Three Sutcliffe boys (Gordon, Jon and Peter). Bongo had tonsilitis.

The Sutcliffes were a closely knit English family of homebodies. War bride Astrid was a stay at home mom. Her husband Stuart telecommuted to work and the children were all home schooled. One of the children even stayed in his room and telecommuted to home school. Every summer they’d take a 2 week staycation right there in the house. When they dined out it was always drive-thru so they could all eat together in their ’55 Vauxhall Velox.

The Sutcliffes were a tightly woven group consisting of two heterosexual parents and four very talented lads (Jon, Bongo, Peter and Gordon). Although living in a 900 square foot council house in Sussex they neither suffered from cabin fever nor tired of each other’s company. The two younger boys, Peter and Gordon, lived in the basement or Cavern as they called it. And things went along swimmingly until they took in an Asian exchange student named Yuki who appealed to the avant garde Jon. Thus were the seeds of the family’s dissolution sown. Despite two more years of chart success the family broke apart and each of the sons launched solo careers.

Bongo went on to do great things; if you consider creating an adult board game called “Shoots-n-Cleavage” a public good. The game left most couples well bonded but a little messy.

Gordon went to Oklahoma looking for enlightenment but found only Enid. He thought its capitol an OK City.

The sweetly disposed Peter became a vegetarian though from time to time he would nibble on his wife’s ear.

The darkly utopian Jon and Yuki opened a string of rope shops and soon tied the knot. For a time they were the most fascinating couple in the world.

Just another old yarn about the unraveling of a closely knit family. They never reunited rendering their legacy all the more poignant.

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