Monday, December 31, 2007

the year in mix tapes

With a little poetic licence, if music be the food of life, this was my diet [along with the usual helpings of Bowie and Joy Division, plus musical soundtracks (Good Morning Baltimore!) and a LOT of The Smiths when I was working at Decca] for 2007...

January 2007
1. Soluble In Air - Mystery Jets
2. Street Spirit - Radiohead
3. Teignmouth - Patrick Wolf
4. Imagine - John Lennon
5. Come See Me Tonight - Daniel Johnston
6. These Boots Are Made For Walking - Nancy Sinatra
7. Like A Prayer - Madonna
8. Small Parts - the oohlas
9. Laid - James
10. Kooks - David Bowie
11. Shiny Happy People - REM
12. Cold Things Start To Burn - The Exploding Boy
13. Happy Kid - Nada Surf
14. I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch) - Four Tops
15. Everybody's Talking - Nilsson
16. Daydreamin' - Lupe Fiasco f. Jill Scott
17. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies
18. Gypsy Death & You - The Kills


February 2007, aka. The Imaginary Mix CD pt.1
[This was made for Faran, though I can't quite remember why now]
1. Once And Never Again - The Long Blondes
2. About Your Dress - The Maccabees
3. Stumble And Fall - Razorlight
4. The Boy With The Thorn In His Side - The Smiths
5. Our Velocity - Maximo Park
6. The Kids Are All Fucked Up - Cobra Starship
7. Golden Skans - Klaxons
8. Let's Make Love & Listen To Death From Above - CSS
9. My Coo Ca Choo - Alvin Stardust
10. Burning Love - Elvis Presley
11. Same Jeans - The View
12. Love Today - Mika
13. Teen Line - The Shivvers
14. Tape It - WinterKids
15. Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis
16. Janie Jones - The Clash
17. The English Way - Blondelle
18. XO - FOB

March 2007
[These were made for the lovely Lauren Ashley's birthday]
Part ONE
1. Girl - The Beatles
2. The Letter - The Pretty Things
3. Friends Of Mine - The Zombies
4. When The Night Feels My Song - Bedouin Soundclash
5. Sunshine (Go Away Today) - Jonathan Edwards
6. The Stars of Track And Field - Belle & Sebastian
7. Elephant Gun - Beirut
8. The Village Green Preservation Society - The Kinks
9. You Can Have It All - Kaiser Chiefs
10. Kittens of Lust - Goldenboy
11. Sorted for E's & Wizz - Pulp
12. Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed
13. When I Was A Young Girl - Feist
14. Dry The Rain - The Beta Band
15. Rider On The Wheel - Nick Drake
16. Angeles - Elliott Smith
17. A Dog's Life - Nina Nastasia
18. You're So Pretty... - Field Music
19. Crazy - The Kooks
20. I Don't Need Love, I've Got My Band - The Radio Dept.

Part TWO
1. Alas Agnes - Mystery Jets
2. A Sweet Summer's Night On Hammershill - Jens Lekman
3. Seems To Be On My Mind - Suburban Kids With Biblical Names
4. We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives - Los Campesinos!
5. Wouldn't Believe It - The Get Up Kids
6. I Should Have Known Better - The Beatles
7. Bastardo - Charlotte Hatherley
8. Ca Plane Pour Moi - Plastic Bertrand
9. Barcelona Loves You - I'm From Barcelona
10. You're Wondering Now - The Specials
11. The Clapping Song - Shirley Ellis
12. Indication - The Zombies
13. Little Miss Pipe Dream - The Wombats
14. New Martini - Karate
15. Sin City - The Essex Green
16. Colours - Donovan
17. All My Little Words - The Magnetic Fields
18. Luka (acoustic) - Suzanne Vega

April was spent with New Yorkers, briefly in London, for longer in NY. May was spent chivvying my sister up as she left on her mammoth US roadtrip at the end of the month.

June 2007
1. Johnny Cash - Sons & Daughters
2. You Can't Have It All - Ash
3. Fell In Love With A Girl - The White Stripes
4. Bron-y-aur Stomp - Led Zeppelin
5. I'm Waiting For The Man - The Velvet Underground
6. Route 66 - Rolling Stones
7. Suffragette City - David Bowie
8. And She Was - Talking Heads
9. Kick, Push - Lupe Fiasco
10. Cupid's Chokehold - Gym Class Heroes
11. Buddy Holly - Weezer
12. Plug In Baby - Muse
13. Well Thought Out Twinkles - Silversun Pickups
14. Wave of Mutilation - Pixies
15. 1979 - Smashing Pumpkins
16. Karma Police - Radiohead
17. Mystic Lady - T-Rex
18. Something In The Air - Thunderclap Newman

July-August 2007 (Life On Mars)
[When I had nothing better to do (did you see the weather this summer??) than watch Life On Mars series one and two DVD boxsets back to back and decided I needed more 60s/70s music in my life.]
1. Life On Mars - David Bowie
2. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
3. Baba O'Riley - The Who
4. Live And Let Die - Paul McCartney & Wings
5. Fireball - Deep Purple
6. Whisky In The Jar - Thin Lizzy
7. Ballroom Blitz - The Sweet
8. The Jean Genie - David Bowie
9. Street Life - Roxy Music
10. Blockbuster - The Sweet
11. I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top - The Hollies
12. Lay Down - The Strawbs
13. Alone Again Naturally - Gilbert O'Sullivan
14. In The Summer Time - Mungo Jerry
15. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
16. 10538 Overture - ELO
17. Rock On - T-Rex
18. Starman - David Bowie
19. How Can I Be Sure? - David Partridge
20. Rocket Man - Elton John

September 2007, aka. The Imaginary Mix CD pt.2
[Made for Faran while she was in London for Fashion Week.]
1. Blue Monday - New Order
2. Ice Cream - New Young Pony Club
3. Whip It - Devo
4. The Good Ones - The Kills
5. My Party - Kings of Leon
6. Out Of The Races And Onto The Tracks - The Rapture
7. Charmless Man - Blur
8. He's So Fine - Chiffons
9. Weekend Without Make Up - The Long Blondes
10. Top Of The Pops - The Rezillos
11. The Photos On My Wall - Good Shoes
12. Tell Him - Billie Davis
13. Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie
14. Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups
15. Monday Morning - Pulp
16. You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes - Johnny Boy
17. Oh No - Lavender Diamond
18. West Coast - Coconut Records

October 2007
[Made for Jimmyjames's birthday... which is actually in July, but... well... sometimes I'm a little belated with these things.]
1. Oh You Pretty Things - David Bowie
2. Leaves Do Fall - The Rosebuds
3. Insane - Grand Ole Party
4. Bad Education - Tilly & The Wall
5. You Don't Know - 13th Floor Elevators
6. In A World Without Love - Peter & Gordon
7. Haiti - Arcade Fire
8. Wave of Mutilation (slow/Pump Up The Volume version) - Pixies
9. Lazy Eye - Silversun Pickups*1
10. I Want Her She Wants Me - The Zombies
11. Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
12. You're No Good - Harvey Averne
13. Everybody's Gotta Live - Arthur Lee
14. I Could Be Happy - Altered Images
15. I Want Candy - Brian Poole & The Tremeloes

November 2007
1. No Love Lost - Joy Division
2. Lithium - Nirvana
3. And She Would Darken The Memory - The Twilight Sad
4. Roscoe - Midlake
5. More Than This - Roxy Music
6. Me And Mia - Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
7. We Used To Be Friends - The Dandy Warhols*2
8. Burning Down The House - Talking Heads
9. Such Great Heights - The Postal Service
10. Mad World - Tears For Fears
11. A Lifetime Of Pent-Up Sadness - Stars In Coma
12. Don't Want You To Wake Up - Teitur
13. Your Arms Around Me - Jens Lekman
14. Dress Up In You - Belle & Sebastian
15. St. Patrick - James Yorkston & The Athletes
16. This Side Of The Blue - Joanna Newsom
17. Sycamore - Bill Callahan
18. In My Life - The Beatles
19. The Leavers Dance - The Veils

December 2007
Christmas songs. Aaaaallll the time. What else??

And the year in 36 pictures, because 36 is all they would allow:

2007: the year in pictures.


*
1: A repeat from the previous month, but I was a little obsessed with this song in the second half of 2007.
*2: This coincided with a new-found obsession with Veronica Mars. I've said it before, I'll say it again - thank god for DVD boxsets.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

happy merry whatever

10am, Christmas morning: as we open the blinds to discover grey skies and sheeting rain.
My sister: Ohhh, I was hoping for a White Christmas, not a wet christmas.
Me: There's only two letters between 'white' and 'wet' christmas.
Sister: There's only two letters between 'white' christmas and your mum.

3pm, Christmas day, Shepherd's Bush.
My godson, while not quite as insanely cute as last year, is rocking the festive jumper look, surrounded by many noisy toys.

christmas jumper

4pm, Christmas day: driving back home.
Over Chiswick Bridge, the sky looks as if it's on fire - the rain has gone, the snow isn't coming, but there's a killer sunset to round off the daylight hours of Christmas '07.

wet christmas. good sunset.

Later: dinner scheduled around the Dr Who Christmas special, too much food, watching Hairspray in bed.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a... thank god Christmas is done for another year.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

two interviews, one evening:

Obviously this is actually a picture of two foals-as-in-baby-horses, not Foals the band.

Dude. Yannis from Foals can TALK. A rescheduled phone interview that I thought would last about five minutes stretched out as he has much to say about music, the album and the music industry. Passionately and vehemently. (And ends with him saying "Oh now I'm just chatting shit. In fact, I've probably been lying to you for the past half and hour..." Joker.) But good for him. Far better too much talkage (ahem, even if it does mean a longer transcribing job*) than surly, gum-chewing, half-asleep on the sofa, not really paying attention interviewees. Not naming any (French) names. God I hate press junkets.

Then later, an email interview with Hope Larson (far easier, no dictaphones to mess things up. Plus, one could be sitting on the sofa, eating peanut M&Ms, half-watching Anchorman, and be doing the interview at the same time. Theoretically, I mean. I am of course dedicated to my work and chained to my desk...) whose work I love. Surfing her stuff online just makes me realise I should get back on the drawing thing, as it's been sidelined recently amid freelance work, interning, and trying to find a job. It also reminds me that Scott Pilgrim vol.4, drawn by her husband, still hasn't arrived in my local comic shop. Boo.

*actually not so long as my stupid dictaphone (the Belkin plug in for ipods) keeps skipping and chewing up chunks of the interview. Beyond annoying.

Friday, November 09, 2007

proof that you don't need to know about music to work in a music company

Temping in one of the big music companies this week - not the one I was at before. The other one. You know. This afternoon the guy next to me turns to me:

Guy: Are Sex Pistols any good?
Me: The Sex Pistols?
Guy: Yeah
Me: Depends on your music taste. They're pretty legendary. Why?
Guy: Someone just invited me to see them this evening at Brixton Academy
Me: (dying to go) Dang. You should.
Guy: I don't know...
Me: Well, do you like punk music?
Guy: ... Punk... like Avril Lavigne??

I had to turn away and pretend to pick something up from the printer to hide my smirk-bordering-on-giggles. Good grief.
the national

Saw The National at Shepherds Bush Empire last night, after what feels like months of waiting. Being with two other people who were both under 5'6'', we found a perfect spot near the bar where there was a very handy ledge we could stand on to see over everyone. The band were great and kicked me out of the sheer knackeredness I seem to have slumped into this week.

I was also quite happy with the cute boy ratio at the gig, but that's another story...

I was trying to decide on a track or two to post with this and couldn't narrow it down enough so i've just gone with two crowd favourites:

Daughters of the Soho Riots (from Alligator)
Fake Empire (from Boxer)

Apologies for the yousendit-ness, but my website/server/something technical, I'm not too sure, is misbehaving at the moment.

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

best present ever™

best present ever™

Love & Rockets, Eightball, Amphigorey 1 and 2, Stray Toasters, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and a beautiful sketch book, from my own personal Patron of the Arts. So rad.

Monday, October 08, 2007

listen to the silence, let it ring on


So after months and months of waiting, finally Control is in cinemas, and I had myself a ticket for the special screening and Q&A with director Anton Corbijn at the Curzon Soho (yay!)

I'm sure the film doesn't need much of an introduction as I've rambled on about it before on here, but as imdb has it, it's "A profile of Ian Curtis (Riley), the enigmatic singer of Joy Division whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23." Except it was more than that.

The film was just beautiful. There are some images that are just stuck in my head - the scene where they're recording 'Isolation' in particular, and when Debbie Curtis comes home to find Ian's body (not that the audience is ever shown, as we linger on the outside of their terrace house once Debbie has gone in), and is crying and sobbing for help in the street, I actually got goosebumps. Or perhaps that was just when they cranked up the air conditioning.

The acting was spot-on, Sam Riley and Samantha Morton were amazing. I loved the film and want to see it again.

However. The guy next to me laughed too loudly at totally inappropriate and not-funny moments (to the extent that I started to wonder if he maybe knew the actor/s involved and had some weird private joke going on), which really bugged me (so I'm a cinema purist, so sue me).

And then there was the Q&A. This seemed like a golden opportunity: see the film I've been dying to see and get to hear the director talk about it after. Now maybe I'm a little more aware of how questions are asked now I've conducted a few interviews, but the guy hosting would make a lengthy statement about some aspect of the film and then basically just leave room for Corbijn to give some kind of yes-or-no answer - so it's to his credit that the director managed to reel things out some. Then there was the audience. People were all trying to be way too "Hey look at me, I know technical shit about film, I'm so clever; were you trying to demystify the legend of Joy Division??" (to which Corbijn replied "Errr no?"). It's just disappointing that he was there for us to grill and no one came up with any truly interesting or original questions (myself obviously included, but I didn't stick my hand up and ask an inane one just for the sake of doing so. Perhaps I should have).

But the film was still great. And I'm not even going to mention The Killers' cover of 'Shadowplay'. Oy vey.

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

yay for my friends!

It's always nice to read sweet things influential websites have to say about your friends. Pitchfork had the following to say about the lovely boys of Ivy League and the video for their song London Bridges, featuring a bunch of our friends in NY and made by the one and only cryingboy:

Video: This Is Ivy League: "London Bridges"

When Brian Howe reviewed "London Bridges" almost exactly a year ago, he commented that Ivy League were "working the same seam of homely beauty and prematurely autumnal sentimentality" as the Whitest Boy Alive and Peter Bjorn & John. That description still holds, but in the interim, a lot has changed: Ivy League have added a This Is to their name (a previous group by the same name threatened Ivy Litigation), signed to Twentyseven Records (new album scheduled for March 2008), and finally made a video for "London Bridges". Directed by artist Dan Estabrook, the clip creates and sustains a soft-focus weirdness, borrowing all the elements you'd expect from a postmillennial Chad & Jeremy-- blazers, bicycles, merry-go-rounds, a park in autumn-- while adding a few new flourishes-- women in animal costumes, gently evocative use of color and pattern. Alex Suarez and Ryan Blackinton croon their crisp harmonies, finishing each other's sentences and riffs, nearly symmetrical as they perform atop their pedestals for the animal woman.


Tuesday, September 25, 2007

How heartless record labels used to be!

Searching through old files at work for something, I came across this. Best letter ever.

8th March 1966

Would you please release J-- B-- S-- from their contract. The person to write to is Mr. H, -----, Herts.

The group may have originally been contracted through J-- F-- who I believe recently tried to kill his wife and is now in gaol. I have no proof that this is so except that no one has been able to trace him this last couple of months. I know we haven't taken up the option for J-- F-- 's production contract so I don't think we need worry about his particular circumstances whatever they may be.

Haaa.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

RIP Misshapes

A little belatedly, RIP Misshapes. All snarky Gawker-ing aside, thanks for the great times, great memories and amazing friends I made there. Summer/autumn 2005 at Luke & Leroy's was fucking legendary.

RIP


My NY nightlife. *Nostalgic sigh*

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Cogito Ergo Scribo

I have been mulling over this post on the Penguin Blog (inspired by this slightly depressing Guardian article - though the comments section is worth checking out) since I read it a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not sure I'm any closer to coming to a conclusion.

Recently, when I've been introduced to new people or have been talking to people I haven't seen in a long time, the inevitable questions comes up:

"So, what do you do now?"

I clear my throat and glance at my shoes and look around the room and come up with a variation on:

"Umm well I'm still at the record label, temping - only meant to be a two week placement in January and now it's September, haha! [Insert awkward pause as they smile politely.] And, umm, kind of freelance writing on the side" - the last sentence of which usually gets somewhat swallowed, as I hurry to say - "but I'm trying to find a proper job as well."

What does any of that mean? Why do I mumble when it comes to writing? Half the time it's because I want the conversation off me and back on to them (I have a knack for turning people's questions back on themselves and thus avoiding having to talk about myself much) - and people tend to jump on the writing thing and start talking about it. Perhaps it's embarrassment, that I'd dare to call my paltry efforts "writing" and thus myself a "writer"? The Siouxsie Sioux article came out this week (note to self: scan and upload) and a colleague who saw it commented that "now I could call myself a real music journalist." Of course I'm not going to. Not after one music interview would I have thought to call myself that, and not after however many I've done now. It's still just "freelance-mumble-writing"...

Thinking among my friends, there are a few who write: blogs, blurbs, books, short stories (two of whom have even won competitions for their stories, smart cookies that they are) - but I don't know if they'd actually class themselves as "writers". It seems like a majority of the commenters on the Guardian piece say they don't want to be a writer for the sake of being a "writer" - they write because they'd go crazy if they didn't. Because they have to. I suppose I'm the same, although perhaps lazier. I'd go nuts if I couldn't daydream and work ideas in my head, and I do eventually get them into some shape and form and enjoy escaping to the Neverneverland where I go when I write. But even just writing this post about writing feels - I don't know, kind of... presumptuous. And a little like revealing too much of myself.

A lot of the blogs I read (*cough*lurk on*cough*) are about writing (I was going to say 'by writers', but then that brings us back to the same old argument) but I can never bring myself to turn this blog all about whatever personal writing projects I have on the go because - well, I just don't feel good enough. Cogito ergo scribo doesn't necessarily become scribo ergo scriptor.

I guess in the end there's not really one easy answer. People are going to call themselves writers if that's what they feel and believe they are, whether they've been published or not. As for me, I'll continue to call myself a jack of all trades, and daydream and doodle and procrastinate like hell and wait until the last possible minute to do freelance assignments and be perfectly happy that I haven't landed myself with a silly label like "writer."

Monday, September 10, 2007

diamond in the rough

So technically this isn't procrastination, as I've already mentioned before that there's a small Joy Division-related project going on, but - well, pissing around on the interweb this evening I came to the conclusion that although there's a lot of shit on youtube, but sometimes you come across some real gems:

Monday, September 03, 2007

As Planned

I was flicking through an old notebook earlier and a copy of this poem fell out. It's not one of my favourite O'Haras, but I'm just kind of in this mood at the moment so it feels pretty apt.

As Planned - Frank O'Hara
After the first glass of vodka
you can accept just about anything
of life even your own mysteriousness
you think it is nice that a box
of matches is purple and brown and is called
La Petite and comes from Sweden
for they are words that you know and that
is all you know words not their feelings
or what they mean and you write because
you know them not because you understand them
because you don't you are stupid and lazy
and will never be great but you do
what you know because what else is there?

Monday, August 27, 2007

Tilda Wonderpup

tilda1

Tilda gets my comic book make-over...

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Reading Festival 2007

showtime...

Friday night: head to the K West with Alex, Ryland and Nate as their bus leaves at midnight. Having an earnest political discussion with William (TAI) at the bar over vodkas and whiskeys, Suarez palms me a guest ticket and all-access pass for Reading Festival the next day. Genius.

Saturday: oversleep. Debate taking wellies after reports of mud, decide against it (end up wearing sneakers that give me blisters. Ouch). Hop on the train to Reading, once there follow the crowds to the festival grounds. Get sent to about five different gates and access points, doing almost a complete circle of the perimeter before someone notices the AA pass and says 'Well, you could have got in anywhere with that.' Now they tell me.

Miraculously find CS quite quickly once inside. Hotter than a - well, it's very hot out so I welcome sitting down in the (relative) cool and shade of their portakabin dressing room (which is about as luxurious as it sounds). Steal a bottle of water from their fridge, say hi to Gabe and Ryland when they show up. Ryland tells us about some journalist, Guy Ripley, who's around somewhere...

The day basically progresses as such: sit in the shade drinking and hanging out with peoples, walk around to the main stage to watch The Shins/Bloc Party/Arcade Fire, walk back to the dressing room area for more shade-sitting and drinking...

chillin'

At one point we're all sitting in the yard between the dressing rooms when someone approaches us and asks the kids in the bands (two of Victoria's friends are here too) to do a drawing for charity (or something), which everyone gets way in to:

ryland

When Cobra goes on stage I venture out into the masses to meet up with two girls from work who are at the Festival all weekend. We're at the back of the tent where the boys are playing and still everyone around us seems to know all the words, which is cool.

With my AA pass I'm allowed on to the viewing platforms sidestage of the main stage so got some pretty killer views of the acts and the crowds (Suarez, I don't think I said thank you enough!)

bloc party
Bloc Party

tune

arcade fire
Arcade Fire

Probably should have made more effort to see bands whilst there but the heat and crowds cause major apathy - and I get to see the main bands I'm interested in anyway. I split after Arcade Fire as it's now dark and I have to walk back to the station and shit, and to be honest, by that stage I'm pretty festivalled-out.

On the train on the way back I get a text: "I'm at Reading Festival too! Am working in the Carling bar next to main stage, come find me for free drinks." Alas, too late! I get home and blissfully take of my slightly muddy sneakers and sit down to watch the highlights on BBC from the comfort of my sofa...

Full Decaydance photoset

Thursday, August 23, 2007

The Decaydance Invasion

pete & patrick

The Decaydance Invasion - photo set

Post-dim sum wanderings in Soho with Maria and Tayo, in Sister Ray on Berwick Street, browsing vinyl neither of us can really afford, my phone rings.

"Auntie Hannah!"

That name again. Can only be one person on the other end of that phone: the one and only Alex Suarez.

The Decaydance tour is in town: Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is and Cobra Starship all in London to play the Hammersmith Apollo, to the delight of emo-teens everywhere.

We arrange to meet by the tour bus entrance later on, as we did last time. Only unlike last time, when I get there, there are hordes of teens waiting there too and when Alex comes down to meet me and give me my pass, they all start screaming his name. Which weirds me out a little. He agrees to pose for a couple of quick photos then we make our escape. He has to head back in as Cobra are line-checking, I say hi to Ryland and Gabe, then once line-check is over it's back upstairs to the dressing room. Theirs is on the top floor: "We like to call it the executive suite, but really it's just the furthest from the stage..." Victoria is in there with her friends who've come for the show too, Carly and Will, and vodka tonics are poured though it's not even 6pm.

Carly, Will and I nervously stand sidestage as final preps are made for Cobra's set, careful we're not getting in the way or to accidentally pull out any wires. Although they're the first band on and the audience is still being let in to the Apollo, Cobra gets a good reaction; a lot of cheering and yelling and singing along and snakes - and bras(!) - thrown on stage.

Back upstairs, more drinks, Suarez heads to shower and I go for a wander round the Apollo. Pretty much same old, same old, so I give up and wait for Alex then we go to catering. I'm still full from dim sum but he gets food and others trickle in: Ryland, Bob McLynn, Nate, William Beckett.

There's more drink, more chat, some myspace checking, more drink, missing all of TAI's and GCH's sets, checking out Panic!'s set for like a song then hunting down more beers, more talking, sitting in the tour bus, hearing that Plain White Ts had gone on randomly to do 'Hey There Delilah', then a lot of people heading in for the remainder of FOB's set. We get in as they're in the middle of covering 'Beat It' (the MJ classic). I edge a little further out on side stage so I can see beyond the guitars and crates littering the area and find myself next to a tiny girl in a red hoodie and black hat, which makes me think 'I need to wear hats more'; the girl then turns around and I realise it's Ashlee Simpson. She is ridiculously small. I mean, most of FOB are pretty pint-sized, but she's adorably little.

After FOB finish up everyone heads out - we've lost Suarez at this point and I'm with Ryland who's clutching a bottle of Jameson that I keep eyeing and talking to Ryan (P!ATD) about the similarity of their names (of all things). A Decaydance group photo is called for.

Someone mentions the in-venue afterparty so I head up to the upstairs bar with Will where we find it's open bar on wine and beer. Somehow it gets to 12:20ish; most people I'm with have already decided to boycott the official afterparty at China Whites that Travis is DJing, and I decide, before anymore alcohol clouds my judgement, to call it a night (laaaaaame-o) so say my goodbyes and head on out, because I'm getting - ssh, say it quietly, old - and I'm just not quite rock'n'roll enough...

Sunday, August 19, 2007

in memoriam


So it's taken me like a week to post anything about Tony Wilson's death; a week during which I've listened to Joy Division and New Order repeatedly and re-watched 24 Hour Party People (had forgotten how great it is).

I remember New Order as a kid - who could forget the England song? ("We're playing for England - Eng-er-land!") - I knew Joy Division songs before I knew who the band were (if that makes sense), and I remember being aware of the Happy Mondays and that whole 'Madchester' scene, but I was a kid while that was going on. I was a late bloomer musically and Factory Records didn't mean much to me until I was out of university, but I'd say Joy Division are probably one of my most listened to bands now (still can't get into the Mondays though...)

This evening I paid my own private homage as I sat in my makeshift studio (a.k.a. my sister's room while she's away travelling...) and stuck Unknown Pleasures on and tried my hand at drawing Ian Curtis, for something I'm working on:

this evening


Better words from other people:
Five Ways Tony Wilson Changed the Music Industry
The BBC's obituary
The Independent's obituary

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Take a look at the lawman, beating up the wrong guy...

Oh god. I just finished watching Life on Mars. I can't begin to describe how utterly brilliant and amazing the show is. The writing! The acting! The music! Augh!

As the show kept getting better and better (and nearer and nearer to the end, there only being 16 episodes spread over 2 series in total) I was starting to spack out about how the hell had I missed this show... and was then relieved to discover that it actually started on BBC when I was still living in NY, and I therefore had a valid reason for not really being aware of it - and it wasn't just my usual "Pah, all TV sucks! Cough*apart from Dr Who*cough" stance that had made me miss out on this gem.

Thank the stars for DVD boxsets, and people persistently telling me how good it is.

I actually had to watch the last episode twice. I was so scared they were going to fuck it all up with a crappy ending but... Oh.

Life on Mars blows my mind. I think it may have just slotted in at number two on my very short list of truly excellent tv shows (the others being, in case you were wondering, Buffy and Spaced, at places one and now three respectively, with a small cluster of Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development, Dr Who, and some of Angel and Roswell kind of hanging around just below that).

A wee taster, courtesy youtube, right near the beginning of episode one, when Sam first arrives in 1973. C'mon, if this doesn't tempt you...



All episodes can also be found here. Although I'd recommended getting hold of the boxsets, personally.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Art School Confidential part two

backpage sketch
rough sketch of image for back page of our final project, a 4-page comic, which had to be 'about the sea'. ack. as it was our interpretation of 'the sea', i went off on a tangent and did something about revisiting the normandy beaches.

CB: tell me about skool
H: it was FUN. it made me feel happy
H: and kind of unblocked
H: and more creative
H: all of which are good
CB: wow. that's the best ever!
H: i forget how stifling office environments are
H: we went to the comics museum one day too, that was cool. it's only tiny but interesting

crop1
couple of panels from first page of final project, about normandy beaches

CB: is the class done? will you keep drawing?
CB: what were the other students like?

H: yeah it was only a week long
H: yes i think i will... although i'm still not much of a drawrer (that's so not a word)
H: other students were a real mix - almost as many girls as boys, ages from.. 18 to 40-ish... some had previous illustration experience, some had none
H: a couple of people dropped out by about the second or third day, which is kind of lame
CB: yeah! in a week class! losers
H: exactly
H: one guy was talking about getting us all to keep in touch and starting a quarterly comic where each have four or five pages to fill
H: which could be cool

crop2
panel from third page of normandy beach mini-comic.

H: looking at all the different kinds of comic book and graphic novel, there are so many that are like.., my style - ie, relatively basic - of drawing - like quite a few of the autobiographical graphic novels and stuff
H: you know what i mean?
CB: yeah! that's what I was saying
CB: I mean look at Scott Pilgrim

H: yeah - i did a few sketches and stuff from those american manga style books, they're pretty easy to copy
H: and i can copy quite well. guess it's just another way of learning.
CB: it totally is! that's what I did from when I was 9
H: lolCB: I mostly copied the Dungeons and Dragons manuals. LOL*
H: hahahah brilliant

So in summary:
I had a good week, it was good to be in a creative environment again and have the opportunity to just sit and draw and sketch all day.

In terms of what I learned, I think the Eisner and McCloud books actually do a better job of teaching the theory and work behind it all, of which I thought there'd be more in this course. However, for me personally, I can't underestimate the powers of the practical side of the class; I have sketch books coming out of my ears but I can never quite bring myself to sit down and properly do some work - so the act of actually *having* to was a good breakthrough, and I'm kind of hoping I can keep that momentum going. I have those three books I've just referenced on my shelf, which I totally intend to re-read once I've waded through the three stacks of books I have to read (most of which are on loan from schminnie or the library, so I really should get cracking).

I mean, it's not like I'm going to go off and become an illustrator. We all know this isn't a new career path for me. It was mainly about branching out and opening up - and escaping the office - all of which it did.

The one downfall of the week: the proximity of Central St Martins to Gosh Comics... It's been recommended to me before, but this was the first time I'd actually visited. And needless to say I went most days and spent too much money.

*CB, don't disown me for publishing that...

The finished back page image
crop3

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

OMG

Platform 9 3/4

I bunked off class this afternoon because I was feeling really out of it, and swung by Kings Cross station on my way home (except it's completely the wrong way from home, so I just swung by it) to check this out...

Harry Potter rules. Word.

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Art School Confidential part one

I know from experience that I can't handle long stretches in an office without some kind of creative outlet. When I first left uni, I would do short temp. contracts with the broadcasting company then go play on film sets or do some writing in the month or so between the jobs. The year in New York, when I HAD to stay a whole year in the same office job really ground me down at times - probably what pushed me to really get the freelance thing going. The writing, along with planning and doing small zines and projects with CC (with more emphasis on the planning; this 'planning' often took place at Union Pool or the Pink Pony or somewhere similar, which may explain why it was more talk, less action...) helped make the continuous office existence more or less bearable.

Back to the present, and what with this "two week temp job" now stretching into its eighth month, and fed up of office life, I took a week off work to go do summer school - 'Illustration for Comics and Graphic Novels' at Central St Martins.

Having booked the course in a flurry of excitement with the intention of re-reading Will Eisner and Scott McCloud and getting back into drawing practice, it then happened that I was given a last-minute freelance assignment (Siouxsie Sioux!) with a super-short turnaround, which basically squashed my ideas of turning up well-read and well-prepared. The Sunday night before the course I started having kittens (What if I'm not good enough? What if everyone can see I'm a fraud? I won't be the only girl, will I? What if everyone is younger than me?); I had somewhat panic-stricken conversation with Dan, who, as my chief source of all things art-related, I had hoped would calm my nerves, but when he left to go for brunch (the five hour time difference, folks), I succumbed to the fear - and gave up and watched the musical episode of Buffy. Good prep work.

As it turns out it was all fine. I got up to Holborn with about half an hour in hand so I downed some coffee then went up to CSM HQ on Southampton Row. I was directed to room 214, where I sat and waited until the lecturer turned up near to 10. We chatted a little about my background (writing) and comics and stuff, while waiting for the rest of the class to appear. They never did. The lecturer eventually went to see what had happened - and turns out we'd both been directed to the wrong classroom. We went up to the third floor where everyone was waiting. Once in the new classroom we were made to do those horrendously awkward intros that people leading groups are so fond of making you do. I was relieved to discover I wasn't the only one that wasn't an arts major (nor was I the only girl, or the oldest).

These first couple days we've had to keep pairing up and drawing each other in different poses and so on - first of all focusing on facial expressions, then moving on to full body poses - and of course both times I got the guy who's doing an MA in illustration and the guy who's in the middle of an arts degree and whose drawings reminded me quite a lot of those in the 'Fables' series, making my amateur attempts look... well, even more amateur. It was, however, quite heartening to hear a lecturer (from Central St Martins, no less) tell me "I don't know what you're talking about, you CAN draw".

A selection days one and two; the central figure is a copy of Ramona Flowers, heroine of the Scott Pilgrim series, created by Bryan Lee O'Malley


csm_day2


Better bigger

Sunday, August 05, 2007

sigh

sigh.

As per my usual image-'n-music posts, I tried to find a fitting yet somewhat cool song - alas, I kept coming back to this cheesy gem, so I'm going with it...

If You Leave Me Now - Chicago

Whilst we're thinking of this song, may I all remind you of the fabulous 3mobile advert of a couple years ago...

Thursday, July 26, 2007

House of Potter

My friend Faran, devotee of both House of Holland and Harry Potter, smooshed her two obsessions together to create these works of absolute genius.

Read the whole post here.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Divination

Subtitle: What We’ve Done Instead of Working….
Subtitle: We’re complete geeks

A short summary of our theories and idle thoughts about book seven, which we (that is, Maria and myself) have spent the better part of the day emailing about, prior to heading to Asda at midnight tonight.

* I keep wondering if perhaps Harry himself is part of a horcrux (an accidental one) – like the scar, when Voldemort tried to kill him or whatever, part of him went into Harry…

* Possibly Snape was good and he and Dumbledore had an arrangement… but then there was the unbreakable vow and stuff... Yeah I think Snape is going to be a really interesting important character in this book
* I kind of feel like Harry will die. But I don’t know. It’s been left so wide open. It’s really funny thinking back on the first book, how innocent it feels, a total kids’ book. I mean you’d think that normally the protagonist of a series named after him would defeat the baddie and live but when she killed off Dumbledore I think all the bets were off that Harry would necessarily survive
* The Weasleys... Bill’s already been attacked by a werewolf. Percy’s out the family (I was annoyed they so completely skipped over that in the movie). One of the twins would be pretty tragic. Maybe Arthur will be. Gulp.
The twins would be tragic but not as bad as Ron or Ginny. No no I mean just *one* twin would be tragic. It’d all be sad but just one twin would be sadder because it’s like – breaking up the twins or whatever.
* Don’t you think Daniel Radcliffe’s acting is actually improving? I thought he was actually quite good in film 5.
* I have wondered whether Petunia will have a bigger part what with the previous howlers and her reactions to certain wizarding stuff that's happened. She's a lot more involved than she's let on....
* Oooh read this: It has not been explained why, when Dumbledore heard that Voldemort had used Harry's blood to resurrect himself, Harry sees a "gleam of triumph" in Dumbledore's eyes. Rowling has said that this is still "enormously significant". Maybe the gleam is because Harry may have passed some of his mortality to Voldemort.

Omg! Harry Potter! I feel like a child on Christmas Eve or something.

Monday, July 16, 2007

are you there god?

Last night I had a six year old tell me he wished he hadn’t been born human because he wanted to be a god. Apparently that’s his one ambition in life, to be a god. Or perhaps THE god, I’m not too sure. I don’t remember being that ambitious when I was six.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

so:

Master_with_laser_screwdriver

Okayyyyyy. So. The finale. I have to admit, this last of the three-parter wasn’t actually doing too much for me – whilst The Master was psychotically brilliant as ever, I preferred 'Doomsday' with The Battle of Canary Wharf as far as finales go - until that line, that throwaway line uttered by Captain Jack a few minutes from the end, which knocked me off the sofa.

And the wedding? So I may have been a little late because of my childish reluctance to just wait and watch the Dr Who repeat on BBC3 on Sunday evening… and I may have spilled red wine all over the bride’s dress within about ten minutes of arriving… and – well, I don’t think there needs to be any more “ands”, we can just stop there. I should’ve just stayed home and hid from the rain. Oy. Weddings.

Friday, June 29, 2007

getting priorities straight...

“Dear Chloe and Toby

Thank you so much for your kind invitation to your wedding reception tomorrow night. Whilst I realise that I’ve already responded with a “count me in”, I’m afraid I’m now going to have to politely inform you that I will be unable to attend. There has been an unfortunate scheduling error. You see, the Dr Who season finale happens to be on at the same time as your party starts.

So I wish you lots of luck in starting your married life, and hope the party goes with a swing. I’ll be thinking of you as I sit on the edge of the sofa, watching The Master, the Doctor and Martha Jones battle it out. No hard feelings for this sudden cancellation, I hope. A person has to have priorities, you understand.

Lots of love,

Hannah”


Bah. It’s not really workable, is it.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

girls who play guitars

girls who play guitars

mp3s:
Okay - KaiserCartel
Dead On The Lawn - KaiserCartel

A Friday night foray into Farringdon, to a small (one might even say tiny) gig at the Betsey Trotwood, to see Brooklyn band Kaiser Cartel. I arrive before James does and order a glass of Pimms (as advertised on the pub’s chalkboard) from the girl behind the bar. English isn’t her first language. My Pimms arrives as a neat shot over ice, in a small tumbler. Interesting. I ask for some lemonade, but in a glass that small, boy is that drink strong.

We eventually head downstairs to the basement where the gig will be. It really is tiny. We spy an antechamber off the left, with padded bench, and, randomly, a tv that’s linked to a camera right near the band setup. We kick back and watch the opening band on the television (lazy much?) then find ourselves joined by the two boys from Kaiser Cartel, Benjamin and Drew. Nice guys. They go to set up, we leave our comfortable lair to actually watch them play. They’re just… wonderful. Great music for the small venue. The lovely lady of the band, Courtney, has a great voice and by the last song – in which they unplug guitars and play acoustically, walking among the crowd and singing directly to you – I’m in full girl crush mode.

We chat briefly to Courtney after the show as well (they’re heading up to Manchester that night, by coach, but Benjamin seems to have lost his passport) and she invites us to stay any time we’re in Brooklyn (!)

We make our escape before the last band comes on as there are things to do, people to see, places to be – and we’d only gone for KaiserCartel anyhow. We stand on Farringdon Road – it’s only just dusk-ish, at 10pm, the air is still warm and St Pauls is in the distance, lit up like a cardboard cut-out against the hazy watery blue of the twilight.

As I walk back to the tube station I stumble across this flyer stuck the pavement, and although my knee-jerk reaction is a typical “Pah, no of course not,” as I sit on the tube home I think about and realise it’s about time I give my home town the credit that it’s due, and upgrade my answer to a serious “Maybe.”

ummmmm

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

i've lost control again

Last summer I was asked by one of the magazines I freelance for to do an urgent piece for them, an interview they'd just been granted that they wanted to get in the issue they were about to close. A day's turnaround is what they said. But fuck it, when they told me what it was, I jumped at it. It was a phone interview with Sam Riley during a break in filming Control. He seemed a sweet lad. It was pissing with rain, typically for England towards the end of August, and we spent a little too long taking the piss out of Nottingham (sorry Notts) where they were filming - and where I lived for three years whilst at uni. Obviously when it came to writing it all up I left that stuff out...

This recent buzz about it emanating from the Cannes Film Festival made me think of it again, and hunt down the trailer on youtube. Oh my. It just looks - well, I for one can't wait for this film to come out. Isn't Samantha Morton just a doll? And Sam Riley looks great. And I swear I see the Lenton tower blocks that I used to live right next to in Nottingham for all that time... Ahh the Church Estate and your crack whores, pre-teen delinquents, shootings, frequent fires and joy riders. Good times.

Read the article here. Watch the trailer (apols for the French subtitles, couldn't find a clean version) below.

My final thought on the matter: as the sister of an epileptic, should they really show Ian staring at a static tv screen?? I'd've thought he'd be writhing on the floor with just one look at it, like my sister would be. Meh.


Friday, May 25, 2007

ups 'n downs

Scott Pilgrim
Almost Famous
Sunshine, warmth and staying light past 10pm
Bank Holiday Motherfucking Weekend!
Current soundtrack of the best late 50s and 60s music
A mint-choc-chip and raspberry sorbet cone from Fouberts
The Hairspray trailer (John Travolta in drag!)
Iced coffee in the morning and dawdling into work

- -

Facebook groups that I can’t figure out how to work
Not being able to make myself write
Airplanes overhead at 4:30am that roar through the open window. The noise, I mean. Clearly not the actual airplane
Consistently dropping serotonin levels
Sisters disappearing for six months (on a trip we’d always planned to do together!)
This job

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

a sweet summer's night on... clapham junction

a sweet summer's night on...

As I wait on the platform at Clapham Junction (a rare trip to a part of the world I try to avoid at all costs), I marvel at how even tower blocks can look good against the dusk, and love that it's still not properly dark even at 10pm...

Torn On The Platform - Jack Penate

Monday, May 21, 2007

more dork action

Picture the scene: it's the wettest day in NY since 1977. Torrential rain. Subways flooded. We're in Brooklyn - Carroll Gardens to be precise - in a Japanese restaurant. Lauren and I are sat eating noodles (paid for with the $90 I've just been given as a reward, see earlier post). I ask how the boys' video shoot is going, as they're in LA that weekend for it.

"They have to wear lycra bodysuits."

I guffaw with laughter and try not to picture that too clearly as Lauren texts Ryland to make sure he takes lots of potentially embarrassing photos of aforementioned outfits for us to laugh over.

Six weeks later: the video appears on youtube. And whilst rocking the fake mustache look is one thing, the bodysuits are in a league of their own...



[Also, remember to vote...]

Saturday, May 05, 2007

ouch...

the morning after

The morning after.

Off screen: a drinks cabinet, half emptied, a kitchen stacked with dirty cocktail glasses, regular glasses, and even mugs, CDs scattered on the floor, vinyl stacked up against the shelves, builders in the apartment above making way too much noise at 8:30am...

After passing out at 5am after many many cocktails at L&J's pad in Hackney, I wake too early, move slightly, groan loudly, remember the shots of rose schnapps and rose vodka that seemed like a good idea, the joint that was passed round as we looked at teenage photos from the early '90s...

Realising I have plans I have to keep, I manage to stand upright and somehow make my way to Liverpool Street Station. My phone battery is dead, I have to use a call box. It's like going back in time. Not only do I have no idea how to use the fancy-pants machine, but the minimum fare is 40p. Bastards. I sit on the Hammersmith & City line, wishing for death, crawl off the tube and meet my sister, drag myself into the car with a groan, cancel our plans, make her take me home and spend the rest of the day in bed...

Friday, May 04, 2007

Somethin' filled up
my heart with nothin',
someone told me not to cry.

But now that I'm older,
my heart's colder,
and I can see that it's a lie.

Children wake up,
hold your mistake up,
before they turn the summer into dust.

If the children don't grow up,
our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up.
We're just a million little god's causin rain storms turnin' every good thing to
rust.

I guess we'll just have to adjust.

Monday, April 30, 2007

*cough*wasting-time-at-work*cough*

You Are An INFP

The Idealist

You are creative with a great imagination, living in your own inner world.
Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships.
It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close.
But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop.

You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

An Open Letter To New York City

Dear New York

Long time no see. What's it been, six months? Good to see you again. Looking good. Just wanted to drop a quick note to say thanks.

Thanks for feeling like home as we came in to land. Thanks for the bassist from Snow Patrol asking me for a light at JFK and being surprisingly cute. Thank you for the fact that I had no idea that's who he was until Dan pointed it out. On that note, thank you for Dan and CC coming all the way out to deepest darkest Queens to pick me up at the airport and smother me in an extended group hug. Thanks for the crazy cab driver we had back from JFK who told us he'd written to the Queen of England and she'd invited him to meet her this summer.

Thank you to Fall Out Boy for postponing the Honda Civic Tour so Alex and Ryland were still in NY the whole time I was there. Thanks to Red Hook for being a weird neighbourhood but having a great little coffee joint in Baked and the most wonderful boutique, Erie Basin that I could have spent fortunes in. Not much thanks to the rain and shrill wind coming off the water that froze me to death while waiting for a car in the parking lot of Fairway, nor thanks to the car service that never turned up. Thank you to Alex for cooking dinner and Lauren for making cookies and to Brett for lending us her copy of The Departed so we could chill out on Thursday night. Thank you to the G subway line for being as unreliable as ever.

Thanks Dan for letting me co-opt his place and throwing a great party (that would have been a great bbq if it had been warm enough). Thanks Alex for cooking - again - and for taking at least 60 seconds to recognise one of his own band's songs when it came on itunes shuffle ("Hey, I know this, what is it?........ Ohhh shit it's Cobra Starship."). Thanks Lauren for the punching nun move. To everyone I asked to the party coming out to Carroll Gardens, I was so stoked to see you all and it made me very happy. To Christy Claire and Lauren for being true Gs.

don't mess


Thanks to Ivy League for playing in the living room and it being a very funny show. For CC deciding to paper her roommate Jacques. For the Absinthe that was brought out at about 2am, just to make the party go with more of a bang. For the frog mask Dan has decorating his place.

frog princess


I didn't really appreciate the hangover the next morning, although some might say that was self-induced. Thanks though to whoever brought Oreos to the party that I snacked on all morning until we were feeling human enough to stagger to Smith Street and get some brunch. Thanks to the laaaaaame magazine party in Williamsburg on Saturday night that we stayed at not more than five minutes that provided some laughs at its expense. Thanks to Jacques for telling the BEST jokes that cannot be repeated on here on the walk down to Metropolitan. For CC's lovely new apartment on Bleecker Street and Pepe the crazy cat who I haven't seen in a year. Not much thanks to the Bridge & Tunnel jerks who were yelling and shouting and being drunk and loud on Bleecker until at least 4:30am.

Thanks for Sunday being the wettest day since 1977 and for my not taking an umbrella out with me. A BIG thanks for my finding that wallet on the sidewalk outside our place in Carroll Gdns with $490 in it, and for the owner giving me $90 "for my troubles" when I gave it back to him. And for the CG American Apparel kids who I frequently wasted time with and distracted from their jobs (like that store is ever that busy...) and who all debated whether they'd've called the owner of the wallet or not. And for selling me a new hoodie because it was that cold in NY and having left warm temperatures in London I hadn't thought to pack for low temps.

Thanks to Au Revoir Simone for just being the cutest ever and being a lot of fun to hang with and interview. Thanks Dan for finally taking me to Trash & Vaudeville and to St Marks Comics (where I spent a small fortune). Thanks to CC for the champagne on Tuesday evening and for advising us to hit up Joe's Pizza round the corner from her place - although not thanks to the pizza crust that cut the top of my mouth. Big kudos to those Private Men for a great evening at Black & White (and for Rob Hitt for saying I could DJ it, even though I chickened out in the end). Thanks to The Academy Is for being there even though I had no idea that's who they were until CC, the consummate Chicago snob who was talking to William introduced him to me as "William, he's in some band called The Academy or something" and totally snubbing him for being "from the richest suburb in Chicago, man!" To Alex Sarti and Rob Hitt both independently telling me my hair looked great. To Shallon, for a big hug and seeing her again.

I appreciated sleeping most of Wednesday and then heading to an old favourite, the Sushi Lounge on St Marks and Ave. A, with Lauren and Michelle - and then Lauren suggesting dessert at Max Brenner where I had ohmigod Chocolate Pizza. And felt quite sick after. Thanks so much for the weather finally improving on Thursday and a wonderful walk around Williamsburg with Dan the man, taking photos, buying coffee, losing scarves, eavesdropping on hipsters and finding the most amazing little hoodie for my godson that I will take photos of and upload and soon as I've given him it.

power plant

the city

Thank you to Diner for a lovely dinner - and amazing vodka gimlet that went down a treat after all that walking. Thanks to Union Pool for not changing much (it was good to go back there) and for the fact that its photobooth was actually working. And for Lauren, Alex and Ryland hauling ass to it to hang out. Friday I appreciated the continued good weather and stroll around Soho, Tribeca (quick visit to the Thurston Moore exhib - nothing amazing) and Lower East Side - with obligatory pitstop at Sugar Sweet Sunshine. Thanks for power naps. For the F being totally fucked up and either deciding to run on the G line, or just terminating at Bergen because of technical issues. Thanks to Sarah and Halina for Fajita Friday in Bushwick, and for the raucous round of applause CC and I received as we finally walked through the door.

Thank you so much for Saturday being beautifully warm and for CC's marvellous idea of a brunch picnic in Central Park on the rowboats. Thanks to Ryland for doing all the rowing while CC and I poured drinks and ate grapes, and Dan handed out french pastries.

ryland and dan. and a book of marvell poems.

Thanks to the sun and my stupidly fair skin combining to result in an interesting sunburn. To Sarah and Halina for meeting us at the pond. To Faran for visiting her friend at Columbus Circle when we were there too so I got a chance to say goodbye. To Lauren for taking a break and coming to the house to hang out while I rushed around doing last minute packing, then collapsing into the rocking chair. To Dan and CC for just hanging on the stoop, appreciating the afternoon sunshine, waiting with me till the car service turned up to take me back to the airport.

xo

Thanks New York. It's been too long, and the visit was too short, and I miss you and everyone and everything I love in and about you already, but it was a pleasure.

See you soon. Send some of your peoples across the pond this year.

Love always,

Hxo

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Pop - Punk Is Sooooo '05, part 2

pre-show drinks in hammersmith

Not enough sleep. A beautiful spring day. A wander and brunch down Portobello with Ryland. Get him back to the hotel for some press commitment. Go home, freshen up, wish I could nap. Head to Hammersmith Apollo to meet the boys after sound check - already looooongg lines at the Apollo to get in. Drag Ryland down the river to the Blue Anchor for drinks: Pimms for me, Fullers' London Pride (way to rep the local brewery) for him. The start of a beautiful sunset over the Thames.

before the show starts

We start to head back and run into Alex - Ryland goes back to the Apollo to tune up and riff with Joe Troh (note to self: I need a first name-last name rhyming combo) and Alex and I head back down the towpath. Realise Alex has to head back so back we go, meeting up with his friend Tomer as well. Alex goes back stage, Tomer and I go inside - find out the bars are cash only so plead with security to let one of us out to go to an ATM.

where is your boy tonight?

Miss Shiny Toy Guns, but Cobra play a really tight set and the crowd is so into it, it's awesome, and the girl they get up on stage actually knows the rap (1), unlike the night before. Head to the upstairs bar after their set where we'd arranged to meet Alex and see Gurj which makes me very happy - but feels strangely out of context, hanging with three of my NY peeps in Hammersmith. You know, the place where I was born and spent a large portion of my teenagerhood. Weird. Excuse myself to actually go watch FOB's set, by now immune to the amount of hoodie-clad teenagers.

jumping off the amp stack

They're pretty good. I have to admit, I'm still not blown away by the stage set (some light bars and the drum on a riser) but they're fun and man alive are the crowd loud and screaming any time Pete says anything. At all.

A small aside: I just feel (and I may be a bit biased here) that Cobra did more to get the crowd involved. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact that FOB know they have the audience eating out the palm of their hand, whereas CS have to work harder to get the audience on their side that they put on a better "show". And Gabe is always a great front man.

Back to scene: Gabe joins Patrick on stage for Grand Theft Autumn (see photo a couple above) and Pete climbs on to an amp and jumps off (see above photo) which the crowd lurrrrves. Irritated by the teens around me, I move towards the back of the theatre, where I am scared and horrified by balding fat middle aged men getting wayyyy too into Fall Out Boy. I escape to the upstairs bar again which has by now been shut off for the after party.

merch stand meet and greet

Tomer and I hang over the balcony transfixed by the scene at the merch stand (as above, and larger) where Cobra are doing a meet and greet. The kids mob them. Then we realise it's open bar where we are - alas, not hard liquor, but bring on the Strongbow... So it's later in the evening, a pint or two (or three...?) in and I'm talking to Ryland and this kid walks up in a green hoodie and starts chatting about where to go after (the Electric? Cuckoo?) and I suddenly realise it's Pete Wentz. Dude is teeeeeeny. Like you'd just want to make him PB&J sandwiches and hold his hand when he crosses the road. Adorable. I don't know what happened to after-after-party discussions but then somehow I'm buying whiskey shots for Alex and Ryland and I, and hanging with them and Nate (the Cobra drummer) and Ian (their tour driver and such an awesome guy), stealing sips of Nate's beer, listening to someone else come out the mens' room bragging about just getting a blow job (lovely).

Then we're back in Shepherd's Bush at the K West hotel where a bunch of teenagers are hanging outside (it's 2am! Why aren't they in bed?!) for some band or other - could be Cobra, could be My Chem who are also staying there. We head up to a kebab shop for food, someone tells me I should go to Manchester with them (it's tempting). It's freezing out. We get back to the hotel lobby and end up talking to some girls that are waiting there. Nate's not too into it and when one of the girls quizzes him as to why he's so quiet, I tell them he's Swedish. Let's just point out that I've had a few ciders and some whiskey. They ask him to teach them some Swedish. Ian jumps in and tells them he's deaf. I add that he's also a mute. We're trying not to crack up, Nate is shooting me odd looks, the girls are like, "Really? Well how does he play drums then?!" According to us, Nate the Swedish Deaf Mute plays drums by "feeling the vibrations". Something new for the Cobra Starship story...

Eventually I say my goodbyes, wait for the night bus on Bush Green for about 15 minutes, realise it's SO cold and is going to take me forever to get home at that time so go back to the hotel, crash on the boys' couch, get up at 6am, get two buses home, pass out in bed for what feels like only ten minutes, get up again and go to work.

Where I have to stay till 6pm. Where I've been pretending to do bits of filing but really hiding out in the filing rooms, wishing I could doze off, listening to music and trying to ignore my hangover...


(1) not my footage, slightly dodge quality

Monday, April 02, 2007

Pop - Punk Is Sooooo '05, part 1

pop punk is soooo '05

I've been up since 5am as we're doing a car boot sale. Deciding that getting up that early has to be worth something, I have a 99 Flake for breakfast (highly nutritious). I get home about 1:45pm, fall into bed, don't quite even manage to doze off before my mobile rings. A familiar American accent at the other end:

"Auntie Hannah!"

Ahh, I'd forgotten that nickname. So Cobra Starship (two fifths of whom are good friends from my time in NY) have landed. On tour with Fall Out Boy (no link necessary; unless you've been living under a rock you must know who they are) and in the UK to play some shows with them. Which I may have mentioned before in previous posts...

I force myself straight out of bed and into the shower so I have no chance of falling asleep, and head over to Brixton Academy where they're finishing up sound check. I arrive about twenty past five. The line to get in starts at the main Academy doors and stretches down most of one side of the building, which surprises me that early (doors don't open till 7). I hang outside reading until sound check is over and Alex Suarez comes out and gives me a huge hug. We go to find a phonebox so he can call home, and I'm more shocked to see the line has actually started stretching round the second side of the Academy. Phone booth No.1 doesn't seem to work. We go for a walk, I point out the highlights of Brixton on a Sunday evening ("That's the tube station... off licence... Sainsburys....") We get back to the Academy and the line has now gone round all four sides of the block and has started on past the entrance. We consider going for a drink, find another phonebox first that actually works this time. While I'm waiting for him to finish his phone call, the line slowly snakes past us.... it's spiralling outwards from the Academy entrance round the block then round another block. I can't quite get my mind around this, it's INSANE. I've never seen anything like it. I've also never seen so many teenagers in hoodies and too much eyeliner...

We head back and go in to the Academy - Suarez wants his dinner. I go to the VIP bar, get a drink, halfheartedly watch Shiny Toy Guns. Head down into the fray to watch Cobra. Suddenly feel horrendously old as realise that I am totally surrounded by aforementioned teenagers that were in line. Hoodies, eyeliner (girls and boys) and braces (metal ones on teeth) abound. And they all seem to be making out with each other. GROSS.

suarez

Cobra play a good set - there seem to be a few technical issues, strings breaking and so on, and Gabe stumbles on stage fucking up his ankle at one point - but he's a good front man, and Ryland is great at the banter and they keep the show going and everyone around me seems to be getting into it, which makes me happy.

There's a Cobra Starship tradition of getting a kid up on stage during 'Bring It (Snakes On A Plane)' to do the rap that Travis from Gym Class Heroes usually does, so after much combing the crowd, he pulls some girl up on stage.... who turns out to not even remotely know the rap at all. Laaaaame.

I snake (haha) my way through the crowd back up to the vip bar where I run into the lovely Em. She introduces me to a couple of other people and we play 6 Degrees of Gurj, who we all have in common. Suarez comes out, I send him back to fetch Ryland who I haven't yet seen (and bring me back a vodka tonic from the bottle they have in their room...)

The evening starts to blur as the bar fills up... I talk to some guy who was interviewing Cobra pre-show and who is a little starstruck by Pete Wentz's mom. Later on he and his girlfriend start having little domestics in front of me and it gets a tad uncomfortable. I totally miss the FOB set - and the sound in the bar is terrible so I barely even notice they're playing. Much discussion occurs later about where to go... I end up jumping in the van with them (but it's so much more than a van!) and catching a ride back to West London. Half the band jump out in Knightsbridge to go to a restaurant that's open late where some friends are - my eyes are barely staying open so I pass on it and head home for some immediate and serious shut eye...

Thursday, March 29, 2007



Went down to my old house after work today to pick up mail that hadn't been redirected. Walked up to the bus stop after and caught the most amazing sunset on the river. This song came on my ipod and I just got a shiver down my spine and felt incredibly sad. Beautiful song, beautiful sunset, beautiful neighbourhood that was no longer mine.

(Beautiful teenage lead singer as well, but saying that totally detracts from the mood of this entry...)

Somebody Else's Clothes - WinterKids


kew bridge