dnik.ch

Swiss institute for ethical empowerment

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:15:21

I'm quite proud of the latest screengang.com offspring: www.isee-projects.org/ has launched its official website just over a week ago. The non-profit organization, based in Fribourg, is developing social projects for primarily young people. Its first two concrete projects is the Neighborhood Academy (Académie des Quartiers) and info-fri.ch. The site's available in French only, but there are plans for a German and eventually an English language version too, later this year. The office opening event was celebrated last Saturday, together with the start of spring-time.

Best Albums of 2008

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:12:25

Sharleen Spiteri - Melody Never been a Texas fan, but this solo-album is overwhelming. Every single song is a hit-tune, and you can play it on repeat for hours.

Earlimart - Hymn & Her Probably the best pop duo out there right now. The songs are 110% pop. You start to worry if the speakers will melt if you listen for too long.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! Prolix! Prolix! There's nothing a pair of scissors can't fix! — More News From Nowhere.

Ratatat - LP3 Deserves an award for the cover alone. The masters of instrumental music right now.

Fleet Foxes Personal surprise newcomer of the year too. No one mixes Beach Boys harmonies and folk tunes like these dudes.

Cut Copy - In Ghost Colors New Wave meets the 21st century. Until 2008, I usually expected other sound to come from Melbourne (see Beasts of Bourbon et al). As long as it sounds like this, I don't mind.

Bohren und der Club of Gore - Dolores No surprises here. Just right for long, dark, cold winter nights.

Best Mix-Tape: Little Boots - Magical Tropical Mixtape

Favorite classical composer discovered this year: Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894). Check out Habanera. It's no coincidence Ravel was inspired by his work.

Favorite classical tune discovered this year: Jean Sibelius - King Christian [op. 27. Nocturne]. This lo-fi web version doesn't do it justice, bur as far as previews go, it's worth a listen.

Best Albums of 2007

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 11:09:06

Is it too early for this? Probably. But I can always add to the list if by any chance another album appears till year-end worth praising.

And here they are, in no particular order:

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Comparisons stretch from fabled American primitive folk music classics to modern orchestral film scores but the way Cave and Ellis harness all the styles into a record with glorious restraint and subtlety is astonishing. The gravitas they manage to achieve too defies the simplicity of the music, but with only meagre elements they elevate the score to places Hans Zimmer never really touches, and without the cloying saccharine of the Hollywood mainstream.

Lucky Soul - The Great Unwanted
Probably the most refreshing, uplifting, innocent music in a long time. Shake shake shimmy shimmy, doo-wop, swing till you drop. Very retro, but in a good way. Phil Spector would be proud of this album.

Irving Fields Trio - My Yiddishe Mama's Favorites
How many 92-year old pianists are pulling it off like Irving Fields? Not many, I suppose. He dishes out yiddish classics that swing, jazz and rhumba into town like nobody's business.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raising Sand
An unlikely musical marriage, but hey - we're in the age of anything goes. Everything seems right here: The choice of songs (my favorite: Townes Van Zandt's Nothin'), the superb production, the harmonies. If you were wondering why T-Bone Burnett is praised as one of the great producers of our time, pick up this gem and you'll know. Instantly.

Mekons - Natural
One of those trustworthy bands that you can rely on. Trends, styles and fashion come and go — the Mekons are here to stay and deliver.

Eleni Mandell - Miracle of Five
Why this singer doesn't get more recognition, is beyond me. Superb songs and a matching voice to match.

Robert Wyatt - Comicopera
Grand old man that defies descriptions and labels. Perhaps forever a musician's musician. A voice you'll either love or hate. Just as you are is one the best love-songs recorded in years.

Feist - The Reminder
She delivers - again. It seems she's able to pull off everything, with ease. I didn't count how many styles are present on her latest album, but they all feel natural, and they all got that certain je ne sais quoi.

Blonde Redhead - 23
An album that's hard to describe. It just flows along until you realize you're hypnotized. It all sounds like it has been recorded in one session. And that's a Good Thing™.

Inspektor gibt's kan.

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:10:43

Bald sind alle "Kottan ermittelt" Folgen als DVD erhältlich! Bisher musste man mühsam via ebay VHS Kopien suchen, oder hoffen dass ORF wieder mal eine Folge im Spätprogramm wiederholt. Links zu Amazon: Akte 1 (Fall 1-8) Akte 2 (Fall 9-19) Vorbestellungen sind möglich; Auslieferung November + Dezember 2007.

Zur Gedächtnisauffrischung ein paar klassische Zitate: Kottan: "Geh'ma no ins Buffet?" Schremser: "Is immer so voi." Kottan: "Oba an Plotz hintam Bier wer ma scho kriang." Verdächtiger: "Verzeihung, ich geh in mich." Schremser: "Am besten bleibens a dort" Kottan: "In drei Wochen is Ostern!" Schremser: "Mir egal, I geh net hin." Kottan: "I rauch ned, i trink ned und i hob nix mit andere Frauen." Elvira: "Gar koan Fehler?" Kottan: "Doch - I liag manchmal." Ilse: "Schmeckt's?" Kottan: "I hob scho a besseres Gulasch gessen." Ilse: "Aber bei mir ned."

Wyatting?

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:58:23

Recently the verb "Wyatting", named obviously after Robert Wyatt, appeared in some blogs and music magazines to describe the practice of playing weird tracks on a pub jukebox to annoy the other pub goers. The name was coined by Carl Neville, a 36-year-old English teacher from London, because one of the favourites LPs for this effect is Dondestan. Robert Wyatt was quoted in The Guardian: as saying "I think it's really funny," and "I'm very honoured at the idea of becoming a verb." However, when asked if he would ever try it himself, he said "Oh no. I don't really like disconcerting people. Although often when I try to be normal I disconcert anyway." (from: the almighty Wikipedia) Check out the current Wire issue, if you get a chance.

Hey Ladies!

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 12:48:15

Agent Provocateur's fall collection is presented today (Saturday, 29.09.2007) in Zurich.

Upcoming Gigs

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 12:41:51

Gigs to look forward to: 16.10.2007 - Feist (Grand Casino, Genève) 21.10.2007 - Radio Birdman (Mascotte, Zürich) 23.10.2007 - Elvis Perkins (Rote Fabrik, Zürich) 02.11.2007 - Vive La Fête (Mascotte) 25.11.2007 - Beirut (Mascotte) 05.12.2007 - Qui feat. David Yow of Jesus Lizard fame (Mascotte) Shame on the Beasts for cancelling their entire Europe tour.

Too old to die young

Sat, 29 Sep 2007 12:13:50

Fact.

It's so easy

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 19:40:06

In his essay "Elmore Leonard's Ten Rules of Writing", Leonard wrote, "My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it." Also on the subject of what makes his books so readable he has said that he leaves out the parts that readers skip. (from the almighty Wikipedia)

Die schnurgerade Langeweile

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:43:36

Die Amerikaner kennen ein schönes Bonmot, das sie allzu eifrigen, aber gänzlich untalentierten Möchtegern-Künstlern entgegenschleudern: "Keep your day job". Vor ein paar Tagen wünschte ich, jemand hätte diesen Rat Herrn Gerhard Meier zugerufen, damals, als er in einer Lampenfabrik arbeitete, und mit der Literatur liebäugelte. Eigentlich hätten beim Prädikat "von Herrn Handke empfohlen" schon Alarmglocken läuten müssen, aber man möchte halt trotzdem gerne jedem eine Chance geben. Ich kaufte mir also "Der schnurgerade Kanal" (auf eine ganze Roman-Trilogie oder gar Lyrik hatte ich weiss Gott keine Lust). Welch ein Fehler. Welche Zeitverschwendung. Ich werfe zwar nicht schon nach Seite 5 das Handtuch bei neuen Büchern, aber irgendwann sagt man sich halt schon "jetz isch gnueg Heu dunä". Was sich Gerhard Meier da zusammenwurstelt, mag vieles sein - gute Literatur ist es nicht. Eine Geschichte wird bestenfalls angedeutet, von einer eigentlichen Erzählung kann aber keine Rede sein. Er liebt es, Wolkenformationen zu beschreiben, sich bei Details aufzuhalten und ganz allgemein Wiederholungen aneinanderzureihen. In der Lyrik und Musik sind Wiederholungen und ihre nahen Verwandten - Variationen - durchaus legitim, ja geradezu Grundmaterial. In einem Roman schleicht sich jedoch der Verdacht ein, der Autor leide an Alzheimer, oder spiele ein Geduldspiel mit dem Leser. Das auffallende Name-Dropping hilft dem ganzen auch nicht. Anspielungen an grosse Geister machen nur noch deutlicher, wie sehr sich der Autor eine andere Existenz wünschte als der Alltag in der Fabrik. Es gehört aber zum schlechten Ton, dies am ahnungslosen und unschuldigen Leser abzureagieren. An einer Stelle holt Meier aus und schiebt einen langweiligen Aufsatz über Augen, Brillen und Sehgewohnheiten ein. Mehrere Seiten, so trocken und nichtssagend, dass man hofft, am Ende würde man wenigstens mit einer Pointe belohnt, einer Horizonterweiterung. Ja, wir wären selbst mit einer simplen Moral zufrieden. Aber da ist nichts. Es bleibt ein schaler Nachgeschmack. Als hätte man ein Lexikon aufgeschlagen. Eine Auflistung von banalen Fakten. Es gibt durchaus Autoren, die aus kleinsten Alltagsbeobachtungen grosse Literatur schaffen. Es gab auch grosse Geister, die tagsüber Versicherungsbeamte waren, und zuhause bis spät in die Nacht hinein unbeirrt an ihrem Lebenswerk arbeiteten. Wir kennen auch Bücher, die nur ansatzweise eine eigentliche Geschichte erzählen, und dennoch zu bezaubern, überraschen und überzeugen vermögen. Autoren, die ihr Heimatdorf nie verlassen haben und dennoch Weltliteratur schufen, sind auch bekannt. Gerhard Meier gehört nicht dazu. Man kann schlechterdings niemandem verbieten, zu schreiben. Das ist gewiss gut so. Weniger verständlich ist, so etwas als Buch drucken zu wollen. Oder gar Literatur zu nennen. Oder weiterzuempfehlen. Mein Vertrauen in Feuilletons und die Literaturbranche - auch so schon keine Berge versetzend - wurde hier wieder einmal arg gebeutelt.

Bikes. We got Bikes!

Tue, 08 May 2007 15:10:36

A new site has just left the building: Superscout, eine neue Site mit Gratis-Bike-Inseraten, Motorrad-Datenbank, Händlerverzeichnis u.v.m. Made in Switzerland.

Lessons of Heart Disease, Learned and Ignored

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 18:12:49

Medical research has revealed enough about the causes and prevention of heart attacks that they could be nearly eliminated. Yet nearly 16 million Americans are living with coronary heart disease, and nearly half a million die from it each year. What few patients realize, (...) is that a serious heart attack is as much of an emergency as being shot. If you come to the hospital unannounced or if you drive yourself there, youre burning time, Dr. Antman said. And time is muscle, he added, meaning that heart muscle is dying as the minutes tick away. With a disease as serious as heart disease, those who take responsibility are often the ones who survive.

Read the article

Beasts of Bourbon

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:12:26

I'm not overly convinced by the tunes I've heard so far... I know that the Beasts can do much, much better. Anyway, till the album is officially released (April or May, depending on the sources), here's two videos to shorten the waiting time:

Just Launched

Tue, 06 Mar 2007 07:24:33

Was Sie schon immer über Web-Marketing, Suchmaschinen-Optimierung und Online-Werbung wissen wollten, aber nie zu fragen wagten: online-marketing-consulting.ch öffnete heute ihre virtuellen Türen. Die Dienstleistungen reichen von der Beratung in Sachen Usability und Accessibility, über SEO und Community-Building, bis hin zu Konzept und Copywriting. And then some. Angereichert wird das Angebot durch NewsWatch, wo eine Auswahl von markt- und themenrelevanten Artikeln zur Verfügung steht.

Ars longa, vita brevis, occasio praeceps, experimentum periculosum, iudicium difficile.

Sat, 24 Feb 2007 18:10:30

Just launched: fantastique.ch

Grinderman

Mon, 22 Jan 2007 09:12:18

Foul-mouthed, noisy, hairy, and damn well old enough to know better, here are Grinderman: Nick Cave - vocals, electric guitar, organ, piano Warren Ellis - electric bouzouki, Fendocastor, violin, viola, acoustic guitar, backing vocals Martyn Casey - bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals Jim Sclavunos - drums, percussion, backing vocals http://www.anti.com/artist.php?id=43 http://www.myspace.com/grinderman

Back Around the Clock

Sat, 20 Jan 2007 19:53:21

Endlich. Die Produktion läuft und die 4-stündige Fernseh-Dokumentation "Back Around the Clock" wird in limitierter Auflage auf DVD gebrannt. 50 Jahre Schweizer Rockgeschichte von den Anfängen, über die Siebziger- und Achziger-Jahre bis zur Neuzeit. 240 Minuten Rockumentation auf Doppel-DVD und ein umfassendes, mit vielen Bildern bestücktes Booklet, sind ab März 2007 erhältlich. Für Musik-Fans ein Muss. Mit vielen Raritäten aus unzähligen Film-Archiven, Interviews, Konzerten und Videos. Die limitierte DVD kann ab sofort bestellt werden zu einem Spezialpreis (nur bis Ende Februar 2007). Einige Trouvaillen aus dem Fundus: Videoclips in voller Länge, made in Helvetia. Tipp: Danny Hot Dog, Mother's Ruin.

Happy New Year

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 14:00:03

Happy New Year everyone. Here's a few of my favorite youtube-clips. Just because. Bow Wow Wow - Go Wild In The Country The GoGo's - Our Lips Are Sealed Plastics - Copy Françoise Hardy - Mon ami la rose Camille + M - Au suivant Françoise Hardy + Jacques Dutronc - Puisque vous Partez en Voyage Thomas Fersen - Borborygmes Enjoy!

Rodriguez / Tarantino at it again

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 14:47:28

Rock Around The X-Mas Tree

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 23:25:25

Besinnlich oder nicht, das sagt dir gleich das Licht... 21.12.2006 - Dorit Chrysler, Helsinki 23.12.2006 - Despu Palliton, OJA Kreis 5 23.12.2006 - Sein, Rossi 25.12.2006 - The Boom Boom T's (Hansueli Tischhauser + Co.), El Lokal 28.12.2006 - The Come N'Go, Fabrik Aktionshalle Foyer 31.12.2006 - Zugluft + Freunde, right here 31.12.2006 - Sexomodular, Walcheturm Take your pick!

Public Service Announcement

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 11:10:03

Zugluft Ines & Ralph

The Danes know what's up

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 07:26:50

Danish road safety officials have come up with a novel way of warning motorists about the dangers of speeding - by using topless blonde women. (BBC) The thumbnail takes you to the youtube video, as it were.

Darling records du jour

Sun, 26 Nov 2006 02:31:10

Currently enjoying these fine records:

Bela Bartók, Bartók for Children Bartók for Children, written in 1908 & 1909 and originally including 85 pieces based on Hungarian & Slovakian folk tunes, was first published in four volumes. Some of the pieces were revised by the composer in the 1930's and he made a complete revision of the whole work in 1943, writing thirteen new pieces and reducing to total number to 79, to be published postumously in 1947 in two volumes although Bartók had been able to correct the proposed new edition in 1944. The pieces are described as little pieces for beginners, without stretches of an octave. They are a direct reflection of Bartók's interest in folk music. The melodies, in various modes, are never forced into the traditional strait-jacket of academic harmony but set off by simple accompaniments that preserve their original character. For Children, as with Mikrokosmos and his Forty-Four Violin Duets, they offer a much wider view of music than was once and perhaps is still usual in teaching material confined entirely to the major and minor scales and harmonies of common practice. Amazon

Thomas Fersen, Pièce Montée Des Grands Jours His label page @ tôt ou tard

The Long Blondes, Someone To Drive You Home Official site. Reviews: NME - Stylus Magazine review

No, these records don't have much in common. But, as folks say: it takes all sorts to make a world.

Nicht mit Schweinen werfen

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 04:02:41

Ich habe zwar schon vor Jahren allen Tageszeitungen abgeschwört, aber hin und wieder gönnt man sich doch eines dieser Monatsmagazine, die so schön glänzen... Das aktuelle "du" über Camilleri ist zwar gut, aber auch nicht mehr. Man hätte sich phantasievollere Beiträge gewünscht. Das meiste ist einem Camilleri-Aficionado wohlbekannt. Einige schöne Fotografien, gewiss. Eine mehrseitige Biografie mit netten Anekdoten und Bildern aus dem Familienalbum: gut und recht. Ein Artikel über die Mafia... als wäre darüber noch nie geschrieben worden. Doch wieso keine Rezeptsammlung? Wäre das nicht auf der Hand gelegen, wo doch Salvo so ein grosser Feinschmecker ist? Oder meinetwegen Portraits von ausgesuchten sizilianischen Restaurants? Weitaus mehr für's Geld bekommt man bei der aktuellen brand eins Ausgabe. Thema: Die Tyrannei der Vorurteile. Die Themenauswahl ist überraschend breit, die Qualität des geschriebenen auf dem gewohnt hohen Niveau. Ein aktuelles Thema ist es so oder so - oder vielmehr: ein Thema, das so alt ist wie die Menschheit.

Tiefe Wasser sind still. In der Kraft liegt die Ruhe. Was endlich gut ist, währt nicht lange. Wer im Schlachthaus sitzt, soll nicht mit Schweinen werfen. Die Fallen sind gewürfelt. Der Spatz in der Hand ist die Leberwurst des kleinen Mannes.

A Great Gift

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 03:03:37

You're one of those guys who can make a party just by leaving it. It's a great gift. - - - She did not intend to abandon a perfectly good suspicion merely because it began to seem unreasonable. - - - Lady Caroline was no sportsman. She put one of those direct questions, capable of being answered only by 'Yes' or 'No', which ought not to be allowed in controversy. They are the verbal equivalent of shooting a sitting bird.

Recently finished books

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:51:16

Here's a list of the books I've recently finished reading. The list is by no means complete - it's probably just the last two months or so. If anyone's interested in swapping or buying them, let me know.

Ms. Dewey

Fri, 20 Oct 2006 09:25:11

Here's a little different search engine... Say hello to Ms. Dewey. For extra laughs, type in "your age", "your hobby" - or "your phone" :-]

CBGB R.I.P.

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:53:13

This bit of news doesn't really surprise anyone: The legendary CBGB in New York had to finally close down for good. Since quite some time, people knew about the absurdly high real estate prices in Manhattan. Sixtyfive thousand dollars per month is nothing to sneeze at. I wonder how this small club could even survive for so long. It's certainly no rent that any punk(rock) club is able to pay, no matter how many legends have played there in its history. Apparently, the club will be completely rebuilt in Las Vegas. Well, why not? They rebuilt Venice and the Egyptian Pyramids there for tourists with cash to spare. Why not throw in some punkrock nostalgia from the east coast? This SPIEGEL article features a small video with excerpts of the very last CBGB gig, incl. Patti Smith and her band. Two recommended reads from the Village Voice: Downer at the Rock and Roll Club The Continental Drifts

Chop the strange fish

Mon, 16 Oct 2006 07:40:32

China has launched a fresh drive to clamp down on bad English in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. A few nice examples of Chinglish: "Racist Park" "To Take Notice of Safe; The Slippery are Very Crafty" "Corrugated iron beef" "Government abuse chicken" "Chop the strange fish" Source: BBC

Sun Ra - Brother From Another Planet

Sat, 14 Oct 2006 19:14:02

Excellent hour-long BBC documentary about the one and only Sun Ra on video.google.com. Features interviews with Arkestra musicians, Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth, Wayne Kramer from MC5, Archie Shepp and many many more.

Marie Antoinette

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 19:16:54

I'm not a big fan of soundtracks, but if there's one contemporary film-maker you can generally trust, it's Sofia Coppola. The soundtrack for her new movie "Marie Antoinette" is first-class material. A must-have. If the movie is only half as good, it'll be one of my favorite movies of 2006. Here's the tracklist: Disc: 1

"Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie & The Banshees
"Aphrodisiac" - Bow Wow Wow
"What Ever Happened" - The Strokes
"Pulling Our Weight" - The Radio Dept.
"Ceremony" - New Order
"Natural's Not In It" - Gang Of Four
"I Want Candy (Kevin Shields Remix)" - Bow Wow Wow
"Kings Of The Wild Frontier" - Adam & The Ants
"Concerto in G" - Antonio Vivaldi / Reitzell
"The Melody Of A Fallen Tree" - Windsor For The Derby
"I Don't Like It Like This" - The Radio Dept.
"Plainsong" - The Cure

Disc: 2

"Intro Versailles" - Reitzell / Beggs
"Jynweythek Ylow" - Aphex Twin
"Opus 17" - Dustin O'Halloran
"Il Secondo Giorno (Instrumental)" - Air
"Keen On Boys" - The Radio Dept.
"Opus 23" - Dustin O'Halloran
"Les Barricades Misterieuses" - Francois Couperin / Reitzell
"Fools Rush In (Kevin Shields Remix) - Bow Wow Wow
"Avril 14th" - Aphex Twin
"K. 213" - Domenico Scarlatti / Reitzell
"Tommib Help Buss" - Squarepusher
"Tristes apprêts, pâles flambeaux" - Jean Philippe Rameau /w. Christie
"Opus 36" - Dustin O'Halloran
"All Cats Are Grey" - The Cure

Insults - they just don't make them as they used to

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 09:15:03

A very nice little collection of insults. Sample? Yes please: "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one." George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second...if there is one." Winston Churchill, in response (via kottke)

Dressing Room One. Iggy Pop.

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 16:15:19

Weird but amusing Iggy & The Stooges concert rider You know what would be really nice? If you could make this room look less like a typical rock & roll dressing room and more sort of... Interesting? Are you with me? Just let someone loose with a little bit of artistic flair... Er, do you know any homosexuals? And am I allowed to say that? Probably not.

Freak Out! The Frank Zappa Story

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 02:16:04

A highly recommendable audio documentary feature on BBC Radio 4: Germaine Greer presents a profile of Frank Zappa, the 70s icon of eccentric rock whose range of work included serious orchestral composition, film-making and social activism. The programme marks the 40th anniversary of his first album Freak Out. Contributors include Gail Zappa, son Dweezil and ace guitarist Steve Vai, family friend and author Peter Occhiogrosso and Chief Executive of the Britten Sinfonia, David Butcher. Link

Life and Work

Sun, 08 Oct 2006 02:02:34

Here's a nice piece of advice for young artists: Be regular and ordered in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work. - Flaubert

Battle of the LP Covers

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 14:57:37

Awesome motion graphic movie (Quicktime) featuring tons of rock/pop music record covers. Directed by Ugly Pictures and animated by man vs. magnet (both with Curious Pictures)

Cell Phones? Hell Phones!

Fri, 06 Oct 2006 02:08:27

Have you noticed that no one makes firm appointments anymore? Everything is sketchy, provisional, pencilled in. "I'll call you when I get there." "Something's come up; can we reschedule?" The hell phone may be a boon to the spontaneous, but it's also a license for the slippery, the evasive and the passive aggressive to mess with your head. Nice little article by Momus over at Wired. Further comments on his own livejournal.

Quando mecum pariter potant...

Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:15:30

How to curse in latin

billigbilligbillig

Wed, 04 Oct 2006 17:06:29

Die Newsletter der Konzertagentur Berthold Seliger (Julia Bendlin) sind immer wieder ein Lesegenuss erster Güte. Ihre Kommentare im zweiten Teil des Newsletters sind oft umfangreicher als die eigentlichen Konzert-Neuankündigungen. So auch im neusten Mailing: - - - Die (gespielte?) Empörung über das sogenannte "Gammelfleisch" kann in einem Land, in dem Geiz geil ist, nur für Verwunderung sorgen. Wiglaf Droste schreibt dazu in der "taz": "Dabei ist der massenhafte Verkauf von verdorbenem Fleisch nur die Konsequenz aus der hiesigen Geschäftsordnung, deren oberstes Prinzip der Profit um jeden Preis ist. Solange das so ist, wird Tiermehl an Rinder verfüttert, die an BSE erkranken, und so lange wird auch so genanntes Gammelfleisch verkauft. Man nennt das freies Unternehmertum. Es hat das Gesetz auf seiner Seite. (...) Wer seine Rübe jeden Tag mit Bild, Brüllradio und Gestörtenfernsehn vollprengelt, kann sich über Gammel im Fleisch nicht mit Recht beschweren. Der veritable Fraß entspricht dem medialen. Billigbilligbillig will es der Dauerkonsument, Parolen wie "Geiz ist geil!" ahndet er nicht mit Boykott, Scheibeneinwurf oder stillem Vorübergehn. Sie gefallen ihm, und genauso steckt er sich jeden Dreck auch in den Mund und nennt das: essen. Dabei ist es nur ein Mangel an Selbstachtung und Verstand. (...) Wer ausgerechnet bei so etwas Elementarem wie dem Essen immerzu nur sparen will, liefert die dumme Nachfrage zum schmutzigen Angebot. Jede Wette: In ein paar Tagen wird ein anderes Thema die massenmedial durchseuchten Köpfe der Deutschen füllen, und dann werden sie wieder herzhaft in den Billiggammel beißen." - - - Ich habe dem wahrlich nichts hinzuzufügen. Jedes Volk hat den Frass, den es verdient. Original-Artikel: taz

Rasta Beef

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 19:06:03

After a month-long snapping hiatus, there's a few new pics available now in the October gallery. Including hippie cows:

Radio Stadtfilter

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 22:00:24

Nik of Catchpole fame schreibt soeben:

Diese Nacht, um genau 00:00 Uhr geht RADIO STADTFILTER auf Sendung!!! Freut euch auf einen ganzen Monat Radiomania aus Winterthur... auf viel Kultur, auf Musik abseits des Einheitsbreis, auf Witziges, Schräges, Überraschendes. So gibts zum Beispiel Live-Fussball-Übertragungen, wie in der Zeit vor der Flimmerkiste, alles rund ums 10-Jahre-Jubiläum der Winti-Alternativ-Kulturtempel, Konzerte live übertragen oder mitgeschnitten, Musikspecials, Diskussionen, Hörspiele, Lesungen, Kochsendungen usw... Und last but not least: die tägliche Info-Sendung DESTILLATOR. (...) Beginnen tut die ganze Schooose natürlich gleich mit einem kräftigen Tusch: einer Live-Übertragung vom 42-Stunden Kultur-Marathon auf dem Oberen Graben in Winterthur. 90,1 Mhz im Äther 93,1 Mhz im Kabel und wer für beides zu weit weg wohnt, im Internet unter: www.stadtfilter.ch

Vorläufig dröhnt nur Young Gods (ohne Moderation) aus meinem Subwoofer, but that's OK with me :) MP3 stream gibt's hier

Early Rock'n'Roll from the Motherland

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 21:05:47

African Twist - Early Rock'n'Roll from the Motherland. Highly recommendable.

Ride Your Pony

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:59:17

If the following names ring a bell, head straight over to this excellent music blog. Alex Chilton David Kilgour Verlaines The Chills Laika and the Cosmonauts Gun Club The Cramps Mel-Tones Pete Shelley Fleshtones The Fall Billy Childish If not... keep sleeping under that proverbial rock.

Google this, Google that

Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:13:18

So... another Google-service has apparently launched today: the Google Reader. What's so special about it? RSS-readers and syndication sites are nothing new. Let's make a portal of portals, shall we? I think Google is slowly but surely running out of ideas. The Gmail service was great: Soon after Google launched their free Email service, the competition was quickly adding more space to their accounts, and thus everyone somehow profited from Gmail, sooner or later. Their spamfilter is quite good too (although far from flawless). Google Maps is great too, as well as several other products Google has either created on their own, or simply bought and rebranded. Don't get me wrong: Every new free online service is generally welcome, more so if a company is behind it, who listens to their users. But what about the ubiquitous "beta" labels? It seems like every single new product nowadays is officially in beta. "Sorry guys, we haven't finished it yet. It may break, but don't blame us." Maybe the open-source movement or Mozilla is to blame. Maybe marketing heads who can't wait till a product is finished by the developers. Maybe all of them, plus the users themselves. I understand that it's profitable if your users are testing the product for free. You don't need a quality control department anymore, isn't it? I'm not sure if I'm really complaining here, since all those examples mentioned above are free to use. I just wish companies had a bit more courage to announce a product as finished and "stable" at some point, especially when we're talking about a commercial product. Because there's an ongoing trend even among commercial software companies to just keep releasing new products and versions, even if they know it's still full of bugs. The common method is to a) publish version 1.0, and after a few months b) release a "free update" as v. 1.1, when in reality that "free update" translates into nothing more than just a bug-fix release...

More Noise In The Ether.

Mon, 25 Sep 2006 20:22:28

Oh wey, who on earth needs another blog out there? I'm still not quite sure why I even started this. Vanity, boredom, desire to express myself, keeping track of stuff, slowly making preparations for my memoirs, recommending books, toys and records...? I also have to make up my mind whether to write only in english, in german - or both. I guess I'll just see what this will eventually become, and decide later if it was worth it or not.

Neko Case: A Goddess Among Singers

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:38:21

It's hard to tell you about a favorite singer without avoiding clichés. Usually people tend to abuse words like "genius" or "fantastic" simply by using them in every other sentence. With Neko though, it's difficult to not use superlatives. Neko Case has released a new record this year: Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. Not your average album title, for sure. The way she writes songs, the way she spins her little stories, are quite refreshing. And the way she sings those songs are breath-taking. She's one of the few people in music-business who refuses to be "helped" by studio software that "corrects" the voice. This is a technique used almost on every single record you hear, whether you know it or not. Automatic for the people. Neko doesn't need that. To her, it's a bit (a lot?) like cheating. If your voice isn't good enough, what are you doing in a recording studio in the first place? Shouldn't you take lessons first, or go home and practise some more, before deciding it's a good time to set foot in a studio? I wish her tour-agent will manage to sneak in a Zurich date next time she's around. For now though, there's the two jewels "Blacklisted" and "Fox Confessor Brings The Flood" to enjoy. All autumn long.

P.G. Wodehouse: A British Treasure.

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 18:27:46

I've only just discovered this great British institution - pardon: author - this summer. Shame on me. But part of the blame is on the german editors out there, who made it really hard to come across translations of Wodehouse books, let alone good ones. Luckily, the Swiss editor epoca has started to re-issue Wodehouse books in new translations. Only six so far, which is just a very small part of Mr. Wodehouse's complete work (that consists of over 90 published books). But better than nothing. And let me assure you that the translations are good - may Mr. Thomas Schlachter continue his excellent work and live a long and prosperous life. Meanwhile, if you don't need translations, there's always the original versions. Among others, a plethora of Penguin books, and luckily for me, the Orell Füssli bookshop in Zurich carries a large selection in stock.

Maestro Camilleri

Sat, 23 Sep 2006 18:25:32

Ever since I've been reading books again (after a complete book-hiatus of several years), I've been looking for an author like Camilleri: A real story-teller, in the best sense of the word. Someone who won't bore you, won't use cheap stylistic tricks in order to wow you, and last but not least someone who knows a bit or two about the real life. There's just too many wanna-be Hemingways coming right out of university thinking they're real men as soon as they've been shaving for the first time. Or those sad creatures who can't say something in a simple paragraph because they're afraid it won't sound "deep" enough. Life's just too short for boring books, don't fool yourself. I've read almost every Camilleri book that's available in German and while some books are better than others (surprise!), the quality is remarkably high throughout his oeuvre. I'm thinking of featuring some of my favorite Camilleri books here, when time permits (but don't quote me on that, k?).