November 28, 2019
1934-2019
We were privileged to be working for Jonathan Miller when he was Chairman of the Fringe. At a Board meeting he asked why the Scottish Arts Council had not given a grant for the iconic shopfront designed with Gerald Scarfe. We responded that they had told us the brief was ‘too restrictive’. The brief was for something ‘eye-catching, fun and representing music, drama, comedy and writing’. Jonathan then went off into a 10-minute reverie on the ‘Disastrous History of the Restrictive Brief’, ranging from Michelangelo to naughty knickers. It was an extraordinary impromptu performance as good as any show. He really was a genius.
