and in New York...

...Nick Cave was playing with the Dirty Three at the ATP Festival.



Oh my word.

I've moved

to LONDON.

So far, my explorations have been to:

Portobello Road antiques market



The whole time I was thinking, Hugh Grant, where is High Grant, is he hiding amongst all these Americans?

Whilst the houses are clearly gorgeous, I did wonder why anyone would wish to live on that particular street, and you would be mobbed by tourists everyday.

I can definitely tell the difference between East and West London. It's a territorial thing. As I got back on the Central line to take me home, I walked for the Eastbound platform. I thought, yes, East, people are more sensible there. It is a place where 4 toilet rolls cost £1.30, which is robbery enough, not £1.80, like in West London. In West London, people are swimming in money, it comes out of their noses.

I've also been to the Whitechapel art gallery, which I thought was wonderful, especially as it was free.

They had this exhibition on about Picasso's Guernica, by a Polish artist called Goshka Macuga. It was all about how the tapestry in the UN HQ in New York was concealed during a speech Colin Powell made in support of the Irag war. Great.

Ialso enjoyed their exhibit of Elizabeth Peyton's work, although it was much further from genuis. How hard is it to paint a picture of Pete Doherty looking pensive? I'm not an art brain of course, and the pop culture value was fun. She had Noel and Liam, Bowie and Jarvis. I wonder what Jarvis himself would think of it.

Contractual obligations

Last night, I made a one off trip to the nightclub 5th avenue, Manchester. It was so very cool when I was 18, but as I am now 20, it makes me feel old, and badly dressed.

Anyhow, after passing the large hoard of overweight bouncers, I was signalled over to one of them - he had a clipboard. Clipboard mafia was my instant thought - I do not want to take part in any survey about what I think of the 5th ave experience. I think it's pretty poor to be honest and the bouncers at that club are by far some of the most obnoxious and jumped up in town. But there was no survey to complete, instead, they wanted me to sign a contract, accepting 'liability' for any damage done to my feet as a result of my 'inappropriate footwear'. Apparently, there have been a number of incidents where stilettoed girls have crucified sandal wearing ladies with their points and 'ripped their toes off'.

FFS.

I think the words of Peter Andre are appropriate here, this is insania.

The Observer

David Mitchell is right about everything.


If I end up bumping into him in the pub, it will be worth moving to London.

Coco avant Chanel

Worth a fiver to see it, but it didn't need to be as long as it was. If you're not interested in clothes, then I would wait until it comes on television.

Underage and Pregnant

This show is very popular on iPlayer at the moment and I can see why. It is BBC3 at its best - looking into the cracks of screwed up Britain, finding something really troublesome and worrying, and not asking 'why are these girls doing this?' but shoving it in their face and blaming them for their ruined childhoods.

Good to watch, though.

In memory

I was never an avid reader, but I do think its' demise is sad. Nobody likes music anymore, they just like what's cool. It's not about dithering over the words any more.

Nothing good makes money any more. If we don't want to wake in a world full of Tesco furniture, reading the Amazon magazine, then we should start supporting independent ventures, and businesses, now.

Johnny Depp

I recently went to see Public Enemies, the new Hollywood film based on the life of John Dillinger. Dillinger was a bank robber operating big jobs during the Great Depression, and managed to create a image for himself as a hero of the people (or so is the case according to the film, and wikipedia).

Johnny Depp stars and it's worth watching just for his performance, which is reminiscent of his role in Blow. He can definitely make shooting people and cocaine addiction look appealing.

You are not a vegetarian

Just an image.

"It lives in your heart"

Sebastian Faulks - Human Traces

An Oxfam books buy for me. I'd say my buying experience was rather like my experience reading the book. I sorted of wanted it/liked it, but was constantly wondering/considering something better.

Kisses

This Irish film is on now at the Manchester Cornerhouse.

The focus is child abuse on a poverty stricken estate in Ireland, and the victims run away to Dublin for some fun and end up living on the streets, which turns out to be worse. The ending is a huge let down, as they simply return home. That's it.

It bears a strong resemblance to Anne Enright's The Gathering: Ireland, alcoholism, child abuse, violence and poverty.

Primavera Sound 2009

if only I had made it there.

Summertime

I wish I was at the Venice Biennale.



I must admit, I saw this image, and thought of one thing: Michael Barrymore.



Also:
- The centrepice of the Sunday Times today was an exposition on the life of Britney Spears. You know that's what those bankers like to read when they're in bed.

The Unloved

Samantha Morton's semi biographical television film on growing up in an institution. Set in Nottingham, this is a bleak picture of the town. It is a bleak picture of the care system of course, but I think the location is important.

Expenses scandal

I bought the Telegraph today.

For the first time. It will be the last too. Telegraph readers are clearly people with time, and space, on their hands. It's just so impractical. If you can't read it on the bus, it's not worth reading.