Postcard from Madrid

[imomus]

A quick postcard from Madrid, where I'm currently breakfasting groggily after a rather riotous Momus / Curly Carl show last night.



Yesterday Hisae and I packed a lot into our free hours. A visit to a covered market, a reverent glimpse of a nativity scene, a walk through the immigrant area Barrio de Embassadores with its wholesale bead and poncho shops, a long look around the excellent Casa Encendida, an arts centre which seems to be Madrid's answer to the Palais de Tokyo, and which was featuring shows about John Cage and recycling (link not intended, I think) then lunch at the very flash Museo Reina Sofia, a tour around a Spanish architecture show in the Botanical Gardens, a trip out to National Radio where I did a one-hour live interview, an interview with The Wire (well, actually, an interview someone is hoping to pitch to The Wire, good luck!) then the show. No wonder I'm a bit groggy this morning.

Oh, the radio interviewer, having read my Friday blog entry, asked whether I'd characterize Spanish culture live on air in a couple of words. I picked "vehement" (based mostly on the taxi in from the airport) and "digital-Islamic" (based on the beautiful poster, influenced by Moorish tile design, for the achitecture show).

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

dear momus,

the wig has to go. your girlfriend has a nice head of hair. the wig has to go.

the wig has to go.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Are you suggesting I drape my girlfriend over my head instead?

[xishimarux.livejournal.com]

Yup. I think that's what Mr. Anonymous is implying. If you can find a wig with hair like your girlfriends.

[microworlds.livejournal.com]

I happen to enjoy the wig. I was just about to comment on the spectacular way it makes Momus look. I heartily welcome this new phase in Momus' life.

Also a Vote for the Wig

[zzberlin.livejournal.com]

It's fetching, and I bet it feels fun on your head! And you can tilt it at different angles to illustrate your point! It's like a little extra piece of punctuation on top of your head!

I like that my highest boots touch parts of my legs that usually don't get touched that way. I like that the first time I used my gum pick it touched parts of my body previously untouched. I like the way the fabric of my burka feels on my face, it's a little erotic! Normally that part of the face is not touched by fabric.

So I bet the wig feels good. I have a green wig but have never worn it out.

[stanleylieber.livejournal.com]

are you havin' a larf?

[xishimarux.livejournal.com]

I love the bottom picture. Curly Carl: International man of mystery.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Licensed to, er, drink. And wear pink.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

(Of course, the climactic point of the live show is when the wig falls off, which it did last night at the end of "Maf", as I mimed getting "gunned down mid-song by unknown assailants".)

[(Anonymous)]

"Of course, the climactic point " : climactic for You or for the audience ??
XXX from Paris

[(Anonymous)]

I don't know about the wig, it gave Momus a certain comeback to youth (I could do with one of those myself) look in that picture with Buster and the chef's coat but it's gone a bit haystack in the above pic.
Keep us posted on your Madrid observations, I'm off there for the first time on a shoestring city break in May.
Cheers.
Thomas Scott.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Ha hah! Fantastico--you go, Carl. Something about it brings Peter Wyngarde (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Wyngarde_as_Jason_King.JPG) to mind. Kindly have my shirt and tie laundered before you send them back. Thanks.

(Tut-tutting from the tightassed art school goons is always a good sign. Nothing good ever comes from pleasing them.)

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Actually, you might enjoy these posts on 60's Carnaby Street fashions and habitues: (1 (http://aubreyweirdsley.livejournal.com/38484.html#cutid1)) (2 (http://aubreyweirdsley.livejournal.com/36085.html#cutid1))

[kaipfeiffer.livejournal.com]

but that's no wig ...

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Ever been an argument between you and Curly Carl?

enculturing

[(Anonymous)]

just quickly on the 'randomly generated' issue: thanks. Very resonant. I'm a relatively-recently-expatriated American in Europe, and though I professed to be 'enlightened and progressive' before I came 'over the wall', I've been increasingly aware of (a) how normative, how embedded, the American perspective on cultural difference is (ie., your 'someone in particular'/'everyone in the world' point), and (b) how I 'feel American' in very subtle, non-patriotic, *organic*(?) ways. Oddly disquieting. Is it a broader understanding of myself in the world, a perspective of myself in context, or a sort of sexy homesickness (because it there is a warmth to it). Interesting. Thanks again for your provocations.
PH-London
Haven't done Spain yet. Looks lovely.

Re: enculturing

[(Anonymous)]

Hope you are enjoying living in London as much as I did PH, just a little aside on the issue of cultural identity,I was born and have at several points in my life lived in the U.K. though my formative years and a not inconsiderable part of my adult life was spent here in Ireland. I tended to find that both English and Irish people only loosely think of themselves as European. This cannot purely be explained in terms of these nations' geographic separateness and is open to postulation.
Perhaps England- once a powerful empire nation- still is not ideally happy with the concept of geographic integration into continental Europe.
Perhaps Ireland- Britain's longest held former colony and a country with far closer cultural similarities to Britain than most Irish would care to admit- is also conscious of it's post colonial separateness.
Thomas Scott.

[qscrisp.livejournal.com]

I wish I had a photo of my friend Jon, metrosexual, globe-trotting Welsh trilingualist, because he looks exactly like Curly Carl. Exactly.

[saint-claws.livejournal.com]

My, what delightful locks of strawberry blond hair you have.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Here's CC with a very fulsome fan, DJ Otaku (http://www.fotolog.com/djotaku/?pid=18911135).

[cheapsurrealist.livejournal.com]

CC would make a great gameshow host.

In 1974

Greetings from 55416

[(Anonymous)]

Nick, that thing is the spit of my old chemo wig, shall I ask my mom to crochet you brown string ties so it, too, does not fall off? Kids gonna tease whatever method you use to affix.

[microworlds.livejournal.com]

Momus, I thought this would be an appropriate time to tell you of a dream I had a few nights ago. Somehow you had a six pack and were in my house somehow. So I was rubbing your six pack and saying "ooh that's nice." Can you tell me why I had such a dream? Do you have a six pack and are you coming to LA in the near future? Inquiring minds want to know!

[microworlds.livejournal.com]

Oops, that should just be "in my house." ;)

Beautiful Images!

[zzberlin.livejournal.com]

Didn't take the time to read it but I'll look at the images several times again!

[(Anonymous)]

Not convinced by the wig. If you're going bald the worst thing is to cover it up, even in a jokey postmodern way. Just shave what's left of your hair down to a stubble, and you'll look just fine.

On the other hand, the suit is great (even if it doesn't fit properly). Pink tie is great too. You should go and get a properly tailored funky suit and a decent shave, and you'd look so much better. You're too old for the hobo look now.

Beautiful show!

[(Anonymous)]

I loved your show in Madrid!
Please, come back soon...