SOHEMIAN RHAPSODY – A JOURNEY INTO THE LOST WORLD OF BOHEMIAN SOHO

 

Sohemian Rhapsody

A Journey into the Lost World of Bohemian Soho

Hosted by The Society Club with Paul Willetts and special guests Callum Coates and Virginia Ironside

The Charlotte Street Hotel
Private Cinema
15-17 Charlotte Street London W1T 1RJ

Monday, 9th of July

Doors open at 7pm, Talk and screening starts promptly at 7:30

Few people have led such a strange life as the cult writer and Soho dandy Julian Maclaren-Ross (1912-64), whose work has attracted admirers as varied as Harold Pinter, Evelyn Waugh, Iain Sinclair, Graham Greene and Sarah Waters. Brought up on the French Riviera during the 1920s, his subsequent life encompassed fame and literary success as well as alcoholism, drug addiction, homelessness and a psychotic obsession with George Orwell’s glamorous widow.

To commemorate the centenary of his birth, we’ll be staging a recreation of one of his short, characteristically stylish 1950s radio plays, starring Callum Coates, founder of the popular Fitzrovia Radio Hour and stalwart of the Globe Theatre under Mark Rylance. We’ll also be presenting rarely seen footage of Maclaren-Ross and his friends talking about the long lost world of Soho bohemia. There’ll also be short readings from Maclaren-Ross’s witty and atmospheric work, juxtaposed with a discussion between his biographer, Paul Willetts, and the writer and stand-up comedienne, Virginia Ironside.

Paul Willetts wrote the biography of Julian Maclaren-Ross, ‘Fear and Loathing in Fitzrovia’ and has edited several books about Maclaren-Ross, including Collected Memoirs, Collected Stories and Bitten By The Tarantula and other writings. Willetts also wrote the Paul Raymond biography Members Only, which is currently being filmed directed by Michael Winterbottom, starring Steve Coogan.

A night filled with celebrating one of our greatest local writers on his 100th birthday.

£15, includes a complimentary glass of Fontaine Absinthe

Limited number of tickets available, please book in advance at

http://www.wegottickets.com/event/172823

or call The Society Club at 02074371433

 

Not I

Besides Brooke, we also quite like Beckett and we have a few assorted classic editions of his work available – with more on their way.

Until then, here’s a link to the 1973 short film ‘Not I’…    along with text…

waiting to be led away   . . . glad of the hand on her arm . . . now this . . . some-thing she had to   tell . . . could that be it? . . something that would tell . . . how it was   . . . how she– . . . what? . . had been? . . yes . . . something that would   tell how it had been . . . how she had lived . . . lived on and on . . . guilty   or not . . . on and on . . . to be sixty . . . something she– . . . what?   . . seventy? . . good God! . . on and on to be seventy . . . something she didn’t   know herself . . . wouldn’t know if she heard . . . then forgiven . . . God   is love . . . tender mercies . . . new every morning . . . back in the field   . . . April morning . . . face in the grass . . . nothing but the larks . .   . pick it up there . . . get on with it from there . . . another few– .   . . what? . . not that? . . nothing to do with that? . . nothing she could tell?   . . all right . . . nothing she could tell . . . try something else . . . think   of something else . . . oh long after . . . sudden flash . . . not that either   . . . all right . . . something else again . . . so on . . . hit on it in the   end . . . think everything keep on long enough . . . then forgiven . . . back   in the– . . . what? . . not that either? . . nothing to do with that either?   . . nothing she could think? . . all right . . . nothing she could tell . .   . nothing she could think . . . nothing she– . . what? . . who? . . no!   . . she! . . [Pause and movement 4.] . . . tiny little thing . . . out   before its time . . . godforsaken hole . . . no love . . . spared that . . .   speechless all her days . . . practically speechless . . . even to herself .   . . never out loud . . . but not completely . . . sometimes sudden urge . .   . once or twice a year . . . always winter some strange reason . . . the long   evenings . . . hours of darkness . . . sudden urge to . . . tell . . . then   rush out stop the first she saw . . . nearest lavatory . . . start pouring it   out . . . steady stream . . . mad stuff . . . half the vowels wrong . . . no   one could follow . . . till she saw the stare she was getting . . . then die   of shame . . . crawl back in . . . once or twice a year . . . always winter   some strange reason . . . long hours of darkness . . . now this . . . this .   . . quicker and quicker . . . the words . . . the brain . . . flickering away   like mad . . . quick grab and on . . . nothing there . . . on somewhere else   . . . try somewhere else . . . all the time something begging . . . something   in her begging . . . begging it all to stop . . . unanswered . . . prayer unanswered   . . . or unheard . . . too faint . . . so on . . . keep on . . . trying . .   . not knowing what . . . what she was trying . . . what to try . . . whole body   like gone . . . just the mouth . . . like maddened . . . so on . . . keep–   . . . what? . . the buzzing? . . yes . . . all the time the buzzing . . . dull   roar like falls . . . in the skull . . . and the beam . . . poking around .   . . painless . . . so far . . . ha! . . so far . . . all that . . . keep on   . . . not knowing what . . . what she was– . . . what? . . who? . . no!   . . she! . . SHE! . . [Pause.] . . . what she was trying . . . what to   try . . . no matter . . . keep on . . . [Curtain starts down.] . . .   hit on it in the end . . . then back . . . God is love . . . tender mercies   . . . new every morning . . . back in the field . . . April morning . . . face   in the grass . . . nothing but the larks . . . pick it up–

 

 

Absolute Beginners

The Society Film Club is proud to present Absolute Beginners.

Set against the post-war Britain, a time in which pop culture is transforming from jazz to a new generation on the verge of the 60s, a young hip photographer (Colin) falls in love with an aspiring fashion designer (Crepe Suzette).

Directed by Julien Temple, Absolute Beginners features David Bowie, Sade, Ray Davies and stars Eddie O’Connell and a break-out performance by Patsy Kensit. The film has become a cult classic, mainly through it’s incredible soundtrack (featuring Bowie, Sade, The Style Council and Ray Davies).

Clive Jennings will lead a fascinating conversation with director Julien Temple, Eve Ferret, who appears in the film and Roger Burton, who consulted on the memorable styling, before the screening, with an audience Q & A afterwards.

This will be a Film Club Night not to be missed.

Doors open at 7pm, Q&A begins at 7:30 promptly – we ask that audience members arrive in time as this is likely to be a popular event. Doors close 7.25pm

Copies of the Colin MacInnes novel, Absolute Beginners, will be available for purchase on the night

Members £5 | Non members £10