My cultural world

Yesterday I popped into the National Library of Scotland to see the Happy Birthday Miffy exhibition.  There was a similar exhibition touring public libraries a few years ago and I wasn't sure if it would be the same one (it was in Leeds when I worked there and I helped out one morning), but it wasn't.  If you don't have kids, Saturday isn't the best time to go, but if you do, there are loads of fun activities alongside the exhibition.  I tried to avoid tripping over any little ones and wondering if lots of them needed their nappies changing or were just farting with excitement.  I didn't really get a chance to linger but what I liked best were the non-Miffy things, I'd never seen any other examples of Dick Bruna's artwork and it was really interesting.  I'd love to go and see the Dick Bruna Huis in Utrecht in the Netherlands, another thing to add to the list.  So, in conclusion, great exhibition, just don't go at the weekend if you want to spend quality time looking at the artwork.

Music now.  I heard the Soulsavers track Revival a few days ago on 6 Music, and then my cousin's hubby Ben blogged about it and I thought I'd look into them a bit more.  I may not appreciate the religious content (indeed I'm going to have to get the video for Revival out of my head, it's a cracking track but the video sums up a lot of what I don't like about religion, even if it is well filmed) but the music is bloody good and their latest album features greats such as Mark Lanegan and Will Oldham (big favourite in our flat).  It's also available in Fopp for £7. 

I'm filing Soulsavers alongside Nick Cave's Into My Arms (although they're not quite as good), which is a beautiful song and were Jon and I to have a big celebration in the future where we were committing to each other for life we might want to play it.  But we can't, because we're both atheists, not just one of us.  Actually, there's nothing to stop us playing it, we probably would at some point during that celebration but it's so powerful and we can't quite match the lyrics ourselves so we wouldn't be able to play it at any particularly significant point in that celebration.  In fact, why don't we all take a moment to appreciate it:

It's not cultural, but I tried to go shoe shopping yesterday.  I'm not sure I've recovered yet.  And I didn't come back with any shoes.

Comments

[rachel]

Into My Arms was the first Nick Cave song I heard. He was introduced to me by an ex, and it was our song. I loved it. Your link was actually the first time I've listened to it since we broke up almost 2 years ago. What a great song.

And evil NLS! Sorry - reflex!

[Stu N]

Nick Cave's take on religion is so unconventional and personal, and Into My Arms is so much from his point of view, that it's one of the few overtly Christian songs that I don't have a problem with. Can see why you wouldn't want it as part of any commitment ceremony you might or might not be planning, though.

(Was there a hint in there, at all?)

[Katherine]

Just something that may or may not get talked about occasionally!