GHOSTWORLD

Watched this again last night. I love American teenage misanthropes (JD Salinger types) because thats what being a teenager is all about! I love especially ones adapted from graphic novels, and especially GIRL ones (see Daria post below)....Enid and Rebecca rule...I wish I had styled this movie, the clothing is soo perfect...This is just a typical story in Anytown, USA.

HAIR

Remember your mum hastily brushing your hair in the street so you "can look like somebody's pickney!?"...

THAT CRAZY HIPPIE LIFE YOU LEAD

*For Sherman*

***Click to make them full size***

SKINHEAD GIRLS

Girls are always on the peripheries of postwar subcultures, we never start anything...(except feminism obviously). Its always about the boys...I saw my first skinhead in Wolverhampton. People think Wolves is a culturally deficient place, but if you look, there is tons of cool shit everywhere, especially music related. Everyone grew up on soul and ska and punk and indie, it was great going to your friends houses and looking through their parents records. In fact we use to sing football chants to the Liquidator - "FUCK OFF WEST BROM!" Hahahaaa! Ska and rocksteady still sorta brings a tear to my eye because it reminds me of my Grandpa and his yearning for Jamaica...

When I worked in Camden market back in the day, this super hot Italian (?) skinhead used to come in every weekend into our stall. He was soooo well dressed and always alone. My heart would beat a little faster when I saw him coming. I always wondered what his girlfriend might look like...

BACK WHEN NAOMI WAS NICE

OXFAM BOOKSHOP ON KINGSLAND RD

The Oxfam book and record shop on the Kingsland Road near the junction is one of my favourite bookstores ever!! (Number 1 being The Old Secondhand bookstore in West Park in my hometown). The Oxfam bookstore is one of the few places that Alex and I can shop together without one disturbing the other or getting bored - he goes to the records, I go to the books. And yesterday I struck GOLD!!

Aside from the fact that I love love LOVE these old blue Penguin covers with their perfect Helvetica and white band, this is one of those books that provides a great resource into what was going on in 1938. When I'm researching a subject I always try and find books written at the actual time or within 3 years of the events, because the context is almost always going to be different. The last chapter is entitled "Can Capitalism Survive?"...so glad the author isn't alive to see what it has become...

This Pocket History of Freemasonry is one of those books for post-club alcohol-fueled conspiracy theory chats. Numerous times I've been at boys houses and the subject of the Freemasons inevitably comes up. I like having a book that can refute all wild random conversations...


I first found it while browsing through St Martins library and renewed it 5 times while I got through the hefty tome. Now I have my own copy! And wowzers, I can't believe it was only 59p! Its basically about how the world is moving so fast that we can't catch up with it and then suffer from anxiety about our lives. It describes the fact that 100 years ago the only people we would have known were the 50 or so local people in our village, and now, thanks to the fast paced society (and the service industry) we can know thousands of people, causing us to suffer to lack of strong bonds etc etc...its part Malcom Gladwell, part Dr Robert Winston. Interesting read...


What!? A Pictorial eyewitness history!? On the Soviet Union!? In a handy pocket size?! Gimme More!


Check out this amazing layout of Trotsky and Lenin "haranguing the Petrograd workers"


Always good to know a bit of American history. If you love music, you should always try to read up on the history of the country at the time the music was being made as its almost always a product of social and political surroundings... The 20s and 30s America!? Lets see what caused the blues...


I just find the way the big people give the the little people things (crack, guns, diseases etc) to harm themselves with fascinating...


I haven't read any Desmond Morris but Adrian keeps telling me to, and this looks really good! I especially love the diagrams of acceptable touching zones on the body for your mother and father...


Seeing as China is gonna be THE superpower of the future, its always useful to know a bit of Chinese history to impress your future business associates. This book is about the hub of Beijing in the Ming Dynasty. Its almost like a gossip book of what happened in the kingdom. One chapter is sensationally titled "Palace maids attempt to strangle Emperor Jiajing".


I love post war Britain. I love the Windrush (obviously), and I love The Specials Ghost Town.



I saw this at Anoushka BAPEs house and was tempted to steal it but it belonged to her sister and I cant steal because I get guilt nightmares. I was very upset. Its a brillllllllliant book! and the cover photo is amazing (the full photo is printed on the back) As I always say...EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON...a month or two later and I get my very own copy for a mere 99p!



ALL OF THIS FOR ONLY £7.29!!!!! Are you insane!?!!

Sadly this bookstore is closing down - hence the lengthy post to promote it! - to make way for more shit clothes for the Dalston massive. If you live in East London please go and check it out. They're having a clearance sale next week. Bring your trolleys...

THE NEW COOL GIRLS NAMES

One day I will see MY name on a keyring or name plate *sigh*

THE CREW

I think I might pack up and go chill with my mates this summer...

I LOVE SUMMER

Its time for pencil skirts and Doc Martens again...but I NEED some espadrilles...!!!

WHOA!

Email from one of my best mates...

"I just absentmindedly typed 'monique' into google thinking I was on Fashion
monitor (searching for Monique Lhullier) and look what popped up a picture
from a horror film called 'Monique' all combined made me think of you hope
this makes you giggle in your undoubtedly wrecked with tiredness state!!
xxxxxx"

Wowzers! Some weird booty ghetto vampire shit! This is definitely one for Mr Nut....

BENEATH THE ROSES

THE GOOD OLD DAYS

THIS IS MY STUFF

Was I the only person who watched Daria like my grandmother reads the Bible? I LOVED her whole teen MTV generation so-over-it attitude...and that theme tune still plays in my head..."La La Laaa La La, this is MY STUFF, got to GET OFF!" the theme tune was pure Breeders/3 Non Blondes type stuff...Daria was my hero...

Whoaaaaa...after watching episode 2 of The Invitation I've just realised that this character is the base of THE SHERMANATOR from American Pie..

"Don't they realise we're from two separate worlds? Regular and popular?"

FANZINE LOVE 2

VENUS IN FURS

Read this when I was 18, cleared a lot of things up for me...in case anyone hasn't noticed the authors name, Leopold von Sacher Masoch is where the term masochist comes from...