november 2019 finds is late. because i was away. in madeira.
1.i started the month with mucho flow. it’s a two day festival in the neighboring town of guimaraes. i got tickets as soon as iceage announced they were coming. the two days proved full of artists interesting beyond expectations.
2. i discovered franco marco there. his album is on my playlist now.
3. we stayed at santa luzia arthotel. it was very nice, modern and 5 minutes away from the venue.
4. we went to a cozinha by chance. this restaurant in guimaraes has just got its first michelin star last year. in the meantime, the 2020 michelin stars were awarded. and they kept their star for a second year.
5. queer eye japan was good enough. the fab 5 are joined by local superstars kiko and naomi watanabe in their effort to change 4 lives.
6. we went hiking in serra da estrela, in central portugal. it was drizzling during the hike, but i really enjoyed that weekend.
7. we stayed at a modern hotel with interesting decor and wonderful views. it also had a great lounge we gathered in at night. the place is called hotel da fabrica.
8. on the way back, we stopped in belmonte and in sortelha. i loved both!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vngUIKKAq/
9. i posted about rick rubin a long time ago. below you have an 1-hour interview. very interesting if you are into music making. or art making, in general. he said at one point that one of the factors is creating a safe space for the artist to be vulnerable. insightful.
for more info, read this and this.
10. i missed balthazar when they came to a nearby festival this summer. luckily, they came to porto on the 24th. and i was there!
11. this is a heartbreaking series about homeless girls in the uk.
12. and then i came across other, even worse, series. hard to watch, but interesting.
13. i’ve been known to ghost in the past. i recommended it. at the right time and with the right person, it can be magical.
14. after last month’s arte concert, i went and listened to iggy’s actual studio album, free. beside this joy division-flavoured gem, my favourite is sonali. find both below.
15. i read a book about ai wei wei. it’s a series of interviews taken by serpentine curator hans ulrich obrist. interesting, especially if you’re into contemporary art.
16. rebecca solnit wrote a little book of essays called men explain things to me. not recommended.
17. aileen wuornos was called the first female serial killer. as far as i read, she was an abused kid who grew up to be a cheap prostitute. she killed 7 of her clients, the ones who raped or tried to rape her. she was executed in 2002. watch the video below: a journalist asks her if she was not born bad and, although a woman herself, has zero empathy for aileen…
i see a woman who had to fend for herself. society didn’t help her when she was abandoned by her teenage mom. or when she was abused or gotten pregnant at 14. when her baby was put into adoption. when she was thrown out of her grandfather’s house at 15. or when she was raped by clients. i don’t think she has the profile of a serial killer. i think she was a woman who refused to be a victim and suffer in silence. read here and here more about her case.
18. i am fascinated with courtney love. full of contradictions, talented, narcissistic. i seem to understand her more than the next person. the world really loves to hate her. because she’s not decorative or quiet. because she survived kurt’s suicide in unconventional ways. because she survived.
i believe hole has more good songs than nirvana. i also believe that courtney would have been a huge super star if she was a man.
19. it’s the first time i hear about this girl. i liked the video anyway.
20. i watched lost in translation again. bill murray is (still) everything.
21. i went to see a collection of portraits by henri cartier-bresson called tete-a-tete. very good, as expected.
22. also, as part of porto design bienale, the italian design icons. kinda small. i wouldn’t recommend it.
23. i saw a show by master woodblock print artist ito shinsui in barcelona last year. this month i went through the catalog. my favourite part, at the end of the book, is the illustrated guide of the process.
24. i saw ocean’s twelve again. the script’s twists and turns are surprisingly easy and fun to follow. i liked it. again.
25. i kinda had to see ocean’s thirteen, too.
26. and i had to complete the trilogy, of course.
27. if you want to see cardi in her grandmother’s house in the bronx, click below. you gotta love her, inviting vogue in while holding her sleeping daughter. and she chooses to be political, as always, although it’s not considered attractive. go, cardi!
28. this is an old puscifer track featuring trent reznor. i’ve never heard it until this month.
29. i love this song. but i cannot watch the video.
30. i came across this unbelievable video. the doors sing two of their songs with scott weiland. scott is breathtaking, channeling jim without losing himself in it. majical!
31. i finally saw call me by your name. i liked the film and i loved timothee. how can you not?
32. i saw the laundromat. yes, it was good. and yes, it seems like i had a soderbergh month. enjoy gary oldman, antonio banderas and meryl streep in a film about the panama papers.
33. i was in madeira. that’s why i post so late. i loved it. i liked the post card scenery, the subtropical flora and the remoteness. i will post more about it next month.
how was your november?
photo and video credits: little aesthete and copyright holders