Heaven!

I've had gorgeous food in Greece before (and my mouth is already watering with the promise of a trip next week to my favourite restaurants in Argolida) but since coming on Sunday I've been lucky enough to have two little foodie moments. The first was on my first night, when my glamorous hostess cracked open a nice bottle of wine and served olives stuffed with almonds. Sounds weird, I know, but they are delicious! Next morning she also produced some fabulous coffee accompanied by little cinnamon-flavoured biscuits - a very winning way to start the day.... Today it was some caramel vanilla tea, which is also nicer than it sounds.

But the piece de resistance goes to the dessert we had yesterday in a little organic cafe near Panepistimiou metro station in the centre of Athens. It was a bowl of light mascarpone cheese, with chocolate chips and strawberries lightly marinaded in balsamic vinegar. This is, I am quite sure, what God has for dessert on his birthday. (And you can bet your ass I'll be using the excuse of mine to head back there in 2 weeks for a second helping!)

Proust Questionnaire

I've been watching (incongruously) Angelina Jolie on Inside the Actor's Studio, and kinda enjoyed the questionnaire at the end. So, in memory of the time when questionnaires were so fun and frequent online!

(The Vanity Fair Questions)

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
A sense of accomplishment (a good job having been finished), good company, and a good laugh over a good meal.

What is your greatest fear?
Running out of time. Mediocrity.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being unable to be happy for others. Smallness and pettiness.

Where would you like to live?
Japan.

Which living person do you most admire?
Tough one. People who live and create passionately, resolutely, personally. But that is a very long list.

Who are your favorite heroes of fiction?
Mizoguchi (in Kinkakuji and in Brushstrokes!),

Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
The first wives, and that memoir-writing Geisha.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Oh dear lord. I don't know.

Who is/are your favorite painter?
Many.

Who is/are your favorite musician?
Madonna (deal with it)

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Gossip.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Gossip.

What is your favorite journey?
That motherfucker of a flight to Tokyo.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Propriety/restraint.

Which living person do you most despise?
Kinda starting to think that it's not really helpful.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Like....!

What is your favorite occupation?
If I wasn't what I was (or trying to be all these things) I would love to consider being an architect.

What is your greatest regret?
Don't think I have any. I'm too young to call them regrets, for now. Leaving Japan is the closest thing to a regret that I have, but it's not one.

When and where were you happiest?
Japan, I guess. Still I'm happy today anyway.

What is your current state of mind?
Enjoying Angelina on the Actor's Studio. Calm, excited at some new ideas brewing in my head.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
My feet.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Dear lord. Let me get back to you on that.

What is your most treasured possession?
A book and cd given to me by someone very special. It's as much for the gifts as for the thought behind them.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Over-analysis? Being a good listener, I hope.

What is the quality you most like in a man/woman?
Kindness/sense of humour.

Who are your favorite writers?
Salman Rushdie, Yukio Mishima, Pablo Neruda, Shakespeare, Federico Garcia Lorca.

What is your motto?
Believe. Keep at it. If it's all an illusion, we might as well laugh at it.

(The Actor's Studio Questions)

What is your favorite word?
Thank you.

What is your least favorite word?
Sweetie.

What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Individuality, beauty, wabi sabi, gratitude, the ineffable, the ephemeral, laughter.

What turns you off creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
Ego, forced things, affectation, cruelty, jealousy.

What sound or noise do you love?
Music. The welcome announcement at the theatre in Epidaurus, and the strange bird that sings there.

What sound or noise do you hate?
Traffic light indicators in Dublin. Scratches on stone or unglazed clay.

What is your favorite curse word?
C*nt. For emergency use only.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Architecture. Publishing.

What profession would you not like to do?
Anything repetetive or clerical in an office with no natural light.

If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Do come in, we're celebrating, and there are some people here would love to meet you.

The Black Lizard (Kurotokage)

In my ongoing research into the cultural life of Japan in the late 1960s (which, I hope, will lead to 2 books!) I have been trawling through books, plays, music, history, and - most excitingly - film. And the most fascinating recent treasure to be unearthed must surely be 'The Black Lizard' (黒蜥蝪) by Kinji Fukasaku, made in 1968.

The story is adapted from a piece written by Edogawa Rampo, a crime novelist who flourished before the Second World War. His name is actually a play on words based on the Japanese pronunciation of Edgar Allan Poe (Edogaru Aran Pou). The film is concocted from a stage version by Yukio Mishima, who is himself featured in it as a life-size human doll. The star of the show, however, is Akihiro Miwa, Japan's most famous female impersonator, who plays the eponymous heroine, jewel thief and criminal mastermind 'The Black Lizard'.

The film is wildly over the top, a high-camp celebration of crazy that is silly, hilarious, affected and extremely entertaining. Get your hands on it!!

Fuck Lucy - I Love Leila!!

How funny is this lady?!

Eurovision

I love the Eurovision. I always thought it was so exciting growing up looking at other countries and hearing songs in other languages. And all the tacky glitz and 'glamour' etc were fun too, of course. And the whole voting system with the phone-ins - now video calls - etc. A great night in May.

Needless to say I'm less than thrilled with Ireland's entry this year. Although I reckon we'll either win it, or else come last and be permanently disqualified. (Either outcome will be the hilarious, anarchic kind of response that Dustin and his flock are aiming for - and while I'm not stuffy enough to be insulted at their iconoclastic lampooning of such a pan-European-tradition - seriously! who cares that much?! - I don't think the thing is THAT in need of demolition...)

Here's the Israeli entry. A nice song, has a touch of the country's own spirit, nice singer. Written by, of all people, Dana International. Wonder if she'll manage to steal the limelight again?! Perhaps she eats turkey....

Surgical Spirit

I love this show!
New episodes have been really fantastic - with the extra bonus of Addison Sheperd (Kate Walsh, who got a shout-out here before...)

Hurrah!

Still in the Running...

I'm very curious to see who wins Top Model this time around. Each has things that mitigate against them, but each also has their strengths. For the sake of readers in Dublin who'll watch it on Living, I won't mention names, but there's really only one girl I want to win. And I've wanted her to for a long while...

It was remarkable watching the show this week, seeing Paulina modelling for the ladies - she seemed very good at her job! The Model Judges are all there for a reason, I guess...





As has become relatively clear as the season have gone on, there's really only one ACTUAL Top Model. And that, of course, is Tyra.




Doesn't Tyra look like a slightly hotter version of Wilhelmina Slater in this photo?? I wonder if La Banks will end up running her own magazine. I imagine she will - given her beautiful photographs on all sides of the camera, and her apparent desire for world domination! But despite her meteoric post-modelling reinvention and her assault on all global media, I gotta say I really admire her.

A small commemoration

This rambling set of thoughts, lists and impressions is named after The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon (清少納言), written about 1000 years ago this year. I reckon it's all very well (and perhaps unexpected) for me to have a pretty blog with an Asian lady as its frontispiece, but I say give credit where it's due!

In many respects, her book could be considered the world's first blog - a selection of little entries, in various formats, in which she documented her life in the Heian court. She and Murasaki Shikubu, author of The Tale of Genji, are two of the foremost ladies of Japanese literature.

The Pillow Book (枕草子 makura no sōshi) is a lovely thing to have beside one's bed, it's perfect for dipping into, or indeed to read straight through.

Of course there are plenty of other blogs that reference her style, including THIS ONE (a fun literary blog).

For a slightly less sensational read, my other FAVOURITE book at the moment is by Liza Dalby. (Who, in glorious synchronicity, wrote a lovely novel about Murasaki!) It's called East Wind Melts The Ice and it's a compendium of thoughts throughout the seasons - based somewhere between California and Japan. No prizes for guessing why I'm enjoying it so much.

Just lovely.

How talented is this friend of mine??
A lovely song, a lovely singer.
No more commentary required.

Cut it up, turn it loose

How cool is THIS - you can now upload and send 'mixtapes' (well - collections of MP3s) online!

I love it. Thanks to M & J for giving me the nod ;)

My sugar is raw!

News just in - World Tour Autumn/Winter 2008!

She's starting in Cardiff and heading around Europe and the USA. Curiously, a lot of the dates seem VERY close together - does this mean that there won't be an enormous number of extra shows added?

And what about all those promises to go to Australia? I reckon she'll go to Mexico and South America, and certainly Dubai, and perhaps finish in Japan like last time? I'd like that.

Watch this space...

三島由紀夫 の宅急便!

After writing an essay about Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavilion) by Yukio Mishima, back in November, I was recently given a prize by the Japanese Embassy in Dublin. The award was a voucher for Kenny's Bookshop in Galway, who rather wonderfully have hunted down my (very obscure) choices - and the books are on their way as I type!

I think there are few pleasures greater than a new book. Perhaps this might explain why I'm so pathologically loath to crease spines, turn down page-corners, or write on them - I want to keep them as pristine as possible! My bookshelf looks like a bookshop. The only moth-eaten, dog-eared books I have are my rehearsal copies of plays I've directed. And they occupy a whole different category ;)

Put Your Hands Up For Detroit!

I just love the new version of Music mashed with Fedde Le Grand's Put Your Hands Up For Detroit. Awesome!

Roll on the tour!

My little tribute...

If you wanna see some little shots and snippets of Ninagawa's Caligula, click here.
It's gonna be out on DVD during the summer, I can't wait.
Funny that that play is still on my mind - I ain't free of it yet!
(The カリギュラ chapter is underway at the moment... argh!)

City of Angels

In case any of y'all are ostriches...

I'm going to LA! Come September, I'll be relocating to sunny California.

And yes, you're welcome to come visit. Yes, I'll be driving.
No, I'm not getting a perma-tan. Or plastic surgery.

Re-appraisal

I know everybody is sucking and chewing on her 'Hard Candy' at the moment (and for the record my fave trax are 'Give It 2 Me', 'Miles Away' and 'Devil Wouldn't Recognize You'), I had a lovely moment of re-finding one of the less flashy tracks from 'Music' this morning.

Check out 'Gone', the album's final track (for those who didn't get American Pie or Cyber-raga thrown on for good measure....)

The woman manages to get it right just about every time!

Selling out
Is not my thing
Walk away
I won't be broken again
I'm not
I'm not what you think

Dream away your life
Someone else's dream
Nothing equals nothing

Letting go
Is not my thing
Walk away
Won't let it happen again
I'm not
I'm not very smart

Why should I feel sad
For what I never had
Nothing equals nothing

Turn to stone
Lose my faith
I'll be gone
Before it happens

Selling out
Is not my thing
Walk away
I won't be broken again
I won't
I won't fall apart

Dream away your life
Dream away your dream
Nothing equals nothing


Turn to stone
Lose my faith
I'll be gone
Before it happens

Turn to stone
Lose my faith
I'll be gone

Spring forward...

...now that I have a fall back!

I've been offline and hibernating for much of this winter, it was pretty hard for several reasons.

BUT things are looking up!

I have decided to spend the next few months writing, it's high time that I got my stuff together and finished several projects. Might even list them here sometime soon ;)

So welcome back, I'll be here much more often from now on.

Ake Ome!!!

That's Happy New Year in Japanese, kids...

How are y'all doing???

I'm so excited that it's 2008. This year that just ended was pretty rough, pretty hard work, and I'm glad to have gotten through it.

Whistlestop review of 2007!
(Funny, remember my previous reviews of the year in here? all luscious and fun and wholesome? not so much for this past year. Bullet points are all y'all are gonna get... No real value judgements or particularly rich commentary...)

January
Working on Othello with Second Age.
Workshops for the SEEDS showcase production.

February
Working on Don Carlos with Rough Magic.

March
National Theatre Studio Directors' Course in London. (Amazing! Haha - cracked already...)

April
Japan - a little catchup trip.
Athens - a week of translating and development.
London - Ninagawa's Coriolanus. 4.5 hours long. TWICE.

May
Berlin - SEEDS trip.
Auditions for Caligula.

June
London - a lil' trip for some catchups and an Asian theatre research day.
Milan - trip to visit Sofia and La Scala. Dahlink.

July
Greece. As ever.

August
Spent an intense awesome time building the costumes for Caligula (our SEEDS show) in the empty Rough Magic office with La Tilly. Who rocks la World.
Rehearsals for aforementioned Caligula began.
Also spent a lot of time translating La Marea, for the Theatre Festival.

September
Caligula was performed. My mom was diagnosed with Cancer.
Started work on Philadelphia Here I Come, with Second Age.

October
Philadelphia (and Letterkenny, Ennis, Dublin, Cork and Dun Laoghaire) here we came.

November
Back to Tokyo. For three whole fabulous weeks. Much of which I spent working on a paper for....

December
...a conference I came back to Tokyo for in early December. This was awesome.
Athens - back to Greece for some serious R&R and to finish the translation.
Christmas - hard work.

and then I got sick New Year's Eve. Although the tricky shitty details of the year are not listed here, but if felt with this infection that 2007 was saying "Ha! You may be rid of me, but you damn won't forget me!"

And that's hella true.

Things I'm excited for in 2008:

A whole new range of projects. Not just theatre! Conor goes multi-media!
This will be the year I buy a mac. A hot one.
The US Presidential Election
The SATC movie
New Madonna, Cyndi and others. Maybe a Madonna tour?
Travel to new places. And loved ones, too.

It's funny, I love New Year's Day infinitely more than New Year's eve. If I had my way I'd have the big celebration on Jan 1st, and have a really nice dinner party to welcome the possibilities of what the year will bring :)

Back once again...

...for the ill behaviour!

After Facebook completely took over my life all my plans of blogging more totally disintegrated, apologies.

I'm back in Tokyo after a very long absence. Since I was last in this greatest of cities, I went to Greece to translate plays, went to Berlin to watch eye-poppingly interesting theatre, did mammoth amounts of auditions for my show, went to a conference in London, did my usual Greek July gig AND the celebrations of its 5th anniversary, where yours truly gave a paper, came back to Dublin and spent weeks working on costumes for the said show, translated a piece for the theatre festival in Dublin, directed CALIGULA, went straight into rehearsals as assistant director for PHILADELPHIA HERE I COME, did a few sound designs and then left for Japan again. Not bad for 7 months!


I'll do my best to keep y'all posted on the current trip, which promises all kinds of surprises....

Happy Autumn to you, dear reader. If anyone's actually reading this :P

Cherry Cherry Lady...

... does anyone remember Modern Talking? I was listening to them today meandering through Ginza, where I found the most enormous Muji store I've ever seen. Three storeys of goodness! I have a new favourite shop ;)

I also got my hair chopped off today, back in Aoba-ku, of happy memory. It's so fantastic to be back here, it's like I'm recharging my batteries. At the weekend I was taken to a wonderful yakitori restaurant, and then on a terrific Sunday-with-Jack we shopped for art books, had retro Ootoya food and then saw a fabulously colourful film called 'Sakuran' directed by Ninagawa's daughter Mika. It's based on a manga - think Memoirs of a Geisha on acid. With funky music by Shiina Ringo. I sincerely hope it'll be released internationally (maybe daddy's clout will come in handy...) because it's a riot!