Holly Golightly, Tiffany’s, Coffee, Germany, SCART cables and Poker faces

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Breakfast, coffee, Drysdale, Germany, life, Pippa, Poker, SCART, singer, songwriter, Tiffany's

It’s 8.46 on a Saturday morning, I’ve just made a cup of coffee (massive fan of nespresso – they should totally sponsor me. I’d get so much done!) and have Breakfast at Tiffany’s on pause. Holly makes such sense to me – but then I guess she must make sense to all women, otherwise it wouldn’t be such a classic film. Am so proud that I actually figured out how to plug my DVD player into the TV (and we’re not talking SCART cables here people, we’re talking the red, yellow and white chord/figuring out which channel it comes through variety). The guy at the shop made it sound like rocket science.

And I’m in love with my new house. I sleep so well here.

We leave for Germany at 5am on Monday morning – I can’t wait! I’ve never been to Germany, but a lot of my CDbaby.com sales come from there and it’s always cool to go where you’re wanted : ) I’m going to try to put together some video footage of the trip as my camera has a video function I’ve yet to master…will keep you updated as I think my youtube account has been dormant for a good three years now. Anyway, it’s going to be a heap of driving, a show every night and hopefully, Ocean is going to teach me to play poker. Then I’m going to go to Vegas and make my fortune. I think I’d have a brilliant Poker face. Still, I’m not the best liar, so maybe I’ll stick to writing songs.

So the first show is in Krefeld on Monday night. Then it’s Hamburg, Nürnberg, Berlin, Döbeln and Dresden…I’ve been told they have fantastic chocolate in Germany! Which is awesome…am just hoping they also serve salad at the odd place. Anyway, if you make it down to a show, please come and say “hi”. I’ve got some little promo badges made up for the tour and I’d love to give you one.

Will also have my new album with me. It’s available on my website at www.pippadrysdale.com (if you’d like a signed copy) or digitally through cdbaby.com/pippadrysdale. It also looks as though I’ll be heading over to the States early next year.

And I’m completely obsessed by Bellinis (the cocktail – as long as they use peach puree – although I’m pretty sure there’s a minature pancake by the same name that I quite like too).

I’ve been offered a showcase in Memphis in February and a show in Nashville the week after – so I think I might turn it into a mini tour. But will let you know more about that closer to the time… Anyway, will write again when I get back from Germany!

Pip xx

Caterpillars, slogans, music festivals and Valium in the water

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caterpillars, Chaucer, Cornwall, iTunes, life, Love, music, pippa drysdale, valium

I just got back from playing the Wadebridge music festival in Cornwall. I swear to god they put Valium in the water out there or something. Seriously, I haven’t been that relaxed in ages. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Cornwall is apparently one of the only parts of Britain that was untouched by the ice-age; the landscape is thereby truly prehistoric and perhaps the air is too. Maybe that had something to do with it. In either case, it was a magical place and a fantastic weekend – the festival was so much fun and I hope to do it again next year. I even got on a bicycle to get from Wadebridge to Padstowe (completely uncharacteristic of me, even as a child I was more of a roller-skater than a bike girl).

It’s funny the things that hit you at random moments. Whilst riding my bike along the Camel trail (no camels on said trail though, much to my disappointment), I saw a caterpillar trying to make its way as fast as it could from one side to the other and I was struck by the courage of it all. Of course, said caterpillar was probably oblivious to the potential danger presented by all the bikes that rode that trail, I don’t know how deeply caterpillars think, but still, it made me think: How many of us sit on one side of the bike trail and watch others try to cross, self satisfied in our I told you so’s should they get squashed. I’d like to think I’m one of the brave ones – one of the ones that risks it. But perhaps everybody thinks that.

This of course led to another train of thought, one that guided me to the memory of a picture I once saw on an ex boyfriend’s wall of a butterfly. Underneath the picture read something to the effect of “In life, many things will capture your heart, but only a few will capture your soul – pursue these”. And I started to wonder how well I’ve lived by that – a slogan that hit me as hard the first time I read it as it does now as I write it. I’d like to think I live like that. Albeit a little sidetracked by the odd whim of the heart. I guess at the end of the day, if I can leave this world looking at it with the same sense of wonder as I had entering it, I will have lived a somewhat successful life. Maybe that’s what that whole Zen “beginner’s mind” is about. I don’t know. I don’t know enough about it.

Anyway, back to the festival…there were these two guys there who had walked all the way from Canterbury. It had taken them almost a month – sort of like a backwards Canterbury tales. Reminded me of The wyfe of bath – one of the tales I had to study for my “A” levels (not sure if that’s how you spell it and I can’t be bothered googling it). The main premise behind it was that women all want supreme power in relationships, that’s what they seek, even though it doesn’t make them happy. And I realised I no longer look for that. I kind of wish I did – life was simpler then. I was a nice dictator. But in truth, these days there’s nothing more attractive than a man with his own mind. For me, anyway.

Anyway, sorry to get so philosophical on you, but that’s what happens when I get too much time inside my own head! And five hours on a train either way to Cornwall kind of did it…

In other news, fire in the snow will be available really soon on iTunes (for the UK and Australia) and on CDbaby.com for everywhere else. Will let you know.

Pip xxx

www.myspace.com/pippadrysdale
www.pippadrysdale.com

Love, flokati rugs, embroidery, Wadebridge and Beachdown.

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Beachdown, embroidery, flokati rugs, hers, his, irony, Love, towels, Wadebridge

I think I’m in love. For real. It’s a bit of a hassle really, since I’m supposed to be on a self imposed ‘man ban’, but I’m pretty sure that’s what’s wrong with me. It’s been two weeks since I’ve seen him as he’s away, and I keep waiting for the feeling to pass. But it doesn’t. I keep waiting to be glad to be rid of him. Which makes me wonder – am I totally terrified of commitment or what? Now this is actually extremely ironic as all I have to do is look at a guy and he seems to have me embroidering a little set of his and hers towels for us both…I don’t do embroidery. I don’t even really like it. And frankly that would be totally counterproductive as it would make it far harder to blame him for leaving his towel on the floor if it had a big ‘hers’ etched on it…but I digress. What’s worrying me is this: shouldn’t I want to be in love? Why do I keep trying to find holes in it; keep trying to escape someone who is so close to perfect (according to him). Actually he’s not perfect at all (just ask my friends). But for some reason that doesn’t matter. Not at all…but enough about him….

I have a gig on Sunday at the Aylesbury festival – which will be fun, they always are. And a really cool publisher in Germany has asked me to send them a CD, so everyone hold thumbs about that…can’t wait to tour Germany in October…am even considering taking a beginner’s German class. Next weekend looks like it’s going to be really busy what with the Wadebridge Festival on Friday and Saturday, The Proud Galleries on Sunday and Beachdown on the Monday. Hope to see you at one of them – make sure you come say “hi”.

I’m quite excited to almost have this CD launched as it’ll be cool to have time to focus on writing again. Although to be honest I’ve already got the next album well written and ready to be recorded.

And I’m so into Flokati rugs. Seriously, so incredibly soft. And pretty!

Anyway, need to get back to my guitar.

Pip xx

Withnail, wine, red tents and all sorts of crazy

It’s Sunday and I’m at home today. It’s fantastically quiet and I’m drinking a new kind of green tea I’ve recently discovered – It’s sencha with mint. Frankly I feel like a saint as it’s almost 7pm so, if you ask me, I should be drinking  a nice glass of red instead. But that will come next…

The most wonderful thing happened a few weeks ago – “Withnail and I”, my favourite movie of all time, was given away free in the paper. Honestly, if I didn’t believe in a benevolent universe before that, I do now. In fact, as I sit here writing this blog and sipping my green tea, I can hear part of the soundtrack coming from my neighbours window – so presumably they’re watching it. I cannot say enough about that film. If you haven’t seen it, you must.

In other news, I played Bramfest Festival a couple of weeks back which was so much fun. They had me in this bright red bigtop and the audience sat on hay bales. I felt like I was in the midst of a David Lynch movie. Anyway, I got to play a couple of new songs so that was exciting. One of these I wrote whilst I was in Campbeltown whilst playing the Kintyre Songwriter’s Festival, which, fyi, was also fantastic. I had no idea Scotland was so incredibly beautiful. Fantastic fudge too.

In the middle of that I played a couple of other gigs, one in London at The Source Below for The Curious Generation which was wonderful – it’s a cool little bar that is, as the name suggests, kind of like a basement. The sort of place you might walk past and not know it’s there unless you’re looking for it. So yes, very cool. I also played one in Brighton with the very talented Ocean Reid at The Latest Bar (which used to be called Joogleberry – and according to the very friendly text response I got from 63336, a service that will answer any question you send it for a pound, Amy Winehouse played there a while back). Am going to be touring Germany in October with Ocean so am very excited about that.

I’ve started a new art project of photographing the ceilings of the places I play/stay when at a gig. Don’t ask me why: I’m an artist thus primarily instinctual, not logical. Will post some very soon so you can all marvel at my insanity : )

And finally, I have a gig next Monday at The Troubadour. It’s an amazingly famous and very cool venue near Earls Court. As I will have only just got my new CD back from the printers I’m going to be giving away a free copy with entry. So let me know if you can make it and I’ll put your name on the door.

Hope you’re all well!!!

Pip xxxxxxx

New York City, Zen Philosophy, Insanity, Kisses and Cupcakes

It’s strange and yet wonderful to be back in New York after all this time. I’m currently sitting in Starbucks (yes, have totally succumb – lured in by their promise of free WiFi) looking out the window at a small tree covered in white flowers, a sea of pansies at its base and a sign that reads “Save our trees, curb your dog”. That pretty much sums up New York for me.

I played a last minute gig at this cute little bar called Wicked Willy’s the other night which was so much fun. There is something to be said for the audiences on this continent, they’re nothing if not enthusiastic and supportive…have been drinking way too much coffee and spent countless hours browsing through little eclectic bookstores in the West Village, reading up on Zen and Art History – I found this great book yesterday on artists and their muses. Have also bought an unprecedented number of rings from Tibetan stores. Found one with a Dragon Fly, which I’m so in love with. Not sure why.

And went to the most awesome little cupcake shop called Sweet Revenge. I’m not sure if I loved it so much because the cupcakes were just that good or whether it was the fact that they served me champagne at 11am without looking at me as a raging alcoholic. Saw a great French film called ‘Kiss Me’ about the power of a kiss – about how once pandora’s box has been opened, it can never be closed again. I love the French. They somehow embody the perfect ratio of existential reason and senselessness : deep romanticism and connectedness. Besides, it’s always great to see something that puts passion and life on a pedestal instead of trying to stamp it out with a series of don’ts, can’ts and be carefuls.

Have quite a few gigs and festivals coming up when I get home which is exciting. I wish I could live in a tour bus. I wonder if that makes me insane. Although, perhaps not, I read a cool quote from Alan Watts in one of those West Village bookstores about insanity:  “No one is more dangerously insane than one who is sane all the time: he is like a steel bridge without flexibility, and the order of his life is rigid and brittle.” I wish this was shorter so I could stick it on a t-shirt.

Anyway, off to the Vintage markets this morning…

Pip xxx