George Sowden began his career in the old school of design, before you could work from the comfort of your own bedroom with a computer on your lap. Sowden learned early the absolute necessity of working with others to avoid mistakes. Educated at the Gloucester College of Art, and later at the Olivett

Bright, Ebullient, Fantastic, Lush, Postmodern furniture, Profane

Out of the cross-dressed history of Japanese Kabuki and Noh theater comes Takarazuka Revue, a butch/femme drag show of mammoth proportions. The 86-year-old revue renders Western musicals in an all-girl extravaganza of romance and chivalry. In 1914 Ichizo Kobayashi, a Hankyu railway magnate, founded

Charming, Ebullient, Grand, Sexy

A flagrant marijuana smoker and bridegroom to 27 women in one day, the gloriously rebellious African musician Fela Kuti led a life as tumultuous as the history of his native Nigeria. Jailed several times, Kuti became a voice of dissent against the successive military dictatorships that ruled the land

Ebullient, Hypnotic, Improvised, Juju/highlife, Open-ended, Rhythmic

Ebullient, Fleeting, Modernist literature, Quirky, Smart, The lost generation, Witty, Women's literature