Neighbourhood #1 - Tunnels
Grace Legacy Album - Jeff Buckley
Y Control - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Well, it’s official. Your girl Chuck has moved across the pond to London, England, because she… booked a TV show! It’s tentatively called Today’s Tunes, which I know is a terrible name and I’m sure they’ll change it, where I’ll be interviewing all the hot new bands for your viewing pleasure.
Guys, it’s a freaking dream come true, and I’m so happy to share it with all of you. I got the call after the MMVAs afterparty pictures were, well, everywhere, and the network here wanted me to host their new show.
It was really hard to leave Lucy, though, I’m not gonna lie. I wish I could have taken her with me, but she’s actually doing really well in school, so it didn’t make sense for her to leave everything just for me. We have a weekly phone call scheduled so we can keep up with each other, though, so don’t worry. We’re also going to try using Myspace, which I’m discovering is a great place to find music. Be my friend!
The move was honestly a bit easy because I didn’t have a lot to pack up besides a few bits of clothing. It’s not like I had a family or a home I was leaving behind (besides Luce, of course), so I packed a suitcase and myself and flew to London. The network put me up in a sharehouse with some other models and actors (am I an actress now?), and I’ve already made a new friend, Ziggy, who is so intimidatingly beautiful, I don’t even know how to explain her. She’s the kind of girl who can wear Juicy Couture and looks chic in sweats.
And… something really cool happened. The network held a party my first night here (not for me, obvi, it just happened that way), and I might have met Grayson William from Jim & Jules. !!! I know, you should have seen my face. I must have looked like such a fangirl. I don’t know if he recognized me from the show all those years ago, but he’s a really cool guy and I’m really excited for the band’s next album. Riviera View was one of my favourite songs of the year, so seeing them race up the charts has been really satisfying. I love being right about people.
I won’t lie, it’s kind of strange being in London. The cars drive on the other side of the road, which gives me a shock every time I take a cab somewhere. But the city itself is… it breathes. It feels so much bigger than Toronto, like the entire world is at my door, and at any moment, anything could happen.
It’s like I’ve opened the door to a whole new life, and I get to decide exactly who I am for the rest of it. I want to leave behind the shy, nervous Yulia, and transform into the confident, magnanimous Chuck. Without forgetting who I really am, of course. I just see the opportunity in front of me and know I have to grasp it.
I went for a walk by the river the other night and listened to my new favourite song, which is Neighbourhood #1 - Tunnels by Arcade Fire. I love this band because they’re Canadian, but also because they make some of the most cinematic music I’ve ever heard, yet it still feels modern. And this song… from the moment I first heard those soft piano keys leading me in, I knew it was something special. It followed me down the London streets, a soundtrack to me discovering this new city I call home.
I may have listened to it on repeat more times than I’d like to admit, but it’s just that good.
And since there's no one else around
We let our hair grow long
And forget all we used to know
Then our skin gets thicker
From living out in the snow
I’ve also been listening to a lot of Jeff Buckley. I know he was a bit before my time. Grace released in 1994, when I was only nine years old, but I feel like the songs are timeless. The re-release of the album, which they’re calling the Legacy Album for the tenth anniversary, has hit me pretty hard. I so wish we could have seen more music from him. His voice and his lyricism were both monumental.
And maybe this is me wishing for too much, but the way he writes about his muse for this album is exactly the way I dream of being loved. From Forget Her to Lover, You Should've Come Over, the aching kind of love he writes about shreds my little heart.
It’s never over, my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder
It’s never over, all my riches for her smiles
When I’ve slept so soft against her
I dream about someone writing songs about me like this.
But enough sappy shit. Let’s talk about the single that I can’t stop playing right now when I need to move my feet–Y Control by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. We all know my feelings about this band, but when I first heard this song, I couldn’t believe they’d done it again.
The lyrics of this song speak so clearly to me right now as a woman, and especially a woman who exists within an industry so focused on the way I look.
Oh so while you’re growing old
Under the gun gun gun
Maybe it just tickles me that the guys out there blasting this song are playing a feminist anthem and they don’t even know it.
The show starts filming soon, and even though I’m not technically allowed to write about it here on the blog (they made me sign a very long document called an NDA), I’ll try my best to layer in hints about who I’ve been meeting along the way and how great they are (or not).
I know for sure my first band is a legendary indie rock group who everyone loves, and there’s a major star further down on the list who hates giving interviews and whose band rhymes with Ink Blizzard. Pray for me, and please don’t sue me!
See you on the silver screen!
P.S. Want to read them all? Sign Up to the mailing list and get a PDF of XOXO Chuck!
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