SOLIDARITY, PETS AND CONCLUSIONS
- Harry Evans
- Jan 29, 2017
- 11 min read
Happy January!
Congrats babies you survived January (almost)!!! So this month we survived a Friday the 13th, blue Monday and most impressively You Know Who’s inauguration. Today also marks 1 year since I auditioned for University for the Creative Arts, where I am currently studying which is just super surreal. Also this month I recorded my Big Brother audition video with Sarah which was iconic-ly tragic, so fingers crossed for me and Sarah ;) And Lily called me Baezus!
It's 2017 and (hopefully) you will notice some differences with No1Blog, I plan to do one post a month at the end of every month. I have added a few monthly features to my blog, which include; No1 Guest Blogger, No1 Lesson and No1 Unpopular Opinion of the Month, along with the original No1 Song Of The Post. For the new year I have also changed my blogs theme from pineapples to donuts, super sweet;)
Anti Inauguration Party
On Friday 20th of this month, the day of 'it's' inauguration, I attended the best party celebrating it, the Anti Inauguration Party in London outside the US Embassy, hosted by Stand Up To Racism. I went with my beautiful friends Robyn, Freya and Charly. The event had loads of fantastic and inspiring speakers who all filled me with hope. The best thing about going to rallies/protests/marches/demos is knowing you're not the only one going WTAF at the world, it makes you feel less crazy.
When I told a lot of people I was attending this event they questioned me with "Why are you going? Whats the point? You're not going to stop him from being president!". No, I Harry Evans cannot stop him from being president or single handily change the world, but the more people that stand up
against him and discrimination, the more it will be noticed and the more will change. I didn't go to stop him from being president, I went to show solidarity with everyone who's rights are at risk because this man is in power. I went to make people feel less alone and so they know people care about them and their rights and not everyone in this world is going to turn their head and pretend it's not happening, because is it! I don't know about you, but when I saw all those Americans protest against him on the election day after the results it refilled my hope in humanity and it showed the world that although that man had been voted in, not all Americans agreed with him and millions will fight for equality. So that's why I went, to show the world, that I won't be silent till we have equality for all. But I was surprised to hear a lot of people at the event hoping to stop him (So hard not to say his name but I made a vow in a previous post) being president, but I will leave that to the experts and back & support them.
So to my absolute SHOOK-NESS as a surprise guest, my girl, Lily Allen came on stage and sang a cover of Rufus Wainwright's song Going To A Town (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NeqyLBHkCQ) which you just have to check out, it is super emotional and stunningly beautiful and I promise I'm not just saying that;) Also at 1:13 in the video for a second you can see me so now I know you will definitely check it out:') So she sang it beautifully, said 'fuck you' to You Know Who and left, probably has to be my favourite moment of January. Then after, thousands of us took to Oxford Street and marched and chanted waving our placards.
The Women's March
Then Friday night I stayed at Ellie's in London which was super cute, and then the following day on the Saturday we went to the Women's March in London which if you didn't hear about, where have you been? There was 100,000 of us marching for equality. Obviously it was great that is was so busy and that so many people came to show solidarity but at the starting point which was the US Embassy, the queues were massive and Ellie and I ended up standing there for over an hour and a half before we even started marching, it was packed! There's nothing quite like marching through London chanting for equality. It was such a good and hope for-filling day! I also bumped into one of my lecturers, Sola who is an icon.
There were marches in 670 locations on all 7 continents, which is just amazing!! I am so proud to have been a part of it. We showed solidarity and I think thats the best thing we can do right now. One of my favourite things I saw at the march was minorities standing up for other minorities. LGBTQ+ for Black Lives. Women for Disabled Lives. And vice versa. Also seeing many white straight men standing up for everyone. I just love it when we all love each other. None of us are free until we are all free.
My girl Kate Nash went to the Womens march in Washington, check out what she had to say here; https://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/article/how-the-womens-march-in-washington-changed-my-life
Check it
Okay so I normally discover something I've found that I wanna share, this month it seems I have found a lot... but here's a bunch of stuff I think you should check out; A) First Lady Speech – You may have seen this already but if you haven’t it’s definitely worth a watch, I love Michelle and I really hope she becomes president in the future.
B) The Global Goals – I actually found out about this last year but never got round to sharing it. Their website is awesome, defo worth an explore. Here’s what it’s about, “In September 2015, 193 world leaders agreed to 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. If these Goals are completed, it would mean an end to extreme poverty, inequality and climate change by 2030.”
C) Shia LaBeouf - has put up a camera outside the Museum of the Moving Image in New York which is open to all, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the participatory performance will be live-streamed continuously for four years, or the duration of the presidency. I am making it a goal, maybe a very unrealistic goal but still a goal to go to this camera in the next four years. New York is my dream holiday location and I've always wanted to go, so let's see. But for now, "HE WILL NOT DIVIDE US" http://www.hewillnotdivide.us/
D) Make Art. Find Happiness – One of my best friends, Dan, has started a blog this year which I just love because it’s all about being creative and realistic positivity. Each post he does just gets better and better, you have to check it out. He has started an campaign called #GetMaking2017 to encourage people to make something new everyday. https://danielthomas2017.wordpress.com/
E) Millennials Question – I haven’t heard of this millennials thing until this month, I think I might have been the only one but if you haven’t either, check it out because its super interesting.
F) 'Trance' by Wës - One of my friends from twitter has just made and released an EP called Trance which is super awesome. 'Okay' is my favourite, check it out on Soundcloud now; https://soundcloud.com/westcoastcruel/sets/trance-ep
G) Cameron Audio - One of my other twitter friends is also an awesome musician, check out his youtube channel for covers and his twitter @cameronaudio
January's No1GuestBlogger - Kira
Hi! I’m Kira. I’m a 76 [21] year old animation student that currently lives with Harry. He is my son. I’m into 90’s aesthetics, 80’s cartoons, and Dolly Parton. I also like spooky stuff and stuffed animals. And glitter. xx
No1 Food: UMM i like chocolate coated coconut chips. And mashed potato.
Favourite Quote: “I’m sure Elvis had his bad days too” -Lilo, Lilo and Stitch OR “‘Take a good rest, small bird,’ he said. ‘Then go in and take your chance like any man or bird or fish.’ - Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea.
What annoys you the most: I mean, beyond all the ‘isms’ (racism, sexism, etc.) it annoys me when people put others down. Everyone is trying their best in life, there’s no need to make anyone feel bad. Stay in your lane please.
What would your 15 minutes of fame be for: Stealing a pet from someone who wasn’t caring for it properly and being in the news over it.
No1 Song of All Time: GOD I don’t know !! It depends how I’m feeling ? I like ‘The KIlling Moon’ by Echo and the Bunnymen, but on the flip side I like ‘Send Me on My Way’ by Rusted Root. Any song by The Front Bottoms ever. The Beastie Boys. Don’t ask me this I have a different answer every time.
No1 Song at the moment/this month/right now: At the moment I’m loving ‘Joanie’ by The Front Bottoms, or ‘Jump’ by Kris Kross (I’M SORRY FOR MY TERRIBLE TASTE IN MUSIC)
Social media usernames: My art insta is @neatobandido ! And my normal one is @stayofftheboardwalk.
No1 moment of this month;
A couple of weeks ago I turned 21 !! I went home to spend some time with my family (and pets), which was great. A family friend made me a huge lilo and stitch cake, so I brought it back to uni with me to share the love. Harry, much like a family dog, was so excited to see me he tackled me onto my bed. And my cake. This thing was absolutely MESSED UP it was more of a pancake afterwards.
Something I HAVE to talk about;
Okay. So since I have been given this opportunity (ta Hazzus) I feel like I should use this box to talk about important things. I’ll keep it short though don't sweat it.
Something I have struggled with for most of my art career is comparing myself to others. And I feel like since I’ve started uni at an arts university, it’s only gotten worse. It can be easy to slip into the habit of not creating anything because you know it won’t be as good as your peers or idols. As a perfectionist with little faith in my work, I can go a long time without making anything I’m even remotely proud of. BUT this new year I have been working on challenging this. And I feel like this is a lesson that is useful for everyone, regardless of career choices. Everyone you look up to started where you are. Beyoncé wasn’t always famous, Van Gogh sold ONE painting his whole life (to his friend lmao). No one got anywhere from feeling sorry for themselves and not creating things. If you make something and it looks like absolute TRASH, who cares? Practice makes perfect. Try, then try again.
You can't always be the best, but you can always do your best.
Sorry for sounding like such a mum, readers. But I am. You’re all my children now.
Thanks for reading, back over to Harry!
No1 Unpopular Opinion of the Month
I feel this could be one of my most unpopular opinions ever and a lot of people might hate me for this. Most people that know me know that I’m not the biggest animal lover. I think animals can be cute and I would never harm an animal (says the meat eater, I am actually lowkey thinking about becoming vegetarian but that’s a topic for another day) I’ll stop dragging this out and say it… I can’t stand pets. I don’t get it. And I don’t like to say never, because you never know what will happen in life, but I will NEVER get a pet. I don’t like the idea of having an animal in the house, it feels so unhygienic and they get hair everywhere and I’m also lowkey/highkey scared of animals. I don’t like the fact that you can’t talk to them, like when you’re touching (petting???) it you don’t know if it likes it or not. I feel they are so unpredictable and when I say this people often say ‘so are humans’, who said I like humans?? But with humans normally if you’re doing something they don’t like they will say or give a warning before they snap but animals can’t do that because they can’t speak. I just don’t like the jumping, licking, biting, it just makes me feel uncomfortable. Now over to my vegetarian, giant animal lover No1GuestBlogger who has 1 dog, 1 fish and six cats… she’s gonna drag me.
No1GuestBlogger Kira's verdict on my opinion;
Hi I'm back! Okay so. Where do I even start with this garbage opinion. I love Harry but this disgusts me.
Pets are my life. My dog is my child and I would literally kill someone for her. I had been at uni for 3 days before I bought treats for the stray cat that lives on campus. To be scientific - Pets are proven to lower stress, which is why I need so many of them lmao. Dogs can tell if you’re feeling sad. Cats purr at a frequency that’s good for your bone health. To be REAL - they are fluffy and precious and they love you always? Did bad at school/college/uni? Your pet loves you. Embarrassed yourself in front of people? Your pet thinks you’re the best person ever. In terms of dirt/hygiene - Cats go outside. You can get cats that don’t shed. Dogs can be trained to jump through hoops of fire training them to pee outside is a cake walk. Dogs and cats give very clear signs if they are upset or angry with you. They are seriously predictable if you know what to look for, and that all comes with having a pet and getting to know them. My cat Dave swishes his tail when he wants to be left alone/is feeling bitey.
I honestly don’t even know what to say so here are some pictures of my pets because they’re adorable:
What did you guys have to say?
Each month I will do a twitter poll to see what you guys think, I will hashtag with #NO1UO. I am actually surprised that 7% of you agreed with me, big up you guys!! I knew this would be an unpopular one though, I can't wait to share more of my unpopular opinions with you and lose even more readers!!
No1 Lesson of the Month
Don't jump to conclusions. This causes mean-ness for no reason. I was in a car and a horse rider was coming down the road and the passenger in the front seat said “they could move over a bit" and the driver said "they think they own the road" I know it's just a little thing but these things spread negativity around like wild fire. And it's not cute. Like none of us in that car have ever ridden a horse on a road before so there was probably a reason why they were positioned where they were. Also when you see a person out by themselves and you and your group feel sorry for them, don't. Okay well maybe. But I've been out in town by myself or wherever by myself and literally had the best time and I've chosen to be by myself and I wouldn't want anyone to feel sorry for me. In everyday life we all jump to conclusions for whatever reasons and it enforces stereotypes and hate. Most the time we don’t mean harm by it but we cause it. Something we all need to remember is there’s a reason for everything, it might not be a valid reason in your opinion but there will be a reason. Only once you know the whole story can you fairly have an opinion. We just gotta pick and choose the right times to express our opinions. (coming from me I know)
THE END
I’m sorry for such a long post!! Just too much to say, but thank you for keeping with me. As I am [editor's note - YOU are huh? wow.) editing and adding final touches to this post at 00:19 on 29/01/17, you know who, has just made some decisions that are ruining a lot of lives, I can't believe how much damage this man has caused in just over a week. I'm really unsure what to say, but that the future is bright. There is more of us that dream of an equal, free and peaceful world. Stand up for what's right and for those people that need it most. Even, and especially if, a decision doesn't effect you personally but is destroying someone else's life.
As David Tennant said this week "It's all going to be okay. Trust me, I'm a doctor. But it's up to US to make it okay. It's time for us to be positively rebellious and rebelliously positive. As long as we stand up for what we believe in, don’t give in to anger or violence, look out for the little guy, keep an eye on the big guys, refuse to keep our mouths shut, and just generally try not to be dicks, then every little thing is gonna be alright.”
I've got a busy week ahead with my stage performance of the 'Three Sisters' by Anton Chekhov tomorrow and my film shoot with Shelly on Thursday of our scene from 'The Danish Girl'.
Stay busy, stay creative, stay you and stand up. Till next month, Harry xo
Oh and remember, be NUMBER ONE, not no one
NO1SOTP;
The Beginning - RuPaul Me, Myself and I – Beyoncé
Kabul Shit – Lily Allen
To start 2017 I have made a new playlist; NO1SOTP 2017 Playlist
If you want to listen to all the NO1SOTP from 2016 click here; NO1SOTP 2016 Playlist
コメント