In search of Diz and Bird (Part II)

Oh dear. I met the most amazing woman last night who has frankly thrown my somewhat hasty and certainly premature 'off women for life' stance into disarray. Wow. Dr. D was leaving to study medicine and so we went for a few drinks on Summer Row, a supposedly cosmopolitan and trendy collection of bars with seats outside. Next to a dual carriageway. With views of a roundabout. Anyway, Dr. D invited his friend who walked into the room like Nicole Kidman at a premiere. Oh, brother...

She has lived in Paris and went to Juillard (see this post, also) in New York for 3 months. She studied Politics at Cambridge and then did a law conversion in London and is now a corporate lawyer (I think). We must have talked about food for about an hour. Despite her breathtaking figure she eats good, real good. I won't bore you with the details but we touched upon the restaurants in Paris, New York and London, the quality of coffee in Paris and Rome, the similarities between Edith Piaf and Billie Holiday. I mentioned A Cook's Tour and that me and T were addicted to it over Christmas. She said she loved Anthony Bourdain ('the Lou Reed of the culinary world') and his programme and that she had been to his bistro in Manhattan. She didn't think it was that special. Go here and here and here. Despite her background, she was grounded. Her love of coffee and cigarettes prompted me to ask whether she'd seen Coffee and Cigarettes. She had. Despite her disdain for Amelie and despite her defence of Irreversible and extreme French cinema, there wasn't a shred of pretensiousness in anything she said. Honestly. Despite, despite, despite...

Eternal thanks to the Yorkshireman for letting me know that Sour Grapes was on last night on Channel 5 @ 3am. Larry David's directorial debut. I think it got panned by the press and I'm fairly sure it didn't reach these shores. Taped it. Will watch it tonight. The 5th series of Curb Your Enthusiasm is out on HBO soon. The 4th series is yet to appear over here for some reason. Ordered the DVD though...

Listening to:

Jim O'Rourke: Bad timing
Lou Reed: NYC Man (yes, still. Incidentally, Lou Reed is modeling some Alexander McQueen clothes in the current ID magazine. Pretty hilarious...)
Wilco: Live bootleg