HW: some, OFF: much

[Henderson Keith]

Hi Folks...

I've missed the last bus outta the woods back towards home already,
so now I have another 3 km night stroll through the woods to look
forward to...but no sense leaving now.  The train from Siggenthal
only goes every hour, so I have 45 minutes to wait to put myself
onto the right connection.

So...time to kill...how 'bout some more free association writing
of my current thoughts?  If you'll let me indulge.  I'm no Buddha,
but I'm getting pretty fat and happy these days.  Too much damn
chocolate and cheese.  You know, in this silly country (which I
have to admit I find kind of 'endearing' though), they even make
SOFT DRINKS out of milk?  It's called Rivella, and because it
actually tastes like lark's vomit, my other non-Swiss friends and
I call it Revolting.  There's a serious beef cattle:milk cow
ratio problem here, since you need to take out a loan to buy a
kg of hamburger here, whereas the only cheap food item here is
chocolate.  Which is terribly addictive.  But then I think perhaps
the most addictive substance on earth is not heroin or cocaine,
but rather Pringles potato chips.  Which they have here as well,
even in Paprika flavor (!), which I've begun to develop a taste
for.

Well, ok, there's a partial update on the thinkprogressive.de
page about this summer's LAST Burg Herzberg festival in rural
Germany (I'm very happy I'll see at least one).  Here are some
names that Kalle's listed...not a bad start.

Damo Suzuki Network
Fairport Convention
Birth Control
Living Blues
Caravan
Epitaph
Embryo
Adaro
Man

Also, Nektar, who are starting to rearrange their intended Fall
2002 Europe tour, are also looking to join the lineup, which would
improve things greatly.  I'm not sure what Amon Duul II is doing
this summer, but they look to be getting some dates of their own
going (finally) after letting last Fall slide by also.  They're
listed at Spirit of 66 in Verviers, Belgium for April 13, 2003,
and if need be, I'll ride 6.5 hours on the train for that gig.  But
seeing as they're from Munich, I shouldn't have to do that.

So, with the end of Burg Herzberg and the end of Strange Days US,
I wonder about the future of "Space Rock, the Next Generation."
Is it headed for another long hiatus?  I'm really starting to feel
like maybe the peak of its return happened in ~1999 and that
ironically since 2001 we've seen the bubble burst a little bit.
Maybe not to the same degree as NASDAQ, but...

US space rock has suffered many losses in recent years, including
Farflung & P-hed (to their electronic alter-ego), and a host of
retirements (Sky Cries Mary, Quarkspace and ArcMet to retirement,
and Das Ludicroix and Born to Go to health, and Alien Planetscapes
has suffered too though Doug continues).  I don't know what the 2
Steve's have done, if they did indeed emigrate to the UK last fall
(as all indications were), their activity there has been greatly
hidden and Star Nation (with a great full album in hand) seem to
do nothing to support it.  Maybe they will arise at Summerfest
(if itself arises!).

I know that the Ashtabula tapes, a jam session featuring an
Arc Met/Quarkspace/Sun Machine-veteran 'supergroup,' are still
intended for future release.  But hopefully this won't be wrapping
up the end of an era!

One positive note is that groups in Texas seem to be producing
output in similar quantities as they did in the '90s, even though
I don't think any of them can really afford to play out live
outside their home state where much of their fan base likely is
(or *would* be, if they could!).

I've just recently gotten some of the new Hungarian albums, and
I have to say they're not as good as the ones from just a few
years ago.  I think they're following the same trail as the
early 90s UK free-festy psych bands blazed....i.e., going more
from rock towards electronica.  Korai Orom in the middle of
their current career, i.e., 1997, hit the proper balance of the
2 IMHO with a fantastic album.  But the 2001 disc didn't do the
same for me...it wasn't really more electronic, just less
interesting.  Colorstar is more trancey now, and I didn't like
it as much.  The second Nine Invisibles didn't really improve
from the first either (back to the UK now), and is hardly what
Ship of Fools was.

Also, too, Nordic space-rock continues, but I don't know that
it goes with the same gusto as the mid- to late-90s.  Darxtar
released the interesting Tombola album, which was far different
from anything they'd done (or anybody else really) in the past.
But they hardly seem to be alive, let alone active on the circuit.
Pseudo Sun finally got their album out and it's a good one, but
can they afford to do much live?

In the UK, Quimby and Litmus are active, but seem to rely quite
a lot on opportunities presented by the likes of established names
(Ozrics and Hawkwind) for live dates.  Not meaning to demean them,
as I think they're both entirely capable on their own of carrying
their own shows...just stating a(n unfortunate) fact.

OK, 'nuff that.  Too depressing to think about any more.

So I saw Magma in Geneva last weekend...good show, but they don't
seem like they should be playing in a dance-club/bar.  And too
many damn smokers again.  Europe is really quite preferable to
me in many (if not most) ways to those United States, but man, the
negative vibe that smokers in public places in the US feel is
really something that should be imported here (not terrible pop
music!).  I work in a freaking radiochemistry laboratory, where
people are allowed to smoke!  Only in certain places mind you,
but still...it's ridiculous.  There's a lot more PDA here as well,
and very strange girl-girl non-romantic kissing, but that doesn't
cause me any permanent damage (physically, anyway).  But virtually
every time I see a young, confident, well-dressed female get off
the train (I see the males too, but I guess they don't make as
much of an impression for some reason), the first thing they do
is light up (still on the platform which means everybody is
lighting up).  No wonder everybody is so bloody thin here.  In
Germany, you can buy cigarettes in vending machines right on the
street every single city block it seems!  Gee, I wonder why so
many 12-year olds get addicted to smoking when they're still too
young to know better.  It's stupid.

Well, I've used up my time, and have to start out now.  I had
other ideas to offer, but those'll have to wait.

Hey...when are War of the Worlds tix going to be available to
order from outside the UK?  The one link from MC took you to
a place to order (I think) from only inside the UK, and the
other said they weren't available yet.  I've committed to
going now, so...see ya' there.  Anybody travelling from near
Luton up and back around then?

Hopp Schwiiz!  (I've been to St. Moritz for ski championships
and this is what they cheer...funny people live here.)

Grakkl (FAA)