This put a gigantic smile on my face. One of my heroes gets my other hero.
Obama on Dylan from this month's Rolling stone: (from Billy Bragg's facebook page)
"Here's what I love about Dylan: He was exactly as you'd expect he would be. He wouldn't come to the rehearsal; usually, all these guys are practicing before the set in the evening. He didn't want to take a picture with me; usually all the talent is dying to take a picture with me and Michelle before the show, but he didn't show up to that. He came in and played 'The Times They Are A-Changin'.' A beautiful rendition. The guy is so steeped in this stuff that he can just come up with some new arrangement, and the song sounds completely different. Finishes the song, steps off the stage — I'm sitting right in the front row — comes up, shakes my hand, sort of tips his head, gives me just a little grin, and then leaves. And that was it — then he left. That was our only interaction with him. And I thought: That's how you want Bob Dylan, right? You don't want him to be all cheesin' and grinnin' with you. You want him to be a little skeptical about the whole enterprise."
I've had this bubble jumper for a few years and I love it so much because it's super comfy. Little Woody Guthrie kept looking at me every time the shutter snapped and he was making me laugh. My little buddy. I'm copying him in the second photo. Shirt: Anthropologie Jumper: Loehmans Belt: Happie Loves It Shoes: Irregular Choice
This will be the last bit from my London trip. When I was there, the very first place I went to was Happie Loves It! (It was not far from our hotel.) I got two dresses which I'll be showing off in the near future. I left Happie Loves It and went over to Somerset House where Fashion Week shows were taking place. I have to say I only stood around for 5 minutes because it was loaded with papparazi and I felt like a total sleazy stalker standing around waiting for celebrities. Just didn't feel right. My most exciting fashion find was stumbling upon the "Happie Loves It" of shoes on Carnaby Street called Irregular Choice. This place blew my mind. It was my shoe heaven. I love really unique shoes, and these were reasonably priced and gorgeous. I got the pair of flats above (which are so comfy) because I'm a sucker for red and blue, and the pair below, which are titled "Beans and Toast" and have the coolest heel ever.
These also stopped my heart: (in order with most heart stopping first)
The designer is from England, but they have a store in NYC and they ship (FOR FREE) in the US!!!
I added a few new combs to my other Etsy site. (the bridal one) I recently went through the most horrible dry spell I've experienced in YEARS in terms of creativity. My trip to London seemed to have brought me back to life, and I really really hope it sticks. I am always afraid that one day my ideas will disappear for good and I'll lose my creative drive forever. I know many artists and creators fear the same. This dry spell, which lasted for about 3 months, seemed like that was it. It was scary, and hopefully over! I've since started a new drawing series, which is a project I see taking many years, so that should hold me over for a while.
After this recent trip, I can't say I disagree with Mr. Keats. Happy is England! I could be content To see no other verdure than its own; To feel no other breezes than are blown Through its tall woods with high romances blent; Yet do I sometimes feel a languishment For skies Italian, and an inward groan To sit upon an Alp as on a throne, And half forget what world or worldling meant. Happy is England, sweet her artless daughters; Enough their simple loveliness for me, Enough their whitest arms in silence clinging; Yet do I often warmly burn to see Beauties of deeper glance, and hear their singing, And float with them about the summer waters.
My favorite part of the trip was visiting the homes of my favorite writers. I saw where Virginia Woolf lived, where the Bloomsbury group met, the park they over looked, Sylvia Plath's neighborhood, and the two highlights were actually going into Charles Dickens' and John Keats' homes! Dickens' former home in Bloomsbury was restored and turned into a museum, so I was able to actually walk the sames steps Dickens walked, and see where he ate and slept and wrote. This was the house where he wrote Oliver Twist and Nicholas Nickleby!
They had these beautiful embroidered clothes in the basement of his home where the washing was done.
He had a lovely garden in the back of his home. From Dickens' place I went straight to 50 Gordon Square to see the Bloomsbury Group headquarters, where EM Forester, Lytton Strachey, John Maynard Keynes, Duncan Grant, Virginia and Leonard Woolf and Clive and Vanessa Bell met to discuss literature, art and politics. It made me long for a group of artist friends to meet up with on a regular basis. I also saw where Virginia Woolf once lived.
The highlight of the trip was probably our visit to Hamstead to see where John Keats lived. I LOVED the movie Bright Star, so I had a special connection to the Fanny Brawne/ Keats love story. This was the home where she lived with her family on one side, and Keats lived with a friend on the other side. They even had the engagement ring Keats gave to Fanny, and a pair of her sewing scissors, which was extra special because if there was one sound in the movie that stuck out in my head, it was the snipping of her scissors. Below is a photo of Keats' view out the parlor window where he spent a lot of time gazing while he was sick with tuberculosis, which eventually killed him. After we left the house we went for a walk to Hamstead Heath, where we ran around like fools acting out King Lear's rage in the heath.
I wasn't throwing gang signs in the heath...that was an F for Fanny. Oh London.
Back from London and I had the most amazing trip. D was there on business, so I sort of had the best of both worlds getting to do lots of things alone during the day and then meeting up with him in the evenings. There is a part of traveling overseas alone that I love so much. The navigating and exploring all by myself. The bonus was our evening rendez-vous, eating dinner together and talking about the day.
Each day was so full. I often started with a pain au chocolate and a decaf lattee in a REAL cup, no to-go cup nastiness. I saw a ton of art. I visited the National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, The Royal Academy of Arts, The British Museum, and my favorite, the Tate Modern. My first day there the light was gorgeous in the late afternoon, so I took a walk by the river Thames and through Trafalgar Square and did some people watching.
The food was incredible. Chicken pies, whole artichokes, pastries, pizzas, paninis, and my last meal was a beautiful traditional English breakfast.
I'll post more tomorrow about the writer's homes I visited and my incredible fashion finds. I want to go back already. I feel like I've been an unfaithful lover to my dear New York City. I had been to London twice before, but this time was different. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I didn't suffer from any jet lag this time (in spite of NO sleeping pills!! ...thank you acupuncture), and I felt good the whole trip and wasn't walking around like a zombie. Oh, and London has it all.
Oh Jarvis Cocker, how I love this song. Common People makes me think of London, being a freshman in college, bourgeoisie dorm gatherings, and serious angst.
She came from Greece, she had a thirst for knowledge She studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College That's where I caught her eye She told me that her Dad was loaded I said "In that case I'll have rum and coca-cola She said "fine" And then in 30 seconds time she said "I want to live like common people I want to do whatever common people do I want to sleep with common people I want to sleep with common people like you" Well what else could I do? I said "I'll see what I can do" I took her to a supermarket I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere so it started there I said "pretend you've got no money" but she just laughed and said "oh you're so funny" I said "Yeah Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here Are you sure you want to live like common people you want to see whatever common people see you want to sleep with common people you want to sleep with common people like me?" But she didn't understand she just smiled and held my hand Rent a flat above a shop Cut your hair and get a job Smoke some fags and play some pool Pretend you never went to school But still you'll never get it right 'cos when you're laid in bed at night watching roaches climb the wall if you called your dad he could stop it all yeah You'll never live like common people You'll never do whatever common people do You'll never fail like common people You'll never watch your life slide out of view and then dance and drink and screw because there's nothing else to do Sing along with the common people Sing along and it might just get you through Laugh along with the common people Laugh along although they're laughing at you and the stupid things that you do because you think that poor is cool Like a dog lying in a corner they will bite you and never warn you Look out they'll tear your insides out 'cos everybody hates a tourist especially one who thinks it's all such a laugh yeah and the chip stain's grease will come out in the bath You will never understand how it feels to live your life with no meaning or control and with nowhere left to go You are amazed that they exist and they burn so bright whilst you can only wonder why Rent a flat above a shop Cut your hair and get a job Smoke some fags and play some pool Pretend you never went to school But still you'll never get it right 'cause when you're laid in bed at night watching roaches climb the wall if you called your dad he could stop it all yeah You'll never live like common people You'll never do whatever common people do You'll never fail like common people You'll never watch your life slide out of view and then dance and drink and screw 'because there's nothing else to do I want to live with common people like you.....
On my last trip to London I stumbled upon the shop Happie Loves it on 37 Drury Lane in Covent Garden and have been in love with their clothes eversince! I can't wait to go back and check out some of their fall fashion.
I loved the book. I loved the movie. (I love all things Virginia Woolf.) In fact, this is the line that stood out most for me in the film and made me go back into the book to look for it.
"It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and Clarissa is still sometimes shocked, more than thirty years later, to realize that it was happiness..." page 98
On my first trip to London I truly enjoyed finding the former homes of my favorite poets and writers. On the top of my list was 23 Fitzroy Road, where both William Butler Yeats and Sylvia Plath once lived.
Here's a poem I love by Plath about becoming a mother.
Morning Song
Love set you going like a fat gold watch. The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry Took its place among the elements.
Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue. In a drafty museum, your nakedness Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.
I'm no more your mother Than the cloud that distills a mirror to reflect its own slow Effacement at the wind's hand.
All night your moth-breath Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen: A far sea moves in my ear.
One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral In my Victorian nightgown. Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square
Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try Your handful of notes; The clear vowels rise like balloons.
I'm going to be in London for a few days. I'm excited to pick up the tail end of fashion week, eat lots of fish and chips, visit museums and walk all over that gorgeous city. I have London themed posts scheduled throughout the rest of the week so stay tuned!
We went to walk around Lincoln Park and the conservatory today for a little change of scenery. We saw tons of beautiful flowers, a zebra (we peaked into the zoo), flocks of birds and duck booties.
