This is London

Readers, I don't know what to say. It's hard to describe my feelings about the chaos and disorder on the streets of London without sounding overly-emotional or trite. But this is heartbreaking stuff. Some of the riots are just down the road from here, so for the last couple of evenings we've had an urban soundtrack of police helicopters and sirens. Not that we're scared for our safety. We're just scared for our city. Poor London. I was planning on meeting a friend this evening for drinks at Frank's Bar in Peckham - but we've decided to postpone rather than see ourselves silhouetted against the burnt-out ruins of a multi-storey car park on News at Ten. So, Mr & Mrs That's Not My Age will be staying indoors instead. And, in a personal attempt to reclaim the city, I've started reading London Perceived by V.S Pritchett. A fantastic book. Which has a quote by Henry James that sums up (better than I can) my feelings for this city:



'It is difficult to speak adequately or justly of London. It is not a pleasant place, it is not agreeable, or cheerful, or easy, or exempt from reproach. It is only magnificent....But...for one who takes it as I take it, London on the whole is the most possible form of life.'







And there's an excellent piece by Camila Batmanghelidjh, founder of Kids Company in today's Independent. It's called 'Caring costs - but so do riots,' and you can read it here.







Normal service will resume shortly.





Photo: Evelyn Hofer

Down By Law - and down with this sort of thing!

Look everyone, it's Jim Jarmusch. I can't believe he's 58 years-old. Anyway, tomorrow Uniqlo launch a collection of men's t-shirts in honour of three of the director's best 1980s films. OK, you know what I think about mid-lifers in slogan tees but much better than a Wills and Kate commemorative mug, no?







And talking of slogans, here are some of my favourite placards from the march in London yesterday. Oh yes, Mr & Mrs That's Not My Age were there to oppose the Government cuts, and our experience was that of a peaceful protest. The coalition even managed to cut the sunshine too, but everyone was good-humoured and well-behaved. Apart from a random bunch of posh boys playing at anarchists. Though it was more of a shuffle than a march, three hours to get from Victoria Embankment to Trafalgar Square.



Watch out for Boy George Osborne:




That's Not My Age loved the War Horse, here it is saying hello to some four-legged friends at Horse Guards Parade



And then later, trotting off down Whitehall:






What have you been up to this weekend?


Jim Jarmusch photo: Vinoodh Matadin and Inez van Lamsweerde

Britpop Cool

Reading the latest RUSSH magazine at Christmas time, I stumbled across this article which totally took me back to be obsession with Justine Frischmann, how much I LOVE her style, and all things Britpop - especially those cool Britpop band-girls.

I was living in London at the tail end of the Britpop explosion in 1997 - 1999, and loved every minute of it. (I was Team Blur). My cohorts & I submerged ourselves in the Indie scene (and a lot of Stella - Artois, not Tennat!). We hung out in Camden, hoping to spot Alex James or Jarvis Cocker, met the young unknown boys from Travis at the Dog Star in Brixton & subsequently saw them at some University gig (Fran Healy has the most beautiful voice), saw Blur at the Brixton Academy (where Damon performed with a broken ankle), Muffin Spencer from Brassy at Barfly & Idlewild at a Uni gig, saw the Manic Street Preachers at Wembley Arena and - on a very unfortunate night in - subsequently missed meeting Graham Coxon, when my flatmates bumped into him out on the town.





The Blur gig @ the iconic Brixton Academy (December 11, 1997) was one of my faves. Damon was on form (despite said broke ankle) and Alex was the epitome of a sexy, swaggering rock God, fag in mouth throughout the duration of the show. Check out their new doco, No Distance left to Run.



I loooooved was Elastica! I them back in the day, and thought that Justine Frischmann was the coolest chick ever. She showed how sexy you could be in just jeans, docs and a hoodie. As much as I love getting blinged up with make-up and 6 inch heels, I also love and live in jeans and Tees. With her tomboyish mod-style look, floppy black fringe, black leathers and slightly plumby accent, Justine was the epitome of Brit Indie cool. Her look aped her boyfriends Brett Anderson and Damon Albarn - cropped asymmetrical haircuts with the long fringe in face, stovepipe jeans, skinny tees, leather jackets - edgy, pale, British, cool. Very Hedi Slimane...

OK maybe not ALL of her boyfriends - "I did briefly see Guy Ritchie at college (he was a useless little sod - a layabout - I didn't feel he'd ever be anything)" The Independent, 14 June 2000

Justine helped found another fave band, Suede, with her then boyfriend Brett Anderson. Justine left Suede when their relationship crumbled - and she took up with indie darling Damon from Blur. The split with Damon was the inspiration for the beautiful Blur album 13, written about their breakup. 'Tender', still being one of my favourite love songs - listen to it here.

A rare glam shot from Last FM

I must say, 'Animal Nitrate' but Suede is still one of my favorite songs from that era. How cool was Brett, sauntering about in those skinny pants and tight black shirts. Russell Brand must have been taking notes. Funny how you get lyrics mixed up, I always thought he was singing "Only twenty ooooone, oooone". Is actually "Oh it turns you oooon, oooooon". But nothing beat Elastica's guttural, pulsating hit, 'Connection' - a riff ripped off from the Wire's 'Three Girl Rumba" - but awesome none the less!







Love this pic of Donna from Elastica too. Rock star cool.

I read Pearl Lowe's fab book 'All That Glitters', a fascinating peek into her Britpoppin' world of bands, musos, models, gigs, drigs, partying & generally running amok in London in the early 90's, with a few famous names thrown in to boot. She was in a band called Powder, looking very cute here, like a little Goth China Girl.

Pearl married Danny Goffey from Supergrass (natch), beat her drug habit and now has a successful fashion range of gorgeous Victorian-style lace dresses, lace curtains and soft furnishings. Check out her beautiful website here.

Pearl & Danny's lush country manors are frequently showcased in the likes of Hello! magazine. They are happily ensconced in country-manor life, and pregnant with number FIVE! An addition to Daisy 21, Alfie, 13, Frankie, 10 and four-year-old Betty. I love how Pearl has gone from absolute crazy party girl hanging out with musos on the path to oblivion, to stylish Mum living in the country, with a successful career and marriage. see - you CAN have it all! What a life.

"Her office, in one of the three ground-floor receptions, is impeccably neat. Elsewhere, however, things are more rock’n’roll. In a ground-floor bathroom there are snapshots of Kate Moss, lolling over her then boyfriend Jefferson Hack, a youthful Rhys Ifans, the snake-hipped Primal Scream singer Bobby Gillespie and Supergrass on stage at Glastonbury"

From Pearl Lowe: From wild child to earth mother, The Sunday Times, October 11, 2009



"Despite the move to the country, and Lowe cleaning up, they haven't quite dropped the hi-octane lifestyle: during one of Lowe's clean periods in 2002, Carl Barat and Pete Doherty came to stay with them when they were still living in north London. Surely not the ideal post-rehab guests? "Aww, it was fun looking after them," she says maternally."

The Guardian, July 9, 2007



I adore Pearl's house - 'Biba modern' style. These pics are from New Woman magazine:

Pearl's stunning daughter Daisy (to Gavin Rossdale from Bush - now known as Mr Gwen Stefani) is doing remarkably well with modeling, due to sultry, doe-eyed good looks and curvaceous figure.



Pearl Lowe pics from the Daily Mail & Hullo UK

Daisy pics from W Magazine March 2001

Agent Provocateur RTW 2008

Steven Klein for Vogue Italia 2007

Wheels and Dollbaby campaign , 2008

RIP Malcolm, Godfather of Punk

1946 - 2010