[kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"
Alex Smith
gathering@misera.net
Mon, 20 Oct 2003 07:28:47 -0500
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There will invariably be a needlessly long-winded report of all Wednesday
proceedings following with all speed on Thursday, Graham. Fret not.
Alex in NYC
----------
From: "Ford Prefect" <woody2shooz@yahoo.co.uk>
To: <gathering@misera.net>
Subject: Re: [kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"
Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2003, 3:28 AM
good to see you're safely back. better to see those typing fingers getting a
good work out ahead of thursday when an equally detailed account of all
things wednesday is expected :-)
graham
----- Original Message -----
From: Alex Smith <mailto:vassifer@earthlink.net>
To: gathering@misera.net <mailto:gathering@misera.net> ;
gathering@misera.net <mailto:gathering@misera.net>
Sent: Sunday, October 19, 2003 5:59 PM
Subject: Re: [kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"
Bonjour y'all....
Back from beautiful Paris, and a hearty thanks to everyone's advice of
where/what to visit. Peg and I had a marverlous time and were truly sad to
leave. Some highlights....
Highlights....
- Instead of a hotel, we rented an apartment on Isle St.Louis from a little
operation called Guest Service Apartments. It was completely wonderful, and
probably a closer approximation to what it's like to actually live in Paris
than staying in a hotel. Visit them here: http://www.guestapartment.fr/
<http://www.guestapartment.fr/>
- One of the nicest views of Paris is from the roof of the Arab Institute
(itself well worth visiting).
- With one tiny exception (courtesy of a maitre'd at newly-opened
Franco-Asian hepcat lounge, Kong), everyone in Paris was unfailingly nice to
us.
- Apart from maybe Japan, France displays the most refreshing appreciation
for the much-maligned art medium of comic books. The sheer number of well
turned out and immaculately presented comic shops was truly heartening (for
a recovering comix geek like myself). Bought a lot of needless Tintin &
Asterix crap.
- Want to really hate your fellow countryman (more than you already may?)
Travel abroad! Americans in Paris stick out like viscous clumps of tepid
dung in the Foie Gras, and behave accordingly. No wonder they hate us. Also,
the second they find out you're a Yank, the fist words out of their mouth
are "Ahhh, George Bush!" Yeah, thanks alot. You then spend few minutes
apologizing for him.
- Courtesy of some of the folks on the ILM boards, I found a great record
shop in the Bastile area called, inexplicably, BIMBO TOWER. It's quite hard
to find (down at the ass end of a easily missed back alley), but it's well
worth seeking out. It's teeny tiny, but they pack the place with all sorts
of ephemera (not just music related). It's a bit of a geek's paradise, as
its brewing with all sorts of odd material (Japaense toys, odd fanzines,
t-shirts, totschke, etc.) Didn't find anything too mind blowing (wasn't
looking for anything specific actually), but picked up a Rough Trade
Post-Punk compilation just to show my support.
- While sipping a beer (preggy Peggy had an Orangina) at Les Deux Magot on
the Left Bank (where Hemingway used to hang out in between visiting Gertrude
Stein and Alice B. Toklas at Shakespeare & Co.), we spotted John "Duran
Duran" Taylor (well, he actually passed our table on his way to the men's
room). At Peg's wide-eyed urging (herself a recovering zealous Durannie) I
later interupted his salad consumption (much to the chagrin of the pissy
woman with two-toned hair he was sitting with) and got him to sign and
autograph (on the back of our receipt). To his credit, he happily obliged
and was quite a hecka-swell fella about it.
- On our first night (my birthday), Peggy's parents (in town on their way
back to Houston from Tunisia, long story) took us out to the legendary Lido
for dinner. A highly touristy and somewhat embarassing joint on the Champs
Elysees, the Lido is famous for being the first place to zealously display
female breasts. Huzzah! Along with a very nice dinner, you are treated to a
glitzy Vegas-styled show featuring countless numbers of topless French women
and various acts of ridiculously over-the-top shobiz shenanigans. Honestly
speaking, after a while, one is numbed by the sight of naked French nipples,
but it was completely hokey and fun all the same.
- On behalf of a friend of mine here in NYC, I dragged poor Peg off one day
in search of a mysterious place on the Left Bank (in the Latin Quarter)
called Deyrolle. Apparently, my friend Sam's brother had purchased a strange
poster there called "Squelette de Lapin" (Skeleton of the Rabitt) and he
covetted it considerably. Happily obliging, Peg and I pinpointed Rue de Bac
(the street is was supposedly situated) on the map and set off for it. When
we reached the storefront, we found an empty, dusty, bare room....though
with a sign saying "Le Boutique Deyrolle ouvert". After a few awkward
moments, a rather disagreeable woman descended a flight of stairs, chewing
me a new one in furiously speedy French for interupting her lunch. I
stammered out my apologies in my broken French (you'd think after eight
years of the language in grade school, high school and college I could
manage at least one coherent sentence). After squinting and furrowing her
brow at me, she led us upstairs into a truly strange set of rooms, flanked
with disarmingly lifelike taxidermy and medical charts. Fetal pigs in jars,
exotic jungle bugs under glass, wild boar heads protruding from the walls,
it was like room out of The Adams Family house. Turns out they did indeed
have the poster (a rather grotesque image which Sam's wife will invariably
resent me for life for once he frames it and mounts it on their wall). I
tried to convince Peg to search around for something for our house, but she
politely demured (disembowled farm animals aren't really her aesthetic).
Mission accomplished. In any event, next time you're in Paris, search this
freaky place out.
Anyway, that's all for now, but we had a truly tremendous time.
Cheers,
Alex in NYC
----------
>From: "Alex Smith" <vassifer@earthlink.net <mailto:vassifer@earthlink.net> >
>To: gathering@misera.net <mailto:gathering@misera.net>
>Subject: [kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"
>Date: Fri, Oct 10, 2003, 11:40 AM
>
>
>Gatheruzz....your assistance, s'il vous plait...
>
> As I may have mentioned, the wife and I are taking a last minute holiday
>before the spikey mallet of impending parenthood biffs us in the hooter.
>Peg's already in Germany on business right now (for the annual Frankfurt
>bookfair), and I'm flying over on Saturday to rendez-vous with her. From
>there, we're taking a train to Paris for a few days (back on the 18th with a
>few days to rest up before KILLING JOKE DISEMBOWEL NEW YO....er.....Killing
>Joke squeeze in as much music as they can into their paltry one-hour set at
>Webster Hall) being that once our baby arrives in April, we probably won't
>be going anywhere ever again. Honestly speaking, I haven't been in Paris
>(the "City of Light", if I'm not mistaken) since the balmy days of
>1987....and most of that period was spent drunk anyway (although I do
>remember finding probably the only Punk Rock record store in Paris at the
>time called L'EVASION. Wonder if it's still there!) In any event, I'm going
>to be there for about one full week, and would *HAPPILY* welcome any
>suggestions of places/things to go see/do/experience/etc. I'm not talking
>about the obvious touristy shit like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and stupid
>Jim Morrison's grave, I mean cooler, a bit more esoteric stuff. Most of you
>know my sensibilities, so let them be your guide. Nothing outside of Paris
>either, as being that Peggers is preggers, we want to keep this journey
>relatively low-maintenance.
>
>Merci beaucoup in advance, mes amis!
>
>
>Alex dans NYC
>_______________________________________________
>Gathering mailing list
>Gathering@misera.net
>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering
_______________________________________________
Gathering mailing list
Gathering@misera.net <mailto:Gathering@misera.net>
http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering
<http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering>
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<BR>
There will invariably be a needlessly long-winded report of all Wednesday p=
roceedings following with all speed on Thursday, Graham. Fret not.<BR>
<BR>
Alex in NYC<BR>
<BR>
----------<BR>
From: "Ford Prefect" <woody2shooz@yahoo.co.uk><BR>
To: <gathering@misera.net><BR>
Subject: Re: [kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"<BR>
Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2003, 3:28 AM<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT COLOR=3D"#800080"><FONT SIZE=3D"2">good to see you're safely =
back. better to see those typing fingers getting a good work out ahead of th=
ursday when an equally detailed account of all things wednesday is expected =
:-)<BR>
</FONT></FONT> <BR>
<FONT SIZE=3D"2">graham<BR>
</FONT><BLOCKQUOTE>----- Original Message ----- <BR>
<B>From:</B> Alex Smith <<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>mailto:vassifer@earthl=
ink.net</U></FONT>> <BR>
<B>To:</B> <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>gathering@misera.net</U></FONT> <<FO=
NT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>mailto:gathering@misera.net</U></FONT>> ; <FO=
NT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>gathering@misera.net</U></FONT> <<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000=
FF"><U>mailto:gathering@misera.net</U></FONT>> <BR>
<B>Sent:</B> Sunday, October 19, 2003 5:59 PM<BR>
<B>Subject:</B> Re: [kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Bonjour y'all....<BR>
<BR>
Back from beautiful Paris, and a hearty thanks to everyone's advice of<BR>
where/what to visit. Peg and I had a marverlous time and were truly sad to<=
BR>
leave. Some highlights....<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Highlights....<BR>
<BR>
- Instead of a hotel, we rented an apartment on Isle St.Louis from a little=
<BR>
operation called Guest Service Apartments. It was completely wonderful, and=
<BR>
probably a closer approximation to what it's like to actually live in Paris=
<BR>
than staying in a hotel. Visit them here: <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://w=
ww.guestapartment.fr/</U></FONT> <<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://www.gue=
stapartment.fr/</U></FONT>> <BR>
<BR>
- One of the nicest views of Paris is from the roof of the Arab Institute<B=
R>
(itself well worth visiting).<BR>
<BR>
- With one tiny exception (courtesy of a maitre'd at newly-opened<BR>
Franco-Asian hepcat lounge, Kong), everyone in Paris was unfailingly nice t=
o<BR>
us.<BR>
<BR>
- Apart from maybe Japan, France displays the most refreshing appreciation<=
BR>
for the much-maligned art medium of comic books. The sheer number of well<B=
R>
turned out and immaculately presented comic shops was truly heartening (for=
<BR>
a recovering comix geek like myself). Bought a lot of needless Tintin &=
<BR>
Asterix crap.<BR>
<BR>
- Want to really hate your fellow countryman (more than you already may?)<B=
R>
Travel abroad! Americans in Paris stick out like viscous clumps of tepid<BR=
>
dung in the Foie Gras, and behave accordingly. No wonder they hate us. Also=
,<BR>
the second they find out you're a Yank, the fist words out of their mouth<B=
R>
are "Ahhh, George Bush!" Yeah, thanks alot. You then spend few mi=
nutes<BR>
apologizing for him. <BR>
<BR>
- Courtesy of some of the folks on the ILM boards, I found a great record<B=
R>
shop in the Bastile area called, inexplicably, BIMBO TOWER. It's quite hard=
<BR>
to find (down at the ass end of a easily missed back alley), but it's well<=
BR>
worth seeking out. It's teeny tiny, but they pack the place with all sorts<=
BR>
of ephemera (not just music related). It's a bit of a geek's paradise, as<B=
R>
its brewing with all sorts of odd material (Japaense toys, odd fanzines,<BR=
>
t-shirts, totschke, etc.) Didn't find anything too mind blowing (wasn't<BR>
looking for anything specific actually), but picked up a Rough Trade<BR>
Post-Punk compilation just to show my support.<BR>
<BR>
- While sipping a beer (preggy Peggy had an Orangina) at Les Deux Magot on<=
BR>
the Left Bank (where Hemingway used to hang out in between visiting Gertrud=
e<BR>
Stein and Alice B. Toklas at Shakespeare & Co.), we spotted John "=
Duran<BR>
Duran" Taylor (well, he actually passed our table on his way to the me=
n's<BR>
room). At Peg's wide-eyed urging (herself a recovering zealous Durannie) I<=
BR>
later interupted his salad consumption (much to the chagrin of the pissy<BR=
>
woman with two-toned hair he was sitting with) and got him to sign and<BR>
autograph (on the back of our receipt). To his credit, he happily obliged<B=
R>
and was quite a hecka-swell fella about it.<BR>
<BR>
- On our first night (my birthday), Peggy's parents (in town on their way<B=
R>
back to Houston from Tunisia, long story) took us out to the legendary Lido=
<BR>
for dinner. A highly touristy and somewhat embarassing joint on the Champs<=
BR>
Elysees, the Lido is famous for being the first place to zealously display<=
BR>
female breasts. Huzzah! Along with a very nice dinner, you are treated to a=
<BR>
glitzy Vegas-styled show featuring countless numbers of topless French wome=
n<BR>
and various acts of ridiculously over-the-top shobiz shenanigans. Honestly<=
BR>
speaking, after a while, one is numbed by the sight of naked French nipples=
,<BR>
but it was completely hokey and fun all the same.<BR>
<BR>
- On behalf of a friend of mine here in NYC, I dragged poor Peg off one day=
<BR>
in search of a mysterious place on the Left Bank (in the Latin Quarter)<BR>
called Deyrolle. Apparently, my friend Sam's brother had purchased a strang=
e<BR>
poster there called "Squelette de Lapin" (Skeleton of the Rabitt)=
and he<BR>
covetted it considerably. Happily obliging, Peg and I pinpointed Rue de Bac=
<BR>
(the street is was supposedly situated) on the map and set off for it. When=
<BR>
we reached the storefront, we found an empty, dusty, bare room....though<BR=
>
with a sign saying "Le Boutique Deyrolle ouvert". After a few awk=
ward<BR>
moments, a rather disagreeable woman descended a flight of stairs, chewing<=
BR>
me a new one in furiously speedy French for interupting her lunch. I<BR>
stammered out my apologies in my broken French (you'd think after eight<BR>
years of the language in grade school, high school and college I could<BR>
manage at least one coherent sentence). After squinting and furrowing her<B=
R>
brow at me, she led us upstairs into a truly strange set of rooms, flanked<=
BR>
with disarmingly lifelike taxidermy and medical charts. Fetal pigs in jars,=
<BR>
exotic jungle bugs under glass, wild boar heads protruding from the walls,<=
BR>
it was like room out of The Adams Family house. Turns out they did indeed<B=
R>
have the poster (a rather grotesque image which Sam's wife will invariably<=
BR>
resent me for life for once he frames it and mounts it on their wall). I<BR=
>
tried to convince Peg to search around for something for our house, but she=
<BR>
politely demured (disembowled farm animals aren't really her aesthetic).<BR=
>
Mission accomplished. In any event, next time you're in Paris, search this<=
BR>
freaky place out.<BR>
<BR>
Anyway, that's all for now, but we had a truly tremendous time.<BR>
<BR>
Cheers,<BR>
Alex in NYC<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
----------<BR>
>From: "Alex Smith" <<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>vassifer@eart=
hlink.net</U></FONT> <<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>mailto:vassifer@earthlink.=
net</U></FONT>> ><BR>
>To: <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>gathering@misera.net</U></FONT> <<FONT =
COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>mailto:gathering@misera.net</U></FONT>> <BR>
>Subject: [kj] "Last Pogo in Paris"<BR>
>Date: Fri, Oct 10, 2003, 11:40 AM<BR>
><BR>
<BR>
><BR>
>Gatheruzz....your assistance, s'il vous plait...<BR>
><BR>
> As I may have mentioned, the wife and I are taking a=
last minute holiday<BR>
>before the spikey mallet of impending parenthood biffs us in the hooter=
.<BR>
>Peg's already in Germany on business right now (for the annual Frankfur=
t<BR>
>bookfair), and I'm flying over on Saturday to rendez-vous with her. Fro=
m<BR>
>there, we're taking a train to Paris for a few days (back on the 18th w=
ith a<BR>
>few days to rest up before KILLING JOKE DISEMBOWEL NEW YO....er.....Kil=
ling<BR>
>Joke squeeze in as much music as they can into their paltry one-hour se=
t at<BR>
>Webster Hall) being that once our baby arrives in April, we probably wo=
n't<BR>
>be going anywhere ever again. Honestly speaking, I haven't been in Pari=
s<BR>
>(the "City of Light", if I'm not mistaken) since the balmy da=
ys of<BR>
>1987....and most of that period was spent drunk anyway (although I do<B=
R>
>remember finding probably the only Punk Rock record store in Paris at t=
he<BR>
>time called L'EVASION. Wonder if it's still there!) In any event, I'm g=
oing<BR>
>to be there for about one full week, and would *HAPPILY* welcome any<BR=
>
>suggestions of places/things to go see/do/experience/etc. I'm not talki=
ng<BR>
>about the obvious touristy shit like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and s=
tupid<BR>
>Jim Morrison's grave, I mean cooler, a bit more esoteric stuff. Most of=
you<BR>
>know my sensibilities, so let them be your guide. Nothing outside of Pa=
ris<BR>
>either, as being that Peggers is preggers, we want to keep this journey=
<BR>
>relatively low-maintenance.<BR>
><BR>
>Merci beaucoup in advance, mes amis!<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
>Alex dans NYC<BR>
>_______________________________________________<BR>
>Gathering mailing list<BR>
><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>Gathering@misera.net<BR>
</U></FONT>><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/li=
stinfo/gathering<BR>
</U></FONT>_______________________________________________<BR>
Gathering mailing list<BR>
<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>Gathering@misera.net</U></FONT> <<FONT COLOR=3D"#=
0000FF"><U>mailto:Gathering@misera.net</U></FONT>> <BR>
<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gatherin=
g</U></FONT> <<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/l=
istinfo/gathering</U></FONT>> <BR>
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