Author: Ian Louis Harris

Hirsute Pursuits Over The 2007 Festive Season, 28 December 2007

I went into the 2007 festive season clean-shaven and came out the other side of it bearded.

Before
After

I have been inspired to write this matter up on Ogblog now (in November 2019), as King Cricket has written a very entertaining, speculative piece about cricketer Chris Woakes “rebranding” as a hirsute chap:

Chris Woakes has a beard now and that definitely says something although we’re not exactly sure what

This made me wonder about my own “rebrand” 12 years ago.

I had often before let my facial hair grow for a while, during holiday time, but always previously had relented once work beckoned again or sooner if the itches came before the return to work.

This time I decided to play through the itches and go for the bearded look from the start of 2008 onwards.

I’m not sure I actually made the decision on 28 December, but it was a Friday and I probably at least made a decision not to shave that day before heading off for Sandall Close.

I do recall that Daisy liked the look once it got beyond 48 hour shadow to become a proper, albeit short, beard and tash.

Freudians might point out that the festive holiday in question was the first significant break from work I’d had since my father’s death and I do recall consciously thinking that I wouldn’t have attempted “the beard thing” while dad was alive. I cannot explain that, I merely note it. The same inexplicable/nonsensical rule applied to hats as well.

I especially recall my business partner, Michael Mainelli recoiling at the sight of my new look at the start of 2008. When I asked him why he didn;t like it, he was uncharacteristically lost for words until he finally said:

I don’t really know. I guess I don’t like change.

While on the business angle of this, just for the record, I would suggest that my five most successful years commercially were 2008-2012. Coincidence? Who knows.

Here’s hoping for at least five cracking cricketing years ahead for Chris Woakes from November 2019 onwards now he too is hirsute.

My Name Is Albert Ayler, ICA, 27 December 2007

Our tradition of going to see interesting movies between Christmas and New Year goes back quite a long way, but many of those visits will be lost in the mists of time as we often would plan and do those visits “on a whim”, with neither of us recording the details in our diary.

But both Janie and I recorded this one in our diaries, as we were fitting this evening visit between quite busy Twixtmas work schedules that year.

Christmas had been a slightly sombre but not sober affair that year. The first gathering without dad and (as it turned out) Len’s last gathering. Janie soldiered on with many of the traditions that had formed over the past few years, not least (I think) a goose. I’ll write more about such gatherings for an earlier, happier year.

Anyway, My Name Is Albert Ayler was a highly acclaimed movie about the jazz musician of that name. We had not got round to seeing it when it was released earlier that year in the UK so were thrilled to see that we had the chance to catch it one evening at the ICA.

We were both very much taken with the movie, which we found very interesting, although we are less sure about free jazz music, as our experience at the Festival Hall a few months earlier attests:

Cecil Taylor Quartet featuring Anthony Braxton, supported by Polar Bear, Royal Festival Hall, 8 July 2007

Albert Ayler’s free jazz is a little easier on the ear than the above concert was…but not much. You can judge for yourselves with the YouTube of Ayler’s 1963 album, My Name Is Albert Ayler, below:

No trailer for the movie on line, sadly.

We were hardy (foolhardy?) folk in those days – we saw a late movie and must have eaten afterwards, as we both saw clients late afternoon/early evening. Then we got up at silly o’clock, because Janie had a very early patient to see the next morning.

Still, at least we can be pretty sure that free jazz wouldn’t have given either of us an ear worm tune through the night.

Statement of Regret by Kwame Kwei-Armah, Cottesloe Theatre, 22 December 2007

We really loved Elmina’s Kitchen and also enjoyed Fix Up, both by Kwame Kwei-Armah when we saw them at the Cottesloe, so we thought this one would be a “must see”.

In truth, Statement of Regret was nowhere near as strong as the other plays, although it was worth the trip. This one was about a black think-tank on the brink of folding. Interesting subject matter but the play was a bit all over the place.

Even Michael Billington struggled to like it, even though he wanted to, here.

Philip Fisher in British Theatre Guide agrees – lots of interesting stuff but not a coherent play, here.

Still, Ricky in NYC really enjoyed it, here, and who are we to disagree?

Three Late December Evenings: 15, 19 & 20 December 2007

15 December

Janie and I had Hilary & Chris for dinner at Sandall Close. No doubt they had come up to drop & collect Christmas presents etc. No doubt they stayed and no doubt they disappeared early the next morning when Janie and I went off to play tennis.

19 December

Mansion House. Michael Mainelli had persuaded the City of London Corporation & the Lord Mayor to host a London Accord launch at the Mansion House. This felt like a big deal for Z/Yen at the time. So much so that I bought a stack of copies of The Diary Of A Nobody as the staff’s Secret Santa stocking filler that year, pointing them to the Mansion House chapter/thread in the book.

Any resemblance between Ogblog and The Diary Of A Nobody is purely coincidental.

This Now & Z/Yen piece announced the London Accord Mansion House event. Very grand it was too.

20 December

Back down to earth at Cafe Rouge in Maida Vale for the Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner, including the seasonal Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Trophy quiz.

John Random helpfully reported back after the event:

Many thanks to all those who came out to the… I dunno.. the 28th? Ivan Shakespeare Memorial Dinner. (We seem to have settled into a pattern of four a year and we’ve been doing this for 7 years now, so 28 sounds about right.) The occasion was graced by Jasmine Birtles, Caroline Bainbridge, Gerry Goddin, Barry Grossman, Mark Keegan, Colin Stutt, Nick R. Thomas, Ian Harris, Mike Hodd and myself. There were three quizzes. Barry retained the trophy.

For those struggling to imagine what this magnificent trophy might look like – here is a subsequent picture of it (with legends for some subsequent winners):

The Art of Lee Miller followed by Dinner at Cambio de Tercio, Z/Yen Staff Christmas Event, 14 December 2007

Ian and Janie

The above picture, from Cambio de Tercio, is possibly the last photo taken of me before I grew my beard over that Christmas break. I suspect I should be “crediting” Monique for it, or possibly Jez given the proximity of the photographer to Sarah.

Earlier in the evening we had all enjoyed a cultural time at the V&A. Most people followed Linda’s lead to The Golden Age of Couture, but I was keen to see photography instead; The Art of Lee Miller. I think Janie had already seen the couture, so some folk joined us for the photographic exhibition.

Cambio de Tercio is a fine restaurant and we indeed had a very fine meal there.

The song that year was, ♬Santa’s Using PropheZy At Z/Yen♬ to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming To town:

SANTA’S USING PROPHEZY AT Z/YEN
(Sung to the tune of “Santa Claus is Coming To Town”)
He’s made an edict!
He needs to know why!
He’s out to predict,
He will classify;Santa Claus Is Coming To Z/Yen,
PropheZy has done it again,
Santa’s using PropheZy at Z/Yen!Santa’s making a list,
He’s checking it twice,
His model works out
Who’s naughty and nice.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Z/Yen,
PropheZy has done it again,
Santa’s using PropheZy at Z/Yen!

He predicts when you’re not sleeping,
He predicts when you’re serene,
He computes if you’ve been bad or good,
In Support Vector Machine!

A Santa index,
A Santa Claus game,
A Santa benchmark,
The answer’s the same;

IndeZy is coming to Z/Yen,
ExtZy is coming to Z/Yen,
PropheZy is coming to Z/Yen.

The boys and girls in Z/Yen-land,
Want to know the reason why,
Each name has got to start or end,
With a Z and then a Y.

They’re eaZy to use,
They’re peaZy to play,
No sleaZy abuse,
When done the Z/Yen way;

IndeZy is coming to Z/Yen,
ExtZy is coming to Z/Yen,

Here’s Bruce Springsteen’s version of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town:

I seem to recall that a very good time was had by all that evening.

Some Early December Dinners: 1, 7 & 8 December 2007

It was that time of year I guess.

Saturday 1 December we had the Jams over for dinner at Sandall Close. Kim, Micky & DJ came. No doubt it was a good one.

Friday 7 December we went to Michael and Pam’s for dinner. Mum joined us there. I suppose they were sensitive to the season and the fact that dad had passed away a few months earlier. It was kind of them to do that; I don’t suppose it was much of a fun evening for any of us in the circumstances.

Saturday 8 December we went to Claudia & Richard’s house in Totteridge for dinner. Anthea and Mitchell were there. The hospitality was lavish and the company very enjoyable that evening. It looks as though we got a cab because Janie’s diary is replete with cab booking notes.

Dinner With John White At The Chancery, Preceded By A Drink In The Cittie Of York, 26 November 2007

This evening did what it said on the tin, I should imagine. It was my turn to pay and John I think felt at that stage of the season that we both needed to be fairly close to work and to routes home – hence the location choice.

I reported it very briefly in e-mail form afterwards as:

great to see you last night

While John’s report back included a caveat…

Lovely evening on Monday but sadly I had to catch a bus from Bishops Stortford due to engineering works. Commuter troubles. A late night in the end. Must learn for next time.

Ouch.

Both venues are still there at the time of writing (January 2019) I think:

Trip Advisor on Cittie of York

Trip Advisor on the Chancery

But I don’t recall The Chancery looking like that – have they changed the frontage or even moved since our visit.

Perhaps John knows and/or remembers what we ate.

Chains by Elizabeth Baker, Orange Tree Theatre, 24 November 2007

Truthfully, I recall very little about this one. No doubt Sam Walters was wandering around like an expectant father on the night we went; a production directed by his wife, Auriol Smith and starring their daughter, Octavia Walters. Although we were past the preview stage, so perhaps Sam wasn’t there that night.

Anyway, here’s the helpful Orange Tree stub about it.

Michael Billington in the Guardian, as usual with Orange Tree stuff, loved it, here.

Philip Fisher in British Theatre Guide is reasonably impressed but observes that there is a lot of dull chit chat, here.

The Standard suggests that it is interesting as social history but lumpen as drama, here.

I have a feeling that we found it a bit lumpen too. We tended to with Orange Tree pieces from that period, often observing that Sam’s reluctance to use an editing pencil on Edwardian revivals is a bit of a disadvantage. A shame really. Especially as so many of my great aunts and uncles made that trip to Australia 100 or so years ago, the subject really is of interest to me.

Still, we no doubt still enjoyed our evening and no doubt rounded it off with Spanish food at Don Fernando, as most often we do after the Orange Tree.

 

Free Outgoing by Anupama Chandrasekhar, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 23 November 2007

We thought this might be a good one. That’s why we made the rare decision to book the Royal Court for a Friday evening.

We were not disappointed.

The story is simple enough; a young Indian girl in Mumbai has been videoed by her boyfriend having sex with him and the video inadvertently goes viral, ruining the youngsters lives; in particular hers and those of her family.

Lots of big modern issues in there. We found the play intriguing and disturbing. The production was very well done.

The Royal Court stub on this one is excellent, with several good reviews reproduced in full – here.

Charles Spencer’s in the Telegraph is not one of those reproduced, but is still a very good review, here.

Philip Fisher also gave it a rave review in the British Theatre Guide – here.

It is a fairly short piece but no harm in that. I seem to recall it got a gig downstairs a year or so later, deservedly so.

DJ Birthday Bash At Montefiore In West Hampstead, 17 November 2007

I was struggling to remember this venue, until we asked Kim and she said,

…wasn’t that the toga party?…

…at which point it all started to flood back, sort of.

Cannot remember all that much about the food and wine – good but not exceptional if I remember correctly – but excellent company as always and the toga theme, for which I’m sure DJ had a logical explanation.

There are some pictures, thanks to Kim:

I think a fair bit of imbibing might have been going on. It has to be said that we all look half cut in all the pictures.

No wonder we can’t remember much about it.