Monday 23 June 2008

Dance Hall Days


One interesting societal aspect of time-warp Italy is the number of thriving dance halls where couples in the full bloom of pensionhood, their faces rigid with concentration, grimly cling on to each other as they sashay around the dance floor. Happy Harry, above, was the star turn last week and, yes, he dresses like that because he thinks it's cool and it is certainly not done in a post-modern ironic sense. He will probably have a seven or eight piece backing band made up of a 55 year old pneumatic songstress squeezed into a dress three sizes too small, an accordion player with a permanent rictus grin, two guitarists, a drummer and three pony-tailed likely lads in the brass section who will spend most of their time on the stage nudging each other and winking and gurning at any likely dancefloor prey as they swing in unison to the beat. All the male members of the band are likely to be dressed in powder blue satin suits, with industrial quantities of exposed chest hair on view. All will have arrived at the gig in a converted 20 year old coach with the band name (Julian and The Barons) emblazoned on the side and posters sellotaped up on the back window.

This smouldering hunk is next up in the frame. I bet he pulls.

6 comments:

Fred Fibonacci said...

Do they need a Roadie?

Toby Savage said...

That's this Friday night sorted then Ron. I'll pack my Tux and dig out an vintage bottle of Old Spice.

Camilla Jessop said...

Oooh, I say! A lovely post Mr Combo, and much to my taste. Do you not think that Giuliano bears a strong resemblance to AA (Adrian) Gill? I bet you have never seen them together in the same room....

Peter Ashley said...

Before I made any smug Anglophile comment about Happy Harry I thought I'd listen to him courtesy of the website you can see in Ron's photo. Bloody hell I shan't do that again in a hurry.

Jon Dudley said...

Ah, the heady aroma of garlic and whatever the Italian version of Brilliantine is. One can only imagine waltzing the lovely Miss Camilla around and around the dance floor mesmerised by those romantic songsters. And then to finish off with a nice polka.

Camilla Jessop said...

Oh Jon, dear, that Brilliantine was always so useful for explaining away unsightly stains on one's dress! As for the dances, well, at my Boarding School I had to cope with dealing with the Gay Gordons, so it was a relief when I travelled in America to learn the satisfying art of the Carolina Shag.