Testing the waters

This is a test. I have just been converted to Google. Don't feel no different though...

Vergane glorie : Cornelis

For all people who use the Babelfish...


De Jantjes Blues.


Jantje was aan 't wandelen op het Leidse Plein
Toen vond ie een rijksdaalder en dat vond ie fijn
Hij kocht er zoute pinda's voor, sigaretten en drop
Kortom in no-time waren al z'n centen op

Maar hij werd geschaduwd door een brigadier
Die zei tegen Jantje "Kom jij maar eens hier"
'Kweenie of je 't weet maar rijksdaalders op straat'
'Zijn verloren goederen en horen aan de Staat'

De rechter zei 'Hee Jantje, weet jij wel wat je bent?'
'Dat noemen wij juridisch een jeugd-delinquent'
'Een schande voor je ouders, je toekomst naar de maan'
'Want als je later groot bent krijg je nooit een goede baan'

'Stik maar' zei Jantje, 'met je kouwe kak'
'Ma die is de hort op en pa zit in de bak'
'Wat die er van zeggen lap ik aan mijn schoen'
'En als ik later groot ben zorg ik zelf wel voor m'n poen'

Men haalde er een heel stel psychologen bij
Die vond hem een gevaar voor de maatschappij
Vandaag een rijksdaalder, morgen een huis
Hopsakee de bajes in en weg met dat gespuis

Op z'n verjaardag zat Jantje in de cel
Er kwam geen visite maar kadootjes krijg hij wel
Ma stuurde een ijzerzaag, pa stuurde een boor
'Daar gaat ie dan' zei Jantje en hij ging er vandoor

Buiten de bajes zag hij een auto staan
'Ik leen hem maar' zei Jantje, zo gezegd en zo gedaan
Maar in een scherpe bocht kreeg die kar een lekke band
Sloeg zeven maar over de kop en vloog toen in de brand

Hiermede eindigt het verhaal van onze held
Een Blues voor Jantje zongen de vogels in het veld
Jezus, zei de dominee, sta zijn zieltje bij
Maar Jantje had er maling aan want Jantje was vrij
Jantje was vrij, Jantje was vrij...


Cornelis Vreeswijk

Ye Olde Banners

"Even if the flag burning amendment does become law, the larger problem will remain of how to respectfully dispose of older, tattered flags. Well, fortunately the U.S. official Flag Code has a suggestion about this.

Quote: 'The flag, when it is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.'

Owwwwcchh.

In response, the House Republicans are calling for tattered flags to be kept alive via a feeding tube."


Jon Stewart

Jimi

The story of life


The story of Jesus
so easy to explain
After they crucified him,
a woman, she claimed his name
The story of Jesus
the whole bible knows
went all across the desert
and in the middle, he found a rose

There should be no questions
there should be no lies
He was married ever happily after
All the tears we cry
No use in arguing
all the use to the man that moans
When each man falls in battle
his soul it has to roam
Angles of heaven
flying saucers to some,
made Easter Sunday
the name of the rising sun

The story is written
by so many people who dared,
to lay down the truth
to so very many who cared
to carry the cross
of Jesus and beyond
We will guide the light
this time with a woman in our arms
We as men
can't explain the reason why
the woman's always mentioned
at the moment that we die
All we know
is God is by our side,
and he says the word
so easy yet so hard

I wish not to be alone,
so I must respect my other heart
Oh, the story
of Jesus is the story
of you and me
No use in feeling lonely,
I am searching to be free

The story
of life is quicker
than the wink of an eye
The story of love
is hello and goodbye
Until we meet again

The last words on paper of Jimi Hendrix

The Ministry of Truth at work

Found in Athens, Georgia...


I had doubts as to where we're going
but I gotta hand it to the Man upstairs
I've been put on a whole new programme
Don't have to handle my own affairs
Everything I need is on my print-out
I don't need anything anymore
I'n not confused by useless knowledge
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

Rules rule O.K. ask no questions
Welcome to the Age of Consent
Fasten seatbelt, drive with caution
Don't take shots at the President
Robotman's a wonderful creation
Automatically obeys the laws
Laws of Nature, Man and Science
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

What I need is some real emotion
Little love and and a lot of despair
Robotman's got a brandnew problem
Robotman don't know how to care
I paid my dues but the dudes won't let me
I cry out but who the Hell for?
I don't even know what it means to suffer
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

Nine-teen-eighty-four..?

Tim Rice/Rick Wakeman

Observations from the sideline - GWB

"George Bush often states that he reads the Bible every day. And I'm thinking: "You're 55 years old, finish the damn book!"

Towelday!

Don't forget the 25th of May is Towelday!.

The making of Superman, an interesting story from behind the scenes

This article reads like an absurdist movie... "Who is this K'Al El' you keep mentioning?"(This coming from the man who was actually heavily involved in the first Superman-movies!!!)

Superman V : The Whole Sordid Saga.

Faith-based disaster planning

"When President Bush was in New Orleans, he said 'We pray there is no hurricane coming this year.' This is what we call faith-based disaster planning."

Jay Leno

Ahhhh, the joys of Bush-bashing... :-)

B5 gives you the finger...

My new wallpaper. A bit too big to publish here, so here's the link...

50 ways to kill an ensign...

A bit of good filk is never a bad idea...

Acoustic acoustics...

Well I finally made the decision to take up the acoustic guitar again. Haven't played it seriously for 7 or 8 years now, too busy and after all; my synthesizers and the band took up most of my time. Now that Solid Air has ceased to be(at least in its last incarnation) I finally have the time to go back to 6 strings, 6 pegs and two hands and a G-string...

In the previous century(I love the way that sounds!) I used to do gigs in small venues. Mixing originals songs and covers, I always tried to find a good mix of songs. Songs that either everybody knew but hadn't heard in years, song that almost nobody knew but which were - in my opinion - absolutely brilliant, and some of my own stuff if it wasn't too bad compared to the covers I played on a night. Songs like 'Don't dream it's over' as well as the works of Loudon Wainwright and Bruce Cockburn are now much better known in my hometown than they were... Possibly because of the way I 'played' them(I ain't going there people! ;-)).

So now I'm back in that saddle, trying to get my fingers flexible enough again to work the songs I want to play. Mind you ; I am definitely not one of those guitar-wizards who can play the intro to 'Oh Well' twice as fast as Peter Green could. I get by and I can support the songs I am singing.

So what's the score Norah? So far I have made a first selection of songs to be played. This is not the definitive set because I always keep tweaking the list until say a week or so before the gig. But this is what I'm thinking of.


Neil Young - Ohio / Southern Man
Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren
Loudon Wainwright - He said, she said
Original song - Somewhere in '06
Queen - '39
Original song - After loving you
Bruce Cockburn - Outside a broken phonebooth with money in my hand
Crowded House - Whispers and moans
Robbie Williams - Better man
Rory Gallagher - For the last time
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Tracey Chapman - Fast Car / Revolution
Todd Rundgren - Love of the common man
Fleetwood Mac - Man of the world
Loudon Wainwright - Career moves
John Lennon - Working Class Hero
Neil Young - (keep on) Rocking in the Free World


Added May 11th :

The Church - Under the Milky Way
Michael Penn - No Myth


And on it goes...

Neil may be back...

Just heard the other day that Neil Young has apparently just finished a new record. That is nothing new of course. However, I heard that the album is one long attack on the current Bush-administration. Coming from the man who has become what Bob Dylan should have been, this is interesting news to me.

I heard that the album was recorded in three days(!) with a drummer, a bassplayer, a trumpettist and a 100-persons mixed choir. And Neil Young of course. ;-)

The only song on the album of which the title was 'leaked' is apparently called 'Let's impeach the President'...

"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming
We're finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio"

"Ohio"

He really is one of those songwriters I have always admired. He never did fit into a box labeled 'Pop' or 'Rock' or 'Country' or or or...

Neil Young = Neil Young...

Tourism down, and nobody saw it coming??

According to MSNBC tourism in the US is down by about 286 billion dollars. And nobody saw it coming? Talk about not thinking things through before you start treating all foreigners like unwanted aliens who have to get retina-scans, special visa, etcetera.

I'd rather go somewhere where I feel welcome.

Source.

A quick Fixx

Privilege


So correct me if I'm wrong,
though a day's twenty four hours long
How come you feel unwired and disconnected
Draw attention to yourself
is your life a living hell?
Change your act, rewrite the script the way you planned it

Radio news reports
Truth and fact distorts
And the world's majority is understated
If the views are on your mind
It's the wavelength you must find
Be prepared to hold your weight
Huh! Hah!

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's always something else to do
There must be one thing you can try
There's always something else to do

When a week has just three days
It's the young that always pay
But who keeps the cold at bay with understanding?
If there's a dying urge inside
To release forgotten pride
Don't rely on words of gloom
Don't be disjointed

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's always something else to do
There must be one thing we can try
There's always something else to do

Heretic the witch was right
She had the frequency
She has the potency
Energy the time is right
To fight for decency

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's never anything to do
There must be one thing you can try
There's always something else to do

How?
How I begin, Tell me how, How?
I tune in, Tell me how, How?
When do I tune in for now?
Draw attention to yourself
Are you tuned into the show?
She had the frequency
She has the potency...

Times 10

Another ten years or so and we can all go to Australia and be back in time for tea and crumpets. The tickets may be a bit expensive but well, you do get a nice ride.

Whitney Houston's Fall

I never really liked Whitney Houston and I couldn't care less about "OOOOOOOWWWWW I Want To DANCE With Somebodeee-ee-eeeeee". But here is one prime example of someone going under, someone cracking up(no pun intended) under the pressure of the business and under the influence of drugs. Smokinig crack in a cigar filled with marijuana. Really...

How the hell can someone who had everything fall so deep?

To paraphrase Liz Taylor : "Whitney and Bobby, sad, sad, sad"...

This is a test using Deepest Sender

Let's see if this works. I just installed Firefox-extension 'Deepest Sender'. This extension allows me to post to my blog straigh from a Mozilla-window.

Testing....testing....

IT Agony Bingo

An exceptionally brillant installment of my favourite online-comic.

Another weblog...

A great weblog from a very intelligent guy : David Byrne.