Tuesday 19 October 2010

The Velvet and Corduroy Club opens its doors to a salon of interesting things...

My dear loiterers

I trust you don’t mind me sharing news of a rather splendid new endeavor to offer a derive of the mind; it is brought to you by various friends of The LRM and promises to develop in unexpected and rather delightful ways becuase talking can be as enlightening as walking

The Velvet and Corduroy Club is a salon for wonderful ideas and interesting debate. It opens its doors on 28th October, 6.00-8.30pm at Manchester Modernist Society HQ, Chapel Street, Salford (it’s very near Salford Central Station and The Kings Arms)

We are inspired by myriad others including bluestockings, the hilaries and certain other esoteric societies, the much missed Owenite Hall of science (“Sacred to the Investigation of Truth” and demolished after the weight of books became too great), free schools (in the original DIY sense not the current government silliness) and most of all the amazing passions, thoughts and ideas we hear every day wandering the streets – and so we want to create a space to talk, learn, and share thoughts with each other.

Each month there will be a theme and a short introduction; then we shall see where the salon takes us. The first event will focus on Class, what it means today in our society and the appropriation of upper class tropes by . Everyone of all persuasions is welcome, as long as they are open minded and as eager to listen as to speak; we want to celebrate conversation, creativity and constructive debate.

Entrance, like the speech, is free and our club does not require a membership card. Tea, coffee and cake will be available and a complementary nip of sherry will be served to all who wear either eponymous fabric.

Please join us in this new endeavor, also do please get in touch if you are interested in presenting a future topic or are able to help us create a presence on the web. We have an email address velvetandcorduroy@gmail.com and a facebook group that is currently in pristine condition so it would be lovely if you could be a pioneer... http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_163139433714110

With love and excitement

The Velvet and Corduroy Club

Friday 1 October 2010

Octobers First Sunday - Crime, carousing and direct action

Dear Friends, fantasies and comrades

It’s an exciting weekend ahead for loiterers as we celebrate the removal of the ring of steel from the city centre. I do not like all those guns and gates and paranoid scaremongerers. Much as I love music I dislike ipods mostly because of the alienation they encourage – and because you miss many wonderful overheard quotes when lost in your own world – but occasionally they have their uses as I enjoyed singing along to Mr Richard Hawley as I avoided those hideous yellow gates
“Those people they got nothing in their souls
And they make our tvs blind us from our visions and our goals
Oh the trigger of time it tricks you so you have no way to grow
Do you know that tonight the streets are ours
Tonight the street are ours
These lights in our eyes tell no lies”

How can we build the city of our dreams? I daresay a few ideas insurrectionary and imaginative ideas (and probably a bit of fascinating nonsense) will be bubbling up from under the pavements this Saturday October 2nd, at the always splendid Anarchist Book Fair. It’s at The Dancehouse Theatre, Oxford Road. The LRM are facilitating a radical history walk starting there at 3.30pm It’s a mini expedition because within an hour or so we can only begin to untangle a few of the tales that make up the rich and exciting history of dissent, direct action and social change in our very fine City. As ever debate is encouraged and all are welcome

Then on Sunday 3rd I am delighted Alan is treating us to the final part of his criminal trilogy. Join us at 1pm at the main entrance (Albert Square) of Manchester Town Hall for an exploration of Manchester's dark and disturbing Victorian underworld. A world of rookeries, pubs, pawnshops and lodging houses populated by cracksmen, fences, prize fighters, garotters, pimps, prostitutes and thieves. Tales of super-criminals, legendary police detectives and dark satanic mills are sure to change your image of the world's first industrial city

Please join us if you can for our next splendid adventures and stay tuned for more information about the manifestation of the velvet and corduroy club

Much glittery love and conkers
Morag x