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On Friday we braved Storm Eoywn and walked down to Walsall Light, our town's independent cinema, to see A Complete Unknown. I can't say that I'm really a fan of Bob Dylan, I bought his album, Freewheeling, from a jumble sale when I was a teenager and although its still in my record collection I've not played it in forty years. I didn't even know he was still alive until my friend Claire mentioned seeing him at Wolverhampton Civic Hall last year! However two of the stars of A Complete Unknown, Timothee Chalamet & Ed Norton, have appeared in Wes Anderson films and you probably know that I love anything to do with him.
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Whilst I won't be rushing out to purchase Bob Dylan's back catalogue, we absolutely loved the film and were so impressed by Edward Norton, Timothee Chalamet & Monica Barbaro performing on the soundtrack. I knew even less about Pete Seeger (Ed Norton's character) than I did about Dylan but I do remember being enthralled by another of the film's characters, Woody Guthrie, when I watched a documentary on the BBC back in my student days (HERE). A Complete Unknown really does live up to the hype and you don't need to be a fan to see it.
Walking back from town, we were giggling about the only damage caused by the storm was a wheelie bin lying on its side and how the MET Office seemed to have gone a bit overboard with the Amber warnings, that's until we'd almost reached home and saw this...
..one of the neighbourhood London Plane trees had taken out a wall and fallen on to the top floor flat. Fortunately the residents had all escaped unharmed and the chap who lived in the damaged flat told us he had a campervan to sleep in until it was safe for him to return home.
My charity-shopped wool mittens I'd bought earlier in the week proved to be very useful, that wind was cold!
The skirt I wore on Friday is actually a dress, bought from Mumbai's Chowpatti Beach branch of Anokhi back in February 2020. Here I am wearing it on Tenerife last month.
Over my maxi I wore this early 1970s Anokhi blouse (eBay, 2020), a vintage Indian silk screen printed scarf from my collection and that flash of purple is a thermal vest from the Marks & Spencer clearance outlet, too good to hide!
Jon spotted these repro Egyptian Revival earrings on eBay.
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We finally got round to watching 1917 on Friday evening, another film which lived up to the hype.
On Saturday morning we walled down to the Lidl lockers to deposit some Vinted parcels before stopping to watch the tree being removed. The residents had been allowed back into their flats, although the road remained closed. Just look at how beautifully blue the sky was!
I wore my Anokhi maxi dress again, this time with the Peruvian Connection alpaca cardi bought for a fiver on Vinted and the charity shopped Moroccan belt.
The blouse, if you can make it out in this rubbish photo, is aubergine coloured cotton with puffed shoulders and a shirred collar and cuffs and labelled Neatawear, London, a fashion label that went bust in the mid-1960s. It was £3 from a charity shop back in 2021. It's beautiful but a right pain to put on as it buttons up at the back so Jon has to dress me whenever I decide to wear it!
A closeup of my jewellery - Mexican silver earrings from my pals at Shilpa Silver and a Victorian banded agate bar brooch, hallmarked in Birmingham, that has been glued back together (a few pence from a jumble sale back in the 1980s).
William was desperate for us to stop messing around posing for photos in the garden and give him some attention. He spent three hours fast asleep on my lap whilst I powered through Dark Star: The Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia, on loan from Dave, a swimming friend.
Like Bob Dylan, another 1960s American counter-culture legend I knew sod all about.
Saturday night's entertainment was provided by the excellent Blood & Gold. Set at the tail end of WW2 a German deserter and a young woman are drawn into a bloody battle with a group of Nazis hunting for hidden gold. It's got the feel of a Spaghetti western and has strong Tarantino vibes. Not only did the lead character, Heinrich, have a cameo in Friday night's film, 1917 but as a nod to A Complete Unknown, Pete Seeger's Where have All The Flowers Gone features on the soundtrack, talk about synchronicity!
Silver and malachite earrings bought in 2018 from Gujarat.
The charity shop was very disappointing this morning but I did manage to leave with three books - a Taschen book on HR Giger, Grits by Niall Griffiths and The Old Draft by Namwali Serpell.
And, as I've finished the posh scented candle Liz & Adrian gave me for Xmas, I treated myself to this Woodbridge Fir and Cedar candle, from Cancer UK's new (as opposed to donated) stock, reduced by 50% as apparently it's a Xmas smell.
Hope you've had a fabulous weekend. I'm off to catch up with blogs and comments before the Pottery Throwdown.
See you soon!
Gosh, those earrings are beautiful. Unusual colour too.
ReplyDeleteWe have had really strong winds here on the south coat, strong enough that on Friday I struggled to open the car door. Glad that the occupant of that top flat was ok, must have been frightening.
Mrs Catz
Hello Mrs Catz! I'm a sucker for a fancy earring!
DeleteI hope you manage to dodge the next storm we've got forecast, it seems that the South coast might be in for another battering. xxx
Oh, I was wondering how the film was. Can't say I love Bob completely. Although, a couple of songs are real gems. Although, the one's I like aren't the popular ones. So great 1917 must be. Another I haven't watched, but I have always loved the main actor in this one. I have to say my favorite of his is How We Live Now. And I liked his PRIDE one as well. So many beautiful vintage things you own! I adore your hats! Oh, you truly rock your wardrobe! Wishing you much fun this new year.
ReplyDeleteHello Ellie! It's lovely to hear from you. Thanks for your kind words!
DeleteYes, Dylan was a talented songwriter and an enigmatic man even if the voice wasn't everyone's cup of tea!
1917 was great, I'm fascinated by WW1. I can't remember the name of the lead actor offhand but everything I've seen him in has been brilliant. xxx
My Dad is a huge Bob Dylan fan so I grew up listening to it. Am not a great fan of hia voice, but he's written some classics which have been brilliantly covered by other artists. Arilx
ReplyDeleteHe has written some great songs! I didn't discover pop music until I was 11and got a Snoopy radio for Xmas - dad only listened to opera and classical stuff, I was a deprived child! xxx
DeleteNever forgave Bob Dylan for doing the dirty on Joan! I was listening to her albums long before he appeared! When my eldest was at Uni, he and his first girlfriend parted company and his break-up album was Blood on the Tracks! Blimey, it was dismal to listen to it on repeat when he came home for the holidays that year!!!I like it now though.lol loved the Grateful Dead back in the day! No going anywhere up here on Friday. It was scary! Been wearing my thermals everyday. I love them!
ReplyDeleteHe didn't cover himself in glory with regards to Suze and Joan, mind you he was only 19 at the time and I'm pretty sure I had the morals of an alley cat back then, too! You'll love Monica Barbaro's performance and her voice is fantastic. I hope you go and see A Complete Unknown, it really is great.
DeleteBlood on the Tracks - what a break up song!!!
The Jerry Garcia book was fascinating and there's quite a few mentions of Dylan in there. xxx
I only have one Dylan album, Desire, which is from the 70s. I do really like it, but somehow I've never really got into him. The film is absolutely brilliant though, I"d also highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteBoth those sets of earrings are lovely, and I love your velvet top. I also wear summer dresses layered up in the winter. With a thermal top and leggings they work perfectly well and make your wardrobe more interesting.
I could do with upgrading my phone, the built in obsolescence is starting to kick in. It's hard to find one without a headphone jack though. I know you can get wireless ones, but I'm an old Luddite 🙂 xxx
Hello Annie! I looked up how many albums Bob Dylan released and lost count, there's such a lot! The film is fantastic, mind you I think Timothee Chalamet could play Ed Sheeran and I'd still go and see it!
DeleteI agree about summer dresses layered up and worn in winter making for an interesting wardrobe, it also means you don't have to go to all that faff of doing a changeover twice a year - win win!
My last phone was getting so slow it was ridiculous. Jn mentioned wireless headphones but it sounded like something from Blade runner, I'm a Luddite, too! xxx
I have nothing against Bob Dylan, and consider him a talented song-writer/musician, but I remember how shocked I was when he won the Nobel prize for literature in 2016. I feel like some amazing contemporary writers were wronged there, and I'm not the only one. Even if of course it's no fault of his, and he had been very modest about the whole affair, many reading lovers hold that Nobel against Bob Dylan. He's surely talented, I don't know much about him, but I do know some of his music. So, thank you for the movie recommendation, I'd love to see it.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I love seeing are those fabulous flared sleeves...and your gorgeus maxis.
Those Egyptian revival earrings that Jos noticed online are gorgeous. They make me think of that famous historical theatre beetle dress created for Lady Macbeth...I think I remember you blogged about it.
William is looking very cute!
Hello Ivana! Yes, Dylan being awarded the Nobel prize for literature did seem a very odd choice, you're right about that. He does seem a strange character, the film is a great watch and I really admired him for not sticking to playing the same genre of music despite it being what made him so successful, it showed he was brave and not driven by money or fame, just the love of music.
DeleteI'm all about the flared sleeve even if they cause problems when I wash up! xxx
PS The Beetle Dress! What a great memory you have. Here's the link: https://vintagevixon.blogspot.com/2021/12/fifty-five.html
I was the same with the storm. Even on the coast it felt like it had been hyped up, then all of a sudden it didn’t. I don’t really know much about Bob Dylan either, so that film sounds interesting. I love those all about Audrey tops, I never think to check Vinted for them. Xx
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the storm wasn't too bad in Scarborough. After seeing that felled tree we were terrified of getting home and seeing the same thing had happened in our garden, fortunately the other thing untoward was a cardboard box on the lawn - no idea where that came from!
DeleteA Complete Unknown is well worth a watch! xxx
Hi Vix. That Anokhi blouse is so beautiful, and those scarab earrings are stunning too. If you're after something good to watch on telly, as opposed to cinema, can I recommend 'The Day' (or 'De Dag'), a Belgium crime thriller on Channel 4's iplayer. I started watching it this afternoon while sewing, and am on episode 6 of 12 already. Totally addictive.
ReplyDeleteHello to the lovely William, & glad your house escaped Eowyn's worst. Val x
Oh, thanks Val! I've not heard of De Dag, we usually really enjoy Belgian crime dramas so I shall definitely add that to my list! xxx
DeleteHi Vix your outfits are fab as usual. I love the green blouse especially. I also love Bob Dylan, unlike many others. I saw him in the eighties at Birmingham NEC. It was an incredible concert one of the best I have seen, and I have been to lots, in fact we just got back from one at our local small venue, The Fire Station. We were at the Dylan concert and he was late on stage. Suddenly there was, what I can only describe as an electricity in the stadium and everyone just stopped mid sentence. He had just wandered onto the stage, no dimmed lights or music, and we all knew something had happened! Honestly, I'm not normally WooWoo but it was really weird. I also saw him in Hyde Park and he was still great but he wasn't really well, I think. He was a shadow of himself sadly. Anyhow, I will definitly see the film since you recommended it, now ther's power! Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteWow! A proper fan. To have seen Dylan in so many different venues, both huge and intimate is very impressive. In the Jerry Garcia book I read that Bob Dylan was struggling to sell tickets for his 1987 tour but when the Grateful Dead agreed to support him it became a sell out, for which he remained forever thankful.
DeleteBeing a proper fan, I'd love to hear what you think of A Complete Unknown.
Does that mean I'm an influencer? Hahahaha! xxx
I'm Shelagh btw!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Shelagh! xxx
DeleteNot too much of a Dylan fan, though I enjoy his music covered by other people. He's a bit of a...well you can fill in the blank. Jerry Garcia on the other hand, I still love the Dead and play those records regularly.
ReplyDeleteI like how you wore your dress so many different ways.
-Goody
Yes, I agree, I've always preferred his music when it was covered by others. Dark star was such an interesting read, a series of oral recollections by both Garcia and the people he knew, loved and hung out with. I don't remember the GD ever being particularly big in the UK but they were always on the peripheral in the films and books I've read. xxx
DeleteThe film sounds interesting. I was young when Bob Dylan first became known. To be honest, I just didn't understand what he was about. But when he was part of The Travelling Wilburys, I figured that he must be ok.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really interesting insight into his early years in NYC. There's something else I didn't know,....I'd heard of the Travelling Wilburys but didn't know he was in them. i think I must have lived in an Indie Music bubble for decades! xxx
DeleteI'd wondered whether the Bob Dylan film was worth watching. I'll have a look and see if it's still on and see whether Tony fancies it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fantastic film, Cherie. We both loved it - and felt we'd gained a little insight into the enigma that is Bob Dylan. xxx
DeleteI quite fancy going to see the Bob Dylan film , more so after reading your recommendation. I thought he was dead too!! Oh well. 😁 I can't get over how much he looks like David Essex in that first film poster. I did a double take when I saw the film advertised at our cinema. You can't beat an M&S thermal vest in this windy weather can you. Mine are getting a lot of wear. 😄
ReplyDeleteI think you'd enjoy A Complete Unknown, Sue. I'd seen a few reviews staying that Dylan fan would love it but you definitely don't have to be into him to enjoy a couple of hours in the early 1960s. Timothee Chalamet's a fantastic actor and very easy on the eye, I can see the David Essex comparison. I bet Bob Dylan was very flattered to have him playing his younger self!
DeleteI'm addicted to my M&S thermals! xxx
I’m glad your trees weren’t victims of the storm. I’m in SW Scotland which was upgraded to a red area. Friday was awful, the loch I live beside looked like a wild sea and a very tall beech tree on neighbouring land was severely damaged. It’s still standing but definitely unsafe, it could fall at any time and there’s no way of predicting which way it would go but hopefully not in my direction, it would land on my house, garage and front garden. There is so much destruction around here, all tree surgeons are working flat out and many people still don’t have power. The warnings were definitely warranted up here!
ReplyDeleteHello Caroline! The weather looked awful where you were, I was nervous for the journalists reporting on BBC Breakfast on Friday morning. Mind you, you had a red warning, ours was a significantly less dangerous Amber one. We live in constant fear of one of our huge trees crashing into the house so can sympathise entirely. xxx
DeleteYou have been busy, such a lot going on in your world! I wish mollie would curl up on my lap and keep me hostage! no chance, I occasionally get her sit next to me if I put her favourite cushion beside me. Lovely earrings, I have similar recently purchased in Brighton. Betty
ReplyDeleteHello Betty! I'm still amazed at how loving William has become lately, I bet if I called him now he'd come dashing down the stairs of a cuddle. It took Polly five years to sit on a lap so there's still time for Mollie! xxx
Deletethank you! that's encouraging x
Deleteyikes -- that tree. we had a tree come down on an apartment building some years ago. it literally went down the side of the building. glad to hear that not much damage was done during the storm. thank you for the recommendation of 1917 -- i've reserved it at my public library. i'm on the fence about the bob dylan film. having grown up with him (music influence) there is so much about him that i would expect to see. one of pete's half-sisters married ewan mccoll and all of his half-siblings went into folk music.
ReplyDeletekirsten
ps after talking here about wood paneling, i did a little research and found this website and was totally surprised to find that wood paneling has been around a looong time. https://www.vincentreed.com/the-history-of-the-wood-panel/. the design in my hallway has been around since the 16th century!! and part of the reason for wood paneling was to cover up the damp walls.
We got off lightly with that storm. Every time there's one forecast we're nervous, dreading the day one of those beasts in the garden come crashing down and destroying everything in its wake!
Delete1917 is excellent I'm not sure why it took us so long to watch it. It'll have you on the edge of your seat, hardly daring to breathe.
By all accounts, Bob Dylan did approve the screen play for A Complete Unknown, I'm not sure if he's seen it but I can't imagine he'd be upset by Timothee Chalamet's portrayal - I'd be flattered if he played me!
I had no idea about the McColl connection, I was only belting out There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis at the weekend! I went to see The Pogues in Birmingham back in the 1980s and Kirsty McColl stepped out of a wardrobe and duetted with Shane McGowan for Fairytale of New York!
That's a brilliant link - get you with your authentic wood panelling. We're frauds with our pretend panels! xxx
We are in the midst of some serious wind here on the Content of Discontent (which I am referring to my country as), but I have to get out with Frankie because it isn't frigid cold -- we've kept inside for almost a week due to dangerous cold.
ReplyDeleteWhich leads me to my second (indelicate) question: What are you wearing under you skirts? Just curious how you stay warm in those lovely flowing creations. I've assumed you just wear tights. Or has it been cold enough that you need more?
Oooooh, as per usual, I have earring envy!!!
That must be the downside of dog ownership, you have to go out in all weathers. Content of Discontent, what a very apt description that is!
DeleteWhat lies beneath! On cold days I usually wear thermal leggings (from Marks and Spencer, now in their fifth winter!) with socks - I quite like Marks and Spencer Body Sensor tights (100 denier) but the socks and leggings are easier of pulling on and off after a swim! xxx
Well THAT'S a weird coincidence as I've been doing a focus on protest songs in Singing Assembly at school and we are learning Pete Seeger's Where have all the flowers gone? and Turn, Turn, Turn.
ReplyDeleteThe tree is really sad. Because a lot of councils then get all antsy and nervous about trees and chop them all down! The weather was FOUL in East London today. Trying to walk my poor year 2 kids back to class from the music room was miserable!!
The earrings are really gorgeous esp the scarab!! X
Anther strange coincidence, Kezzie! You ought to see A Complete Unknow, Edward Norton even learnt to play the banjo for his role as Pete Seeger!
DeleteI was amazed at how quickly the council dealt with that felled tree I had visions of that poor chap spending the rest of his life in his campervan. I do hope they don't get all twitchy and start running amok with the chainsaw although I wouldn't mind if they did it with some of the horrors in our garden, one day one of them will take the house out, I'm sure of it.
I'm so over Winter! xxx
I'm not really into Bob Dylan, but I do appreciate some of his earlier work, which I totally get was groundbreaking at the time. A Complete Unknown definitely sounds worth checking out.
ReplyDeleteI love how you "winterized" that gorgeous Anokhi dress and love each of its incarnations here. The aubergine blouse is such a fabulous colour although I'm hearing you about being a right pain to button up. I almost dislocated my shoulder doing up a full-length zip of a blouse I wore this weekend! My favourite is the All About Audrey olive green velvet top though, which makes me swoon whenever i see it! xxx
Like you I can appreciate his signwriting and what it stood for at the time but there's something about his voice, isn't there? Its a great film though, the clothes, the NYC city scene and Timothee Chalamet are gorgeous to look at!
DeleteI love playing around with my summery stuff and making it a bit more seasonally appropriate, that Anokhi dress was such a great investment. xxx
I want to go and see this but can't persuade OH who is not a Dylan fan! I've heard marvellous reviews about 'The Brutalist', too. What a wonderful dress is the Anokhi dress; and how very versatile. The Alpaca cardi is gorgeous on you. So sorry to see the damage the tree did to the flats but how lucky was that guy to have a camper van to sleep in? We've been victims of the storm too, the mobile home in Donegal had the roof torn off by the winds and it's a write off. We're trying to sort something out with the site owner at the moment. Fingers crossed.
ReplyDeletexxx
Hi Vronni! Jon was adamant that he wasn't going to see A Complete Unknown, he can't bear Bob Dylan but he's glad I talked him round in the end! The Brutalist looks amazing, I love Adrien Brodie (another Wes Anderson favourite) and shall definitely be seeing it when it gets to Walsall despite being three and a half hours long!
DeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your mobile home and hope that something can be sorted. The winds battering Ireland were atrocious at the weekend, one of our friends has only just got his power back! xxx
ReplyDeleteThe olive green top is beautiful. It suits you and your hair color very well.
The earrings are true treasures, so pretty.
Thanks, Andrea! xxx
DeleteI'm always terrified our Garry Oaks will tumble into our condo when we have a windstorm - one fell several years ago (they have very shallow root pans).
ReplyDeleteI love that olive velvet top - perfect for dragging your sleeves through the soup, hee hee. Your silver jewelry is always so gorgeous, I just drool over it.
Ha at William's "Hurry up and lie down so I can sleep on you!" expression. Vizzini is "puddle of cat" whenever we sit down on the sofa with our electric blankets.
Hello Sheila. I do love a wildly impractical sleeve - its the perfect excuse to duck out of washing up! Our trees make us so nervous! We were away in India one Winter when a storm took out our Weeping Willow, fortunately it didn't do any damage but those big bastards are another story entirely! xxx
DeleteI know who he is but I don't think I have heard anything by Bob Dylan. I love all your outfits, accessories and jewels. So beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Hena. xx
DeleteBob Dylan was a voice on the radio and not one who piqued my interest however I do think that Timothee Chalamet does have more than a passing similarity. I suspect it is a film that I'll never see.
ReplyDeleteHowever, 1917 - which I saw a few years ago - still lives rent free in my head and probably will do for some time yet.
Hi Kate. 1917 was excellent however I think All Quiet On The Western Front, the 2022 remake, surpasses every WWI film I've ever seen. xxx
DeleteHi Vix, thank you for showing us your fab early 70s Anokhi blouse, that is a beautiful piece and suits you perfectly. Like you I really like early 70s style though it is not to everyone's taste I know. I find myself returning to that era time and again when in need of some style inspiration. A creative period in my estimation. I particularly like your fab earrings and the lovely agate bar brooch. A friend is delighted with the 'new' dress I recently found for her from a local charity shop. I found a kilt for another friend who is a vintage dealer and a jumper for a rugby fan . I am meeting a friend for lunch this week and then we will go charity shopping. She says none of her other friends want to do that. More bargains for the rest of us savvy shoppers then!
ReplyDeleteHello Alysia and thank you! I absolutely love that Anokhi blouse, it's faded and a little frayed around the edges but I think that only enhances it's beauty. We 1970s lovers are few and far between but I can't think of a better decade for stylish, feminine and, most importantly, wearable clothing.
DeleteYou are the dream friend, always thinking of others when you're charity shopping, no wonder you're given treasured things like that agate brooch and that charity shop volunteer's gemstone! Xx
That is very kind of you to say so. I snaffled up a blue silk shirt and a velvet and silk scarf today.
DeleteGreat finds! A girl can never have enough scarves or shirts in luxurious fabrics! xxx
DeleteMy sister wants to watch A Complete Unknown because she loves Timothee too. I think I'll enjoy seeing it with her. X
ReplyDeleteI think you'll enjoy it! xxx
DeleteDear Vix, I'm in love with all those layered prints and colours, so gorgeous maxi dress and lots of textures and fab earrings too!. Lovely to see that alpaca coat again!.
ReplyDeletebesos
That Velvet Venus Top is Magnificent!!
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