Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Bob Dylan and Kate Moss



Music and perfumery have much in common. Certain scents affect us just as certain songs do. The perfumer takes individual notes, and forms octaves as he goes about preparing blends. To create the perfect bouquet, every note must be brought to a certain strength, so that no individual note drowns out the rest. This is referred to as a chord, where notes harmonize in a pleasing way. The perfumer works at an organ where ingredients are arranged in tiers (also known as scales) of scent. It may take a perfumer years to create a symphony. The perfumer, like the composing musician, pours his heart and soul into his work. It is a labor of love and should be appreciated even if the music doesn't inspire you personally. What is this thing called creativity? Not everyone loves Mahler, but then many people find his music to be...just right. It is one thing to say "Mahler just doesn't do anything for me." It is quite another to say "People are crazy to like Mahler!"

Kate Moss worked with a perfumer to create her own fragrance. Some people expected it to have an off-kilter, dark, or "Bad Girl" side to it. I haven't tried it yet, but have heard it is a very nice, wearable perfume. Maybe her individual song is sweeter than we suppose it is. Or sweeter than the tabloids want it to be.