[Ned Balbo]

If this news story -- about Nigel, the gannet bird who lived a mateless, lonely life on a remote New Zealand island -- doesn't tug at your heartstrings &, when you reach the memorial verse, make you want to write an elegy of your own, then, well, I just don't know what to say...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.f2e1b76f05a4

[Aaron Poochigian]

XTC--Making Plans for Nigel

We're only making plans for Nigel
We only want what's best for him
We're only making plans for Nigel
Nigel just needs this helping hand

And if young Nigel says he's happy
He must be happy
He must be happy in his work

We're only making plans for Nigel
He has his future in a British steel
We're only making plans for Nigel
Nigel's whole future is as good as sealed

And if young Nigel says he's happy
He must be happy
He must be happy in his work

Nigel is not outspoken
But he likes to speak
And loves to be spoken to
Nigel is happy in his work
We're only making plans for Nigel

[Ned Balbo]

One of Colin's very best! I think my favorite songs of his are on the last 2 XTC albums: "Fruit Nut," "Frivolous Tonight," & "Standing in for Joe." Oh, & Black Sea's "Generals & Majors"!

[John Riley]

Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I thought of Samuel Beckett while reading it.

[John Isbell]

Certainly people did make plans for Nigel. I am sad that his chromosomes will not be perpetuated.

John

[Michael F]

Serious question: he had wings and presumably could have left the island if he wanted to, right?

Maybe he read Sartre. Or maybe he got tired of the dating scene. Maybe he decided that concrete decoys were most of the enjoyment and none of the work. I've sorta felt that way after a bad run...

[Susan McLean]

Interesting question. It may have something to do with the male sex drive. Notice that only males stayed on the island during Nigel's sojourn. In a college class, I learned that male turkeys will attempt to mate with a stuffed female turkey and even with a wooden abstract approximation of a female turkey. Female turkeys were not interested in anything but an actual male turkey.

Susan

[John Isbell]

Susan, now that is a bird anecdote that deserves a poem. (Not that I'm knocking Nigel).

Cheers,
John

[Michael F]

Yes, that’s great intel, Susan! I couldn’t help but think of my first boyfriend in college, whose father nicknamed him “Bip”, for “brains in pants”. Lord knows it was true...

[Julie Steiner]

Originally Posted by The Guardian

“I think it must have been quite a frustrating existence. Whether or not he was lonely, he certainly never got anything back, and that must have been very strange experience, when he spent years courting. I think we all have a lot of empathy for him, because he had this fairly hopeless situation.”

Well, that's one way of looking at it, but the song I'm thinking of is the very cheerful "She Didn't Say No."