Beethoven's belated 250th birthday celebrations 1770—1827 In the disco Sometime during the gogo-booted, bell-bottomed, maxi-dressed, mirror-balled, shag-carpeted, non-manscaped harvest-gold wasteland that was the seventies, someone took the first few bars of Beethoven's fifth symphony, set them to a disco beat and called it "A Fifth of Beethoven." A fifth. A mickey. Something to slip into … Continue reading “…Gagged and Bound and Flogged with Chords of Joy…”
Category: biography
Useless Knowledge
countess × (x²) ≤ a father's love ÷ empty days in a stately home, where x = ∬ {the latest hat from Paris} Introduction In her final work, "Dark Age Ahead," the great Jane Jacobs lamented the rise of what she called "credentialing vs. education." In this model a university degree is now considered necessary … Continue reading Useless Knowledge
My bedroom is a portal to Hell +PLUS+ Carole King has much to answer for
Welcome, campers, to my first official blog post of 2016, and I have to say, I'm absolutely choughed (rhymes with "choughed") that so many thousands of you have written to me care of 392 Sherbourne, my squalid Toronto basement-in-the-sky, thanking me for my online efforts over the past year and a half. Actually that's a blatant lie, no one … Continue reading My bedroom is a portal to Hell +PLUS+ Carole King has much to answer for
Done Done Done! PLUS: “The Kytt-yger!” + Fun Facts About Literary Icons #14
Never forget how good I am to you. Deal? First off, let this be my official announcement: There's an idée fixe that's been taking up WAY too much of my mental real estate. So, to make way for more positive, healing thoughts, let me say that I am DONE DONE DONE with posting my - … Continue reading Done Done Done! PLUS: “The Kytt-yger!” + Fun Facts About Literary Icons #14
Puttin’ the Moves on Pride
Here in Toronto, the City Without A Soul, where the terrible WAR ON CARS rages unabated - at least, according to the Neanderthals from the 905, who drink petroleum for breakfast and, although unable to cope with words greater than one syllable or concepts greater than one person, think nothing of simultaneously texting, reading the National … Continue reading Puttin’ the Moves on Pride
In which I can’t think of anything to write so I spin my wheels by spouting off about something, like, totally?!? random?!??
Dorothy Parker (1893-1967): 'If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.' Fun Facts about Dorothy Parker For those of you for whom history begins with the appearance of Lady Gaga, allow me to explain - and please, do continue texting in the meantime, that's so … Continue reading In which I can’t think of anything to write so I spin my wheels by spouting off about something, like, totally?!? random?!??
Slight blip in my Neo-Paleo/Vegan high-fat/low-carb combo diet.
Enjoying my new diet: Neo-Paleolithic high-fat in the morning, low-carb/vegan in the afternoon. I figure combining them will have an exponential effect on my weight loss (I need to lose the adipose tissue around my upper lip before I look good in that jersey number). For lunch I enjoy hearty Italian sausage on fried bread … Continue reading Slight blip in my Neo-Paleo/Vegan high-fat/low-carb combo diet.
You say Inès, I say Loulou
Yippee! A new book is out on Loulou de la Falaise, muse to YSL ("Muse"? When did we stop using "Hag"?). On the back cover are several comments, including one by Inès de la Fressange. Which got me thinking. FASHION MAVEN CORNERwith David de la Roddis 1. Inès de la Fressange is just Loulou … Continue reading You say Inès, I say Loulou