Monkey's Blog - with a little help from Alice

Medicine, Metaphor, Music and Memories

Deary me, you may have noticed that we haven't been posting anything here for quite a while. It's because poor Alice has been what you might call under the weather. Another of those ridiculous human figures of speech. It makes me imagine a horizontal weather forecaster for the M.B.C. (Monkey Blogging Corporation). But the weather's always "over" us, isn't it?   After some online research, we discovered that this saying may be referring to the "weather bow" on a sailing ship, which was the windward side at the sharp end and recieved the worst of the storms. Another, related suggestion is that if sailors or passengers were suffering from sea-sickness due to rough weather, they might well retire below decks, where they would not be so violently tossed about. 

So it's really a kind of metaphor. 

Anyway, Alice has been somewhat unwell for the last couple of weeks, with a coldy-coughy thingy. A bug. A virus. Whatever. Which left her feeling particularly feeble. I did my best to be on hand with vitamins, pills, potions, tinctures and tissues - as well as that good old standby: hot lemon, honey and spirits. It does cheer you up, even if it doesn't work any miracles of recovery.

I should point out that this picture wasn't actually taken during Alice's bout of sickness - she wasn't up to that much effort. But now she's feeling better enough to get back to our blog, she insisted on a photo shoot to create this image. It's purely "representative" - a kind of lie.

My goodness, I'm glad I'm not a real professional model. It was pretty tiring having to hold my pose and my expression of cheery solicitude, while she shunted the props about and kept flashing with her camera until she was satisfied.

Music 1: Runrig

We never got round to telling you how, before Christmas, we went to see a concert by the popular Scottish group Runrig, one of Alice's all time favourites. Loads of tracks on her iPod.

She's always going on about how she and some pals (with 50,000 more) got high, indulged in the munchies, and saw them do an open air gig on the shores of Loch Lomond. See this video for live footage. They had a wonderful time. It was in 1991, her much younger days. 

 

This time it was a more conventional concert venue, but the audience were just as enthusiastic, standing in the isles, clapping to the beat and joining in when invited to sing. A bit like this other video from Stuttgart. 

 

The supporting group, The Chaplins (after Charlie, not parsons) were great, too. "With their 1920’s dress sense and quirky, alternative bluegrass sound, The Chaplins are a unique addition to the music world." Look out for them...

 

Music 2: The Messiah

Peformance of The Messiah in Crystal Palace, 1857. See Wikipedia.

At the other end of the musical spectrum, in the New Year, Alice and a friend took me to hear Handel's Messiah. This was quite some event. Because it's so long, the interval is extended and the audience is invited to take a "picnic". We had some clementines, nuts, crisps, chunks of cheese and a Fudge bar. Very nice. But we saw some folk sitting in the august red-carpeted corridor, going the whole hog with fitted hampers, plates, glasses, and even champagne! Whole hog truely seems an appropriate metaphor here, I think.

Alice is telling me off for putting the picnic first: but it's what stood out for little me. And then everyone standing up for the Hallelujah Chorus - but not to join in and wave their arms about as we did for Runrig. Apparently it's an old tradition, going back to the London premiere in 1743, when King George II stood up, so everyone else had to. Why he did, or if he did, or was even there at all, is shrouded in mystery, however. But it's certainly the most rousing [hee, hee!] section of the whole thing. You can hear it online in many versions, but try the King's College one and be patient about the ad that comes first.

Alice says it's a wonderful composition, and one of her favoutie classical works. She had deep philosophical musings (as you may have realised she is prone to) during this performance: the words are all Biblical, and she's an atheist. The cynical part of her was thinking what a ridiculous fairy story it all is: Adam, Eve, Satan, the Apple, Sin, Hell, Vicarious Atonement, Redemption and Life Everlasting with God and the angels in Heaven. Just an invention by people who don't want to accept the finality of death. And the more mystical side thought how the music is so uplifting, and the story so beautifully seductive. She's recently read Nothing to be Frightened of by Julian Barnes, which starts with this striking sentence: "I don't believe in God, but I miss him." 

That's a sentiment with which Alice heartily concurs. She's relieved that atheism is more acceptable nowadays than it was when she became one as a teenager. It's almost fashionable, in fact. While rejecting the traditional tenets of Christianity, it can nevertheless include a sense of awe at the glories of the universe and a belief in the Oneness of it all. As the gorgeous Brian Cox points out in his new TV series, The Wonders of Life. Science made exciting without any dumbing-down!

Religion? Me? I just get on with life as it comes - and goes. But I like visiting cathedrals and gush along with Alice over the amazing images in The Fountain by Aronofsky. She has no trouble enjoying the arts inspired by religion. We're looking forward to Terrence Malick's new film, To the Wonder, as we loved his fantastical scenes in The Tree of Life. We promise a whole post soon on the many great movies already out in 2013.

Music 3: Bunkhouse Boys

You may remember Alice was hoping to get her father's recording digitised. Well, she has at last. It's a long story I won't go into, but you can listen and see three photos on YouTube, where a close friend has posted the video for us.

Don't forget to click on the images to see them larger. The biggest ones (which are only in some posts) display even better if you right click and open them in a new tab.