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ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Who is Lana Del Rey referring to in her acclaimed album Norman F****** Rockwell? Is there a question to which you want to know the answer? Or do you know the answer to a question here? Write to: Charles Legge, Answers To Correspondents, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY; or email [email protected].
uk By Charles Legge Published: 19:55 EDT, 15 September 2024 | Updated: 20:12 EDT, 15 September 2024 e-mail View comments QUESTION: Who is Lana Del Rey referring to in her acclaimed album Norman F****** Rockwell!? Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was an American painter and illustrator best known for his idealised depictions of American life. His painting of Rosie the Riveter (1943) for The Saturday Evening Post became a symbol of a woman’s role in World War II . Rockwell’s art reached millions.
He produced more than 300 covers for The Saturday Evening Post alone. His work fits in with Lana Del Rey’s album, a classic exploration of Americana. By invoking his name in such a stark and profane manner, Del Rey juxtaposes Rockwell’s nostalgic vision of America with the modern reality: ‘So this is the American dream, right now.
This is where we’re at — Norman f****** Rockwell.’ Norman Fucking Rockwell! was the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey Kevin Allen, Burnley, Lancashire QUESTION: Why don’t we ever see seagulls on restaurant menus, especially when they are seen as a menace? They don’t taste very nice. Seagulls naturally eat fish and otherwise are scavengers.
As a result, they taste very fishy. They are often airborne, so are hard to catch and what little meat they have tends to be tough and stringy. Nevertheless, people have eaten seagulls; their non-edible remnants are common in prehistoric midden mounds.
In Charles MacLean’s wonderful St Kilda: Island On The Edge Of The World (1972), he describes how the St Kildans lived almost exclusively on sea fowl which they harvested from the cliffs. Seagulls naturally eat fish and otherwise are scavengers. As a result, they taste very fishy.
(file image) Tomorrow's questions Q: What are the national flowers of Europe? Vicky Williams, St Austell, Cornwall Q: Which capital cities are geographically closest? Charles Daley, Southampton Q: What is the Portuguese myth of Sebastianism? Why is it so enduring? Rebecca Jones, Brighton, East Sussex Advertisement They ate seagulls and even smeared a smelly oil secreted by the fulmar seabird onto their infant’s umbilical cord. Fulmar has a very strong, fatty flavour, similar to that of cod liver oil. Nevertheless, it has long been an important protein source for Faroe Islanders.
Jon Cross, Cardiff QUESTION: Was Sean Connery’s role of Zed in Zardoz the most bizarre piece of movie casting ever? Further to the earlier answer, Genghis Khan (1965) stars Omar Sharif in the lead role. Sharif just about gets away with it but Robert Morley, the quintessential English gentleman, playing the Chinese Emperor, was ridiculous. At least he didn’t try to put on a faux Chinese accent.
This miscasting was only superseded by that of John Wayne as Genghis Khan in 1956’s The Conqueror. Patrick Hayward, St Albans, Herts Lana Del Rey Share or comment on this article: ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS: Who is Lana Del Rey referring to in her acclaimed album Norman F****** Rockwell? e-mail Add comment More top stories.
