Category: MOVERS & SHAKERS

The snakes and ladders of society.

A chronicle of drama, scandal and success in London, Paris, New York and elsewhere

Nolan Browne – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with Nolan Browne, manager of London’s Taschen store and Gallery Nolan Browne

The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

Ambition.

“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

Rubbish in, rubbish out.

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2016?

Homelessness and Donald Trump.

Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

A couple of people.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

I wouldn’t.

Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?

Is there still a crisis?

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

‘Take care’.

In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

I detest chuggers and I’m running the Royal Park Half Marathon in October for Shelter, who help the homeless.

The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

Don’t text while driving or cycling. Remarkable that people do it.

If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

Woody Allen and Magritte and a billionaire, just to find out exactly how you get that rich.

If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

I doubt you could wander too far, so maybe a nice Harrods hamper in the prison yard.

What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

Anytime depending on the occasion.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A martini.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

Arty ones – always full of characters and great chat.

Who is the most positive person you know?

Both of my sisters are very positive.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

Thomas Pink shirts.

If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

No answer.

If you were a car, what marque would you be?

Any kind of Ferrari.

Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

I was born in Bangkok.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

A wedding invitation and some art related postcards.

Nolan Browne is the manager of London’s TASCHEN Store and Gallery Nolan Browne. Travel and art are in his blood and he is the son of a diplomat and an art collector. Browne was born in Bangkok, grew up in New York, Somalia, Ukraine and Rwanda and went to school in the UK. While at university, he founded Unscene Art, a pop-up platform for emerging artists. It was dubbed “The student Turner Prize” by i-D magazine. Pitstops at White Cube and Phillips Auction House led him to TASCHEN – where he is fast turning the London store into one of the capital’s art destinations.

Follow him on Instagram at @nolanbrowne.

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September 16, 2016
Charlie David – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with director and producer Charlie David

The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

I have an uncanny knack for honing in on beautiful Brazilian men in a crowd. I’m mysteriously led to them like a dowsing stick to water.

“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

Be brave enough to be honest with everyone in your life.

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2016?

Man buns.

Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

Playing the piano. I know, I know! Easy enough to fix. A little easier to get back in the saddle with than becoming the head of Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

One night of debauchery with Ricky Martin.

Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?

Like travel, music, film, and other industries before it, the big banks now face the squeeze of existing in the age of the Internet. There are better places to invest than through traditional means and people are becoming savvy to that.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

In television, network execs are very fond of using the words ‘buckets’ and ‘wheelhouse’ to describe the topics or areas of interest on their shopping list. It makes me gag a little.

Overheard at the markets this year: “Murder is huge. We want BIG characters and murder. Like if you have anything with a village of little people who come together as a community to sleuth out a serial killer who has been stalking them? That would definitely be in our wheelhouse”.

In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

Through trips to Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa I was able to see a lot of wildlife, humanitarian and environmental initiatives. I think these are important but somehow we’re still really missing the mark in terms of foreign aid.

I recently read Paul Theroux’s Dark Star Safari: Overland from Cairo to Cape Town and it was a bit shocking to me in its frank and pragmatic assessment of the impact of foreign aid and voluntourism. Definitely a very good read for anyone who has spent time in Africa or other parts of the world as a volunteer. It certainly caused me to pause and reflect a lot on the type of initiatives I lend my time and dollars to.

Now on the international front, I micro-lend through Kiva.org which to me seems a more pragmatic way forward than hand-outs. It supports entrepreneurs around the world who are unable to apply for a traditional bank loan. I think it fosters business skills, accountability and trust which are all great characteristics for a thriving community.

At home I like to contribute to educational, environmental and arts organizations and generally prefer to donate time/money directly to ones I’ve been involved in. That way I know the people; I can gage the impact and witness the ongoing results.

The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

They should be well and truly hidden whenever humans gather to break bread.

If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

Ricky Martin. Can we have one carriage to ourselves? Please? Honestly, I just think he’s talented and a total D.I.L.F. It’s likely just a passing fancy, not fanaticism.

If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

I’d ask for something I could share with the other inmates like a pizza party at the gym in the courtyard. I’d want it to be a block party, not a solo steak dinner.

What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

If you’re in control of your use of alcohol and it’s not controlling you, then the hour of the clock is irrelevant.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A Negroni s’il vous plait.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

My nephews’ and nieces’. I love watching them go to work on a piñata.

Who is the most positive person you know?

My mother. She is pure joy and gratitude. I strive to embody that outlook.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

Pizza and Netflix.

If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

Ricky Martin eating a pizza and watching Netflix.

If you were a car, what marque would you be?

Honda – Reliable, frugal and pragmatic.

Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

I had a band as a teenager and opened for Destiny’s Child when Ferra was still part of the group.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

Books, books, books. And a bobble-head doll of Ricky Martin.

Charlie David is a storyteller with film, books and web. He lives in Toronto and Montréal, Canada and is the founder of Border2Border Entertainment, Inc.

Follow him on Twitter at @CharlieDavid and view his channel on YouTube at @MrCharlieDavid.

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September 11, 2016
Overheard – 8th September

Clangers overheard and snippets spotted by readers of ‘The Steeple Times’

How to Spend It

Prior to RM Auctions’ Battersea sale, an American woman conversed with the dealers advising her on the £1 million car she wished to purchase. She curtly told one: “I don’t spend money, I make money. Yes, I spend money on houses and handbags [she had a red Birkin] but I don’t really spend… But you watch when I do and you’re going to watch that this evening”.

Snapping a Meal

At the same auction, another attendee, a stocky Yorkshireman, spoke with a friend. He was overheard giving his thoughts on dining in London and observed: “We went to a fancy Japanese restaurant the night before last. The brain dead twats we were with photographed every bloody dish”.

Anna and Anya

In a bar in Chelsea, two women sat discussing fashion whilst leafing through copies of Vogue. One asked: “Anna Hindmarsh, is that the name of that acid tongued writer?” The other replied: “No, I think you’re on about Anna Wintour”. The first laughed and responded: “Same thing. Both up their own sorry arses”.

Blindness and burkas

On the 137 bus on Sloane Street a child pointed out the window at an Arab woman in a burka in a wheelchair. The boy asked his mother: “Is that woman blind?” The mother answered: “No she’s sick and they’re just covering her up”.

Submit comments you hear to [email protected]. We publish amusing and ridiculous chatter we receive and sometimes we change names and locations to protect the identities of the vain and the vacuous.

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September 8, 2016
Eric Meier– What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with jetsetter Eric Meier

The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?

My intuition.

“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?

‘Forgive but don’t forget’.

Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2016?

Donald Trump and Crocs.

Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?

My sanity.

What might you swap all your wealth for?

World peace or never ageing.

Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?

Invest. Banks are a joke.

What phrase or word do you most loathe?

‘I need’ – Even though I use it every day and a lot.

In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?

Anything to do with children. Their innocence and honesty inspires me.

The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?

My answer here is biased since I’m addicted to my phone. I think it’s actually glued to me.

Eric Meier

If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?

Oprah, Mariah Carey and Karl Lagerfeld.

If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?

The cheesecake at Hôtel Costes in Paris or an In and Out burger.

What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?

In Europe, everything goes; in America, happy hour is at 4pm.

A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?

A martini. Filthy.

Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?

Those given by Riccardo Tisci – Beautiful people and beautiful clothes.

Who is the most positive person you know?

Myself – I’m never a pessimist.

What’s your most guilty pleasure?

My boyfriend.

If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?

I have one of a broken heart as I’m a hopeless romantic.

If you were a car, what marque would you be?

A Rolls-Royce Ghost extended version.

Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.

I’m human.

What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?

Candles. Great lighting is key.

Eric Meier is based in Beverly Hills, California and describes himself as a well-travelled jetsetter. He adds: “Biographies are for dead people”.

Join his 28,000 followers on Instagram at @meiereric.

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August 23, 2016
The Duke of Westminster

A tribute to Gerald Cavendish, the 6^th Duke of Westminster (1951 – 2016)

Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, the 6^th Duke of Westminster was a man of duty dedicated to his country, its military and to the countryside he so loved.

Described in a poignant tribute on the Grosvenor Estate’s website as “distinctly down-to-earth” and “rarely seen without a Diet Coke and a cigarette (later electric)”, the Duke – one of the country’s finest shots – was not one to mince his words and not one to shirk from a row. He took Westminster Council to court when they proposed selling off a housing estate in Pimlico intended by his ancestors specifically for the use of the working classes and won and then subsequently quit the Conservative Party in 1993 after a row with John Major over his leasehold reform legislation. At the time, he stated: “I had to leave because of my own conscience. I took a moral stand”.

Not without his flaws – including a little bit of a scandal in 2008 involving a New York escort service – and someone prone to sleepless nights and depression, the Duke may have been a billionaire but he also had the common touch. Though he made the founding gift of £50 million to the Defence and National Rehabilitation Centre in 2011 and supported farmers hit by the 2001 foot and mouth crisis with a £500,000 donation, he was just as likely to be found offering words of encouragement and sharing laughter in the communities he so especially treasured in Cheshire and at Abbeystead in Lancashire.

In 1995, appearing on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs, the Duke remarked:

“In the context of eternity, if I am lucky I might live 70 years, but this estate has been with us for 3, 4, 5, 600 years. I am only a mere flicker in the process of time. It is what I do with it, rather than what I am worth, that I believe is more important”.

Modest to his core and a man with a loathing for such tags as “environmentalist” and “philanthropist”, the Duke left the Grosvenor Estate in a far better state than he found it in 1979. He may have been born with a silver spoon, but he understood that with rights came responsibilities.

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August 12, 2016
An SW3 raid

Home Office immigration enforcement officials raid SW3 apartment block that counts actress Jacqueline Bisset amongst its residents

A ritzy Chelsea apartment building that counts Bullitt star actress Jacqueline Bisset amongst its residents was raided by Home Office immigration enforcement officers on Friday last.

Crompton Court on the corner of Brompton Road and Pelham Street in Chelsea, SW3 was visited by officers just after 10.30pm and of the raid, a source told The Steeple Times:

“A Home Office van pulled up in Pelham Street and about five officers, mostly female, stood hovering with a battering ram outside the former Chanel store. They made no effort to look inconspicuous and bizarrely put on gloves even. Five minutes later, a plain clothed individual let them in”.

“They stayed five minutes and during that time a number of makeup caked Arab ladies left the building quickly”.

Officers storm the building

More officers entering the building

Crompton Court is a sought after apartment block

An officer with a battering ram with a colleague

The Home Office Immigration Enforcement van used by officers

The officers depart

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July 19, 2016
Oliver Popa – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with music teacher and former ‘The X Factor’ vocal coach Oliver Popa (more…)

May 20, 2016
Hannah Harley Young – What’s on your mantelpiece?

A 20-question interview with photographer Hannah Harley Young (more…)

May 14, 2016
Pricking Bonneville

Hugh Bonneville shares his views on the self-satisfied classes (more…)

May 12, 2016
Health, Hope and Fashion

Romona Keveža’s event for the American Cancer Society in New York (more…)

May 6, 2016