Princesse Ghislaine de Polignac , who has died aged 92, was the former wife of Prince Edmond de Polignac, and more than once survived crises that would have consigned a less determined person to social ostracism. Here's a sketch of her as a younger woman.
posted by Mr. Gunn on Feb 5, 2011 - 30 comments

You Can't Catch Me, Music and Lyrics by Chuck Berry. The Stones covered it. John Lennon was sued (twice!) for covering it and appropriating the lyrics. If Iggy Pop and the Stooges were never sued for doing the same thing as "Come Together" in 1970, perhaps it's because nobody could understand what exactly he was saying, not even the bands that took their names from the adapted lyrics. Perhaps JJ Cale was thinking of the chorus when he wrote Call Me The Breeze in 1971. Finally, though Jonothan Richman's "Roadrunner" clearly took inspiration from the Velvet Underground's Sister Ray and Bo Diddley's "Road Runner"(among other things), but, as a Berry fan, you can hear Richman echoing the lyrics in the Spirit of 1956 going Faster Miles an Hour, with the radio on, tuned to Rock And Roll. [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue on Jun 19, 2010 - 43 comments

Indeed, all three of Hitler’s prized leather whips were presents from high society ladies. : Christopher Clark reviews High Society in the Third Reich by Fabrice d’Almeida in the London Review Of Books.
posted by The Whelk on Apr 7, 2009 - 24 comments

Fancy a lordship? The Barony of Pencelli Castle is up for sale, as is Timberhonger, Wimple, and Bradfield St Clare. Just make sure they’re not fake.
posted by gottabefunky on Jul 21, 2003 - 2 comments

Buy your very own title! You too can become a Lord, a Lady, a Duke, a Duchess... except you really can't, according to the very annoyed Richard, 7th Earl of Bradford.
posted by headspace on Jul 7, 2003 - 23 comments