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

[The Exorcist]

Rodney Dangerfield would disagree! :)
I miss that fellow! :(

Take care Karen!

At 01:06 PM 10/29/2008, Karen Weil wrote:

>No disrespect meant, honestly. And I understood what you meant.

>

>Groetjes,

>

>k.w.

>----- Original Message -----

>From: <mailto:jelbod at hotmail.co.uk>jerry bodkin

>To: <mailto:gathering at misera.net>A list about all things Killing 

>Joke (the band!)

>Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 8:41 PM

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

>

>

>  I dont judge people Karen by race, my point was that a lot of 

> people do, too many. Preconceptions and predujice come from ignorance!

>

>

>  Just Jel

>

>

>

>

>

>----------

>

>From: <mailto:karen.weil at sddt.com>karen.weil at sddt.com

>To: <mailto:gathering at misera.net>gathering at misera.net

>Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:27:45 -0700

>Subject: 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: <mailto:jelbod at hotmail.co.uk>jerry bodkin

>To: <mailto:gathering at misera.net>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

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