Absent friends.

This does seem to be one of those years huh?
Besides relatives, friends of friends, dogs of friends and a few minor celebrities, we just lost Ronnie James Dio today.
The phrase "R.I.P" followed by someones name seems to be popping up every few days on friends status updates on facebook. This does seem to be a year where more things disappear than we are getting back.

My point being? Nothing really. As usual I'm just blurting out whatever happens to be on the top of my head.

I do however take offense when in swedish entertainment news the fact that Stellan Skarsgård enjoys walking around naked while at home is bigger news than the passing of a legend like Dio.

Klubb Gås and a short break.

I am very happy so say wednesday night was awesome. A few minor hiccups (as there always is) but all and all a good night.
Maybe the start of a longer kind of collaboration....we'll see.

After I got home (sometime around 7 in the morning) I decided, after this slightly draining week, that I am taking a break for the next few days.
Cell phone will not be used and I'm, apart from this staying off the net.

What will this accomplish? Nothing really. I can't imagine that a few days of isolation will recharge my batteries in any way.. more likely it will just give me more time to tire myself out thinking things to death (as I love to do).
No, this is more of an experiment. Last weekend I had a blackout and during those 50 minutes of no electricity I was surprised and slightly scared as to how weird it felt not being able to get on the internet for that time.


So here we go.. starting now, I'm going amish. See ya on sunday night.

It would seem...

...that Takida's tourbus burnt down.

I know this a not good move karma wise for me but that really made me laugh.

I know I am an evil evil boy who won't get any cool toys for christmas after saying that out loud but fuck it. Considering the past few months there was a fair chance that was gonna happen anyways.


Klubb Gås is rolling with us tomorrow night. Hopefully I'll have insightful comments about the evening to share with you. At least more so than "haha yer stuff is burnt down'"!


Somewhat sinisterly yours,

Beard

They do not build them as they once did.

Due to it being "Intergalactic Star Wars Status" day or whatever on facebook, I've been thinking about the first time I saw the original trilogy way back when.
And other first times as well. Culture wise.

I recall my dad renting the Episode IV sometime when I was about 6 or 7.

What I remember most from this is that my dear mom did not want me to see them on the account of them being too violent. Is there really any better way to get a 6 year old more eager to watch something than saying something like this?

During a period of what felt like years (as temporal measurement was not my greatest strength back then. It most likely was about a three week period) I plowed thru the other two.

I can't really remember any real details on how I felt about the so many classic scenes I now know by heart, but I do recall I even at my young age I thought "Empire" was the best of three. See, I was dark little jerk back then as well.

Goes without saying (or it should) that the original three films have really aged well. Ok some of the dialog is perhaps not the stuff Shakespeare is made of , but it works.
The first one came out in 77' and 33 years later it still is just as great as it was back then.

Name one film that has arrived this side of the millennium shift that will still be going strong 2033. I can't really think of one. Sure there have been great films, but nothing that I think will be able to match what Lucas somehow pulled together back in the day. Star Wars has not only remained the king of the genre, which would be impressive on it's own. It has in fact grown since then. ( In spite of the three new films and the *cringe* TV series)

Another thing I came to think about this morning during my first lesson, was my first experience with heavy metal.
No surprise here.. It was of course Metallica's Master Of Puppets from 86 ( I think).

The first three tracks blew my little 13 year old head right the fuck off.
My cousin (the guy who had played it for me) copied their first record, Kill Em All onto a tape for me. I spent the next few weeks doing pretty much everything short of going on a killing spree to get my greasy little paws on anything I could find Metallica wise.

I'm not as big a Metallica fan these days. When they come to town I do go if it won't cost me too much and doesn't take too much effort on my part to get tickets..
But that's it.

I still however can listen to Master Of Puppets, Ride The Lightning and any of their stuff pre Black Album and still have a "wow" moment every now and then.

Name one band that has released an album post 2000 that will have that kind of staying power.
I can't think of anything off the top of head ( yes I know I will get angry letters from Slipknot fans any day now).
You ask any metal guitarist what their first close encounter with heavy music was and at least 8 out of 10 will say Master Of Puppets.

What's my point? Nothing really except maybe that nostalgia ain't what it used to be and I feel old when all my points of reference are older than most of my ex girlfriends.

Having said that.. Good night.







A poster I made for the Wednesday Pub last fall.







This might be worth looking into...

Tips how to avoid the ever present awkward silence .

Slightly misleading title I'm afraid.
I actually don't have any real tips as to how to avoid this other than follow me around for a 24 hour period, take notes and you'll pretty much know what not to do.

What I really wanted to talk about is the act of talking about the weather.
This is a very common thing we do when we really don't have anything of relevance to say and just want to keep the conversation (in the loose sense of the word) rolling along.
Or limping maybe is the best word.

You know what the funny thing is?
I almost never do this when I'm in an awkward situation. I always end up sharing my deep thoughts on for example "if the weather this past weekend was suitable for sleeping outside" with people I am fairly comfortable with.

I guess this means if I start talking about shower activity with you, you know were tight.
If I however start sharing my thoughts on death or my personal problems then I'm afraid we're not really there yet.

Midnight electric sugar.

That sounds like something Tom Waits might say actually.

I just wanted to start this week (yes the week officially started 17 minutes ago. Get up you lazy fuck!) with an album tip for you all(all TWO of you).
Hammock - Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow is the third record of this amazing duo.
The music is proof that you can say alot by not really saying very much at all.
Minimalistic instrumentation but truly amazing sonic wise.
Great music to listen to late at night alone with your thoughts or with someone else.
Silence is the main thing I think. Everytime I put one of their records on I tend to fall silent and listen. Bittersweet is the key word here, cuz this not really feelgood kind of stuff but even though you might not feel anything great while listening, you won't feel anything bad.

THAT my friends, is great songwriting.




Cool cover as well huh?







This one is great as well.

Rage Against the ...who are you again?

So yesterday was the first of may. A real pain in the ass of day for many reasons.

A: The entire greater stockholm area is nursing an epic hangover so almost no one feels like doing anything leaving me, the one guy who likes spread out my drinking rather than do it all one night, bored and lonely.

And B:

This is big day for demonstrations. Now, I am a big fan of standing up for causes. Believing in something and fighting for it is truly something to admire.
That however is not what this is about anymore.

Let me clarify a little. For some, this day represents something meaningful.
The problem is this has turned into day that pretty much is about kids going around doing dumbass shit and not having the fainest idea as to why or what the idea behind it is.
The "Reclaim the streets" thing has a similar problem though it is much much worse.

That day has turned into a day where stupid kids go around trashing the city and spraying slogans that have no real meaning to them on any building they can get their hands on.
Sounds really stupid right?

Thank god the geniuses running the show these days weren't the ones demonstrating back when Vietnam was going on...otherwise it would have taken a hellulva lot longer to get out of there.


So my point? Standing up for causes is great but if you don't know what it is you're standing up for than please sit down. You'll probably do more damage than good in the long run.

One year. (orignally posted elsewhere 30/04/10)

It took one year. One entire fucking year, almost to the day.

I never thought that would be the case and I think time just got away from me and here we are.
I can't imagine things are gonna be very different for me besides in the dark, storage area in the basement of my mind, reserved for things that one prefers to keep in a room where the lights aren't turned on very often.
The only change from then and now is this is the last time I well ever acknowledge it.

This one post will be the only record of my having ever mentioned it.

If you know about what I am referring, you know never to mention it again. If you don't than I guess you never will.


Let's let the bad times roll.



See ya soon.