The Week of Chris Garneau: How London Made It All Happen

Well, this week has totally rocked my world. London has opened so many doors, and I've been walking through them recklessly. The week started with my first round of classes, progressed to me getting really sick, and finished with a festival of words and music.

School is going well, I suppose, though I haven't started my readings or thought too much about my classes, I must admit. I went to a couple meetings this week for different Uni Newspapers, and was planning to write for a journal as well, but I ended up interviewing with the editors of PartB - the arts and culture section of the LSE Newspaper, the Beaver - and I got the position of Film Editor! It's a bit of a commitment, but I'm excited to sink my teeth into something non-environmental policy, and hopefully I will meet some other creative-minded folks amongst the masses of serious, serious LSE students.

Just when my week was getting exciting, I got the word that I was interviewing Chris Garneau (one of my absolute favourites) this weekend. I was ecstatic! Friday night myself, Christian, Jelena, and her friend Katie headed to Kilburn to hear Chris play at the Luminaire. I had heard he was tiny, but really, he's probably the smallest grown man I've ever seen in my life. He plays up the cutesy childish mannerisms on stage too, and it's really adorable. It was a fantastic show.

I was supposed to meet Chris Saturday afternoon for tea, but he called in the morning to say some things had come up and that it would be better to meet at the venue in Camden Town later in the evening. His van got stuck in traffic, but he got to the Roundhouse in time for setup and soundcheck, which I was, of course, more than happy to sit and watch.

Afterward I got to sit down with Chris for about a half hour in his dressing room and chat a bit about the past, the present, and the future. He's a really nice guy, and meeting him made me appreciate his music a lot more. It made already beautiful music seem more... human. And I was pretty good, I think, for my first interview.

I stayed behind after and caught the show. He was opening for Adrian Crowley, and so it was a very chill crowd (everyone sitting down cross-legged and listening attentively). A very nice evening, and a perfect end to a very good week in London. On the tube home that night I got hit on by a very drunk and affectionate British girl, which was embarrassing for both of us. I got the royal treatment from Camden to South London, and it was all-around unfortunate. Needless to say, the people in the train were entertained.

Thanks London, for making some of my dreams come true, for giving me some hope, and for keeping me on my toes.