 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Click
soulful puppy to see my moody
musings in IMAGES
AND FOOD
|
Site
Updates
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
27/02/96-
Muziekdoos
- Yeeta
came in with one of
her workmates
asking for
Gerhard, saying she was
drunk and probably
adding to that at
the bar. I did not
leave the table to talk
to her --- I think I
am learning. She
had asked if I'd seen
Gerhard:
"No," I
replied, " I haven't!
Maybe he's playing
Gent?"
"Oh, he's
playing all right!"
said Yeeta, " Anyhow,
when you see
him ... tell him that
I still love him."
Well..
Everts was telling
me of Leena, a
German girl, who invited
him back to her
place.... only to find
her 'boyfriend'
sitting there ...
and who was that?
This caused a
glitch in the
niceties of social
beauty.
"Well...."
concluded Leena,
" I was going out with him first! So
I'd better go out
with him."
I can't
remember whether
Everts said he
had the one night
with her before
all this was decided (
no doubt at a
hastily arranged
summit.) I think
a hefty re-arrangement
of my
conditioning is still
needed.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
23/02/96
- .....Interrupted ( from writing)
by a man who bought me heaps of
coffee and kept me in De Klamper
for a couple of hours. Said he....I see, but I say nothing!.. and he spent the next two hours saying nothing.
This is
not strictly true, but when you get
the chance to twist words....well,
why not?
I suppose
the conclusion of it all is that
people are different on the outside,
but the same inside - that there are
good and bad people - and that
your sex drive is likely to diminish
as you grow older. So... in the
case of a 120 year old man...erm,
forget it.
That
concluded, I went down to busk the
Cathedral.
NB. This
entry is cynically flippant. The man
did have much to say. He claimed
that Donovan busked the streets
and bars of Antwerp. In support,
I have heard that Donovan used to
play the Muziekdoos. This man
claimed Donovan formed a trio while
here..and that when he became
famous he reformed the trio for
a special gig.
Email me if you
want to offer your version...
or, of course, if you're Donovan.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ANTWERP
PEOPLE
Extracts
from journal segment ' Early Worm' - Feb. 1996
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
TOM
BARMAN & STEF CARLENS
Antwerpse
"rockshtars"
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10/02/96
- ... and headed to the Elephant's Graveyard (Irish bar), where David Lloyd and Helen were playing. Peter and Peggy were in there, alongside some other girl, and, much the same
as Molly's
(another Irish bar) a couple of weeks ago, beers just sprouted up from nowhere.... so I busked no more that night.
I walked
home with David, who is due to return home to Michigan (U.S.) on Thursday.
He was
upset about Helen not suggesting any private meeting before he left. Well... Helen seems very similar to Ruana (my
female
pedestal). They both deal with their emotions in similar ways.
I was
pretty drunk and when I returned to the appartment I ate some bread, cheese and salami.... because I had not really eaten that day, which ... I suppose... was why I was so drunk!
Gerhard
arrived about half an hour later, even more drunk than me....
I thought
you'd be working till six...?
Yes, he replied, the
plaishe wash empty early --- sho I didn't earn mush..
Uh huh! said I
He
staggered to a chair.. slumped down... and spoke on ...
Yesh ---
I earnt 400 francs, but I had shome drinksh after... afterwardsh. Tom Barman offered
me a lift home. We shtopped off at
the Frituur No 1 on the way. I shaid to Tom,
"Tom!
You're all imagesh! Why don't you play accoushtic guitar and write Flemish .. sh..shongs" ----- ' Well yesh..' he
shaid, ' I have been
doing a bit of that.' He ish all imagesh.... playing the rock shtar...
Oh dear!
Gerhard was clearly too much drink, too much talk and not well thought out.
So I
said, Tom does
a lot of good work helping on developing groups
Well,
yesh... I shupposh sho -- ohhh... why did I get thish drunk... I'm all .... he
animated his fingers in imitation of a mouth busily talking.
Well, I
suppose Gerhard felt a bit bad about the things he had said to Tom, but I think Tom shows up well in this because he
made sure
a very drunk Gerhard got home safely. In addition, he calmly put up with Gerhard's uncharacteristic verbal bombardment.
But, in
another way, it shows the sheer vulnerability of stardom alongside its pleasant fulfillment. I have heard stories
where female
fans went to extraordinary measures to attract his attention. Things might have altered a bit since Stef Carlens told me (last
Spring) that it was Tom who received around 30 'come on' letters from girls each week...while Stef only got the
one. Because
now, of course, Stef is a 'rock star' in his own right, so he probably receives as many himself these days.
But,
judging from his re-actions to one of the letters he received, he may well find it hard dealing with this aspect of
'stardom'.
A 29 year
old female wrote him a letter saying how much she loves him etc...
She then
wrote another letter blaming Stef for her writing of the first letter.
Stef was
most upset by this strange behaviour. Said he, " She's 29... I'm only 25! What's she blaming me for? I never asked
her to write
no letter! "
As I've
said before, I don't know Tom that well. We haven't had any deep, meaningful discussions in comparison to Stef. But Tom has usually been very friendly and courteous when we have
met. The
last time he stood up to shake my hand (Muziekdoos). As far as the media ia concerned I am unknown --- Tom is a 'rock star'.
He could
choose to ignore me. He doesn't. So I am at odds with any comments branding him arrogant. He has achieved --- and I
think he
should have the right to enjoy the fruits of the achievement. It seems, from what I've seen, that he treats
people with
respect and friendliness.
That is
not arrogance! It is dignity!
All power
to him!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
20/02/96
- ANTWERP CENTRE:-Weekend
aside, people here are very
responsive to the weather. On a mild
patch they would come out to the
centre... provided it is not raining.
So yesterday, with snow/sleet/rain
and strong, cold wind, the
centre was fairly empty --- and
this seemed to confuse Sven and
Kevin a bit because they came out
to play bars. But they played
only one ( with about 4 people in
it) and earnt 50 francs each.
I said, "
Maybe you can spend your 50
francs on a coffee?"
"Yes,
that's true!" replied Sven, " But I
think we are better off than most
people coming out tonight. Most
people spend money. We came out
to earn it."
I suppose
this satirical image we were
portraying could be extended:-
Hi Joe!
Jeez....I went out last night...
oooo, have I got a bad hangover....
Looks
like you have, John. I went out last
night too. What did you do last
night?
Well, I
had a drink with my girlfriend
in the Muse, then on to a few other
bars... then a nightclub, where we
danced a bit....oh yeah! Onto a
great party and then back to mine
where we got real animal until
midday today.I guess all of that
explains my hangover. Oh... by the
way... what did you do?
50 francs
Satirical
or not, it is an excellent summary
of the extreme experiences
of my lifestyle.
Times
when social high life, glamorous
settings and financial cushions
are balanced by lonesome,
dreary days when it is all about
50 francs..... can I afford 50 francs
for a coffee.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It is
June,1994 - and across
the water from England
come a greenhorn
wannabe busker
with a promising musical
duo, but next to no
busking experience.
For one of these
it was not an adventure.
It was the end of
everything he had
held dear. Into the apparent
wasteland of Belgium
he had come - and
then on to Antwerp. The
will to live had deserted
him - and now, like
an elephant, there was
only one place to die....the
Elephant's Graveyard.
Only
one thing could restore
his will to live: LOVE.
Find
out what happened
to...
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
HEAR
THESE SONGS
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Want a
taste of Antwerp music? Visit Heavenhotel
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||