Wullie McGlumphie
I write from Glasgow, Scotland, which is by non means short
of its own cultural activity, but the word "artist" here is
universally reviled and ridiculed. "Ah kent his faither," as they say:
West of Scotland Culchur begins and ends with the "piss artist" and
nothing fancier.
We have elevated this to an art form of its own (though others
would be better placed to describe it than me)- anyone who has seen
"Rab C Nesbitt" (a BBC TV "sitcom" less well known than the
international "Blackadder" and "Fawlty Towers," though at least as
funny) will know what I'm talking about.
SO... to use your model, the Glasgow Artist would be:
the artist
Wullie McGlumphie
the art
Verbose/lachrymose performance art, face deep in his (always
his) pint of 80 Shillin on the philosophical nature of love
"see her indoors?"), life ("see ramorra?" (tomorrow) and work
("see yon post-industrial ennui?").
You should know that the Glasgow "see...?" says all that need
be said on any subject whatsoever. It relies for effect on a
facial expression that is impossible to reproduce on the Net
since is infinitely more complex than the "smileys" that litter
the newsgroups.
the beret
Tartan bunnet.
A bunnet may well be related to the french "beret", since the
"Auld Alliance" with France still holds true. E-mail me if you
want to know more about this!
Submitted by Michael Smith (Michael@imajack.demon.co.uk), on Friday, August 5, 1994, from Glasgow, Scotland