Things of note this week

1. Derren Brown completely fucked it with his casino trick. The best line was at the end of the programme “Don’t worry…you’ll definitely get your $5000 back.” Clearly the “deep maths” wasn’t working this time.

2. I convinced myself I had swine flu for half an hour and then gradually calmed down to the reality that it was just a cold. The worst moment was when I self-diagnosed online and was ordered to take myself directly to an emergency ward after asking a series of multiple-choice questions. I think the NHS really should make the first multiple-choice question this one: “Are you prone to bouts of hypochondria and irrationality?” “Yes?” “Then get off the internet and have some chocolate.”

3. I discovered the Janis Joplin Live at Woodstock album. Addictive and uplifting.

Now in the quiet hour when I am sleeping, I cannot keep the night from coming in

In the space between when I wrote last and now the nights have got markedly longer and autumn is closing in. Despite this, we’ve had some of the most glorious weather of the whole year.

The last month has mostly been taken up with helping to organise this: http://grassrootsjewishnewyearproject.wordpress.com/. It’s been intense but rewarding. It is somewhat at odds with my attitude towards prayer that I would be involved in this however in some ways I know that Judaism has existed through the religion, and adherence to the religion, and if I don’t do it then at least I can help others to.

Other things that have happened recently include the TUC boycott of Israel. Luckily I was so busy with the aforementioned project that I haven’t had a chance to get fully enraged by this. However now, in the aftermath, and reading some of the articles on Engage, Harry’s Place and in the Guardian (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/hugo_rifkind/article6839041.ece) I realise that it’s the same old voices of reason and the same voices of stupidity. I’m glad I’m not at the LSE anymore so I don’t have to basically waste my time fighting the idiocy anymore.

This month has also seen some fantastic new music: Peter Broderick, noteable for his beautiful and powerful controlled wailing and accompanying himself with piano, violin, guitar, drums, and musical saw, The XX whose stripped-down minimalist rn’b tinged electro-rock is really one of the best new things I’ve heard for a while, and Vladislav Delay’s Tumaa – another minimalist sonic journey.

I’ve been a bit slow at reading due to passing out immediately upon arrival in bed however I have managed to start Stasiland by Anna Funder which is based on true stories from people living in GDR era East Germany, and finished Submarine by Joe Dunthorne which was a very good first novel about a highly intelligent 17 year old living in Wales and has Catcher-in-the-Rye style themes.

I’ve also seen District 9 which is noteable for the extraordinary way South Africans swear and The Time Travelers’ Wife which almost made me cry from boredom.

The Green Man Festival

Let’s start with the bad bits (mostly self-inflicted).

- Wrestling with an enormous tent for hours until my patience was worn down to the barest thread which may have snapped momentarily before Riv came to the rescue with her guy-rope tieing skills.

- A completely indigestable burrito made from beans and cheese that sat heavily in my stomach for hours until it finally seemed to disappear about five hours later at the sight of the burning Green Man turned crucifix.

- Only a minimal amount of music without vocals. I think my history of listening to electronica and jazz means that I like to be able to concentrate on the music itself unless the singer has a really unusual or beautiful voice (see Joanna Newsom, Beirut and a new find this weekend – Peter Broderick).

And onto the good bits starting with music:

- The Dirty Three. I hadn’t heard anything about this band before but I liked the description in the programme which basically said they used sounds and not voices to express themselves. They were a twisted and melancholic explosion of sound, lead by violinist Warren Ellis who was simulatenously hypnotic and hilarious and, I think, produced the set of the festival. They were also the only band who played what I think of as a proper “festival” performance – one that transports you beyond the place itself.

- Gang Gang Dance. I had heard the name before but dismissed it as being something that the Hoxton children like so I was intending to go to Mary Hampton instead. However, as we walked past the main stage and heard (oh shit I can’t use the word hypnotic again) the DEEP electronic sounds I thought yes, I would prefer to stand here and jiggle enthusiastically rather than head-nod and sway to Mary Hampton. As it turned out it was a great performance although I still probably wouldn’t buy their music.

- Peter Broderick. He made endearing monkey- faces as he looped his guitar, piano, violin, voice and saw. He’s also playing the Bush Hall on 10th September and I may well check him out in a quieter place.

- Four Tet. More jiggling, which seems to be all I can do in wellies. It’s always hard to know if laptop-twiddlers are actually doing anything when they play “live” however he did seem to be at least lengthening his tunes, so I’ll give him credit for that. Anyway, it was good, I liked it. What do you think of current affairs Daisy? I like them. I think they’re good.

- Beth Jeans Houghton. Frankly, I was bored but I didn’t tell anyone else because everyone seemed to be enjoying it including the two young men beside me who were taking massive nostrils full of snuff which apparently is the new teenage drug of choice. What happened to crack?

- Animal Collective. Eh. Okay. I’ve still never actively liked this band despite some of my most musically-inspiring friends adoring them.

- Grizzly Bear. It did sound to me like the drummer was not playing in time with the rest of the band but they did play my favourite off Veckatimest “Two Weeks,” so I was happy.

- Bon Iver. Don’t get this one either. He basically goes in one eardrum and out the other without anything in the middle being remotely engaged. At best I’d say inoffensive. At worst I’d say dull.

- Vetiver. I missed “Been So Long” but did get offered pills so they probably cancel each other out.

- Jarvis. Now purely entertainment rather than anything musically interesting but he has definitely been elevated to national treasure status. He’s a little bendy for my tastes but I did really enjoy his performance, I wouldn’t pay to see him on his own though.

Other stuff:

- The festival setting is stunning with the Sugar Loaf mountain in the background and a small, compact site that is easily navigable for someone with dubious directional abilities such as myself.

- It’s all very eco and non-commercial so you don’t feel like you’re in some extended version of London.

- The on-site bonfire was inspired.

- Virtual absence of security meaning you could bring whatever you liked onto the festival site.

So, all in all, a great festival and one I wouldn’t hesitate to return to but this time with a considerably smaller tent and perhaps my own servant/slave to put it up.

This place is damp and ghostly, I am already gone.

I don’t remember when it was that I started always using a song lyric for the post title but now I seem to have been infected by the habit. For those who don’t know they are mostly Beirut or Joanna Newsom.

So – Field Day. This was now quite a long time ago but a few quick comments:

1. There is still nothing as depressing as watching music in the rain. I hate rain.

2. Santogold was good and suprisingly diverse in her performance.

3. Toumani Diabate kicked all the shitty indie-electro-pop juvenilia into the proverbial kerb.

4. Chips + mushy peas = good.

5. Techno at a festival doesn’t work – too quiet and too humid. You need a nice big cold cavernous room with a massive soundsystem and lots of space. Preferably in Berlin.

6. I like Hackney, especially the houses around Victoria Park.

I haven’t done much of cultural interest apart from that unless you can include watching  ”The Ugly Truth” and “The Proposal,” which, in fairness, you can’t.

Music bought includes, in order of my eardum happiness:

1. The Whitest Boy Alive – Rules. I particularly like the song “Courage” – and I love Erlend Oye’s voice. I don’t want to look at his photo because I have a strong mental image of a very tall man with a white beard. If I was going to assign a genre I’d say it was poppy-indie-electronica.

2. Lali Puna – Faking the Books. Also indie-ish electronica. Very chilled and German.

3. First Aid Kit – Drunken Trees. They are really young and make amazing music . Two girls – 16 and 19. My favourite live song was “Cross Oceans” and it’s also my favourite on the album.

As you can see I’m not in a very descriptive mood.

Books read:

Tim Clare – We Can’t All Be Astronauts. I really wanted to like this because I think Tim Clare is an incredible performance poet and seriously hilarious and brilliantly clever however the book was quite bland and not particularly funny. The premise is that he is jealous of all his talented friends getting published while his book languishes in first drafts and in his literary agent’s inbox. However the one thing running through my mind throughout the whole book is that he is only 27! I guess some people can write something worthy of publication at 27 but most can’t. And there is no rush, at least in my mind.

I only make jokes to distract myself from the truth

Having a bit of a 2001 flashback today and have been listening to Zero 7. They are still pretty good and undated in my opinion.

Latest review up on Londonist now of Blue Roses and First Aid Kit – http://londonist.com/2009/07/blue_roses_and_first_aid_kit_the_le.php

2 days left in the private sector then I’ll be licking the boots of Londoners in my new role as public serf.

Saw someone on the plinth today who was just talking on her mobile. I do think Gormley should have stipulated some kind of performance aspect to being there – I feel quite unfairly passed-over at not being picked – I was planning on singing and dancing and throwing brownies into the crowd.

NYC recommendations

Disclaimer: this is a list from 2006 and some of these places may not still exist so check their websites before you try.

New York Recommendations

Starting with some culture:

 

Galleries And Museums

 

Manhattan:

 

1. The Frick Collection
2. The Guggenheim
3. The Metropolitan Museum
4. The Neue Galerie
5. MOMA
6. The Cloisters
7. The Tenement Museum
8. The Eldridge Street synagogue

 

Brooklyn

 

1. The Brooklyn Museum
2. The Brooklyn Botanical Gardens
3. The Brooklyn Brewery (Williamsburg)

 

Queens

 

1. PS1 (where the MOMA decamped when they were rebuilding – this can have really good stuff and also can be really bad but worth it just for a look).

Also home to the Warm Up parties

http://www.ps1.org/ps1_site/content/view/274/102/

 

Upstate New York

 

1. The Storm King Art Center http://www.stormking.org/

This place is breathtaking. One hour bus ride from Port Authority in Manhattan – you buy the tickets at the station which include the entrance to the sculpture park.

Take your own food as there’s nothing there apart from sculptures and a small art center.

 

Bars, Clubs, Music Venues….

 

Manhattan:

 

1. APT – lounge bar in the Meatpacking District, doorpeople can be unbelievably bitchy at the weekend but during the week it’s cool
2. Cielo – opposite APT – beautiful club, great music but people are pretentious and drinks are very overpriced. Monday night is Francois K’s famous “Dub in Space” night –this is the best time to go.
3. Village Vanguard  – best Jazz club in NY by far
4. Shebeen – great little bar playing electronica in Nolita http://nymag.com/listings/bar/shebeen/
5. Element – decent club in the Lower East Side
6. Turntables on the Hudson – this is at various locations but usually a fairly fun night out
7. Body and Soul Parties – usually in the West Village – original NY disco and house parties – lots of fun but only once every few months
8. NuBlu – reggae and soul in Alphabet City
9. The Hiro Ballroom at the Maritime Hotel– beautiful room but all table service
10. French Tuesdays – Francophone night held in different locations every month – quite fun. http://www.frenchtuesdays.com/cities/ny/
11. Downstairs bar at the Bryant Park Hotel – very lovely hotel bar – good if you’re in Midtown and you don’t want to be stuck in an Irish Pub with loads of office workers
12. 230 Fifth – this has a completely random mix of people and bad music but an incredible view of the Manhattan skyline – definitely worth it for one drink at least.

 

Brooklyn:

 

(a)   Williamsburg

 

1. Triple Crown – HIP-HOP! They get great guests here – Grandmaster Flash, Jazzy Jay, Ali Shaheed Muhammed, Jeru, Rob Swift – it’s very chilled, cheap and a nice, mixed crowd
2. Bembe – the best mojitos, capetas and caiprinhas ever. The music is salsa and hip-hop and it is right underneath the Williamsburg bridge – very atmospheric.
3. Capone’s – buy a beer and get a free stone oven-baked pizza! Deal!
4. Galapagos – very arty bar, features in Jim Jarmusch’s Coffee and Cigarettes.
5. Spuyten Duyvil – hundred of types of beer, cider and wine and nice food – this was my “local” – open very late
6. Black Betty – have good bands here, and really nice Moroccan food
7. Barcade – a bar with arcade games – lots of fun!
8. Monkey Town – bar, cinema and restaurant – can be really pretentious but if there’s a good film or good band it is fun
9. Moto – a bit hard to find but worth the effort – this is a “speakeasy” style bar, next to the bridge, really interesting wandering around this area
10. Roebling Tea Room – this is the building I lived in so I loved it here! Teas and gorgeous food during the day, wine and music and gorgeous food in the evening.
11. Soundfix – above the record shop of the same name. Really good.
12. Studio B – proper club http://clubstudiob.com/
13. Zebulon – jazz club

 

(b)   Prospect Heights and Downtown Brooklyn

 

1. Flatbush Farm – this is a bar and a restaurant both of which are excellent. I really love this place.
2. Soda – cool bar, nice burgers
3. BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) – great venue – films, bars, music, plays etc.

 

 

Queens (disclaimer: I hardly ever went to Queens so I’m sure there are more places than this)

 

1. Water Taxi Beach – amazing views of Manhattan and good music.

 

Websites and mailing lists with details of parties etc.

 

1. www.flavorpill.net – weekly email with cultural stuff to do
2. www.nonsensenyc.net – same as above but more counter-cultural
3. www.dailycandy.com – I don’t like this site but it’s very popular in NYC
4. www.rooftopfilms.net (this is for a series of films, animations and gigs that goes on throughout the summer – the events are generally well attended and interesting
5. http://www.wolflambmusic.com/ – minimal techno producers who do warehouse parties in Brooklyn
6. http://www.turntablesonthehudson.com/
7. http://www.bodyandsoul-nyc.com/main.html -  best parties in NYC
8. www.curbed.com – I love this website – it’s all about real estate, weird goings-on and new things opening and closing
9. http://thepoolparties.com/ – Parties and gigs in the Mc Carren Pool in Williamsburg – a disused public pool – they have films there too
10. www.sheckys.com – Discounts, and details of free events in NY
11. www.moviefone.com – if you want to find out where a film is showing
12. http://www.summerstage.org/ – Central Park Summer Stage – free concerts in the park

 

Restaurants, Cafes, Cupcakes shops etc.

 

Manhattan (another disclaimer: there are SO many places to go in NY, these are just some of my favourites that I can remember)

 

Café Gitane  – this is my favourite place in the City. You have to have the avocado on seven grain toast. It is amazing. Cheap, cheerful and a nice scene. You can almost feel like you’re in Europe. (242 Mott Street, Nolita, Subway – 6 at Spring) http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=5220

 

Florent – the food is not out of this world but it’s open 24 hours and it’s really fun (69 Gansevoort Street, Meatpacking District) – CLOSED NOW…

http://www.restaurantflorent.com/

 

Balthazar –incredible for brunch and people-watching. You can basically just order a bread basket and some coffee and it will keep you happy for hours.

80 Spring Street, SoHo (6 to Spring)

http://www.balthazarny.com/

 

Prune – also incredible for brunch.

54 East 1^st Street (6 to Bleecker)

http://www.prunerestaurant.com/

 

Clinton Street Bakery – unbelievable for brunch – the pancakes with maple butter will make you weep with joy

4 Clinton Street between East Houston and Stanton (the Lower East Side)

      http://www.clintonstreetbaking.com/

 

Levain Bakery – all this place sells is 4 types of cookie – they are all amazing – the size of a fist and full of melting chocolate chips.

167 West 74^th Street (UWS)

http://www.levainbakery.com/home.html

 

City Bakery – lunch, breakfast and the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever have in your life, ever. Fantastic hot chocolate too that your spoon stands up in.

3 West 18^th Street

http://thecitybakery.com/index2.htm

 

Kanoyama – my favourite sushi place. Cheap but nice. I would go here at least once a week.

175 2^nd Avenue at 11^th Street

http://www.kanoyama.com/

 

Republic – kind of like Wagamama but as it’s in NY it’s much better and cheaper

This is on the West side of Union Square

http://thinknoodles.com/

 

Han Bat – Korean food – huge portions and delicious food.

53 West 35^th Street (between 5^th and 6^th)

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=4096

 

Shanghai Café, Goodies, Joe’s Shanghai, New Green Bo and countless others for fantastic dimsum in Chinatown

 

Gennaro’s – Italian on UWS – have the antipasto platter – you won’t regret it. “Family-style” Italian i.e. go there with friends.

665 Amsterdam Avenue btw. 92^nd and 93^rd Streets

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=3&restaurantid=864&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=42&home=Y

 

 

Brick Lane Curry House – does a very nice curry if you want one that isn’t completely crap like most of the curry places in NY – quite expensive though for NY

http://www.bricklanecurryhouse.com/

 

 

Una Pizza Napoletana – heavenly pizzas

349 East 12^th Street between 1^st and 2^nd Avenues

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&restaurantid=6138&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=0

 

 

Otto – heavenly pizzas, pastas and olive-oil gelato – if you don’t have this then there’s something wrong with you

One Fifth Avenue

http://www.ottopizzeria.com/about_reservations.html

 

Momofuko and Momofuko Ssam – just writing the name makes me want to cry – ramen and amazing noodles, porky stuff and yum.

163 First Avenue and 10^th Street

http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/momofuku_noodle_bar/

 

Shake Shack – this place is legendary and hence has long queues. The burgers are fantastic – it is worth queueing if you’re not in a hurry.  Well known as the best burgers in NYC.

Madison Square Park

http://www.shakeshacknyc.com/

 

Tia Pol – very lovely Tapas Bar – food and wine are top-notch

205 12^th Avenue (Chelsea)

http://tiapol.com/

 

Pearl Oyster Bar – Oysters and Lobster Rolls

18 Cornelia Street (West Village)

http://www.pearloysterbar.com/

Max Brenner Chocolate Factory – chocolate desserts and chocolates and more chocolate. If you’re in Union Square and want to eat somewhere and have an enormous sweet tooth I would go here. And I did. Too often.

http://www.maxbrenner.com/

 

Sugar Sweet Sunshine – my favourite cupcakes in the City

126 Rivington Street (LES)

http://www.sugarsweetsunshine.com/

 

Café Zaiya – this is where I went for lunch every day at work – sushi, bentos, bakery stuff and hot food – all really nice, cheap and fresh. If you want to eat in Midtown I’d go here.

18 East 41^st Street between Madison and 5th

http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/36248035/new_york_ny/cafe_zaiya.html

 

Dishes – the best deli in NY – you may not be able to control yourself in here.

6 East 45^th Between 5^th and 6^th                           

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?areaid=0&neighborhoodid=0&cuisineid=6&restaurantid=10639

 

Kee’s Chocolates – if you like proper artisan chocolates this place is heaven – their crème brulee chocolates are addictive.

Thomspon Street (SoHo)

http://www.keeschocolates.com/

 

Jacques Torres Chocolate Heaven – just go there, don’t ask questions!

http://www.mrchocolate.com/

 

Angelika’s Kitchen – vegan food but tastes pretty good despite the lack of meat and butter. This is a proper NY experience. Each menu item is described by at least 15 words or you get a discount.

300 East 12^th btw. 1^st and 2^nd (East Village)

http://www.angelicakitchen.com/

 

WD-50 – very expensive but worth it for a special occasion. Molecular gastronomy. Tip: you can go there just for the dessert tasting menu which is $25 and mind-blowing.

50 Clinton Street (LES)

http://www.wd-50.com/

 

Holy Basil – lovely Thai food in the East Village

149 2^nd Ave btw 9^th and 10^th

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=4908

 

Café Mogador – Morroccan food in the East Village. Lamb Tagine = good.

101 St. Marks Place (East Village)

http://www.cafemogador.com/

 

Hummous Place – really good and ridiculously cheap hummous and Israeli food

109 St. Mark’s Place (East Village)

http://www.hummusplace.com/

 

Rice – lots of different types of rice dishes from around the world. Really nice and inexpensive.

227 Mott Street (Nolita) 6 to Spring

http://www.riceny.com/

 

Pho Grand – so so cheap and delicious. $5 for a huge bowl of pho. Proper Chinatown experience.  

277 Grand St. at Forsyth

http://www.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?neighborhoodid=0&restaurantid=2517

 

Doughnut Plant – these things are addictive so be careful. The nicest donuts I’ve ever eaten and I don’t even like doughnuts. The coconut cream filled one is my favourite.

379 Delancey Street (F to Grand) in the full-on Jewish Lower East Side.

You can walk over the Williamsburg Bridge to digest.

http://www.doughnutplant.com/

 

Brooklyn – Williamsburg

 

Egg – for brunch. This is always rated as one of the top 10 places to “brunch” in NYC. Loads of different egg dishes with a Southern style

135 North 5^th Street (L train to Bedford Ave)

http://events.nytimes.com/2005/10/14/dining/14jour.html?ex=1187496000&en=f4d92472aff2bebc&ei=5070

Dumont – great for dinner – proper American food and really tasty.

432 Union Avenue (L Train to Lorimer Ave)

http://www.dumontrestaurant.com/

 

Dressler – gorgeous room, fantastic food

http://www.dresslernyc.com/

 

Diner and Marlow and Sons – these are next to each other. Quite pretentious but worth it if you want cheap oysters and the “authentic” Williamsburg experience. Atmospheric.

http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/restaurants/archives/2005/03/_diner_1.html

      http://www.marlowandsons.com/

      Both just past Williamsburg Bridge (L train to Bedford or JMZ to Marcy)

 

Other general things:

 

Good supermarkets – Fairway is by far the best. Wholefoods is ok but overpriced. The Amish markets are good. I would avoid everywhere else.

 

Bed Bath and Beyond for duvets, bed-linen and anything you need for your flat if you can’t be arsed to make the trip to IKEA

 

Best Buy for electronic stuff

 

Record shops: Other Music, Soundfix in Williamsburg, Halycon in DUMBO, lots on St. Marks Square in the East Village

 

www.menupages.com if you want to see the menu for virtually anywhere in the City.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inner Jukebox

by Dj T. Picked this up in Rough Trade East yesterday. It’s a great album – really disco-y bouncy techno. Very similar in style to The Field although perhaps more dancefloor focused.

I got the new album by the Field too “Yesterday and Today”, the title track being the one he finished with a couple of weeks ago that had everyone sweatily bouncing around the Queen of Hoxton.

I also finally listened to the Moderat album I bought a month ago. You can see the “coolness” dripping from this album from the excellent album cover (a woman punching herself in the face) to the dark and minimal sounds contained within.

There we go - some more vacuous music reviews from me.

Left to my own devices I probably would…

And now comes my pathetic attempt at summing up the cultural delight that was the Latitude Festival.

As opposed to my last festival experience which involved me desultorily dragging an ever-decreasing supply of hay around in a bin-liner in an effort to provide some dry seating (Glastonbury 2007) this was pure festival joy.

It’s true that when you look back on things you’ve enjoyed they are bathed in a sunkissed glow and to be honest, it did rain a bit, but it was sunny when it counted i.e. during the times I was awake. It also never descended into anything even remotely resembling a mud-bath and the organisers laid down woodchips and  sand on the few paths that did get a bit muddy.

On to the entertainment…My highlight was the Poetry tent. Packed to the brim with talent and something I rarely get a chance to hear at home outside of the occasional Book Slam, this was my favourite festival component by far. Names of note were Tim Clare whose poem, Mrs Fuck, was fucking hilarious, and who also entertained with a marvellous tag-team display of univocalism with another poet (can’t remember who, it was a bit late); Dizraeli – with his poems about Iran and Mother England, and Francesca Beard (I really need to write notes in future because I can’t remember anything specific other than she was funny, astute and cool).

As for music – the Pet Shop Boys were where it was at for me. Their stage show was visually stunning with acrobats, geometrically organised white boxes and fabulous costumes. I jumped up and down like an 8 year old and thoroughly enjoyed myself. West End Girls was a fitting end to their set which ran for nearly 2 hours. I still probably wouldn’t listen to their music now, but I’m glad I had a chance to see them live.

Regina Spektor was a lot better than at her gig in Hyde Park. She seemed to be much more assured with her new material which is now sounding quite good in fact, and I sang along loudly the entire set.

The last event of note was Shlomo and the Vocal Orchestra which was magical due to its setting in the woods and the extreme talent displayed by the vocalists: deconstructing complex music into a series of beats, melodies and harmonies. Beautiful.

Comedy. Well, apart from Jo Brand I wasn’t overly impressed. I don’t think Comedy on a massive scale works for me – it seems to descend into to mass poo jokes, which although amusing enough, is not exactly something you can listen to for hours on end. Janeane Garofolo was appalling and clearly hadn’t prepared her set as she came onstage and talked about David Caruso – not exactly a hot topic amongst UK festival audiences. After about 10 minutes of audience silence she walked off, defeated.

I didn’t see any theatre or cabaret, apart from about 5 seconds of a burlesque performer talking about monkey masturbation which didn’t seem like an overly interesting conversation topic.

Best item of festival food: red thai curry with rice at the Thai food stand. Worst: falafel – although I did have about 5 as it was the only place that didn’t have much of a queue.

The site was also beautiful with loads of stages and happenings in the woods and fairy-lit paths.

This week I’ve also been pretty busy, attending Literary Death Match on Tuesday (see my review on Londonist: http://londonist.com/2009/07/review_literary_death_match_at_the.php), and Daniel Kitson’s Edinburgh preview on Thursday which I’m afraid to say, is not as captivating as some of the other stories I’ve seen him tell. But maybe that’s just in comparison to his other performances because the last story I saw him perform at Regents Park was so magical and perfect (Stories for a Starlit Sky) that it would be hard to top. This is fine, and interesting, just maybe not as special as his other material.

As for other bits and bobs:

What I’ve read – The Grapes of Wrath by Jonathan Steinbeck. I’ve been going on and on about this to anyone that will listen (i.e. quiet people and sleeping people) for a while now. It’s brilliant and you HAVE to read it. Thoroughly depressing yet hopeful about the strength of the human spirit.

What I’ve listened to – Nothing. Yes, that’s right – I’m having a musical hiatus. I have bought a lot of new stuff but I can’t be bothered to listen to it yet. I need some peace in my eardrums for a while.

Tonight I’m going to Flomotion at the Royal Opera House and I’ll review in due course over on Londonist.

And I’m becoming a spoken word artist. I’ve already started my first poem which is based on something I wonder about a lot “Do Foxtons know they are cocks?” – it’s a poem about self-awareness in Estate Agents and other cretinous creatures of the 9 til 5.

My review of The Field

http://londonist.com/2009/07/music_review_the_field_queen_of_hox.php

They will see us waving from such great heights, come down now, they’ll say

Whenever I do a lot of cycling and/or spending time on my own, which I’ve done over the last two days as a means of recovering from the intensity of the previous few weeks, my thoughts seem to turn to religion.

I asked a religious friend the other day why they believed in God (note to self: don’t do this again) but I really am curious about why it is important for people to believe or have faith in something they don’t understand when so much of our lives are governed by the material things we see and want around us. I struggle with the concept of God and so-called “spirituality” and what it means. Religion I understand – it’s a set of rules, practices and cultural traditions. But the belief or faith side is still a mystery. Do you have to decide to believe or does it just happen to you? This is what I really want to know.

Today I cycled through rivers and lakes to get home. I was pelted with hail stones and shouted through the rain just because I could.