Addiction of the Week V

Helge Schneider

German Musician, Comedian, Clown

It is nearly impossible to describe the work of this man. He got famous in Germany for a song about Cat-Toilets, and has since then toured the country with a wide range of programs. He is mostly famous for his comedic songs, wich he mostly makes up while recording. His work also includes two CDs of short stories and plays read and acted by himself and a recently released auto-biography, wich closes with a scene of Schneider cutting off both of his own legs with a scythe while mowing his lawn.

What makes this man even more interesting is that he is a brilliant musician, capable of playing two dozen of instruments. Over the years, he began to include more and more Jazz-Instrumentals into his programs, wich made him appealing to an even wider audience.

Here is a excerpt of his recent program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8AgLsCi07I

And a piece more focussed on his musicianship:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YH_MxCM6No

The Name Game

The name of a person is a very important part of his identity.

However the longer you know a person, the less his/her name strikes you as a specific trait or a characteristic. Over time a familiar persons name jsut blends in with the general persona, and seems to have no special association to it at all.

But what happens if this person decides to change his/her name?

Exactly thats what I´m facing at the moment, as my girlfriend of two years is currently deciding by what name she will go by in the future.

You should know that my girlfriend is from Hong Kong, where people have two official names, a three part Chinese name (eg. Kwok Wing Li) and an english first name. This english first name can be changed at will by the person, and there are no limits set. So it often happens that a Hong Kong student will be called by his Chan Yat Wai by his friends and relatives, but will be introduced to you, a foreigner, as Peter Chan. Some people also jsut use their english names, while others dont have one.

Side effects of this policy are:

1. People change their name weekly.

2. A lot of people have the same names as their favorite singers/actors.

3. Names like Mushroom, Rainbow, Cloudy are nothing out of the ordinary, as students often pick their names out of english textbooks.

But to me as a westerner, who has always called everyone by his english name, I have nothing to fall back on. It would be weird calling her by her chinese name, but even weirder to call her by her new name for some reason.

I guess she has to live with the fact that she will forever be called by the name in wich I fell in love as part of her persona.

3 Movies to watch before the year is over

1. Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky is probably the best director under 50 at themoment, his movies Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain (yes, that one too) and The Wrestler are among the best of the last 15 years.

His newest movie features Natalie Portman in the role of a ballet actress that is slowly losing it while fighting for the lead role in the famous "Swan Lake" ballet piece.

Probably not the setting for a philosophical masterpiece, but in Aronofskys hands, this material is sure to become a very tight thriller that will go under your skin and shake you to the bones.

December 1st, 2010

2.True Grit

Coen Brothers, the dude, can I make it any more clear?

The Coens follow-up to the brilliant black comedy "A Serious Man" is a remake of the John Wayne movie of the same name. Because the original was a western that was mainly carried by Wayne in the lead role, the two headed director made sure to get one of the best there is to replace him: Jeff Bridges.

But of course this wont be a straight western, there will be a lot of Coen-typical characters in this, played by stars like Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.

True Grit is certainly the most interesting movie in this list, the Coens are always worth a watch, and this time they step on new ground, not without the help of many big names.

December 25th, 2010

3. The Social Network

What can I say about this one? A tale about the founding of facebook does not sound very intruiging at first, but the names Fincher, Reznor and Sorkin on one bill can make every movie interesting.

October 1st, 2010