May 28, 2004
napkin
Joe says (in yesterday's comments) that I could draw on a napkin. I'm flattered. It made me think of the hilarious lyrics of the Bob Dylan song "highlands". I had the CD, but Piffin ruined it. She had a weird taste of music back when she still threw them between her barbie junk.
Then she says, "I know you're an artist, draw a picture of me!"
I say, "I would if I could, but,
I don't do sketches from memory."
"Well", she says, "I'm right here in front of you, or haven't you looked?"
I say," all right, I know, but I don't have my drawing book!"
She gives me a napkin, she says, "you can do it on that"
I say, "yes I could but,
I don't know where my pencil is at!"
She pulls one out from behind her ear
She says "all right now, go ahead, draw me, I'm standing right here"
I make a few lines, and I show it for her to see
Well she takes a napkin and throws it back
And says "that don't look a thing like me!"
I said, "Oh, kind miss, it most certainly does"
She says, "you must be jokin.'" I say, "I wish I was!"
Then she says, "you don't read women authors, do you?"
Least that's what I think I hear her say,
"Well", I say, "how would you know and what would it matter anyway?"
"Well", she says, "you just don't seem like you do!"
I said, "you're way wrong."
She says, "which ones have you read then?" I say, "I read Erica Jong!"
So funny, I even bought an Erica Jong book on the fleemarket because of this song. I didn't read it though. Like the bottle of fabric softener I didn't use. That I bought after reading I.M. by Connie Palmen. So confess, in the comment box! Did you ever buy something because of a book or a song?
Posted by eliane at May 28, 2004 07:01 PMGreat question!
An obvious one: after reading Die Verwandlung by Kafka, I bought a T-shirt with a cartoonesque portrait of Kafka with a beetle creeping from his ear.
And the British band Placebo made an album called 'Black market music' with a track called 'Special K' - this song was censored in Great Britain because Special K is a type of drug - but I didn't know. Later on I found that Kellogs' Cornflakes has cereal called 'Special K'... and yes, i bought it.
It's good.
I bought a viewmaster with a set of 3d pictures of dutch costumes for Sergei Paradjanov after seeing his film Arabeskebi Pirosmanis temaze at the Rotterdam Film festival. I went to see the film at least four times. The festival had organized a disussion with him, and when I finally was given the opportunity to ask him a question, he responded furiously "You! Like KGB, asking those questions!" Others in the audience started attacking me as well.
Posted by: Michiel at May 28, 2004 09:14 PM
Oh god, this is soooo embarrassing. And it's about wine, which I have been drinking a lot of tonight (I got paid for a freelance job in wine. Yum). Anyway....
I read Timothy Findley's last book last year, entitled "Spadework". What a piece of unadulterated crap. Such a sad way to leave the planet. But what really annoyed me about the novel was Findley's incessant name-dropping of the wine Wolf Blass Yellow Label all throughout the horrid novel. I am convinced that he made some illicit deal with Wolf Blass, not unlike the shameless product placement we witness in movies and tv shows all the time. Be that as it may, I thought, the hell with it, I'm gonna find out what this goddam Wolf Blass Yellow Label is all about. And wouldn't you know that it's a damn fine wine. And I still drink it. So as much as I found Findley's final novel to be utter trash, I totally fell victim to the not so subliminal seduction of Wolf Blass Yellow Label. Findley must be laughing in his grave.
Posted by: patricia at May 28, 2004 10:30 PMI bought a Matrix phone, more than two years before I got to see the movie. Nokia had a special deal for journalists then. Though no-one who saw my phone believed that.
The only thing I can think of I bought because of a book is more books, by the same author. Though I did visit some places because I got to know their stories.
Posted by: ijsbrand at May 29, 2004 09:34 AMAfter reading a short story by Julio Cortazar I was quite convinced I would be a great fan of Charlie Parker, even though I had never really liked Jazz before. I went to Concerto to buy an LP. The cover looked great. Charlie with a saxophone, leaning against a wall, wearing a white shirt.
I've tried, believe me I've tried, but it's just not for me.
Posted by: Richard Osinga at May 31, 2004 11:00 AM