Fred Dibnah, the Mostali Messiah

From: Stewart Stansfield <stu_stansfield_at_reVjYReO6fhdlZDcfR2ScI0BXOpfm5aVVo_3UYtF2HF83NGSsk1ukLnF6BCb9>
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 23:05:34 -0000

Obligatory warning: those non-Brits 'ere will probably not have a bloody clue what of I'm going on about. Even those from pleasanter climes may be a little diffident about a man who wanted to dig a coal mine in his back garden... But learn, from the Church of Fred!

As a Boltonian lad, I can say tha' our Fred's long been 'eld as ['] sterlin' example ['] Lancastrian (curse you Heath!) endeavour.

But until seeing 'Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age' tonight (7pm BBC2), it never really clicked that Fred is the answer to my 'Mostali problem'. I've always been a bit perplexed as to how to 'do' the Mostali IMG. Late 16th and early 17th century Netherlands had for some reason helped, but Fred provided the final touch.

http://www.fred-dibnah.co.uk/

http://www.vanl.freeserve.co.uk/gvlFred.html

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/fred/ *

http://www.freddibnah.com/ (links buggered)

See, it all works now. He even looks a bit Mostali-ish. All that focused, near-fanatical interest in machinery and the World Machine? That's our Fred. I can almost hear our Fred's voice when the World Machine is finally fixed: "It's goin'... it's goin'!"

God bless you, Fred. Supera moras, son, supera moras.

Stu.

*Beware of this site. It's from Wigan. 'Nuff said. Strange folk in Wigan.