Last night I watched the Champions League final between Manchester City and Internationale Milan. To my delight, although I am not a City supporter, the Italian team lost, because it would annoy me if a style of play that is only out to destroy were victorious. During the game I had to think several times of one of the best players in the Premier League from the past 30 years. Eric Cantona played for Manchester United in the early 90s and it was always great to see him play. After his professional career ended, he turned to acting and made his mark in several French films. Now he's back with a debut single that was released last week. A self-penned ballad with guitar, piano and strings. A tribute to people important to him who are no longer with us. I didn't expect Cantona to follow in the footsteps of Nick Cave. Chapeau.
A few years ago there was a collaboration between Norwegian DJ, songwriter and producer Todd Terje and Bryan Ferry with the result of a very new and unique version of the classical song Johnny And Mary best known on the way Robert Palmer did decades ago. I love this kind of version and it's slowed down rhythm and the reduction to the essential of the song. Sometimes I wonder why they don't play this version on public broadcast.
Last week I told that me and Kerstin made the decision to go separate ways. Now I asked myself what to do with your new life? Should I creep away in my flat and live a life of sorrow or should I go out looking for another woman? I am not really sure what I thought I should at this time but I remember that I started to contact my older mates and friends more and more. I also started playing football again. The last thing I wanted to start was a new relationship again. But sometimes the life plays a trick to you and you cannot fulfil your intentions. This trick came to me with Christiane which I met in my local pub at the end of last year. I knew her for a long time because she has been in a relationship with my brother's class mate. The more we talked about nearly everything we recognized that we thought about most of the themes the same way. It was also great that we had the same kind of strange humor, liked the same movies and what was important - the same music. That's what I didn't knew from my former wife - she was in that fucking Cologne stuff not paying any listen to The Smiths or something like that. And at last thus we have become a couple. To find out whether we also can spend longer time together we booked a vacation to Southern Italy. And at least it worked. We had a real fine time in this small club spending a pretty nice time together. I remember one evening when we watched the UEFA Champions League final together. It might sound strange for a German but I supported Manchester United this evening. The reason is that I don't like that snooty team filled up with so called stars. So Mario Basler made a pretty goal and it looked like they are going to win another time. I ordered me another beer to stand the last five minutes as Teddy Sheringham tied in the injury time. And Ole Gunnar Solksjaer made it perfect to minutes later. We both were happy about this result and had a wonderful evening. But there was one more thing that impressed me more this year. We are able to watch a solar eclipse in our hometown. Presumably I will never get this experience again when the moon pushes before the sun and it becomes pitch-dark on midday. Totally silence on our market place and so a good feeling to have. It was also the year I quit my job because I got in trouble with my bosses. But this will be a story maybe told next time.
Here are some records I used to play this year ...
Blumfeld - Old Nobody: German Indie Pop at it's best
Blur - 13: Very good record including Tender
Terry Callier - Lifetime: A brilliant album by a legend
The Beta Band - The 3 Eps: Underrated at this time
Built To Spill - Keep it Like a Secret: Arty high school rock
Tom Waits - Mule Variations: He's back with a superb late work
Michael Franks - Barefoot on the Beach: It's jazz and a little funk but fine songs
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication: More direct than before and listen to the bass
Diana Krall - When I Look in Your Eyes: A lot of great ballads and versions on it
Underworld - Beaucoup Fish: Fantastic record made for dancefloor
Fun Lovin' Criminals - Mimosa: They were cool as hell at this time
... and some songs you will surely remember:
The movies we went in this was:
The Matrix: Bewildering story but style-pedagogic camera settings
Notting Hill: The romance of the year
American Beauty: Kevin Spacey at his best
The Green Mile: Just a wonderful movie
The Blair Witch Project: You don't need millions of dollars to make a great movie
Arlington Road: Are your neighbors terrorists?
Fight Club: Bored men try to get their fulfillment in boxing matches
Sleepy Hollow: Excellent pictures and a mystery story makes a fantastic movie
And some remarkable things that happened in 1999:
The Euro is established - no way back // Bill Clinton is acquitted in impeachment proceedings in the US Senate // Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Öcalan is charged with treason in Ankara, Turkey // Former Warsaw Pact members Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic join NATO // A fire in the Mont Blanc Tunnel kills 39 people, closing the tunnel for nearly 3 years // For the first time the Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above the 10.000 mark // The Kosovo War drags on // Manchester United defeat Bayern Munich 2:1 in the injury time of the UEFA Champions League Final in Barcelona (thank you Mr. Solskjaer) // Napster debuts on Internet and millions starting downloading tracks .
I picked out this record by Jim O'Rourkeas the one that I connect with this year. Jim O'Rourke is an American musician, composer and director influenced with jazz and classical music. He collaborated at this time with Sonic Youth playing bass. Why I love this record? Because them compositions, arrangements and songs on it. This was one of the less records I listened from the first to the last song in a row. Never a dull moment on it. Even if he plays long and quiet songs. You think nothing will happen and suddenly some pearls begin to creep into your ears. And also the cover version of Burt Bacharach's Something's Big is worth to listen. Eureka is simply a masterpiece and very underrated.
In the review I must confess that in 1993 another year has been with many stamping changes. The slightest one was that we have bought ourselves a domestic animal. A small West-Highland terrier. Never had a pet before but I loved him from the first day we got him - not knowing that he will accompany me for 16 years. The really drastic event was the birth of our daughter. She was planned and we and we have brought the months of the pregnancy like millions more different behind ourselves. What I will never forget, nevertheless, in my life is the birth of my daughter. The most moving moment in my present life was when I might hold her for the first time in my hands. At this moment I was indescribably happy and tears of the joy are running down my cheeks. I was so happy that I could take the world in my arms. Of course, you are not able to sleep after this emotional birth so I went to my mates to celebrate the birth of my daughter. My god, was I hammered. A few month later we finished the renovation in our house so we could move into it before the winter comes.
Another thing I remember this year was the World Championship in Athletics that was held in Stuttgart. I'm into football but me and my mates have decided to watch the games at one day. I can remember that Thursday when we arrived at the competition site. It was warm and a clear sky and full of visitors. We had good seats to watch the pole vault and the men and women short sprint as well. It was also the first day of the men's decathlon. I've never been to a crowded place where thousands of people are happy and peaceful watching the competitions. Simply said, it was fantastic.
Didn't found much new music this year and when I look back I remember this ones:
Cypress Hill - Black Sunday: Dope reggae
Iggy Pop - American Caesar: The old man is back as good as ever
Penelope Houston - The Whole World: Hit me with a flower - San Fransisco calling
Grant Lee Buffalo - Fuzzi: Laid back songs from the American underground
Jamiroquai - Emergency On Planet Earth: Brought us back to dancefloor
Guru - Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. I: Fantastic sounds with this crossover
Donald Fagen- Kamakiriad: Another great record from the former Steely Dan member
V.A. - Judgement Nights: If it should be loud - it should be in this way
Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds - Live Seeds: Great document of his tour I was able to see him
Here are just a few songs from this year:
Yes, we had the time to watch some movies as well:
The Fugitive: Great parts by Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford
Schindler's List: Excellent drama about a true story
Sleepless In Seattle: If you were engaged at this time you had to watch it
Philadelphia: Very good drama about to be HIV positive
In The Line Of Fire: Clint Eastwood gets even better the older he gets
Sommersby: Fine story / great actors
The Piano: Excellent movie with fantastic pictures
Groundhog Day: Every day is the same
Falling Down: It could happen if everything gets too much
True Romance: Excellent road movie, written by Quentin Tarantino
Grumpy Old Men: Just funny to watch real actors
In the Sri Lankan Civil War 100 people were killed by the navy in Jaffna Lagoon // A Liberian-registered oil tanker runs aground off close to Shetland, causing a massive oil spill // 900 Muslims and Hindus die during the Bombay riots // Bill Clinton succeeds George Bush as the 42nd President of the United States // Vaclav Havel is elected President of the Czech Republik // WTC bombed by a van bomb // The enclave Srebrenica is declared as a UN-protected 'safe area' // Eritrea gains independence from Ethiopia // Large protests erupt against the regime of Slobodan Misosevic in Belgrade - opposition leader Vuk Draskovic and his wife Danica are arrestet // GSG 9 troopers arrest Birgit Hogefeld and kill Wolfgang Grams, two Red Army Faction terrorists, in a train station in Germany // Handshake between Arafat and Rabin in Washington after signing a peace accord // The Maastricht Treaty takes effect, formally establishing the European Union // Manchester United win the inaugural English Premier League title (their first league title in 26 years) and Bobby Moore dies // World Championship in Athletics held in Stuttgart
I followed Paul Weller from the start with The Jam over to The Style Council. With every band he wrote history in modern music. Starting with The Jam to reanimate the mod era he gave us a lot of songs that were monumental. With The Style Council he slipped into another sound. Now we could here more soul and jazz in his music. On their records are a lot of songs as well I played again and again all over the years. In the early 1990s he decided to start a career under his own name. His second record by his name is Wild Wood. Weller finds the on Wild Wood his own personal sound. In rock history only a few artists found their own sound - to me occur only Neil Young and partly Jimi Hendrix. Let me formulate it in this way: earthy, crashing guitar sounds, broken and aggressively. And over the sound his fantastic voice: smoky, furious and emotionally loaded. I can't imagine that someone else could sing this songs like he did. And finally his superb lyrics. I think this is his masterpiece.
Does anybody know if The Verve are still a band right now or did they split again? Anyway Richard Ashcroft will do whatever he wants to do. Sometimes I ask myself why artists have to perform like divas. Especially the brothers Gallagher and Mr. Ashcroft. All equipped with a gentle ingenuity that they showed us in many songs. Maybe they only need the right muses to get their feet on the ground again. Untilthen, I wishMr.Ashcroftenjoythe gamesof Manchester United.
