We are the Monsters: On the road with Lindsay Kemp
I am going to be pushing some products this week (that’s not a euphemism; I’m talking books and calendars), but first: A few things to do on a rainy day in Symi:
Leave home at ten, walk down to Yialos, have a chat with a few people en route, attend a dentist appointment, pop into the pharmacy for a flu inoculation, and, again, be home within one hour. Thigs didn’t stop there, though. Oh no. Not long after getting back, the phone rang, and as I was expecting a call from my mobile provider, I answered it to find someone from the electricity company. ‘Would you like me to speak in English?’ she asked. ‘It would be safer,’ I replied, and laughter ensued, as did a chat about our program/contract, which had lapsed. The upshot was cheaper rates, but a €2.50 increase in the basic plan (with some going to environmental projects), so as long as we carry on as normal, the overall price should reduce slightly.
That done, another call arrived five minutes later, this time from the mobile company and their rep over in Rhodes. Now, my mobile bill has been half the price of Neil’s for about 10 years because I signed up to an offer. During that time, the bill had only increased by €2.60 a month, whereas his for the same service has gone up substantially more, and I was expecting a price rise. Apparently, my contract ended a while ago, and would I like to renew for the same services, but at €2.00 a month less than I was paying? Er… Yeah, fine. (Ask no questions.) So I came out of the morning only €0.50 down on the start of the day, and with no toothache. Yay!
Another cause for celebration is the release of a friend’s memoir about working with the Lindsay Kemp Company. I was lucky enough to read this before publication, and it’s a fascinating, humorous, poignant and honest telling of life on the road and in the company, and, in particular, with the hypnotic and mesmerising figure of Kemp at the centre of a revolving and now lost world of courageous creation, endless travel and ongoing dreams.
Knowing how you like to support the creative, I thought I’d mention the book and drop in the link. This is to Amazon UK, but the book is available worldwide, and it is already at number one on the Amazon seller list for ballet, classical dance, and opera – as the Kemp productions contained all three.
I’ll be ordering a copy, and if you want to do the same, you can find it by clicking here, and there, you can read the blurb and back cover before diving into true stories of British and European theatre. Oh, and you will read some eyebrow-raising true tales of this innovative innovator of the total performance, and his wonderfully creative and eccentric troupe.
We are the Monsters (Amazon paperback)
If you were thinking the name rang a bell but… As well as his own creative work, Lindsay appeared in The Wicker Man, Derek Jarman’s Sebastiane, and Jubilee, and Todd Hayne’s Velvet Goldmine. He was also a mentor to Kate Bush and David Bowie, among many others.
And for those who think the author’s name rings a bell, Kinny appeared in all four of my musicals, and we created cabarets and revues together. For those who were there, he also sang on the balcony of our Symi Dream shop along with our godson, Harry (who was five at the time). However, I think his work with Lindsay Kemp was of slightly more national importance