In July my family went on a huge trip to the South of France, where I had never been. Before joining them, I flew to Paris and spent a jetlagged day and evening there before getting on the TGV with Gael to go to Avignon. Of course our city wanderings took us to Belleville, a neighborhood that has excited and intrigued me since I first set foot in it. To me it seems more “real,” more gritty, less perfect (shall we say, because it’s more working class) than the sparkling neighborhoods of central and western Paris. I’m not the only one who thinks this though, as Belleville is gentrifying rapidly, especially the street in this picture.
Bodies of Water for Venuszine
In between all my travels and Brooklyn fun this summer, I managed to review the Bodies of Water show (which you can read here) at Mercury Lounge for venuszine.com. I really enjoy the opportunity to go to a show and really think about it critically, as well as enjoy it as a spectator. Please check it out! I’ll be writing more on my travels in just a moment…
Book Review: Riot Grrrl
Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now! by Nadine Monem
My review
rating: 2 of 5 stars
Like the contributors to this book remind their readers, there is no official historian of Riot Grrrl and no one way to tell the story. While I appreciated the authors’ interest in personal voice, I felt that like so many other books that have tried to document an underground phenomenon (I’m thinking of “A Girl’s Guide to Taking Over the World” here), this book did not live up to its potential. I appreciated the British perspective, as I learned a lot about British bands and Grrrl culture I only had heard a little about. However, sometimes the essays were too personal. For example, one author repeatedly quoted her own writing as a source. Other chapters tended towards the long-winded sentences of an undergraduate essay. Throughout the book there were large historical gaps: writers tended to skip the years from 1995 to 2000. The story seemed to read,”There was Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear, then they broke up, Sleater-Kinney didn’t really matter, then there was Lady Fest and the Gossip, who are the ultimate Riot Grrrl band.” For me (and this is MY personal experience), the mid-to-late 1990’s and early 2000’s were a hive of Riot-Grrrl activity in the United States, including zines, Yo-Yo-A-Go-Go, the Bay Area Girl Convention, and the explosion of zine related gatherings, Rock Camp for Girls, and yes, Ladyfest. These things are barely, if at all, mentioned in the book.
Overall, the book suffered from sloppy copy editing and lack of fact checking. Zine and film names were misspelled, and typos such as “on” for “of” seemed like a rash throughout the text. It seemed like the authors of different chapters did not consult with each other or read each other’s work. As a result, the same story of Kathleen Hanna and the beginnings of Riot Grrrl were repeated throughout.
It’s true that no one book will do Riot Grrrl justice, but I had hopes that when there was an opportunity for part of the story to be told it would be done so with greater accuracy, clarity, and thus pack a greater historical and literary punch.
My Bloody Valentine Reviews and more…
Since coming home from my whirlwind trip to London, Glasgow and Edinburgh I’ve been writing up a storm. The trip to Glasgow originally involved from buying tickets to see My Bloody Valentine there and then planning everything else. The UK was fantastic, but so fantastically expensive we could barely afford to eat beans and rice. Thankfully, the band was great and you can read the review I wrote for Venus here. Shortly after arriving back at home I went to see the Watson Twins at Music Hall of Williamsburg and wrote another review here. Whew! See more images on my flickr stream.
Flat White, Soho, London
Fueling my need for coffee, this was my first stop in London. The staff were super nice and they were even playing My Bloody Valentine when I walked in. Keight had recommended it and I was thankful for a good, independent coffee shop to visit in Starbucks land (I think there’s even more Starbucks in London than in NYC!). In case you were wondering what a Flat White is, Keight looked it up:
“i had to look it up…
a flat white and a latte is almost exactly the same thing, generally same 1/3 espresso to 2/3 milk ratio, but a flat white doesn’t include much of the foamy milk at the top (either it’s held back or mixed in with the rest of the milk, descriptions conflict on this detail). hence the “flat.”
as some dude stated on the coffeesnob forum:
“So if a flat white is a latte without 10mm of ‘more aerated’ textured milk in it, what it a long black with a dash of milk?
Lets face it, most cafes would not produce a discernably different product if you asked for both, other that being served in a glass and a cup.
… it’s a subtle distinction.”
Thanks Keight!
Baby J Update
For those of you who are so happy for Erin and Daniel, they’ve created a blog for new son Isaac Seth. Oh, so great. You can follow the details of his life here: http://isaac.jurnove.net/
Summer Reading: The Night Watch
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
I found this on the remainder table at St. Marks Books and picked up because I am always searching for a good novel. I know it’s a piece of period fiction, but I really enjoyed this book. I think Sarah Waters captures the mood and atmosphere of London during the Blitz and right after WWII really well. Her characters are engaging and intriguing and I am still thinking about them after finishing the book. Usually I find books that go backwards in time frustrating, but it works for this novel (which starts in 1948 and finishes in 1941) because it turns the reader into a detective, assembling clues about the characters past and leading to some “ah ha!” moments. This is a great read while traveling, and I just happened to be in London while I read it.
Welcome Baby J! Goodbye Jennifer K!
Yesterday, while I was on my way to the Ladytron show, Baby J aka Isaac Seth, was born to parents Erin and Daniel! So exciting. Here is Erin about a month ago at my birthday party (drinking Sorrel juice) with Jennifer K, who is sadly about to head back to Austin after a few months of too-short tenure in NYC. Congratulations Erin and Daniel! We’ll miss you Jennifer!
Ladytron @ Terminal Five
While I’m not 100% sure that their live show adds to my appreciation of their albums, I loved seeing Ladytron live again on tour supporting their new album. While the vocals definitely benefit from album production and the sound seemed to worsen throughout the show, I am a sucker for their dark, high energy synth pop complete with deadpan delivery. At the end of the show after “Destroy everything you touch” there was explosion of confetti which showered the crowd. For a band so cold it was quite a burst of exuberance.
Killerfemme 