The Voice of London Episode IX
The beginnings of our trip were fraught with difficulty, or at least inconvenience. We were dropped at the train station and went inside to see that the train from Norwich to London Liverpool Street was canceled. This worried us. We were soon to learn that the technical problems causing the cancellation were occurring only between Stowmarket and Ipswich and there were buses provided to fill the gap. As a result we were merely delayed arriving in London. Luckily our flight was not until the next afternoon. And now I'm high for the first time in approximately two months which, truth be told, is actually the longest I've ever gone without smoking marijuana since I started five years ago. I think the previous record was two or three weeks. While that may seem like I could potentially have a problem with cannabis, I think the situation demonstrates the non-addictive quality of THC. In the time since I moved out of my apartment in Winnipeg I have felt no craving or need for pot at any time. Twice in that time (now and once more than six weeks ago) I have been presented with it as an option and have indulged in its effects. After I leave the Netherlands I will have no easy (or at least not illegal) access and consequently the consequences will outweigh the uses of its usage. In addition I find that frequency diminishes novelty. After five years I'm into some novelty. Which could be part of the reason I suggested we spend the night at the airport. We arrived shortly after midnight and wandered around for a bit. Then we started playing a game of gin to a thousand points. We interrupted that to get some bench sleep while we could. When we woke up a couple hours later we wandered around the now open shops then returned to our game of gin. We were about two thirds of the way through when it was time to check through security. We boarded the plane and were in Holland within an hour.
The second difficulty came with taking the train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal station. After thirty or forty minutes we suspected being on the wrong train. A couple of corrections got us on the right track and from the station it was an easy task to take the tram to our destination and check in at the hostel. Difficulty three occurred at the restaurant we went to that night. After over an hour our food still hadn't come so we left and got falafels instead. Fourth difficulty was a result of an apparent confusion of terms. When we went into a coffeeshop and ordered a joint we expected to get ground marijuana bud rolled in a cigarette paper, nothing more, nothing less. Instead we got marijuana and tobacco rolled in a cigarette paper. In my experience this is a spliff, not a joint. After choking our way through half of it and not being able to tell what was THC buzz and what was nicotine headrush we purchased a couple grams of "Shiva" and rolled a real joint on our own. There was a problem with it raining on our way to the Anne Frank House but other than that things have gone considerably smoother after the first day. Danny and I finished the game of gin we started in the airport with Danny winning 1034 to 707. I listened to the KLF's Chill Out last night. Very, very ambient. I also listened to Future Women by The M's. I downloaded it months ago but hadn't given it any attention till now because I got distracted by some other albums I downloaded at the same time. It's really good though. It combines the Beatles inspired pop of Elephant 6 bands like Apples in Stereo or of Montreal with some of the more epic qualities of the Arcade Fire. Those are the aspects I can recall anyway. I was falling asleep at the time so my memory isn't perfectly clear.
I'm back in London now. Danny should be on the train back to Norwich by now. In a few hours I'll be going to see the Flaming Lips. I just have to figure out which venue the show is at and, subsequently, how to get there. Not having regular, easy access to a computer and internet service is going to be troublesome. Until I get a library membership and can reserve the use of a computer, internet cafes may be the most reliable way for me to get on the web. Fortunately they're not as expensive here as in Amsterdam. Still, I kind of wish I had bought a cheap laptop to bring with me on this overseas jaunt because the pocket PC that I did bring has some unfortunate limitations. Oh well, it's adaptability that's the key to survival, not complaining.
I'm currently seated in Block 6, Seat J-9 of the Carling Hammersmith Apollo and there is about 40 minutes until the opening band (called Gruif [pronounced griff]) starts. On the stage, behind the carnival coloured sound equipment, there is a full colour LED screen displaying the feed from a camera that is currently directed at a table full of miscellaneous instruments: whirligigs, kazoos, whistles, a Casio keyboard, what appears to be an 8-track. The Hold Steady has come on over the speakers, a song from the new album Boys and Girls in America. As it reached the bridge Wayne Coyne stepped out on to the stage to test a streamer shooter. It worked successfully, to the delight of the audience members already crowded up to the front. There are three mirror balls hung in the venue. I'm not certain if they are permanent features or part of the stage show, but I would bet on the latter. The Hammersmith Apollo itself is much like the Burton Cummings Theatre, though much bigger and (I hope) better suited acoustically for live musical performances. I should know for sure after the opening act has played.
I didn't know Wesley Willis had a song about the Flaming Lips. Apparently they really whip the llama's butt and Chicago, London, and San Fransisco should rock on. Oh, and for everyone who can no longer stand the suspense left by the last paragraph, yes. Next paragraph: a review of the Lips' performance.
What can I possibly say about that? The show was flat out incredible. It started with Wayne Coyne coming onto the stage in a giant hamster ball and rolling out onto the audience. Then he was helped out of it by stagehands dressed as superheroes so he could take centerstage and sing Race for the Prize amidst showers of confetti and dozens of huge balloons. Lights flashed, guitars buzzed, smoke billowed, and streamers soared, all creating a magnificent, joyful chaos. It was elaborate not for the sake of decadence or posturing, but for the giddy, childlike delight in enthusiastically overwhelming the senses. They came back for a double encore that, in my opinion, was actually unnecessary after they ended to perfectly on Do You Realize?? Second only to the Arcade Fire for the best concert I have ever seen. No, that's not true. It was the best concert I've ever seen, I just enjoyed the Arcade Fire more because I had smoked a joint beforehand and I had a better seat.
Incorrigibly yours,
Matthew Hawkins
The second difficulty came with taking the train from the airport to Amsterdam Centraal station. After thirty or forty minutes we suspected being on the wrong train. A couple of corrections got us on the right track and from the station it was an easy task to take the tram to our destination and check in at the hostel. Difficulty three occurred at the restaurant we went to that night. After over an hour our food still hadn't come so we left and got falafels instead. Fourth difficulty was a result of an apparent confusion of terms. When we went into a coffeeshop and ordered a joint we expected to get ground marijuana bud rolled in a cigarette paper, nothing more, nothing less. Instead we got marijuana and tobacco rolled in a cigarette paper. In my experience this is a spliff, not a joint. After choking our way through half of it and not being able to tell what was THC buzz and what was nicotine headrush we purchased a couple grams of "Shiva" and rolled a real joint on our own. There was a problem with it raining on our way to the Anne Frank House but other than that things have gone considerably smoother after the first day. Danny and I finished the game of gin we started in the airport with Danny winning 1034 to 707. I listened to the KLF's Chill Out last night. Very, very ambient. I also listened to Future Women by The M's. I downloaded it months ago but hadn't given it any attention till now because I got distracted by some other albums I downloaded at the same time. It's really good though. It combines the Beatles inspired pop of Elephant 6 bands like Apples in Stereo or of Montreal with some of the more epic qualities of the Arcade Fire. Those are the aspects I can recall anyway. I was falling asleep at the time so my memory isn't perfectly clear.
I'm back in London now. Danny should be on the train back to Norwich by now. In a few hours I'll be going to see the Flaming Lips. I just have to figure out which venue the show is at and, subsequently, how to get there. Not having regular, easy access to a computer and internet service is going to be troublesome. Until I get a library membership and can reserve the use of a computer, internet cafes may be the most reliable way for me to get on the web. Fortunately they're not as expensive here as in Amsterdam. Still, I kind of wish I had bought a cheap laptop to bring with me on this overseas jaunt because the pocket PC that I did bring has some unfortunate limitations. Oh well, it's adaptability that's the key to survival, not complaining.
I'm currently seated in Block 6, Seat J-9 of the Carling Hammersmith Apollo and there is about 40 minutes until the opening band (called Gruif [pronounced griff]) starts. On the stage, behind the carnival coloured sound equipment, there is a full colour LED screen displaying the feed from a camera that is currently directed at a table full of miscellaneous instruments: whirligigs, kazoos, whistles, a Casio keyboard, what appears to be an 8-track. The Hold Steady has come on over the speakers, a song from the new album Boys and Girls in America. As it reached the bridge Wayne Coyne stepped out on to the stage to test a streamer shooter. It worked successfully, to the delight of the audience members already crowded up to the front. There are three mirror balls hung in the venue. I'm not certain if they are permanent features or part of the stage show, but I would bet on the latter. The Hammersmith Apollo itself is much like the Burton Cummings Theatre, though much bigger and (I hope) better suited acoustically for live musical performances. I should know for sure after the opening act has played.
I didn't know Wesley Willis had a song about the Flaming Lips. Apparently they really whip the llama's butt and Chicago, London, and San Fransisco should rock on. Oh, and for everyone who can no longer stand the suspense left by the last paragraph, yes. Next paragraph: a review of the Lips' performance.
What can I possibly say about that? The show was flat out incredible. It started with Wayne Coyne coming onto the stage in a giant hamster ball and rolling out onto the audience. Then he was helped out of it by stagehands dressed as superheroes so he could take centerstage and sing Race for the Prize amidst showers of confetti and dozens of huge balloons. Lights flashed, guitars buzzed, smoke billowed, and streamers soared, all creating a magnificent, joyful chaos. It was elaborate not for the sake of decadence or posturing, but for the giddy, childlike delight in enthusiastically overwhelming the senses. They came back for a double encore that, in my opinion, was actually unnecessary after they ended to perfectly on Do You Realize?? Second only to the Arcade Fire for the best concert I have ever seen. No, that's not true. It was the best concert I've ever seen, I just enjoyed the Arcade Fire more because I had smoked a joint beforehand and I had a better seat.
Incorrigibly yours,
Matthew Hawkins
posted by Ad Hawk at
12:23 PM
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