A Whole Scene Going On

A Whole Scene Going On covers Barry Fantoni's working – and sometimes not working – life from his first sell-out one-man show in 1963 through his time at Private Eye and the creativity of the Sixties to 1968 when the decade of pop and fashion gave way to the demo, the Red Brigade and social unrest.

The memoir begins with his early days at Private Eye where he first met Peter Cook, and then covers his work as an artist and illustrator, and his film and television career. From teaching Malcolm McLaren at Croydon Art School and writing a song for Marianne Faithfull to finding a harmonium for Paul McCartney and his lifelong friendship with Ray Davies of the Kinks, Barry's account of the Sixties is a wry and observational gem. The players and the parts they played have been chosen for their genuine contribution to a decade that seems more popular now than it was at the time.