TODAY was the Notting Hill Carnival, which is said to be (after Rio) the second biggest street party in the world. I did not go.
I have been to Carnival too many times and hardly had any fun at any of them. The streets of Notting Hill (which used to be home to immigrants, hence the West Indian theme ~ but the tall stucco'd houses are now home to metropolitan media types, "trustafarians" and champagne socialists by the score). Basically the streets are far too narrow to accommodate nearly a million people a day over two days. Every time I went (apart from once, when I rode round on a float all day but that's another story) I came back exhausted, my head swirling with people people people more people ~ a woman in outsized angel wings who you can't get past ~ deafening music and police not letting you round the easiest way. Nasty business.
The worst year, which was the second last year I went I'd gone in the morning after an all-night techno party to a New Age fayre with a cyberpunk-styled former housemate. I didn't realize I was coming down with something, but had something called Jo Rei healing, which is Japanese. Like reiki but less hands-on. Anyway I'm sure this is what blew my brains out because after a day of all that noise and enforced fun but actually no fun I got home feeling a fuse had blown in my head. It might have had something to do with ecstasy comedown on top. But I spent the next week in a bed in a state of total mental and physical collapse. I couldn't get out because the room was spinning so bad. I was sweating so heavily that when I eventually changed the sheets they looked as if several bottles of white wine had been poured all over them. It was then that I decided never again.
(The year afterwards I found myself riding that float I will have to tell you about some other time.)So basically I've done nothing today. Except I found a table lamp someone had thrown out. I thought it might look cool with calligraphy all over its falling apart shade, which looks silky but actually has the texture of matt photo paper ...
Now I'd better go; I'm in an internet caff who are going to time me out so's I'll see y'all tomorrow ~ cheerio! as HM Edward VIII might have said ...
UK ANTI-DRUG-DRIVING AD
"Don't drive home from that rave!"
Well I guess if you've been three times, it's a case of been there done that. I'd still like to photograph it. That was indeed a trippy little video . .the eyes have it!
ReplyDeleteVery timely as I am going to our local street fair next weekend (more years in a row than I care to count).
ReplyDeleteBut I am looking forward to it since there won't be anywhere near as many folks as I see in those pictures. Yikes. What's the point of that?
Hey Gleds, I was just thinking about that Notting Hill carnival the other day. My dad lived in london for a couple years and though I rarely spend time with him I did visit him once with my little brother and we went to that carnival while we were there. It was really huge and we did have to walk and walk and walk and once we wanted to go home we were so lost, but we had fun. We really had no money and we had to walk everywhere. It seems like London has a lot of little punks and petty theives, at least I sure ran into a few - and the police don't carry guns?!? We tried to buy weed so many times and got faked out or directly robbed that we ended up taking a train to Amsterdam and bringing buds back instead. But overall, I would definitely visit again. The city was amazingly old compared to the states and so beautiful. And there was this one little shop with all ribbons and buttons that were so lovely, I could have stayed there all day. I guess things always seem more spectacular when it's not your regular surroundings. Peace.
ReplyDeleteIt was the Manchester Pride parade this weekend which apparently was bigger than ever. A friend of ours is a taxi driver and said it was just manic! Still a lot of people do enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThe anti-drug driving advert gives me the creeps.
I think that it would be interesting to attend and photograph. That's too many people for me though. I would likely only go once.
ReplyDeleteBAINO: FEELS LIKE MORE THAN THREE TIMES, but maybe it was just the three... hellishly stressful and overcrowded on each though. And nowhere NEAR as much fun as made out to be, that's the most annoying part ...
ReplyDeleteMEGAN: "fun" ... I suppose ...
I'm glad I actually found a picture that portrays how hellishly overcrowded it gets. Most pictures just don't and give a false, misleading impression of jutt what type of day "Carnival" is ...
NELLIE: yes ~ lots of petty theivery in London! Lots of petty disrespect as well. Police now carry CS gas and some carry those 100,000 volt electronickal "tazers". Armed police only come in a special unit called SO19 or something like that...
Re Carnival: every time someone gets stabbed. if not several people.
Yes you cannot buy cannabis on the street you're sure to get ripped off. In Brixton there's a "frontline" which is like what they call the "corner" on The Wire. Except this road had loads and loads of dealers selling mostly crack and it really was real. So I was told ...
I would really like to see New York City. It looks to me an American version of London ...
ps re ribbons and buttons, there's a bead shop opposite the Ivy Restaurant and just round the corner from The Mousetrap (play) in Covent gdn. Best habidashery dept. probably in the country is in John Lewis Oxford street. You get the most amazing selection of fashion students in there ...
AKELAMALU: it's weird that they did it the same weekend as Notting Hill. Though probably the 2 events would draw in VERY different types of people ...
SYD: aye! ;->...
I say 'Manchester Pride' because that's what it's called but it's more for gays, lesbians, transvestites etc., never having been to it I couldn't tell you what types attend. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is hilarious. (and he's driving from the wrong side of the car too!)
ReplyDeletehaha (I know)
cheers!