Comments on: The Guardian No 25,391by Orlando

By: Louise

Louise — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 07:58:04 +0000

Thanks Stella.
If you’ve time, watch the film Les Enfants du Paradis (“Children of the Gods”) – one of the best films ever.

By: Gerry

Gerry — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 06:28:57 +0000

I really liked this…especially Smiley, Fritz Lang and cantonment.

By: PeeDee

PeeDee — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:23:21 +0000

Thank you Stella and congratulations on your first blog.

SMILEY and DOUBT were my clear favourites.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:53:24 +0000

Furthermore re SKA,
I don’t think anyone could do something my link in #48.
This though explains it all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Buster
(‘Madness, I call it Madness’)

By: Carrots

Carrots — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:39:29 +0000

Congratulations Orlando…a perfect two-pinta puzzle with some serious mines in the field.

And welcome and thanks to you too, Stella….without you, NEGUS, ENGRAM & CANTONMENT would not have gone in.

By: Sil van den Hoek

Sil van den Hoek — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:34:43 +0000

Thank you Stella for your nice debut of a puzzle in which DOUBT (26ac) was by far the best for me. So neat, so elegant.

And ska?
Remember the late Desmond Dekker? “Israelites”", big hit in 1968.
Or: “Desmond has a barrow in the market place”? Yes, Paul McCartney’s “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da”, influenced by ska.
Jimmy Cliff? “You can get it if you really want”.
The genre was revived in the late seventies/early eighties by The Specials (“Too Young Too Much”) and, of course, in their early stages, Madness – One Step Beyond and “Buster, get up the heat to the rock steady beat”, yep, http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Buster .

By: Stella

Stella — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:46:41 +0000

Great link otter@31. It definitely illustrates the origins of reggae, which I’m fairly sure have come up on this site before – otherwise, I’d have been hard put to it to find the answer other than by guesswork.

For the record, one of my great friends at university, with whom I used to do the DT crossword, was from Bermuda. Without him I’d have no inkling of what reggae is, being a heavy rocker at heart – and a G&S enthusiast!

By: Dav e Ellison

Dav e Ellison — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 21:16:14 +0000

Got into a temporary pickle in rhs by putting MANAGES for 15a, SPLIT for 16d. SKA I have never heard of previously.

Thought this was harder than the usual Orlando.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 20:11:54 +0000

Hi Derek

I love this kind of clue – but I’m still often nearly caught out by them! – we seem to have had several of them lately.

By: Derek Lazenby

Derek Lazenby — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:59:43 +0000

Doh!

Ta.