A great interview with Marianne Faithfull gives us our favourite quote of the week:
"I lived on a wall in Soho"
Turns out that Marianne was a little preoccupied with drugs to notice what else was going on in Soho in the 70's, but now she's had the chance to go back in her new film Irina Palm:
The grandmother from the shires is offered a job giving hand relief to clients whose faces she can't see. "The first time is embarrassing," a co-worker tells her as they sit beside the glory hole, "but after that, you wank for England."
Maggie turns out to have a gift for the job. She is given a new name, Irina Palm, and turns up for work every day with a flask of tea. Soon, the "wanky widow" is making enough money to pay for her grandson's treatment. Not even an attack of tennis elbow can hold her back; she simply switches hands.
Makes Helen Mirren's performance in The Queen sound a bit 'stiff' in comparison.
Irina Palm opens later in the year. Marianne plays The Pigalle Club on March 19th. Be prepared to blow your wad though - it's £60 a ticket (£100 with a 3 course meal).
