No, that's not the pitch for a new Big Finish drama ( although that would be pretty groovy ) but actually a cosmic collision of 20th and 21st century pop culture we witnessed last weekend. We'd been visiting our good friend Tom ( of Tom Wiggins Blogs fame ) up in his leafy corner of the Cotswolds and had done all the usual stuff we do when we get together: investigate charity shops, talk about films, have a nice meal, plot the downfall of Western civilisation - stuff like that, and had had a lovely day. On the way back to Tom's pad ( man ), we stopped off at Art & Talking, a hip and happening art gallery in Chipping Norton, or "Chippy" as we've learnt to call it. Tom is friends with the gallery's owner, and even has one of his own carved stone pieces on display there. As we walked down towards the gallery, we could hear music playing and I thought to myself ( who else am I going to think to? ) "that sounds like Jimi Hendrix"...
And, in fact, it was Hendrix. Not the man himself, obviously ( that would most definitely be blog-worthy ), but it was the psychedelic psounds of the Rainbow Bridge album emanating from a battered old stereo set up outside the gallery. The event we'd wandered into was centred around a Hendrix-themed triptych by Chilean artist Pato Bosich called Electric Altarpiece, see the far out photos below:
Some seriously cosmic artwork there, with loads of Hendrix Easter eggs for fans of the great man and the Hippy / Summer of Love era. it was a very chilled, relaxed event with gallery owner and certified
character, Michael, chatting away with us and pouring free champagne. I mean, why not? At one point I was admiring the artwork and noticed there was a tall bloke standing next to me, engaged in deep conversation with Pato Bosich. I soon realised that tall bloke was the 9th Doctor himself, Christopher Eccleston. I knew he'd been seen around Chippy previously ( so I guess he must live locally ) but it was still surprising to find myself standing next to one of my favourite actors. When I had the chance, I managed to have a quick word with Chris - told him I was a fan and had a brief chat about legendary 1996 TV drama
Our Friends In The North which was recently repeated on BBC 4. I knew he was very proud of that series and he instantly praised the writing by the show's creator, Peter Flannery. ( I intentionally didn't mention Doctor Who: I didn't want to come across as a gushing fanboy, and I'm sure he's talked about the show enough times to last many regenerations. ) He then thanked me for the kind words and said he had to step outside, then went back to mingling with the other punters. ( One in particular was
very interested in him, but I don't think he was too bothered. )
I thought that was the end of my time with the iconic actor but, a bit later on, he came back into the gallery and I asked if he wouldn't mind posing for a photo with myself and Sarah. He very graciously agreed and Tom took the snap below. It was great to spend those few moments with Chris and he was lovely - very friendly and generous with his time. In fact, he was... fantastic!
