5 Things I’m Doing In April
Everything I've been listening to, buying, going to, reading and watching this month
Hi everyone, here is my April round-up, I hope you’re all having a fantastic week! Gillian
LISTENING
You might have seen some of the headlines that emerged from an interview Courtney Love did with The Standard to promote her new BBC Radio 6 Music eight-part podcast series, Courtney Love’s Women, most notably her saying, “Taylor [Swift] is not important… she’s not interesting as an artist”. And despite waxing lyrical about her on the podcast, in the same interview Love also takes aim at Lana Del Rey (“I think she should really take seven years off”) and Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter (“As a concept, I love it. I just don’t like her music”). It strikes me as an odd way to promote this series because on the podcast itself Courtney is a total fangirl for a breadth of female artists, gushing enthusiastically about everyone from Nina Simone to Stevie Nicks to Angel Olsen (she also admits to loving Joan Baez even though it “wasn’t cool” and, hey, same). The whole thing is a hugely positive listening experience and belies the snide take downs she later gave to the media. But that’s Courtney for you; the woman contains multitudes.
Courtney Love’s Women is basically an eight hour Desert Island Discs, with music journalist Rob Harvilla acting as her co-host/handler, as she takes you through the soundtrack to her life. I can’t recommend it enough. But it’s the jaw-dropping anecdotes that really make the show: that she auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club when she was 11 by reciting Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” until the producers grew so uncomfortable they stopped her mid-poem; intentionally getting herself sent to juvenile detention by shoplifting; how she almost stole Marlon Brando’s comb from his house because she was convinced they were related and wanted to use it for DNA. Unsurprisingly there are also plenty of juicy Kurt anecdotes dropped throughout so if you, like me, were a bit of a ‘90s grunge girl, you’ll love this. But, really, if you just enjoy good music and riotous stories, then you should check it out.
You can listen to all eight episodes on BBC Sounds here.
BUYING
Last summer I spent an unhealthy amount of time wondering whether or not to buy the Hermès Oran sandals in gold, adding them and then removing them from my online basket repeatedly. At one point I even marched up to their Mayfair store ready to drop about six hundred quid, only to be told by the man on the door that there was an hour-long wait time to try anything on. I took it as a sign and returned home in my Birks with a bit of perspective.
But I have not forgotten about them, and at the first sign of sunshine this year I looked around for a more affordable pair of everyday tan sandals that were Oran-adjacent but not a direct dupe because I find that a bit naff. I landed on this cute Mango pair which are 100 percent leather with white stitching, in an elegant design. And at £45.99 I could practically book a mini-break with the difference. Summer, my feet await you.