But enough about you and your mother in Vienna.
Jan 31st, 2008 by B.
Sorry for all the entertainment-laden posts lately, I’m just trying to keep up. Here are my latest reads:
But Enough About Me: From Eighties Geek To Rock ‘n’ Roll Chic- Adventures In Celebsville:
U.S. link (the title is slightly different). Jancee Dunn- entertainment reporter for such notables as The Rolling Stone, GQ, Vogue, O: The Oprah Magazine, and The New York Times, writes with an ease that’s both admirable and infuriating. I mean, does it really come that naturally for her? Each chapter feels like an intimate conversation… the bitch. Yet try as I might to dislike her, I just couldn’t do it. From her humble ‘jersey girl’ beginnings (you’re from Jersey.. which exit?!?) to her string of aimless ne’er-do-well boyfriends, to her forays into the world of media & music legends, she’s the unassuming girl-next-door who sat next to you in 3rd period chemistry class.
But Enough About Me. From Eighties Geek To Rock ‘n’ Roll Chick - Adventures In Celebsville is actually two books in one. The compelling (and better) story of Jancee herself, and an insider’s how-to guide to hip journalism. You’ll laugh as she describes her first kiss:
A group of my middle school friends and I were bunched in a circle on May Drive on a balmy summer night, playing Truth or Dare. This gangly gang included Spencer, the cutest guy in school, the one who resembled every dreamy guy in every early-eighties movie: sleepy blue eyes, shiny brown hair that’s slightly shaggy, a deep tan, perfect fitting dark blue Levis corduroys. He was Matt Dillon in Little Darlings, Jake in Sixteen Candles. As a bonus, he was just a little bit obnoxious. When it was Spenser’s turn to play, he was told by one of my well-meaning friends that he had a choice.
“You can either kiss her” — she pointed to me — “or you can go kiss that tree over there.” He wrinkled is brow. Was he really having an internal debate? Then he looked over at the tree. Jesus Christ. Was he checking it out? I did a quick inventory as the seconds ticked by. My hair was feathered perfectly. Yes, I had braces, but I had carefully water-piked them before leaving the house. Calvin Klein jeans, my “good” plaid shirt (it had silver threads in it), and a generous spritzing of Love’s Baby Soft. After what seemed like an hour and forty-five minutes, he grudgingly picked me. That was my first kiss. I can only be grateful he didn’t think the tree was foxy.
And you’ll read along admiringly as offers hilarious journalism pointers such as ‘How to Approach an R&B Artist When You’re the Whitest Person in the Western World’ and ‘None For Me, Thanks: Gracefully Refusing Your Host’s Kind Offer of Heroin’. She also includes personal anecdotes of her interviews with stars such as Brad Pitt, Barry White (particularly hilarious), Scott Weiland, Mel Gibson, Madonna, Kim Deal and many more.
My only criticism is that it feels like the last quarter of the book was a little rushed, almost as if it was an afterthought. Still, it doesn’t do much to detract from the overall enjoyment. Good stuff… no, great stuff. I highly recommend it.
When You And Your Mother Can’t Be Friends:
I bought this for obvious reasons. Being estranged from you mother can be a very lonely, isolating thing. Think about it… how many people do you know who aren’t close to their mother? Not in a “grrr, she drives me crazy… let the answering machine pick up & I’ll deal with her later” way, but in a “I haven’t spoken to my mother in years and it’s better that way” way? Personally I don’t know of anyone other than, well, me who’s in that situation. I read posts about big family get-togethers & moms visiting & adults still mourning the loss of their mothers from years ago, and I guess I feel wistful & more than a little alone.
This book really helps with that. For starters reading the first-hand accounts of others in my boat makes me feel less alone. I’m not the only one out there, and there’s comfort in that. They also offer profiles of the types of women who’ve fallen out with their mothers & moved on (i.e. are you an overachiever? a troublemaker? a defector?) . This part I was extremely skeptical about… “I’m not that easily pinned down,” I scoffed. Then I got to the chapter on defectors and my jaw hit the floor. I suppose that’s a tribute to the science of psychology.
And while some fences can never be mended, the overall tone of the book is a good one: reminding us that no mother ever starts out wanting to hurt her child. That maybe my mother was a victim of her circumstances as much as I’ve been a victim of mine or you’ve been a victim of yours. Forgiveness may not be an option, but acceptance & understanding really is essential to your wellbeing…
Eyewitness Travel: Vienna Top 10 & Vienna Pocket Map And Guide:
Research for our trip to Vienna next week. I guess most people prefer the Frommer’s guides, but I’m a big fan of Eyewitness Travel’s Top 10 series. Just prefer the way it’s laid out I guess…
On this day..
- Lyrical association. - 2007
- Thanks a lot Sydney Bristow... - 2007
i would think the situation with your mother would have more to do with her psychology than yours… mothers, by definition (mine, anyway) are there to protect their children above all else… i can’t imagine children of mothers who don’t do that have to be destined to have issues…
that said… i do agree that we are victims of our circumstances… i had to eventually realize that my mom did the best she knew how… she just didn’t know how very well… it helped when i had my own children… i tried to correct the mistakes of my childhood and in so doing i simply just created a different set of problems… but really, i didn’t know how very well either… i do like to think i’ve raised the mothering bar a little… knowing as much of your history as i do… take comfort in knowing that you definitely have.
it is sad though… i think a mother/daughter relationship can be a special bond and that is something that isn’t a part of your life… i hope reading that book was at least helpful in coming to grips with that and i hope one day you can even find peace with it.
jeanni’s last blog post..gone baby gone
I too had issues with my mother when I was in my teens. It took many years to sort out, she was physically violent with me. As she aged and as I listened to her stories I realized she was a product of her upbringing and the war years in Germany. I forgave her and she lived with us for the last three years of her life. Yes, I mourn her, I wished we could have had more time.
ps. I like The Lonely Planet as a guide book, have you looked at that one?…ciao
rositta’s last blog post..Who Left This Baby To Die?
Enjoy Vienna! I had a fabulous time there. One tip - if you are going to try to see a performance at the Spanish Riding School but can’t get in, walk toward the museum right before the start of the performance…the horses will walk right in front of you.
Caffienated Cowgirl’s last blog post..An Apple a Day
Thank you for the heads up about the Jancee Dunn book. Wasn’t she once a SASSY staffer, or am I smoking crack? Hilarious!
You know Angelina Jolie doesn’t jive with her Dad at all, so you two could always comiserate about that AND about how you’re both badass mom’s yourselves. How many people can say that?
But seriously, I’m interested in the notion of forgiveness being kind of overrated, but struggle with feeling that way because my faith calls for quite a better effort than that. For now, I’m inspired by the notion of life possibly being long & me maybe getting down with forgiveness in my own good time.
Katie’s last blog post..Just Can’t Get Enough
i can’t believe your vienna trip is coming up so quickly.
a few quick tips - neer the cathedral there is an anker bakery. they (the whole Anker chain) have breakfast specials every day til ca. 11. Vienna is expensive and they are a good deal. Rolls with either jelly/butter or ham/cheese and hot chocolate/coffee 3eur-ish - can’t beat it.
if you or anyone in your family are going to drink coffee in a cafe (and I highly recommend it - i love cafe sperl) print yourself a cafe decoder list before you go. Austrian coffees don’t have the italian names we are used to. Oh and a kipferl is a croissant.
If you are into the Before Sunrise/Before Sunset movies - there are a couple of sites online which tell you how to get to places filmed in the movie.
If you go to the Belvedere (GO!) switch over to the German narration for a bit. The male voice (there is also a female narrator) is an established actor at the Burg Theater and is the German dubbing voice of Ben Kingsley.
Waiting a few hours for stehplätze at the opera is worth it. For 3,5 euros you can leave at intermission if you are bored and it’s a great way to see the opera house in the breaks. Tie scarf around your place at the railing when you go to bring your coat to the “garderobe”. There are LED screens with the libretto in German and English.
ann’s last blog post..5 weeks in. . .
My mom and I are not estranged, but we could easily have been. We had some hard times a couple of decades back, then again about 12 years ago. I came to the conclusion, being a mom myself, and just starting to get an inkling, that she did the best she could with what she knew at the time, and that her intentions came from love for me and/or my kids. Now I wish I could be with her more, as she lives across the country from me now that I’m finally back in the states. My whole adult life I’ve lived too far to really have that every-day kind of relationship. I’m sure I will regret that. Being a single mom, flying with 4 plane tickets is not really an option. Anyway, that being said, I’ve known people who are estranged from their moms/parents for what I think are valid reasons. Love the t-shirt, btw.
morecowbell’s last blog post..Down on the Farm
Tour of the opera house IN English (check the times, of course) was really quite nice…..IF you like opera houses.
That square is really interesting. STARS in the sidewalk of musical folks. Just “of interest.” Have a super great time. REALLY enjoyed being there. AND “may the weather be with you!”
BTW: Mark spoke English nearly the entire time. Found out we got better service than when he used Deutsch….except in ONE Subway. Go figure!