9/26/12
Road to Kiel, DE
"Every crisis is a chance" - Thorson
We're making our daily coffee stop. This time we're stopping at the midpoint of our drive to Kiel. Last night in Berlin was pretty much perfect. It was the third time that I've been fortunate enough to play The Ramones Museum. The Ramones Museum is hands down one of my favorite places, in general. The owner, Flo, is one of the most genuine people a few weary travelers could hope to cross paths with. When people hear about the museum, they always think that it's not an actual museum. It may be small, but it is in fact a real museum. Memorabilia is strewn across the walls, encased in wood and glass. Display cases filled with pop punk history take up just about every inch of the tiny cafe. The display cases were actually built by Flo himself. It's a gem of a place.
My personal favorites of the items that Flo has displayed are the yearly show lists. Year after year of epic amounts of shows. The Ramones played so many shows in the course of a year. It makes my head spin. I don't think I could handle that many shows. All that travel and forced interaction on a daily basis... no thanks. I am by no means an introvert, but if I had to be social every night for the better part of a year, I'd have a hell of a time. It's a bit of a double edged sword. On one hand I get to meet all these new people. On the other hand, for some reason, all that interaction makes me feel like I'm losing myself. Losing the things that make me who I am. It's a really hard thing to articulate... I guess too much of anything has repercussions.
The cafe itself is super comfortable. Flo built a small venue in the back. A venue where people can see a free show and be surrounded by history—a truly great idea. The show was fun, as always. A few of our friends from Berlin made it out to say hi and catch up. The night ended with Flo, Alissa, Thorson, and myself drinking beers from an endless supply. Flo asked me about my life, how I was raised, and how that has affected my music. I told him of my life as honestly as I've ever talked to anyone about it. Flo is an amazing person who leads an incredibly interesting life—making it easy to open up to him. Sitting in the cafe, in the early hours of a new day, I had one of those "I'm exactly where I should be" moments. We left feeling the fresh joy of memories made. I think someday someone will write a book about Flo, or at least someone should. It would make for a great read. Hell, maybe I'll do it. Stranger things have happened.
6pm Kiel
Well, we just pulled up to the venue in Kiel only to find out that our show doesn't actually exist. The kind folks working at the cafe said they would feed us and give us beers in exchange for a short set at 8pm. Pretty awkward, but we're in no position to turn down food and drink. It appears that there has been some miscommunication between our fearless leader, Gunnar, and the promoter for the venue. This is... well... familiar. I know that I'm on the lower rungs of this music thing, but damn.
We just found out, as I'm writing this, that the show tomorrow has been posted on Facebook as a "secret show". What the fuck is that? I thought the whole point of having a show is to get people to come out and have some fun. It's not as if I'm playing another show in town tomorrow that could possibly warrant a "secret show". Maybe the terminology is getting lost in translation? Hmm... We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.
Meanwhile... the venue for tonight, at the show that doesn't exist, posted about the show that previously did not exist, and they've already been getting phone calls asking for information. It's been fifteen minutes since we agreed on the show. Holy shit! Kiel works fast. That's some serious DIY action. We haven't officially entered "the twilight zone" yet, but my arms are open. If tonight wants to get weird, I'm down.
Our philosophical road companion, Thorson, once said that, "Every crisis is a chance". I believe Thorson to be correct in this statement. I'm just not exactly sure what it is a chance for.
3am
Superfuckinglate!! (sorry, but I really did write it that way) Great night...wasted...damn, could be more articulate... greetings from Kiel..!!..!!
Road to Kiel, DE
"Every crisis is a chance" - Thorson
We're making our daily coffee stop. This time we're stopping at the midpoint of our drive to Kiel. Last night in Berlin was pretty much perfect. It was the third time that I've been fortunate enough to play The Ramones Museum. The Ramones Museum is hands down one of my favorite places, in general. The owner, Flo, is one of the most genuine people a few weary travelers could hope to cross paths with. When people hear about the museum, they always think that it's not an actual museum. It may be small, but it is in fact a real museum. Memorabilia is strewn across the walls, encased in wood and glass. Display cases filled with pop punk history take up just about every inch of the tiny cafe. The display cases were actually built by Flo himself. It's a gem of a place.
My personal favorites of the items that Flo has displayed are the yearly show lists. Year after year of epic amounts of shows. The Ramones played so many shows in the course of a year. It makes my head spin. I don't think I could handle that many shows. All that travel and forced interaction on a daily basis... no thanks. I am by no means an introvert, but if I had to be social every night for the better part of a year, I'd have a hell of a time. It's a bit of a double edged sword. On one hand I get to meet all these new people. On the other hand, for some reason, all that interaction makes me feel like I'm losing myself. Losing the things that make me who I am. It's a really hard thing to articulate... I guess too much of anything has repercussions.
The cafe itself is super comfortable. Flo built a small venue in the back. A venue where people can see a free show and be surrounded by history—a truly great idea. The show was fun, as always. A few of our friends from Berlin made it out to say hi and catch up. The night ended with Flo, Alissa, Thorson, and myself drinking beers from an endless supply. Flo asked me about my life, how I was raised, and how that has affected my music. I told him of my life as honestly as I've ever talked to anyone about it. Flo is an amazing person who leads an incredibly interesting life—making it easy to open up to him. Sitting in the cafe, in the early hours of a new day, I had one of those "I'm exactly where I should be" moments. We left feeling the fresh joy of memories made. I think someday someone will write a book about Flo, or at least someone should. It would make for a great read. Hell, maybe I'll do it. Stranger things have happened.
6pm Kiel
Well, we just pulled up to the venue in Kiel only to find out that our show doesn't actually exist. The kind folks working at the cafe said they would feed us and give us beers in exchange for a short set at 8pm. Pretty awkward, but we're in no position to turn down food and drink. It appears that there has been some miscommunication between our fearless leader, Gunnar, and the promoter for the venue. This is... well... familiar. I know that I'm on the lower rungs of this music thing, but damn.
We just found out, as I'm writing this, that the show tomorrow has been posted on Facebook as a "secret show". What the fuck is that? I thought the whole point of having a show is to get people to come out and have some fun. It's not as if I'm playing another show in town tomorrow that could possibly warrant a "secret show". Maybe the terminology is getting lost in translation? Hmm... We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings.
Meanwhile... the venue for tonight, at the show that doesn't exist, posted about the show that previously did not exist, and they've already been getting phone calls asking for information. It's been fifteen minutes since we agreed on the show. Holy shit! Kiel works fast. That's some serious DIY action. We haven't officially entered "the twilight zone" yet, but my arms are open. If tonight wants to get weird, I'm down.
Our philosophical road companion, Thorson, once said that, "Every crisis is a chance". I believe Thorson to be correct in this statement. I'm just not exactly sure what it is a chance for.
3am
Superfuckinglate!! (sorry, but I really did write it that way) Great night...wasted...damn, could be more articulate... greetings from Kiel..!!..!!