Abigail Devoe
"Don't ask me why I obsessively look to rock 'n' roll bands for some kind of model for a better society. I guess it's just that I glimpsed something beautiful in a flashbulb moment once, and perhaps mistaking it for prophecy, have been seeking its fulfillment ever since. And perhaps that nothing else in the world ever seemed to hold even this much promise."
- Lester Bangs, “The Clash” NME, 12/1977
Hey there!
I’m Abigail Devoe (not Devo.) I'm 25 years old, and am currently based out of the northeast United States.
I graduated from a small liberal arts college in 2021 with my BA in art history. Being an art historian means you’re not the one making the art. Instead, you write about the ones who made it. You get into their heads the way few others do. Being so close to all that creativity inspired me.
After writing for so long, I just couldn't stop, and my flagship series Vinyl Monday was born. What started as Instagram Reels became 30+ minutes of classic rock history and classic album reviews. Watch Vinyl Monday here. This site's old name, Real Life Layla, began in 2022. Now, my album reviews are here for your reading pleasure.
Unveiling the Legends: Dolls of the 60s and 70s (or simply "the Dolls Podcast") is here for your listening pleasure, too! This is the show I co-host with fashion content creator Emma Rosa Katharina. We're dedicated to showcasing the lives and careers of female icons of the 1960s and '70s; from musicians and fashion icons to movers and shakers. Listen to the Dolls Pod here.
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My writing is an extension of my inner world, just as much as it preserves rock-and-roll history. Roll up to the mystery tour, get experienced, come join this long strange trip. Maybe kick out some jams while you're at it. It's all welcome here.
About The Art
The original Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs album art is La Jeune Fille Au Bouquet by French painter Theodore Frandsen (1902-1969.) According to the official Christie's auction site listing, in August 1970, Derek and the Dominos visited Frandsen's home in the south of France. After an egg fight at the artist's farm house, Frandsen's son showed the band to his late father's studio. This is where Eric Clapton first saw the La Fille: a blonde woman with red lips and one exaggerated cat eye, her face partially obscured by a white bouquet in blue paper. Eric immediately noted the painting's resemblance to his muse: his unrequited love (and best friend's wife,) Pattie Boyd.
The original Layla edit (below) was found on an Eric Clapton online forum. To pay homage to the album and muse that started it all, I edited myself into the Layla art (above.)
Business Inquiries
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