All The Money or La Dolce Vita Honey
November 3rd, 2009As Dandy Warhols, we like to take a different approach to Christmas: a little more Old World and a lot more jaunty. Take Italy. Their holiday season is comparable in length to the common American holiday season, but with its baked eel and lumps of coal and mash-ups with what we think of as Halloween traditions – La Befana the Epiphany witch, children in costumes going from door to door for treats – it seems a hell of a lot more festive than a fat man whipping flying deer to bring you an iPhone, doesn’t it? We are on a mission to convince Christendom that Italy does it best. But these things take time; Rome wasn’t bilked in a day. Easing into the task we commence this year with our annual Christmas shows with the introduction of a sliver of sunny Italy to the Northwest’s dreary environs. Just a taste, a Fellini twist on the usual Dandys holiday performance, with shows on December 11th at Nuemos in Seattle and December 12th and 13th at Portland’s Wonder Ballroom. Ticket link on Wednesday.
GOTHMAN
This Italian-christmas idea sounds very interesting. Glad to see you’re interested by other cultures (nowadays, that’s very rare). Italy is an uncredible country. All my family is italian and i can’t stop thinking about how they celebrate Halloween, Christmas, birthdays etc … all the important invents. They are warm and generous people. Their culture is very rich and interesting, Well, the south culture. there’s nothing like an italian family (and I always miss mine) … talking about italian culture … you said a word, Gothman, a name: Fellini and everything was done. he was a genius, one of the best film maker in the history of cinema.
So, yeah, i really like this italian christmas idea ! what you have said Gothman is very interesting.
And well, 3 more Warhols’s gig, what else to ask ? ! maybe to come in France aha
we love you and waiting for you !
well i can tell you for the money la dolca vita honey is good … cool
I totally agree with Sarah about it being cool to learn the traditions of other cultures. Christmas just seems so commercialized these days. Originally celebrated for the birth of Jesus, and being a time of year to be with family and loved ones…I wonder if we’ve forgotten. Now we have Christmas in July ( no wonder life is so short when we’re constantly living 6 months into the future. What ever happened to living in the moment? They put all the Christmas stuff out on display in the stores before Halloween! And sometimes I feel as if Thanksgiving is completely forgotten about. With the economy in the hole and all the foreclosures and people losing jobs, I hope all these money making organizations take the time to appreciate what they do have and their families. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t buy gifts and that Santa should retire. I saw a Christmas commercial a couple of weeks ago. I was like, ” Are you kidding me?” I think big business should just calm down and stop trying to rush people and back off alittle especially when people are losing their jobs and their homes. The competition between businesses is good in a way, but sometimes sickening as well.
I totally agree with you Lany ! Business and our society made those kind of events like christmas something commercial. That’s pity because we forget what really christmas is. Ok, i’m have no religion but i can understand what it means for other people. Christmas is also a moment to share with your family and the people you love. And i think, nowadays, that we don’t say often that we love people and our family and that we don’t care about important events. thats so sad.
Times are hard, very very hard. As you said Lany, people are losing their jobs, people are dying of terrible illnesses … so we don’t have to forget those kind of moment like christmas. By and by we ‘re losing almost everything but what is staying is love. Thank you Lany !
I also agree, but just wanted to say please come to play in the UK and the rest of Europe soon. Lanhydrock and Bournemouth seem like years ago now. Lovely memories though X
[...] here is the pre-sale dealie for the Italian Christmas shows in Seattle and Portland. Lee wanted me to tell you that those who buy pre-sale tickets will [...]
yeah, it seems your last eurpean tour was years and years ago. Paris 12.3.8.
This sounds way better than the Christmas tradition I grew up with. The Dutch tell children if they are bad, Black Pete will throw them in a sack and take them away to Spain and they will never see their family again. Sinter Klass has made Satan his servant and they have a good cop/bad cop thing going. Good children get presents from Sinter Klass, bad children get kidnapped. I love being Dutch!
oh my god John, that’s a terrible Christmas tradition ! that must be awful when you’re kid when you hear “you’re going to be kidpnapped if you are bad” ! gosh ! if i ever heard those kind of things in my childhood i would have been traumatized for the rest of my life !
I’m celebrating the shows in Portland!!!!!!! Buying tickets for both! Woohoo!!!
My family and I spent Christmas several years ago in Italy with our friends who live just outside of Venice. It was on a farm in a small village, and the 80 year old grandmother cooked the entire multi course dinner over her old wood stove (and stubbornly refused to accept any help). A different wine accompanied each course, and the dinner took place over about 4 hours. Unhurried, you didn’t stuff yourself, and dessert was cheese and dried fruit. Lovely. My children still remember getting big kisses from Doselina after gathering eggs from her chicken coop. We agree that it is one of our nicest holiday memories.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lee Cohen, vincent. vincent said: have to find a way to justify a business trip to portland in december to give the dandy warhols a hug <3 http://bit.ly/2OXueD [...]
John, please tell me you made that whole thing up for a future novel or movie. If you didn’t, that is absolutely dreadful. Here, bad children get a lump of black coal. You mean to tell me that where you’re from, the children pretty much or might as well be turned to black coal themselves? Do they atleast get to be whisked away in a magical flying sled so they can do some sight-seeing on their way to Spain? And are they properly returned to their parents after a year of bettering themselves? Wow….you must’ve been a saint growing up. I do suppose though, that if we had that kind of tradition here in the U.S., maybe we wouldn’t have child gangs and children killing their parents and going on wild gun shooting sprees in the schools. We’d probably just have a lot more screwed up adults trying to recover from the long childhood of nightmarish reverse-fairytales that would scare the crap out of them and keep them up at night trying to remember if they’d done anything bad lately.
Really, John, you did make that up….didn’t you?
It is hard to belive they tell kids this story. http://mymerrychristmas.com/2006/blackpeter.shtml
Wow, John,….so you did not make it up. That’s what I call the sack of “d’s”…..dark, deep, depressing, dreadful, demented, etc. It’s sad too, and as you’ve said, hard to believe this story is passed on to the children. As I’ve learned, it’s always good to find a positive somewhere in the mix. If anything positive could come out of this story, I suppose it would be that the children must be very well behaved where you’re from. In school, I was never much of a social studies or history type, but now I realize I should’ve paid more attention. It is interesting to learn about other cultures and traditions. Thank you for posting this link to share with us.
yeah, thank you John, That’s always a pleasur to know about other people’s culture and tradition ! it’s important to be open minded and not to focalize (?) on our own culture. By knowing other culture you can learn on your own culture and yourself … this year i’m learning Antropology, and there’s nothing more interesting than that ! it makes me wanted to know more and more about the other. And i realize how important it was … it’s fantastic ! (a little though for Mister Claude Levi-Strauss who died this week end).
Well ! thank you again John !
David Sedaris already beat you all to the punch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCUHTDrca4s
Was in Verona two years ago during the St. Lucia Festival- LOVED IT! Looking into tickets for the Portland show…:)
David Sedaris is such a fag like that.
Gothman….lol.
Sarah…thank you for your compliments.:)
Sedaris is a hoot! He does confirm’s John’s story about the Dutch belief about the mythical holiday characters. Makes getting an Iphone from a whip toting fat bastard almost seem “normal”. In Verona- St. Lucia rides a flying donkey and throws ashes in bad kid’s faces- so it’s not all happiness and light at the base of the alps either…:)
[...] are on a mission to convince Christendom that Italy does it best,” the group announced on its website. “We like to take a different approach to Christmas: a little more Old World and a lot more [...]
you’re welcome Lany
that’s always a pleasur to talk with interesting people !
I’m sorry to admit that I’m a Christmas whore – just love it. But, I’m open to anything. Can hubbie and I wear witch hats to the Neumos’ show to help celebrate Novena? I can’t wait for my first Dandy show. Yes, I’m a Dandy Warhol show virgin. Hey, I used whore and virgin in the same paragraph. Bueno.
all of this is very ineresting ! i’m so impatient to be there ! hope to see you Jennifer !
xoxo bisous
interesting ..and Fellini , oh yes Gothman , you chose the best !
shall i dress like Monica Vitti ? lol!
bisous , love you !
december twenty nine i’ll never forget !
Are you seriously coming Martine?? But that is so impulsive and fabulous! E-mail me and let me know your plans (benjenngabeelijah@hotmail.com). I’m going to the first show with my husband, and the second show with my oldest son and some of his friends. I would love to see you when you are in town.
yes i’m coming Jennifer ! crazy bit i’m crazy and impulsive and fabulous ? lol! ! i send you an e-email ! bisous