Strange how a near-death experience colours your day. So unreal it was hard to believe it had actually happened as the day unfolded with all it’s routine ‘normality’. Very weird indeed driving home tonight along that same stretch of road thinking of what might have been. It’s all truly random. I guess that’s what makes life such an adventure – you never know what is round the corner – how true that was today.
What do you think about when you see the back end of a very large heavy steel lorry trailer careering across the road in the general direction of your windscreen as you are driving to work? In my case it was something like, “Oh God this is really gonna bugger everything up – could be a life changing experience”. All this while David Blunkett was droning on Radio 4 about asylum seekers. Just an everyday journey to work like I do nearly every day, observing the speed limit, driving carefully and then shit almost happens. I need coffee.
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I’m very excited. Having closely followed the design competition for the rebuilding of the WTC site my favourite architect, Daniel Libeskind, appears set to be announced as the winner today. Like the proverbial tortoise and hare Libeskind’s poetic, heartfelt and spiritual design has come quietly through a strong field, it seems, to convince the selectors. About three years ago I was lucky enough to visit the, then unopened and empty, Jewish Museum in Berlin. The building is completely disorientating on many levels and, is intentionally so. The experience is one of having one’s preconceptions stripped away and being immersed in a labyrinthine environment that leads you on a journey – the destination of which is unknown. Familiar glimpses of the streetscape outside are occasional references bringing you back into contact with the outside. The metaphorical aspects of the building are very moving. As a testament to the murdered Jews of Berlin it as a fittingly powerful statement. It is no surprise that the museum was one of the most visited museums even before it had any exhibits inside. It was clear to me then and moreso now – having learned more about the architect – that this is a very deeply thinking and feeling man. He is able to connect with the experience of tragedy and destruction and give it form. What is so refreshing is that this visionary approach to architecture, which in some ways redefines what buildings are, may be given space in the most expensive real estate in the world. Cool.
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Yesterday I was looking at some old snapshots and it was weird to look at what used to be ‘me’ looking out at what is ‘me’ now. I’m always conscious when being photographed of this effect where you imagine, as the photo is being taken, looking back at how you will look in years to come. Then when you get to that previously imagined point and you look back you can remember thinking ‘I wonder what I will think of this photo in X years time’. My head hurts… I need a pill. Anyway the Mr Bond story got me thinking – if I were the victim of mistaken indentity – who would I most like to be mistaken for?
Robbie Williams – Get attacked in the street by drunken Liam Gallagher.
Robin Williams – Get confused in the minds of 80 year olds with the other Mr R. Williams above + get attacked in the street by drunken confused Liam Gallagher.
Moira Stuart – Enjoy the respect and admiration that can only come from being a much respected and admired newsreader.
Liam Gallagher – Attack people called ‘Williams’ and swear a lot. Be more hated than…
Saddam Hussein – Have everyone agree with me every time. Might make trips to New York difficult tho.
Sadly, looking nothing like any of the above, I’ll just have to go on dealing with the endless tedium of being mistaken for my present doppelganger [crosses fingers behind back].
The great GeezerGift frenzy reaches fever pitch and drD is truly honoured to be nominated in 2 of the 5 categories. “I’d like to thank my agents cat for all the love and fish breath over the years” etc etc. Troll on over there and vote before it’s too late and he’s compelled to do ironing or talk to his remote.
It’s Juicy:
I used to lurrrrrrrrrvvvvvvvve this stuff. Ultra fruity for about 30 seconds then it used to go a bit rancid but you kept on chewing to extract max flavour. This is the pack design I remember best – looks a tad utilitarian now but seemed so sophist back then. The pack used to smell fruity too. God knows – it was probably made with asbestos or summat – but we loved it. History lesson here.
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Celebrate your regionality! Always one to recycle, I give Alan another showing to illustrate today’s theme. With the third most popular show on Radio Norwich – Alan for me personifies all that is best in regional programming, As a resident of Alan’s region I get to hear nightly reports about Norwich, The Canaries, the weather in Norwich and the occasional mention of Delia, who happens to own most of The Canaries. I also get unlimited access to possibly the most exciting web cam in the Norwich Market area. All of this is sheer bonus as I have never been to Norwich have no wish to and probably never will. Thanks guys.
It’s big: Australia
This great Nasa photo shows what a large proportion of the earth’s surface is covered by the island continent – mega.
Herds of wild Kangaroos can be clearly seen in the south east corner of the image… [Image details]
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Nothing like a week off to make you appreciate the small things in life. Like being able to stand and stare – for no particular reason other than it feels good – when usually you’d be doing a headless chicken job trying to get to work on time. Early morning car battery failures are a great opportunity to take time out and just stare into the distance as you wait for the fourth emergency service to arrive. Birds fly over, children scuttle past on their way to school, men emerge sheepishly from front doors which are obviously not their own. Cats dive for cover under stationary cars. An aeroplane flies high overhead and those birds just go on singing and singing. Work is fine but every now n again the machines let ya down and you have to revert to being human, standing and staring…
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Luxuriate in the sublime Dreamspaces from BBC Three. Architectural pleasure at last on a Sunday morning. Dave Gorman’s Jubilee Line segment last week was as cool as it gets. [makes mental note to do geeky entire line trip v.soon] Strangely no comprehensive BBCi style website yet tho – the shoestrings for BBC 3 are 3 holes only. The blobs BBC Three ident is also great – Aardman should be paid large sums to rid us of those crap red dancing things on BBC1 and replace with animated Brit icons. A plasticene Stephen Fry / Peter Stringfellow with eyeballs on stalks / Moira Stuart doing that ‘controlled passion’ thing – yep far more entertaining. I can recommend the desktop Blob download – makes a perfect inhabitant for that weirdly empty Teletubby XP backdrop. Not sure how long I can deal with the screaming burping and farting tho.
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Suddenly everywhere you look there are articles about the ‘rise of blogging as the zeitgeist of the new century’ = “I’m a 30 something journalist and the way things are going newspapers won’t exist in 10 years time – better find out what this blog stuff is all about quick”. Or, ‘If Google buys it then there must be something in it”. Truly – history is being made as we Post & Publish.
Anudder cracking day on the solar radiation scale – the merest hint of warmth from that strange glowing yellow thing in the sky – so much so I foolishly wore my favourite Ben Sherman short sleeved shirt for a walk round to Mogadon Mart earlier. [Which is going to have at least one entry lovingly devoted to it in due course - watch this space]. Why do nipples do that in cold weather? Springiness is coiling itself ready to boinggg – it won’t be long before those weird daffodil things emerge.
Justin Timberframe is equally ubiquitous [Did you mean: Justin Timberlake? - go on then] especially on Radio 1 which seems to have the hots big time for him since his sizzle fest with Kylie the other night. The excellent Swish Cottage has the true measure of Justin tho – Warning: not for the feint hearted. The cottage, meanwhile features in todays Guardian in an article about ‘rise of blogging…..
which is where I came in.
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By the miracle of a ’21st Century operating system’ – this page comes to you via my all new Windows XP Professional System. Canna help feeling puhleased wid myself. [It won't last - I've been reading about the Blue Screen Of Death...BSOD - that'd be right] 
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And so to the Royal Academy and the Aztecs show. Through streets weirdly empty of not just cars but people also. It was all a bit surreal. I can’t ever remember London feeling that way on a workday. Was it the strange power of The Redken?. Well, as soon as I got inside I realised why the streets were empty – everyone was crammed into the Aztecs exhibition. With good reason though – it is stunning. Nearly every object is of a quality that were it shown alone would guarantee the ‘wow factor’. [this term is becoming so overused I know - alternative suggestions please]. The collective effect is to flood your senses with treasure after treasure and it was hard not to get blase about this. I had to keep checking the origin labels to remind myself that it was unlikely these objects would ever be in the same place together again. No exaggeration to say it’s a once in a lifetime chance. Not knowing much about Aztec art and culture before – I was struck by how modern many of the objects looked. There were so many elements I’ve seen in work from other traditions I’m inspired now to find out a lot more and follow up the influence threads. What was unique here though were the purposes for which many of these objects were manufactured. Especially disturbing, the receptacle ‘with tightly fitting lid’ to contain the flayed skin of sacrificial victims. This for use when said skin was not being worn inside out by an Aztec priest revealing the ‘bobbly texture’ caused by sub-cutaneous fat. And there was me thinking it looked like one of those trendy fleeces.
Understanding a culture just from it’s objects is, I find, difficult – especially in a dark crowded London gallery. Trying to get inside the minds of the Aztecs, their beliefs and practices – so disturbing to we ‘civilised ones’ – is something I will try to get as close to as possible before I go back for one last look.
Most surprising fact: Aztec dogs were largely vegetarian.
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