The joy of music

Y'know when you hear a song performed so amazingly that it's like discovering music all over again? I love that feeling.

My latest moment like that was in the car the other night listening to Radio 2. They played a live version of Stop by Joe Bonamassa and I sat in the dark in the driveway until the whole song had finished.



I've had the pleasure of seeing Joe and his band perform live. Bizarrely it was on a night in Morecambe when the whole sky seemed to empty itself upon our heads as we walked from the hotel to the gig venue. We arrived like wet rats, dropped as much dripping wet clothing to the floor as was considered appropriate and gloried at the beautiful music gliding through the darkened venue. ...and at the end Heather and I scrambled towards the front to get a view of the incredibly talented and yummy drummer cos we're like that.

Highly recommended.

Richard Becknsale

Richard understandably being pounced upon in The Lovers film.

Thanks to the demise of geocities I have lost many of my ancient websites. Seeing as so many people were using the Richard Beckinsale one for reference I've re-launched it here. No fancy bits, just lots of the info I've collected together on his career in film, television and the theatre, a bit of his poetry... and some lovely photos.

So the question now is... are these photos a way to entice you into the website or is the website just an excuse for me to post some gratuitous Beckinsale pics?

Richard on the stage in Funny Peculiar. Yes, some lucky so and sos got to seem him live on stage draped precariously in a dressing gown.

A still from the film Rentadick. No, it's not like that despite the name and the image. Nor is the TV series or film of The Lovers. Richard's a very serious actor I'll have you know.

...well, okay, maybe not that serious.

Anyway, for those of you who've managed to miss Richard all together (this being all the non-Brits I imagine. In the UK we're all raised on Richard's comedy TV shows), he's the late great father of kate Beckinsale who sadly died very young in the midst of a most promising career.

For more info... check out the website. It's very basic as it was one of my first creations, but it's informative.

Rock Couture vs Juicy Couture

This review of the newest Juicy perfume is just too funny, words and video:
Juicy Couture Couture Couture

I have realised that maybe I have to cut JC a teensy bit of slack in that it's not designed for me, it's designed for spoilt squealing American teenage girls. Smashing Grandpa is for me. It's designed for for spoilt shrieking rock'n'roll women of decadent tendancies. Juicy is for the teens who don't have an edge yet and I pray that they will grow up and discover true rock'n'roll and also learn that drawing graffiti on portraits of Queen Elizabeth I is just plain WRONG!

Alas Smashing Grandpa is worn by "Posh Spice" who I have always been growly about for not actually being the slightest bit posh. And I'm still mourning their loss of Leslie Gardner and searching in vain for an alternative "slogan tee" outlet.

Gardner's new stuff for One World still has the beautiful shapes but the edge and wit has gone to be replaced by mumsy floweriness. Nauseated. :( I suppose she's just grown up. I refuse to grow up and still want clothes designed by the Westwood adoring designer for New York's glam rock scene who read Miss Pamela's groupie memoir and moved to California "to meet bands" and started the Smashing Grandpa line while she was there. Alas One World Apparel just pales into insignificance.

And yes, I've already tried the JCDC tees with the cute drumkit logo on the back... and I'm bored already. Smashing Granpa did wit, beauty, decadent elegance and rock'n'roll ege all in one. And the shirts often had puffed sleeves, and subtle naughtiness that I could wear in front of my dad without him noticing. I mourn them heavily.

The stupid fur wearing Olsen Twins have moved seamlessly from Smashing Grandpa to Juicy Couture, growing out of edge and into fluff. Surely that's backwards. Are they getting younger as they get older?

I wonder if I'm one of Smashing Grandpa's most devoted followers? Anyone who's seen into my vast t-shirt drawer would certainly testify that I'm a contender. For those who haven't, here's a bit of an idea.

Here I am with the lovely Chloe (lead singer of The Handcuffs, check them out, they ROCK) in one of my many Smashing Grandpa jackets. They're uber comfy, have puffed sleeves, are flatteringly corset shaped for girlies like myself who have curves (how difficult is it to design clothing for women with a waistline vastly smaller than their hips, bum and chest, I mean really?! Come on fashion designers, get with it!) and they have fab things on the back of them. My two pink ones (yes, two) have butterflies on the back. They're not the same. One butterfly is blue, the other is black. Trust me, I needed both. I wear them a lot. One day I will have worn them all out and I shall cry. I also have them in black, olive, green, purple and possibly some other colours that I've forgotten about. The others have art nouveau godesses or rock'n'roll crests on the back. They're lovely. I even used to wear the appropriately coloured ones when working for the National Trust so that I could look lovely in the middle of the woods. Everyone else looked appropriate for being in the middle of the woods. I had pink walking boots, skinny fit jeans and a corset shaped jacket with a goddess on the back of it... and crazy pink eye-make-up. Who says the National Trust is old fashioned?! Ha!

My fellow groupie soul sisters in The BBAs all wear Smashing Grandpa, and Penny raided my stuff when she came to visit so here she is in a few more of mine:

As a side note she also looked totally gorgeous in some of my Dollyrockers collection:
The lace dress looked so stunning on her that I sent her home with it.

BBAs obviously favour the line Leslie Gardner launched inspired by Miss Pamela, so here's just a teeny tiny few of those from my collection:

Admittedly, it looks sooo much better on John Taylor, but then it would. ;) He's also cheating by accessorising with a Miss Pamela. And fnally a rare one.. of me and my daddy. I'm wearing the fab "Dancing with tears in my eyes" shirt which is probably my most worn Smashing Grandpa shirt.

Mother took the picture. She went to sit comfortably in one of the carriages while we jumped in the front to got over excited about all the controls and the fire and everything, breathing in vast lungfulls of joyous sooty, oily smoke. Dad and I like steam trains. Deal with it.

Daddy has also built himself a miniature steam engine. It works and everything, I'm so proud. I did paint a picture of him with his steam engine but he took it home before I could take a photo of it. At least he likes it I guess. Anyway, he's almost finished with his scary miniature steam lorry and the matching trailer, so I live in anticipation of more pics of his finished work.

What a doll!

Hearing of the new Barbie "Ladies Of the 80s" range I couldn't help but go and investigate. The Blondie doll really doesn't hit the spot, but the Cyndi Lauper one is verrrry cool:

While checking it out I saw what has become of poor Ken these days. He's now a Donald Trump bewigged sugar daddy with a poodle and outfits made out of furniture:

I blame the fact that he's now started hanging out with Gela and Pamela from the evil velour tracksuit manufacturers Juicy Couture. Their dolls come complete with defaced portrait of my idol, my Queen, Elizabeth Tudor. As if velour tracksuit selling dolls complete with dead-animal accessories couldn't incite my displeasure enough.

Also fell across a super scary non-Barbie issue doll of Luscious Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter. As it's based on the incredibly dishy Jason Isaacs it should look like this:

But for some unknown reason it looks like this:

*shivers* So, as far as celebrity dolls go I say go for the utterly beautiful Franklin Mint Marilyn Monroe (which is the only doll I have but sadly only with the red sparkle and pink dresses from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) or for this ultra sweet rock'n'roll pairing:

Or the ultra fab Roman Holiday doll from the Pullip range:


If I were a little girl now I'd be going crazy for the Korean Pullip dolls. They totally rock. I would have chosen this one as little girl me:

And I'd have then bought it a boy toy. Being unconventional as I am (I was utterly disgusted with the one male doll given to me for my many Sindys and Barbies - overly tanned, overly normal-formal Pilot Ken. Yuck.) I'd no doubt choose this one. Yes it's a boy doll, and ohmygod if it isn't the doll form of Nick Rhodes:

I'd buy it the Westwood-esque bondage trousers from the girl doll range as well as these outfits for gigging in:


OMG, doll with a ruff! :D I could then buy it a proper girlfriend in the form of Barbie-Meredith, both modern and 1950s versions:


Barbie Meredith would then have to wear the outfit my own childhood Perfume Pretty Barbie had because it somewhat resembles Mr Rhodes' lovely ex-wife's wedding dress:


(poor Barbie had been kidnapped by the doll form of Warren Cuccurullo in that picture so that he could take her home and have his wicked... um, tea party with her)
...meanwhile, seeing as the Durans are getting all the girls, Ken dresses up for an audition with Spandau Ballet:


I'll stop messing about now. The dolls I kept falling across while looking for the 80s Barbies were just too hilariously Duranned not to share. ...and for those who will mourn the loss of the Juicy dolls when I am Queen of the universe and ban them, fear not for Pullip have made a sort of Gela doll too which kind of rocks:

seeking pleasure, purely for the thrill

Why phenomenal musicians ever date trash that are unworthy of them and who don't appreciate them properly is beyond me. When you're that divinely artistic a soul and so many women swoon at the source of musical creativity, why settle for anything less than the perfect muse, the inspiration, the goddess?!

All this trashiness in rock'n'roll girlfriends is relatively new to me. First I discovered the Beatle girls and those Beatles had amazing taste in women. All hail the Liverpool boys for their wondrous taste and pulling power. Then I crossed to the likes of The Who where I re-discovered the likes of Groupie Queen Miss Pamela. Alas some of the choices of Duran girlfriend have left me utterly baffled in many ways but I can't put it down to there being a lack of brilliant muses in the modern age because my darling Who are still getting it right.

Mr Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (hey, when middle names are that fabulous, why not flash them around a bit?!) has in fact upgraded.

His current long term girlfriend is so phenomenal that she is not only a goddess of fashion, but she's also ousted the man himself as my preferred lyrical genius. A short while after discovering her I began to wonder if he was in fact worthy of her, not the other way around. I realise they're utterly perfect for each other.

So let me introduce you to the wonder that is Rachel Fuller. Talented pianist, voice of an angel, wit of a devil, dress sense that almost puts to shame that of her friend Jerry Hall.


...and ohmygoodness the lyrics.

Pleasure Seeker
...I am falling slowly into something safe. You are trying to hold me but I won't stay in place. And I want to be a little unkind, don't want to call you ever on time. I want to feel slightly unreal, don't want to be safe. I am seeking pleasure purely for the thrill. And I want to walk into the dark with no hand to hold, the adrenalin starts, the deeper I go the faster it flows...

Twelve Lies
...I wear this dress to impress, so keep your eyes upon me. And if you want to see what lies beneath you'll have to gaze beyond me. ...the only time you want me, the only time you hold me is when I lie. 'cause the only time you need me, the only time you love me is when I'm high.
Then we have the divinely dark lyrics of 'Into My Heart' and 'Ghost In Your Room' from her album 'Cigarettes and Housework'. Not to mention the most beautiful protrayal of love in lyrics I've ever heard:

Imperfection
...you sigh when your perfect world is less than that. Only smile when it all comes together. You cry and you try and you strive for perfection. And I think you should have another drink and let yourself go. Light a cigarette and follow the smoke. 'cause it's your imperfection that turns me on and makes me long for you. So don't hide your imperfection, it draws me in and makes me head spin...

For some insane reason she isn't world famous for being utterly phenomenal in every way, so I realise lots of people out there need to catch up on her a bit. Dive straight into the music and then check out something called In The Attic.

In The Attic was an online "TV show". Kind of like the cool evening musos version of daytime magazine shows. Hosted by Rachel and her friend Mikey in an environment reminiscent of their old attic room from times past. They showcased their own music, their humour, discussions on everything you could think of and had the most phenomenal guests who were all completely at ease.

For those of us lucky to hang around with musicians on a regular basis it was like those magical moments late at night on tour, jamming in the hotel bar and chatting about all the wonders the world holds and all the curious happenings it throws at us. It was my weekly drug out of touring season to remind me who I truly am when at my best (and worst!).

Understandably Pete quickly grew discontented with the idea of leaving this wonderful being behind when he went on tour, so In The Attic eventually went on the road with The Who doing the festival circuit and allowing more phenomenal musicians to grace Rachel and Mikey's space.

I'm sharing with you a little of the Liverpool episode of In The Attic because my beloved Charley and I were both buzzing around with the band at this gig, but hadn't met each other yet because the boys were too stupid to introduce us to each other. It features the super Shack and has a performance of Rachel's 'Imperfection' at the end of it. I defy anyone to watch her singing that and not utterly fall in love with her.



(no apologies for the little bonus footage at the end there of the lush Mr Starkey in white trousers. LOL!)

Since then Rachel has completed her amazing art installation type music project "Kew" where she lived entirely in Kew for a week, writing a song a day upon the walls of her flat, each based on a shop in Kew Village. To experiance the full wonder of the project and download the end product for free visit Week In Kew

If nothing else, go there to check out the song "Starbucks" and the photo of Rachel going for early morning coffee in her dressing gown. How cool could she possibly be?!

Work continues on the musical she is writing called Ash. The snippets I've heard so far are enchanting, beautiful and humerous. All the things I've come to expect from her. I seriously cannot wait for the chance to see the finished production.

...now that everyone's thoroughly addicted to the wonder of Miss Fuller, I suggest you go buy her album "Cigarettes and Housework" and the EP "Shine", check out the In The Attic CD/DVD set and wait with baited breath for Ash to grace the West End.

Missing A Maureen

I've just realised I've now met everyone in the wondrous Apple Boutique modelling photo apart from the most admired and beloved Maureen. *sniffles*

Joyously at ease around Cynthia, intimidated in the presance of Pattie and rather overly giddy to meet Jenny. Had I ever met Maureen I'd prolly have just cried buckets like a demented little fangirl. Then again, Mo is the one I'm most like so maybe she'd have been even easier to be around than Cynthia. I shall never know.

so easy to disturb with a thought, with a whisper

I have to share this as even my dear Charley has missed it.

The YLB range from Wallis (which I desperately need to go immerse myself in when I can get out of the north and actually try things on rather than just admiring in pictures) features one outfit in which it's creator has immitated her darling husband's early days in a most elegant fashion.

Image courtesy of the phenomenal Unofficial Yasmin site YasminLeBon.net which is well worth a lengthy visit to trawl all the fabulous images and articles.

Duran video most certainly not courtesy of Mr Rhodes who hates the picture on the wall in the video so violentely that he tries to keep the video off as many official releases as is humanly possible. I think the only time it "escaped" was on their first VHS compilation where he didn't have enough other videos to use to oust it entirely.

Phenomenal fashion courtesy of YLB for Wallis but hands off the red velvet suit in my size cos I neeeeeeeed it!

Original early 1980s Duran outfits by Kahn & Bell... hands off those in my size too, LOL!