Denizen of the Month: The Bird and Baby
I’m so so thrilled about this new Thing that is in, but not yet of, my house. Mainly because it’s so cold and frozen over there’s no realistic chance of me drilling into anything to hang it.
Even more thrilled about why I have it. Much, much less thrilled about why I wanted it.
Depending on how up or not-remotely-up you are on your JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis trivia, you might have instantly recognized the pub in the image up there, or have no idea what I'm talking about. YET.
That pub, in Oxford, is where our boys John and Clive (yep) planned and discussed and workshopped the books we hold so dear with the other members of their little literary group, the Inklings (and what a predictably superb name for such a thing). Also known as The Bird and Baby or Bird and Brat. It is something of a pilgrimage to visit it, and I am very, very glad I did when I had the chance, because...brace yourself.
It's closed and has been since COVID.
It's closed because Larry Fucking Ellison bought it and is planning to renovate it to be the "in-house bar for the Ellision Institute of Technology" and a "thought hub" for "tech leaders and entrepreneurs" to "accelerate innovation."
When you finish violently vomiting, then taking a walk to calm down, come back. I'll wait.
I was so upset when I found this out, and frankly, I'm not even sure I have to explain why. I'm just fucking sick of billionaires not staying in their goddamned lane. LEAVE OUR LITTLE SLOW LANE ALONE. They just don't seem to be satisfied with having everything, they have to worm their way into anything remotely fun or artistic or uplifting or connecting, anything we meat-systems might actually love or enjoy all on our own. It's not like a fucking pub in ENGLAND of all places is going to be a massive profit-engine. (And as much as its history commends it, the old girl was never exactly a showstopping establishment). But it mattered to people, so this dipshit has to ruin it.
I felt genuinely bereft when I read about this. Closed would be bad enough, but Larry Ellison rubbing his hub-thoughts all over it is just so profoundly disgusting.
And you know, I've been working on my house a lot. Because I have a lot of feelings lately I need to put into something productive. I thought for a long time about what I might be able to do here to remind me of what was once there, since we all know an "in-house bar" for a degree-mill is never going to be what it was.
Then I had a stroke of genius. Thing is, the sign is easily the most recognizable bit. And my parents own a sign company. (Also I can never help but wonder if the eagles in LOTR were lightly-inspired by it.) Honestly, I probably should've thought of that sooner. So I asked them if I could order a sign...
AND LOOK WHAT'S IN (BUT NOT YET ON BECAUSE FRIGID WASTELAND) MY HOUSE!
It's honestly almost breathtaking how perfect a replica it is. It's so good and vivid and absolutely flawless. I can't WAIT to hang it and spend the next decade explaining to islanders what it is and what it means. And begrudgingly accept everyone thinking it's the name of my house (naming houses is a big thing on the Maine islands. Mine is called The Briary, as that's where the Queen of Fairyland lives, but the minute I put this up, I might as well take down the Briary sign, no one will ever notice it. And I'm okay with that. I mean, didn't I kind of always want to live in the Eagle and Child?)
And what it means to me is that I can carry on a little of the spirit of the Inklings far away over the sea, of that place and that time and that love for books and words, and hold very tight to my chest the fact that while they can buy every little pretty thing out from under us, the light and drive and love that made those pretty things is always only ours, and it is wherever we are together.
Plus, truth in advertising. A big weird bird-obsessed lady and her baby live here.
Come sit down, I'll get you a pint, and we'll talk about books together in the sunshine.
Note: Because I am so excited about this, and also because my parents made it and it would make them happy to see people excited about it as well, I'll unlock this post in a bit so the public can see. But you guys get it first!
Comments (9)
"The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair..." The blessings of having craftspeople in one's family!
Love it. That's gotta be a Hobbit that eagle is carrying.
Ugh, Larry fucking Ellison, the guy is awful. And maybe he read LOTR (gods help us, Peter Thiel did, and decided he wanted to be Sauron or something) but grabbing the E&C and turning it into yet another tech thing is just gross. Which is on brand for him. Glad you're reclaiming the name for all the nerdy kids who *didn't* grow up to be insufferable techbros.
Very sad to hear about the pub, but amazing work on the sign!
Jack would hate it and Tollers would be brokenhearted. I’m so sad.
My sleepy brain was initially flummoxed by the post title, since The Bird and Baby is name of the Michel Delving tavern in Lord of the Rings Online. (It is, of course, named for the Eagle and Child.) :D
I wonder if it is worthwhile to contact Parliament, along with the Tolkien and Lewis estates to see about designating the pub as a cultural landmark and removing it from Ellison’s grubby fingers
Definitely a happy ending to a sad Ellison-spawned idiocy Yay, Cat!
Wow, it is so accurate that I thought you were going to say that the actual sign had been auctioned off and you had somehow managed to buy it! Here in the Bay Area, in the picturesque suburb of Pleasanton, California, there is a cafe called Inklings Coffee & Tea which aspires to be such a cozy and inspiring gathering place. The wisdom of John & Jack will be felt here, there, and anywhere we bring it. However, I do often wish that Tolkien's estate would sue all the creepy tech bros who flagrantly misuse his intellectual property as names for all their evil projects.