It's the last night of the year and Danish TV has shown Star Wars-reruns all evening, which of course makes yours truly, a terrible space romantic at heart, ponder a bit about life, the universe and everything, or at least the fact that we've now left both 2001 and 2010 behind. And we totally missed out on the intelligent computers, intergalactic space adventures, and neat light sabres to once and for all shut up people writing stupid crap on the internet. Maybe dear old Clarke chose the best route, departing from this dimension before having to witness his futuristic fantasies replaced by endless reality shows. But at least Baudrillard was right. However, hyperreal just sounded better in print, but at the end of the day it's the same old story; dreams and visions always surpass so-called reality. As Mr. Poe once put it, 'They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.'
The past year has kept me busy with concerts all over the country, and outside, and of course with our club, Klub Golem as well. Speaking of golems, I revisited Prague in November, a city I've really come to like with its old gothic buildings, ghost stories and golem tales, and then of course the spirit of Kafka still endures as do the sad stories of nazi and communist oppression.
I also finished a couple of songs during 2010, rounding off the year, believe it or not, with a X-Mas Single, recorded with assistance from electronica artist Tonje Terese. The song, a morbid and somewhat drastic reworking of a few popular Christmas classics, received good attention and has also spent a couple of weeks as number one on the BandBase.dk charts so far. I've been featured in a book on subculture and even on a silly TV kitchen program during this year. But I said no when they called from one of those glittering talent shows - I remain Galadriel.
And yet, at the end of the day, I still hope next year I will be able to escape in my shiny spaceship, off and away into the endless beyond.
So that was summer and it shall rain until April next year. Soon leaves will fall from the trees and before you know it they've grown Christmas hearts instead that want your money. All in the name of peace on Earth and endless reissues of Wham's Last Christmas. Did you know why that is the title of that song? Because whenever you listen to it you wish this would indeed be your last Christmas.
I've been busy doing concerts, a few mini-festivals over the summer and then, of course, Golem's four years anniversary, but have now started working on a new song inspired by the fact that during the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, young American pilots were given speed prior to their raids. Combine this with the fact that modern warfare, what they call 'precision bombing' though it actually means 'we hit the target and sometimes we hit a school instead, just like we always did', is more and more about staring at a screen and pushing buttons, like playing Space Invaders in the eighties. So, what we have here are young guys on drugs playing computer games with real lives. Quote Aliens: Game over, man, game over!
First blog of 2010 and half of the year's already gone by now. With this kind of luck we'll have snow next time around. Truth is I've been meaning to write something now and then but I've been quite busy so I didn't get round to it. Until now, that is. And so, what have I been up to?
Basically I've been busy doing concerts and running our Golem club. I started out the year with a mini winter tour around Denmark which was cold - this was one of those winters that actually gave us snow. And yes, of course we had polar bears roaming the streets of Copenhagen. We also had a gang shootout a few hours before my N�rrebro concert. A bit of local flavour. Anyway, thanks to everybody who showed up for those cold winter concerts. And thanks also to those who, a few months later, came to support our Skrot release gig - we managed to avoid the rain!
It's been an interesting Golem year so far with good concerts by Parzival, Karl Bartos, Le�ther Strip, and Felix Kubin. Presenting Karl Bartos at our club was kind of surreal since, of course, I grew up on Kraftwerk and they're one of the reasons why I ended up doing what I'm doing. We wanted to stay true to our ideals so we kept the door as cheap as always, thus allowing even young people without much money to go. And they did which was great to see.
Ah yes, and the rumours are true. I went on national television to make sausages. What? Yes, yes, all true. The show contacted me and they wanted people from the alternative music/goth scene, and they were looking for a certain amount of craziness. So I gave them vinegar. A few days after that show was aired national television called me again, wanting me to participate in one of those glossy talent shows. I told them I belong to a minority who can still tell the difference between music and sport and that I thought it was sad how music coverage on national television had come to this, and so the conversation sort of ended. In a way it all makes perfect sense, though, since I'm now finishing a new song about the celebrity plague which seems to be everywhere these days - 'So you want to be a celebrity, talk about yourself on TV. Don't forget to sell your virginity to me. I will put you right where you belong, I will write your stupid little song. You will be a star, don't get me wrong, but not for long!'
Copyright: Ras Bolding 2010