CLUB SANDWICH 71

SUE’S LETTER

            After a restful summer break, we return with our Autumn issue which, because of Paul's sabbatical year, again has something of a retrospective feel. But this has its compensations, since it enables us to enhance our pages by re-discovering some more great images from the photo archive. As many of you wrote to say how much you liked the feel of our Summer issue, which also had more photos than usual, we trust you will approve again.
            September kicked off in customary fashion with the annual Buddy Holly Week bash. It was its usual jolly affair, which this year featured a splendid video competition (see BUDDY HOLLY WEEK... 1994 STYLE). Hard to believe that next year will be the Week's twentieth anniversary. Our regular features are also on board in this issue: MINING THE FILM AND VIDEO ARCHIVE, BACKWARDS TRAVELLER and WRITE AWAY. And there are some bizarre facts about wine in AND IN THE GREEN CORNER - you certainly have to credit us "with presenting original information in the Sandwich). Plus, we welcome back our old favourite, GALLERY CORNER, so do continue to send in your interesting items for future issues.
            There are many areas of McCartney involvement about which I can give you an update, even with Paul still on his sabbatical break. I hear he's been working hard on various musical projects, ranging from a classical piano and orchestral work, more on which at a later date, to further contributions to The Beatles' Anthology and writing new songs for a new studio album (no firm news on this yet). Amongst all this musical activity Paul even found time to carve a small wooden sculpture which was exhibited in a multi-media fund-raising show at the Flowers East Gallery in London together with four of Linda's photographs and a small pot made by Heather. To benefit the War Child Charity (established by Brian Eno to help relieve the suffering of children in Bosnia) everything was auctioned at the Royal College of Art in October with Paul's sculpture raising £12,500 - the highest price of the evening!
            If this is a year off, heaven only knows what good things are in store when Paul starts "working" again.
            Linda's ready-made meatless entrees, launched in America in the mid-west in the Spring, have been available since October on the West Coast, months ahead of schedule. To complement this, she and Paul gave press conferences the first week of October in Seattle, Detroit and Los Angeles. Undoubtedly some of you will have seen the press coverage. It is expected that Lindas foods will be in New York by December. Here in Britain, her "food revolution" goes from strength to strength: sales of Linda's meatless meals have topped the 100 million mark which, according to John Anderson (managing director of food producer Ross Young's, and provider of unusual statistics!) is the equivalent by packet height of 431 Mount Everests or, by packet length, 18,750 miles — that's London to Australia and back again. Finally for now, I'd like to alert you to the fact that Britannia Airways is serving Linda's vegetarian sausages with breakfast on all its flights. As Britannia is a subsidiary of Thomsons, Britain's biggest holiday company, that's a lot of bangers!
            On the artistic side, Club Sandwich's resident Picture Editor (Linda again) has recently been honoured in London by the National Portrait Gallery, which is exhibiting two of her photographs - one of John Lennon and one of Paul with daughter Mary - representing the work of three contemporary -women photographers.
            The 1995 Linda McCartney Calendar will be sold in aid of War Child (see above), so be sure to order your copy through the Fun Club — see the offer sheet accompanying our Christmas issue for details.
            A couple of musical points to finish off: I hear that the song 'White-Coated Man', co-written by Linda McCartney and Carla Lane and performed by Suzy and the Red Stripes (a while since we've seen that credit), is being included on the compilation album Animal Magnetism out in the USA on 15 October from Kingsnake Records. It's a song with a genuine message, and proceeds from sales will aid the animal rights charity PETA. And those of us outside the USA should look out for a new album of Christmas songs recorded by Diana Ross, which includes her version of Paul's 'Wonderful Christmastime'. It's set for release by EMI on 14 November.
            I'll leave you with a snippet of nostalgia: the Wings Over Europe tour bus, used by the band in 1972, is up for sale again. (But don't call us!)

'til next time
Sue