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MICHELANGELO may have said 'In art, immorality cannot exist', but nowadays at many private views, neither does a second drink.
You know the sort of thing. One plastic glass of warm Echo Falls, somebody makes a bit of a speech and maybe you take an odd glance up at the pictures on the wall.
The days of free bash control are long over and exhibition first nighters are a dime a dozen.
They usually take place early evening midweek, and little fringe places, like The Gallery at 41 Stanhope St, can usually bank on getting the tins in for about 70 people on a good night.
Not so last Friday night when almost 400 showed up for The Gallery's latest offering.
The drinks flowed and as the homage to Bacchus got under way on a long night, so did the ching-ching of the figurative tills.
Inhibitions loosened and visitors snapped up a bit of something cheeky to go over the mantelpiece by the likes of Liverpool-born photographer-made-massive John Stoddart, who started out shooting innocent photo-romances for teen mag Oh Boy! And we reminded him.
As cultural networking and artistic criticism goes, we would like to say that the evening's intercourse was deep and meaningful.
But we have absolutely no evidence for anything that happened afterwards.
Exhibition is open to the public (adults only) until Feb 11. 10am - 4.30pm, Monday - Friday. 10am - 2 pm Saturday, or by appointment: 07718 740741. Tel: 0151 709 2442.
Here's who turned up.
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Interesting arse
Nosey arse.
It looks a graveyard smash.
I like the gentleman in the last photo with the hat and the ciggie though.
That's Henry Epstein, nephew of Brian.
Is it indeed? Reminded me of one of Rembrandts self portraits but I can't remember who it was of.
I see that though the Editrix seized a baps for refreshment, she kept her own overcoat on.
It was cold in there
It looks cold. Poor old Lionel Blair has had to borrow a pirate outfit and a wig to keep warm.
I see that bound and gagged lady has a little knob behind her
I trust that you warmed your hands first, Miss Sammons?
I am genuinely shocked.
She's been 'papped'.
I must get out more, I realise what a sheltered life I have lead.
You wouldn't get two of them in a bucket!
Is that Larry Sidorczuk, the ex-Lib Dem councillor, flicking a whip? Blimey.
Ex Councillor Sidorczuk was always referred to as Laurence and not Larry. He was a Lib Dem, not a lamb.
He was Larry when I knew him, when he was hanging around with all that Illuminatus lot. Piss off.
He was always Sid when I knew him at artschool and we were hanging around with the Moondogs. He was dossing in O'Halligan's Parlour in those days. Sid, where are you now?
Hmmm. Some interesting mini-rants here. It was indeed a provocative PV - very well attended and should have been on longer. Perhaps it'll become an annual event? It took me back to the "Liverpol Nude" exhibition which Bryan Biggs organised at the Bluecoat Art Gallery back in February '78 [I was his assistant curator]. Pretty tame by comparison now though. Yes, I enjoyed being "Chief Whip" for one-night only - all done in jest and I had a cracking time. I've been known as Larry before [which is OK by me] but most of my friends and colleagues know me as "Laurence" now. Very formal, I know. The "Illuminatus" lot were, actually, Ken Campbell's original "Science Fiction Theatre of Liverpool" which included Bill Drummond, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Chris Langham, Pru Gee, Chris Bernard and many others. I was involved in that, too, as one of the founder members of the Liverpool School of Language, Music, Dream and Pun on Mathew Street with Peter and Sean Halligan. As they say, "the rest is history" which, incidentally, will soon be celebrated in the new Museum of Liverpool Life as part of the Creative Liverpool gallery. Good to hear from Johnny H after all these years - remember..."These Are The Days".