Thursday 8 September 2011

Charity Auction? Portobello.

I'm confused.

There is an event calling itself a charity auction today. When I asked the organizer how much of the proceeds were going to charity I was told: "30%". yet there is no indication of this on the publicity material.

Surely the bidders should be informed that the majority of the sale price will not be going to any charity.

People tend to be generous at such auctions because they assume the money is going to a good cause.

Clarification please.


Wednesday 7 September 2011

Maison du Chien returns to the bumpkin, Westbourne Park road.


From the 28th of september Maison du Chien begins a residency on the top floor of Bumpkin. Expect the unusual as usual. I'll post more information as and when I get it.


Read more HERE

Michael Horovitz needs space.


At the opening of the Urban Art Exhibition at the Muse at 269 Portobello Road last night I bumped into Michael Horovitz. michael is one of the reasons I am doing what I do now... An inspiration. I nicked the following from the Evening standard:

Can you dig that? The big daddy of the British Beat movement, co-organiser of 1965's legendary Poetry Internationale at the Albert Hall and founder of the Poetry Olympics is making the scene. He is the editor of Children of Albion, the influential Sixties underground verse collection, publisher of New Departures anthologies since 1959, husband of the late, renowned poetry reader Frances, father of another poet, Adam, and friend of every cat from Damon Albarn and Samuel Becket to Patti and Stevie Smith.


Monumental chaos: “Indoor skip it may seem to you,
but compared to Francis Bacon’s studio, my pad here is
Versailles,” says Michael Horovitz of his Notting Hill flat

Michael's newsletter popped into the inbox this morning. At 75 he is still performing and painting. He does however need studio/storage space in London. I've cut and pasted the following:

ARCHIVE/STUDIO SPACE/S NEEDED
I’m still pretty desperately seeking STORAGE/WORKSPACE – if anyone knows of or might lead to anything at lowish rental (or even free as an act of patronage) by all means pass on my contact data to any potential lessor/patron, or tell me directly. Anywhere round Greater London, large or small, might be welcome (tho West/Central would be ideal).


If you can help house one of Britains national treasures please get in touch. tristanhzll@gmail.com

Tuesday 6 September 2011

Layla Wiseman. Performance at Energy Lines at the Tabernacle. W11.

Layla Made a wonderful contribution to Joanna & Caroline Lazzarini's Exhibition last night.

Ah Ballerina Ballerina!




Monday 5 September 2011

Roxanne and the Painkillers. Live at the Ink Rooms.

LOCO at the Grand Union, Tammy Weisgerber and Rob Alder.

LOCO has gone weekly, demonstrating that one can never have enough of a good thing. Despite having put out a call for cowbells none were forthcoming and I was forced to shelve my planned premiere of the 'Poem for Cowbell'. Oh well! Another time. Many thanks to Odrin for the rock n roll poem guitar solo.

This weeks surprise was provided by the appearance of Tammy Weisgerber in the audience who very kindly allowed herself to be persuaded to do a couple of numbers accompanied by Paul Greendale...  then came back on later to duet with Rob Alder. Powerful stuff.
                                                  Tammy Weisgerber.

Rob finished the evening off with, along with 'The Freak Elite', a couple of Led Zeppelin numbers. Loud, rowdy and rousing. Rob has a great rock/blues voice. Check him out!

Carnival postcards. Carnival people.






                                Gaz Mayall & Ishmail
                                                    Gaz

All photographs courtesy of CHRISTOPHER SCHOLEY.

Friday 2 September 2011

The Golborne Variations World Premiere. Portobello Film Festival.

The 'pop up' Cinema under the Westway, Portobello Road was the perfect venue for the Premiere of JC Carroll's 'Opera'.

the evening kicked off with a couple of films. Michael Horovitz did a little of his uniquely mad somethings; age is not withering his unique madness.

JC surrounded himself with an eclectic ensemble with which to take us (with the help of a film backdrop) on a slow journey down Portobello to that wonderful place called Golborne road. Infused with Spanish and Moorish elements the 'Variations' perfectly conjured up the multicultural melting pot hidden away in North Kensington. Excellent stuff.

The 'Rice N Peas' film of Frank Crichlows funeral was shown as was (a rare occurrence) 'Mangrove Nine' documenting the attempted bullying and subsequent acquittal of nine members of this community back in the 70's.

the Popup was packed with a predominantly local crowd. Portobello road at it's best.
Originally recorded in 2010 by JC Carroll, Nick Cash, Guy Pratt, Nigel Bennett, jennifer Pearl, David M. Allen and Chester Kamen. The Golborne Variations is an Opera about the Sights Sounds Smells Shopkeepers and foods of Golborne Road. It celebrates the ethnic diversity and the unique character of a special road in North Kensington.This premiere Will hope to bring together most of the original Players plus Special Guest Opera Singers String Section Percusssionists. A Film has been commissioned to be screened in conjunction with this event... Its free.. Its an opening party for the Portobello Film festival.... JC Carroll is a Composer and Songwriter whose career has spanned Punk, Folk, and Electronic Music. he has scored soundtracks for movies had hits all over the world with his band The Members and he has also recorded supermarket commercials....... This piece of music has taken 25 years to complete.. there will be music dancing singing and poetry......Come! Its Free!


Why Cocaine should be legalized.

Ok. I know I have ploughed this furrow before but it is rich soil.

Picture this at Carnival...

Scene 1: Black kids being stopped and searched on a regular basis; any trace of weed or crack and it is a nicking, the assumption being that they must have stolen something to buy the drugs.

Scene 2: Middle class white kids openly snorting Cocaine off their mobiles in the street witnessed by the police who allow them to continue unchallenged on the assumption that they have not stolen anything to buy the drugs with but have had it handed to them by Mummy or Daddy.

Scene 3: Scores of white middle class girls lying in the streets having drugged themselves stupid on a cocktail of coke, mdma, alcohol and more.

Something is very wrong here.

Here is an idea... Legalise Cocaine. Tax it highly. Spend the revenue raised on making life better for the kids in the sink estates and those on or below the poverty line. they wouldn't need to steal anything then and the little rich kids can continue self medicating in order to block out the fact that they are far more troubled than the poor kids. And the rich lids parents can continue forking out money in order to assuage their guilt.

Of course it will never happen. The government wouldn't consider real solutions.


Wednesday 31 August 2011

From the Evening Standard yesterday. Carnival summary.


Carnival postcards from the Tabernacle. Notting Hill.

Photographs courtesy of
Cristopher Scholey.




















Hat put to shame.





















































And most importantly the Tabernacle crew.

ENERGY LINES. Joanna & Caroline Lazzarini.

 Joanna Lazzarini
Caroline Lazzarini
















An exhibition of  Painting and sculpture by Joanna & Caroline Lazzarini (Often to be seen moving ethereally through this cityscape) opens on the 1st of September at the Tabernacle Gallery. W11 2AY. 10.00am - 9.00 pm.

TWENTY SEVEN.

As a response to the Rock n Roll poem the following arrived from my French corespondent...



Twenty Seven

Make twenty seven iconic in heaven
and rock reputations get made:
all the old songs get replayed
winning a Grammy displayed
the hip lip service repaid
dream of a lifetime portrayed
summative meaning conveyed.

Make twenty seven laconic in heaven
on rock reputations pre-paid:
friends and family dismayed
fans make a final crusade
pray by the house where you stayed
sad silent funeral parade
plaque on the wall where you played.

Make twenty seven mnemonic in heaven
and rock reputations don’t fade:
stardom afresh, unafraid
cutting edge voice like a blade
sold as somebody self-made
height of the talent parade
an internet site for the trade.

Make twenty seven sardonic in heaven
and rock reputations get flayed:
trust in the tabloids betrayed
celebrity savaged, surveyed
hype of the night of the raid
stoned and drunken tirade
the dealers of death all got paid.

Make twenty seven ironic in heaven
and rock reputations upbraid:
talent abruptly decayed
illness was like a grenade
exploding the soul’s serenade
unable to sing without aid
no audience left to persuade.

Make twenty seven Byronic in heaven
for rock reputations re-weighed:
sign with an airbrush resprayed
the end of it all masquerade
your careless cool disarrayed
god awful end in the shade
postmortem details degrade.

Make sixty seven bucolic in Devon
and rock reputations are staid:
Gibson exchanged for a spade
organic low cal lemonade
worry the livestock have strayed
past where the neighbour got laid
“Hope to die young”, got delayed.

Make believe heaven for children aged seven
rots reputations homemade.

Copyright Bob West. All rights reserved.