Sunday, January 8, 2012

King Charles II: We're Not Gonna Take It

Is it just me, or did King Charles II of England look like a middle-aged member of a 1980s hair metal band?

This observation struck me recently while deep into Magnus Magnusson's Scotland: The Story of a Nation (Grove Press, 2003).

Charles II -- who was actually king of Scotland, England and Ireland -- was the guy who was put back on the throne after the Brits ditched the Cromwells and went back to being a monarchy.

This immediately brings to mind Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" as the theme of the Restoration.

With his flowing hair, Charles II also bore resemblance to the Pittsburgh Steelers' Troy Polamalu, only with a mustache.

Photos: Portrait of King Charles II by John Michael Wright, hanging in Britain's National Portrait Gallery. Photo of painting in the public domain and used here via WikiCommons. Photo of Twisted Sister from Hair Metal Mansion Ning