In my previous post on this short series called Pie’s London, inspired by a request from one of my readers, I gave you a little tour of Covent Garden. I’m now going to give you a flavour of Soho.
I’m the Don of cheap eats and in Old Compton Street there are plenty. The one I go to again and again is The Stockpot, a small chain of restaurants covering central London. The food is hearty, with old school treats like bangers and mash, but there are also such delights as roasted pork belly and Pan Fried Trout Provencal. The various flavoured crumbles sitting in a pool of custard are to die for and overall, it’s really good value for money. The wine’s not great, so skip the alcohol and go to a pub or bar instead. It’s a small niggle in an otherwise great little place, and you’ll still have a good time.
I received a request from one of my readers who will soon be paying a visit to Londinium. What do you think of such places as Covent Garden, Soho and Piccadilly, asked Jacki Dilley? And can you tell us about it? Well, I don’t spend a lot of time in Central London these days, mostly because I’m skint. Still, I wanted to give a flavour of those areas and realised as I walked around taking photos with my crappy little camera, there were quite a few shops, streets and pubs I have visited and loved. So I give you a snapshot of the first area I covered: Covent Garden.
Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue: a more random music pairing you couldn’t hope to find. The diminutive pop princess and the tall, lanky, dark, goth rocker are at the furthest ends of a compass, musically speaking. And yet, they produced this belter of a tune. It must be the Aussie connection.
This song was written by Cave with Kylie in mind. According to Wikipedia, the organ of truth, he had wanted to write a song for her for many years – who knew? His inspiration for Where The Wild Roses Grow came from a traditional song called Down In The Willow Garden, about a man courting a woman and killing her on one of their dates. Where The Wild Roses Grow is on the album called Murder Ballads. With a title like that, it’s safe to say it would not contain the usual love songs.
I can’t remember where and when I first heard it, but it was a brilliant surprise. Baby, baby I love you songs can be good, but a story song is even better and this one is hauntingly beautiful. It had a good mournful sound, a dark story that swept you along and it was sung well by both artists. Cave’s dangerous growl is a good contrast to Kylie’s slight and breathy sound. I feel she’s a much better singer in this song than in many others she’s done before and since, though I know many people weaned on her frothy stuff will baulk at the idea of her doing a song like this. As far as I’m concerned, when she makes an effort as she did in this song, she’s actually very good. As for Nick Cave, the few tracks I’ve heard tell me he doesn’t make a bad song. Good stuff doesn’t get old.
You can get odd pairings on these so-called talent shows, but Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue have shown us How To Do It Properly.
