Hab' 'nen Luftballon gefunden

5/21/2008 2:44:00 PM

This is what I'll remember from 2008, if nothing else:

A hot May morning at a Berlin hotel. I turn on the telly and out comes "Mercy" by Duffy (must be one of the greatest music videos ever made). I pull the curtain and see the huge Die Welt hot-air balloon floating up and down in front of my window.

One of those moments when everything seems to make sense.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcRvzYI6h-4

Dear Shania Twain

5/16/2008 9:17:00 AM

I was sorry to learn about your divorce.

I was just wondering if you'd be interested in a second-hand goth musician who can play "Still the One". No smoking, no drugs, no alcohol. Well, the occasional glass of wine maybe if you insist. Switzerland is not a problem.

Emmenez-moi

5/7/2008 3:06:00 PM

Brussels-Marseille in less than five hours and no changes. My prayers have been heard. Adieu, Paris-Orly. I will never see you again.

Why did this take so long?

http://www.raileurope.com/

It's only rock'n'roll and I hate it

4/29/2008 7:06:00 AM

The '90s reversed the development of live music and to some extent the damage was irreparable. The idea was that all you needed for a live show was a couple of Marshall stacks, a pair of jeans and a checkered shirt. I simply cannot understand people who pay 20 quid for a Pearl Jam DVD.

Here are my favourite antidotes to this disease:

12 Years of Tears, Marc Almond

The Royal Albert Hall, a lot of costume changes, dancers, and a grand piano. So Pearly don't you shed more tears.

Cubism, Pet Shop Boys

Auditorio Nacional, Mexico City. Grand but entertaining.

Kraftwerk

Their website is an inexhaustible source of joy.

But does it work in theory?

4/22/2008 10:56:00 AM

Intellectual laziness is infectious. Most editors-in-chief, for example, love to recycle soundbites that correspond with their predetermined worldview and the prejudices of their readers.

That's why things like the "clash of civilizations" stay in the press regardless of what's really going on.

Thank God for people like Nicholas Kristof who actually know what they're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Kristof

Flight to nowhere

4/15/2008 3:37:00 PM

Beautiful and functional airports are a dying breed. I can't think of a single one after they close down Berlin's Tempelhof.

Soon we'll spend most of our flight time on our way to and from the airport or stuck in an ugly terminal.

If this gets any worse I'll finally move to Japan. They sure know how to organize transport.

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Flughafen_Berlin-Tempelhof?uselang=de

Worth the hype

4/11/2008 1:51:00 PM

Yes, I know they're all over the press. Yes, they are the darlings of the pseudo-intellectual pop establishment. Yes, they are the flavour of the month.

I don't care. "Day & Age" by The Killers stays on my turntable until it melts.

Laissez-vous faire, Milord

4/7/2008 7:43:00 PM

I know I’m beginning to sound like a travel guide but I can’t help it.

Nothing beats a Sunday lunch at Wepler, Place Clichy, Paris. Babies, grannies, and everything in between. A menu catering for every budget. And absolute equal treatment for everyone.

When you listen carefully you can still hear the laughter of Edith Piaf.

http://www.wepler.com/

Unconcerned but not indifferent

4/1/2008 9:25:00 AM

Easter in Paris.

A late, rainy afternoon at the cemetery of Montparnasse. The dark clouds hang low, like a squadron of B-52’s. And just as you are about to leave, a ray of sunlight, like a hand waving goodbye.

And then, of course, tea at La Coupole. Gracias a la Vida.

http://www.sitebits.com/2008/rambling-about-montparnasse-cemetery.html

Every day nirvana

3/20/2008 4:01:00 AM

I’m so proud of my new T-shirt featuring the cover of The Cult’s Love album with all its Egyptian symbols. It’s nice to look at all those perplexed faces in a gym, for example.

I have no idea why that album is so timeless. It was recorded in the summer of 1985 in a rather short time with Mark Brzezicki of the Big Country on the drums. It sounds very much like a live album.

http://croymusicmiscellany.com/2011/06/23/classic-review-love-by-the-cult/

Not your usual do-re-mi

3/17/2008 5:01:00 PM

I’m so thankful for the Guitar Player magazine interviews. Without them, I would probably still think that you can only tune your guitar from E to E. I love the more sinister D-tuning you hear on my tracks.

And the amp is my cranked-up, digital version of JC-120. Thanks for asking. It was great to listen to Billy Duffy of The Cult on 7 March in Brussels. He sure knows how to beat the shit out of that amp.

Yes, I did add reverb to my vocals. Even my humanism has its limits.

Non-Europeans only

3/13/2008 9:25:00 AM

When arranging my vinyls (again) I was struck by the frequent mentioning of Europe in many UK hits about 25 years ago. For example:

"Europa and the Pirate Twins", Thomas Dolby, 1982

A great opening line: "I was fourteen, she was twelve."

"New Europeans", Ultravox, 1980

This whole Vienna album is a masterpiece.

"Living in Europe", Thompson Twins, 1982

Great hairdos, too.

I guess you could go to jail for mentioning Europe in a UK hit these days.