This is my final substack of 2023. I’m not a fan of the past – gargantuan stinkbog sucking hungrily at the present that it is – but I am an enthusiastic proponent of recaps. Listing good stuff and listing bad stuff is vital – if only to work out what you need more or less of for the next incarnation.
Dec 15, 2023·edited Dec 15, 2023Liked by Thomas Sharp
Alongside the voyeuristic thing, I know a couple of other things about 23 skidoo.
Well a thing about 23 Skidoo and a thing about Skidoo 23.
According to John Kenneth Galbraith (a kind of Marshall McLuhan figure for economics in 60/70s USA) Skidoo 23 refers to a US gold mining town where a murder took place. The killer was hanged. But because it took ages for the press to get there and report it, townsfolk re-hanged the body.
The other thing (this might mark me out as an obsessive) is that '23 Skidoo' is mentioned in the official inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. They were trying to determine if doors were open that were supposed to be closed. Guess which number door they were worried about?
Thanks for always putting a few interesting thoughts out there and illuminating words in unexpected places. Have you tried Balham bookstore https://backstory.london? They have introduced me to several new authors, publish a magazine and run in-conversation events.
Alongside the voyeuristic thing, I know a couple of other things about 23 skidoo.
Well a thing about 23 Skidoo and a thing about Skidoo 23.
According to John Kenneth Galbraith (a kind of Marshall McLuhan figure for economics in 60/70s USA) Skidoo 23 refers to a US gold mining town where a murder took place. The killer was hanged. But because it took ages for the press to get there and report it, townsfolk re-hanged the body.
Galbraith thinks this says something significant. I put a quote up from him here: https://jonone100.blogspot.com/2014/05/money-wisdom-265.html
The other thing (this might mark me out as an obsessive) is that '23 Skidoo' is mentioned in the official inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic. They were trying to determine if doors were open that were supposed to be closed. Guess which number door they were worried about?
anyway, go here https://www.titanicinquiry.org/BOTInq/BOTInq06Joughin03.php then scroll down to 6341 and its the next few sentences.
Thanks for always putting a few interesting thoughts out there and illuminating words in unexpected places. Have you tried Balham bookstore https://backstory.london? They have introduced me to several new authors, publish a magazine and run in-conversation events.
Ah Tom, remember God’s words to the wisened OT titan Samuel ‘man looks on the outward appearance,but the Lord looks on the heart.’
Your value is so much more than books on a shelf.