Showtime

2/12/2010 6:38:00 AM

The one thing I could never understand about music clubs is the three-hour gap between "Doors" and the advertised act. Concert halls and operas have survived for centuries without dragging their audiences into the night.

The playful evening with The Crappy Mini Band in all its incarnations at Recyclart showed that things can change. I much prefer Korean shadow theatre and blowbass solos to an empty stage.

All you need

2/4/2010 2:33:00 AM

My original idea of being a musician was an ES 355, a Twin and a microphone in front of a small audience. Bertrand Belin at Cook&Book showed me once again that the first ideas tend to be the best.

http://www.bertrandbelin.com/

In due course, as appropriate, and as soon as possible

1/19/2010 12:40:00 AM

We are glad to note that not even the tectonic forces are able to divert the unwavering determination of the EU Council. The time is surely ripe for a minute of silence and a glass of champagne.

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/112374.pdf

The dream is gone

1/6/2010 12:11:00 AM

Elvis Presley would have been 75 this Friday. That is, if his heart hadn't stopped on 16 August 1977, just before he was scheduled to fly out of Mephis to begin another tour. He was all alone and 42 years old.

http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/pink+floyd/comfortably+numb_20108779.html

Annus Musicalis 2009

12/22/2009 5:22:00 AM

Here we go again. The objective list of the best gigs in 2009, in chronological order:

Oasis, Forest National, 13 January

Get over it, lads. A few cans of Red Stripe will surely do the job.

Kira Kira, Recyclart, 30 January

This girl seemed to emerge from some strange geyser. Amazing, relaxed charisma that filled the whole club.

The Do, Cirque Royale, 13 March

Paris-Helsinki all night long.

Morrissey, Elisabethzaal, 8 June

You've got everything now. Hold on to it.

Ghinzu and Soldout, Het Depot, 12 November

A Brussels tour de force. Sadly, the last chance to see you guys in a small club.

SUPERMASSIVE

12/17/2009 12:18:00 AM

I rarely get excited about news. But now I can't stop staring at the new photos of star formation provided by the Herschel telescope.

If you want to know why this is all so exciting read "Black Holes, Wormholes and Time Machines" by Jim Al-Khalili. It's a great book to keep on your bedside table. Read a chapter before going to sleep and your dreams will be amazing.

No, we can't

11/12/2009 6:53:00 AM

For no particular reason, I got an urge to cite a haiku:

Listening
as the wave retreats
into itself

- Geraldine Little