British music band’s broken guitar, archives on London view
London: The personal archives of “The Clash”, one of the most popular British bands of the previous century, are all set to go on a free exhibition at the Museum of London, it was announced on Wednesday. With notes, clothing, images and music, the collection is highlighted by a guitar Paul Simonon smashed on stage in 1979. The image capturing this moment is deemed as one of the greatest rock images in history. The exhibition is an ode to the band’s third album “London Calling” — an instant classic and era-defining masterpiece which still stands as one of rock’s all-time greatest albums. “London Calling” was and is a hugely compelling melting pot of musical styles, driven by a passion for action and a fierce political anger, with music and lyrics which remain as relevant today as they were when released, the museum said in a statement.. In a treat to music lovers, also on view will be a handwritten album sequence note by Mick Jones showing the final and correct order for “London Calling”. On exhibition will be one of Joe Strummer’s notebooks from 1979, the period when the album “London Calling” was rehearsed and recorded; Strummer’s typewriter used to document ideas, lyrics and other writings and Topper Headon’s drum sticks, which are his only remaining item. Many of the previously unseen works will be on view in “The Clash: London Calling” from November 15 here. (IANS)
Fossil of human-sized penguin found in New Zealand
Wellington: Paleontologists in New Zealand on Wednesday announced the discovery of a previously-unknown species of prehistoric giant penguin that waddled around the country between 66 and 56 million years ago. The species – Crossvallia waiparensis – was 1.60 metres (5 feet and 3 inches) tall – the approximate size of an average human – weighed up to 80 kg and was 40 centimetre taller than present-day Emperor penguins, New Zealand’s Canterbury Museum said in a statement. “When the Crossvallia species were alive, New Zealand and Antarctica were very different from today – Antarctica was covered in forest and both had much warmer climates,” said the museum’s senior natural history curator, Dr Paul Scofield, underlining the close connection between the Oceanic archipelago and the ice-covered continent. The “monster” penguin’s fossilized remains were found in 2018 by an amateur paleontologist in North Canterbury, in the northeast of South Island, Efe news reported. Museum curators studied the bones and concluded that they belonged to a species that had never been identified before. The huge bird roamed New Zealand’s coast during the Paleocene epoch of the Cenozoic Era, shortly after the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) extinction event that saw the planet’s erstwhile overlords – the dinosaurs and many related giant reptiles – vanish from existence, giving way to the age of mammals and birds. The site of the discovery, known as the Waipara Greensand, is considered one of the world’s most significant sites for prehistoric penguin fossils. (IANS)