Ich habe ein Berliner in meine Lederhosen

8/27/2007 10:40:00 AM

It's rare, at this age, to fall in love with a new city. But yes, it can happen.

Berlin, Berlin, what a great beacon of liberty!

And here's a tip for all the dj's out there. At 8 o'clock in the morning, when people are thinking of leaving your club, play Der Mussolini by DAF. They will not leave.

Und tanz den Mussolini.
Tanz den Adolf Hitler.
Beweg deinen Hintern.
Und tanz den Jesus Christus.

Harvest

8/24/2007 10:46:00 AM

The best thing about holidays is checking out acts that you've never heard of. You can run into some real gems, like these:

Rilo Kiley 

An entertaining show with a lot of variety. Fantastic songs. And I'd pay anything for the phone number of the singer. What a great C&W vamp!

Die So Fluid

It's amazing how this lady can warm up a half-empty northern club. And spanking your tour manager on live radio is a great way to get attention.

Roadmovie

A very charming duo from Oslo. They make you feel like you're in their living room.

Etat des lieux

7/20/2007 9:36:00 AM

I ran into an interesting piece of information: the French economy has been running on deficit since 1981. This naturally made me think about other things that have gone wrong since 1981, like these:

Mobile telephones

I miss the time when this question would have sounded strange: Where are you?

Hip Hop

Music that even I could compose cannot be any good.

Cars

The number of passenger cars has doubled. Where is everyone driving to?



But luckily there have been improvements as well:

The internet

Spend an hour in a bank or a travel agency and you know what you don't miss.

High-speed trains

Consommez sans moderation.

The euro

Can I have some more please.

Chaqu'un son goth

7/18/2007 10:41:00 AM

It's funny how different goth parties are in different parts of the world. In the North they tend to be serious and ritualistic. A lot of sitting and staring. In the South they are very sensual, to put it mildly.

In Brussels it's hard to find the right word. I guess surreal comes closest. A great celebration of diversity and weirdness. My kinda town.

https://fr-fr.facebook.com/BliZarK

And the living is easy

7/16/2007 10:20:00 AM

I guess summer leaves a permanent mark on you when you're in your late teens. That's probably why my favourite summer tracks are all from the early '80s:

The Things That Dreams Are Made Of / The Human League

Still makes me want to get on a train straight away.

Tesla Girls / OMD

Hot July wind in your face.

Someone Somewhere In Summertime / Simple Minds

Summer night magic. She's out there somewhere.

Not just a fair-weather friend

7/13/2007 1:36:00 AM

Here's another strange hobby: weatherspotting.

There are some great sites for it but my favourite is still the good old Wunderground (http://www.wunderground.com/).

Check out the Wunder Photos too. They can give a whole new perspective on your hometown.

On druids

7/10/2007 9:39:00 AM

I have a problem.

I cannot stop laughing at the druids that appeared on stage with Spinal Tap in the Live Earth concert. That mini-Stonehedge and all, buhaha...

Can you imagine my agony? It's like a constant bubbling in my stomach that tends to burst out at the worst moment, like in the middle of a serious professional discussion:
- What's so funny about this draft budget?
- Well, the druids.

This is a bit like when I heard that Liam Gallagher thought the Spinal Tap movie was a documentary. It's probably an urban tale but I couldn't stop laughing at it for months.

City of light

7/9/2007 9:42:00 AM

The viewers of TV5 in France, Belgium and Switzerland have a great opportunity tonight at 9 pm to see where Paris came from.

Louis Laforge will take you from medieval times all the way to the banks of the Seine today.

Pay attention to the camerawork: a great sense of space.

http://programmes.france3.fr/des-racines-et-des-ailes/drda-accueil_in.php?id_article=129

All a boy could give you

7/3/2007 9:53:00 AM

BBC World's HARDtalk Extra is a goldmine for anyone interested in the soul of the popstar. Gavin Esler has a magic ability to make his guests look very human without being intrusive.

Marc Almond really wears his heart on his sleeve this week. He is so authentic it is almost embarrasing.

"Those tenements are memories of where you've risen from."

Editors

7/2/2007 9:48:00 AM

It's been long since I was this excited about a band. That must have been when I discovered Interpol some three years ago.

When I first heard Editors I thought I had dreamt it up. It's like a huge ship moving majestically through stormy seas.

I just wish that Ride realise now that their time has come, twenty years after.

On riffs

6/28/2007 5:53:00 PM

It's sad that very few guitarists know how to make a good riff these days.
The recipe is simple: Just try to think of something that stays in your head from the moment you hear it. Like these:

Atomic / Blondie

About three notes. Great bassline too.

Butterfly / Grazy Town

Shows what a good pedal (Holy Grail) can do to a guitar. And I know where it came from, a good riff just doesn't count without lyrics.

Hey Mr. Tambourine Man / The Byrds

A landmark sound. Probably the first time the guitar went straight to the board, just through a number of tube compressors. Do try this at home.

Long time, no sea

6/26/2007 6:50:00 AM

There is something profoundly healing about the seaside. Coming from a coastal town, I develop withdrawal symptoms if I don't get my fair share of it regularly.

Luckily there's a motorway close to my house that takes me there in one fell swoop.

Nottingham Castle

6/25/2007 11:01:00 AM

Nottingham Castle is a great way to spend a day - especially if you're into knights and maidens and that sort of thing. It also provides a spectacular view on the city.

And the cave tour provides inspiration for many sorts of human activities.

Great getaways

6/19/2007 11:15:00 AM

Nothing is more inspiring than a train trip through a majestic landscape. Here are my favourite European options:

Oslo - Bergen, Norway

Really breathtaking, especially in the winter when it sometimes feels like a sleigh ride. Not for people who are afraid of heights.

Clermont Ferrand - Nîmes, France

Shows you why this region is called the Massif Central.

Liège - Hamburg, Belgium-Germany

An Ardennes adventure. If you continue to Denmark you get to see a lot of water as well.

Lounging

6/14/2007 7:31:00 PM

Possibly the only positive development that the '90s brought nightlifewise was lounging - i.e. the possibility to just hang out and to move in mysterious ways.

For a while I thought lounging was out.

Now I'm glad to note that lounging seems to be en vogue again. Thank you, Zinella, Epicuria, and others.

My favourite talking head

6/13/2007 9:46:00 AM

TV presentators are generally plagued by manerisms and condescending behaviour in the presence of the powerful.

Audrey Pulvar of France 3 is a charming exception to the rule. She does not even fear Sarkozy who clearly tried to flirt with her during a pre-presidential interview. I loved the way she dismissed it.

You can also catch her on TV5.

Chicago Navy Pier

6/11/2007 3:01:00 PM

Some sights have strange, magic allure.

One of them is Chicago Navy Pier. It is particularly enchanting on an early Sunday morning. All that majestic emptiness.

I just hope that the recently announced renovation does not destroy its magic.

The difference that it makes

6/8/2007 3:07:00 PM

I know it's very uncool to relate any difference in performance to gender. But here is one that I am sure of:

WOMEN ARE BETTER DRUMMERS THAN MEN.

For example, listen to Meg White (The White Stripes) or Cindy Blackman (Lenny Kravitz et al) if you're not convinced. They kick ass like no man could.