Where were you when? Pointless Grandeur with pasty legs in Sydney

Well, we haven't done this for a while... The much belovéd "Where were you when?" feature.  (Which having been reminded may lead to a small spate of them from the overlooked stockpile on the "To Do" list).

As you can see this entry comes from Australia, as it has been amusingly edited to appear upside down for comic effect.  (Apols. Couldn't resist it. Ed).  And shows not one but TWO of our valiant lads struggling against the sunshine and exposing their dangerously pale English legs to the elements.  So, for their bravery and your infotainment, here are some fascinating facts shamelessly lifted straight off wikipedia.

"The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Situated on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour, close to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the facility is adjacent to the Sydney central business district and the Royal Botanic Gardens, between Sydney and Farm Coves.

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the facility formally opened on 20 October 1973 after a gestation beginning with Utzon's 1957 selection as winner of an international design competition. The NSW Government, led by Premier Joseph Cahill, authorised work to begin in 1958, with Utzon directing construction. The government's decision to build Utzon's design is often overshadowed by circumstances that followed, including cost and scheduling overruns as well as the architect's ultimate resignation." See the original source at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Opera_House for more info.

Meanwhile, the scores are in

1. The Location - 3.5 (Impressive incorporation of not one but TWO globally iconic landmarks but as those who know the rules of these "Where were you when" postings will know what is coming... we have to observe the "no visible signage" rule so docking a point, shame).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Suitably pointless, although technically one of the points is blunted by the pewter mug, but either way scores very well).

3. The X-Factor -  4.5 (Offering TWO for the price of one on both the location and number of Magnificents in the photo this has to score well, although there was a temptation to dock them for exposing quite so much flesh, but thankfully they did not break the "thou shalt not wear socks and sandals rule, so a very good score).

Making that a total of 12 - The highest score yet from two bloke pointing at two world famous buildings whilst exposing lower legs.  Well done lads!

More "Johnny-come-Lately" challengers to, er, come.

Where were you when? Sunny Iceland

It's not every day you achieve the landmark of being liaised with one particular lady for 20+ years and to celebrate the fact, a certain Neil B was whisked away by the good lady in question for a very surprise trip to somewhere he had apparently never considered venturing, namely Iceland.

Much to their amazement they had a really nice time together and the weather was actually more than half decent - maybe a metaphor for their long and fruitful union?!  

Anyway, not being one to miss an opportunity, Neil managed to stow away his TMAK47 T-Shirt and was able to whip it out at an appropriate moment.

So, to the scores.

1. The Location - 5.0 (What a pro!  How much visible signage can you squeeze into a photo?  A sign AND a map!  We are compelled to award top marks).

2. The Pose - 3.5 (Quite a lot of pointing, but maybe not as much pointless grandeur overall, more "informative tour guide").

3. The X-Factor -  3.5 (Not bad, but slightly minimized by the building site peeping through in the background).

Making that a total of 12.0 - The highest score yet on the visible signage front, usually the undoing of so many entrants, but perhaps not as much pointless grandeur as that flying start should have merited - still, good effort.

Where were you when? Gringo goes West

Taken on West Coast, Vancouver Island in the dim and distant past (August 2013), prior to our Gringo stepping off the path of civilisation and onto the West Coast Trail. Reputed as one of the world's top ten hikes, the WCT is a wilderness hike through temperate rainforest that takes about a week to complete. It begins (or ends) on the tiny parcel of land deemed a First Nation Reserve. 

Our intrepid Gringo, no less than Big Chief DR Sweeney made Magnificent strides around the trail and has many tales to tell that only bear the telling with a trusty pint in hand and plenty of time.

And here we go, the scores are in

1. The Location - 4.5 (Not only can we view the iconic Pacheedaht artwork but we can also see that smoke signals are 'old-hat' ... excellent visible signage).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (As much pointless grandeur as a European can muster while stood on one of the few pieces of  land his forefathers didn't acquire during the settlement of this continent, so another good score).

3. The X-Factor -  4.0 (That is one heck of a sign combined with quality pointless grandeur and another fine pair of knees - another good score).

Making that a total of 12.5 - The highest score yet from a bloke on the wildest of trials whilst exposing his lower legs to the mozzies.

Where were you when? Absent Bob strikes again in Lake Louise

Once again, our collective globe trotting continues a pace with a recent(ish) entry from our very own Archaeologist / Daring Pilot / Aeriel Photographer in residence, one Bob B, or as he is more commonly known "Absent Bob"!

Not only being a fine contributor to passing on knowledge about local historical landmarks to liven up otherwise not so lively coach trips, he is a bit of a star at these T-Shirt photos.  

This particular pieces is apparently entitled "Pointless Glaciation" and as you can see he has worked "pointing" AND what we can only take his word for it, a glacier, this photo being snapped near the world famous Lake Louise in that there Canadia.

Anyway, the scores are in

1. The Location - 3.5 (Impressive use of landscape although anyone who has ever read one of these "Where were you when" postings will know what is coming.... "no visible signage").

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Encapsulating pointlessness with a great use of actually pointing and no little grandeur, despite the trousers and socks, this scores very well).

3. The X-Factor -  4.0 (Blending a magnificent natural feature, with such pointy pointless grandeur and a fine pair of knees, Absent Bob does it again - another good score).

Making that a total of 11.5 - The highest score yet from a bloke pointing to a world famous natural feature whilst exposing his lower legs.

Where were you when? On The Magnificent Wold Tour

Well, what can we say that hasn't already been muttered during the course of the day and a half that was our very first "Wold Tour"?  An exceptional time was had by all.

Hardly a moment passed during those hours when we weren't either singing, eating, supping ale, singing, walking, posing for daft photos, admiring stupendous view and generally having a brilliant time.

All the fun was organized by a very dedicated team who selflessly checked out every pub and tested every pie that was later consumed by a very grateful gang who boarded the Ellison's bus coach early on Saturday morning.

The first port of call on the trip was the White Horse at Westbury and breath taking view from a breath taking gusty hillside where we knocked out a lusty, wind-swept version of "Concrete" as we gazed over the, er, concrete works below.  After that we were in need of refreshments and took a quick pie and beer stop courtesy of Paul's Pies and The White Horse Brewery's "Village Idiot" (not sure why they thought we might like that particular brew . . . ).

Following that we ventured a few more miles to the town of Devizes and Wadworth's Brewery for a tour around the premises then some beer sampling which was accompanied by entertaining the ladies serving in the bar and the startled visitors to a song or two.  We then continued the tour to visit the impressive sign workshop and we even serenaded one of their Shire Horses with a heartfelt version of "And I love her" - shame it turned out that the horse was actually a bloke!

Undaunted by this we nipped next door to the Brewery for a very hearty meal in The Crown which we would heartily recommend for the quality of the lunch and the speed with which it was brought out for us.

Next we visited the White Horse at Devizes, then on to the White Horse at Cherhill then a quick stop at, er, The White Horse at Compton Bassett to re-create the ancient art of Tug-o-War, thence to, you've guessed it, the Hack Pen White Horse and finally to the final White Horse pub at Winterbourne Bassett for a serenading of unsuspecting ladies and a spot of supper in the midst of a torrential hail storm before heading home to The White Hart (!) and an early bed. 

Anyway, the scores are in

1. The Locations - 4.5 (Great locations, we learnt so much about our county and all the strange go-ings on that prompted people to build daft things on hillsides - unfortunately no visible signs in the photo so we have to be docked the 0.5 points on that technicality).

2. The Pose - 4.5 (Looking exceedingly wind swept as it was a bit nippy up there, the pointless grandeur is personified by the fact that we were all trying to spot the plane supposedly coming to take some aerial photos of us but it could not be seen at that point).

3. The X-Factor -  5.0 (If only for the sheer weight of numbers acting as a multiplier effect).

Making that a total of 14.0 - The highest score ever for 18 blokes having a lovely time in spite of the wind factor.

More please, even if only one bloke at a time.

Where were you? At the edge of the World

Well, you can't claim that our T-Shirts don't get around the place!  Here is another entry from our truly globe-trotting top Alan H as he starts the return journey from visiting Oz for a few weeks.

The photo was taken at Arthur river on the north west coast of Tasmania, at a point furthest west, with nothing between him and not only South Africa, but beyond to South America as well.  It may not be entirely evident from  the photo but the winds were gusting at 70 mph causing that rather pained expression on his face.  Apparently Alan was looking wistfully back towards the civilised world some 80 kms east at a place called Stanley (pop 400).

All a long, long way from North, North Wiltshire, but none the less impressive.

Anyway, the scores are in

1. The Location - 3.5 (Good usage of a plinth to prove the site of the photo shoot, although a little hard to read, so we'll give him this).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Looking somewhat wind swept, the pointless grandeur is personified in the remoteness of the location and encapsulated by the post).

3. The X-Factor -  4.0 (For possibly being one of the furthest away photos we have every received, it has to be worth that extra 0.5 marks).

Making that a total of 11.5 - The highest score from someone so close to the ends of the earth and the edge of the world.

More please, even if only from round the corner by comparison.

Where were you when? Cossack dancing in Berlin

Never ones to let slip an opportunity for some cross-cultural capers, here is a snap of one of our valiant troupe putting his best foot forward in front of a world landmark albeit in a slightly understated manner.

The photo shows Nigel H in front of The Brandenburg Gate (German: Brandenburger Tor) which as many of you will know is a former city gate in Berlin, rebuilt in the late 18th century as a neoclassical triumphal arch and is one of the most well-known landmarks of Germany, just one block to the south of the Reichstag building.  It was commissioned by King Frederick William II of Prussia as a sign of peace and having suffered considerable damage in World War II it was fully restored from 2000 to 2002.  During the post-war Partition of Germany, the gate was isolated and inaccessible immediately next to the Berlin Wall, and the area around the gate featured most prominently in the media coverage of the opening of the wall in 1989.  Throughout its existence, the Brandenburg Gate was often site for major historical events and is today considered as a symbol for the tumultuous European history but also of unity and peace. (Thanks Wikipedia!).

So what brings young Nigel to this location?  Well, apparently the photo was taken in late April 2012, in a spell of completely unexpected incredibly warm weather, as he was visiting a relative to help celebrate his good lady's birthday. In fact it was the warmest weather any of us experienced all last year… The hat was borrowed just to keep the sun off, not for effect!  How we can only dream of those sunny days.

Anyhoo, before we drift off, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 3.5 (Impressive in its European cultural significance, if not in actual signage).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (A daring degree of pointless grandeur, especially given the Cossack dance pose which is probably laden with political overtones).

3. The X-Factor - 3.5 (For having the temerity to be wearing that T-Shirt in that location).

Making that a total of 11.0 - The highest score from someone dancing like a loon in front of a World icon - it must have been all that sun!

More please.

Where were you when? South Blooming Chilly London

From time to time one has to wonder about the sanity of certain people and the activities they chose for their "leisure time", and this is one of those times.  Whilst most foolhardy Brits were curled up on the sofa in their post Yuletide haze,certain hardy Brit fools were out and about enjoying the awful weather of the great outdoors in a form of madness that is known as "Cold Water Swimming".

Brother DR Sweeney is known for his steadfastness and manly tones but a few people may know him as that crazy guy who likes to go swimming in the sea (he has a record for doing this, see good-luck-to-dr-sweeney-swimming-to-france) and other similarly cold places, such as The 5th UK Cold Water Swimming Chamionships were held on 26th January 2013, an event that attracted over 600 competitors and many more spectators.

Apparently at such events Wet suits are strictly forbidden and all competitors must wear a swimming costume and hat, goggles are optional. While the event took place during a rare day of sunshine, the water temperature hovered between 0 and 1 degree Celsius and he swam one width of the pool in the relay, and picked up a Bronze medal.   As if that wasn't enough he also swam another width in the public 'dipping lane', just to ensure he was receiving value for money!

This all took place at Tooting Bec lido http://www.slsc.org.uk/cwsc/ which is the largest fresh water swimming pool in the country, 100 feet wide by 300 feet long. It was dug by hand by a bunch of blokes as part of a work creation scheme back in 1906 (although it is believed that a few of them were provided shovels). Unheated, the lido is open every day of the year, but only members of the South London Swimming Club can swim in the winter, except on this auspicious occasion held bi annually.  He already has plans for 2015! Brrrrr!

Also see the nearest local equivalent at Cirencester Open Air Swimming Pool which was built in 1869 this unique pool offers the chance to swim in natural spring water heated to an average 27°C (80°F). 

Anyway, we digress, and the scores are now in

1. The Location - 3.5 (Cunning use of a fellow attendee to give the signage and in a departure from standard rules a further photo has been included below as supporting evidence - see below).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (A pretty good degree of pointless grandeur, which is a phrase that could be used to sum up the whole event - if somewhat churlishly!).

3. The X-Factor - 3.5 (For the use of portable signage and magnificence of the pose).

Making that a total of 11.0 - The highest score from someone about to do some thing so daft so soon after taking the photo.

More please.

On the right, supplementary evidence of the location and the event, just in case you were doubting the entrant's sanity in any way at all . . . 

Where were you when? Upside Down Under

Recently(ish) received from our far wandering minstrel, Alan H, he was snapped in the Land Down Under next to found this advertising hoarding on the outskirts of Sheffield. That's Sheffield, Tasmania. Unfortunately he couldn't attend, but in an effort to sway the judges he has at least tried to look as mighty as possible.

Whilst on his travels Alan has become aware of the great cult of the "Man Shed" that pervades Oz and he has been investigating this phenomena as manifested in the alarmingly professional http://www.mensheds.org.au/. Aussie men seem to have turned an impulse into a movement (if you'll excuse the expression).

Anyway, the scores are in
1. The Location - 4.0 (Good visible signage although technically it is more an advert for an event and not exactly where he is).

2. The Pose - 3.5 (A good attempt at mightiness and a reasonable degree of pointless grandeur, although it looks like he is rather hanging on to the sign post).

3. The X-Factor - 3.5 (It is always good to have an excuse to trot out "Down Under" clichés, especially of a visual nature, and the comedy moment that is him having to hang on to the post for fear of falling off the Earth, but let's face it, the sign "does what it says on the tin" in a particularly straightforward, no nonsense Aussie way.

Making that a total of 11.0 - The highest score we have every had from someone in the "DownUnderworld" who has been clasping on to a post for safety.  Interestingly enough for our British based viewers you will notice evidence of something called "blue sky" and implication of "sunshine" and "being quite a nice warm day" by the fact that Alan is wearing just a T-Shirt whilst outside.  Ah, distant memories of what that might be like....

More please.

Where were you when? Millennium Stadium Magnificence

Another entry from our glorious ChoirMeister, who at this rate is going to need two T-Shirts next year the amount of wear he is getting out of this year's collection.  And another valiant entry, much like his plucky lads from across the Severn.

Apparently this was snapped before the game when hopes were still high (you can see a few Welsh players warming up in the background) - and well before Wales had contrived to pull off their most impressive ever 'snatching defeat from the jaws of victory' routine (and it's a pretty long list to choose from).

Your boys done good (mutter, mutter).

Anyway, the scores are in

1. The Location - 3.5 (Good visible signage although technically it doesn't say where he is to a technical fault or that).

2. The Pose - 3.5 (A reasonable degree of pointless grandeur, although it is tempting to say made all the more poignant given the eventual result).

3. The X-Factor - 3.5 (Whilst it is always good to see an All Black shirt at a rugby match for the sheer quality of the performer inside, it would possibly be wrong of us to mention the England versus New Zealand result on the same afternoon as the contrast could not be greater, but we should not dwell on the success of the glorious English team in one of their historic victories at the expense of belittling the achievements of the Welsh team, no, that would be beneath us and so we won't, mention it again that is, not even once more, stopping mentioning it NOW).

Making that a total of 10.5 - Given the usually very high standard of pose from this particular entrant perhaps not quite up to his usual quality and dropping away at the very end of his immense cumulative endeavours on this front over the past year, much like the Welsh Rugby Team themselves. . .  isn't it odd how art mirrors sport?  

More please.

Where were you when? In search of the elusive

This moment was recently captured when one of our correspondents was out and roving about  in the depths of soggy Somerset, close to the borders with Exmoor.    Apparently he was spotted searching and searching for the very spot but still couldn't find it ...


A conundrum that blokes all over the world will be all too familiar with and identify wholeheartedly.  Now, if only he stopped flapping around, asked directions, and taken the hint from the signs all around him . . .  

Anyway, the scores are in

1. The Location - 4.5 (Good visible signage, we certainly can't fault him for that).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Suitably pointless grandeur, although the objective of his quest is very laudable).

3. The X-Factor - 4.0 - (Given the universality of the male of the species struggling with finding these sorts of places and the use of "Carry On" innuendo).

Making that a total of 12.5 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone with a turning a nondescript part of Somerset into a part of The Magnificent folklore.  More please.

Where were you when? The origins of Stonehenge

Here's a picture of one of our brethren, Dr Sweeney, at the foot of the Preseli Mountains in West Wales. This is where the first 'blue' stones of Stonehenge were hewn from the earth before being carted here to Wiltshire. 

The sign is at the only stone circle in the Presili range, and while the Dr felt magnificent in just his T-shirt, posing with as much pompous grandeur that the biting wind would allow, apparently there was a weird feel about the place...ooooohhhhhh. Look carefully and you will also notice a small horse about to leap from his shoulder.

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 4.5 (Excellent visible signage despite some writing being in Welsh (aka Olde Englishe)).

2. The Pose - 4.5 (A good deal of pointless grandeur, especially considering he has had to peel off several layers of clothing to take the photo).

3. The X-Factor - 4.5 - (Given the significance of the location, the connection with an iconic Wiltshire landmark whilst wearing a TMAK47 T-Shirt).

Making that a total of 13.0 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone with a horse escaping from his ear whilst standing next to a sign in Welsh.  More please.

Where were you when? Being a giant in Riga

Well, he is well known for his lofty high tones and for being pretty tall, but this photo is fantastic evidence of just how tall Alan H is. . . He is ENORMOUS, just look how he dwarves those Japanese tourist walking under his legs as if he is a regular bridge or something.

Now you may be asking yourself, "where is he" and "what is he doing there", and you would be right ask this and we would be right to tell you.  In fact he is in Riga the capital of the beautiful Baltic state of Latvia during the recent sonic voyage of discovery that was the Singing Week organized with the mythical Stephen Taberner, friend of the Magnificents.

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 3.5 (No visible signage despite some writing on the building behind).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (A reasonable amount of pointless grandeur, especially considering he has several people walking below him).

3. The X-Factor - 4.0 - (Given his giantness and being used as a portico whilst wearing a TMAK47 T-Shirt).

Making that a total of 11.5 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone in a Baltic state being used as a passageway by oriental tourists.

Where were you when? Teddy tossing

It's always the mild mannered, quiet ones that you really need to watch out for. . . 

Here Brian D has been snapped apparently on the top of Ashton Keynes Church as part of a "Messy Church" session.  

The story goes something like this "it was just part of messy church. Tie teddy to old umbrella fabric and launch as far as possible. Most made the ground, lighter ones needing a piece of 4X2 for ballast.  Two ended up in the trees needing rescue with a long ladder.  One teddy being on the large side didn't make the most of the parachute and fell, suicidal like, straight to the graveyard". 

It all sounds most intriguing if slightly implausible.

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 3.5 (Yet again no visible signage and a bit of a grey day that doesn't show the locality at its best).

2. The Pose - 3.5 (Not much pointless grandeur, more a hint of dastardly deeds about to be perpetrated).

3. The X-Factor - 4.5 - (Bringing up the scoring as this has to be one of the most enigmatic poses anyone has ever done whilst wearing a TMAK47 T-Shirt).

Making that a total of 11.0 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone about to hurl cuddly toys off a large local landmark!

Where were you when? Dent de la Rancune

We have recently received a very interesting entry from a "friend" sent on behalf of Mike Putnam whose computer operating skills are apparently far inferior to his crazy climbing ability.  As you can see on photo there is a red circle half way up this precipitous piece of rock and then there is an inset of Mike at the top.  As his friend comments "it is impossible on a small scale to convey the context of his ascent and the final summit pose in the one snap, so I've included two."

The submitter continues "signage is also a perennial problem in places where only the seriously ill-informed or congenitally bewildered would dream of going", so "I presume that the signage criterion is required to minimise fabricated claims to location by means of Photoshop, back projection and actual set assemblages in sheds and cellars. We can only offer Mike's assurance that this rock formation is the original and not a mock-up, images of the original abound on the internet and can be compared with the attached snaps".
 
"About the snaps:

The main snap shows TMAK47er, Mike P, scaling 'Dent de la Rancune' (The Rancorous Tooth) in the Auvergne region of France  on 9th September 2012. The lower circle shows him halfway up the climb. The upper circles show the pose (inset) and its location at the summit.

The second snap (left) shows Mike mustering magnificence at 1493m on a lump of volcanic rock estimated to be 333,000 years old.

Technical details for climbers: Voie normal. grade 6a (English E.1. ) Auvergne France". 

As you know we take things very seriously in this competition and have done extensive background research to verify these claims and have indeed found many other references to this piece of rock.  Apparently it is a great example of "a volcanic plug, also called a volcanic neck or lava neck, is a volcanic landform created when magma hardens within a vent on an active volcano. When forming, a plug can cause an extreme build-up of pressure if volatile-charged magma is trapped beneath it, and this can sometimes lead to an explosive eruption" - see good old Wikipedia.

Well, one thing you can claim for this series of blog posts, they are educational!

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 3.5 (Quite impressive although we have had hill tops before and for sheer daftness of things to do when not singing, this is right up there, but there is unfortunately visible signage, so docked a mark).

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Difficult to tell from the main photo as Mike is reduced to a few pixels, but pretty good on the supplementary photo, so higher marks).

3. The X-Factor - 4.0 - (Scored more on the craziness of the photos and what they represent, the extreme triumph of sheer physicality over any semblance of sanity).

Making that a total of 11.5 - by far the highest score from an entry from anyone with a rope dangling from his midrift!  PLEASE do be careful taking these photos.

 ;-)

Where were you when? Only Nelson Mandela Square

In somewhat contrast, yet continued theme to the last entry for the T-Shirt competition, a photo from another country where unfortunately the phrase The Magnificent AK47 does not immediately conjure up the image of a bunch of slightly middle aged singers in a variety of strange headgear unleashing their inner minstrels.

As our entrant wrote when submitting this item "given the AK47’s major role in the apartheid struggle, the t-shirt did attract a few strange looks from the crowds in Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton, Johannesburg. And who could be more symbolic of that struggle than Nelson Mandela? While the signage is slightly obscured, the location is echoed in the glass doors."

And so there we have it, yet another cultural icon is snapped next to a TMAK47 T-Shirt in some far flung part of the world, adding to the quite amazing range of locations that have been entered.

Anyway, the scores have arrived and they are as follow:

1. The Location - 4.5 (The Judges are relieved that for once there is very good evidence of visible signage.  Also we must applaud Chris A's bravery in wearing the shirt and coping with the stares he received.  A member of our humble troupe next to a 6 metre high statue of a world icon - good shot.)

2. The Pose - 4.5  (By clever usage of zoom one can see a very good pose of pointless grandeur especially considering the proximity of such a legend and also being somewhat dwarfed by that legend.)

3. The X-Factor - 4.5 - (Given the location, the significance, the signage, the pose and everything else a pretty high score.)

Giving a total of 13.5 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone dwarfed by an international icon and a very good score indeed.

Where were you when? A bunker in the Czech Republic

Well, we guess it kind of had to happen at some point and if it had to happen to anyone it was always likely to be Hairy Bill! 

Snapped by fellow TMAK47er John W whilst visiting a nuclear bunker in Prague (as you do!), Bill posed for his entry in the AK T-shirt competition. This is an actual, but unloaded,  AK47.  Apparently after the Russians left AK47s were so plentiful that farmers adopted them in preference to their shotguns.  The visit occurred during their recent visit to the Czech Republic as part of the "Sing Your Socks Off" singing Holiday, a report coming soon(ish).

Whilst we in no way condone playing with dangerous former Soviet military hardware, kiddies, it is quite a striking pose.

Anyway, the scores have arrived and they are as follow:

1. The Location - 4.0 (The Judges are as ever unfortunately rather nit picky about the lack of magnificence of the shot [having been spoilt with so many epic, iconic world landmarks in the past] and no visible signage.  On the other hand they applaud the readiness to wear the T-Shirt on these sort of visits and wish to encourage this sort of deviant behaviour and applaud Bill H's & John W's gumption so back up a mark)

2. The Pose - 4.0 (A good pose in the circumstances but perhaps not the note of pointless grandeur that we have come to expect but given that he is holding a potentially lethal weapon it gives another perspective to things.  In fact , on second look it is quite a stern pose as befitting the circumstances so that is a good second best in the absence of pointless grandeur)

3. The X-Factor - 4.0 - (Overall quite scary for any of us old enough to remember the Cold War and gas masks for real so mark)

Making that a total of 12.0 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone in a bunker on the continent whilst on a singing holiday!  A good team effort by the 2 TMAK47ers.

Where were you when - Only the blooming Olympics!

Well it is fair to say that 2012 has been a pretty amazing year on a number of fronts.  Firstly The Magnificent AK47 have had more workshops and given more performances than ever, and improved those performances beyond recognition in some cases, one could even say that we have achieved one or two "personal bests", which ties in very nicely with the theme of another big event that has happened this year, er, the Olympics and Paralympics.  

 

Not that we consider ourselves up with the top athletes in the world, but it should be noted that at the end of "Satisfaction" we are all pretty breathless from the supreme effort!  Which takes us to this impressive entry, once again from the shameless TMAK47 T-Shirt wearer that is our glorious ChoirMeister, Mr Samuel. 

 

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 5.0 (THE place to be this latter part of the summer, utterly spectacular, now totally iconic, what more can we say?  Clearly having paid attention to previous rulings Chris has made absolutely sure there is quality visible signage. Top marks!)

2. The Pose - 5.0 (How much more pointless grandeur can one have in a single photo?  Again top marks)

3. The X-Factor - 4.5 - (Only the lack of dark glasses denies him yet another top mark)

Making that a total of 14.5 - by far the highest scoring entry from anyone at an iconic event at the Olympics - can you beat this?  It's going to be very hard  . . but don't let that stop you posing as there is strong competition coming!

Where were you when? On a wall somewhere

Living up to his very well deserved nickname of "Absent Bob", globe trotting super archaeologist Bob B has once again struck with yet another entry to our T-Shirt competition.  Well done for managing to pack your TMAK47 kit and find a moment to persuade someone to take a quick snap.

We are fairly sure you can guess where he is when this was taken, the backdrop is the quite amazing Great Wall of China.  It looks a pretty hot day but Bob somehow manages to look cool out of the shade wearing his shades.

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 4.0 (Quite spectacular, iconic, what more can we say?  However, despite being  a real pro at this and a past winner, the perennial problem of lack of visible signage.)

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Not bad, quite posed, a decent look of pointless grandeur)

3. The X-Factor - 4.0 - (Dark glasses, black T-Shirt and the Great Wall of China - top stuff)

Making that a total of 12.0 - by far the highest scoring entry from someone looking suitably menacing whilst standing on top of a world icon - can you beat this?

Where were you when? Toulouse Airport

Toulouse?  Too many puns to be had  but so little time when you are just about to get on to a flight home after a long holiday and clandestinely been wearing your T-Shirt all day waiting for an opportunity to sneak a photo whilst abroad.  And boy was it hot being in the southern part of France in June wearing a T-Shirt under a shirt and fleece, all in an effort to get round the crazy luggage restrictions on a particular low-cost airline.  The things people like Big Chief Instigator Neil B will do to save a bit of dosh!

Anyway, the scores are in.

1. The Location - 3.5 (Ok, not spectacular but being on a zebra crossing in the middle of a busy car park is impressive, if foolhardy, dedication to the cause. Quality signage brings the score up a point.)

2. The Pose - 4.0 (Reasonable impression of a look of pointless grandeur, although perhaps more "alarmed Brit abroad in middle of the road")

3. The X-Factor - 3.5 - (we'll give him an extra half point for striking a pose when there was a possibility of a car striking him - but not to be encouraged folks)

Making 11.0 - making this the highest scoring entry from someone looking particularly English whilst standing in a car park at a foreign airport - can you beat this?