Oh MAN! From Alfred E. Neumann to Jack Carter: from Merthyr to Geordieland via Barton Upon Humber

 Bear with me!

I'm a big fan of LP cover artist, the American Rick Griffin.

Rick, among many fine things, did an amazing wet fish album cover in his gloriously unique style, the name of which or the group I'd sadly forgotten. 

Recently my friend fancied a MAN fest, an afternoon of listening to MAN, the old welsh rockers from Merthyr Tydfil.

Whilst researching for it I saw the fish!

 It's one of MAN's albums, called Slow Motion, a wet fish good enough to hang on a wall, but one that got into hot water with MAD magazine and the illicit use of Alfred E. Neumann's likeness and the famous MAD font!

An intermittent member of the MAN band was Malcolm Morley.

Malcolm Morley had originally founded a rock group called Help Yourself.

Help Yourself also had one Richard Treece playing for them.

Turns out that Richard Treece's Dad, Henry Treece, was a teacher at Barton Upon Humber Grammar School.

Attending that school was pupil Ted Lewis.

Encouraged by Henry, Ted grew up be a writer of novels.

He kicked off Brit-Noir with Jack's Return Home. 

This was then made into arguably the greatest British film of all time, Get Carter.

Starring Michael Caine, Get Carter's gritty gangster action takes place in England's North East (as it does in the book), with the famous vengeful climax grimly set on a lonely industry-strewn beach in County Durham.

So, there you have it!

Alfred E. Neuman to Get Carter via Barton Upon Humber, where me and the Missus have just been!

Voila!