Manafonistas

For example, a series of sessions in a basement by the sea in County Cork in the south of Ireland; no computers, no playback of samples, no overdubs. Waves of sound created on guitar and clarinet form a backdrop for singing rarely experienced outside an opera house, and yet with a subtle connection to Irish folk song also. How would it sound? Imagine!

„The sunlight on the garden“ is a very inspiring poem. First I thought: the right words for the dead Charlie Browns. When I read the comments – a painting came into my mind, from Jack B. Yeats, the younger brother of William Butler Yeats. The name of the painting is „There is no night“ – I often look at it … wonder … struck.

With already five different sorts of tea at home I convinced myself to buy two more, just to treat myself and „for good measure“ and „do me something good“. Some days, you’ll all agree, you have to !

So Sencha green tea as well as Darjeeling TGFOP Second Flush was my choice.

While trying to make up my mind and choose from the uncountable sorts of tea they have on stock I’ve been totally amazed today to find out that they also sell green tea mixed with Mate and Guarana, suitably that blend is entiteld „Sencha Sleepless“ – and which no doubt will keep you up and running all nite long !

(Now, „Sencha Sleepless“ — *that* would be something for Michael and one of his next „Radionacht“ to go by …)

Also ordered the third volume of Michael Palins (of Monty Phyton fame) diaries today. “ Travelling to Work (Palin Diaries 3 — 1988 to 1998). And as it already possible to thumb online tru the first pages of the book I can share with you the saying Michael Palin placed before the diary entries start as a „to go with“:

 
„We’re all fag Ends in the gutter of life“ (Frank Muir, 18 January 1990)

Video
 

I wouldn’t say this is „my music“, but I love the idea of having been at one of their concerts, aged 26, slightly drunk from three Caipirinhas, laughing about those red clowns on stage, being all alone in that big city, and dancing this lonelines out of my head, with a music that is far away from opening up any horizons, but fills my body like a sweet medicine. So anybody might know such moments of shallow emptiness that turn – within minutes – into (nearly) brilliant emptiness.

The sunlight on the garden
Hardens and grows cold,
We cannot cage the minute
Within its nets of gold;
When all is told
We cannot beg for pardon.

Our freedom as free lances
Advances towards its end;
The earth compels, upon it
Sonnets and birds descend;
And soon, my friend,
We shall have no time for dances.

The sky was good for flying
Defying the church bells
And every evil iron
Siren and what it tells:
The earth compels,
We are dying, Egypt, dying

And not expecting pardon,
Hardened in heart anew,
But glad to have sat under
Thunder and rain with you,
And grateful too
For sunlight on the garden.

 
 

 
 
 
 
Weitgehend abwesend, die Bedeutungsträger
der realen Welt, so dass heute nur Traumstoffe
gehandelt werden: eine Hängematte für den Orangenhain,
Kopfhörer, die “Odysseus” heissen (Sirenenschutz!),
“we’re gonna ride out in a country silence” –
glaubt jemand, die Eintrübungen der ersten Farbfilme
mit künstlichem Himmel und Federkissenwolken
seien vollkommen spurlos an uns vorübergezogen?
 

„Der Spieler, der sich jetzt oder im Sommer zu uns bekennt, weil er bleibt oder neu dazukommt, der hat vielleicht auch eine Mentalität, die wir in dieser Phase brauchen. Im Gegensatz zu denen, die nur auf der Euphoriewelle surfen, die durch uns oben ankommen oder oben bleiben wollen. Sollte es diese bei uns geben, ist es vielleicht gar nicht schlecht, wenn der eine oder andere davon verschwindet.“ Die Botschaft wird mögliche Empfänger erreichen. Ein explosiver Satz. Ein Sprengsatz. Ich habe zwar einmal im Stadion aus den Lautsprechern die Talking Heads „Road To Nowhere“ singen hören, aber ich möchte nicht, dass der BVB sich auf dieses „Road Movie“ einlässt. Der Abstiegskampf eines vermeintlichen Klasseteams hat längst begonnen. Wenn alles gut läuft, könnte sich Jürgen Klopp auf Sylt bestens erholen. Er kennt die Insel mindestens so gut wie ich. Da ist nicht alles nur Sansibar und spätrömische Dekadenz,  Inselflucht und gieriges Maklertum. In der Brederuper Heide kann man sich zwar weniger verlaufen als in der Lüneburger Heide (Eno sang mal darüber!), aber lange, ausgiebige Wanderungen machen und in der „Kupferkanne“, draussen, zu einer „Ostfriesischen Mischung“ mit Kluntjes,  in gediegenen Heckennischen, die eine und andere Geschichte erzählen.

 
Soul Jazz Records announces a new Popol Vuh release for March 16:

Kailash — one CD with piano sketches by Florian Fricke, one CD with the soundtrack of his movie of the same name, one DVD with the movie itself.

Looks like something to look forward to. Here’s the first part of the movie …

www.schwebung.com

Julio Cortazar’s RAYUELA is one of the best books I ever read aside from a dozen others, among them Steve Erickson’s „Rubicon Beach“. In England it has been translated under the title „Hopscotch“. Here’s someone writing about the book without giving away too much – he doesn’t even mention the key themes mentioned in the title above. i found it very easy ro read. The German translation is brilliant, too. And, while reading, you might get addicted to Mate Tea, and very old jazz records!  Oliveira is a disenchanted Argentine intellectual, who goes to Paris in search of ‚the centre‘ which will cure his metaphysical angst. He spends his time with a group of similar spirits, who call themselves The Serpent Club, but his destructive behaviour splits the group forever and results in his being sent back to Argentina. Once in Buenos Aires, he meets an old friend and progresses through a circus and a mental asylum on the way to a tense ending in which he finds meaning through a ball of string, several buckets of water and a staple gun.

Cortazar’s acclaimed masterpiece represents his attempt to redefine both the novel form and the Spanish language. This is a novel whose chapters can be read in any order, although the author does suggest a preferred sequence which leads to the shattering climax described above. This is not an easy novel to read; Cortazar explicitly dismisses the passive reader, and in this text makes it impossible for him/her to understand what is happening. The effort required is well worth it, however, as the depth behind this, the quintessential ‚Boom Novel‘, is incredible, and it will keep you coming back for years. The best intellectual work-out I have yet experienced; give it a go!“