Iain Cameron's Diary
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2003-02-28 - 11:12 p.m.

Woo � James copy of P J Harvey in the ears � � When I walked through Little Italy I saw my reflection come right off your face� is her take on this most unusual place.

Slut Em Go and Screaming Orphans � these are the NYC riotgrrls who crossed my path today. I was on Bleeker St and I came across the guitar shop where they had a 1964 2 pickup Epiphone for $900 � a really interesting guitar. Obviously U2 came to mind and the Slut guitarist serving me agreed � in fact she�d used one on her first single. There was a white Tele in the shop for $8500 � can you believe it?

Down the road I got remastered versions of the first Philip Glass recordings 2nd hand for $7 � haute minimalism indeed and this music was playing just when something very unusual happened on the way to an appointment on 12th Street to see if the 16 piece accordion band might offer up a lullabye.

Screaming Orphans are from Donnegal � its like the Blondie meets the Corrs � turn the idea over slowly in your mind. They are all sisters � not like the Nolans. They played the Cutting Room � after Martin from The Church .

I bumped into Clair and her brother � who have lived in Leamington � and are producer/director brother and sister team. They are making a short on 8mm about Coney Island. It�s a plan on the development path for a main feature they have scripted. I gave them a copy of 10 Short Stories and Four 5ths just in case. They had come to hear Martin who was warm-up for the Screaming Orphans. Martin seemed to me to be playing footnotes to London Conversation to my ears - which is not to say it wasn�t fun.

I was there was in the Cutting Room on the recommendation of the KF gtr fraternity to hear the Askold Buk trio. Nat Hentoff on Buk: � he plays with a passion born of complete mastery of his instrument.� In this instance a black and white Strat and one of those little classic Fender combos that seem to be the thing here. You listened to Buk before they opened the doors in the big space. I ducked out of Martin�s set to get more � especially after the flugelhorn arrived. Steve Williams on drums looks like Basquiat and is pretty much to the point - altogether sharp.

Between grlgroops � as I was going through Washington Square there were book sellers on the street. Without much fuss I was drawn to a polythene wallet � there�a windblown girl on the cover of the slim volume - price $10. She wears a sailor shirt, a crucifix and a tweed jacket. The book is a first edition 1972 and dedicated to Mickey Spillane and Anita Pallenberg. Here�s one of the poems:

� I was born in Hampstead. My mother wasn�t

screaming so they didn�t believe she was in

labor. Later I went to convent school. Later

I rode in leather. Later I took some sleeping

Pills. I needed to lose�.� MF

As you open the book someone has written

�To Judy

xxx

Coke in heart

patti smith

x�

what on earth are they getting at?

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