Tervueren Belgian Shepherd Kyte, who plays Wellard in EastendersLeaving aside the fictional (Hercule Poirot, Dr Evil, Tintin), not human
(the Smurfs, Wellard from Eastenders, Jean-Claude Van Damme), or those the Belgians themselves are a bit embarrassed about (Marc Dutroux, Plastic Bertrand, Yves Leterme the current Prime Minister who thinks his country shares a national anthem with France), if you can't name five famous Belgians in the pub quiz, you deserve to be paraded through the town with a bell round your neck. Despite not qualifying for Euro 2008 or any other football tournament of note in recent years, Belgian has nothing to be ashamed of in the sporting department. Its two recently retired stars Justine Henin-Ardenne and Kim Clijsters have dominated women's tennis for several years. Eddy Merckx and Jacky Ickx were two Belgian sporting icons, the first in cycling, the second in motor racing. The Belgians like to create sporting dynasties, Eddy Merckx's son Axel is part of the Belgian national cycling team, and Jacky Ickx's daughter, Vanina, is also a racing driver. I just hope for her sake the sub-editors on the sports pages are careful with her name.
Names that end in -ckx are typically Belgian. Over time the 'c' became redundant, so it is possible that the following were also of Belgian origin: Karl Marx (Marckx), who later wrote the Manifesto of the Communist Party in a pub on the Grand'Place, Stevie Nicks (Nickx), erstwhile warbler with Fleetwood Mac, and Jimi Hendrix (Hendrickx). I rather like the idea of Jimi Hendrix being Belgian, it would sit very well with the little known fact that Marvin Gaye once lived in Ostende (where he wrote Sexual Healing, possibly under the influence of Westmalle Tripel which is known for its aphrodisiac qualities).
Listening to Classic Vingt-et-un in the bath last Sunday, I heard a vaguely familiar song from 1969, "Daydream" by the Wallace Collection -- who, I was amazed to learn, were a Belgian band! I almost dropped my chips in the bathwater. The famous hippy anthem was recorded at Abbey Road studios and was heavily influenced by the Beatles' "Hey Jude", with added plagiarism of Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" accompanied by appalling dancing and lots of dry ice. For the information of anyone under 50, this is not a sequence from "Austin Powers".This post was not brought to you by the Belgian tourist office.
23 comments:
Um...Goscinny and Uderzo...?
Tintin is not real?!?
Eddie Merckx as you spell him, was my boyhood hero. He was a legend. Did you know he smoked 40fags a day? True. On one stage I watched on the TV, he was punched in the stomach by a spectator near the end, he won the stage, threw up, then pointed out the bastard who was then carted off by the police in a none too gentle manner. Brilliant.
I only recently (1990 ish) changed him for the Spanish cyclist Miquel Indurain as my total all time sporting hero.
The Tour starts today. The Belgians have produced a lot of great cyclists. They used to make great bikes as well. But then so did we.
Didn't Monty Python do an outrageous sketch lampooning the Belgians? They're not very popular in the Congo, of course. A popular joke is: "How do you sing the Belgian national anthem? You don't sing it, you fart it." We gorillas are above such rancour.
-> Guyana-Gyal :
Goscinny was French, and Uderzo still is.
Tintin is real.
*Comics nerd mode: off*
*Sci-fi nerd mode: on*
->Gorilla Bananas
Famously, in the Hitch-Hikers Guide To the Galaxy, "Belgium" was substituted for the "F" word, in American editions.
Apparently, calling someone a Belgian is far more insulting than calling them a Fuck, in the USA.
... not forgetting Alfred Marckx of course, a Belgian with a fine sense of humour; and Michael Marckx who set up shop with his mate Thomas Spencer (sadly faltering a little in their old age).
I sometimes wonder about Hendrickx too but if he was Belgian he would've been too busy guarding his parking spot to throw up on that woman and choke on it.
ps. there's too much music on your thing, when I clicked on the video thingy the sound got mixed up with the Marvin Gaye song
Well that explains the shit weather in Belgium then - it's communist weather designed by Karl Markx and The Whether Ghirls
GG, if you have any questions about comic strips Ché is artist in residence on this blog. Literally. Although you can't believe everything he says.
Doc, how do you spell his name then? Murks? What about Lance Armstrong?
GB, the Belgians did awful things in the Congo. The Congolese don't hold it against them, though, especially the tens of thousands of them who came to live in Brussels.
Ché, clever clogs mode OFF - now!
Gambo, indeed. No wonder the Belgians cried when M&S closed down their Brussels store.
JJ, there's a pause button on the music thingy, you have to stop the music before you put the video on. (Sigh - rolls eyes - men!).
Goth, it's very nice in Cuba at this time of year.
Actually, Che's got it wrong. In the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, "Belgium" is the rudest word in the universe, far outstripping the F or C words. Only on Earth could they have named an entire country after it.
Meanwhile, I was going to ask if all these Xs at the end of names was to do with texting, where people put a kiss after signing off, so
Kim x
becomes
Kimx
What about Jean-Michel Saive? He's got to be the most famous Belgian in China, which probably makes him the most famous Belgian in the world!
{ping pong geek mode off}
Here, gimme the damned bell. I'll put it on my damned self. Dammit.
What about Nixon? Son of Nickx? There are quite a few Nixons just over the water in Norfolk. Any connection, or am I paddling up the wrong canal?
WEe had a belgian student working here once, we quizzed him about famous Belgians, to which he could not name one.
Zoe is probably the most famous Belgian I know - and she isn't
Kim, you are a brave man, contradicting McChe - he's got a brain the size of a planet. Or so he keeps telling me.
Lynx, no, famous in China doesn't count. Are you perhaps a bit Belgian, Lynckx?
Sam, Stevie Nicks is wearing well if she is Richard Nixon's mother.
Brom - what? Famous, or Belgian?
Someone must have turned my volume up and that nearly blew me off my seat- then I had the two together. Lovely.
My grand-daughter visited Belgium - Ypres etc and I was telling her about your Belgian Chips and she had had them. And - wouldn't you know - loved them.
If anyone knows a way to have a music feed without the sound coming on automatically (it used to be like that) I would be most grateful. It even annoys me.
F and C words Kim? Be a man and just say France and Czechoslovakia.
Daphers, Lance is up there, but Merckx and Induraine surpass him because they entered races all season, Lance focused on the Tour with his whole year planned for him to peak just at the right time. Eddy was a moderate to heavy smoker. Can you believe that? That's got to be worrth something. Can you see Lance having a sly drag in the bike-sheds?
I have been singing Sexual Healing LOUDLY to Desmond, Daphne, and I still can't wake him up. Do you think he is faking it? Best, Vi xx
PS Stanko has been gardening in the tiniest shorts and no top. It really makes one grateful to be a housewife sometimes, it really does.
Doc, are you going to use Eddy Merckx as a pro-smoking argument? You're a Doctor! Shame on you!
Violet dear, try singing it to Stanko while Desmond is asleep.
I've figured out how to stop the music coming on automatically. Deezer have come up with a new widget - it's rather huge, but Pat won't get blown off her chair any more!
Thanks Daphne. How about a bit of Jacque Brel- one of my favourite Belgians. Spelling doubtful.
Your wish is my command, Pat. "Ne me quitte pas" - a song I will never sing to McChe.
Have you never encountered the Pug of Bruges? Belongs to the Apothecary. I come over every year for the Holy Blood and photograph him. He has put on an enormous amount of weight recently; too much waterzooi leftovers. Best wishes from the Thames Valley.
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