10 NEWS People
THE WEEK 17 August 2019Arock ‘n’ roll childhood
With one of rock’s most
notorious hellraisers as her
father, Nettie Baker had a
chaotic upbringing, says
Maureen Paton in The Daily
Telegraph. Ginger Baker, the
drummer for the 1960s
supergroup Cream, was an
irascible heroin addict. When
Nettie wasayoung child, she
says, her dad “would hand me
aspliff and say to me, ‘Take
apuff of this, it’s much better
than cigarettes’.” George
Harrison offered her up as first
prize inapool competition at
awild party when she was just- “I was naively thrilled at
being the centre of attention,
but although nothing
happened,aline was definitely
crossed.” In time, her father
blew all his money on drugs,
women, polo ponies and
disastrous business ventures.
Nettie’s mother Liz, his first
wife, “used to say it was no fun
being married toawomanising
junkie”. In time, Ginger left
Liz, and stopped supporting his
family, who were evicted from
their home. Now 58, Nettie
has written two memoirs about
her life. She also co-wrote her
father’s own memoir, but their
relationship is still challenging.
“I’ve hadalot of experience
with drug addicts and let’s say
I’m not very sympathetic.”
The teenage flying ace
At 16, Ellie Carter is Britain’s
youngest solo pilot. To
celebrate finishing her GCSEs,
she climbed intoaCessna 152
single-engine plane and flew
the 52 miles from her local
aerodrome, Dunkeswell inDevon, to Compton Abbas in
Dorset–unaccompanied. Then
she flew back and threw her
revision notes on the barbecue.
She hopes to have her full
licence by the end of the year.
“I love every aspect of flying.
Birds flying with you, rainbows
become circles–everything
becomes different,” she told
Harry Wallop in The Times.
While still at primary school
she would pester her parents
to take her to air displays, and
would seek out pilots to talk
to. Inevitably, her age has
raised eyebrows. “It’s kind of
funny, becauseIlook like I’m
12 andIwalk out there and get
in aplane and everyone’s like,
‘She’s not gonna fly the thing,
is she?’–andIgooff, and their
faces are just brilliant!”AMancunian feminist
Noel Gallagher is pretty
scathing about his brother, says
Tim Jonze in The Guardian.
He saw Liam’s set at
Glastonbury, and he wasn’t
impressed. “I don’t think I’ve
ever been so embarrassed... He
looked like he was having the
worst day of his life, walking
around in what looks like a
pair of my son’s pyjamas,
shouting intoamic about some
perceived injustice.” Otherwise,
Noel, 52, feels at ease–a
happy, “modern” man. Is he
afeminist? “Oh absolutely. I
didn’t realise until my wife told
meIwas... But definitely,Iam.
When you’ve gotateenage
daughter, you better get with
it pretty quick.” What are his
feelings about gender fluidity?
“What’s that?Iknow what
genderIam–Mancunian.”Stacey Dooley isn’t universally liked, and she takes pride in that,
says Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian. “I’m not vanilla,” says
Dooley, 32. Brought up in Luton byasingle mother, she left school
at 15 without any qualifications, and was selling perfume at Luton
Airport when she saw an advert foraTVshow which would take
young people to India to see how their clothes were made. Visiting
sweatshops for the resulting documentary, she was so direct and
eloquent in her condemnation that the BBC asked her to present
programmes of her own. At the start of her career asaTV
journalist, many thought she wasabreath of fresh air. Others,
she says, thought: “There are thousands of trained journalists that
deserve her job.” But she has achieved something very impressive:
covering serious, bleak subjects–Islamic State, Boko Haram,
right-wing extremists–and encouraging vast numbers of news-shy
young people to take an interest in them. It was, however,Strictly
Come Dancingthat made herahousehold name, when she won
last year’s series. “I go to places like Syria and meet some of the
most recognisable terrorists in the world, or talk about things that
will shape the global landscape: enormous topics that warrant the
front page of newspapers,” she says. “But [the press] never go with
that–they’ll always go with whoIfancy or who I’m snogging.”Viewpoint:
Against the menopause
“Thanks toabreakthrough by the
fertility expert who pioneered IVF,
some women will now be able to delay
menopause for up to 20 years. The
procedure, says one scientist, allows
women to ‘nail their career’, and stop
worrying about startingafamily. Call
me cynical, butIcan’t help but notice
that all the breakthroughs that enable
female biology to fit in withaworkplace
largely designed by men involve
long-term experiments on women’s
bodies. How about the workplace
changing radically to enable women
to break off (and resume) their careers
when nature intended? Well, obviously
that’s not going to happen. Why not?
Because it’s inconvenient for business.”
Allison Pearson in The Daily TelegraphFarewell
Professor Hugh
Brogan,historian
and biographer of
Arthur Ransome,
died 26 July, aged 83.
Gabriella Ezra,Italian
war heroine, died
27 July, aged 91.
Joe Longthorne, MBE,
singer and entertainer,
died3August, aged 64.
Peter McNamara,
tennis champion and
coach, died 20 July,
aged 64.
Barrington Pheloung,
Inspector Morse
theme composer, died
31 July, aged 65.Book:Edible: An Illustrated Guide to the World’s Food Plants
Luxury:her pillow *Choice if allowedonlyone recordCastaway of the week
This week’s edition of Radio 4’sDesert Island Discsfeatured
journalist, author and entrepreneur Jo Fairley
1 Little Fluffy Cloudsby Martin Glover, Alex Paterson and
Steve Reich, performed by The Orb
2 Wátina,written and performed by Andy Palacio and
the Garifuna Collective
3*IWanna Be Like Youby Robert and Richard Sherman,
performed by Louis Prima
4 Fly Me to the Moonby Bart Howard, performed by Frank Sinatra
5 You’re So Vain,written and performed by Carly Simon
6 La Isla Bonitaby Madonna, Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch,
performed by Madonna
7 Careless Whisperby George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley,
performed by George Michael
8 LiebestodfromTristan und Isoldeby Richard Wagner,
performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by
Otto Klemperer©BBC