Liz blares "God Save the Queen" by the Sex Pistols. She tells a totally plausible story about how, when the song was released, she was 17 and a handsome man who wore Burberry "before it was trendy" came over to her house and played it. At the time Nic was a child and met Norman Wisdom at a street party where she dressed up as "a gypsy." Liz says that this costume is "not very PC" and Nic says "I was Gypsy Rose Lee!" For the uninitiated,
this is Gypsy Rose Lee. Let's just move on, shall we?
Liz raves about Meghan who she is JUST LIKE, and was trying to spot Meghan in the footage of the Platinum Jubilee. Nic complains about Prince Louis being dressed in a sailor suit like "in them dodgy old paintings." Continuing the theme of inappropriate children's wear, Liz says he should have been dressed as a punk "with bondage trousers and a squiggle T-shirt" then says Louis and George have partings to cover ears inherited from their grandfather. Say what you will about the monarchy, it's typical of Liz to make fun of an 8-year-old and 4-year-old for the way they look (remember how she called Sarah Jessica Parker's baby daughter "hideous?") Liz complains no one invited her to any street parties, Nic invites her to one and Liz whines "noooooooooo" and "I don't do buffets."
Liz read the novel
Something Might Happen by Julie Myerson, she tells Nic to "tweet (Myerson) into this" meaning tag her on Twitter. Myerson has written about her son's addiction, JUST LIKE Liz who had alcoholism in her family! May I remind you that she gave graphic, embarrassing details of her sister and sister-in-law's addiction, as well as lambasting a friend's daughter who was a heroin addict. Then wrote about how her sister's death from alcohol abuse was actually somehow caused by feminism and / or being single; and was subsequently banned from the funeral. Liz says that Myerson received "backlash" but "that's what writers do!" and if you're paid to be a writer you should "spill your guts."
She
witches about Monica Ali who stated she is embarrassed to write sex scenes. Liz finds
Brick Lane "trash." She and Nic aren't embarrassed about sex, as they spend the act thinking about grocery shopping or walking their dogs. Monica Ali doesn't spill her guts, she just "takes the money and runs." Liz sneers "grow up!" and insults Monica Ali's children. If I were Monica I'd thump her. Liz gets in more jibes about Nic not having sex and "what are you reading, do you want to work for the author?" Nic is reading
This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub, about a woman who uses time travel to fix her various problems including her father being terminally ill. Nic says she admires the protagonist's relationship with her best friend, who willingly accepts the protagonist is time travelling and doesn't think she's nuts. Yeah, I can see why Nic feels wistful at the prospect of a friend with respect for her.
They're trying something new this week: Nic will read out Liz's column. Liz calls David "a narcissist" because he got in touch with her yet didn't say he was sorry about her losing her house, or her hair, or buying her a dress that was "size fat." After a typical bitching session about men, we get into the column proper. Liz's friend Andrea flew over from Belfast to visit, Andrea was briefly mentioned in her column
once before.. Andrea asked what champagne to bring and Liz replied she would accept anything because "I got engaged to a man who didn't own a teaspoon." Andrea is beautiful, well-travelled, and has a pleasing Irish accent. Nic says something about "she walked around in her little wellies, bless her." Patronising some?
Unlike the useless men in Liz's life, Andrea walked Liz's dogs and paid for dinner. Hang on - you guessed it - she's recycling
this column! The estate agent selling the cottage Liz rents complained over Liz "writing about online." Liz snarls "ONLINE?! I'm not a blogger!" and "who is an estate agent to tell me what I can and cannot write?" Well the legal owner, i.e. not you, has put them in charge of selling the property so they indeed have authority to comment about something that could affect that sale. I don't doubt for a moment Liz thinks she can somehow hold on to the cottage by making sure no one else will buy it. Sure, that'll work (not)
Liz is still receiving emails from David even though he is BLOCKED! BLOCKED! BLOCKED! Remember how, a few weeks ago, she wrote about choosing a dress to wear to an event at Claridge's and mentioned the "size fat" Dries van Noten dress David bought her? His email kindly offered to pay for her to take it to be altered. Liz "hates being told what to do" and basically says he doesn't bother to see things from someone else's perspective. The N Peal cardigan and Dunhill lighter are dragged up again. Liz says she forgot to mention the iPhone until after she'd filed the column. Anyway, Liz contacted the hotel where she'll be staying with the FRS and told them about her horde of incontinent collies, and ends with "Reader, I hope he's booked a room." Next week's column is about what actually happened at the festival ... allegedly.
Archive column was written for the
Evening Standard: Liz "became a mum for a weekend" aka babysat for Lucy Cavendish, who was then her co-worker. Liz opens by talking about how she never wanted children, maternity leave is evil, mums complain all the time and don't have any fun or sex or sleep, etc. But she'd recently married Nirpal and they were now thinking about kids. Liz says she had "left it too late by about a decade" for children, yes it is harder to have kids in your 40s but not necessarily impossible (Lucy, incidentally, was 40 when she had her youngest child.) Then again this is the woman who thinks your "eggs have shrivelled" by 30. She says she and Nirpal were interviewed by social services as potential candidates for adoption - enough said. At the time Lucy had four young children and they came up with an idea of a "life swap" article where Liz would take care of the kids for a day.
Liz thought this would be a piece of cake, as her mum brought up seven children and didn't even have a washing machine! She
hilariously gave one of the children ice cream for lunch because he wanted sausages and she refused to touch meat. The rest of the time, the children ran wild and Liz relied on the oldest (eight years old) to help her with everything as Lucy hadn't left her proper instructions. She ultimately concluded that she was not cut out for motherhood, as she is "selfish" and "hates chaos" and children make your sofa smell - unlike pissing collies. Liz smugly concludes that Lucy must have been jealous of her. Liz being Liz frequently mentions Lucy's beautiful house in Oxfordshire. Lucy wrote last year that she'd had to sell it after getting divorced, at least she actually owned the house unlike Liz.
Fan mail: Arse-kisser (probably Nic again) writes that she loves the podcast and Liz has "a contagious laugh." Another person wrote to complain that the NHS won't help her with her eating disorder but "if I were morbidly obese they'd sort me out." Liz says "well they haven't sorted
you out, have they?" to Nic and we finish with a final blast of the Sex Pistols.