Just like Proust, I had an episode of "involuntary memory" last week. It wasn't the taste of a madeleine cake dipped in tea that brought memories flooding back - it was a song I heard while I was in Wilkos buying some finings to clear my plum wine. I heard this song on the radio. It got into my head and I knew that I knew it from somewhere - but I couldn't think who it was. It took several days of it going round on my head before I googled it and tracked down exactly what it was.
It went "She comes in colours everywhere, she combs her hair, she's like a rainbow" The internet kept telling me that it was a Rolling Stones song - but I knew it from the 1990s as it was bringing back memories of working at the Leek Road Library of Staffordshire University around that time. Then, at last I tracked down the version I knew and loved back then - by World of Twist - via the Guardian who were reviewing the band's debut and only ever album Quality Street (from 1992) - which has now been extended and will be re-released on November 25th. How strange is that? I have it on pre-order now :-) How could I have forgotten how wonderful it was?
I remember sitting in the work room, just by the counter, at break times every Wednesday, avidly reading the NME and loving all the Madchester bands. I even got to see The Happy Mondays and The Fall. I was the Counter Supervisor and had around 13 staff to organise. it was a wonderful place to work and such a fun time :-)
Later, when I qualified as a Librarian I went to work at the Stafford Campus. It made me a little sad this week when I read that they may demolish the Nelson Library in 2015 and build a primary school in its place. I had such a lovely office in there, when I was Engineering Librarian - dual aspect, looking over the grounds. I loved going in early, in the summer - and seeing bunnies running around on the grass before the students got there. Seems they are going to move the library over to the Octagon. I guess it makes sense - seeing as so much information is now accessed via computers anyway. I liked the Nelson Library though - very roomy, lots of study spaces and a great place for a Christmas Party :-)
In more recent news - I've been to the Vue Cinema in Newcastle twice his week. The first time to see the new Thor film in 3D - which was pretty enjoyable. We have been watching all the Avengers films in order - so we are completely up-to-date now. The other occasion was the polar opposite. We went to the first ever live simulcast from the RSC in Stratford to cinemas round the world. It was Richard II starring David Tennant - which was a sold-out production so we had no chance of seeing it in the flesh. This was a pretty close second though - from the moment we got into the cinema we could see and hear the audience in Stratford. It made us feel like we were there. Of course we had the added advantage of close-ups during the action and interviews with the director and principal actors before it started and during the interval. It was fantastic!
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| Richard II |
The three and a half hours flew by and at the interval we were even served with glasses of red wine with peel-off lids in the cinema :-)
I had LOVED Ben Wishaw's RII in BBC2's Hollow Crown series - but DT was equally as good, although very different (Cool hair extensions - he had longer hair than Thor!) . It is strange that I had never seen or even read Richard II before - and this year I've seen it twice. Love the poetry - it is becoming one of my favourite Shakespeare plays.
