Old bag, first bag, damaged and disregarded bag, replaced by nicer model bag, revisit bag, want to see the bag has lived bag, love the bag, become a new identity bag. Ultimately. Life in the old dog yet bag.
My most popular blog post, ‘Iconic ownership. #1. The Ninth Gate Bag’ has no comments at all. Why? The blog is visited for THE, as said, iconic BAG. From the film The Ninth Gate. Johnny Depp as Dean Corso the book detective character…..well, he carries said bag throughout the whole movie. And there is a worldwide fascination for that Musette Mle 35 French Infantryman bag. So much so, a company actually make a replica of it and it sells well.
https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/la-musette-mle-35.167807/
Visitors to my blog? Nothing to do with the Summers’ normal blogs’ connection. What words I wrote about the philosophy behind the bag, and they were a long affair, were not important. Google result of my blog searched by thousands of people? They found my ramblings irrelevant. They just want to identify what type of bag it is. Ergo, the blog comes up high on the Google search list. What is typed by internet searchers trying to identify the bag? Who knows. ‘Johnny Depp Ninth Gate canvas bag’. Not Gray Summers views on his Musette mle 35 etc…….
The film is of an iconic/cult status now. So my interest in this theme was right place, right time.
MY VERY FIRST MUSETTE Mle 35 BAG. TAP ON EACH PHOTO BELOW TO ENLARGE. CHEERS.
The BAG was always the star of the show. Summers? Where he has always, and truthfully, wanted to be. A humble wallflower weed that gathers insights and speaks the odd words of interactive thought. ‘Hey! That bag you couldn’t identify? Here you are. It’s this one’. Hence the tap and looks at my blog. I feel like Summers is right in the middle of ‘Bill and Ben. The flowerpot men’. Bill and Ben are my early childhood. Born in 1956, they went alongside Pinky and Perky. That’s another story though.
Bill and Ben. My gosh! Suddenly a child again with black and white TV and no idea of what life throws at you in the future years. Bliss! Thank the stars for that little reflective moment and search into my past life. Priceless. Bill and Ben? I’m the one in the middle of them both. And Frankie the Fella kitten/kat? Well, he is both Bill and Ben. With language that sounds very Bengal/Maine Coon cat similar. Yes. Those sounds are very apt. And, if you watch this below link…..now you know where Toy Story got its influence from.
BACK TO BAG. Okay. I have a nice one of these bags now. Not too damaged. But, the other day it was a lovely moment to go back to the first one I bought. Holes in the back, paler and more stained than my first choice, yet still a memory of the original of my purchases. I looked long and hard at it. Carried around proudly for months….it deserved respect. I had a flash of thought. Vintage and damaged. Like me old self currently. Basically….I found it important to keep it alive. And still show the scars inherited. So I wanted to keep it alive.
So! With the simple, yet obvious repairs, it will be the 2025 bag of intent. Proud in itself because it is nearly 90 years old now. Me? No! Closing in on 70. So, the equivalent of only a few holes to show damage from life lived. And although the original bag’s strap is worn and not great for keeping in tow. I bought a new bag strap off Amazon to help it along. Bright sparkling new! Not a happy marriage. So it was prudent to boil a kettle, brew a cafetière of dark, rich coffee and then toothbrush paint the three scoop dark brew pressed coffee onto the pale strap to give it a bit of a vintage feel. Ironically it feels like Summers’ life. The original bag of ‘having lived warts and all’ supported by the strap of changed persona to work alongside, in modern support of, family, friends and blogger friends to assist being carried through from now to older years. Bag old. Strap equivalent of my friend and family to assist my current needs. All joking of course because I feel totally independent. Dependance? A few decades down the road.
Life in a bag and old YouTube uploads. Makes a blog subject don’t it? Part a fantasy blog, part truth. But……Bill and Ben though! The best bit of this blog. Timeless in their message.
Gray Summers 
That Ninth Gate, 90 year old bag is sure a classic! I know vintage anything is near and dear to you, Gray. But in the way you are open to the new (balancing all the time, you’ve got the Frankie fella right there, talking your ear off! (No pun intended and I do hope your ear is improving)! Richard didn’t complain about his ear today, I just realized.
Yes, I will watch that 1950s show clip tomorrow too, I bet it is good! Going to call it a night. Cheers!
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Frankie is really vocal. No idea as to why at times. Looks into space and talks to invisible entities. Like he sees a spider in a corner at 25 feet away. I’m sitting here typing and in the distance there a conversation going on with some such or other.
The bag was part of the whole vibe in the film. Bohemian in nature. They mention Corso’s bag in the book by Arturo Perez-Reverte and had to think of one that would be appropriate. A veritable Tardis is the characteristics of its design. Angie says ‘You have your life in that bag’. I do actually. Amazing what a Swiss Army knife can do when it’s housed in there alongside stuff.
Bill and Ben? Puppets like Thunderbirds. And black and white episodes are so atmospheric. Childhood watching, but no memory of watching. When or where. My dizziness is bad today. I’ve noticed my ‘nerves’ are bad at the moment. Unusually, feeling irritable is a part of my character presently and I have to kick it into touch before New Year’s Day starts. Just absolute total and impactful exhaustion I think. Not enough sleep either. I believe COVID aftermath has been a constant underlying enemy for a few years now. Either that or I have to realise that the looming 70 years old status is not the new 40. May have a really good talk to myself to slow down. 😆 Cheers Sheila.
I can truly empathise with Richard and his hearing situation. It does wear you out.
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Bill and Ben today. Just waiting on the dentist to call me back. I will be receiving my lower partial denture soon (maybe on my birthday), but they were having phone problems so I’m waiting for them to call me back.
I hear you on the nerves, dizzy, and all. I sure hope you rest and recover from that. Perhaps it’s a combination of things. I know I often don’t allow for my age to be a factor but I need to! My mind is young but not this body! Ha!
Having one’s life in that bag, sounds like a song!
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Bill and Ben are simply old school charming. Bit like the Woodentops. Seems naive, but there is a philosophy behind these early writings of books and childrens’ scripts. Like the Tao of Pooh bear.
I have to slow down my mind as opposed to my body. Regroup the brain’s neural pathways and take them out of the fast lane. So understand you saying this. And a denture fix is heaven I should imagine. To eat in comfort. Bliss. Cheers Sheila.
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Ah, regroup brain neural pathways. Yes!
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I know a lot of people that actually disliked this past year. I must admit the weather did not help at all. Nor the politics either.
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Gray, that sweet video made me smile. the bag, like a life well-lived, carries stories, memories, and wear marks that show its journey. but it seems you both have embraced the fun and challenges of the past — and are ready for many more adventures ahead.
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Thank you cookie. My childhood in watching TV in that vibe. We were never handed mobiles and iPads to focus on screens for hours. Everything so far simpler. Gentle and calm.
Just replied to Sheila about slowing down. The Ninth Gate is a really odd film. But the whole atmosphere is mesmerising. I love books and read many books about fictional book themes. Currently reading ‘Lost for Words’ by Stephanie Butland. I would love to own a bookshop. Second hand books to sell of course. Need to get out to the beach or riverside more in 2025 and sit and simply breathe.
These Musette bags were carried by French infantrymen who went into WWll battle with them. With that in mind, I do feel humble in its presence. And so, with that association you certainly embrace the positive vibes and enjoy life because that is what our ancestors would want for us all I should imagine. In a completely smaller and less significant way, the stresses of the past five to six weeks last November and intense application in getting our daughter and grandchildren moved into their new home, I feel overjoyed that they now live far more comfortably and Christmas was a very special time for them having so much space now.
You are the same cookie. You share and you support others. It is a very fine quality as a human being to share your strengths and look for nothing other than a smile in return. Adventures ahead? Certainly. Got a little tune and vibe going around my head this morning. Adventures in possibilities that this particular song may get a foot or two tapping down the line. 😊 All the best cookie. Good fortune for the New Year.
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You did a fine job with the strap. It compliments the bag wonderfully and the color match is good. Bags are a fascination to many people. They often want that vintage look without it being vintage. I purchased that 90s LL Bean messenger bag. It was difficult sorting through the look vintage and actually vintage bags. It is unfortunate that the majority of the reads focused on identifying the bag instead of your ramblings or musings. Their lose.
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Thanks Danny. One gentleman from the Ukraine, before all the troubles, emailed me to say that that particular blog changed his outlook on life. I saw likes from the Ukraine on many of my blogs from the Ukraine in the stats and wondered if it were the same man. Such a lovely guy in how he wrote.
But nothing for a few years now. I always look to see if the likes may return. I do get an odd Ukraine visit from time to time. But there are about 70 to 80 countries visit my blogs and the songs have thousands of downloads too. I never truly know where the sources are from.
Your LL Bean bag sounds awesome. You will have to include it in your vintage page. And I understand your confusion between vintage look and true vintage. The strap? It was really light beige and looked terrible. At £12 for the strap it was worth experimenting. To find an original strap, they are like hen’s teeth, it would cost 10 times that amount. People are really aware now of the rarity. Power of Johnny Depp. I have two straps, but they are so fragile. So I use that Billingham leather shoulder pad on the originals to avoid the creasing load if I do put one on. Cheers Danny.
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What a privilege to impact a life through your writings, or ramblings as you say. I wrote a post about the bag a couple weeks back. It is scheduled to publish in mid-January.
Part of our challenges are celebrity has begot novelty and trendiness. Thus the few who appreciate the vintage and the rarity are forced to make other decisions. Cheers Gray
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It was a bolt out of the blue Danny. He bought Scottish Fine shaving soap which I always consider regards it being an amazing well being aroma to start off the day ahead. Someone once wrote about the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows book which I just had to buy after reading their blog. You have mentioned a few things over the years too and it had to be brought into my life. A Moon book for example.
Nothing to do with ‘influencers’. More to do with us loving certain items and waxing lyrical about them. Infectious. Creates enthusiastic responses at times.
Looking forward to seeing this LL bag. And yes, I can be a slave to authenticity. I did buy a similar Musette army bag because I couldn’t find the one Johnny Depp carried in the film. Having eventually found four proper bags and now owning two. Because my brother and son in law were so in awe of my simple canvas bag, I gave them one each. They say many people comment on them too. Bit like a VeeDub Bus. Hence the title Iconic Ownership on some of my blog themes. They cannot be copied though. I often wonder if they could truly dig deep and get the exact materials for that Musette and produce an identical reproduction. Just how much of a successful business it would become.
All the best Danny and wishing you a great New Year.
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Greetings from Ukraine! I am that “gentleman” who corresponded with you a couple of years ago. I constantly look through your blog. Unfortunately, times are not the same now, but your direction is still interesting. Attention to significant details, concentration on the embodiment of any idea is inspiring! Good luck to you and creative success! I hope to see photos of the Celts figures!)
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That is heartwarming to hear from you again Kohctahtnh. Thank you for responding. And again for continuing to find interest in my ongoing ‘ramblings’ of life. If I think of them as ramblings, they can then hold so much to enjoy from their offerings. No seriousness involved. I have now retired from my staff nurse role, so my interests have changed because I have more time to focus on specific interests. The songwriting music is currently the most important. If the Celt figures are found in photograph form, I shall certainly post them. Currently there is no clue to their whereabouts. There were only a few though to be honest.
It feels so good that I can write and know that you are still there reading and finding interest still. Be it only a simple good will message from myself, I truly wish that you find positivity in the future and wellness in your life. Kind regards.
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