You've got the music in you

So.

A momentous week.

About 3 weeks ago Kait walked in and said 'there's a concert at Carnegie Hall with The Flaming Lips and Patti Smith, wanna go?' and Wave and myself said 'yes yes we do'. And then I mostly forgot about it until Thursday when I woke up thinking 'I am going to see Patti Smith perform today'.....ZIIIINNNGGGG!

It's been a quiet week largely because this gig cost $37.00 and I can normally stretch that over a week and a weekend if necessary. So that's the one big expenditure for the week leaving me with nothing much to do...but that's ok. It was so worth it!

The concert was a benefit for Tibet House US

Tibet House US is dedicated to preserving Tibet’s unique culture at a time when it is confronted with extinction on its own soil. By presenting Tibetan civilization and its profound wisdom, beauty, and special art of freedom to the people of the world, we hope to inspire others to join the effort to protect and save it. Tibet House US is part of a worldwide network of Tibetan institutions committed to ensuring that the light of the Tibetan spirit never disappears from the face of this earth.

The artistic director was composer Philip Glass, who also acted as MC for the night.

I won't talk through the whole thing but here's my highlights:

James McCartney. Opening act. He has a great voice, and looks atonishingly like Paul - the Playbill had a section about each artist, and his made me laugh because it was like they were trying so hard to say 'he has inherited his talent from his father' without actually going 'PAUL MCCARTNEY PAUL MACCARTNEY'. Poor guy - he's been gigging most of his life under a pseudonym, can't blame him. Father's shadow and all that.

Anyway. Then we had the fabulous Angelique Kidjo, a Beninoise singer-songwriter, named 'Africa's premier Diva' by Time magazine. She has covered some rad songs, such as 'Gimme Shelter', the Stones' greatest song. Her voice is beautiful and she gave an awesome performance, v. glad to have discovered her.

She was followed by Tenzin Choegyal, a native from Tibet who grew up in India and now lives in Australia - WOW OH WOW, he sang 2 of his own Tibetan-inspired songs, played on a dranyen (a traditional long-necked lute). His voice was something else, I completely drifted away listening to him. I insist you watch this video so you can hear what I'm talking about, live was incredible.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-JyOIsuMcw&feature=related Copy and paste link into browser. The flute at the beginning is beautiful but his singing starts at about 3.56.

Then some other stuff happened...all fab but I don't remember exactly who what where. There was Taj Mahal who is big big big on the blues circuit, he performed a beautiful song for which he brought out his daughter to duet, and then did a really classic blues number on the piano.

THE ROOTS - ah I love this band. They are totally unique, they are a hip hop group from Philadelphia and there's loads of them but they always play their own live instruments on stage unlike most hip hop and urban artists, they have what has been described by my good friend Matt Parkinson as 'an organic sound' which is funny cos one of their first albums was called Organix. They are great, and they collaborated with a couple of the other artists - they did a cover of Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up with Angelique Kidjo on vocals, and a number with Taj Mahal. And then they finished with this fantastic cover of Down By The River by Neil Young. This video is filmed from a different performance that they gave of this song, also at Carnegie Hall a couple of weeks earlier. The video quality isn't great but hopefully you get the idea. I never realised what frickin talented musicians they are - the drums, the guitar - the vocals! What a voice! The Roots have a dedicated following, they have a lot of integrity which is why they've had a solid, good, long career and will be going strong for a long time to come. But really they deserve to be much bigger than they are. They should be HUGE in fact. But I'm kind of glad they're not cos it could damage them, like it does for so many! This is Neil Young cover. Fab.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baU-HPOUSJo

Then of course we are onto the mighty Flaming Lips. The whole hall went nuts for them, especially all the other young people with us in the cheap seats at the back. Now, I saw The Lips in September, at a small gathering we like to call BESTIVAL avec Mademoiselle Theodora Sutton. It was epic, their full show on the main stage with the lights and confetti cannons, giant hamster balls, crazy screen projections at the back of the stage...fabulous. So was vair interesting to see them stripped back on an indoor stage, no bells and whistles. It was GRRREAT! They played something...I forget...and then their biggest hit 'Do you realise'. What I now realise is how much I love that song, it's very beautiful.
'You realize the sun doesn't go down It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round' - I love that!
And Wayne Coyne was super cool, as ever. He looks like a classic rock icon from the 70s, which is so my style it's not even funny.

And finally...dun dun DUNNNN the woman we've all been waiting for...PATTI SMITH walked onto the stage for the closing numbers. This woman is too cool for words, so I will not attempt to describe it, just know that she deserves every bit of cred she's earned in her life and hearing her howling that we all have to STAND UP was very inspiring and brought me much joy.
And here's the thing...she just gets cooler as she gets older! She's a living breathing heroine and goddess of punk. She was born in 1946!!!!! The woman's 65! So apparently the secret to growing old is rock 'n roll. Well I always knew that anyway.











After the whole shebang was over we left Carnegie Hall and walked smack bang into Wayne Coyne (Lips frontman) signing autographs. Sadly he didn't have time for me as there was a bus taking him to a party that was about to leave, but I did actually invite him to a party at Loftstel instead. So there, I invited a rockstar to a party, I'm pretty happy with that.

I'm very behind on bloggy things...always busy/tired atm. Will have to do a big catch up, possibly later on today, espesh. since my day began in an interesting manner worth detailing (I think so anyway)

Rock and roll foreverxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I hope you like jammin too

What a lovely evening...sitting in the kitchen, with my red cups and my pseudo-family.
Gbolahan has his guitar and Adam has his clarinet, and this is what they produce when those two things occur simultaneously.

Happiness hit her like a train on a track

Times Square on a sunny afternoon - Quintessentially New York

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tb4fp0gXfA&feature=related
Meet my favourite new dance piece - Spitfire by Matthew Bourne, one of his earlier works, before he became choreographer du jour. This shows why - it's clever, funny, original, still beautiful. It's strong on 3 stalwarts of MB's choreo - gender reversal, ballet-based jokes (playing with standard classical ballet positions and movements) and the ironic objectification of men/male form.


Also meet my new best friend


Awwwww look at the puppy! So, yesterday I was walking up 9th Avenue with Joe when we passed a pet shop with a window of puppies who were all sleeping in a heap...so very cute. So of course I had to go in and visit them, and there were loads more. Really sad, all in little glass fronted cages. Like they were in a mental institution of something, everything white and sterile. So I spent some time talking to all of them, and then I asked if I could get this one out and play with him. He is a shih tzu crossed with something I forgot and is extremely lovely, really playful/mental and veeeery soft. I hope I brightened his day by setting him free for half an hour and giving him cuddles - if it had been within my power I would've bought the whole shopload (but they cost $300 each).













In other news. US courts today ruled in favour of the church groups who picket the funerals of soldiers. Someone read me some of the signs they have - 'You're going to hell' 'Thank god you're dead' etc.
Right. So according to Christianity, it's ok to increase the pain and grief of mourners at a funeral by screaming abuse at the ones they've lost?
Actually not that's unfair. It's not Christianity's fault at all - it's the fault of the ignorant, uninformed wankers who use religion as an excuse for their own prejudice and lack of education. Which is unfair because it gives others a bad name, people who want to practice Christianity but they want to do it in a calm, peaceful manner, who may have opinions but know when to keep them to themselves. I can't believe there is scum on this earth who would do that. What if it was someone they loved being buried, and people stood round the edges of the funeral shouting that they are happy the person is dead? Whatever you believe, however you feel about war and soldiers and whatever - what happened to empathy? Humanity? Understanding? Common human f***ing courtesy?
One argument I was presented with was 'but what about free speech?' WHAT!!! Free speech is fine, hate speech is not. There is a time and a place for free speech, a funeral is not it. I could stand on the street screaming racial slurs on grounds of free speech, I'd get arrested, non? So why should they be allowed to use free speech as their get out of jail free card to disrespect the dead. It's really made me furious. I want to find who these disgusting people are that do this terrible thing, and beat sense into them with their placards. One of the worst bits is that the court ruling was 8-1 in favour. 8-1!!! What kind of idiots are in charge here?

I was told that there are apparently Hell's Angels-esque groups of bikers who turn up the funerals of soldiers on their motorbikes and form a protective circle around the funeral, blocking out the deranged picketers. And they do this free of charge, if you call them. Which I think is quite heart-warming. But still. Doesn't solve the issue of fundamentalist 'religious' groups. Again though, my point about how they aren't religious, not really. There's a book called 'Does my head look big in this?' a story about a teenage Muslim girl in Australia who is growing up nd facing issues in which her religion and it's demands clash with modern Australian teenagerhood. And while it's a novel for teenage girls, it actually deals very intelligently with the religious aspects. For example, when the protagonist's friend is essentially held captive by her mother because she's a girl and 'Islam says so', the protagonist observes that actually, the Koran has no mention of girls being treated in the way her friend is treated. The mother just comes from a narrow-minded culture in a small village in an Arab country, and has learned the villages' beliefs, not the true Islamic ones. But she passes them off as her religion to give her an excuse to do whatever she wants. There is too much of this now. In any religion you care to look, it's occurring. It really makes me a bit sick. Fundamentally, we are all people. Fecking HUMAN BEINGS PEOPLE, LOOK AROUND YOU. It's simple - someone suffers, you help. Whatever you believe, I'm pretty sure Jesus, Allah, Buddha, Jehovah, Jah, Vishnu and the Gurus are all banging their head agaisnt the wall of Heaven/Paradise/Nirvana and going 'NO NO NO, that's NOT how you're supposed to do it! You've completely misinterpreted our instructions!'

Gads.

A brighter note - Friday was my one-month Loftstelversary. So with great pomp and splendour we (Kait, Joe, myself and our new roommate Kiki who is - get this - from Chichester! YAAAY Engerlaaand Engleraaand, more to the point South of England!) headed out to The Olive Branch in the West Village, for some deeelish Meditarranean food. Except for Kait's nachos, not remotely mediatarranean but very tasty-looking. We then headed to famed jazz club Fat Cat to take in some bosa nova and schmooze with our fellow Loftstelites who were already there. Well, it was cool once we were in, very big, the band tuning up...for about 10 minutes. It all went a bit wrong when me and Kait got kicked out for underage drinking. We hadn't even got to the end of one half pint beer between us when a man with an earpiece appeared at her shoulder saying into his walkie-talkie 'I have one and two.' And then, to us - 'You're gonna have to come with me ladies'
Like the mob or something! We passed 2 more guys on the way out all communicating with their earpieces and walkie talkies and goodness knows what else...very efficient! So that was that. Back to Loftstel! I'm really glad we did this in the end because I got to try out my very special Loftstelversary treat.

Now, if you've ever seen an American teen movie, you've seen them having a house party (where the house is gigantic, the parents are out, the guests are glamorous and the neighbours don't notice the noise). At said party, there will be beer kegs, there will be punch. The receptacles out of which these beverages are enjoyed are big red cups. These red cups now have a small cult following among the British yoof, since our house parties are more like this: bring your own whatever, possibly some booze/soft drinks/snacks will be provided but maybe not, someone ends up drinking neat vodka from the bottle, that same person then cries/throws up/both, maybe there will be plastic cups provided, maybe not - if not, grab a mug cos they will go fast. We all look a mess when we arrive and more of one when we leave, and the house/garden is decimated. But we have fun! Still. The red cups are a symbol of the vast crater that lies between the English and the Stateside house party. I tried explaining this to the USA natives that live here but they weren't having any of it - mostly they thought it was funny. Luckily I am backed by fellow Euros Wave and Kiki. And so....dada da daaaaaa

My American dream is complete! Yaaaaaaaay.

That was Friday. Saturday was quiet until the evening when I went exploring in Tribeca/attempting to get lost. It's a testament to how well I've got to know Manhattan - I couldn't get lost! Damn, must go further downtown next time. Then had a really tasty pastrami sandwich - as someone said 'those Italians really know how to treat a pig'.

Sunday was spent pretty much entirely on the roof in the wind and sunshine. Well, about 4 hours anyway. Lovely lovely. Then in the evening it was a house Oscars marathon - we watched from 6pm, when the arrivals started. Then the red carpet, then the ceremony. (I had to break halfway through to cook and eat pasta). It was entertaining in that schmaltzy 'it's the Oscars, be entertained' way, though nothing spectacular. Best bit of course - Colin Firth winning Best Actor, and his speech was really good too. The best speeches tend to be given by the crew-type people or design, behind the scenes people. The actors who recieve awards tend to just sound luvvy and media trained. When it's coming from the sound designer who isn't a glitzy star he's just a regular guy with a lot of skill at his job, the speech is often more heartfelt. But Mr. Firths was great. I love him!

And then there was wandering, puppies, food, fire escape, lots of other lovely things...and today there may be flexibility class, depending on the old knees. Which are ok today but I never know - they have developed random pain spasms, right in the front of my kneecaps or just on the inside of my kneecaps. Bizarre/annoying/ow. Also a bloody mosquito bit me. Grr.......time for beans on toast, that's right, beans on English muffin toast no less. Rule Britannia!

Peace and lovexxxxxxxxxxx

Quote

"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music-the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself."
Henry Miller

From my bed of pain...

I have a cold. It's a humdinger. I have armed myself with anti-viral tissues, hand sanitiser, lemons, honey and online South Park. And I am having a sofa day.

Over the past few days I've done some lovely stuff.

I completely omitted my trip to the Empire State Building. We went on Friday. Joe's friend Andrew was visiting from Delaware so in the spirit of giving him a real New York experience, up we went. Well, first we walked around midtown for about an hour searching for food...here's the thing, midtown Manhattan on a Friday night: HEAVING with food. And yet somehow everyone ended up eating falafel and cheeseburgers from a street vendor. ???

I LOVE the ESB. The view at night is insane. Almost unreal. ESB photos here and top are courtesy of one Kait Snoddy.

Soooo is this photo - latest hair incarnation. I'm pretty happy with it:D




After the ESB we headed home and hd a nice time chilling in the kitchen. Then it was Saturday which was a pretty quiet day, just bumbling around, I wanna say we watched a movie...that's right we did, at least we attempted to watch Life of Brian. Wave, Kait, Joe and myself occupied the sofas on the first floor and got comfy. Next thing I knew it was light outside and Wave, who had been sharing my sofa, had mysteriously transformed into Joe, and there was noone else to be seen. And it had snowed again an was fffrrreeeezing out. So we did what any sensible person would do - ordered in! Breakfast to your door, oh New York I love you so. Then err...we probably went to the roof and gazed at the view (which is impossible to get tired of). Then...lor, honestly I have no idea any more what anyone did on which day. Cool things I did this week:

• Enjoyed frozen Pina Coladas mixed by Gbolahan who is the coolest person known to man.
  

• Went for pizza at a really scrummy pizza place that I forget the name of

• Walked through Central Park in the twilight

• Watched a free piano concert at Juilliard which was very cool, it was a student recital and he was playing some seriously difficult stuff (Liszt, Ravel, someone else - who says I can't be a high culture buff?)
• Went for breakfast
• Did it again
• Lay on the floor for about an hour alarming new housemates who haven't met us yet and therefore don't know what to expect
  
• Watched the sunrise from the roof twice
• Watched Wall-E
• Got a cold
• Went to Inwood Hills park with Wave and Joe
  
• Went to Madison Square Park with Wave and Kait where I read there was a light installation by Jim Campbell - it was smaller than I expected so a little disappointed, but still beautiful (not as disappointed as Kait who was expecting a band. We said 'wanna come and see pretty lights?' Apparently there is a house music group called the Pretty Lights. Yes Kait, there is a house music gig in Madison Square park, for free, at 9pm on a Tuesday night. Yes. Aaaand then ate some yummy curry.
• Went to another Juilliard recital - this time violin and cello. Didn't make it through the whole thing - this was after Inwood Hills, and we'd done a lot of walking in the cold. I was suffering from stuffy head and ouchy knees, Wave was suffering from just not feeling great and Joe was suffering from sleep deprivation/anti-Shostakovich syndrome, so we dragged ourselves home and - historic moment - all went to bed before midnight. The two biggest night owls, and Wave who is definitely in the top 10. Woohoo!

Tomorrow is Friday, and will by my one-month Loftstelversary. I have been here a month already - shit! Where does the time go! Please no more.

Brooklyn Sunrise












A happy Wave talking on Skype.









RA Kenso's way of telling us the 2nd floor shower is broken








Spot the cool kids who climbed a tree









WOOHOO we were looking for the Eagles (the bird not the band...although now I mention it, quote of the day:
'Where are you going?'
'To see the Eagles'
'Yes, the Hotel California Eagles.'
'Oh. Are they playing today?'
Ummm neeooooooo! Hahaha)




Inwood Hill park is in New York. No, wait, it's in Manhattan! It's on the same tiny island as Times Square, Madison Square Garden, the New York Times, Soho...if it weren't for the buildings just about visible in the distance, this place could be in Hampshire. Crazy.










And now my sofa day is drawing to an end...I've watched 2 movies, 4 South Parks, eaten two meals that consisted of pasta, done one awesome grocery/pharmacy shop, almost gone through one box of tissues and one bottle of hand gel, make about 80 bad 'your face' jokes. And watched the lights coming on in Manhattan - the Empire State lit up right at the top, then the rest slowly lit up too. Manhattan Illuminations. Pretty special.

And so ends my sofa day...I still feel a little like crap, but better than yesterday/this morning.

Wave et moi on the way to Madison Square Park...this girl is genius, I want to keep her.

P&Lxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Day-brighteners

Some RAD paint sculptures http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/11774/dentsu-paint-sound-sculptures.html
If movie posters told the truth: http://www.listal.com/list/m-p-t-t-t




A well-known old favourite that never fails to make me laugh: http://www.nirvani.net/misc/emergency/

Example of Lewis Carroll's smarts: http://www.futilitycloset.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/2009-05-18-square-stanza.jpg


If you ignore everything else on this page, you must watch this beautiful animation: http://vimeo.com/14803194

40 Belief-Shaking Remarks From a Ruthless Nonconformist

by David

If there’s one thing Friedrich Nietzsche did well, it’s obliterate feel-good beliefs people have about themselves. He has been criticized for being a misanthrope, a subvert, a cynic and a pessimist, but I think these assessments are off the mark. I believe he only wanted human beings to be more honest with themselves.

He did have a remarkable gift for aphorism — he once declared, “It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.” A hundred years after his death, Nietzsche retains his disturbing talent for turning a person’s worldview upside-down with one jarring remark.

Even today his words remain controversial. They hit nerves. Most of his views are completely at odds with the status quo.

Here are 40 unsympathetic statements from the man himself. Many you’ll agree with. Others you will resist, but these are the ones to pay the most attention to — your beliefs are being challenged. It’s either an opportunity to grow, or to insist that you already know better. If any of them hit a nerve in you, ask yourself why.

***

1. People who have given us their complete confidence believe that they have a right to ours. The inference is false, a gift confers no rights.

2. He that humbleth himself wishes to be exalted.

3. The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.

4. There are no facts, only interpretations.

5. Morality is but the herd-instinct in the individual.

6. No one talks more passionately about his rights than he who in the depths of his soul doubts whether he has any.

7. Without music, life would be a mistake.

8. Anyone who has declared someone else to be an idiot, a bad apple, is annoyed when it turns out in the end that he isn’t.

9. In large states public education will always be mediocre, for the same reason that in large kitchens the cooking is usually bad.

10. The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.

11. A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.

12. We often refuse to accept an idea merely because the way in which it has been expressed is unsympathetic to us.

13. No victor believes in chance.

14. Convictions are more dangerous foes of truth than lies.

15. Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.

16. It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.

17. The essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude.

18. The future influences the present just as much as the past.

19. The most common lie is that which one tells himself; lying to others is relatively an exception.

20. I counsel you, my friends: Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful.

21. Rejoicing in our joy, not suffering over our suffering, is what makes someone a friend.

22. God is a thought who makes crooked all that is straight.

23. Success has always been a great liar.

24. Nothing on earth consumes a man more quickly than the passion of resentment.

25. What do you regard as most humane? To spare someone shame.

26. Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil.

27. When a hundred men stand together, each of them loses his mind and gets another one.

28. When one has a great deal to put into it a day has a hundred pockets.

29. Whoever despises himself nonetheless respects himself as one who despises.

30. All things are subject to interpretation. Whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.

31. What is good? All that heightens the feeling of power, the will to power, power itself. What is bad? All that is born of weakness. What is happiness? The feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome.

32. Fear is the mother of morality.

33. A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies.

34. Everyone who has ever built anywhere a new heaven first found the power thereto in his own hell.

35. There is more wisdom in your body than in your deepest philosophy.

36. The mother of excess is not joy but joylessness.

37. The Kingdom of Heaven is a condition of the heart — not something that comes upon the earth or after death.

38. What is the mark of liberation? No longer being ashamed in front of oneself.

39. Glance into the world just as though time were gone: and everything crooked will become straight to you.

40. We should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.

One of my new favourite artists, Lissie, covers 'Pursuit of Happiness' by Kid Cudi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQMJCOT2wlQ&feature=relmfu

That's all, folks

Wreathed in smiles

Sunday Sunday

Went to the roof first thing in the morning to sing along loudly to my iPod - only place you can do that except in the shower, and people were sleeping still so didn't want to do that!

Went for cinnamon raisin bagels with cream cheese and coffee, alllll free, with the wonderful Wave and Adam. Made lots of plans. 'We are so homeless'

Read a comment that has really made me laugh nd I wholeheartedly agree!

My hair is frickin raaaad.

TTFN!xxxxxx