Hello all, it’s “picks of the week” time and as one month ends and a new one begins, March finishes and April is about to kick off with a bang.

It is mother’s day this Sunday and if you’re looking for somewhere to take your mum why don’t you treat her to some fine dining and look no further than the Chop House. Situated at Butlers wharf and with a great view of Tower Bridge the Chop House is the ideal place to spoil your Mother this Sunday. Serving the best in British cuisine, the Chop House are offering 3 courses for only £27 which includes Chop House fishcake, Maldon smoked salmon, Aberdeen Angus beef, Traditional fish & chips and a range of steaks from their charcoal grill. An extra incentive that the Chop House is offering is a complimentary glass on champagne on arrival.

The Chop House is open from 12pm on Sundays and booking in advance is highly recommended.

Really want to do something different from the norm this week?  Then why don’t you check out The Science Museum Lates, adult only opportunity to explore the wonderful world of the Science Museum.

My pick of the week

TURN OFF THE RADIO, Friday 1^st April 2011, The Victoria E3 5TH.
Shamelessly plugging my own event, TOTR is a refreshing, alternative to London’s stale and horribly repetitive live music scene. Turn Off The Radio always the first for tomorrow’s stars has a great line up in store, doubled with great company and great vibes. So don’t miss out! If you missed our last event, check out what you missed:

Bespoke:

Last week was bad. It wasn’t the worst but…

It was just an abundance of annoying situations that came one after the other, so quickly that it would fool anyone even me into thinking that they had more in common then just coincidence.

I had it all last week.

The Job.

My part time job is a joke. The people that work there are all jokes. If some mass fireball engulfed the whole place killing the many I truly dislike, leaving unscaved the ones that are worth my time and I have come to regard as family over the past 4yrs (literally a handful), I’d be happy. The hypocrites and two face bastards that work there turn my stomach.

Friends.

One or two are just acting up. Forgetting what we stand for. I am having to think about who I need to be around, who I need to say goodbye to.

Special someone.

Don’t even get me started.

Profession. It’s ok but the way I suffer heartbreak back-to-back. I get the biggest jobs and, just like that, the said job isn’t happening anymore.

The list goes on…

I do two things when my life gets like this all at once:

1. I remember that my people made it through slavery

2. I treat my life like a bespoke suit. I cut away and tapper and ‘let it out’ in all the right places. I get some new shoes, a new tie.

You get my drift. Just step back and let some of it go. It’s not worth it. To be honest it never was worth it in the first place so why would you or I hold on to that place, person or thing for so long?

Also, your life it’s tailor made by you and you alone. Cut away, take-in take-out, start again. You do not and can not fit into anyone else’s suit but your own..

R.I.P NOTORIOUS B.I.G

Kevin Morosky’s blog

Hello everyone, how has your week been so far? Personally, I think the weather has been an improvement on last week. However, it is still pretty chilly so do keep yourself wrapped up.

This week is the last week that you will be able to go and see Anish Kapoor’s installation at Kensington gardens. The installation named ‘Turning the world upside down’ was constructed from highly reflective polished stainless steel. “The giant curved mirror surfaces create illusory distortions of the surroundings and are visible across large distances, creating new vistas in this famous and much-loved setting”. Kensington Gardens is open from 6am daily until late. The installation will be taken down on Sunday 13^th March, so you have until then to see it. As the installation is in a public place it is free to see, but try not to get too close or security will take you down. Enjoy!

Are you heading over to the Brick Lane/Spitafields area this week? Have you had enough beigels to last you a lifetime? Prefer not to try another below par Lamb Bhuna?  Then why don’t you try out Poppies, East London’s newest, but still authentic fish and chip shop. Located on Hanbury Street, Poppies is run by local Pat ‘Pop’ Newland who came out of retirement to open this restaurant. Heavily influenced by the fifties era, the restaurant, where you can either take away or eat in, has a friendly atmosphere and is a welcome retreat from the bustling streets of the surrounding area. Poppies is open from 11am-11.30pm Mon-Sat and are open 11am-10.30pm on Sundays. Prices are reasonable but the quality of the food is undeniable.

My pick of the week:

The London drinker Festival celebrates the resurgence of brewers in London, with 8 local brewers pitching against each other. In total there will be 80 different types of beers on offer and 25 different types of ciders so there will be plenty to choose from. The festival takes place from 9^th-11^th march, at the Camden Centre, admission is free Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes, £3.50 (£2.50 members) at other times. *Drink responsibly.

This week’s ‘Kicking It’ is about one, actually three, wonderful things in my life:

1. My new Air Max 1 ACGs that I have relentlessly been banging on about wanting for the past month.

2. My new J-Dilla T-Shirt, designed  by Oscar Wilson which you can get your mitts on at the J-Dilla Changed My Life event in London this Sunday.  All ticket sales going to Lupus UK and the J-Dilla Foundation so put your money where your mouth is people.

3. The gent that not only put up with my relentless banging on about these but surprised me with them and my Jordan 3′s out of the blue last week.

Woi it col it col:

Last week at the 312 bus stop sat an old man..

Brown suit. Brown hat. Off white shirt…Washed probably more times then can be remembered. Purely because these type of men do not throw such things away. They look after them the best they can, and the colour lost is no reason to throw a shirt. Anyway it shows history. Black shoes. Polished.  Yellow socks. Pocket handkerchief.. White with bluish silver stripes.

Hands. Tattooed with lines that represent Hard work.

It’s disrespectful to simply call them ‘Wrinkled’..

Gold Wedding band hangs loosely, but proudly.

I look at this man and I think of my Granddad.

I smile and tilt my head, he does the same then, in the same broken English my Granddad used and my Grandmother uses, he said

“Woi it col it col” (Translations “wow its cold its cold”)

My reaction to this was one of those chuckling laughs, that’s short lived, for fear of tears following..

I miss my Granddad.

I realise that there are no Men in my life from my Granddad’s time.

None..

I then realised that soon all the men from my Granddad’s generation will die..

This is the second time death seemed like a issue. A problem.

The first being my Granddad’s death..

These men worked hard, looked after there families, purchased houses.

Dressed immaculately… Knew the rules, had faith and principles.

Boys today? *Deep sigh*

Pants that don’t fit, no idea of shoe care, 3 baby-mothers, no job, no money for SMA milk but still finds cash for a draw… Really? Walking around with that bedroom weed smell.. Really?

Please do not think for one moment that I am not talking to all races.. I used the example of the man above obviously because that relates to me, my upbringing, my idea of a good successful family man is my Granddad.. The only good thing about this generation is that we are so mixed in cultures that when starting to write this piece I didn’t feel like I needed to start with a point of reference.. I hope I wasn’t wrong..

We are losing our gentlemen. The image of real men walking these streets is disappearing, all we have now is grown men running around still trying to play cops and robbers.. Unfortunately sometimes with real guns..

We are forgetting what it is to be a man to be a  gentlemen How sad is that?

How’d folks, I hope you had a great week last week and went and sampled some of my picks of the week. I plan to offer you some great finds on a weekly basis and hope you guys use them as an alternative to your usual.

Fancy a bit of culture in your life this week? Then get yourself down to the White Cube at Masons Yard SW1. Gilbert and George currently have an ongoing exhibition there, The Urethra Postcard Art of Gilbert & George.

“In 2009, nearly four decades after their first exhibition of POSTCARD ART, and twenty years since their last group of pictures to be made in the medium of postcards, Gilbert & George returned to the form to make the epic and dazzling group of 564 new pieces that comprise THE URETHRA POSTCARD PICTURES.”

The exhibition runs until the 19^th February at The White Cube (mason yards) and is open from Tues-Sat 10am – 6pm.

Not really into Art and want to get your grub on, then visit one of my favourite restaurants in London ‘Cubana’. Situated just of Waterloo road this restaurant serves up the best in South American cuisine. Their cocktails are mighty good too and cheap as well starting at just £3.95, I highly recommend Cubana Passion.

Cubana is open Mon-sat (times vary) I recommend hitting this joint at the weekend when you can experience live salsa and Latin music, although the weekdays are just as lively.

If you’re a fan of  “old’ skool” gaming then get yourself down to Nintendisco this Thursday at 93 Feet East from 7pm. Expect Mario Kart, Classic Street fighter plus more…you won’t be disappointed.

MY PICK OF THE WEEK:

MINDIE at The Old Blue Last, Sunday 30^th Jan from 7pm onwards.

Mindie is one of London’s dopest live music nights, fresh from its beauty sleep and after a brief appearance last year it’s back and here to stay. Performing on the night: Mikill Pane, Kay Young, The Kemsitry, and Abiade. Plus DJ’s OrdioKid, Bare beats and Jarvsky. Oh, and it’s free entry. See you there. CLICK

Are you out and about in London this week? Fancy doing something a little different?  See below for Darren Richards’, the man behind Turn Off The Radio, picks of the week.

Are you a lover of the classic movie then get yourself down to the BFI on the Southbank. For the next two months the BFI are celebrating the works of one of Hollywood’s most respected directors Howard Hawks. The Howard Hawks season gives movie buffs the chance to see some of the filmmaker’s earliest work, as well as his most highly regarded. Throughout this week there are a number of his movies on show but my pick this week is ‘The Big Sleep’.

‘The Big Sleep‘ stars Humphrey Bogart is in his element as a private eye hired by a general to sort out the mess of his daughter’s life. This film will be shown on Wednesday 19^th at 6.10pm and tickets for this showing can be booked here.

Don’t fancy Humphrey Bogart then how about drugs? ‘What is a drug?‘, this Thursday 20th January 7-8.30pm at The Wellcome Collection, 183 Euston Road. Over the last century, the West has medicalised or banned many plant drugs that still occupy traditional roles in other societies. How did the contemporary category of ‘drug’ come into being, and how do attitudes differ across other times and places? Well, panelists discuss the shifting definitions of drugs in culture and history.

Want to attend? Well it’s free but booking is recommended, book here now to receive E-ticket.

Not interested in any of this? Food more your thing? Then get yourself over to Franco Manca in Brixton for some quality pizzas. Made from slow-rising sour dough and baked in a wood-burning oven Franco Manca brings the taste of Italy to Brixton.

‘Franco Manca’ is situated in Brixton, Unit 4, Market row SW9.

My pick of the week

Giles Peterson’s Worldwide Awards 2011-01:

Giles Peterson and his label Brownswood hold their annual extravaganza with a diverse line up and the man himself hitting the 1’s and 2’s.

Venue: Koko £15 on door!

Words by Darren Richards

If you don’t fancy the slightly time consuming, and tad childish task of googling images of your favourite rappers and kicks (see above post), printing them out, cutting them out, sticking them to cardboard and stapling thread to them, then fear not, there is a solution.  To celebrate the countdown to Christmas Adidas have come up with a printable version of the Adidas Superstar trainer that you can cut out to create your own Kicking Superstar Christmas ornament. Have a look at the adidas facebook page for more info: www.facebook.com/adidasoriginals

Download: http://www.adidas.com/content/facebook/adidasOriginals_Holiday_Ornament.pdf

A&G recommend youlisten to some Run Dmc to stir up your creative Kickmas juices

Current reading material. The man, nay the legend, Keith Richards has finally told his story in his ‘own’ words (editing etc courtesy of former Sunday Times Journalist and author James Fox). I’ve only got as far as his early years, but his honesty has defied my cynical expectations and is proving to be pleasingly different to what I, wrongly or rightly, expected.  It’s incredibly touching, intelligent and witty, not sure that’s what you want from a warts ‘n’ all autobiography of a Rock & Roll legend but that’s what you get.  I was expecting, having lived the life he has, the man may have some difficulty recalling timelines, events, names etc let alone delving into the most intricate details as he does. Highly recommended read.

The Rolling Stones – Wild Horses

Kicks: Nike Dunk Hi Tops 2010

Happening: off on a country retreat don’t you know!

Mood: Content