Ten years ago I was hospitalized for a short period of time. I can't remember what happened, but I woke up in a bed with EKG electrodes all over my chest. I was the youngest of the patients at that part of the hospital. The rest was 70 years plus. They never found out what was wrong with me, but it might have been some stress related thing. Might have been the heart, might have been the nervous system. However, I was so bored at the hospital, I didn't know what to do. Then my brother brought me a graphic novel. It had a pale, visiciously smiling mask on the cover, and in big red letters it read 'V for Vendetta'. It was written by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. I had never heard about them before. I have never been into cartoons. I did read Donald Duck, Lucky Luke and Asterix when I was younger, but I didn't think cartoons could deliver much more than some laugs. V for Vendetta changed my perspective. Eventhough I have read both Dostoevsky and Kafka, 'V for Vendetta' remains the best litterature I have ever read. That might explain why it's called a graphic novel rather than a cartoon. Now it has been made into a film. I went to see it yesterday, on the premier. I have mixed feelings. But I guess one will allways have mixed feelings when they witness the best thing they have read, being rewritten to fit the big screen. In all it was a splendid rendition of the graphic novel, but nothing comes even close! One major minus: the music during the end credits! I would much more have perferred something that would suit the points of the film. Rachmaninov's 'Vocalise' would have been appropriate, or some Beethoven. Strings, it should have ended with strings - in minor key.
So, why am I writing this you may wonder. As you may have already guessed, V for Vendetta and it's themes and views has had a great impact on me, and I have adopted a lot of it's ideas for the lyrical side of my next album 'Constructions'. For instance a part of the song 'Three Red Frames' goes: I am keen to clean the mess, blow it all away / Mr. Fawkes will rise again, this time make the day / Won't be caught red handed when all the guardians come / to the cell in the cellar where I'll beat the drum. A very clear referance.
Anyway...
I have been quite active lately. First of all I have been to Berlin to attend the releaseparty of Danielle de Picciotto's DVD 'On tour with neubauten.org' for which I have done some bonus material. A very nice party indeed!
Then I prepared some prerecorded soundscape material for the band Zobug, which they used on their recent American tour.
And last but not least I did a minor live appearance presenting the philosophy and technique behind the Aurotron. The track 'The Aurotron' from 'Eighteen sequences for nightmares' were performed live while a slideshow of aurora images were projected onto a screen behind me.
...And then I've started to shoot some promo clips for 'Constructions'....