Unforgettable Icons: Princess Diana Lives On

15 years ago today Princess Diana died in a car crash in a Parisian road tunnel alongside her companion Dodi Fayed, triggering an extraordinary chain of events.

Within hours, a carpet of flowers began spreading from her home at Kensington Palace in London as Britons threw off their reserved reputation and mourned openly.

Diana's funeral was heavy with emotion, not least when her brother Earl Charles Spencer used his sermon to attack the press who had pursued her throughout her adult life and who might have contributed to the crash which killed her.

I recall exactly when I first heard the sad news of Princess Diana's death. It was on Sunday morning - August 31st, 1997 - and I was just taking a shower while the radio was playing in the background. With the 7 a.m. news the radio host announced her tragic death and my first thought was "They gotta be f*cking kiddin', this ain't true!". Still hoping that this was some kind of a hoax, I jumped out of the shower, wet all over, ran into the living room and turned on the tv to check if CNN and Sky News had any info on this. When I realised that this was "breaking news" on virtually every available tv channel, I was totally devasted, it literally broke my heart! However I was still in denial of her death and it took me a week until her funeral that I finally realised she was gone.

Princess Diana was so universally loved. She showed the royals how to connect with ordinary people. That's what made her the Queen of people's hearts and even 15 years after her death her legacy lives on.

Below is one of the last known handwritten notes by Princess Diana on her own stationary dating from June 1997, just around eight weeks before she died.

BBC World news presenter Nik Gowing announces the death of Princess Diana 

Unforgettable Icons: Michael Jackson Lives On

Michael Jackson has been gone for more than three years, but his legend remains.

The late King of Pop would have turned 54 today, and, without a doubt, those who loved and appreciated him are keeping him in their hearts on his birthday. What's certain is that Jackson's music had an indelible effect on the lives of millions of fans.

Here's hoping that Michael is out there moonwalking in a better place.

From my personal collection, this is an 16.5 x 24 inch double-sided poster signed in-person by the King of Pop during his surprise visit in Hamburg (Germany) on January 28th, 2006. His signature measures ~ 8x10 inch which is is very unique and uncommon in this form.

Michael Jackson - "Gone Too Soon" (Live at Presidential Inaugural Celebration 1993)

Michael Jackson - "Heal The World" (Live in Bucharest 1992)

Olly Murs in-person

Today was rather a frustrating than a successfull IP collecting day. I had planned on meeting the Swedish singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Loreen, Grammy Award-winning reggae singer and rapper Shaggy and British singer-songwriter Olly Murs. I ended up meeting only one-third, but I guess I can't complain because I could've ended up meeting none of them at all. Nevertheless it felt quite frustrating....

Anyway, at 10 a.m. this morning I went to the hotel where Olly Murs, Loreen and Shaggy were supposed to stay for the taping of tv programm and music event later this evening. As I wasn't interested in the rest of the tv show's line-up I had them all run past me without minding them. After approx. waiting for 2 hrs. Olly Murs and his band finally arrived at the hotel shortly after noon to check-in before rehearsals. Olly Murs was extremly down-to-earth and charming and while his band went inside the hotel to check into their rooms he was happy to sign & inscribe my two 8x10" photos and also  posed for a photo with me. So mission #1 was accomplished to my satisfaction.

Now it was up for Loreen and Shaggy, hour after hour passed and I began to worry that both might have been booked in another hotel. Eventually shortly after 4 p.m. it turned out that Loreen AND Shaggy were indeed booked in another near-by hotel. *argh*
I was already so frustrated and tired of waiting for hours that I decided to skip both of them at this time and therefor spend an enjoyable evening in the summer sun. Maybe I will collect them tomorrow morning upon their check-out, but I'll be deciding more or less on a spur-of-the-moment basis.

 

Olly Murs - Full concert at T in the Park 2012

Katzenjammer in-person

On Thursday I finally decided to collect the Norwegian folk-rock band Katzenjammer (www.katzenjammer.com) who were doing their forth show in my city within only 18 months. 

Katzenjammer are four charming Norwegian ladies (Marianne Sveen, Turid Jørgensen, Solveig Heilo and Anne Marit Bergheim), whose extremely playful approach to music comes off like a hot one night stand between Gogol Bordello and the Dixie Chicks. If you want to make it easy, they’re probably classifiable as folk-rock, but one thing is clear: their unpredictable live shows, full of wit and pop appeal, have endeared them to quite a following. Their special blend folk/country/balkan/gypsy/rickety-rock pop along with the impressive array of 29 (and counting) instruments on which the ladies are self-taught will blow you away. 

After their previous three arena shows Katzenjammer was to perform at an open-air stage in a huge park for the first time. I went to the park at around 1 p.m. and within 30 minutes I spotted Turid Jørgensen doing Yoga in the park near the stage. When she was done I approached her and she was happy to sign and inscribe my two 8x10" photos. However she didn't want to pose for a photo with me because she didn't have any make-up on. 

Since there was no security yet, I went to Katzenjammer's tour bus and shortly thereafter Marianne Sveen showed up and we talked for quite some time about her previous concerts in my city. She was also more than happy to sign my two photos and posed for a photo with me. When I asked her for Solveig Heilo she went backstage and came back with her a few moments later. Apparently Solveig just a shower, her hair and body was still all wet, but also Solveig was very pleased to sign my two photos and pose for a photo with me.

Anne Marit Bergheim was the last missing on my photos, but it wasn't long after I had met Solveig that Anne Marit came to the tour bus too and signed my photos as well. However, just like Turid, she didn't want to pose for a photo because she wasn't made up yet.

Katzenjammer - "Rock Paper Scissors" (live)

Katzenjammer - "A Bar In Amsterdam" (live)

Natalia Wörner in-person

Last Wednesday (August 22nd) I met German actress and former model Natalia Wörner (www.imdb.com/name/nm0944255) after an interview which she did for the German public broadcasting corporation SWR in Stuttgart. 

Outside of Germany Natalia Wörner is mostly known for playing the role of Ellen in the TV miniseries The Pillars of the Earth, based on the homonymous book by Ken Follett.

Though Natalia was in a hurry to get to her next interview, we talked about her career for about 5 minutes and she kindly signed & inscribed four 8x10" photos for me as well as posed for a photo with me.

I've seen better signatures of her, but regarding her hurry I'm still pleased with the results.

  

© GABO

R.I.P. Neil Armstrong (1930 - 2012)

Neil Armstrong, the Apollo 11 astronaut who became the first human being to set foot on another world, has died. He was 82. 

In a statement his family said Armstrong had passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. 

"That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind."

When Armstrong set foot on the moon on July 20, 1969, he fulfilled the goal that had been set by President John F. Kennedy just eight years earlier.

Despite the initial fanfare, after the historic flight of Apollo 11 Armstrong remained a humble and intensely private person. He left NASA and taught engineering at the University of Cincinnati and later served on the boards of several aerospace firms.

One of his rare public appearances was at a gathering with Aldrin and other Apollo astronauts to mark the 30th anniversary of their moon landing.

"In my own view, the important achievement of Apollo was a demonstration that humanity is not forever chained to this planet, and our visions go rather further than that, and our opportunities are unlimited," Armstrong said. 

Armstrong's family said, "While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves."

"For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request: Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

R.I.P.  Neil Armstrong (1930 - 2012)