Madame says: THE DIRTY SINK
The Beat party after The Runaways screening last night served tequila, beer and rock n roll in endless supply. Today Is Boring created an amazing film montage especially for the night which featured The Runaways (of course), Iggy, The Velvets, Little Richard, Nick Cave, Warhol superstars…oh, endless onstage rock legendary-ness and backstage casualties alongside Hanna Hanra and the DJs (I was desperately trying not to appear to be looking for my appearance, so much so that I never saw it!). Jack’s going to hate this picture but I managed to delete my last few frames and the Owens has to be featured with Siouxsie underneath…
Cathartic rock-letting is something I strongly recommend and I feel very Zen today. Niiiiiiice.
Madame says: PAUL FRECKER AT THE NPG (NO LESS)
As a companion to the Camille Silvy exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery, Paul Frecker gave a talk today about some of Silvy’s more ‘obscure’ sitters. Silvy was a French photographer who ran a successful studio in London in the 1860′s and Paul is one of the world’s 3 experts on Silvy and has the largest collection of his portraits which you can have a look at on his website.
That all said, readers of this blog will have enjoyed his contributions on the subject of photography, plus he’s practically family being godfather and “santa- claus gymwise” (their new name for him!) to the twins. So I was proudly beaming at him from the front of the theatre whilst trying to control my butterflies on his behalf! Needn’t have worried though, Paul naturally has a voice that’s PERFECT for public speaking, ran us through a rogues/aristocrats/adulterers/cross-dressers gallery of Victorian characters, with some brilliant comic timing might I add! They even had to call the Q & A at the end to a halt since time had run out! Not bad eh?
And, more as an example of Paul’s commitment to the artist than an excuse for a gratuitous tit shot, I made him expose himself for this blog. Yes, that’s Silvy’s logo encircling his right nipple.
I rest my case.
Madame says: IS THAT ALL THERE IS?
Trousers, shirts, socks, ties and jumpers all ready on the radiator.
I always come over a bit Dusty Springfield on the last night of the summer holiday….
Madame says: CLARK ART
Even though I was supposed to be wrestling with camouflage fabric, making the boys duvet covers yesterday, there was no way I was going to miss Michael Clark and company + 75 untrained dancers performing at ‘my’ local Tate!
What a wonderful experience. Something about the architecture and scale of the Turbine Hall, the stirling efforts of the non-dancers, the Bowie played loud in the space and our closeness and involvement with the action meant that I was rivetted and excited throughout.
The ‘real’ dancers managed to keep the momentum and perform alongside the beginners without overshadowing them, quite an achievement. Even in the front row of a theatre, I’ve never been as close to the dancers before and this also gave a sense of privelege as they literally ran through and brushed against the audience on their way to the floor.
Spectacular.
Madame says: I LOVE ROCK N ROLL
Looking very much forward to DJing after The Beat present the UK premiere of The Runaways on Thursday night!
Talking of grrrrl drummers, Thrush Metal are rumoured to be playing a live set! Excited is slightly underplaying my feelings on the subject.
Ladies Night. Oh yeah.
Madame says: FLORRIE AND ‘BEING RICHARD’
Ponystep‘s Birthday/Florrie/Bank Holiday bonanza was fashion sardines last night!!!! Florrie‘s first ever performance was a raging success, she was READY to within an inch of her life, with a slick black and white backdrop film of her all Ellen von-Unworth-ed in leopard print and blond curls, to contrast with the low pony tail-ed, beatnik/mod(el) she worked on stage. Then she got behind the drumkit. LOVE a female drummer!
In other news, a bunch of us saw fit to ‘become’ the birthday boy and file on stage introduced as ‘The Mortimers’ in honour of Richard’s special day. In a shoddy, unrehearsed shambles, Jonny Woo introduced Mortimer after Mortimer and we minced about to ‘Vogue’ then fell on top of the drumkit in a Mortimers domino effect! But it was all done with heart.
Madame says: ORIGINAL PUNK
Igor Stravinsky had the music world in an uproar in 1913 when he premiered The Rite of Spring in Paris. In fact, so split was the reaction to the piece that it caused an actual riot. Stravinsky was a composer who pushed the boundaries of his art and was seen as a revolutionary, collaborating with other ground-breaking visual artists such as Picasso and Cocteau and changing the landscape of music forever.
I went with James to see Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at Glyndebourne last night, which would have been an exciting enough prospect but the sets were by David Hockney!!!!!!!!!!! Double whammy of a treat for eyes and ears!
I love Hockney. The lightness of his pen in the limited palette of black, blue, green and red and crosshatching style in contrast with the dark subject matter of the doomed Tom Rakewell made the experience so exciting as the story became more bleak and tragic and the sets more exquisitely realised.
The obsession with money and celebrity were as destructive in Hogarth’s time (his series of paintings of the same name were the inspiration for the opera) as they are today, in fact it is a surprisingly modern and thought-provoking fable of vice leading to ultimate destruction.
Add to that the controlled wilderness of the grounds of Glyndebourne in the rain, with even a sneaky little Henry Moore amongst the tropical undergrowth, some exquisite eats, and you’ve got yourself a truly special treat.
Thanks James x
Madame says: R.I.P. TOLERANCE
Watch this video. Illamasqua and the Sophie Lancaster Foundation want to raise awareness, especially amongst young people in educating them about intolerance.
Sophie Lancaster and her boyfriend were kicked and beaten in “a sustained attack during the course of which the pair received serious head injuries and their faces were so swollen we could not ascertain which one was female and which one was male,” according to police. After surviving in a coma on a life support machine Sophie died. The only ‘reason’ for the attack was the fact that the pair were goths.
The fact that their murderers were aged between 15 and 17 and attacked in a pack and even boasted to friends about what they had done is a chilling fact. You hear horrific stories of stonings, mutilation and worse from around the world, where cultural differences are given as an excuse or to offer some kind of explanation. But this is a story from your backyard. This is the UK folks. And intolerance is alive and well and will not go away on its own. We make our children. Difference and individuality should be celebrated, not kicked to death.
Madame says: EROTIC AT THE BARBICAN
Liza has composed a piece of music which will be played at the Erotic party, part of the Surrealism exhibition at the Barbican this Thursday night. Created using isochronic tones, with vocal effects courtesy of Viktoria Modesta, it’s an unsettling piece, a teaser of which you can hear above.
Johnny Blue Eyes (see above, as ‘Clowny’), Ryan Styles, La John Joseph, The Readers, Catherine Maffioletti, and a whole lot of erotic extras have a delightfully debauched evening’s entertainment lined up…I’m not giving anything away since I’m writing this before the watershed and I think the element of surprise will make it more fun!
Madame says: THOROUGHLY MODERN POP STAR
When Bishi showed me the “little project” she’s been working on, a collaboration between Bishi, Ocar Sol, Neil Kaczor and Matthew Hardern, I wasn’t surprised to see her embracing so many art forms in this audio visual interactive experience, for she’s a truly inquisitive artist.
The piece manages to merge music, art, fashion and performance, deconstructing Bishi’s song Ride The Tiger, about the goddess Kali, and allowing her to trigger the audio and visual presets from sensors strategically placed about her body, and the visuals in turn are affected by the velocity and style of singing happening in real time. The catsuit is by Nicholas Immaculate and is so delicate it needs to be remade for each performance – Bishi asked for Hindu meets Tron, and I bet that’s the first time those two influences have inspired a onesy! There’s a really good ‘how we did this’ video on vimeo if you’re interested, or just enjoy the filmed performance above.
As much as I love Bishi as a shiny, beautiful pop star, I LOVE her brain. I’m all for terrifying intellect and thinkyness in my pop stars! Sadly rare, however…
