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The heir to the throne as risen in my estimation because of this story in yesterday's Daily Mail:
Prince Charles proposed Vivian Stanshall, the eccentric leader of the Sixties cult pop group the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, as a possible Poet Laureate, says the singer's widow.
Ki Longfellow-Stanshall tells in a new book of memoirs about her husband that "sometime in the early 90's' he received a phone call from 'a representative of the Prince of Wales".
"The voice said, 'If you were asked, Mr Stanshall, would you accept the post of Poet Laureate?", she said.
"I watched V's face, when, not missing a beat, he replied in his best and most majestic tone, 'I should be honoured.'"
Well, Prince Charles was a fan of Goon Show.
As Ki Longfellow-Stanshall told the Mail:
"Surreal humour is not the best policy when dealing with politicians and royalty, unless it's Prince Charles,
"Charles was a fan. He'd added V's name to the list of possibles when the time came to appoint a new poet laureate.
"No one but Charles took it seriously… It was one of Vivian's proudest moments."He never got to be Poet Laureate, but Viv Stanshall did write the lyrics of two Steve Winwood songs that have appeared on this blog: Dream Gerrard and Arc of a Diver.
And, young readers, click here to read more about Viv Stanshall.
