Do You Boho?

This was written on my Seven Days In Blog some years ago but was getting some reads and therefore prime for a Vocal introduction. Because it was on my blog it obviously didn’t meet the 600 word minimum for a Vocal post so I obviously have to fillet and fill it out to get it up to standard.

So to start off we need to imagine it is the 31st of March in and unspecified year not too long ago,

It's the last day of March, the day before April Fools Day and for one thing or another, well actually reading "Tom Waits on Tom Waits'', the word Boho came up again. There was a passage titled "Boho Blues'' which I thought sounded like the title of a Tom Waits song. Waits himself cuts a bohemian figure, raggedly stylish with immense talent as an artist and actor, probably one of the people who can make smoking look cool (my opinion is that a fag in the moth usually makes people look like an imbecile, friends excluded of course). It turns out there is no "Boho Blues' ' by Tom Waits, at least I can't find a copy and I do have most of his output in my collection.

The origin of boho style is strongly correlated with the bohemians, a counterculture that appeared in France after the Revolution. The era saw many French based artists plunge into poverty, as a result of being deprived of the former system of patronage.

Boho style incorporates an eclectic mix of colours, patterns, and textures with a relaxed, global-inspired aesthetic that bends traditional design rules to create a layered look according to some fashionistas.

The style is defined as an alternative type of fashion, different from the mainstream trends of any given period in time. In fact, this exact definition applies to the entire history of the trend. 200 years ago, boho (or bohemian) was a term referring to an exotic style sense, usually associated with the artists of the time, as well as with writers and certain eccentric intellectuals.

Today, the term boho describes someone with an unconventional, often dismissive, view of social structures and traditions. Modern boho encompasses trends from the beatnik and hippie eras when the cultural aesthetic was similar to the bohemians, and it still represents a counterculture spirit.

Boho also means to me a certain style almost gypsy , arty, and life affirming and my eldest daughter Juliet is a wonderful example of that , and Kirsty my youngest is certainly into the arty and exploring the unexpected and unexplored , I remember her wanting albums by The Pixies and Rage Against the Machine for her birthday. They are both anything but average and make me so proud.

The term applies to my favourite hotel in the whole world , La Rosa at Whitby, if you want Boho, spend a few nights here or just visit for one of their many events. Amanda and all the staff fit in perfectly, I'm surprised it's not been commandeered for a film or TV series like say "Desperate Romantics".

Then that took me back to Joni Mitchell's "Hissing of The Summer Lawns" and the song "The Boho Dance" and Joni Mitchell certainly artistically was in the Bohemian Groove progressing from folk to jazz and making it sound wonderful.

Anyway , it's Friday night, and the weekend has started, if you like Boho be Boho , but have a wonderful time and enjoy yourself. Though actually we are close to a Christmas weekend so who knows what will happen in the next few days.

As I say if you like Boho , Be Boho and don’t let anyone pigeonhole you.

I cannt let this finish without including my friend Savona's Bohemian Boutique in Eugene, Oregon , the shop is here and Facebook below.