Modern Times
by Olivia Cole5 July 2010
Even by 24 Hour Party Girl’s high standards, it’s not every week you get to meet Tony Bennett and Boris Becker, stand in the Spectator garden, looking gormless/studiously cool as the Prime Minister and Nick Clegg chink orange juice, and, to top it all….catch a glimpse of Bob Dylan’s boots.
The week started quietly with dinner and dancing on the tables at Annabel’s where in conversation with head of Cartier UK Arnaud Bamberger, Dylan Jones proclaimed that ‘bespoke’ is to the noughties, what ‘luxury’ was to the 90s, and ‘designer’ to the 80s. Monsieur Bamberger concurred, quipping too that his existential philosophy has long been, ‘new money is better than old money.’ You will have to imagine the Gallic shrug to accompany this pronouncement for yourselves. This remarkably highbrow evening’s entertainment is one in a series of Salons (perhaps a word for the noughties too) being organized by Annabel’s. [The next hot ticket is to hear Net-a-porter- founder Natalie Massenet.]
On Tuesday, at Morton’s, Kevin Spacey stood transfixed by Boris Becker. While in real life, it is unusually lustrous, it was footage of Boris 25 years ago that had us gripped. The party was to celebrate 25 years since Boris’s first teenage victory at Wimbledon . “Wow that is great hair,” marveled Spacey.
Olivia Cole, Tony Bennett and Nicola Emmanuelle
Via Johnnie Shand Kydd’s amazing photography series about Naples, Siren City at the Estorick Collection [which I always want to write with a typo as the Esoteric Collection which would almsot be a better name] on Wednesday it was almost altogether too exciting when Tony Bennett played at the Royal Albert Hall. TGIF’s Mummy managed to work TGIF’s iphone to bring us this picture recording the momentous occasion – jazz singer Nicola Emmanuelle was having an equally star-eyed moment. There aren’t many people who cause every single person in the room to form an orderly queue to shake their hand but Bennett is one of them from hardened Sony Music executives, to James Corden who had brought seemingly his whole family to, er, me.
If this wasn’t enough excitement, there was too much champagne for the brain all round at the the Spectator summer party on Thursday and champagne in a wine glass for some austere Tories. I was fortunate enough to witness my old friend Barry Humphries torturing Rupert Murdoch’s unofficial biographer, Vanity Fair writer Michael Wolfe. ‘Have you been on Rupert’s yacht, Michael?’ Barry wondered … Apparently not. Apparently Rupe likes to invite a lot of people only to leave, Gatsby-style. Every time Wolfe wolfishly offered another piece of information Barry, wondered if that would be going ‘in the revised edition…?’ We shall see.
It was little wonder by the weekend it was time for some R and R, that is a rock festival … I might have been suffering from lack of sleep but let’s face it it’s not often that Bob Dylan plays in your ‘hood, especially if your hood is in Kent . The sleepy oast houses and fields full of sheep have never had such an excitement. Dylan arrived by way of 3 massive blacked out tour buses along with rumours of a departure by helicopter. He and his band had their own dressing rooms (that is they got two portacabins instead of one) and a fenced off garden backstage with their own umbrella. Being given a backstage tour, I was almost stretchered out with excitement when we caught a glimpse of what had to be the great man’s pointy cowboy boots being carried in.
The Hop Farm Festival, in it’s 3rd year, is Vince Power’s studiously bucolic festival which prides itself on having no corporate sponsors or branding. Resplendent in a white hat and hot pink shirt and Dylan seemed to be dancing a lot more than the last time I saw him play at Wembley – perhaps the Hop Farm is his kind of venue. Simple Twist of Fate and Just like a Woman, were my favourites but near the end of his set, he did an amazing version of Working Man Blues from Modern Times,
’Meet me at the bottom, don’t lag behind
Bring me my boots and shoes
You can hang back or fight your best on the frontline
Sing a little of these workingman’s blues….’
Call me a fool, but I felt like he was singing just for me ….. Humour me please!
If you enjoyed reading this, we recommend:Tags: Annabel’s, Arnaud Bamberger, Bob Dylan, Boris Becker, Dylan Jones, Olivia Cole, Spectator, Tony Bennett
