[kj] Nice Streets Below: How We Wait in Europe

jerry bodkin jelbod at hotmail.co.uk
Tue Oct 28 23:45:56 EDT 2008



Jamie, it wer'nt my fault, and i did say,leave it there!

Deported bloke.



To: gathering at misera.netDate: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:32:06 -0400From: jpwhkj at aol.comSubject: Re: [kj] Nice Streets Below: How We Wait in EuropeI think the question that you have to ask is what was he doing for the first 2 hours to merit the next 10 in a cell!-----Original Message-----From: Karen Weil <karen.weil at sddt.com>To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!) <gathering at misera.net>Sent: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:27Subject: Re: [kj] Nice Streets Below: How We Wait in Europe



Dank u wel for your input, Jerry. The Dutch are good people (but sorry about your one experience there!) And I couldn't agree with you about judging an entire group/city/nation, etc. based on the actions of a few jerks. It only leads to no good.

Anyway, tot ziens!

k.w.

----- Original Message -----
From: jerry bodkin
To: A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 12:48 AM
Subject: Re: [kj] Nice Streets Below: How We Wait in Europe
Holland is a lovely country and the Dutch are a lovely people, ive been there several times including once for just 12 hours(10 of them in a police cell) but we'll leave that there! France too is a beautiful beautiful place and the people there too are lovely once you make an effort with them. i.e. try at least to speak the language. Give me Europe any day. Too often we judge an entire race on individual behaviour, my God, what must most of the world think of us English. Jelala.


> From: karen.weil at sddt.com> To: crackedmachine at yahoo.co.uk; gathering at misera.net> Date: Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:51:50 -0700> Subject: Re: [kj] Nice Streets Below: How We Wait in Europe> > Hi, Change:> > Appreciate your thoughts on Belgium; it's a fine place. Germany also offers > so much, and has a very strong avant-guarde scene.> However, I have to take issue with your comments about the Dutch and > Europe. If anything, the Dutch have a totally different attitude when it > comes to languages; that's why so many of them speak three or four of them. > Whatever differences they may have with their European neighbors; I really > don't think the English issue plays a great role.> And while Paris is outrageously expensive (I was there in May; and believe > me, it was no fun coming from a country where the currency is in the > toilet!), I really can't agree with your observations about the French, > either. (Although I will concur about their love of Wire!)> But at any rate, enjoy travelling -- veel plezier, as the Dutch say!> > Groetjes,> > k.w.> > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Change" <crackedmachine at yahoo.co.uk>> To: "A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)" > <gathering at misera.net>> Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5:53 AM> Subject: [kj] Nice Streets Below: How We Wait in Europe> > > > How nice it was to escape this ever more petty joke of a nation, occupied > > as it has been by the USA since WW2. If you want to get away from this > > rotten island then a great place to go is Belgium. Its not too far by > > coach through the tunnel. Brussels is beautiful. The streets smell of > > coffee and chocolate, the people are jolly and kind and there is great art > > everywhere. No wonder Colin and Malka made it their home. There are also > > lots of Belgians with little noses straight out of a Tintin book. The food > > and beer are amazing. I thought Brussels was wonderful but then I made it > > to Ghent and was pretty damn glad the trams had been aborted by a flower > > festival because I walked along the canal to get back to the station and > > realised that this is architecturally the most beautiful city I have seen. > > I haven't made it to Prague yet though! Antwerp looks like a low rent > > Barcelona copy, in the same way Manchester tries to be European but always > > ends up looking like> > a post-industrial dump. Tilberg is very boxy but the people were partying > > hard and late and the Dutch all seem to think the rest of Europe is crap > > just because they don't all speak perfect English! "Those crazy Dutch!" > > said Lewis but I can't remember why. Maybe it was something to do with the > > hotel WIRE rejected in Tilburg. Margaret the guitarist said it was so > > grotty she didn't even want to put her bag down in it let alone sleep in > > it!> >> > Berlin is a great place to explore, full of impressive sites and large > > enough to spend years there I'd warrant. Tiergarten is the largest and > > most lovely park I've ever strolled through. German venues also make a > > mockery of British ones in terms of the sound.> >> > Strasbourg has a fine market where I found a sabre for a mere twenty > > euros, a light sabre for two euros and a tiny plastic Obelix for twenty > > cents. Lewis loves the trams, but the modern art gallery, watched over by > > one of Lovecraft's Forgotten Ones, is even better. I spent too long there > > so got to Paris 23 minutes too late. My Cologne friend Dirk from the > > Gathering reckons Strasbourg is cool because of the huge German influence. > > Cancel your order, crossing the border, changing the menu!> >> > The Eyefull tower is good for a stroll but Paris is full of too many slow > > people and the prices are obscene. Jus d'orange? Mai non je pense que je > > WAIT until ich gehe zu Belqigue! Paris hotels are the worst. Unlike > > Germany and Belgium, the beer is worse than Britain. French computer > > keyboards were designed by a retard and the showers go some way to > > explaining why the English have often mocked the French for being > > hygenically challenged. The redeeming feature of the French is that many > > of them seem to really love WIRE and gave the most enthusiastic response > > of any crowds on this tour.> >> > Anyway this was the route of my rail and road trip:> >> > I arrived in beautiful Brussels in the middle of some kind of medieval > > WARDANCE pageant. I had time to visit the city's most mainstream record > > store just opposite Ancienne Belquique which Killing Joke would conquer by > > and by. I was rewarded by finding a copy of one of the few PJ HARVEY > > singles I didn't yet possess, 'A PLACE CALLED HOME.'> >> > After a couple of hours I caught the train to gorgeous Ghent for the WIRE > > gig at Democrazy.> >> > Next day I took trains via Antwerp and a bus NORTH OF THE BORDER to > > Tilburg just in time to catch the seismic riffin' PELICAN and Dutch > > hardcore heroes SEEIN' RED before WIRE blasted off at around 7pm. Later I > > was also entertained by the double breasted PRE and a Satanic black metal > > band who gave the crowd the finger for watching them, all of which was > > unexpected.> >> > On returning to Brussels I witnessed a lovely WIRE gig at La Botanique, a > > venue which could verily call itself NICE STREETS ABOVE if it so desired. > > I struck up conversation with a charming photographer and graphic designer > > called Violette who sent me eight great photos of WIRE from the gig.> >> > After the gig I had to START TO MOVE pretty sharp and jumped on the night > > train where I was entertained by conversation with a former theatre > > director who had just aborted a trip to Turkey. He recommended a trip to > > Tiergarten which proved very good advice. My first police encounter was > > with two cops on the Ostbahnhof platform who took a rather long time > > checking to find out if Interpol have a warrant out on me for listening to > > music in my living room. Berlin is also very cool and well worth a visit > > in its own right, but smells worse than Brussels.> >> > The first night was free before the arrival of KILLING JOKE so I checked > > out the SO36 venue where they and WIRE played, which was immortalised in a > > song on the first KILLING JOKE album. The sound was excellent as are all > > other German venues I've ever been to. The soundman played KILLING JOKE > > before the headline act, a comedy punk trio who weren't very funny but > > probably liked DEVO. We talked after the gig and I run into him again at > > the KILLING JOKE gigs.> >> > After the amazing KILLING JOKE regeneration in Berlin, with Big Paul's > > drum kit illuminated and smoking ritualistically, I planned to head to > > Paris to see them there. The train times were TOO LATE so at the last > > minute I rerouted to Strasbourg for more WIRE and this proved a wise > > choice as the COMET hit very late and I caught the whole set in front of a > > very young and enthusiastic crowd at a festival that went on until 6am. > > Next day my second run in with cops was with two French transport police > > who ask me to wrap up my sword so that it couldn't be seen before I caught > > the train.> >> > Paris next for more WIRE, on a first class train where I started downing > > some of the left over Heineken from last night's rider and upset a French > > idiot who had a tantrum because I couldn't stop belching even when she > > kicked my chair. She complained to the guard and he clearly thought it was > > a bit silly having to ask me not to belch when I couldn't help it. In the > > end she started complaining I was playing the BUTTHOLE SURFERS too loud on > > my headphones and he came back, again embarrassed, to ask me to turn it > > down. Then she had a stroke of genius and moved to another seat. Perhaps > > its a good job the sword was wrapped!> > If you ever feel like going to Paris my advice is don't bother. Go in a > > cafe that advertises coffee for a Euro and they greasy waiters will > > chearge you five.> >> > It was nice to speed back to Belgium and Brussels which was already > > seeming like a second home. I found many cool CDs in the shops, including > > quite appropriately COMMERCIAL SUICIDE. Being there for three days I had > > plenty of time to explore and each day surpassed the previous one. I met > > so many great people in Belgium I felt like moving there!> >> > My favourite songs to listen to on a speeding train were> > KILLING JOKE - Pssyche> > WIRE - Drill (DJ Fuckoff Version)> > oh dear the moderate Craig won't like that will he?> > KILLING JOKE - Timewave> > PJ HARVEY - Taut> > EINSTURZENDE NEUBAUTEN - Haus Der Lauge> > BAND OF SUSANS - Guitar Trio> > KILLING JOKE - Empire Song> > WIRE - Germ Ship> > WIRE - Spent> > BUTTHOLE SURFERS - Who was in my room last night?> >> > Back home after another awesome double dose of the mighty JOKE I had a day > > of rest and didn't even have time enough to notice what a terminal dump > > Manchester is because the MELVINS wheeled in to rock the town and give me > > a chance to catch up with lots of old friends. That is the great thing > > about Manchester, lots of good gigs.> >> > Next day I was off again to London for the KILLING JOKE homecoming and as > > chaotic synchronicity would have it, THALIA ZEDEK and her band began their > > tour the very next day. She's a brilliant intense songwriter. Check her > > out while you still can...> >> > www.myspace.com/thaliazedek> >> > Her tour ends on October 23 at La Botanique in Brussels!> >> > I went to all the THALIA ZEDEK BAND gigs in England and after the best one > > at Hull Adelphi I had to zoom down to Cheam in Surrey for my younger > > sister's wedding. The lavish reception was held on a Territorial Army base > > but my uncles and I resisted the temptation to hijack a tank. One thing I > > gave her was a copy of 'UH HUH HER' by PJ HARVEY as "The Desperate Kingdom > > of Love" couldn't really be a better song to wish for a long loving > > marriage, at the end of this burning world.> >> > Then I went home to transcribe interesting interviews with MAGAZINE and > > WIRE, blow up some more stereo speakers, and wait for civilization to fall > > in its grave.> >> > ACCELERATE> > ACCELERATE> >> >> >> >> >> >> > _______________________________________________> > Gathering mailing list> > Gathering at misera.net> > http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering> > > > _______________________________________________> Gathering mailing list> Gathering at misera.net> http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/gathering


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