Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Dame Tracey Of Margate

Did anyone else catch Our Lady of the Soiled Bedsheet chatting to the dreadful Pierce d'Organ last night? Yes, that's right, Tracey Emin, formerly of this manor. Well, in my humble opinion the woman should be immediately elevated to the peerage, if not sainthood.

Why? Because she's such a role model for Thanet kids, that's why. Forget the old Daily Mail 'Is it art?' cobblers. As one commentator put it, she could have ended up working in a pie shop. Not that there's anything wrong with working in a pie shop, but it doesn't demonstrate much aspiration or ambition, does it? Yet here's a woman who's now worth millions, famous throughout the world, and all because she decided to get up and do something with her life. Last night's docco should surely be made compulsory viewing in every school on the island!

I have to admit a tear almost formed in the old glass eye as she charmed the pants off d'Organ with her rather odd combination of Margate and Mayfair vowels. She's got her knockers, but she's also got balls and spunk. I for one would be only too happy to treat her to tea at the Walpole next time she's down this way! (Tel: 01843 587001).

Click here to watch The Dark Side of Fame with Some Old Hack: Tracey Emin (until 6 October)

Emin: Soiled but not stirred

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Girls like Tracy are the reason that so many of us here in Margate are GAY

Anonymous said...

In no way sycophantic Eastcliff

Peter C said...

If only Margate had the courage to build a Tracy Emin Centre.

Anonymous said...

Well said Peter - let's celebrate Thanet spunk if nothing else.

Anonymous said...

Well said Peter - let's celebrate Thanet spunk if nothing else.

Anonymous said...

or at least a beach hut...

Anonymous said...

Tracy Emin is synonymous with Margate. No wonder tourism's dead. Why build a Tracy Emin Centre? They won't be allowed to display any Turners in the Turner Centre. It'll be filled with the type of trashy art that can only be appreciated by those who really know about such stuff. Not those of us who know what we like and call a spade a spade (or a filthy stinking unwashed bed surrounded by the detritus of a life unfettered by good taste and moral boundaries).
In some ways, I wish Emin good luck. She's clawed her way out of the gutters of Margate and somehow persuaded the art world that her work is of merit. On the other hand, I have a sinking feeling that, somewhere along the line, we, the long-suffering tax-payers, are paying for this indulgence, rather than the fops who fawn over her.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't it the illustriously neandertal Thanet Council that refused planning permission for one of her sculptures -a neon creation I believe offered free? Her work isn't to everyone's taste, but she is highly regarded by many, and an accomplished, well-known artist. She is also a very willing ambassador for Margate. Why not take advantage of that?

Anonymous said...

A mate of mine ran Margate's Juvenile Offender Scheme for 14 years until KCC allagedly found out he had no social worker or probation qualifications.

The reason they found out was because he was running such a successful scheme he was wanted to address national seminars.

He always said that he would be b-ggered if ever one of the CQSW type tw-ts spoke to him on his own. So as lomg as he always gathered two or more around him then he would BS away knowing that none of them would admit to the others they hadn't a scooble what he was rattling on about.

It all started with library clearances and he liked some 19th century leather bounds as shelf decor. He read one and it was Victorian approach to juvenile offending. Then he sussed that it was like fashion ideas are in vogue and they re appear decades later as if someone had just thought of them. So he mastered 19th century do gooder lingo and got away as an enlightened 20 the century probation visionary till the fateful day one boss alone asked him what he was on about.

That was my mate.

Now he was a a master of BS. Fooling all of the people some of the time.

Tracey is even better and good luck to you girl.

Anonymous said...

Never understood why she was recently promoting art in Folkestone, Yet Margate has pretentions to become the jewel in the crown art centre of the se coast. Tdc etc need our Trace to inspire their ambitious plans.

Anonymous said...

"They won't be allowed to display any Turners in the Turner Centre" more nonsense, yes they will.

Anonymous said...

The sad fact is there are hundreds and hundreds of Traceys from Margate, she was lucky to have found a way of communicating her story via her art and found a worldwide audience for it. Anyone who does well and went to King Ethelberts deserves a meddle.

Anonymous said...

What's a meddle?

Anonymous said...

I dont think there will really be any Turners on display from the Tate at the Turner centre, their insurance probably wont allow it - when i visited the Tate they more or less implied that in conversation, especially when the building was going to be built in the sea.

Anonymous said...

They haven't even started building it yet so some of these thoughts are a bit premature. I still think we should be saving what we've already got and upgrading and repairing those buildings first.
Margate
Dreamland, museum, Winter Gardens etc

Ramsgate
Maritime Museum, Pavilion, Westcliff Hall, Albion House
The possibilities are endless!

Anonymous said...

Ambition doesn't always manifest itself in attempts to stomp on others to achieve a flash job with lots of lucre. Sometimes ambition means wanting to be happy by the sea, and treat people generously and kindly and be treated likewise.
How bourgeois of you ECR to diss a pie shop job and then say you're not dissing it.

As for Tracy, I'd rather see and listen to her than most other people on the box.
If you don't get her work, you don't get it. It's to do with you, not her ability.

Anonymous said...

Bring on the Jack Vettriano. (Blecch!)

Richard Eastcliff said...

Me? 'Bourgeois' about pie shops? I'll have you know I only mix with the upper crust!

Anonymous said...

Sorry i meant medal, slip of the key.

Anonymous said...

Andy Warhol said,


" Art is what you can get away with"

and that about sums up modern art, and has anyone seen this nomination for the Turner Prize?

Anonymous said...

oops, that should read
' seen this years nomination for the Turner Prize?'

Anonymous said...

"They haven't even started building it yet so some of these thoughts are a bit premature. "

Typical nonsense. Are you really suggesting we should go ahead and spend millions of pounds building it before determining what is going to go in it? I call that a total lack of planning and a criminal profligacy with public money. I want to see a properly costed business plan for the thing before another penny of public money is thrown down the drain. This is particularly important when everyone is facing rising costs and falling wages.

Anonymous said...

No Anonymous 8.32pm I don't think they should build it at all

Anonymous 8.44 am

Anonymous said...

KCC will probably spent all the money on the alterations on the road at Fort Hill, one wonders how much this has cost so far..

Anonymous said...

Its all being planned for three to five years in advance, and yes Turners will be on display.

Anonymous said...

It seems only those who are against it haven't bothered to find out what will be going on in there.

Anonymous said...

So, which Turners will be on display then? If it's all been planned you can tell us. Of course, you won't because you haven't yet got permission to borrow or show those paintings. Your plan is nothing more than a grand aspiration which will come to nothing. As a close friend once said to me, it'll never be successful unless they sell beer; how about renaming it the Thorley Centre?

Anonymous said...

Coke driven art is sooooooooo great and meaningful to those on it. Of course to anyone else it's bird poo.