It Hasn't Bin Easy

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ It Hasn't Bin Easy ~

It Hasn't Bin Easy, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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This Chinaman's hat of a bin lid is unique. At least, it's the only one of its type I've seen in Paris.

Which, in my current self-doubting state worries me. When, I wonder, will I run out of Paris curiosities and, equally, stuff to say about them? Will it happen soon? Will it never happen? Will I grow tired before the city reveals all of its secrets? Or will I get them all with time to spare?

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Not knowing either just how many 'secrets' or curiosities there actually are, nor how long my enthusiasm and ability to churn out words will last, nor, finally, how long I will last, I couldn't say.

So as a recent book advised me, I'll take things one day at a time, and enjoy the ride. I foolishly got a couple of months behind in my chronicles recently, which means I've been desperately scrabbling to catch up for another two months and I can tell you, producing two pieces like this a day, every day for 60 days has been a challenge.

I love writing but I do think the quality of my output has suffered over this forced writing period, from November 2012 to January 2013, and I apologise for that. But as I write I only have four more 'hangers on' to do and I'll be back up to date and what a relief that'll be. Pretend you didn't notice and we'll say no more about it!

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Oh My Word!

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Oh My Word! ~

Oh My Word!, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Even the bard's not helping me out here much. I've written over 250 poems in my time and just recently had a bit of a gush of stuff. Now, nothing. Not a word, not a phrase leaps to mind. But it's not the first time so I'm not panicking too much.

Sometimes I wonder if all the great poems have been written, all the super songs already sung.

The number of words out there is huge, but not infinite, and I bet there's a very small subset which accounts for the majority of creative work ever produced.

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The number of notes, weirdly, seems tiny by comparison, but then again music is made up of sounds and sound combinations, and heaven knows that must be limitless.

But in the grand scheme of things, it would be fascinating to know how close we are to having used up the majority of our potential for reasonably worthwhile creativity.

Could the 20th century, for example, have more or less defined all the possible genres of music and most of the likely word and note combinations? Won't there come a time when every simple set of notes or words will have been produced before by someone somewhere?

I honestly don't know the answer to that, but with human ingenuity being what it is we must have some scope left for a while at least.

So it's probably me. I'll have to be more inventive, more daring in my attempts to produce original stuff. As I should be, no excuses. I never did like labels so I'll try to break out. It scares me how often my poems are just three or four verses of four lines of eight syllables - worryingly run of the mill, doesn't that seem? And yet some of the 'greats' almost always used the same structures.

You'll see, I'll surprise myself, I feel it coming any time now. And when it does, it... will probably remind you of someone else! But never mind, as long as I haven't heard of them that's ok by me. Here's to originality. And the invention of a few new words and notes from time to time...

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Guid Wee Beastie

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Guid Wee Beastie ~

Guid Wee Beastie, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Of course I've gone on at length about these things here and elsewhere but I offer no excuses. Not only are they synonymous with the city, gracing the cover of more than one Paris guide book, but they take me back to my roots.

The guy who offered these devices to the city was a Scot, as am I by origin, and I can't help smiling everytime I see one, which is often, as they are all over the place.

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What Poseidon - a.k.a. Fishface - complete with his trident is doing there isn't clear, although the watery connection is obviously transparent. Maybe it's not the God of the Sea but just a common or pond poison, as the former is generally represented as an older male with curly hair and beard, but who knows.

It's just that the rather exotic imagery seems at odds with the usually practical Scots, and oh, maybe I didn't make it clear what this tihng is. Did you guess?

One of the wonderful Wallace Fountains is what we are looking at here, or its flank, at least. Most of them seem to be in pretty good nick, but this one was getting a bit rusty around the edges, which you would think would go with the territory, but a good lick of paint would do it the world of good although I like the effect.

There's something almost Chinese dragonish about the creature and with the oriental new year coming up I'm going to test my theory and look for possible sources of inspiration in the Asian beasts. Or maybe I should head up to Loch Ness and look for hints closer to home. Happy sailing.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Heads Down Day

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Heads Down Day ~

Heads Down Day, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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There will be days like this, we've already discussed it here. Nothing happens, and nothing will happen. Inspiration doesn't strike. And yet I want to write. So I start writing - are you with me here?

A train into Paris for a doctor's appointment. It's midday gone and that's all I've done. A half-hour doctor's appointment.

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Next pick up the kid from his aunt's. At three. Until then... nothing to do, except eat and kill the time.

Train back home with the kid and greet the dog; it's after 5pm. The day is doing down. Days like these. Maybe it's not so bad. It's real life, I have to admit that, at least. Maybe a lot realer than sititng in front of a screen.

The evening draws in, as is its wont. Won't the muse show her heathen head? Nope, she's got that down too. Perhaps this seagull will do the trick, hopefully a poem or something will fall out of my brain later on before bed and another head-down to the pillow.

Does this ever happen to you? Is it because I can't let a day go by without feeling I've produced something new or worth sharing? What is this illness I have? Even the doctor doesn't have a clue. Do you know a good one?

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Give What You Can

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Give What You Can ~

Give What You Can, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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One of my favourite street dudes, not that I've ever talked to him - too scary - and he always seems to come up with another character each time I see him.

He's often parked in the Place Palais Royal, as I often seem to be too, for some reason. His hands are always completely black from the chalk he uses to produce his masterpieces. I've never seen him talk to anyone. He doesn't look in too great shape and his message is about not having any money, so I always give a coin for a photo if I can.

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It must be unbelievably hard work crawling around on the cold concrete to do what he does, and making a fantastic job of it as well. It always makes me want to know their story, when I see people spending their lives like this, and if I were more of a roving reporter than a surreptitious snapper I'd be able to tell you. Dishonourable, maybe, but I kind of like to make up my own stories. He must be somebody's kid, someone's dad, maybe, a partner, a friend, but to whom I shall probably never know.

I try not to negatively judge those who simply ask for money without giving anything in return. This guy's got a talent, and one which lends itself to the street life admirably. He seems to be tolerated - I've never seen him moved on. But his creations move on, with a day's worth of scuffing or a few minutes steady rain. There will be people, though, with pictures of him and his ephemeral work all over the world. For that, he has achieved a sort of immortality. For that, I admire him.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Postcard From Paris

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Postcard From Paris ~

Postcard From Paris, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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One of the things I appreciate most about the city of Paris is that it's a lived in city. Despite the hoards of tourists and misplaced wannabe British street photographers, there's still a place for the little old lady venturing out onto the street light lit pavements to post a letter or two.

There are so many areas that feel just like the quartiers that they are, but much more so than in that big sprawl called London for example. There's something almost homely about them, and even more once the Christmas lights come out, which obviously isn't the case here yet, but it will be soon.

As a total aside, one the life's great mysteries for me has always been why the older a lady gets the shorter she seems to feel she should cut her hair. I have absolutely nothing against short hair on ladies, for goodness sake, but I do like it when a little old lady has decided to let her freak flag fly, as Crosby said. And Jenny Joseph wearing purple.

When I'm an old man I'm not sure I'll be doing anything much differently and even what I do today couldn't be called 'outrageous' by a long stretch of the imagination. But I try, in my way, to produce, to brighten up, to let my remaining hair down, to rattle some railings (but not to spit), even though it's not to everyone's taste. But that's all part of the fun. Bonsoir Madame, and keep those letters coming (and that hair flowing)!

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Tumble Down Titans

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Tumble Down Titans ~

Tumble Down Titans, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Tumbling Amazons was one of Aristide Maillol's specialities - I think this one may be called The River, but I'm not sure. Nor am I sure if she's supposed to be falling into a river or being washed along by the current, or perhaps representing the river herself, with her curves and waves and undulations.

It's an impressive piece in any case, and they are popular with the tourists who have just finished photographing the Louvre pyramid or strolling in the Tuileries gardens.

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Apparently these works were an important influence on Henry Moore's later, much more symbolic representations of the female form, a subject to which Maillol devoted most of his creative endeavours.

Ours is now to enjoy and photograph these huge, lumbering yet strangely graceful figures as best we can. If I had to choose between Maillol and Moore I might be tempted to elect the second as my sculptor of predilection, for his imagination and daring. But we can see these sculptures as coming from a more straightforward time and their solidity and realness gives them an undeniable gravitas.

If it were me, I'd probably try something even more radical than Moore, like some of the later stuff of Miro where simple lines or shapes are made to stand for 'woman' at her most primal and basic.

There's a Henry Moore piece at the other end of the Tuileries, complete with hole, as it were (if I remember correctly), so I invite you to compare them for yourself and see what you like best.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

You've Got A Friend

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ You've Got A Friend ~

You've Got A Friend, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Facebook's a funny old thing, isn't it? As are 'friends', an even stranger bunch, if you ask me... and I mean that respectfully, it's just that I have to smile when I see some of the messages supposedly emanating from my dearest buddies...

The most curious thing is, I can't remember becoming 'friends' with a lot of them. There's the hairy guy who may or may not be a screaming homosexual / ace grimy street photography dude. There's the one from some nordic country who gives virtually hourly updates on the amount of java he's drinking in between creating whimsical poetry and wistful watercolours. There's the soulful septuagenarian forever having to move home whilst trying to be the great writer, poet and artist she certainly is. Oh, and her heart lies in Paris. Should I go on?

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Oh, alright then. There's the slightly unnerving pro-guns Republican happily balancing out all on his own all the lefty propoganda I received in the lead up to the US election. There's the burlesque dancer and the pole dancer - not the same person - who share some excedingly interesting photos for us all to admire. There's the serial sender of missing person's notifications and the save-such-and-such an animal brigade.

Almost forgot, there's the struggling sensitive young French singer. There's the going underground guy - he literally goes underground in the oddest places at the most unsociable of hours. There's the exuberant and mildly obsessive photographer of nude women al fresco working on her forthcoming book. There's the woman who photographs, and shares, obviously, everything she eats. There's the borderline manic-depressive, oops, sorry, bi-polar person, who wears their heart on their sleeve. There's the game-playing lunatic who informs me of every darn move they make on Farmville, Castleville, Zooville and Anusville for all I know, jeez.

And you know what? Weirdest of all, there's this asocial psychopath who sits in front of his computer like a zombie and thinks Paris is the centre of the known universe, incapable of doing anything other than go on and on and on about it, day after day after wearisome day... how great it is to have friends.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

American Erection Special

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ American Erection Special ~

American Erection Special, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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Ah, that great and fascinating four-yearly event, the American Erection... what? Oh, pardon, yes, I see what they've done there, ho-ho.

I always like to check out the news stand displays for any funny juxtapositions - none here but still revelatory as to what's going on in the world and the French psyche to an extent.

And it always amazes me that they have porn magazines (well, the covers at least) out on the street for everyone to enjoy. I always wonder what little kids think of them. "Mummy, why did that woman forget her knickers..?" The mind boggles as to the possible responses. But then I've got a feeling such questions simply don't get asked - that's just the way things are. And when you can have train-sized ads for the Galeries Lafayette of a naked woman with her underwear dangling from her big toe in the street and the metro I guess anything goes.

The bottom two do give a flavour of the crisis-ridden state of things at the moment. Doom-laden full-page headlines (Mourir? Plutot crever - Die? I'd rather, err, kick the bucket...) vie for our attention with hopeful special features on how to render our businesses more profitable and competitive - 'How to boost our companies - 50 tips for making it through...' or words to that effect.

Magazines and even the guys who run these little pavement stalls are suffering along with the rest of us, so there's a certain irony that they themselves are struggling whilst claiming to tell us how not to. Life goes on...

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Waiting For Will

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Waiting For Will ~

Waiting For Will, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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At first I thought this sign said not to take photos upstairs, which you're not supposed to do, and with this photo having been - shhh - taken upstairs, the irony would have been rich.

Anyway, Shakespeare and Company are preparing a book containing recollections and reminiscences of anyone who has been involved or in any way inspired by the shop and its culture and atmosphere, which is quite legendary in these parts.

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I submitted my Shakespeare and Co. poem for their consideration and got a delightfully friendly and appreciative message back. Which leads me to think they're not going to touch it with a barge pole, but I reckon it's worth a long shot.

Maybe I'm not giving them credit for adventurousness (or tolerence for uselessness?), nor do I have the slightest idea about their editorial policy - heck, I don't swear in it, not even once! Not really. Time will tell.

It's actually ten years since I wrote it, back in 2003, so it would be a nice present if they included it. I once interviewed Sylvia too but they never published the interview as some of the sweet and funny things she said about her dad she considered too personal at the time. I hope she reconsiders one day.

I'm so out of touch - do they still do the poetry evenings on a Monday where someone would present their latest book or something, and then any old wannabe - like me - could get up and spout away for the space of a poem or two. Those were the days, my friend.

By the way, the title of this post comes from this self-portrait, which shows me reading a rather curious book I discovered in the cosy little reading room upstairs at Shakespeare and Company, especially considering my full name is a certain Sab Will...

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

Frogs' Legs & Bob Tails

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ Frogs' Legs & Bob Tails ~

Frogs' Legs & Bob Tails, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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There's a classic logical teaser which can easily be applied to an agile rabbit, for example, and a frog on crutches, say.

They have a race. But seeing as how the agile rabbit is obviously far faster than the frog, especially now in his post-gastronomical state, there's a twist to the tale.

They are to race to a finish line a kilometre away. The croaker is graciously given a 100 metres head-start over the nibbler. The rabbit runs ten times faster than the unfortunate frog is able to hobble. And bang! they're off...

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The rabbit covers the 100m between them in a flash of fur, but by the time he does this, the frog's managed to cover 10m and is, therefore, 10m ahead of the rabbit.

The rabbit continues his onward rush, covering the remaining 10m quickly, but again the frog has covered a tenth of that distance, and is now precisely 1m ahead of the thundering furball.

Surely now the race will be well and truly over. The rabbit covers the last metre between the two competitors in the blink of an eye, by which time... the frog has covered an additional, painful... 10cm!

And so it goes on. The rabbit covers 10cm, the froggy 1cm. The rabbit 1cm; the frog is still one millimetre ahead. The rabbit a millimetre; the frog is a tenth of a millimetre ahead, etc. ad infinitum.

The rabbit can never overtake the frog, who will always be ahead, albeit by vanishingly small distances. N'est-ce pas?

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

_________________________________________________________________________________
© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.

What's A Grecian Urn?

Paris iPhone Photo Chronicles ~ What's A Grecian Urn? ~

What's A Grecian Urn?, a photo by Paris Set Me Free on Flickr.

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This is another of those Paris graffiti guys I've never understood but with 1000 of his pieces around the city - if it is indeed by Space Invader - there's no escaping him.

This one's slightly out of character, although he's diversified recently, in the shape of a Grecian urn. What's a Grecian urn? Not very much these day I guess...

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This is also on one of my favourite Parisian corners - I know, I'm always saying that but there are a lot of favourites - in the heart of the backside of Montmartre, if that isn't a contradiction of terms, and no, I'm not rewording it...

It's the place where you come down the hill from that lovely pink café, with the Montmartre vinevard on your right and end up just in front of the old and insufferably cute little Lapin Agile cabaret.

Rue Saint Vincent itself is charming, and there's a lane which goes past the cabaret where I've probably experienced my record sighting of dog-walkers - they seem to congregate there for some reason and there's an early photo somewhere on parissetmefree.com to prove it.

I always pass by here on my Montmartre photo tours and it's always the same; quaint, charming, oldey-worldey and tourist infested, but hey. I'm yet another happy snapper so I mustn't grumble - that would be high hypocrisy, not to be confused with Hippocrates of Cos, who was a great ancient Greek physician and a worthy fellow indeed. He probably urned a bit more.

And why not...

J è  GRAB MY 20 AMAZING PARIS CURIOSITIES FREE NOW!  ç J

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© 2012 Sab Will / Paris Set Me Free - Contact me directly for photo tours, interviews, exhibitions, etc.