#France

Sam Darling

Apr 22, 20194 min read

MomChoir & finding your soulmate

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a partner who supports my creative endeavors and does everything he can to allow me space and time to...

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Sam Darling

Aug 17, 20181 min read

Culture city

Certain cities ooze an ephemeral quality of “culture” and it can be tricky to explain exactly why. But then other times it’s clear how...

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Sam Darling

Dec 6, 20173 min read

On indigenous people

Since I’m a newcomer to places like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, I don’t harbor much of the shame of the colonialist past that...

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Sam Darling

Jul 19, 20174 min read

Anti-Asian racism

It’s this weird thing that my thoroughly continental childhood had a slight Asian flavor to it, although it’s not something I generally...

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Nous a French pop song from 1978 by Hervé Vilard

Sam Darling

Sep 9, 20161 min read

Nous a French pop song from 1978 by Hervé Vilard

I had an auditory flashback whereby I realized why Bowie’s 1971 Life on Mars always felt familiar to me yet not quite right. Because I...

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Sam Darling

Jun 23, 20162 min read

Muse

Let’s talk about the muse and how they function in the life of the artist. We all have influences that kick our artistic butts into gear....

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Sam Darling

Apr 17, 20162 min read

My sister the brave

In every family there is a person that holds the center; around whose gravitational pull the other family members orbit. We refer to them...

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Sam Darling

Mar 14, 20161 min read

Maria looking 60s glam

I do enjoy pulling the celebrity-style vintage photos from my family vault to share with you guys. These are from a photo shoot my mother...

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Sam Darling

Mar 14, 20161 min read

The weight of personal history

The trouble with having such a deep knowledge of my family history is I find I must bite my tongue when my kids speak casually of their...

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Sam Darling

Jan 27, 20162 min read

Family rumors and famous wine

It’s Holocaust Remembrance Day. You’ll recall I had a grandmother who escaped a concentration camp. In my historical digging I’ve learned...

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Sam Darling

Nov 5, 20151 min read

Helene on the radio in 1959

I had a fair number of technical difficulties with this entry as the reel-to-reel from 1959 was damaged. You’ll hear some interference...

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Sam Darling

Oct 21, 20151 min read

Beach vacation 1940s France

Palavas-les-Flots is a French seaside resort south of Montpelier. My mother, along with her mother and new stepfather, spent a summer...

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Vintage French theatrical posters of Daniel Crouet

Sam Darling

May 29, 20151 min read

Vintage French theatrical posters of Daniel Crouet

The items my performer parents accumulated in their long careers sometimes travel down to me in the form of mysterious poster tubes. I...

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Sam Darling

May 15, 20151 min read

Family castles and fun

I’ve spent a fair amount of time in castles. Although, technically, many of these are considered manor houses. I have many childhood...

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Sam Darling

Mar 27, 20151 min read

The Merry Widow

One of my fellow opera nerds made a joke by saying, “Meet you at Maxim’s” and I was transported to Art Nouveau Paris. Only, I could hear...

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Sam Darling

Feb 15, 20151 min read

Another sketch – Elise

With a photo of Elise from from a few years prior to that same time period. My grandmother was a very talented artist. The whole family...

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Sam Darling

Jan 9, 20152 min read

French racism

Virtually everyone I know, in a virtual manner, has renamed themselves Charlie this week. #jesuischarlie The gruesome murder of staffers...

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Sam Darling

Dec 19, 20141 min read

Great Grandfather Gustave Arents

My paternal great-grandfather was a rakish fellow from near Brussels, Belgium. The bit of family lore we do know about him is that he was...

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Sam Darling

Dec 5, 20142 min read

Hunting, fur, & pets

We had a traditional relationship with animals. We had many pets we adored living alongside our fur coats and hunting trophies. It’s a...

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Sam Darling

Nov 21, 20141 min read

Fifties Americana

No one is more American than an immigrant. I think of my family when the US immigration reform discussion crops up again because we are...

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