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Tatler has been the name of several British journals and magazines, each of which has viewed itself as the successor of the original literary and society journal founded by Richard Steele in 1709. The current incarnation, founded in 1901, is a glossy magazine published by Condé Nast Publications focusing on the glamorous lives and lifestyles of the upper class. A 300th anniversary party for the magazine was held in October 2009.^[1]

1709 journal[link]

Richard Steele

The original Tatler was founded in 1709 by Richard Steele, who used the nom de plume "Isaac Bickerstaff, Esquire", the first such consistently adopted journalistic persona,^[2] which adapted to the first person, as it were, the 17th-century genre of "characters", as first established in English by Sir Thomas Overbury and soon to be expanded by Lord Shaftesbury's Characteristics (1711). Steele's idea was to publish the news and gossip heard in London coffeehouses, hence the title, and seemingly, from the opening paragraph, to leave the subject of politics to the newspapers,^[3] while presenting Whiggish views and correcting middle-class manners, while instructing "these Gentlemen, for the most part being Persons of strong Zeal, and weak Intellects...what to think." To assure complete coverage of local gossip, a reporter was placed in each of the city's popular coffeehouses, or at least such were the datelines: accounts of manners and mores were datelined from White's; literary notes from Will's; notes of antiquarian interest were dated from the Grecian Coffee House; and news items from St. James’s Coffee House.

In its first incarnation, it was published three times a week. The original Tatler was published for only two years, from 12 April 1709 to 2 January 1711. A collected edition was published in 1710–11, with the title The Lucubrations of Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq.^[4] Two months after the final edition, Steele and Joseph Addison, another major contributor to Tatler, co-founded The Spectator magazine.

Contributors[link]

• Jonathan Swift
• Joseph Addison

Subsequent incarnations[link]

Several later journals revived the name Tatler.^[1] Three short series are preserved in the Burney Collection:^[5]

• Morphew, the original printer, continued to produce further issues in 1711 under the "Isaac Bickerstaffe" name from 4 January (No. 272) to 17 May (No. 330).
• A single issue (numbered 1) of a rival Tatler was published by Baldwin on 11 January 1711.
• In 1753–4, several issues by "William Bickerstaffe, nephew of the late Isaac Bickerstaffe" were published.

James Watson, who had previously reprinted the London Tatler in Edinburgh, began his own Tatler there on 13 January 1711, with "Donald Macstaff of the North" replacing Isaac Bickerstaffe.^[6]

Three months after the original Tatler was first published, an unknown woman writer using the pen name "Mrs. Crackenthorpe" published what was called the Female Tatler. Scholars from the 1960s to the 1990s thought the anonymous woman might have been Delarivier Manley, but she was subsequently ruled out as author and the woman remains unknown. However, its run was much shorter: the magazine ran for less than a year—from 8 July 1709 to 31 March 1710.^[7] The London Tatler^[8] and the Northern Tatler^[9] were later 18th-century imitations. The Tatler Reviv'd ran for 17 issues from October 1727 to January 1728; another publication of the same name had six issues in March 1750.^[10]

On 4 September 1830, Leigh Hunt launched The Tatler: A Daily Journal of Literature and the Stage. He edited it till 13 February 1832, and others continued it till 20 October 1832.^[11]

Modern magazine[link]

The current publication, named after Steele's periodical, was introduced on 3 July 1901 by Clement Shorter, publisher of The Sphere. For some time a weekly publication, it had a subtitle varying on "an illustrated journal of society and the drama" It contained news and pictures of high society balls, charity events, race meetings, shooting parties, fashion and gossip, with cartoons by "The Tout" and H. M. Bateman.

In 1940, it absorbed The Bystander. In 1961, Illustrated Newspapers, which published Tatler, The Sphere, and The Illustrated London News, was bought by Roy Thomson.^[12] In 1965, Tatler was rebranded London Life.^[13][14] In 1968, it was bought by Guy Wayte's Illustrated County Magazine group and the Tatler name restored.^[15] Wayte's group had a number of county magazines in the style of Tatler, each of which mixed the same syndicated content with county-specific local content.^[15] Wayte, "a moustachioed playboy of a conman"^[16] was convicted of fraud in 1980 for inflating the Tatler's circulation figures from 15,000 to 49,000.^[17]

The magazine was sold and relaunched as a monthly magazine in 1977, called Tatler & Bystander till 1982.^[14] Tina Brown, editor 1979–83, created a vibrant and youthful Tatler and is credited with putting the edge, the irony and the wit back into what was then an almost moribund social title. She referred to it as an upper class comic and by increasing its influence and circulation made it an interesting enough operation for the then owner, Gary Bogard, to sell to the Publishers Condé Nast. She was subsequently airlifted to New York to another Condé Nast title, Vanity Fair.

Several editors later and a looming recession and the magazine was once again ailing and Jane Procter was brought in to re-invent the title for the 1990s. With a sound appreciation of the times – the need for bite not bitch – plus intriguing, newsworthy and gently satirical content, she succeeded in making Tatler a glamorous must-read way beyond its previous social remit. The circulation tripled to over 90,000 – its highest ever figure, although this figure was exceeded five years later by Geordie Greig. The magazine created various supplements including The Travel and Restaurant Guides, the often referred to and closely watched Most Invited and The Little Black Book lists, and the hugely popular parties that accompanied them.

The Little Black Book[link]

One of Tatler's most talked about annual features is The Little Black Book. A shallow compilation of the 100 "most eligible" below-thirty-somethings in London. It is superficially made up of an assortment of heirs, aristocrats and European royalty.

Editors and contributors[link]

Past editors[link]

Past contributors[link]

• Isabella Blow – Contributing fashion editor-at-large
• Clare Milford Haven – Social editor
• Diana Mitford – commissioned to write a Letters from Paris section in the 1960s.
• Christina Broom – photographer

Present editors[link]

• Kate Reardon – Editor
• Gerri Gallagher – Associate Editor
• Christopher Whale – Art Director
• Lee Pears – Deputy Art Director
• Kate Chapple – Chief Sub-Editor
• Anna Bromilow – Fashion Director
• Olivia Falcon – Beauty Director
• "Isaac Bickerstaff" – Social Editor
• Nicola Formby – Chief Contributing Editor
• Dorrit Moussaieff – Contributing Editor
• Tom Wolfe – Contributing Editor
• Daisy Prince – Contributing Editor
• Jeremy Wayne – Restaurant Editor
• Tessa Dahl – Contributing Editor

Other editions[link]

There are also 14 Tatlers in Asia – Hong Kong Tatler (launched 1977), Singapore Tatler (1982), Malaysia Tatler (1989), Thailand Tatler (1991), Indonesia Tatler (2000), Philippine Tatler (2001), Beijing Tatler, Shanghai Tatler (both 2001), Macau Tatler, Taiwan Tatler (2008), Chongqing Tatler (2010), Jiangsu Tatler (2010), Sichuan Tatler (2010) and Zhejiang Tatler (2010). The Asian Tatlers are now owned by the Swiss-based Edipresse Group.

[edit] Unrelated Tatlers

Other magazines named Tatler have no connection to the London magazine or Condé Nast, although their content is a similar mix of fashion and local high-society news.

The Irish Tatler was founded by H. Crawford Hartnell in 1890 as The Lady of the House,^[31] and later renamed Irish Sketch and Irish Tatler and Sketch.^[32] Noelle Campbell Sharp renamed it IT in 1979.^[33] She sold it to Robert Maxwell in 1989; Smurfit publications bought it after Maxwell's death. It is now Irish Tatler.^[32]

Ulster Tatler has been published in Belfast since 1966.

The New York Tatler Social Digest merged in 1929 with the American Sketch to give Tatler and American Sketch.^[34] John S. Schem closed the magazine in 1933 after legal trouble arising from its grading of New York débutantes, on a scale running "A", "B", "C", "D", and "E–Z".^[35]

The Tatler is the name of the print and online newspaper for Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger, Kentucky.^[36]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• "The Story of Tatler: A 300-year frolic through Tatler's history, from coffee-house tri-weekly to glossy monthly". Tatler: 71–114. November 2009. 

External links[link]

• Official website
• Tatler Russia Official Site
• The Tatler and The Guardian
• The Tatler, Vol. 1 at Project Gutenberg (An 1899 reprint of the first 49 Issues of the 1709 Tatler)

Billy Bragg
Bragg at a protest calling for electoral reform in 2010
Background information
Birth name	Stephen William Bragg
Born	(1957-12-20) 20 December 1957 (age 54) Barking, Essex, England
Genres	Folk punk,[1] folk rock, alternative rock
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1977–present
Associated acts	The Blokes Riff-Raff Wilco
Website	billybragg.co.uk

Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) – known as Billy Bragg – is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist.^[2][3] His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes. His music career has lasted more than 30 years.

Early life[link]

Bragg was born in 1957 in Barking, Essex,^[4] the son of Dennis Frederick Austin Bragg, an assistant sales manager to a Barking cap and hat maker, and his wife, Marie Victoria D'Urso.^[5] Bragg was educated at Barking Abbey Secondary School in Barking.^[6]

Career[link]

In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking. Bragg became disillusioned with his music career, and in May 1981 joined the British Army as a recruit destined for the Queen's Royal Irish Hussars of the Royal Armoured Corps. After three months, he bought his way out of the army for £175 and returned home, having attended basic training but having never served in a regiment as a soldier.^[7]

Bragg began performing frequent concerts and busking around London, playing solo with an electric guitar. His roadie at the time was Andy Kershaw, who became a BBC DJ (Bragg and Kershaw later, in 1989, appeared in an episode of the BBC TV programme, Great Journeys, in which they travelled the Silver Road from Potosí, Bolivia, to the Pacific coast at Arica, Chile).^[8]

Bragg performing at South by Southwest in 2008

Bragg's demo tape initially got no response from the record industry, but by pretending to be a television repair man, he got into the office of Charisma Records' A&R man Peter Jenner.^[9] Jenner liked the tape, but the company was near bankruptcy and had no budget to sign new artists. Bragg got an offer to record more demos for a music publisher, so Jenner agreed to release them as a record. Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy was released in July 1983 by Charisma's new imprint, Utility. Hearing DJ John Peel mention on-air that he was hungry, Bragg rushed to the BBC with a mushroom biryani, so Peel played a song from Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy although at the wrong speed (since the 12" LP was, unconventionally, cut to play at 45rpm).^[9] Peel insisted he would have played the song even without the biryani and later played it at the correct speed.

Within months, Charisma had been taken over by Virgin Records and Jenner, who had been laid off, became Bragg's manager. Stiff Records' press officer Andy Macdonald – who was setting up his own record label, Go! Discs – received a copy of Life's a Riot with Spy Vs. Spy. He made Virgin an offer and the album was re-released on Go! Discs in November 1983.^{[citation needed]} In 1984, he released Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, a mixture of political songs (e.g., "It Says Here") and songs of unrequited love (e.g., "The Saturday Boy"). The following year he released Between the Wars, an EP of political songs that included a cover version of Leon Rosselson's "The World Turned Upside Down" – the EP made the top 20 of the UK Singles Chart and earned Bragg an appearance on Top of the Pops. Bragg later collaborated with Rosselson on the song, "Ballad of the Spycatcher". In 1985, his song "A New England", with an additional verse, became a Top 10 hit in the UK for Kirsty MacColl. After MacColl's early death, Bragg always sang the extra verse in her honour. In 1984–1985 he toured North America.

In 1986, Bragg released Talking with the Taxman about Poetry, which became his first Top 10 album. Its title is taken from a poem by Vladimir Mayakovsky and a translated version of the poem was printed on the record's inner sleeve. Back to Basics is a 1987 collection of his first three releases: Life's A Riot With Spy Vs. Spy, Brewing Up with Billy Bragg, and the Between The Wars EP. Bragg released his fourth album, Workers Playtime, in September 1988. With this album, Bragg added a backing band and accompaniment.

In May 1990, Bragg released the political mini-LP, The Internationale. The songs were, in part, a return to his solo guitar style, but some songs featured more complicated arrangements and included a brass band. The album paid tribute to one of Bragg's influences with the song, "I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night", which is an adapted version of Earl Robinson's song, "I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night", itself an adaptation of a poem by Alfred Hayes.^{[citation needed]}

Performing with The Imagined Village at Camp Bestival, 20 July 2008

The album Don't Try This at Home was released in September 1991, and included the song, "Sexuality", which reached the UK Singles Chart. Bragg had been persuaded by Go! Discs' Andy and Juliet Macdonald to sign a four-album deal with a million pound advance, and a promise to promote the album with singles and videos.^{[citation needed]} This gamble was not rewarded with extra sales, and the situation put the company in financial difficulty. In exchange for ending the contract early and repaying a large amount of the advance, Bragg regained all rights to his back catalogue.^{[citation needed]} Bragg continued to promote the album with his backing band, The Red Stars, which included his Riff Raff colleague and long-time roadie, Wiggy.

Bragg released the album William Bloke in 1996 after taking time off to help raise his son. Around that time, Nora Guthrie (daughter of American folk artist Woody Guthrie) asked Bragg to set some of her father's unrecorded lyrics to music. The result was a collaboration with the band Wilco and Natalie Merchant (with whom Bragg had worked previously). They released the album Mermaid Avenue in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II in 2000. A rift with Wilco over mixing and sequencing the album led to Bragg recruiting his own band, The Blokes, to promote the album. The Blokes included keyboardist Ian McLagan, who had been a member of Bragg's boyhood heroes The Faces. The documentary film Man in the Sand depicts the roles of Nora Guthrie, Bragg, and Wilco in the creation of the Mermaid Avenue albums.

In 2004, Bragg joined Florida ska-punk band Less Than Jake to perform a version of 'The Brightest Bulb Has Burned Out' for the Rock Against Bush compilation.

At the 2005 Beautiful Days Festival in Devon, Bragg teamed up with the Levellers to perform a short set of songs by or associated with The Clash in celebration of Joe Strummer's birthday. Bragg performed guitar and lead vocals on "Police and Thieves", and performed guitar and backing vocals on "English Civil War", and "Police on my Back".

In 2007, Bragg moved closer to his English folk music roots by joining the WOMAD-inspired collective The Imagined Village, who recorded an album of updated versions of traditional English songs and dances and toured through that autumn. Bragg released his album Mr. Love & Justice in March 2008.^[10] This was the second Bragg album to be named after a book by Colin MacInnes. In 2008, during the NME Awards ceremony, Bragg sang a duet with British solo act Kate Nash. They mixed up their two greatest hits, Nash playing "Foundations", and Bragg redoing his "A New England".^[11] Bragg also collaborated with the poet and playwright, Patrick Jones, who supported Bragg's Tour.

In 2008, Bragg played a small role in Stuart Bamforth's film "A13: Road Movie".^[12] Bragg is featured alongside union reps, vicars, burger van chefs and Members of Parliament^[12] in a film that explored "the overlooked, the hidden and the disregarded."^[12]

He was involved in the play Pressure Drop at the Wellcome Collection in London in April and May 2010. The production, written by Mick Gorden, and billed as "part play, part gig, part installation", featured new songs by Bragg. He performed during the play with his band, and acted as compere.^[13]

Bragg curated the Leftfield stage at Glastonbury Festival 2010.^[14]

He will also be partaking in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six where he has written a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.^[15]

Politics[link]

Bragg has been involved with grassroots, broadly leftist, political movements,^[3] and this is often reflected in his lyrics. Bragg has recorded and performed cover versions of famous socialist anthems The Internationale and The Red Flag. Bragg said in an interview: "My theory is this; I'm not a political songwriter. I'm an honest songwriter. I try and write honestly about what I see around me now."^[16] In another interview, Bragg said: "I don't mind being labelled a political songwriter. The thing that troubles me is being dismissed as a political songwriter."^[17] In an interview with Bullz-Eye, Bragg said:

I would then say that I am Mr. Love and Justice, and to check out the love songs. That’s how I capture people. People do say to me, “I love your songs, but I just can’t stand your politics.” And I say, “Well, Republicans are always welcome. Come on over!” I would hate to stand at the door, saying to people, “Do you agree with these positions? If not, you can’t come in.”^[18]

Bragg expressed support for the 1984 miners' strike, and the following year he formed the musicians' alliance Red Wedge, which promoted the Labour Party and discouraged young people from voting for the Conservative Party in the 1987 general election. Following the defeat of the Labour Party and the repeated victory of Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative government, Bragg joined Charter88 to push for a reform of the British political system.

Also during the 1980s, Bragg travelled to the Soviet Union a few times, after Mikhail Gorbachev had started to promote the policies of perestroika and glasnost. During one trip, he was accompanied by MTV, and during another trip he was filmed for the 1998 mini-documentary Mr Bragg Goes to Moscow, by Hannu Puttonen.

On TV series After Dark in 1987

On 12 June 1987, the night after the UK General Election, he appeared on a memorable edition of After Dark. In 1999, Bragg appeared before a commission that debated possible reform of the House of Lords.^[19]

During the 2001 UK general election, Bragg attempted to combat voter apathy by promoting tactical voting in an attempt to unseat Conservative Party candidates in Dorset, particularly in South Dorset and West Dorset.

Bragg has developed an interest in English national identity, apparent in his 2002 album England, Half-English and his 2006 book The Progressive Patriot. The book expressed his view that English socialists can reclaim patriotism from the right wing. He draws on Victorian poet Rudyard Kipling for an inclusive sense of Englishness.^[20] Bragg has participated in a series of debates with members of the Socialist Workers Party who disagree with his argument. Bragg also supports Scottish independence and Welsh independence.^[21]

Supporting a demonstration against police misuse of anti-terrorism legislation; Trafalgar Square, London, 23 January 2010

Bragg has been an outspoken opponent of fascism, racism, bigotry, sexism and homophobia, and is a supporter of a multi-racial Britain. As a result, Bragg has come under attack from far right groups such as the British National Party. In a 2004 The Guardian article, Bragg was quoted as saying:

The British National Party would probably make it into a parliament elected by proportional representation, too. It would shine a torch into the dirty little corner where the BNP defecate on our democracy, and that would be much more powerful than duffing them up in the street – which I'm also in favour of.^[22]

Also in 2004, Bragg collaborated with American ska punk band Less Than Jake to record a song for the Rock Against Bush compilation album.

During the 2005 general election campaign in the Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, Bragg supported Oona King, the Labour Party's pro-Iraq war candidate, over George Galloway, the anti-war Respect Party's candidate, due to a belief that splitting the left-wing vote would allow the Conservatives to win the seat.^[23] Galloway overturned King's 10,000-strong majority to become his party's only MP.^[24]

In March 2006, journalist Garry Bushell (a former Trotskyist who ran as a candidate for the English Democrats in 2005) accused Bragg of "pontificating on a South London council estate when we all know he lives in a lovely big house in West Dorset".^[25]

In January 2010, Bragg announced that he would withhold his income tax as a protest against the Royal Bank of Scotland's plan to pay bonuses of approximately of £1.5 billion to staff in its investment banking business. Bragg set up a Facebook group, made appearances on radio and television news programmes, and made speech at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park. Bragg said, “Millions are already facing stark choices: are they willing to work longer hours for less money, or would they rather be unemployed? I don’t see why the bankers at RBS shouldn’t be asked the same.”^[26]

On the eve of the 2010 general election, Bragg announced that he would be voting for the Liberal Democrats because "they've got the best manifesto".^[27] He also backed the Lib Dems for tactical voting reasons. Bragg later expressed disappointment with the party, stating that "the Lib Dems had failed democracy ".^[28]

Bragg was also very active in his hometown of Barking as part of Searchlight's magazine's Hope not Hate campaign, where the BNP's leader Nick Griffin was standing for election. At one point during the campaign Bragg squared up to BNP London Assembly Member Richard Barnbrook, calling him a "Fascist racist" and saying "when you're gone from this borough, we will rebuild this community". The BNP came third on election day.^[29]

Bragg is a board director and key spokesman for the Featured Artists Coalition, a body representing the rights of recording artists. Bragg founded the organisation Jail Guitar Doors, which supplies instruments to prisoners to encourage them to address problems in a non-confrontational way.^[30]

Bragg is a regular at the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival, an annual event celebrating the memory of those transported to Australia for founding a union in the 1830s.^[31]

In January 2011, news sources reported that 20 to 30 residents of Bragg's Dorset hometown, Burton Bradstock, had received anonymous letters viciously attacking Bragg and his politics, and urging residents to oppose him in the village. Bragg claimed that a BNP supporter was behind the letters, which argued that Bragg is a hypocrite for advocating socialism while living a wealthy lifestyle, and referred to him as anti-British and pro-immigration.^[32]

In July 2011 Billy joined the growing protests over the News of the World phone hacking affair with the recording of "Never Buy the Sun" which references many of the scandals key points including the Milly Dowler case, police bribes and associated political fallout. It also draws on the 22 year Liverpool boycott of The Sun for their coverage of the Hillsborough Disaster.^[33]

In 2011 Bragg joined the Occupy Movement Protests.

Personal life[link]

Billy lives in Burton Bradstock, Dorset with his wife Juliet and son Jack.^[34] He is a supporter of West Ham United.

Discography[link]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Andrew Collins (2007). Still Suitable for Miners: Billy Bragg (revised and updated ed.). London: Virgin Books. ISBN 978-0-7535-1245-6. 
• Billy Bragg, The Progressive Patriot: A Search for Belonging (London: Bantam Press, 2006) ISBN 978-0-593-05343-0
• Billy Bragg, How we all lost when Thatcher won – Thatcher's victory over the miners led directly to this economic crisis. The Guardian, 5 March 2009

External links[link]

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Billy Bragg

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Billy Bragg

• Official website
• Braggtopia
• Billy Bragg collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Billy Bragg's Big Busk At Lincoln Center 27 July 2011

Brian Tatler
Tatler live at The Twist, Colchester in 2008
Background information
Origin	Stourbridge, Midlands, United Kingdom
Genres	Heavy metal, hard rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1976–present
Labels	Happy Face, MCA, Castle, Metal Mind Productions, Geffen
Associated acts	Diamond Head, Quill, Radio Moscow
Website	[1]
Notable instruments
Gibson Flying V Gibson Les Paul

Brian Tatler is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the Stourbridge based heavy metal band, Diamond Head.

Diamond Head[link]

For the history of Diamond Head see: Diamond Head (band)

Formation[link]

Originally trained as a mechanic,^[1] Tatler is most famous for his first band, Diamond Head. Tatler founded the band along with schoolmate Duncan Scott, he playing on a cheap fuzz guitar and Scott on some biscuit tins. They later enrolled the help of Sean Harris and Colin Kimberley on vocals and bass guitar respectively.

The band recorded and released self-financed demo tapes in 1977 and 1979. Although only recorded within six hours on a four-track, their unique sound and quality of song writing gained enough attention to tour as support with AC/DC and Iron Maiden. Although many record companies fought to sign the band, none were willing to commit fully. The band grew impatient and decided that they would release their material through their own label Happy Face Records. The band released their debut album on this label most commonly known as Lightning to the Nations, although it has never officially had a title. This album came in a plain sleeve with no title, having on it only a signature of one of the band members and no track listings. Amongst the stand out features of this album were the epic riffs created by Tatler, which prompted Sounds magazine to claim that "one Diamond Head song contains more riffs than an entire Black Sabbath album".^{[citation needed]}

Influence[link]

Tatler has cited early influences to be bands such as Scorpions, UFO and Rainbow. Tatler has stated that some of the first albums he bought were Led Zeppelin's second album and Deep Purple's Machine Head, and that his favourite album is Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, as it contains his favourite song "Kashmir".^[2] He has said that although most of his guitar work was inspired by Ritchie Blackmore, it was the punk rock movement that showed him that anyone could form a band.^[3] Nowadays, Tatler tries not to be influenced by more modern bands in order to keep his traditional sound, although he imagines that "little bits creep into the writing process".^[4]

MCA Years[link]

The success of the first album led to a record deal with MCA Records in 1981, and they released the Four Cuts EP. Their 'major label' status afforded them a slot on the Reading Festival bill in 1982. Their set was recorded by the BBC, and later released in 1992 through Raw Fruit Records as the Friday Rock Show Sessions.

Their first MCA LP was Borrowed Time, which reached #24 in the UK Albums Chart. In many interviews Tatler has stated that 1982 was his favourite year, and found the era to be extremely exciting, trying to guess who is going to be the first NWOBHM band to make it big.^[5]

Their follow-up, Canterbury, was released in 1983. Tatler has expressed since that making this album was one of the most stressful periods of his life, and the entire process almost caused him to have a nervous breakdown. He also said that having to fire his best friends from the band was one of the hardest things he has had to do.^{[citation needed]}

The band split up for the first time in 1985. Around the same time, Tatler also decided that it was time to get rid of his signature white Flying V and convert to a Gibson Les Paul, saying that "I think the Les Paul's better, the V's more of a metal guitar. At one stage it was just me and Schenker with them, now the guy in Saxon's got one and all the European metal bands like Accept have them."^[6]

1990s[link]

Radio Moscow[link]

After Diamond Head split, Tatler went on to run RPK 24track studio, in Lye, recording and producing local bands. He also formed the band Radio Moscow (not to be confused with the modern American blues-rock band of the same name), which drummer Karl Wilcox, who later went on to be a part of a reformed Diamond Head. Radio Moscow recorded two albums, (World Service and Get A New Life) both of which featured Ritch Battersby on drums, who later went on to perform with G.T.A and also The Wildhearts.

First Diamond Head reunion[link]

Tatler and Sean Harris reformed Diamond Head in 1990. The band signed to Warner/Chappell and released their fourth album Death and Progress in 1991, but the reunion was short lived.

Modern Day[link]

Quill[link]

After the spilt, Tatler joined Thin Lizzy tribute act, Dizzy Lizzy, before joining up with the Celtic rock band, Quill. During his time with Quill, Tatler recorded three albums (Out of the hat, Privileged and Back Intact).

Diamond Head's acoustic years and Nick Tart era[link]

Andy Abberley & Brian Tatler 2008

Tatler played his last show with Quill in November 2000, and rejoined Harris to perform and record an acoustic version of Diamond Head, along with guitarist Floyd Brennan. Tatler and Harris recorded and toured new material and played their first gig in North America, playing the Metal Meltdown festival in New Jersey. However, the new album was never released. Harris' reluctance to tour and only concentrate on releasing further albums prompted Tatler to consider his options away from Harris.

Also during this time, Tatler collaborated with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth on an album together. However, after Mustaine decided to reform Megadeth, this project was shelved and never released.

Meanwhile, Tatler decided to resurrect Diamond Head with new vocalist Nick Tart who worked on Diamond Head's fifth studio album, All Will Be Revealed, which was released through Cargo Records in 2005. Tatler stated that his aim was just to try to release a solid rock album, with "punchy" riffs and no fillers.^[7] After a successful tour supporting Megadeth, in 2007 Diamond Head released their latest album What's In Your Head.

In 2009, Tatler released his autobiography, Am I Evil?. "It all started in a bedroom with a biscuit tin drum kit and a cheap fuzzy guitar, and went on to create some of the most exciting music ever written and inspire the biggest heavy metal band on the planet".^{[citation needed]} The book contained forewords by Lars Ulrich and Dave Mustaine.

In 2011 Tatler co-wrote the song Black Skies Mist with rising Birmingham Rock band Voodoo Johnson^[8]

Discography[link]

• Lightning to the Nations also known as The White Album (1980) - Diamond Head
• Borrowed Time (1982) - Diamond Head
• Canterbury (1983) - Diamond Head
• Death and Progress (1993) - Diamond Head
• All Will Be Revealed (2005) - Diamond Head
• What's In Your Head (2007) - Diamond Head

References[link]

Alice Eve
Eve at San Diego Comic-Con International 2011
Born	Alice Sophia Eve (1982-02-06) 6 February 1982 (age 30) London, England, UK
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present
Parents	Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan

Alice Sophia Eve^[1] (born 6 February 1982) is an English actress. She is known her roles films such as She's Out of My League, Sex and the City 2, Men in Black 3. She will also star in the upcoming The Decoy Bride.

Early life[link]

Eve was born in London, England, the daughter of actors Trevor Eve and Sharon Maughan. She has two younger brothers, Jack and George. Eve is of English, Welsh and Irish descent.^[2][3] She attended Bedales School and then took her A-Levels at Westminster School in London. During her gap year, she studied at the Beverly Hills Playhouse and then read English at St Catherine's College, Oxford. While at Oxford, she appeared in student productions of An Ideal Husband, Animal Crackers (which toured to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival), Scenes from an Execution and The Colour of Justice.^{[citation needed]}

Career[link]

Eve has starred in television dramas including the BBC's The Rotters' Club, Poirot and Hawking^[4] as well as the film Stage Beauty (2004).

Eve played significant roles in two 2006 films: Starter for 10 and Big Nothing (in which she and co-star Simon Pegg used American accents).^[5] She spent the early part of 2006 in India working on a drama mini-series Losing Gemma about backpackers.^[6]

Eve has appeared in two plays, both directed by Trevor Nunn. In 2006, she appeared in Rock 'n' Roll, a new play by Tom Stoppard at the Royal Court Theatre^[7] and reprised her role in the 2007 Broadway transfer. For her performance, she was nominated for the best supporting actress award at the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Awards.^[8] In 2009, she played Roxane in a production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Chichester Festival Theatre.^[9]

She starred in the 2010 American film She's Out of My League. In the film, her parents play the roles of her character's parents. She also played the role of Charlotte's Irish nanny, Erin, in Sex and the City 2.^[10] In 2011, Eve had a recurring guest role on the eighth season of the HBO series Entourage, playing Sophia, a journalist and love interest to Vincent Chase.^[11]

Personal life[link]

Eve lives in London and Los Angeles.^[12]

Eve has one green eye and one blue eye as a result of the condition heterochromia.^[13]

Film and television credits[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Alice Eve at the Internet Movie Database
• Alice Eve at AllRovi
• Alice Eve at Memory Alpha (a Star Trek wiki)
• Interview promoting The Rotters Club

Doris Day
Day in a studio publicity portrait for 1960 film Midnight Lace
Born	Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff (1924-04-03) April 3, 1924 (age 88) Cincinnati, Ohio
Occupation	Actress, singer, animal rights activist
Years active	1939–1975 1985–1986 2011–present
Spouse	Al Jorden (1941–1943; divorced) George Weidler (1946–1949; divorced) Martin Melcher (1951–1968; his death) Barry Comden (1976–1981; divorced)
Children	Terry Melcher (deceased)
Website
dorisday.com (Official Site) ddaf.org (Doris Day Animal Foundation)

Doris Day (born Doris Mary Ann Kappelhoff, April 3, 1924)^[1][2][3][4] is an American actress, singer, and animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording, "Sentimental Journey", in 1945. After leaving the Les Brown & His Band of Renown to try a solo career, she started her long-lasting partnership with Columbia Records, which would remain her only recording label. The contract lasted from 1947 to 1967, and included more than 650 recordings, making Day one of the most popular and acclaimed singers of the 20th century. In 1948, after being persuaded by Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne and her agent at the time, Al Levy, she auditioned for Michael Curtiz, which led to her being cast in the female lead role in Romance on the High Seas.^[5]

With a legendary Hollywood "girl next door" image, and capable of delivering comedy and romance as well as heavy drama, she appeared in 39 films, released 29 albums, spent 460 weeks in the Top 40 charts and eventually became one of America's most beloved entertainers.^[6] She received an Academy Award nomination for her performance in Pillow Talk, won three Henrietta Awards (World Film Favorite), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Legend Award from the Society of Singers, Los Angeles Film Critics Association's Career Achievement Award and, in 1989, received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in motion pictures.

Her strong commitment to animal welfare began in 1971, when she co-founded "Actors and Others for Animals". She started her own non-profit organization in the late 1970s, the Doris Day Animal Foundation and, later, the Doris Day Animal League.^[7] Establishing the annual observance Spay Day USA in 1994, The Doris Day Animal League now partners with the Humane Society of the United States and continues to be a leading advocacy organization. In 2004 she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush in recognition of her distinguished service to the country. President Bush recognized Miss Day's work on behalf of animals by saying, "It was a good day for our fellow creatures when she gave her good heart to the cause of animal welfare."^[8]

Day was ranked the biggest box-office star for four years (1960; 1962–1964) and ranked in the top 10 for 10 years (1951–1952; 1959–1966). She became the top-ranking female box-office star of all time and is currently ranked sixth among the top 10 box-office performers (male and female), as of 2012.^[9][10]

Early life[link]