" is considered a high compliment.

So here is an attempt to make up for the neglect on at least one front, by looking at some of Lord Bassington-Bassington's Lovecraftian library acquisitions of the last few months. As usual, we here at the Chronicles tend to focus on the small press, as major publishing companies seem to do very well without promotion on obscure blogs.

Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, possibly the most entertaining practitioner of the Lovecraftian tale alive today, has a new collection of short stories out. And while Lord Bassington-Bassington has barely dipped his paws into them yet, they look very promising indeed.

Jason Thompson's graphic adaptation The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath and Other Stories, which Lord Bassington-Bassington helped fund, is out and is a rare delight. Mr. Thompson's adaptation of
"The Strange High House in the Mist" is worth the price of the book alone, and every reading sends Lord Bassington-Bassington into melancholy dreams of his own visit to Kingsport some years ago. To support struggling artists, His Lordship suggests you get it directly from Mr. Thompson.

It is also available with a beautiful poster, which we suspect will look great on the wall of Bassington Manor.



The most intriguing release, though, is without a doubt this ultra-limited translation of Lovecraft's "The Festival" into Norwegian, done by none other than Lord Bassington-Bassington's own secretary, and cover by accomplished Lovecraftian artist Kim Holm.

This is the first publication of Lord Bassington-Bassington's own small press venture, Bassington House, and we hope there will be more releases in the future.

Three-piece in our time?

Because some forms of patriotism are more important than others.

A Crash Course in Cricket

Cricket season will soon be upon us. And as Lord Bassington-Bassington has previously remarked, Norway now has a rather good national cricket team. Even if, in an example of how small Norway really is, team captain Mehtab Afsar has taken over the job of His Lordship's friend Shoaib Sultan.

This still leaves one challenge, though: How on earth does one make sense of this seemingly complicated game? Luckily, the Interwebs come to the rescue of those confused about cricket. There are plenty of short, informative films that can give the prospective cricket fanatic a feel for the flow of the game...



...and an understanding of how various national cricketing styles have emerged...



...and how cricket can fit into a dramatic narrative (and contain some great ethnic stereotyping).



By golly, there's information films about cricket set to music these days!



If these films are too difficult to digest, perhaps gentleman rhymer Mr. B could explain the game using written words and non-moving images (used by permission from Mr. B's Chap-Hop Registry).

But honestly, Lord Bassington-Bassington wonders if it's best to simply get a book on the subject. Or stick to playing tiddlywinks…

Jänner-whining

Since Lord Bassington-Bassington has been keeping track of Austrian ensemble Jännerwein since their inception, and their latest album has been spinning incessantly here at Bassington Manor, it's only fitting that the Lord Bassington-Bassington Chronicles share their new video with our readers.

Well done, chaps!

Waxing poetic

Having problems getting your whiskers in order? Do stray hairs get in your coffee cup or food bowl? If so, you Bounder Extra-Firm Moustache Wax is the solution!

His Lordship really recommends these small tins of handmade wax, scented with Caribbean rum. Though the advertising blurb "tested on gentlemen, not animals" is a bit misleading, as Bounder's wax is now thoroughly tested on Basset Hounds.

And Lord Bassington-Bassington just noticed that Bounder produces small unbreakable mirrors. Surely something worth getting!

Clubbable colours

Things tend to take time here at Bassington Manor, but Lord Bassington-Bassington has finally gotten around to ordering a club tie from his beloved New Sheridan Club.

In Lord Bassington-Bassington's not-so-humble opinion, this tie will work well with a double-breasted blazer, and perhaps even teamed with the club cufflinks.

And as His Lordship lives in one of the colder corners of the world, he saw fit to order a club scarf at the same time. These are specially made in extremely small batches each spring and fall. The spring quota was full, but if all goes well His Lordship can wrap one of these lovely things around his neck and ears come the winter.

And perhaps it is, at last, time to get a proper boating hat...?