May 3, 2007
nemo me impune lacessit
5/3/07
I was never one to camp out to see my favorite entertainers, but these days, that number has shrunk unbelievably. At this point, I would only camp overnight to see three things: the North Carolina Tar Heels, the reformation of XTC's live show, and the Queen.
No, not the band Queen, although I'd certainly stand in line several hours to resurrect Freddie Mercury and have them play "A Night at the Opera" at the Hammersmith Odeon. I mean the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, and Defender of the Faith. She just came to Virginia to mark the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown settlement, and I think she's absolutely dreamy.
When I was a kid in England, they opened the Jubilee subway line to commemorate her "silver" 25th year on the throne, and in 2002, she actually had her 50th "Golden Jubilee," a feat only matched by her great-great-grandmother Victoria. This chick has staying power, and if she lives as long as her mother, she'll see her Diamond Jubilee (75 years on the throne). That would KICK ASS.
swoon!
Her speech in Virginia today was short and touching, expressing condolences from her country to everyone killed at Virginia Tech, and she even managed to say a graceful thing about our horrible government: even though we have our tough spots, we'll always be inexorably linked. I don't know, I found it soothing. She has seen World Wars, experienced death all around her, and lived long enough to provide a little perspective. She eats fake cowboys like George Bush for tea, with Marmite to spare.
Yes, I know all her faults. She can be a pretty cold fish, she doesn't translate particularly well to the Rave Generation, and her hats can be dreadful. But I wish we had someone like her in the States - a benevolent figurehead with no real power other than a moral center and a sense of continuity. It goes against my pinko democratic principles, but it'd be nice to have an ex-soldier who stayed in Windsor during the Blitzkrieg tell us everything's going to be okay.
.jpg)
self-portrait, London 1978
Keeping with the EU spirit today, it is good to note that political races bring out the best in all nations, not just the US of A. I love political races, especially with a splash of dry gin and three olives.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070504/wl_nm/france_election_dc_21
"If he wins....people die" .....Je n'ai pas su que Karl Rove a parlé français
I was five when the Queen visited the U.S. I still remember it as a time of great national excitement. We had only recently (like, a year before) acquired our first TV, and my mom and I watched all the coverage of Elizabeth II's arrival. She was young and lovely then. I was particularly thrilled when my mom pointed out that I shared my names with the princess and the queen -- Anne Elizabeth.
This is really making me feel like an old fart! LOL
How many here think Queen Elizabeth's current popularity owes much to Helen Mirren's portrayal?
Yes, all of us Europeans and EU aficionados will have their eyes glued firmly to the set on Sunday. I have written a couple of things (including this now badly formatted analysis) on the role immigration plays in the French elections over at the Foreign Policy Association, in case any of you are interested...
http://www.fpa.org/topics_info2414/topics_info_show.htm?doc_id=473747
Or a snippet on likely violence:
http://migration.foreignpolicyblogs.com/2007/04/19/hard-line-hangover/
And now for the unsolicited endorsement: Go Sego!
With the French election out of the way, perhaps Europe can get on to a little much needed reform.
Has anyone seen the new Annie Liebovitz portrait of the queen? Check it out here...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6614187.stm
Nice compliment to Ian's photo above.
When I was 15, I went to England for a summer and stayed with some friends of my parents. I was their children's nanny for the summer. The first few days there, I stayed with another family near London. It was June, so they took me to Wimbledon my first day. My second day we went to the Tower of London. My third day we went to Windsor Castle. The Queen was in residence, and was going to some horse races at Ascot. So we lined up with thousands of others to watch her motorcade of Aston Martins (or Bentleys or Rolls Royces, or whatever they were) go by as they left the castle for the races. There was the Queen, her mother, Prince Phillip and Princess Anne waving to all of us. It was so exciting to see her on my third day in England! So I turned to the 40 something year old woman I was staying with and asked her how often she saw the Queen. She said, "That's actually the first time I've ever seen her! Didn't she look lovely!" My mouth fell open, and 22 years later I still find it surprising. (Of course, now I am shocked that I'm old enough to be telling stories that happened 22 years ago!)
Thank you for conjuring that memory, and not discussing last nights events. Have a great weekend!
Sean: Thanks for the Leibowitz portrait link. I like the photo of the queen, but wonder if it will be controversial. The symbolism of the storm outside, etc. In this portrait, the sun has set on the Empire, surely.
Very Wuthering Heights in tone.
Yeah? I kind of took it as, though the world is dark around her (and sometimes even in her house), the light still manages to shine upon her, and by extension the crown.
Either that or typical English weather. :-)
dude, not the police?