theeuropeantourengland

In 1994, I finally got a chance to meet Carl Barks when he visited London as part of his seven-week tour of Europe - he was 93 years old and this was the first time in his life that he was out of America! In fact he later wrote to Italian Disney author Carlo Chendi that he was happy to have been able to do this trip "while he was still young". And he was indeed: he was in excellent physical shape, stood tall and straight, and walked without a cane. (During that tour, while in Italy he even piloted a motor boat in Lake Como!)

His visit to the Disney store in London resolved into a two-hour signing session, with people queuing up to get his autograph on a comic or on one of the leaflets that were available in store advertising the latest lithograph from one of his paintings - a long, horizontal one, based on the Golden Fleecing story, that I would see again years later in his living room. I asked him to sign the large hardbound volume of Uncle Scrooge stories that was one of my most prized possessions when I was little. I also took some photographs of him and I got an employee of the store to take one of us together. I later send him double copies by mail and he returned mine signed. I then framed them and hung them in my living room, where they have been since.

Getting to meet him in person was extraordinary: there he was, in the flesh, smiling at me. Wow! I was so thrilled, even if my quota of time next to him was only of a couple of minutes or so. I barely had time to say my name (so that he could write it in the dedication) and that I loved his stories, and then it was the turn of the next person in the queue. He later wrote to me that, unsurprisingly, he had not realised who I was, but that he made the connection when he got the pictures in the mail.

Frank Stajano

Friday 15th July the Disney Shop at Regent Street in London closed already at 3 p.m. It is unusual that a big shop occupying two floors in the center of the city closes that early in the best shopping-time, but so it did, annoying at least 50 people, who went there in vain in that half hour alone, when I myself was waiting outside. A friendly lady in front of the shop told people, that they had a special arrangement. What and with whom this arrangement was set up she did not know, and there was no information available anywhere, not even in the shop's windows.
But I knew what was going to happen! I had read that Barks was visiting London precisely the week where I was going there myself, so why not use the opportunity to meet the nice old man again? (Mads Stoumann was largely responsible for Barks' visit to Fantask in Copenhagen a month earlier - Editor's remark). However, the idea of meeting Barks again was easier said than done! The lady in front of the shop seemed unmoved by the impressive fact, that I had come all the way from Denmark. It was a closed meeting with specially invited guests, and no-one else could enter.
Unfortunately, I understood this very well, since I had arranged a similar meeting a month ago, and one of the demands from the managers was, that there were not too many people present and that the session was to be a closed one. But now I stood in London as a fan, so I decided to haul in the heavy artillery. I asked to talk to the manager of the shop, even though the lady disliked it, but I succeeded. So I bragged about my position in the large Fantask shop and my preparations a month earlier - and then he invited me in!

At 4 p.m. the Barks limousine appeared, and thw two managers came out. There were neither reporters nor photographers when one of the greatest living comic artists made his entrance for the first time in the center of London. I was stunned and thought of the grand reception he received in Denmark, a country with a population only half the number of citizens in the London area!
Barks was then shown around in the comics shop while a row of people slowly materialised outside. It was the invited guests. The staff of the shop asked for ID's and checked people on lists. The official meeting started at half past four.

I must admit that I was rather disappointed about the session. They had placed Barks at a table in the back of the shop. The invited guests then had to line up, and thereafter they could walk down a narrow alley, get one signature and then leave the room through another narrow alley. There was not very much cosiness and on behalf of the invited guests I was rather sad that only a few got to talk to Barks, but for my own part it was fun to meet Barks and his two managers again. They remembered me from Fantask but unfortunately, Barks did not. But considering that he had visited 6-8 countries in between and had been the main feature in dozens of sessions, I'm inclined to forgive him!

I returned home from London the next day and was happy that I had met one of my foremost idols in the comics business not once - but twice.

Mads Stoumann

After many weeks of excited anticipation, the day finally dawned - Sunday 17 July is now etched in my memory forever - and that of a number of MMM club members, too, I would imagine. ('Magical Moments & Memories' is a Disneyana Enthusiasts club - Editor's remark).

We all gathered in the Austen’s Lounge of the Cumberland Hotel in London where we had exclusive use of the restaurant and what a magnificent tea they laid on for us. Scones, clotted cream, strawberry jam, a variety of sandwiches and cakes and pastries, all served of course with pots of tea.
As there were only a small number of us (about twenty) it was possible for each member to sit with Carl (and his managers Bill Grandey and Kathy Morby) and to have a few minutes to chat with Carl and get their items signed in civilised setting. Each member had a photo taken with Carl (as well as a group photo).
The event was a tremendous success. Carl was extremely jovial - an exceptionally charming man and he obviously enjoyed meeting his fans. It was also the first chance that members had had to meet one another and a great deal of socialising went on between them.

Following the tea I had a private meeting with Carl and his managers and took some more photos - Carl loves the camera - which is just as well! I took the opportunity to ask Carl how the tour had gone. You will recall that he has spent the past six weeks touring eleven different countries sponsored in the main by Egmont (comic publishers) and also by Disney Consumer Products and the Parks. The Disney Store & Magical Moments sponsored the London stage of the tour. The main aim of which was to heighten awareness of Carl’s comic stories.
The schedule would have been gruelling for anyone, but doubly so for a man of 93 - especially as there was very little free time written in to the programme (until he got to London, that is). MMM are proud to have contributed in a small way to the sponsorship - and in a much larger way to the decision to add London to the tour.

Carl told me that he’d had a wonderful tour of Europe - experiencing all the flavour and colour of those countries that, in the past, he’d only been able to write about.
Sue - London - the last stop - how do you feel about the tour?
Carl - It has been great seeing all these different countries and meeting such a wide range of people. I must say too that whilst it was pleasant meeting all the Ambassadors and VIPs en route, best of all I enjoyed meeting my fans at the many signing sessions. And it was wonderful meeting your members over the Devon Cream Tea here at the Cumberland in London. I have to say that at some of the formal dinners I have attended I have had difficulty joining in the conversation. With my hearing aid it is difficult to isolate conversation from the many and varied background noises (especially the canned music). Strangely enough though, after a couple of hours my hearing seemed to get much more acute .... or maybe I mellowed.
Sue - Could the wine have had anything to do with that?
Carl (with that twinkle in his eye and a chuckle in his voice) - Maybe you’re right - I hadn’t thought of that!
Sue - Looking back - what were the highlights of your tour?
Carl - There were a great many, but three spring immediately to mind - Lunch in the Jules Verne Restaurant at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Riding in the Grand Parade at Euro Disneyland Paris in the Fire Engine with Donald and travelling on the bridge of the ship with the Captain en route from Helsinki to Stockholm. The boat was enormous - about 5 or 6 stories high.
Sue - Were the countries as you imagined they would be?
Carl - Some were, but others were completely different. For instance, I had thought that Poland would be bleak and down-trodden - but it was full of lively people who appeared to have had no troubles in their entire life. The city has been largely rebuilt. There were lots of parks and the scenery was very memorable. I was also impressed with Reykjavik. It was a very modern city, powered mainly by natural steam.

Sue - What’s all this I hear about your latest duck painting?
Carl - Disney Art Editions will shortly be unveiling my latest painting - 'Surprise Party at Memory Pond', a celebration of Donald Duck's 60th birthday. It features all the old favourites - in addition to the main characters it also includes Gus Goose, Peter Pig, The Wise Little Hen, Gyro Gearloose etc. The lithograph has been produced in a limited number (total 795) and as before, all personally signed by me.
Sue - That must be a mammoth task, signing all those prints - how long does it take?
Carl -We have that worked out to a fine art now, a bit like a conveyor belt system. Kathy and Bill (my managers) stand either side and they place each one down in front of me and take it away - I just sign. It still takes several hours.
Sue - By the way, how much will you be selling your Memory Pond painting for?
Carl - This original oil painting, which is 28” x 22”, will fetch in the region of $200,000.
Sue - Who took the photo of the painting? It is very professional - no flair and excellent exposure.
Carl - I did, actually, using a Canon (AE2 I believe) on a tripod with lights either side. Which is essential to avoid flare. The setting was F8/30 sec for those of you who are technically minded! I am very interested in photography and would quite like to do still life and experiment using various coloured filters to get different lighting effects. I think this will be my last painting.
Sue - Oh yes? Kathy tells me that you’ve been out shopping in London for new paint brushes.
Carl - Yes, it’s true I have bought some original Windsor and Newton paintbrushes. I reckon that they are sending their seconds to the US, so I wanted to get some good ones while I was here!
Sue - Thank you Carl, I’ll now leave you to have some rest”.

The following morning I was lucky enough to be invited to go with Carl, Bill and Kathy to watch the interview by Paul Gambaccini being recorded for GMTV (this actually went out on Morning TV on 21 July). Carl really came alive for the cameras and he obviously had great fun recalling his career with Paul.
Kathy and Bill both agreed that of all the interviews done with Carl on his European tour (and that was many) this was the best yet. Paul obviously knew (and loved) his subject and it came over in the interview.

In the afternoon I had the honour and privilege of taking Carl (on my own) first to the Harrods Department Store (in search of more painting equipment!!) and then on to the Tate Gallery. It was my first visit to the Tate, and Carl and I had quite similar tastes - we both preferred the classical paintings to the modern ones and we were able to take the time to sit and admire them together. Carl was even able to identify various artists just from their style of painting - I was very impressed. We then returned to the hotel so Carl could rest before the evening function.

That evening Carl, Kathy, Bill and I set off for the National Museum of Cartoon Art where once again Paul Gambaccini was scheduled to interview Carl in front of a small band of invited guests of the Museum (Friends of the Cartoon Art Trust). Then the interview began. And what an interview it was. It lasted for over an hour and Paul Gambaccini quizzed Carl all about his life from the very early days, right up to the present time. It was VERY enlightening. For instance, how many of you knew that Carl was also very good at doing ‘girlie’ drawings and they were considered somewhat risqué, so I won’t show an example but two that are being released as lithographs now are Caliph of Baghdad and The Nude with the Hat. And a wonderful end to an utterly fantastic weekend. On behalf of your many fans - Thanks a million Carl!

Sue Langabeer

Bill, Kathy, Barks, and Sue at the MMM gathering		Group photo of the MMM members		Barks next to Gambaccini at the TV session
Courtesy of Sue Langabeer		Courtesy of Sue Langabeer		Courtesy of Sue Langabeer