Peggy Lee Loves London
Katrina, best known for Katrina and the Waves, where she won Eurovision for ‘Walking on Sunshine’; she began her solo career in 2001, where she has been performing on home ground as well as abroad. In 2005 she released her first solo album ‘Katrina Leskanich’, which was closely followed by The Live Album and the EP Spiritualize, she still tours all over Europe with her new band. This is her first book.
What can you tell us about your new book Peggy Lee Loves London?
Since I moved to London in 1997 I’ve enjoyed finding cool off-the-beaten-track pubs, clubs, cafes, interesting parks etc… and thought how much I would love to find a real Londoners’ ‘best of’ guide to London written and compiled from a personal point of view. Sher and I had the idea on the Eurostar coming back from a gig in Brussels and decided to do it ourselves and incorporate our little poodle Peggy Lee into each shot with a little bit about each place and a fun caption.
Why is it important for people to be able to take their dogs with them when they travel?
I think they brighten the day for the weary traveller. People enjoy meeting Peggy Lee when we travel with her and if I’m on a plane or a train or a bus and someone is there with their dog I enjoy seeing that. Peggy Lee doesn’t mind having to wait around at railway stations and endures long car journeys much better than we do because she’d always rather be with us than the alternative. And it’s so much better for the dog than leaving it in kennels.
Please tell us about the blog that led to the creation of this book.
It started off about eight years ago as a blog about the places we’d been to in London – places we visited and what we thought about them with a picture of Peggy Lee there. Peggy Lee is a sophisticated city dog so we took the idea of the cool urbanite, the metrosexual which was a popular term then and called the blog Metropoodle. Now we publish under the name Metropoodle Press.
What was the best place to take your dog in London?
We love taking her to Soho. It’s one of our favourite parts of London and Peggy Lee loves it too. She can be very cute and adorable and attracts a lot of attention. She loves saying hello to people and gradually she’s making Soho a more dog friendly area as she wins over shop owners who relax their ‘no dog’ policy and let her in.
When did your love of dogs begin?
I came from a very large family and my Mom loved animals so we were lucky in that our home was always filled with at least 4 pets ranging from the usual hamster or three to sheep, cows, chickens, and at one point 14 cats and 8 dogs. When I made the decision to get a dog, my Mom said that you can’t go wrong with a poodle because they are so smart and fun and she was right. Peggy is sometimes too clever and we have to spell everything out or she will know our plans in advance and start getting all worked up about an outing or a trip in the car. Sometimes I think she has figured out the spelling of some of her favourite words.
Where do you plan to go next?
Dublin as we love Dublin and I’m part Irish and I’ve worked a lot there. It was where Katrina and The Waves won Eurovision in 1997. We’ve also spent some time in Edinburgh which we love and Sher’s ancestors are Scottish.
Why is the common assumption that cities are not for dogs?
I don’t know. I think London is a great city for dogs - there are so many green spaces in London – almost 40% of Greater London and unlike most big cities, a lot of people have a garden or back yard. Small dogs have always been popular pets in cities. What has become a problem in cities is the attitude of some pub landlords and cafes which don’t allow dogs. I really don’t understand why dogs aren’t allowed in all pubs, it would make it a much nicer experience. In France it’s generally accepted in bars, cafes and bistros that you can bring your dog but not here, which is odd as we are a nation of dog lovers. I can remember when I started going to pubs as a teenager, there were always dogs and then since we decided to serve up more than a pickled onion and a ham and cheese toastie and go all gastro, dogs got kicked out.
What was your worst experience while compiling this book together?
Having a photo shoot and knowing you got some perfect pics and then to get home and find some over enthusiastic onlooker and admirer of Peggy Lee has reached into the photo with their hand to try and stroke her. That happened a few times.
How can readers of your blog get involved?
They can connect with us via Facebook –and Twitter and share some of their favourite London places – we’re always wanting to know where we can get the best coffee or pizza or where there’s something new and exciting to see. People who have bought ‘Peggy Lee Loves London’ are posting pictures of their dog posing next to the book, which we loved and is really fun to see.
What is next for you?
This summer I will be doing some summer shows and we will be promoting ‘Peggy Lee Loves London’ and doing some book signings. Peggy Lee is looking forward to meeting as many people as possible on the road, but be warned she has a ferocious lick.
Peggy Lee Loves London is currently available from Amazon £8.99 published by Metropoodle Press 2013