Brighton, right on!

The Palace Pier this afternoon

Brighton is Dublin without priests. Brighton is tolerance by the sea. Dublin is intolerance by the sea.

Brian Behan, writer (brother of Brendan)

Brighton is unique in England, Britain and the world. People tend to be comfortable in their own skins. That’s why they commonly dress how they fancy, free with the colour. And people like to talk and engage with strangers aka fellow human beings.

Dublin has gotten rid of the priests to a large extent. And replaced them with other orthodoxies. Dub in Dublin means black (dubh linn – black pool). Brighton is altogether brighter.

Brian Behan was born in Dublin in 1926 and died in Brighton in 2002.

Palace Pier this evening 31/1/26 18:40 (spotted just after writing this post)

Tourist v Traveller

“The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”

G.K. Chesterton

This contrast that Chesterton made reminds me of the contrast between Journalism and Filmmaking. It has been argued that Journalists go out to gather pictures to illustrate their ideas about something whereas Filmmakers go out to see what there is. This organic aspect of filmmaking, which allows for surprise, revelation and insight, and encourages fluidity and the relinquishing of control is why we love documentary.

Home

“I love this club. It’s just like home – filthy and full of strangers.”

Ronnie Scott

photo: Max Adelman (National Portrait Gallery, London)

Home is such a fascinating and multifaceted concept. One thing it rarely is is full of strangers, the paradox in Ronnie’s gag. Ronnie famously warmed up the audience in his Soho jazz club with some amateur stand-up. Some people judged it dad jokes but I found it pleasantly pokey.

By and large simply having a home that is not filthy, damp or overcrowded is something of a privilege. So I’m going to take a moment to appreciate and be grateful for mine which I love.

I’m a doughnut

“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin. And therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’ ”

JFK

U.S. President John F. Kennedy speaking at the wall in West Berlin, June 1963

Sometimes we are wanting to say something high minded but circumstances and language defeat us. In Kennedy’s case he didn’t find out till later that the German word “Berliner” also means a “jam/jelly doughnut”.

Never forget

photo by Misan Harriman (with whom I worked on Shoot The People documentary)

A wise observation by Nelson Mandela perfect for Holocaust Memorial Day.

spotted today in Berlin (a stolperstein)

“they can be taught to love”

Judgment Day

Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

As a companion to the last post (Isherwood on Berlin), this one from Hemingway completes the thought, as I land in Germany (Berlin) on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by the Soviet army (before they became fascists themselves).

Back to Berlin

Berlin was in a state of civil war. Hate exploded suddenly, without warning, out of nowhere; at street corners, in restaurants, cinemas, dance halls, swimming-baths; at midnight, after breakfast, in the middle of the afternoon.

Christopher Isherwood, The Berlin Stories

published 1945

British writer Christopher Isherwood lived in Berlin from 1929 to 1933, a very volatile and dynamic era, as depicted in ‘Cabaret’ which is based on his writing (the novels ‘Mr Norris Changes Trains’ and ‘Goodbye to Berlin’). Reading about the hate on the streets is very sobering as we see what’s going on right now in Minneapolis. We know what happened next in Berlin and Germany. It is beyond belief to see similar in the USA.

Christopher Isherwood (R) and Don Bachardy
painted in 1968 by David Hockney in the USA (California)

Glad to be alive

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.” —Hafez

Hafez/Hafiz was a 14th-century Persian poet – it’s a very poetic culture. Now is a particularly good time for a call to cherish, prioritse and nurture experiences/people/things that bring joy, gratitude and a sense of purpose. 

 

 

Love London

The Fitzroy Tavern, Fitzrovia, London

There’s real pleasure to be found in special places. Last night we repaired, as is our habit, to the Fitzroy Tavern after the Charles Peake Ulysses Seminar at Senate House, University of London. It was a favourite of Welsh artist Augustus John.

Augustus John

It was also much loved by all kinds of artists and writers including Walter Sickert, Jacob Epstein, Dylan Thomas, George Orwell (plus the great Kenneth Williams and Tommy Cooper). The pub, formerly a coffee house, was rebuilt in 1897 and retains its Victorian style thanks to a modern refresh.

The Fitzroy gave its name to this area of London, Fitzrovia. It is not a difficult place to love and London is dotted with all kinds of resonant places like this which add to the experience of the city and to quality of life. Why not really FEEL a special place you are in today?

True Nobility

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.”

Ernest Hemingway

There are two types of competitiveness – intrinsic and extrinsic – the latter is when you compete with other people, the former when you keep trying to better yourself. I was once paired (at his request) with my boss, the head of digital at Channel 4, on a training programme. It turned out he, mild-mannered though he was, was fiercely competitive with others. The same diagnostic test showed that I was completely opposite and competed with myself. I was happy and comfortable with that revelation. Bettering yourself is growth and growth is what we naked apes are all about.