Friday Zen – Morrissey Loves Black Bears

80s alt/new wave Musician Morrissey (along with a host of other celebs) is asking the UK Government to end the long standing tradition of using North American black bear skin to make the distinctive hats worn by the Buckingham Palace Guardsmen.

Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and several other British designers have offered up alternative design suggestions for the tall, black fur caps which have been worn by the Queen’s Guard since 1815.

I’m all in favor of less trapping of black bears for use as stupid looking fur hats, but the mind reels at the idea of what kind of hat Vivienne Westwood might have in mind for the poor beleaguered Guardsmen, who already have to contend with idiotic tourists trying to break their concentration.

Queens Guardsmen give Vivienne Westwood designed hats a trial run, report that hats 'led to reduced mocking incidents, lessened urge to smack tourists in the head with bayonet'

In any case, this post has all pretty much just been an excuse to go looking for a video of the Smiths doing one of my favorite songs, “How Soon is Now?” (which allows me to counter Sean’s ‘please for the love of God stop playing that song’, with  ” I have to listen to it – It’s for my WRITING“).

Thanks, internet, for making time wasting something I can excuse as semi-work related!