Event: David Bowie:The Gift of Sound and Vision with Tony McGee and Leah Kardos, 10 January 2023, from 7pm, The Century Club, Shaftesbury Avenue


On the anniversary of David Bowie’s death, join photographer & film director Tony McGee, to hear about his life and times working with David, and author Dr. Leah Kardos, who wrote Blackstar Theory. 

Mc Gee, whose photographer career spans over four decades, had unique access to the star thanks to a close professional relationship and friendship. After meeting Bowie at a cocktail party, Tony was drafted in to shoot the publicity for Bowie’s 1983 Let’s Dance tour.  Several shoots followed and Mc Gee’s most famous images of Bowie now reside in the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. The pair went on to have friendship of more than thirty years and we will hear about the shoots, about how the two worked together, the importance of music in the sessions and stories from their friendship down the years
Dr. Leah Kardos is a composer, musician and author. Her most recent book, Blackstar Theory takes a close look at Bowie’s ambitious last works: his surprise ‘comeback’ project The Next Day (2013), the off-Broadway musical Lazarus (2015) and the album that preceded the artist’s death in 2016 by two days, Blackstar. On the night, Leah will investigate how a man approaching his own death can create art that illuminates the immortal potential of all matter in the known universe.

The evening will be hosted by author and cultural commentator Travis Elborough.

More info and to book tickets here. 

https://centuryclub.co.uk/members-events/bowie-looks-at-us-an-in-conversation-with-tony-mcgee-and-leah-kardos/

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Event: The Lost Record screening, 12 December, 7pm, The Horse Hospital + Q&A with Ian Svenonius

The Lost Record is a unique movie by Ian Svenonious (frontman of post-punk band The Make-Up) and Alexandra Cabral about a girl’s relationship to a record she finds, a valueless ‘lost record’ from the cut-out bin, which she brings to wider attention; first to her friends and then to mass culture. 

The lost record she finds is obscure, unknown, and different than other records in that it talks to the listener. The girl and the record develop a very close relationship but tension arises; the Record urges her to turn her friends on to it, play it at parties, etc, while the girl would rather keep their thing intimate, to herself. 

The Lost Record is a film about art, music, fetish, creation, popularity, fame, love, value, money, property, and records and as bright, sleek and stylish as the finest of porky’s prime cuts. 

After the screening Ian will be in conversation with the author Travis Elborough and signing advance copies of his latest book, Against the Written Word: Toward a Universal Illiteracy – ‘an omega to the Gutenberg Bible’s alpha’.

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Event: Speaking at London Modern on Sat 10 December, Waltham Forest Town Hall, E17

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Watch: Exploring Jane Austen’s Worthing – English Coastal Walk with John Rogers


A walk around the English coastal town of Worthing in West Sussex with author Travis Elborough. Thanks to my supporters on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/JohnRogers

Our walk starts at Worthing Station and then heads down into the heart of the Town Centre. We are looking for sites associated with Jane Austen who stayed in Worthing in 1805 and used it as the setting for her unfinished novel Sanditon. This is based on one of the chapters in Travis Elborough’s latest book The Writer’s Journey (White Lion Publishing https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-…. The locations visited include: The Connaught Theatre, Stanford Cottage (where Jane Austen stayed in 1805), The Dome Cinema as featured in the 1987 film Wish You Were Here starring Emily Lloyd and Tom Bell, The Royal Arcade, Shelley House and Worthing Pier. Many thanks to Travis Elborough https://traviselborough.co.uk/ https://www.waterstones.com/author/tr… Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1q…

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Books: The Writer’s Journey reviewed in the December Issue of National Geographic Traveller magazine

Order a copy of the book via Bookshop.org https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/traviselborough

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Event: Delia Derbyshire: The Myths & The Legendary Tapes + Q&A with Caroline Catz and (via zoom) Cosey Fanni Tutti, 1 December 7.30pm, Rio Cinema Dalston

Delia Derbyshire: The Myths & The Legendary Tapes is a cinematic portrait of the legendary musical innovator written and directed by Caroline Catz, who also performs the lead role. Catz’s directorial debut feature-length film is a stunning conceptual and atmospheric journey into the legacy and character of electronic music composer/sound pioneer Delia Derbyshire, who, in 1963 conceived one of the most familiar compositions in science fiction, the Doctor Who theme, while working at the BBC’s Radiophonic Workshop.

It is a life story told through sound, with Delia’s own musical creations featured alongside an original soundtrack by musician/performance artist Cosey Fanni Tutti  drawing on material from Delia’s posthumously discovered “Attic Tapes”. The result is a brilliant exchange of ideas between two unique and fascinating maverick female artists, traversing temporal and spiritual planes, and the film a visual and audio tour de force.

This will be a screening of the full Festival cinema exhibition version of the film in 5:1 sound.

The screening will be preceded by a Q&A with director/writer/actor Caroline Catz, Cosey Fanni Tutti (via Zoom) and hosted by the author Travis Elborough

Although Cosey will not be present in person, signed copies of her latest book Re-Sisters: The Lives and Recordings of Delia Derbyshire, Margery Kempe and Cosey Fanni Tutti, will be on sale on the night.

https://riocinema.org.uk/RioCinema.dll/WhatsOn?Film=14958198

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Event: Bone Music: An Evening of Film and Conversation with Stephen Coates, Tuesday 22 November, 6.30pm, Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road

Book here:

https://www.foyles.co.uk/Public/Events/Detail.aspx?eventId=4272

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Picture: Interviewing Graham Fellows (aka John Shuttleworth) at the Rio Cinema

Picture thanks to Caroline Gannon

Picture thanks to Jaime Rory Lucy

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Books: Extract from The Writer’s Journey published on Bookanista

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Books: The Writer’s Journey

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-writer-s-journey-in-the-footsteps-of-the-literary-greats/9780711268722

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