bicyclemark

Writin this Speech

Do you feel my blog has been stale this week? I do. It’s always a matter of opinion of course, sometimes I write shit I hate, and the people say “hooray.” Other times I write shit I think is fun, and people say nothin. The other thing is that my podcasting has taken center stage in my mind, and blogging has become like the middle child… the jan brady.. of my internet activities. Not sure who the Cindy would be.

But let’s focus on the task at hand. This is intro week for new international students in Amsterdam, and yours truely is the keynote brotha this afternoon. I’ve scribble-typed a speech that I don’t much care for. I never follow what I write anyway, I just say whatever comes to me when I’m on stage. Same thing with my podcasts, I jot some notes, but I still basically make it up as I go along… that’s my WAY.

So what would you, gentle reader, say to them? Imagine… a bunch of Spanish-Australian-Thai-Indian-Nigerian-Canadian-Mexican-Americans, who might be studying in another country for the first time ever, what would you tell them?

I know what I’m not going to say. No bullshit about this being the “TIME OF YOUR LIFE” I hate that shit. There are so many GREAT times in one’s life, I hate when they point at the 20 something year old college students and say “enjoy it while it lasts” as if the rest of life is one big drag. If you spend your whole life daydreaming about the good-ol-days when you studied abroad, my advice to you would be to stop everything right now, and make some changes, cause you must be going about it all wrong.

The fact is, most of the shit I can tell them, they have to learn for themselves. I can’t stop everytime I see someone with a map or someone with questions, because I’m not allowing them to grow on their own if I do. It shouldn’t be my job to tell them what to enjoy and how to enjoy it, my job should just be to say hello, offer some little advice about restaurant choice or daytripping (with or without the drugs). Otherwise I should just remain the WATCHER… the scribe… who observes and appreciates, but allows young fish to swim as they wish.

Oh.. and I could definitely recommend REBEL DAD RADIO to them, not to mention remind them about ANTI visiting New York RIGHT NOW.

Today’s Sounds: In Over Your Head Podcast

Beers and Work

Giving another speech tomorrow, to some new fish, hope I manage to say something funny.

I know I have a good job when it’s 4h30 in the afternoon and I’m drinkin Surinamese beer and eating fine food.. AT WORK. Yeah. It happens… often in fact, and it’s sweet. I know blogging about work is a no-no, but what bad is there to say when you’ve got such a perfectly pleasant work environment where everyone enjoys good food and drinkage on the job… occasionally.

If I did ever return to the US for living purposes, it would take quite a force to drag me back. But one thing that could do it…. a job offer from Seymour Hersh to work as his assistant. The man is my hero… or has become my hero in the last 4 years. His intelligence, his thoroughness, and his flat-out-honesty never stop impressing me. I’ll always be a journalist at heart, but when I read the puke in the times, or other mass market rags, I think to myself “Nahhh.. noway, I’m not doin that.” But Mr. Hersh represents what journalism should be; concerned with the well being of people, extremely detailed, critical, and willing to risk it all. That’s where I’d want to be as a journalist, instead of the neutered, info-tainment that we’re bombarded with at every turn.

So if you’re out there reading Sy and you could use a guy like me, I may be in the NL, but I’d stop the world to walk in your shadow brotha. Drop me a line.

I got into the CambridgePodcast yesterday, great independent tunes with a posh british attitude – love it.

And then there’s the BBC blogger who died… I was reading his archives all night.

Today’s Sounds: Pedro the Lion – Hard to Find a Friend (select tracks I grabbed)

Wish the Pope

I don’t like the pope. Hate might be a strong word, but that geezer must be dam selfish. Maybe it isn’t his choice. Maybe his handlers are the idiots. Whomever is responsible, somebody throw in the towel… use some common sense and stop pretending your number one dude is capable of doing his job. HE ISN’T.

Obviously by now you might have noticed I’m a non-theist. I think religion is fine if that’s what you’re into, but I’m not interested beyond knowing a bit about every religion and admiring/understanding certain aspects. Though I do love the SWISS Guard and their striped pajamas and spanish colonial helmets. And perhaps its also worth noting that my family was traditionally catholic… maybe thats why I got strong opinions bout the POPEMAN. Him and his POPEMOBILE… are holding an entire population back. If there were a young pope… an able pope.. then at least he could address the outdated, close-minded policies of the religion. People talk shit about muslims, these fuckers only recently admitted the spanish inquisition was a bit harsh. Nevermind how long it took them to admit they fucked up during WWII. You want a fun google seach, try ” Pop Apologizes for Church” you get a long-ass list.

They should be a modern religion, with leaders that address issues that matter NOW and apply all their ancient laws to PRESENT day. Get over the DIVORCE THING. Look into the REALITY about AIDS. And quit being assholes about homosexuality. While you’re at it.. dear vatican types… why don’t you look a little deeper into the problem of priest kid touching. It might help to understand what’s happening to these holydudes and how you can avoid such terrible crimes in the future.

But alas… none of this happens. You get the same ol pope, who can barely breathe, let alone lead a religion into the future. Times like this make me feel bad for those close to me who are dedicated catholics. They deserve a better pope then this geriatric crap. The man should either die or retire, anything beyond that is selfish as HELL.

Here’s a blogger who I’ve been reading for a long time. He’s religious, I think, and has kicked around the idea of retiring lately. (at least.. how he would retire from blogging)

Today’s Sounds: Jaga-Jazzist with Motorpsycho

AudioCommuniqu? #8

Just in from the pub where Inappropriate Brian is enjoying his final nights in Amsterdam. Bit disorganized, but I covered all the bases. Red Light District Soundseeing Tour, this saturday night!

AudioCommuniqu? #8 (MP3)

64kbps, about 7MB, 14min 44sec

Featuring:

Underground Bass Project
My new flat
Promos and Podcast ID’s
Sloeriesource
Mr.X
Kings of Convenience
Nepalese gov. fired
Highlights of Viva La Podcast Music Ratings
New punk in my building
Clash
Can’t Skype
Wes Montgomery

Ernesto my friend

Finally sat down and watched the motorcycle diaries. This won’t be much of a movie review, because I wanted to love it so much that I did indeed love it.

The critics and my dear scholarly masseuse, who let me borrow the dvd, all say it’s a weak film. It’s “too pretty” and “lacking in substance” they say. But you see, I believe this film was made for me. I don’t love Ch?, but I absolutely love Ernesto Guevara de la Serna. I have read his diary, his writing, and what others have written about him. Over and Over. I eat it for dinner… I actually believe (im dillusional) I understand his feelings and thoughts. I even imagine the parallels in my own life.

You see Ernesto wasn’t much of a worker. He was a curious one… a passionate one. He was so polite and so caring for complete strangers… that’s how I often feel.

The film does make it all beautiful, and it tries a little to hard to make him seem like a soon-to-be revolutionary, but it also depicts the sadness and the sense of frustration that common people no doubt felt towards the conditions they lived in. I found myself absolutely fascinated when he and Grenado enter the heart of South America, Cuzco. The deep respect for the Incas and the longing for the return of that civilization that kept such a strong quality of life.

It’s hard to talk about Ernesto because of the pop culture. It’s hard to talk about Ch? because of all the nonsense and pre-judging. But fuck that, my concern isn’t for tshirts or a symbolic icon, my interest lies in the story of a guy I can relate to. Who wanted to see the world, and alleviate the most basic injustices. Who cared more about others than himself.

Maybe later he become obsessed and self-absorbed. Maybe he lost some of that curiosity and compassion. I suppose life is funny that way, the way it can change you over time. The most peaceful and open-minded youth can become a vengeful hatemonger in his old age. But that’s not how I see Ernesto… for me he died long before that CIA trained firing squad, but he kept that dedication to strangers til the very end.. which I admire greatly.

Bad movie? Not for me. Fucking great movie. Plus the music is sweet and they drink lots of mat?, just as I do. Hopefully I will take that same journey someday, minus the motorcycle.

Unrelated, but a great read — the xtx is a poet and a half. And Viva la Podcast do their underrated/overrated band of the year list.

Today’s Sounds: Coheed & Cambria – Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth

Since Back in the Day

Johnny Benitez seems to come to Amsterdam every 6 months lately. He works for Taking Back Sunday, and they must be doing ok, cause that place was full last night and you almost can’t hear the band with everyone singing along and pointing fingers in the air. Earlier in the day I went over to the Melkweg and sat with the band, then me and my boy wandered around Leidseplein playing catch-up.

It’s a truely amazing thing… the size of this world and the way lives intersect. Me and JB grew up in the same neighborhood, both of Portuguese families, his house was even designed mediterranean style, with tiled roof and gloriously white on the outside. This, of course, triggered the baptism of his house by our other friends as “Taco Bell.”

When I think back, he was the friend who helped me get adjusted to public school in suburbia, coming from the urban polish-catholic school from hell. We played soccer together and used to reak havoc on the tennis court, ignoring all the rules and hitting the ball as hard and as far as possible. If you hit the ball out of the fenced area, it was like hitting a homerun, you were a champ.

In high school we produced TV programs together, running around outside school grounds with microphones and cameras while other kids sat in boring classes. Then came the One Cool Guy days, when together with 8 other friends, we became part of one of the NJ-tri-state area’s third-wave-ska legends.

But I never expected our lives to continue to cross paths when I moved to the dam. As I sat on the tourbus watching the boys play some motorcross videogame, I kept thinking what an odd coincidence… I grew up with this guy, and to this day, our lives somehow intersect… often. Pretty cool.

Oh and Back-to-Iraq, the journalist and blog pioneer who’s been working in Iraq for the past 3 years or so, has some good insight about what took place on election day. And if you’re curious about other perspectives, Chris Missick gives you a soldier’s take.

Today’s Sounds: Taking Back Sunday – The Newer Album