another German-speaking capital

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Melissa came to visit me...that makes two visitors! We spent ten days together, three of which in Vienna. I had to go for my exchange program's semiannual conference. It was great to see her and show her my new hometown.

Vienna is way older than Berlin (it was a Roman colony) and far more charming and coherent. (Most cities are far more charming and coherent than the big B, though.) I showed her the four or five things I always do in Wien (Cafe Hawelka, Augustiner Church, Trzezewski? restaurant, Secession museum, KunstHausWien museum) and we went to the Albertina (finally open) for a Schiele retrospective.

I got to present to the rest of the exchange program, and I think I did a good job. It was a partially successful attempt at making my subject edible to the wider (academic) population. It's still not edible to the hoi polloi. On purpose? Anyway, the German supreme court gave the airport project the thumbs-up, but it was one of those Roman-emperor-not-quite-sure-he-lost-some-money-on-that-gladiator thumbs up. No nightflights. This is as stupid and aggravating as rebuilding in the floodplains of New Orleans. I mean, if you're going to bother to build an airport (or rebuild a city), do it right...right?!

One final comment...about German MTV. It fascinates me. First, I noticed the acts from the English-speaking world that are more popular here than back home. Yes, yes, David Hasselhoff...but that's the past. There's Madonna, who is desperately trying to be cool, and got to #1 recently. Eminem is still huge here, even though he stopped being interesting a few years ago. Englanders such as Robbie Williams come to mind. (Actually his latest single is quite good, "Advertising Space"...British spelling.) Sporty Spice has a solo career. It is also impossible to be bigger than Depeche Mode in central Europe. Then there are the German acts who sing in English. They always fool me for a couple weeks or so, until they show up for an interview and sprach tha deutsch. Sasha is the latest crooner like that. Then there are the German acts who sing in German. Rammstein is a "metal" band that makes consistently high-quality videos, even if their lyrics are so simple even I can understand them. There are German versions of American acts...Tic Tac Toe is a sad knockoff of TLC. German dancehall has produced my favorite German-language song of my stay so far, "Ding" by SEEED. The tune is infectious and the video is a bunch of stuffed animals at a secret animal club in the Tiergarten...I guess you gotta see it. There's a popular industry-made "rock" group of 14-yr-olds, called Tokio Hotel...depressing. German rap, I am certain, is a diamond in the rough. The language lends itself to rap...heavy accents on the first syllable, "rough" consonant sounds, easy interplay with English...but it's sad to see the same stupid videos over here. Money, cars, girls...just less drugs and no guns. (They even edit the "violence" out of professional wrestling, but that's not MTV.) Then there's the MTV programming. Most of it is American, which is devastating to me. Room Raiders (please!!!), Date My Mom, Viva la Bam, Meet the Barkers, that Ashlee Simpson show...but the show in heaviest rotation is Pimp My Ride, of which I approve. And here is where it gets interesting. The target audience for German MTV has little hope of owning a car, let alone the possiblity of installing plasma-TVs in the cushions, so German MTV has home-grown a show called "Pimp My Whatever"...title is in English. (Reminds me of when Lisa Simpson said "I know what those words mean, but they make no sense together.") The episode I saw involved two "pimped" bicycles in Hamburg. Hey, didn't Snoop Dogg ride a bike in the "Gin & Juice" video???

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Photos

Waiting for the Bus
mass transit is for poor people

The Happy Couple
it's cold outside

Cold Rawley
background is St. Stephen's

Cold Melissa
background is the world's most interesting trash incinerator

Mozart's grave
Wolfy is 250

Comments

[David Vaughan]

What does it mean?
What is "MTV" mean? Is it the American MTV channel? What does "Pimp My Ride" mean? Good looking cuff link? A new German purchase? Dad

[Mom]

W.A.M., etc.
I liked the fresh primroses at Mozart's grave. Melissa was smart to wear a hat. What a about the fella who is always cold? Didn't your mother tell you that heat escapes from your head?? Love, Mom