UrbanAddiction.com: September 2004 Archives

September 27, 2004

Playing Dress Up

"I might like you better
If we slept together
But there’s somethin
In your eyes that says
Maybe that’s never
Never say never" ~ Romeo Void

A Flock Of Seagulls

The other day I strolled down the street humming these long gone 80’s lyrics to myself and it hit me! I know what I should do for that Halloween party. I'll out-fit myself in vogue attire from my most beloved era, the eighties. How glorious will it be to wear the asymmetrical collar off the shoulder, the thick socks with leggings, rubber bracelets and big hair? I called my sister-in-law who is a stylist and ran the idea past her.

“We’ll set your hair in perm rods and tease the hell out of it and spray it with Aqua Net and I have purple scrunch socks you can borrow!” she gasped all in one breath.

I squealed with anticipation, “So you think it’s a good idea then? I’m going to buy a pair gloves, cut off the fingers and just wear one. “

Thank goodness for Halloween. I can’t wait for this party.

My do* for Halloween

Posted by Liz at 08:26 PM | Feedback (12)

September 26, 2004

Joao Returns

The Man is back state side from Brazil

Welcome back. You can find Joao at Orkut. When he isn't contributing here on UA, he is posting on the simply named Joao's Blog.

Posted by Liz at 03:16 AM | Feedback (0)

September 19, 2004

Carnivàle & Lesley

Tony and Lesley share a joke about the American difficulty with Irony.

Strange is the world and small. I was plonked before the TV tonight watching Carnivàle from HBO, a fine show to which was well worthy of the Emmy’s it won, when what should waft across the airwaves but none other that the dulcet tones of Lesley Garrett doing her best soprano in the soundtrack.

It took me a few moments as it was unexpected but I know her voice anywhere and it was defiantly her.

I have been a fan of Lesley for many years from when she was a junior soprano at the English National Opera and now she is a big star (well, in the world of opera) she is still as grounded as she was when I first used to talk to her at the ENO and still as passionate about spreading the love of music to everybody.

She is not as well known internationally as she no doubt could be as she made the conscious decision not to do international tours while her children are still young but her voice is well known amongst those who enjoy fine music (ok…ok. I am bias……)

And now those fine people who chose the music for Carnivàle!

The good thing for me is that she does a lot of concerts in England so I can see her sing often and after concerts she always spends an hour or so talking to ‘devotees’

I did a CD for Liz once of Lesley – she said she liked it but she may have been keeping the crazy happy!

Lesley has a website if you want to see some proper photos of her!

I’m off to email her to check she got paid for her addition to the soundtrack….:)

Posted by Tony at 08:45 PM | Feedback (3)

Bath Time

The smiles are the reward

I just gave my nieces a bath. Snapped some spontaneous pictures which they are so use to between me and there mother.

I can't believe there is a third girl on the way! I can barely handle these two although they are fantastic and so well behaved. They are delightful to hang out with and they adore me, so what’s not to love? Children give unconditional love. They love you just because you are there and its there nature. My nieces think I’m so cool and so entertaining, you should see the greeting I get from them. I know when I am an old lady; these girls will be my best buddies. I am already there’s.

Posted by Liz at 06:50 PM | Feedback (2)

September 18, 2004

The Faux Hawk

The following post is dedicated to my good friend Bret Patelski (1978-2004). Bret passed away suddenly at his home and will be greatly missed by all of us who knew him. Bret "tortured" me for describing my Friday night hair appointments on his message board. He couldn't believe I treated getting my hair done as a big event. The following post is for you Bret, cause I know you would busted on me for it. ~ Love, Liz

Photo of hawk by: Liz

Today Saturday in the driving rain, I ventured out to my hair appointment. The weather is really a mess here and only the thoughts of getting my color done could push me out the door to face the down pour.

Allison my stylist, showed me how to do a "faux hawk" after she dried my hair. I love the style and thought it would be nice to wear to work on the days I don't wash my hair. The look has been seen all over on young actress' like Scarlett Johanson. It was easier to do than I thought and should last me a day or two. I just tease the front and top and secure with a rubber band. Then, I pull the sides back and secure with combs. It's a way to wear my hair up, look current and pulled together on those tired dreary mornings.

Posted by Liz at 05:56 PM | Feedback (3)

I Pee'd My Pants and Macauley Got Arrested

The Unforeseen Bad Day

It's been a bumpy week to say the least. I have had a heinous cough for two weeks now.

On Thursday, it dealt its worst knock. I coughed so hard my bladder couldn't take the pressure and I leaked. "Oh shit", I said to myself. I dashed into the ladies room at work and felt the dampness. It was my little niece’s greatest fear realized as she heads to kindergarten, an accident! What does one do in an inadvertent urination crisis? Well, I hurriedly rinsed the cotton undies in the sink and wrapped them up in a paper towel. Next, I discreetly placed the unmentionables near the space heater under my desk, and thanked the sweet Lord above that I was wearing dark pants. Once dried, the drawers went back on along with talc. Having a bad day Macaulay? I can now safely say I know the feeling.

Posted by Liz at 12:46 AM | Feedback (6)

September 14, 2004

Reinvention

I was talking with Jeanna (Gina) today and we were discussing the need for change and how it slaps you in the face sometimes.

There are some changes I need to make, and changes she wants to make. After we got off the phone, I thought to myself, "It's time to invent." That’s a lot of work. I know because I've done it several times before in my life. Celebs seem to do it all the time albeit surface changes, to jump start there career. Think Madonna or straight-haired Lenny Kravitz (Sorry, I'm missing those dreads, Len).

Some people are talking about Oprah today giving her audience members brand new cars. Earlier in the week, it was reported that she spends $50,000 every ten days to have her brows waxed in LA. Let me clarify, she fly’s on a private jet from Chicago to LA, hence the cost. I guess if you can do that, why not give away cars? I feel conflicted about worshipping money and the power that comes with it and attaching deity status to a person who has crazy amounts of money and spends it. Should I believe that makes a great human-being, then I guess the rest of us are screwed? Because an "Oprah" can spend massive amounts and she chooses too is fine, but I can't glorify it. The act of spending a vast amount of money in itself is missing the humility factor for me. I know in her case, she does spend money on worthy causes. For me, it’s the gestures that *I* don't hear about that count.

Posted by Liz at 02:00 AM | Feedback (12)

September 12, 2004

Franz Ferdinand and more

Friday night Evan and I went to Franz Ferdinand at Electric Factory. We met up with some Philly friends and new friends from DC who were great, before the concert.

Oh yea, by the way, the band kicked ass. They were rocking and tight and awesome! Evan and I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs earlier in the summer then we ended with a bang via FF.

Today, Tony and I toured the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was pay as you like Sunday so we kicked back and strolled around. Degas, Monet and Asian Art, it was all there for the perusing. That museum is really great.

Me and Evan hanging out before the show

Posted by Liz at 09:42 PM | Feedback (4)

September 11, 2004

Brit Radio Days

“The World is a Circle without a beginning,
and nobody knows where it really ends.”

Ok with that little quote from Bacharach’s lyrics from Lost Horizon I would like to drag you all down memory lane with me.

I am currently working with a charity who are trying to lure Radio Caroline to a permanent mooring at Tilbury (place of my work here in the UK) – and I can hear the cries of ‘so what!’ from that side of the Atlantic so I had better illuminate...

Radio Caroline was a pirate radio station operating from a ship just outside British territorial waters that started broadcasting in the early sixties and has been playing cat and mouse with the authorities ever since. Highly subversive they were playing pop to the masses but there cannot be many baby boomers brought up in the sixties or seventies who cannot remember tuning into Caroline or the other big pirate Radio London (yep – one more at sea!) to catch up on the latest sounds. What rebels we were listening to banned radio while reading about the latest attempts by the government to board the ship and stop broadcasting – fact is most of the DJ’s that ended up working in legit radio started on the Pirate ships and it was thier pioneering that led to the proliferation of land based pirate stations that grew in the eighties and now get in the way of my radio reception as I drive round some parts of London! Damm these young’uns!

Reception for the station was always best at night when the atmospherics were better for the signal but even then it used to fade in and out. I being a stupid kid at the time put this down to the boat going up and down on the waves... The big thing was all the girls listened to Caroline so in order to impress you had to know what was going on at sea if you wanted to be cool enough to have any chance with the ladies!

Anyway

You grow up and you grow away and then you forget.

Until a couple of weeks ago when this charity asked me to work with them in finding a home for the old tub. The Port of Tilbury has given them a berth for a month and they have become legal with a special licence so they don’t get raided anymore. So I worked with them on a launch day which went off well down at the dock and now I am currently looking at ways to obtain funding for the station and a permanent berth. The ship is a converted trawler and going on board is like stepping back in time with a crew of aging hippies and a record library gong back to Elvis’ Sunday school recordings. The biggest room is the broadcast studio and that ‘aint that big but it was a very weird feeling to be in the place that spun the disks I had listened to all those years ago. All the things that happened to me since that time run through my mind and then I was back at my old youth club soaked in Brut and lookin’ for luv. Christ it was a sad sight!

So let’s see if I help can preserve this icon for the ages. Since the launch party there has been a steady trail of visitors to the ship and funders are looking favourably so next time your dock at Tilbury it could be there for you!

By the by. While working on the Caroline project a location scout from Universal asked to rent the landing stage over a weekend to film some extra sequences for the forthcoming remake of Alfie with Jude Law. Thing was the landing stage was converted to look like New York and the dock was full of rented NY Taxis. I was going to have a photo shot of me next to a cab just to fool Liz into thinking I’m stalking her!

Did not meet Jude Law. The star was shooting at four in the morning and quite honestly I am not that star struck to freeze my body parts off at 4am in the rain on Tilbury Docks…

Posted by Tony at 04:20 PM | Feedback (2)

September 10, 2004

BITCH: Feminist response to pop culture

I've always raved about BITCH magazine to friends and associates. I've always kept a link to them posted here, on UrbanAddiction. Now I have joined there street team in an effort to step up my support of this smart, feminist publication. Today I recieved my first newsletter and I even got a mention. Check out the following (edited) version of the newsletter. I'm in some pretty great company from what I read.

Hi there, everyone!

So far, TeamBitch has welcomed the fifty-five of you to spread the b-word far and wide. Sincere thanks are due for your desire to help out an important feminist publication.

This newsletter will go out monthly to inspire our promotions efforts and to create community around our love of Bitch. Let me know what you’re up to, and you’ll see a shout-out in the next newsletter!

Y’all are putting together some fabulous events and have brainstormed creative ideas to promote Bitch.

Margo Van Sluytman is an accomplished poet with four published books under her belt. She has started her own small press, Palabras Press.

Liz Fine runs urbanaddiction.com, a blog dedicated to “featuring interesting people and places that may not normally be covered in mainstream media.”

Katie Moeller is a full-time pre-school teacher (and probably won’t be sharing the b-word with her students any time soon!).

Stephanie Nolasco is a published fiction writer, poet, and interviewer—all at the age of 16!

Sadie Cherico is all about natural living: eating organically, gardening, thinking independently, and looking for peace in the world. Check out her website at allnaturalme.com.

Farah is the social chair of a radical co-ed fraternity, Gamma Sigma, which is dedicated to promoting equality and progressive ideas on campus.

Crystal-Ann Platt is a “feministic” artist and illustrator.

What a diverse and inspiring team!

Your efforts at promoting Bitch will not go un-rewarded—we’re working to come up with some cool merch to send out to those of you who bring in ever-important new subscriptions! Postcards, stickers, t-shirts, extended subscriptions—it’s all forthcoming!

In the meantime, please let me know if you need any support to start your work.

Keep In Touch!
Lacy

P.S. If you haven’t already, check out the Bitch website (www.bitchmagazine.com) to see our most recent archived materials and new (and fabulous) Bitch merchandise.

Posted by Liz at 10:25 AM | Feedback (3)

September 09, 2004

Tom Morello Acoustic

An anti-Bush concert and I am SO there dude! I'm already conjuring up with the fantasy of taking my camera and posing with Tom while wearing an anti-Bush tee-shirt. October 7th, it's a date with Tom.

Posted by Liz at 11:34 PM | Feedback (0)

September 06, 2004

Graphic Novel

C-Span was featuring some really with it authors today at NYC's very own, Strand Bookstore. I would love to get Art Spielgelman's latest "comic book" IN THE SHADOW OF NO TOWERS, highlighting his experience on 9/11 as a person who lives near what is now known as ground zero. Art talked about being influenced by MAD MAGAZINE. My brothers and I loved MAD magazine as kids. Just the other night I was in a convenience store and saw it on the rack. I contemplated buying it but didn't. Now I really am fond of graphic novels and I wonder if my influence isn't the same as Mr. Spielgelman's?

I would also like to mention my prime source for reading material of a USED quality, Amazon.

Posted by Liz at 12:01 AM | Feedback (0)

September 05, 2004

See... The Lives of Bosie

Today I saw a wonderful play called The Lives of Bosie. It starred the terrific character actor, Austin Pendleton as the elder, Lord Alfred (Bosie) Douglas and the wonderfully brilliant Tobias Segal as the young and care free Bosie, Oscar Wilde’s notorious down fall.

I was bowled over to discover these major talents right here in the burbs for this performance. The play, written by John Wolfson, is two hours of uncontaminated performances and clarification on a little known character in history. What I took from the play is if childhood issues aren’t dealt with, then a person is destined to become everything they find abhorrent about there own parents. The Lives of Bosie is on its way to The Fringe Festival.

September 04, 2004

Blog Post #340`Labor Day Weekend

I purchased Bjork's brand new CD, Medulla. Yes, I did buy it brand new which I almost never do, but it is Bjork after all.

Medulla, is all voices and its very raw, bare bones raw. It soothes me and lulls me to sleep. Vokuro is actually an Icelandic lullaby. The entire CD contains Bjork’s magical voice along with secondary beats from human voices. I really can’t wait to see her live. As much as I grumble about concert prices, I will no doubt see her by means of exertion and expense.

The long awaited, Medulla

I picked up Swarthmore scholars, Evan and Ivan up in Chinatown the other day. Evan, after an exhausting summer of touring, and both just returning from protesting at the RNC in NYC. These guys did amazing work, including Evan’s street medic work during the protest. His recounts of dispensing aid were numerous. Billionaires for Bush were my favorite inventive protesters. Evan reported how they stayed in character, even when approached by fellow protestors. “Go away peasants, “ and pouring “champagne” were part of there shtick. Excellent! You have to love theatrical protesting in an all too real life and death election year.

The Billonaires take to the streets crying "Cheney is Innocent and Wealth is Health!" Remember folks, Billonaires are people too.

Speaking of theatrics, last night was First Friday and opening night of Fringe Festival in Philadelphia. I met up with a charming and delightful crew that included, Angel, Katrina, Tony, Koichi, and T. We had pizza and then strolled around scrutinizing the art in various galleries. The streets were really crowded, and the galleries were not air conditioned. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but it made for some steamy presentations and I don’t mean sexy. the evening wrapped up at MODA. It was not only an enjoyable time but a powerfully air conditioned spot.

Tonight is mostly likely dinner with a friend and tomorrow, I'm taking my Mom to a local theatre called Hedgerow to see a play called The Lives of Bosie. Thankyou too Tony for the discount

Summer comes to an end, my face heals, some old friendships have fallen to the wayside, new friendships adhere. Have you had a great summer? I sure have. Fall looms and with it new gateways I can't wait to discover.

Posted by Liz at 03:35 PM | Feedback (2)