Next Tuesday, the 27th of May, I will be giving a talk on Fred Astaire here at Hereford College. Entitled "Astaireway To Paradise: Fred Astaire and the Art of the Movie Musical", it will be about 90 minutes and be an informal talk incorporating video and audio clips as well as a number of other sources.

I'm quite nervous, frankly. As much as I love Fred, and as much as people seem to regard me as an expert, I don't think I know enough or am familiar enough with Fred's work to speak fluently about it. Neither am I familiar with the eras he worked in or about the movies, so I don't know if I can give proper context. What I am is a fan, in the fanatical sense of the word, who enjoys watching him dance and who unfailingly gets a thrill from his movies and shows.

To top it all, in my excitement I told the Fred Astaire Mailing List that I was to be giving this talk and next thing I know, Felix Brenner wants to come to my talk. Felix Brenner is probably the world's pre-eminent living historian on Fred Astaire, and is in the process of finishing what will hopefully be the most authoritative word on Fred's life and times (I hope- he's quite elderly and his eyesight in failing). I would be crazy to pass up the chance to meet Mr. Brenner, so I've invited him to the talk, but golly, to have the great man sitting in the corner of the room scrutinising my every word will be nerve-wracking. If I make a mistake he'll be all over it like white on rice!

Fingers crossed... wish me luck!