Brit. Inst.

Another one from my record collection of misfits and mysteries. This is a 7" single which says it was first published in 1961. I'd never heard of Tony Fayne, but picked this record up purely because of the odd cover picture, with the strange accoutrements of 'Britishness'. Tea, cricket, umbrellas, I get that, but the tigerskin rug? I suppose it fits with a particular kind of Englishman. What would you have nowadays? Tea, telly, and a sofa from DFS, perhaps.

The British Institutions that he explains on this record are Garden Fetes, The Police, and British Railways. I actually preferred the record when the whole thing was still a mystery to me, but I made the mistake of googling Tony Fayne, the man on the tigerskin rug.

So, if you're keen to acquire knowledge, I can tell you that the sleeve notes tell us he was a 'well-known broadcaster', and I've now discovered that he was from Bristol (being Bristolian, I thought I knew of every local 'celebrity' however obscure or however tenuous the link, but he's a new one to me), he worked with Norman Wisdom, amongst others, and died just two years ago. You can read his obituary here.

If you're really very keen you can hear the record here, but I wouldn't honestly recommend it.