The second thing one need to do when visiting a new city, if you are a member of the airportline consortium, is visiting a modern art museum. Said and done, me and my sister made our way to Postbahnhof where rowdy Werder Bremen supporters were singing and drinking and causing trouble in the middle of the day in celebration for the German Cup final against Leverkusen. Destination, Hamburger Bahnhof, a museum hosting the giant Andy Warhol painting of Mao. It was quite impressive actually, we also saw a film with an old german guy talking about plastic, a living room cut into two (including a cat cut into two) and two steel fan's facing each other. Then back to Tobias apartment to catch the Chelsea - Eveton game in the FA-cup, rain, food shopping, dinner, football again, drinking, walking to Eberswalder Strasse where DJ Hell was DJing in a kiosk under a S-bahn (yes, it was all very Berlin) conclusion: A club called Bassy where funky 60s tunes were in full swing, and so were we.
There was rain, sunshine, hail and crazy winds yesterday. At the same time there was a lack of concrete, electro, steel and rust. One wonders where hard core Berlin has gone. You might tell me that 'if you want to see that Berlin you probably have to go out of your little Mitte, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshein triangle'. And if you do tell me that, you would be right of course. Yesterday was coffee outside in some square on Orangenstrasse, a free exhibition about the relation between animals and humans, among other things on display, a naked fat woman pretending to be a dog and pictures that an orangutang took in Moscow. I always knew monkeys would suck at using the focus. There was also beers in random bars in Friedrichshein which I dont remember the names of, but one was furnished like your grandmothers living room and another had a DJ with a mullet who played amazing lockabilly music.
When airportline visits a city there are a few important things that need to be taken care of. First: eat a kebab. Since the Kebab was invented in Berlin by some Turkish immigrant (this is what the Berlin people will tell you) I had two yesterday. They were two Euros, giant and amazing. I also need to go to a museum, and a fleemarket.
Grey sky outside the window. We made it to Berlin, it took a long time. We passed Wolfsburg on the train and the whole city is a Volkswagen factory. My friends room mate claimed that Hitler built that city, maybe he was just pissed of that Wolfsburg won the german league and not his favorite team Bayern Munchen. There might have been a famous Italian person on the train, but my Italian compatriot could not decide his name. And my friend lives in 'Mitte' and his apartment has two floors, they are all wood and the walls are white and if MTV-cribs would come here they would, yeah, I don't know, say it looks as minimalistic as German electro? I'm pretending to do some work while my friend is doing real work. Soon I take his map which he has marked second hand store on and begin my excursion. But first I'm gonna listen to some more Camera Obscura, take another cappucino and relax/pretend study some more. You can't live to fast in Berlin, its not good for you.
Airportline is relocating until Tuesday. We will take our giant theoretical capabilities and move them eastwards, to the great city of Berlin. That's right. It was three years ago I went the last and me and my compatriot at the time ended up in many a situations that have produced great stories. What will the city bring this time? The only place not to find out is here, although I might share some thoughts along the way, who knows. Maybe I will take a photo of a random wall and fool you into believing it has historic significance. Only thing I know right now is that I have shit to do and that I need to meet MyspaceTobias at some place called Hackesche Höfe tonight, ah, these Germans and their German language.
I'll leave you with a song that illustrate all that is great with music, disregard the fact that they're Canadian, and the end, yeah, I'm telling you one time: You gotta look out for love!
From an email I sent today where I did my best to seem productive by explaining that I have:
Written on my thesis Scheduled two interviews at Greenpeace for tomorrow Scheduled dinner with Denis for tomorrow night after Yoga probably misspelled the word Scheduled twice in this email. Fixed living situation in Berlin. Booked a meeting with some labour market research person that needs some Swedish expertese. Emailed my supervisor who of course will not apply within one week. Tried to figure out how much it would be for my mom to bring my tennis racket with her when she flies with Ryanair Watched a lecture about Values-Based Leadership
If I can just print and get my short story to The Paris Review today (which I now have) I feel it's been quite the productive day for me. I have also taken out the trash, watched the final 30 minutes of Henrik Schyfferts stand up show on SVT Play, made the dishes and forgotten to buy skin lotion for my face. Well, guess that last one was more something I didn't do. I've also sent at least five really funny emails, on which only contained the word 'salute'.
I forgot how great My Morning Jackets album Z was. I had a feeling I liked it, so I downloaded it, cause my cd-version is collecting dust in my parents house in Sweden. I put on the hit, Off The Record and I, who never liked all those bearded half-country men rocking it the American way, I blew my nose and enjoyed myself. And then I remembered, wasn't there this great final song on this album? So I put it on, Dondante, and yeah, I stopped everything I was doing (blowing my nose, reading blogs, making a 'books to read' list) and just listened. You should do the same. Just push play on the video above.
And imagine, I don't even like Neil Young. It's a crazy world, isn't it. And if I ever wanted to have sex with a sound from a guitar, it would be the one three minutes in to this song. And you know when Jay-Z said that he had to make a song cry, well, My Morning Jacket are weeping on this one.
Well I Saw It In Your Movement And Even Though You Never Knew It Well, I Knew, Just How Sweet It Could Be If You'd Never Left These Streets. You Had Me Worried! So Worried That This Would Last... But Now I'm Learning Learning That This Will Pass...
If I would have to choose one artist. Or one artists art. If I were to get stuck on an island or something like that. It would be Miranda July's. Most people already know this about me. Today Airporline is proud to present an art installation by Miranda from the Yokohama Triennale 2008.
The cold I was fearing would come, came. I currently surround myself with Extra soft Handkerchiefs in small piles on the floor and in my bed. Outside the sun is shining on the people who are enjoying the public holiday. I took a walk to Albert Hein, with my red eyes slowly blinking under my sunglasses. And there were people in parks and on boats, smiling towards the sun. And I felt that it was all a big waste, until I went home, made some tea, had some chocolate and saw the movie Harold and Maude.
A movie that I'm not sure I can describe right now, fifteen minutes after the end credits put an end to something so different. A love story and a celebration of life, of living, has never been told in this way. A movie that combines dark slap stick humor with a love story between two unique characters, and there are existential questions being asked, but in such a lighthearted and honest way that it never becomes pretentious. It's a movie that manages to be both hilarious and very sad, and its all wrapped around some of Cat Stevens best songs. You need to see this movie, maybe with your grandfather, or your girlfriend, or your mother, or by yourself, and if you don't see life as being a little bit more beautiful afterwards I feel sorry for you. I'll blow my nose on call it a night.
I'm listening to El Perro Del Mar, the dog from the ocean. If you're into Spanish. I have knives in my throat and after two interviews in among the glass covered walls of Philips I feel worn out. I've overconsumed Albert Hein Chocolade Tarwebiscuit's. El Perro sings that she's 'been dreaming for so long, searching for a witness/.../sweet talk for hours, about things we're gonna do, and sometimes I loose track of my heart' and we've all been there. And if you havent, you should, cause there is no pride in controlling your life. There is no pride in not eating too many Albert Hein Chocolade Tarwebiscuit's if you feel that you need to. If the knives in your heart hurt too much. The El Perro Del Mar Song? It's called Change Of Heart and can be found in her brilliant mini-album Love Is Not Pop.
