The soundtrack for summer

We here at the Chronicles have tried to get a coherent comment from Lord Bassington-Bassington on the new Jännerwein album. But so far to no avail, as his lordship just plays the record over and over while running in rings, barking and howling and saying things that sounds like "the pop-neofolk album I've been waiting for all these years" and "my Dog, all the songs are in German and it's so awesome" and suchlike.

So while we've given up on getting any serious response from the droopy-eared one, you can check out the album for yourself here. Or just do what Lord Bassington-Bassington did, buy the CD after hearing just two songs. There's rumours of an upcoming ultra-limited vinyl version in the fall, which his lordship really hopes to get his paws on.



We have a strong suspicion that this will be the soundtrack for summer here at Bassington Manor.

The perfect basset-cessory

It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that Lord Bassington-Bassington likes to accessorize, whether we're talking about bow ties or, well, more eccentric accoutrements.

A nice thing to liven up an otherwise down-to-earth outfit is the thing known in modern parlance as bling, which His Lordship is also quite fond of. Indeed, he could even be accused of joining clubs to get even more such accessories.

So imagine the droopy-eared's delight when he received this generous gift from in-laws, a lovely hand-crafted pin that is a perfect depiction of the above young lady, the lovely Balbina – award-winning member of the extended Mju clan.

The silver pin is indeed the perfect accessory, and gives even the sturdiest Harris tweed a touch of velvety basset-eariness. But it works particularly well with Lord Bassington-Bassington's recently acquired summer tweed jacket.

This might well lead to some outrageous style experiments, because His Lordship finally has a tweed jacket that can be worn with shorts. A bit over the top, perhaps, but hey – it's all about basset pride, saying it loud, being tricolor and proud and all that.

As one says in India, as important as having a good spouse is to get good in-laws. And we can safely say that Lord Bassington-Bassington is lucky enough to be very well off on both regards.

Jännerwein live

Lord Bassington-Bassington would like to share this video of a very nice performance by Jännerwein.

Because there is something that's just so satisfying about following a project from its humble inception, seeing it mature and burst into full bloom.

Because this is one of those rare live events where the audience actually shuts up.

But mostly because Lord Bassington-Bassington, being the somewhat stupid and senile canine he is, keeps losing the link to this video. So by posting it here His Lordship would have no excuse to misplace it.

Chappist magick?

Lord Bassington-Bassington has recently become reacquainted with one of the heroes of his youth, namely intrepid young reporter Tintin. This has had several important effects on His Lordship's daily life (such as wearing breeks much more frequently) but also in delving into the lovely character of Professor Calculus, the ever perambulating, always pendulating eccentric.

Of course, it was Professor Calculus who introduced the young Lord Bassington-Bassington to pendulation. And lo and behold, His Lordship found this book in one of the book stashes from the Sufi Master's old library.

Time to try one's paw at it! But what to pendular with?

Bingo! With His Lordship's passion for pocket watches, pendulation shouldn't be a problem. We're sure that lots of fascinating Fortean finds will be unearthed in the near future.

Dog mit uns

This is possibly the best art since Julian Quaye's dandified canines, but with an even better racial match than even that captivatingly Prussian canines we have seen since Der Kaiser.

Stolen from the obviously very talented artist Zarnala.

His Basset's Voice

An arresting tattoo

Lord Bassington-Bassington's musings on tattoos seem to have had consequences. On the body of one of Norway's finest, no less. For surely what we're seeing here is a reader of the Chronicles?

Here at Bassington Manor, though, the canine part of the household hasn't had much progress on the body art front. Despite having even gone so far as commissioning designs for a tattoo, it seems like His Lordship will stick to adornments on his footwear for the present.

Vitruvian Basset

Surely more elegant than the human version, or what?

"Twa corbies": Social realist version

While out on an early morning walkie in the Oxford University Gardens, waddling across cricket greens and along country lanes, Lord Bassington-Bassington happened upon a most wonderful sight: Twa corbies frolicking on a tennis court.

Surely this deserves a spot on the list of The 41 Most British Things That Have Ever Happened?

Lost hound

Panic on the streets of London! Somewhere in the Putney area, south of the Thames and close to several excellent tweed outfitters, little Fritzi is lost. We hope he is doing okay.

Chocolate cobbler

Matching colours can be difficult, especially when one is, like Lord Bassington-Bassington, a bit colour-blind (even if canines can see colours). One must simply accept what assistance one can get.

So imagine Lord Bassington-Bassington's joy when His Lordship encountered this charming young chap at the airport in Bergen. Apparently, the young chocolate lab was very taken with the Jeffery-West brogues with contrast lacings. Not only was it a perfect match, the little chap was also very keen on helping with shoe cleaning.

Sorry for the bad pictures, but it is a bit hard to both photograph a puppy who catches the exquisite scent of finer footwear and keep it from chewing it at the same time.

Rebel club

Because Lord Bassington-Bassington loves club ties. And Moomintrolls. And because this lovely coaster was a Yuletide present from Lady Mju. Thank you very much!

Perhaps it is time to finally try to join the Handlebar Club?

Casual(ty) ward

Over the years, Lord Bassington-Bassington has reached the point where he will don a tie or bow tie on practically every weekday and social occasion.

You know how it is: You feel naked without a jacket, a jacket needs a pocket handkerchief, and then it all looks wrong without an ironed shirt (which of course is no fun without cufflinks), and an ironed shirt looks sad without some neckwear, and suddenly you're dressed to the nines even if you're only popping out for a pint.

Well, possibly you don't know how it is. Because you just might be a sensible person, because most people are more sensible than Lord Bassington-Bassington. Who, in his defense, is a Hound, not a person.

So this blog post is simply a small assortment of pictures that Lord Bassington-Bassington has found himself returning to for examples of more casual looks that still cut a dash.

This picture comes straight from the Facebook page of Jeffery-West, His Lordship's favourite footwear outfitters.



Because cultures such as mod and skinhead are good places to go when you need to dress down.

This has been shamelessly lifted from the web page of esteemed milliners Lock & Co. And yes, naturally His Lordship ended up getting a hat or two from them.

While this picture of Scottish journalist Vic Galloway is ripped from the Facebook page of tweed dealers Walker Slater, another of His Lordship's favourites.

So, apparently, Lord Bassington-Bassington is now at the point where he considers a three-piece suit to be casual clothing as long as one dispenses with the tie and pocket hankie.

Could someone please refer His Lordship to some sort of dress rehab?

A dogged theology

Lord Bassington has a deep and abiding interest in various religions, ranging from Satanism to Sufism and with a special passion for various expressions of the Christian traditions, be they conventional, more novel or utterly out there.

When the push comes to shove, though, Lord Bassington-Bassington remains a Caninist of the secular variety, waddling through life without any faith in gods or an afterlife.

So finally, here is a theology that even a Caninist and Atheist can get solidly behind.

(Photo from the Interwebs, thanks to Fraulein Frost for the tip).

Yes, we know. Lord Bassington-Bassington is on a fast track to Doggy Hell.

A styling challenge

Corduroy jacket are not just hard wearing - they can also be hard to wear. This is the reason why an olive green cord jacket has been haunting the wardrobe here at Bassington Manor for a few years now. There is nothing wrong with the jacket itself, quite the opposite in fact: Its manufacture is excellent, as it was snached at a sale at a Hackett supplier in London. The problem is how to wear it. How do you accessorise a cord jacket?

As the reader can clearly see, the jacket is a bit too much "geography teacher". Now, teaching is a noble profession, and Lord Bassington-Bassington occasionally finds himself giving lectures (or at least waving his paws and going "woof woof" a lot). But on such occasions, His Lordship tends to prefer tweeds.

So what can be done to liven up this jacket? Perhaps it would be an idea to match it with a fair isle sweater (from Cordings) and a knitted tie (picked up for a couple of euros from a Swedish webshop that was changing its collection).

Ummm, what was that about "geography teacher" again?

So here's another idea: Fill the jacket's lapels with badges and other neofolk bling for a slightly post-punky look.

Again: No. The badges don't work at all. Perhaps they would work better if they advertised the Socialist Worker's Party and FNL Solidarity or something. And then we're not even in teacher territory anymore, we're in leftist teacher territory. Not to belittle the great leftist teacher Lord Bassington-Bassington was exposed to in younger years, but they werem't exactly style icons.

While there are certainly leftists that can out-dress anyone on the right, Lord Bassington-Bassington is more comfortable with a more conservative look. So perhaps the jacket can be saved by a touch of tweed - a reassuringly reactionary fashion statement?

No. Njet. Nein. Nie. The pocket hankie and bow tie don't work at all.

But there must be a simple fix, an all-round accessory that can elevate any outfit. Perhaps...

Well, there we are. Perfection! Winthrope always helps out.

A craving for cravats

Tomorrow is cravat day in Croatia. And if you wonder why the country has a day dedicated to a piece of neckwear, it helps to know that the very word "cravat" is developed from Croat. Indeed, the custom of tying a piece of stylish cloth around one's neck spread around Europe after Croatian mercenaries were seen sporting some very stylish neckpieces.

The oldest known depiction of a cravat. Naturally, sported by a Croatian.

As such, the question isn't why Croatia has a cravat day, but why the rest of Europe doesn't celebrate this excellent piece of neckwear as well. Lord Bassington-Bassington is certainly planning to get in on the action.

But what of the cravat today? Here in Norway, the cravat has long been associated with certain insufferable upper-class types, eminently parodied by legendary comedian Trond Kirkvaag. Unfortunately, this clip only seems to be available in Norwegian, but even non-Weegies should get the point.



In many ways, the cravat has fallen from favour, a sad fact that is also reflected in contemporary style books. While perusing a rather entertaining tome known as The Chic Geek's Fashion, Grooming and Style Guide for Men, Lord Bassington-Bassington came across the following passage:

Cravats. This is a difficult one. Because the tie has become so much smaller, the big voluptuous cravat looks wrong at the moment. If you can find a way of making the cravat seem casual - and this will depend on the fabric and pattern - then try it but generally one to avoid.

Well, with His Lordship being the natural contrarian that he is, it wasn't hard to predict what would happen next.

For if there's one thing that punk rock should have taught us, it is that when dressing in the morning, one's ability to annoy boring conformists should definitely be a factor. And as today's boring conformists are people who wear jeans and t-shirts and think they are rock'n’roll rebels, or wear suits because they have to but skip the ties because they think that shows individuality, cravats are the new bondage collars.

Oh bondage up yours!

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Lord Bassington-Bassington has amassed a small collection of cravats. And what would be the use of having one's own private Chronicles if one can't inflict one's peccadilloes on the world?

His Lordship’s cravats are, from left to right, a vintage item bought at a flea market in Lisbon, a summery cravat from Holland Esquire, a skull and paisley-patterned loveliness from Jeffery West and a nice and heavy number from New & Lingwood that is great for the current season.

Lord Bassington-Bassington's most recent acquisition on the cravat front was a vintage piece from legendary manufacturer Tootal, bought from eBay. And here modelled by the lovely Balbina Basseti, who hereby makes her debut on the fashion scene.

So cravat up! You know you want to. Unless you don’t. Which is also fine. Sort of.

Dandified canines

The British artist Julian Quaye has produced some stunning studies of superbly stylish canines. With the artist's kind permission Lord Bassington-Bassington would like to share them with the readers of the Chronicles.

From a Bassetological standpoint Mr. Quaye's work has some obvious flaws. Where is the master race, one might ask. But Lord Bassington-Bassington isn't going to let the lack of droopy jowls and droopier ears detract from his enjoyment of these magnificent pieces. And His Lordship certainly feels tempted to acquire a piece or two.

This is how stylish canines can hope to be. As for humans – those hairless apes – they are beyond help. Lord Bassington-Bassington can only hope that they will realize what is good for them.

Rumour control

The rumours have been circulating for a while now, so Lord Bassington-Bassington would once again like to put the record straight: His Lordship is not planning a pop career under the name Lord Baba.

The following picture, produced by notorious Internet busybody Sara Dee, has been circulated as proof of these outrageous claims. But come on! Obviously the picture looks nothing like Lord Bassington-Bassington. The ears are... And the 'tache. And...

Well, alright. It is the spitting image of His Lordship. But jumping Jehosephat, it's still not him!

Not Lord Bassington-Bassington. No. Nein. Njet.

That Miss Dee should keep an eye open for Basset assassins in the future.

Summer essentials

Summer has well and truly arrived, even here in the cold North. So as a small salute to the season we present a small selection of Lord Bassington-Bassington's summer essentials.

Sunglasses by Persol because one needs protect His Lordship's eyes. T-Shirt because this is after all the season for going casual and enjoying the sun. Seven inch record because one has a thing for Of the Wand and the Moon. Tiki mug because, well, it wouldn't be summer without a Tiki drink or ten. Book to motivate one to exercise, because decadence needs to be balanced by discipline. Runic bandana because one needs bandanas when doing the above-mentioned exercise. And Basset because, well, Bassets are always essential – and right for every season.

Have a good summer. The Lord Bassington-Bassington Chronicles will return in the fall.

Racial supremacy

This film makes Lord Bassington-Bassington wonder if someone has found some old notes from His Lordship's forebear, Hans B.K. Günther – the slightly demented gentleman better known as "Bassen-Günther." In fact, the only thing separating this film from the late Hound's bizarre ramblings are the lack of mumblings about the international Beagle conspiracy.



But then, there are films such as this. Which show pure poetry in motion.



This clinches it! "Bassen-Günther" was right! Basset Hounds are the master race.

Bassetocracy now!