Baby steps 2
Getting closer.
My xstartup now reads:
#!/bin/sh
unset SESSION_MANAGER
gnome-session &
gnome-settings-daemon &
[ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] && exec /etc/vnc/xstartup
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
vncconfig -iconic &
x-window-manager
Background image still missing and keyboard mapping still screwed. It produces this:
Skrrp's Android Blog