I’ve been to Copenhagen twice, and inevitably left some of my heart in Christiania, the section of the city that was established in 1971 (year of my birth). My friend Robert Lawson is currently filming a documentary about this very special and controversial place that is filled with colorful, authentic people.
Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania (Danish: Fristaden Christiania) is self-proclaimed autonomous neighbourhood of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares (85 acres) in the borough of Christianshavn in the Danish capital Copenhagen. From an official point of view, Christiania is rather regarded a large commune, but its relation to the authorities has a unique status in being regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989 which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state. Christiania has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971.
I saw this Irish film at the San Francisco Film Festival last night. It’s a beautiful tale of a young boy and girl looking for a chance to escape their abusive homes in the suburbs of Dublin. Film maker Lance Daly tells a touching story of hope and innocence, with a great soundtrack by Go Blimps Go. See the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC9igTXuUAA&feature=related
Some of my earliest memories of singing were with Hollywood pioneer Coy Watson, a dear friend of my grandparents, Bill and Frances Cumpston.
Coy was easily one of the most animated, vivacious and delightful people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know and be influenced by. I remember sitting on his lap at age 5 or 6, repeating songs that he would teach me, that would make him laugh and then tell everyone to come and listen.
James Caughey “Coy” Watson, Jr., 96, died on March 14, near his home in Alpine, CA. The following are excerpts from his obituary in the LA Times. The number of firsts he was a part of is astounding.
He appeared in the opening scene of one of the first “sound on film” motion pictures, “Puttin’ on the Ritz” (1930), with Joan Bennett and Harry Richmond.
As a photographer, Coy’s photos appeared in the first and second issues of LIFE magazine — November and December, 1936.
In 1939, Coy invented and manufactured the Coy Watson Lite Beam Focuser, a built-in camera device that assured accurate still camera focusing in total darkness. It’s believed this invention marked the first time a battery was ever placed in a camera.
In 1943, at a show staged at the Hollywood Bowl for Madam Chiang Kai-shek (there to raise awareness and money for China), Coy took 16 mm motion pictures of the event, that became the first filmed news story ever to be televised in the Los Angeles area on L.A.’s first television station. There were less than 40 TV sets in the city.
In 1949, NBC/New York assigned Coy to cover on 16mm film the historic story of Kathy Fiscus, a little girl who had fallen into an abandoned well. It was the first news story in California to be televised live — continuously for 52 hours.
In 1949, Coy shot Hollywood’s first TV commercial on film for Vermont Motors. That same year he made the first TV film documentary: “Operation Endurance”, featuring two former W.W. II pilots “staying in the air” in a single-engine plane over 1,000 hours (42 days).
Coy and syndicated Hollywood columnist Erskine Johnson joined together to make “Hollywood Reel”; the first film-series for American television featuring motion picture stars and their real lives in Hollywood.
He originated the Man on the Street Interview; spotlighting average citizens and their views on current events.
In 1999, Coy Watson Jr. and his parents, Coy Sr. and Golda Watson, and five brothers and three sisters were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Known as the “First Family Of Hollywood,” the nine kids literally grew up in Hollywood. Coy Sr. started with the Mack Sennett Studio in 1912, and collectively the family appeared in more than 1,000 motion pictures with some of motion picture’s biggest stars. No other theatrical family can match their accomplishments.
Coy is survived by his wife, “Willie”, daughter Pattie Watson Price and grand-daughter Haley Christine Price, of Alpine, CA. and son JamesCaughey “Jim” Watson III, grandson J.C. “Jim” Watson IV, and great grandson James Caughey Watson V, and grand-daughter Kimberly Cottrell , and three additional great grandchildren, all residents of Perth, Western Australia. His sister, Louise Roberts and brothers Billy and Garry are the surviving members of the nine Watson siblings.
Rest in peace, Coy. Thank you for teaching me how much fun performing can be.
Her courage to experience the pain of losing a pregnancy and to give the loss new life as a work of art is so inspiring. Jennifer makes many tactile, resonating artworks, and I am proud to own a few.
This lovely Irish lady showed me how to make new sounds with my voice, when I was a teenager. I never get tired of hearing her sing. This song in particular just slayed me, before I even knew what heartbreak meant.
I am preparing to leave the Valley of the Moon for the East Bay.
My love affair with Jack London continues as I am currently inhaling a wonderful biography of the writer, which fills in many holes for me. I now know that his Beauty Ranch in Glen Ellen (just five minutes from where I currently live) was meant to be an escape from San Francisco, Oakland, all of industrialization, and his painful past.
I moved here with a kindred desire to get away from the din and the negative voices in my own head, to become closer to Nature, and to my own voice. In the two years I’ve lived here, I have been somewhat successful: there is never a shortage of animal life to encounter – the squirrels in our redwood trees talk to me, sounds I’ve never heard from squirrels elsewhere. When I go for a walk I am met by at least half a dozen cats, and I always take time to stand under the eucalyptus tree that is home to four hawks, who flirt and fight with each from the highest branches. There are so many animals that have talked with me, I have begun writing a song about them. I am researching ways to record this new song on Jack London’s property.
But in a week, I will be moving all my belongings to a new home with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, just a few miles from where Jack sweated, fought, struggled and starved in his early days. I hope the industrial life will be kinder to me than it was to him. I would have liked to have been more prolific in my time in the Valley of the Moon, but I find that I need more stimulus and more conversation than the animals alone can provide.
I know that I will continue to visit Sonoma Valley and find inspiration from it. I also hope to find more peace inside my mind than Jack was able to find in his short lifetime. He died in 1916 on November 22, and I was born 55 years later to the day. I feel there is still much work to be done with Jack – this incredibly flawed, ego-fed, fatherless writer who was never afraid of making a reality of his dreams, whatever the cost.
The Medicaid Family Planning State Option is a provision that would provide health care coverage for 2.3 million low-income women while generating savings for states and the federal government. Now, after misinformation was spread by opponents, it’s been cut from the economic stimulus bill. Call the White House comment line now at 202-456-2111 and speak out in support of this important provision.
Calling the White House is quick and easy. Here are some ideas for what to say:
1. The White House switchboard operator will answer first. Tell the operator you have a comment about the economic stimulus plan, and you’ll be transferred to a White House staff member.
2. Give your name and say you are a constituent with a comment on the economic stimulus bill.
3. Say that you are disappointed that affordable family planning has been stripped from the latest stimulus package, and that you support restoring the Medicaid Family Planning State Option.
4. Thank the staff member for passing along your message and say goodbye!
I’ve been to Copenhagen twice, and inevitably left some of my heart in Christiania, the section of the city that was established in 1971 (year of my birth). My friend Robert Lawson is currently filming a documentary about this very special and controversial place that is filled with colorful, authentic people.
