Snippets and gleanings - humility and hubris

The king sees red
The first official painting of King Charles III was unveiled today and the most notable thing about it, apart from its sheer size (8' 6"), was its redness. The huge portrait was commissioned from Jonathan Yeo by the Drapers' Company to hang in Drapers' Hall, which perhaps explains its size. As to its predominant colour, I suppose red is the regal shade, and it matches the sitter's military uniform. It is actually a very impressive portrait but the hints of Don Giovanni in Hell are surely unintentional? Maybe Charles simply wants to join the Labour Party.

Rockin' all over the world
The last thing anyone expected when the much-travelled US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, arrived in Kyiv today was that he would take to the stage of a cellar bar with a Gibson guitar around his neck and jam with a Ukrainian rock band. His choice of repertoire, the 1989 Neil Young classic 'Rockin' in the Free world', released at the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, was clearly no coincidence. Let's just hope David Cameron doesn't attempt a similar stunt on his next visit. Ukraine has suffered enough.

Jailhouse rock
In 2020 Neil Young filed a lawsuit against Donald Trump for unauthorised use of 'Rockin' in the Free World' at his campaign rallies. In a strange coincidence (?) while Antony Blinken was performing in Kyiv Donald Trump was engaged in his own performative process in Manhattan Criminal Court. During Michael Cohen's testimony Trump appeared to be asleep with his mouth open. Maybe this was his way of protesting at the judge's order that he should keep it shut.

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