Cosmic Aye

I am feeling a little apprehensive at the thought of doing my first music interview, so I have been planning as much as possible to try come up with an interesting and unique way to go about this. I have premeditatively abandoned the idea altogether and pretended time will solve it. FAIL! I have preplanned my exact wording, hand gestures, vocabulary and questions intricately. EPIC FAIL. And I have thought about playing the whole oh-so-effortlessly-blaze-cool-calm-and-collected approach. TRIPLE EPIC FAIL! So what am I left with?! The thing is I am still scratching my head here! Well, there is a kinda raw red spot where the confidence in my music capabilities used to spore from. Obviously top priority is that it goes smoothly however I don't want to fall into the cracks.

This is a shameful thing to admit..... I do feel intimidated and a little 'uneducated' when it comes to something that is well... maybe considered more a 'man's job'. Now believe me when I say the feminist swimming about inside is kicking the living shit out of me as I reluctantly type this and I am not one to recoil into a stationary position of uncertainty BUT I am having a potential catastrophic moment here. I shall stand up and conquer and take this first step of my musical childhood journey and hope for the best without any epic fails. So I guess I should prepare what material I can, have a beer or two, forget about the camera (which is kinda ambitious when my other job relies on nothing less than that) and just try to have a normal conversation. Hm mm... divide and conquer!

So I am doing my first in person interview with the multi talented Cosmo Jarvis. Singer, songwriter, performer, composer and short film maker, which individually is a handful in itself, but he singlehandedly nails them all. So after my complete bait out for the past 6 hours, I am actually just going to sit back, take a breather, and just get plain ampt to see such a passionate, young, talented kid rock the fuck off that stage and get my dictionary bulging. I mean have you ever heard a song written about gay pirates. Excitement mounts! Watch this space peeps. x

Skinny Love

Right, so doors close and windows open. It is amazing what you can achieve when you put all your faith in it. We all have so much to be grateful for, health, sanity, friends and family, houses and food. It really is so easy to forget what we have to and sit back and pine and wish and wallow and complain. I think we can all agree with me here. It is easy to go about blaming and wallowing. There are people who are a lot more worse off than you and I. Message someone you love but don't talk to often, compliment a random and smile people. FOR HEAVENS SAKE SMILE! The world needs more happiness, love and light. Acknowledge and be thankful for at least one thing every day. This album For Emma, Forever Ago is sensationally enslaving. Here is a beautiful song for all the beautiful souls out there. 

Fantabulous Night to make Romance

The view from my apartment window.

Cherry Blossoms & Blue skies. Welcome, you were missed!

So we have been blessed with amazing weather in London the past couple of days. I have almost forgiven London for being so dull, lifeless and grey for most of the past few months. I have forgiven her for extending her winter solace. One beautiful day can make you forget about all the dreary ones. Your bitterness defrosts with the cold, and melts away into a happy liquid of emotions. I guess on the bright side you learn how to appreciate the beauty of the sunlight and not take any sunny day for granted. Or maybe it's the antipodean in me, being used to the constant tropical climate of eastern South Africa.

Nevertheless, I got stuck in the garden, danced, sung and have been utterly happy over and above the shitty depressive feelings I have been battling lately. So celebrating the epic full moon a few days back- as if someone had roped her closer to the earth and the intensity of sunlight- I have a happy song, a beautiful happy song. Although it's about Autumn it makes me happy and enjoy this time of year. Happy soon-to-be-spring everybody in the Northern hemisphere. x

Moondance

Well, I’ll tell you a story of whiskey and mystics and men, 
And about the believers and how the whole thing began.

First there were women and children obeying the moon,
Then daylight brought wisdom and fever and sickness too soon.

You can try to remind me instead of the other, you can.
You can help to insure that we all insecure our command.

If you don’t give a listen, I won’t try to tell your new hand.

This is it; can’t you see that we all have our ends in the band

And if all of the teachers and preachers of wealth were arraigned,
We could see quite a future for me in the literal sands.

And if all the of people could claim to inspect such regrets,
well, we’d have no forgiveness, forgetfulness, faithful remorse.

So I tell you, I tell you, I tell you we must send away
We must try to find a new answer instead of a way
-The Doors.

I imagine I am a Native American Indian riding the back of a beautiful thoroughbred white and brown horse. Galloping through the plains, as free and swift as the wind. The sun scorching down, I find a cool place to reflect. I visioned lying on the slightly damp soil, while the beautiful beast drinks from a fresh stream, the sounds of birds and the voices of the flowers on the wind. The stillness of nature and the sweet smells of the forest. I walk through the water and bath in the waterfall, nude. Leaving my clothes in a messy pile resembling the natural build up of leaves. Appreciating the immense surroundings of what God created with one breath. I take an enormous breath of fresh forest air and nearly choke on the purity of it. Humming to myself adapting the tune to the distant beating of tribe drums and harmonies. Searching my soul for my deepest desire..... *FUCK* I snap out of it when I'm nearly hit by a bus. 'THANKS' I bellow after it, somehow feeling a little better. Today was one of the most beautiful days in what seems like a lifetime of overcast, dull, lifeless monotonous grey London. I took a long walk and started daydreaming about forests and open plains and waterfalls and serenity and calm and beauty. 

Well my dream sticks with me all day and I feel like an earth child out of her comfort zone. I scrummage through my wardrobe to find what ever it is I can. Like a drug addict in a medicine cabinet discarding what doesn't calm my fix frenzy. I need to live this, I need to feel this. Too my amazement I see how many items of clothes I have that could be ideal for this scenario. Without my knowledge I have bought pieces closely resembling that of Native American Indians. Is this in my blood? Am I a bird with clipped wings in London? Is it the image of a massive eagle? Has this been brought on by what I am re-reading in Jim Morrison's autobiography? The story of the Native American's? Am I thinking too much? Ahhhh..... I dress in these clothes. My heart pounding, waiting for the fix to kick in, I flop on my bed, spread eagle, my big brimmed hat covering my eyes, fresh air coming in and my incense lit. I have my head phones on and the sounds of pipes and drums beating in my head. This culture fascinates me. I think I will be living it for a while. Maybe it's a fad or a now. But I am going to love this. I Googled a few things to see what came up and I found this INCREDIBLE Parisian fashion label called Moonchild. I want everything on it NOW. What a lovely fashion inspiration, now I can live my day dream partially everyday. Dream people! Don't forget to dream because what's in your heart is in your dreams. Live them and be truly content. Love. x

Cupcake Craze

So I never thought I would succumb to the cupcake craze that seems to have taken over the world. But alas I have and I must say firstly it is not so difficult to create art work through the means of baking and secondly I am flipping glad I did. I used the Goodtoknow website and the recipe is from Hummingbird Bakery. These beauties are delicious try them. I promise you will fall insatiably in love.

Hail Morrison

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask." 

So today I am having a completely indulgent Jim Morrison/ The Doors day. Very lyrical. Very poetical. Very intense. Very touching. Lovely honestly. 

Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free. Jim Morrison

Perfecting Prose

Dim lights, talented people, pro-dominantly red, fairy lights and candles. I started my Thursday evening attending Word is Bond and event organised by Arts University College at Bournemouth 2nd year students of the Arts Events Management course. Featuring the ingenious PIP Collective- Jodi Ann Bickley, Sabrina Mahfouz, Raymond Antrobus, Josh Idehen and Inua Ellams. Hosted by Alex Gwyther, also a part of the PiP Collective.

First to grace the stage was the lovely, slightly coy Jodi, with her Brummie accent she introduced herself through a poem. A lot of her stuff is based on love and her poem Hold Tight was a crowd favourite. She has a dream like ambiance and takes you on her journey through her carefully chosen words with out you even realising it. She is extremely captivating. The room was still, not a sound and her entrancing voice and soft nature allows you to really, truly feel everything she has written about . She makes you want to fall head-over-heels-madly-weak-in-the-knees in love. She is a very talented young lady that said however, the caliber of talent on the stage that night was really truly something special.

Sabrina Mahfouz, what can I say? I LOVE LOVE LOVE this girl. She is so in your face with regards to some of the things she talks about. She has a feminist view of things and some of her poetry really gets you in stitches. I love her poem Toilet Break where she writes about what happens in the ladies toilet. Only Sabrina can pull of using words like twat, dick, cock, fuck, 'tell me how you like to suck it', 'do you swallow?'. One thing that makes Sabrina stand out from other performers is her ability to change voice and accents really bringing the characters to life. She is running her play, Dry Ice, at the New Wimbledon Theatre from 20 April to 23 April 2011. Be sure to get your tickets. She is an amazing performer and any night spent watching this lyrical genius is a night worth living.

A little surprise, unexpected short performance from Belinda Zhawi was very well received. This Zimbabwean born goddess has a way with words and she enunciates every single word flawlessly and effortlessly making her set very soothing. Her Mother poem was very touching and when she speaks I just want to hug her. after these three lovely ladies finished their performances we had a 20 minute breather and a few beers. 

The second half of the evening was dominated by the men. Raymond Antrobus, was up on stage and his presence and charmingly good looks make him very easy to listen to and well, look at. This talented young man is off to Chicago to tour and do a few gigs in America and hopefully round up a good few followers. He is extremely passionate and loves every thing about poetry and prose. His on stage aura is always a little jittery but I think that is just because he always wants do his best and wants people to like him. He is a lovely guy and his poetry is something to get lost in. 

Joshua Idehen. WOW. What can I can really?! It is so tough to get across what seeing such amazing writers does to your soul. Josh is a joker and always is taken well by any crowd. He is so full of life, love and energy and this is portrayed through his genius writing capabilities. He is the front-man for the amazingly talented Benin City, the host, co-founder and co-promoter of PoeJazzi as well as the founder of PiP (Poem inbetween People) which is labelled as 'London's hottest spoken-word talent' by The Times. I have three extremely favourite loves of his work. My Love- which was inspired by his disapproval of any 'real' love poems while watching Def Jam Poetry- in which Josh takes a stab and nailing the truths about loves and the heart with all it's fault. Secondly, Lost in The City which he writes about London as a metropolis and what London can do the soul or strongest of people and for any one who has lived in London will truly relate to this masterpiece of writing. Lastly, he has a poem about his Dad. And I am not going to lie but the first time I heard this poem I actually shed a tear, it is such an emotional poem written with such love and respect and you can't help but feel every emotion as he takes you through this story, however emotional you feel, you still laugh Josh still makes you laugh at some points which I think eases the emotive state of the audience or else, well basically, every one would be in tears. JOSH IDEHEN- if you ever see this name please go and watch him, you will not be sorry.

Lastly on the nights agenda was the lovely Inua Ellams. This beautiful Nigerian born wonder has such a way with words that you are fixated on his every one. He sold out at the Cottesloe, National Theatre for his play 14th Tale. His other book 13 Fairy Negro Tales, has great vector and I loved the graphics of this book and thought it would look great as a coffee table book. Inua is an extremely calm and passive performer and stresses pieces with use of great hand movements and gestures. This man is the Einstein of the Spoken Word scene. An extract. Enjoy.


Spokenword is like sex 
the more you listen
the better it gets. That’s why on long bus rides
I close my eyes and try to hear drumbeats
from Nigeria- the mother land calling.
I be like “yes mum, I’m hearing ya”
It’s like some ciphered world
with armies of sounds
and underground cultures
with talon-less vultures
trying to pierce my skin
and place talking drums within.

 But Hip Hop takes over
and my head bobs to the beat
of a different soldier
and it’s gotten colder
on this side of thought
‘cause now
I hear dreams money bought.

All in all the night was amazing, I can not believed it was organised from brainstorming to the actual event by University students- they can be extremely proud of their accomplishment. Every thing ran very smoothly and the venue and artists were incredible. I really find these Spokenword events very exciting and interesting I have always loved lyrics and this is a way to see great minds tickle and tease you through the inventive use of word play. If you have never experienced one of these events, you really should keep an eye open and if you are a new comer I suggest PoeJazzi or OneTaste as you get the mixture of spokenword as well as music. Well done to all the people involved and all the hard work that every one put in to it. Ace! 

Tiny Dancer

So I have vanished off the face of the earth a little. It is extremely worrying how much we rely on Internet and social networking sites in order to feel part of the 'circle of life', when you live so far away from some friends and family. But alas, I am back, laced with fibre-optic broadband. (Let's see just how much faster it really is). It is Shrove Tuesday aka Pancake Day in the UK, where you indulge in the fatty forbidden foods of Lent- sugar, butter and eggs, so woolah! pancakes it is. Now to find something to give up for 40days? Any ideas? As well as being National Women's Day, today has been pandemonium. A massive four season lounge clean, scrub and spit-polish, painters in, Internet connected, people in and out but I did get to luxuriate in a little time with the lovely Megan Galt and Stephanie Silva over countless cups of tea. Astonishing how a little quality time with friends can soothe the soul.

Today has been hectic to say the least. But now, I lie on my bed, blaze' to the million things that need doing around my room and I'm having some me time. It really is such a placid thing to do once in a while when the world seems to take a massive shit on you. So to the ladies out there here is a song by Shaggy, LOOOVE the lyrics, and to all the others out there here is an even greater song. Ace! To new beginnings.

Happy Women's Day!

What a musical genius, to new beginnings!