A Carly-a-thon this week as she has dominated my senses since I started to read her book (see number 2). 2 boys in the trees
Previously, I've enjoyed Carly Simon's music and blog, and now I'm nearing the end of her autobiography. She's brutally honest with herself - a biography would have been much kinder on her. 3 The Simon sisters
Lucy, Carly and Joey
The book starts with her home life with her sisters and parents. This is a great picture , taken by their father - Richard, of the three sisters (a brother also came along after Carly). 4 Anticipation 5 Carly and James Overtime:You're So Vain (the biggie) According to Carly, not about anyone in particular but the speculation goes on. My bet would be on Warren Beatty.
This week we returned to live in New Zealand (above picture is pretty much the first thing you see as you arrive at Auckland Airport) so my senses have been filled with familiar sights and smells and sounds. New Zealand life is a lot more relaxed than the UK. A lot more! 2 North Hollywood On the way home we stopped off in North Hollywood to visit with our eldest daughter. Noho has its own feel. Which we really liked btw. The smells are interesting for a start, with cannabis being legal.
While there I visited downtown and Amoeba Music. Right by the CNN building and Sunset Blvd. The biggest independent music store apparently. Luvverly! 3 John and Yoko's room
Baby, you're a rich man: exploiting a moment part 9 - Joko's honeymoon suite at the Amsterdam Hilton has been turned into a weird kind of corporate shrine. Go look. 4 Jacinda-mania part two
I loved this article about our PM which appeared in The Guardian before we left the UK. I read it out to my wife and got quite emotional. 5 Great advice I've been chain reading books of late. This is great advice from Austin:
My last book was The Beatles On The Roof - excellent on the lead up to the roof session in January 1969 with great attention to detail.
I've stood on the footpath below and gazed up and wondered and this book fills in the gaps. Overtime:In praise of WS Merwin (may he rest in peace)
After ditching the James Patterson novel (what was I thinking?), I've been reading Viv Albertine's Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys. Required reading for everyone on the planet! 2 John andYoko Fantastic to read that Viv was and is a big John and Yoko fan. Yoko has written many great female-centric songs (Women Power belowand others) but in a week that had International Women's day, I've gone for Women Is The Nigger Of The World (even though it cuts off before the end of the song - the message is still relevant!) 3 Yoko We didn't hear much from Yoko in the above clip, so here she is on her own...
4 Safety cycles Did not realise the power that safe movement had for women.
Records are not like books - getting regularly updated with new covers to tempt the punters, but there are exceptions - especially if they are released in different countries via different record companies. I bought the American yellow ABC-Dunhill version in NZ way back in time and then lusted after Europe's blue EMI-Stateside version for many years. So when I spotted a mint copy in Chaldon Books and Records for 5 quid... I hadn't realised that the blue version was both a photo (the blue tinged cityscape) and a painting (inside the Easy Rider letters), I'd always believed the whole thing was a photo. It's a gorgeous cover! 2 Eric Idle
I've started this one this week, so I'll finish: LOL on each page for a start but gets bogged down in name checking all the parties and all the famous (yawn) friends! Still - there's The Rutles stories and the George pictures to keen me interested until the end.
3 Seth on feeling incompetent
At some point, grown ups get tired of the feeling that accompanies growth and learning.
We start calling that feeling, “incompetence.”
We’re not good at the new software, we resist a brainstorming session for a new way to solve a problem, we never did bother to learn to juggle…
Not because we don’t want the outcomes, but because the journey promises to be difficult. Difficult in the sense that we’ll feel incompetent.
Which accompanies all growth.
First we realize something can be done.
Then we realize we can’t do it.
And finally, we get better at it.
It’s the second step that messes with us.
If you care enough to make a difference, if you care enough to get better–you should care enough to experience incompetence again.
Normal objects reimagined (thanks to JW for the alert) Overtime Ballad Of Easy Rider We started here, so seems a good idea to end here. The lyrics are very apt for me at the moment:
The river flows It flows to the sea Wherever that river goes That's where I want to be
Flow, river flow Let your waters wash down Take me from this road To some other town
