General

… from today’s trip to the gym. An occasional series.

It’s listed under the “fashion” baseball caps on their site.

Last weekend we met several people we only knew online before. On Friday, after revisiting the Whitney Biennial (more on that later), we ended the evening by meeting Tyler Green and Paige West for drinks at The Odeon. We dished about art and those who love it.

On Saturday night we went to dinner at Le Zie with the fabulous Nicole (aka Mac) of Go Fish and many other bloggers. I don’t know if I can go back soon without embarassment, as the attractive Lithuanian waiter was rather popular with some of the ladies. We spent most of the time talking with Nicole, Dana, and Kate. Some photos: here and here.

I have written before about Charlie before, the swearing, anti-Nazi parrot alleged to have belonged to Winston Churchill.

Yesterday the NY Times had a follow-up to this story, including these remarks showing the level of journalistic professionalism at the tabloids.

According to The Mirror, using a detail that was widely repeated in other British newspapers and indeed by the news media around the world, Churchill taught Charlie to curse — “particularly in company” — to the point that “many an admiral or peer of the realm was shocked by the tirade from the bird’s cage during crisis meetings with the prime minister.”

The Mirror account was written by Bill Borrows, an editor at large for Maxim U.K., who said in an interview that he could not recall, exactly, where he got the information that Charlie used to swear about Hitler, but that he might have read it on the Internet. He said he had not met Charlie in person, but had tried, unsuccessfully, to conduct a telephone interview.

“The bird didn’t say anything, but I’ve had worse,” Mr. Borrows said.

Appearing several weeks ago on BBC Radio 4, Mr. Oram said that although the bird did indeed have a history of swearing, she always sounded “parroty” rather than Churchillian. As for the content of Charlie’s remarks, Ms. Martin said she had never heard her curse about Hitler, or even about any of the lesser Nazis.

“She lived for a time in Mr. Oram’s father-in-law’s shop, and all the market traders were teaching her all sorts of swear words,” Ms. Martin said. In disgrace, she added, Charlie was exiled to the nursery in Surrey so that her cursing would not scandalize the shoppers.

But whatever Charlie said or did not say, she is not saying it now. Ms. Martin said that as the bird has grown older and more fragile, she has uttered less and less. From time to time, she might suddenly come out with a stray operatic high note, but nothing more. Nor does she fly, except for the occasional swoop.

I love birds. If I ever become a shut-in, I’m getting a smart parrot to play with.

Beautiful.

From the Daily Mirror:

SHE WAS at Winston Churchill’s side during Britain’s darkest hour. And now Charlie the parrot is 104 years old…and still cursing the Nazis

Her favourite sayings were “Fuck Hitler” and “Fuck the Nazis”. And even today, 39 years after the great man’s death, she can still be coaxed into repeating them with that unmistakable Churchillian inflection.

Many an admiral or peer of the realm was shocked by the tirade from the bird’s cage during crisis meetings with the PM.

But it always brought a smile to the war leader’s face.

Just ask Mac about her new book.

Remember when Spontaneous Human Combustion was a big deal, I think in the 80s? Why do we never hear about it anymore?

I’m lethargic. I have a sinus thingy, and the antibiotics make me sleepy. Random thoughts:

At what point did people with money start to look so much worse than many people described as “bums” did in the 40s?

I found this image while browsing images from the Charles W. Cushman Photograph Collection, thanks to Gothamist.

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What were they thinking when they made the movie Max? It’s painfully bad, but not in a good way. Why didn’t John Cusack just say, “You gotta be kidding me?” The history is bad, the characters seem underwritten and silly, and we’re subjected to dialog like:

Nina: You seem pensive.
Max: I’m just thinking.

Aaarrgh.

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On the extreme other end of quality of films I’ve seen lately is Godard’s Contempt (Le Mepris). It’s beautifully filmed, the sound design and score by George Delerue are eccentric and wonderful, and you get people like Brigitte Bardot playing the difficult, unfathomable French Woman, Jack Palance playing a crude American movie producer, and Fritz Lang playing himself, sort of. Feel free to go buy me the DVD.

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We watched one of the episodes of Art:21 after having bought it on DVD — the one with Collier Schorr. I’m glad I finally saw an interview with her, because I find her work interesting, but also troubling with its focus on voyeurism, particularly when the German youth/Nazi connection comes to the fore. It all makes a lot more sense to me now than it once did. We got a photograph by her at the recent New Festival benefit.

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One day before the Times Under $25 Review appeared for Bar Jamón, we shared a bottle of a nice Spanish rosé and some olives there with my college (and initial NYC) roommate Andrew and his wife Erin, visiting from Dallas. It’s beautiful. I just hope one will be able to get back in at some point. It plus the tapas restaurant next door, Casa Mono, are the latest project from Batali. I love that man. He spends a lot of time on restaurants affordable by “the masses”, and I’m grateful for it, not to mention for the existence of Esca.

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What was with having “God Bless The USA” be the song they played at midnight in Times Square? I hadn’t realized this country had invented New Year’s Eve, other than the commercial idea of it of course. It seems to contrast with the “Hope for Unity” theme of the 2003 crystals on the big ball.

I think it’s only a cold, but I’m a mess. Why else would I be awake to do a post at 6am?

I’m getting a wingnut posting on my Hussein post. Should I just delete him? I love the idea of people that think World Net Daily is a reliable news source and that there are obvious links between Iraq and Al Quaeda, but the BBC is a crazy thing to use for a news source.