March 30, 2007
To counter my rather sensitive post on Knut, something far less cute. Three R ´n´ R albums with a crotch on the cover (O, the LP times, when the cover was as magical as the music itself… Something died when Internet took over). Same idea, different times and styles.
The Rolling Stones´ “Sticky Fingers” (1971) is beyond doubt one of the best R ´n´ R albums ever. The idea of the cover came when Andy Warhol told Mick Jagger that having a real zipper on a cover would be amusing. A year later, Jagger proposed the idea for “Sticky Fingers”. The packaging proved the Stones had not lost their gift for outrageousness.
A decade later, Mötley Crüe released "Too Fast For Love", one of the most influential albums of its genre, recorded in one week, with a sound as raw as sandpaper. The cover, a tribute of “Sticky Fingers”, is also a natural thing for the “Kings of cock Rock”. The leathered crotch of Vince Neil is a display of intentions from the biggest hoodlums of rock and roll.
WASP brinked on the absurd with “Animal” in 1984. Obsessed with gore, “The Chainsaw Massacre”, Alice Cooper, the original sleeve depicts a codpiece and a circular saw. Deemed too controversial, Capitol Records risked being banned from major retail chains, backed out and the single was shelved until the band stroke a deal with the independent label Music For Nations.
March 29, 2007
Berliners are far kinder than the Bavarian Authorities when it comes to bears. They have rallied to defend Knut, although an animal rights campaigner said the bear shouldn´t have been kept alive and should be put to sleep. They´ve got their reasons (alongside loads of sangfroid), yet I deem their logic a tad hypocritical and warped. Knut has a right to live. Besides, he is SO CUTE (the dole makes me soft…), who would dare kill him? Third, under a more commercial point of view, Knut is a campaign against global warming in itself, and a bloody effective one at that, for more than one would think of the dainty polar bear before wasting energy. Last, Germany should have learnt the lesson; when they killed Bruno, Germany lost the World Cup Semifinal and the scene of the crime, Rotwand, suffered a tourist boycott. Bruno was young and strong. Knut is just a baby, so the punishment would be terrible terrible…
March 24, 2007
Facts. I finished the Commission stage 20 days ago, I’ve got no job, neither have I hunted for one a lot, but I know it is thorny in Brussels (supply much bigger than demand, with nefarious consequences I’ll explain another day); however the last 20 days have been the most stressful since my arrival in the dump of Europe. Having passed the 1st exam of a concourse in Spain (English exam, scarce challenge there, with flight to Spain to do it in the package, turbulence for my Visa), I had to prepare the 2nd, that also came with another flight to Spain (direct hit to the Visa). My Visa’s whining is very likely to be in vain, as my performance in the 2nd exam was not great and, by deconstruction, the results will not be very brilliant. When that was over I had to carry out some freelance racket for a fistful of Euros that kept me busy this week. I enjoyed it, but it hampered my studying for the validation of my master that is taking place next Saturday (in Madrid, I bought the flight 2 days ago, somebody check my visa’s vital signs). No point in commenting on the lovely ideas of the organisation that taught that master, or on the magnificently riveting stuff they chose for this exam.
Consequences. My Visa is trembling. Alongside the studying there came forth another of my old habits, that of Nosferatu, so throughout the last two weeks I ate badly, lived by night, chain-smoked, arrived in French course more dead than alive and turned anything that might resemble a normal rhythm of life upside down. To no avail, I fear. Finally, due to all this, to the great Brussels climate, that has seen its unpredictability enhanced by global warming (whatever), to a quirk of life or, more probably, to every possible combination and permutation of the above, I have caught the second cold plus bronchitis in a month.
March 7, 2007
Yesterday I had a sleepless, thoughtful night. Knowing me, I suppose it is just normal, I think too much and being jobless enhances my pessimism and musing over decadence. It is easy to feel confused. Yet I shall not be idle this month: I must study (a concours and my master´s revalidation exam), have French intensive course (15 hours week) and then there is a racket for some freelance income that may crystalise. Besides I will try to move a bit and sidestep Diogenes syndrome. I will discover Brussels via strolls. So not much free time, and alongside all this I must begin to jobhunt seriously. My goes at it have been rather timid so far, but as said before, I haven´t got much time.
Leaving the Commission made me sad, it was great to work with people so good, at least in DG Trade. The last week I met the Commissioner for Trade, who´s got the honour of sharing nickname (“Prince of Darkness”) with Satan and also with none other than… Ozzy Osbourne, founding father of heavy metal and genius extraordinaire! It was interesting to hear Mr Mandelson´s opinion on the Doha Round of Trade talks, yet it goes without saying I would have thousandfold preferred to get to know the voice of Black Sabbath!
It was an honour to work for someone worthy of sharing nickname with Ozzy anyway.
March 6, 2007
It is not the slowdown of the U.S. economy or the unfairness of globalisation. Neither is it the financial markets´ tumbling of last week. China has not devoured the rest of the world and Iran hasn´t officially got Weapons of Mass Destruction. I am not even talking about global warming.
Switzerland… Neutral, are they not? Harmless, are they not? Well, it seems something got loose, they became greedy and decided to send years of peace to kingdom come…
Switzerland has invaded Liechtenstein!
Where is the UN security council? Those Swiss , blast them! Such blatant naked aggression…
