ME, MYSELF AND IRENE

Every time we approach a potential tragedy it goes the same way: all TV channels and media vehicles are exploring it the most. Its necessary to keep a permanent alert feeling so people are hung up digging more news on the upcoming potential disaster. I'm impressed by the amount of different info graphics, interactive maps and other animations made to illustrate Irene's path.

Some friends of mine started complaining in Facebook, saying that media is exaggerating the event, creating a circus and terrifying people with the specific purpose of money making. 

But I wonder: are they really wrong or just giving us what we need? Isn't the information actually helpful to tranquilize the people? Isn't it actually good that we can visualize all the aspects of this storm instead of just wondering how is it going?

We are all part of the press nowadays. For example, New York times put up a sort of fotolog page where you can contribute with pictures of Irene's impressions. You can also do it in Fox News, and maybe your picture gets shown in television. 

I believe we are all getting feeling-less: we are so exposed to terrible images of tragedies on the movies and television every day, that maybe we are hardly shocked by violence or human suffering as we were in the past. 

We like the thrill of a disaster coming. Of course we don't wanna face it, but we want to be as close as possible, experience it, and get out without any harm to us, others or our possessions. And if its possible, with some videos and quality pictures that prove that "we were there".

I know how stupid this may sound, but I will be a little frustrated if nothing happens. I'm staying in Lower East Side, in the border of  one area that could flood in case Irene comes in NYC really furious. I don't want a flood, but I would like to see the biggest storm of my life, at least - without losing internet signal, power cuts or breaking any windows, please.

In my mind I don't even consider something really bad happening. I'm not considering lack of water, power or food. Now I understand all this people that choose to stay in their houses even with all the alerts. We never think something is gonna happen with us. Its just on TV!

I've bought food and stocked water together with the friend I'm staying with, but we probably don't have supplies for more then 4 days. Silly enough, this danger thrills me and all I can think about is I would like to go around right now in the rain to get some crazy images with my waterproof HD camera.

Maybe 2012 will be tonight, in New York. And I want it to be in real life exactly like it is in the movies: unbelievably big, with all kinds of crazy things happening. I wanna be very close to it and watch it in HD. And then I want to sleep warm and calm in my cozy bed. 

Maybe television is indeed better then real life. 

HOME CAN WAIT. I'M STAYING LONGER IN NYC

Tomorrow its gonna be a week that I'm in New York. I've always been curious about this place. First time here.

I ended up here because I was presenting a brazilian TV show, and last season was filmed in Chicago, in a festival called Lollapalooza.

After the end of Lolapalloza I had some weeks off and decided to come experience NYC. I knew I had to leave around the 24th or 25th because I had a gig in La Paz, Bolivia, and planned to spend some time in Brasil afterwards. As usual, nothing goes as planned.

I just got a mail today, on the very first hours of august 24th, saying that the festival in Bolivia is not gonna happen anymore. "A problem with the sponsor". There was this whole Brazil team supposed to go: me, VJ Spetto, Phantazma… nobody is going anymore.

It's Bolivia, yeah, I was worried it could happen, but because of that I left my plans opened. Right now I'm staying in a friends place in Manhattan.

I was worried the Bolivia thing wouldn't come out because then I had to look for a new place to stay over here. As my friends know, I hate looking for rooms/apartments. Especially because in the past years I have been doing that every two months. Find a place, unpack, start feeling cozy, packing and leaving again. My back is fucked up from carrying shit around and sleeping in weird beds, airplane/bus seats and sometimes even in cold floors.

Before I found out about the festival gig being cancelled, tonight I went to have a drink with Mark (a friend Ive made in Brasil, in a media and technology festival called Vivo Art.mov.). We were talking and Mark told me he is leaving to Austria on thursday. As it turns out, I can rent his room in Brooklyn. 

How perfect can that be? Things happen for a reason. So f*ck it all, I'm cancelling my ticket and staying in New York City. To be continued...

AMON TOBIN

TOMORROW! Who's in?

ONDE É MINHA CASA? WHERE DO I BELONG?

Tenho dificuldade de responder essa pergunta. De maio a setembro do ano passado fiquei em Berlim. Em outubro morei no RJ. Até meio de dezembro em Sampa. De lá passei um mês na Bahia. Depois Florianópolis no meio de janeiro. Em fevereiro, Bolívia. Março e abril, São Paulo, com visitas mensais a Belo Horizonte. E agora 15 de maio retorno  para Berlim.
Alguém aí pode me dizer onde eu moro????
Falando assim, até parece uma maravilha. Mas tenho sofrido bastante com o desconforto (minha coluna já era) e muitas vezes é chato não ter seu próprio canto. Por viajar tanto, parece que sou jetsetter, mas não tenho tanto dinheiro. Não tenho condições de alugar apartamento sozinha nos lugares que vou. Conto com amigos e boa-vontade de estranhos.
Nos últimos tempos tô sempre alugando quarto na casa de alguém, usando computador na mesa da cozinha, viajando de ônibus muitas horas, enfim, zero conforto.
Mas no fim das contas vale a pena. Entro em depressão se ficar parada.
No início eu pensava, com o perdão do clichê, que estava tentando me descobrir. Mas será que o que faço mesmo é me perder?

I'M STICKING AROUND

BEVAR CHRISTIANIA

In 2009 I had the privilege to play in Loppen, one of the oldest pubs of Christiania, an sort-of independent community in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was one of the coolest gigs ever: when I stepped in, all the bartenders were wearing giant rabbit masks.

A lot further then its well-known hashish market, Christiania is a very curious social experiment. It begun in 1971, when a group of hippies, anarchists, musicians and artists alike occupied the further military 34 hectares area, as a protest do Denmarks government.
The police tried to close the community many times, without success. Christiania became a political problem, discussed many times on Denmarks Parlament. In 1973 a new government declared the intentions of throwing out all the habitants and close the place, with a deadline set to 1st of april of 1976. In the last minute, the Parlament withdrawn, to avoid physical confrontation with those that live there. This date became a symbol for "Alternative Denmark".

Through the years, the city improved its self government: today, around a thousand people live there, and there is  school, garbage collect, beside many bike factories and art workshops.

In the 80s Christiania became a pole for drugs in north europe and after threats from the government, the community managed to extinguish most of the heavy drugs market. Only the hashish market keep going, and still suffers raids from the police from time to time. If you go to Pusher's street and ask for hard stuff, you may be invited to leave.

Many plans were elaborated to "normalize and legalize" the "freetown", and in 2009 a judicial decision gave the government full legal rights over the area. Now, the residents have until the second of may to accept the obligation to buy their "own" lands on the price of around 19 euros per square meter. Many argue that, for residents "who have renounced materialism", this is impossible.

For three days now, residents have erected  fences at entrance points which they patrol, handing out flyers which declare that "Christiania will be temporarily closed until further notice". 

In the statement handed out at the blocked-off gates, the residents said: "We believe that the ultimatum issued by the Danish government about dividing up Christiania and selling off parts of the land will mean the destruction of the open, self-managed, experimental and socially inclusive Christiania as we know it."

This video (in Danish) show Christiania citizens closing up their doors: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJi0TQ-ulfU

Help spreading the word about this community in order to preserve this rare social experiment.

Find out more:

http://www.christiania.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freetown_Christiania

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/28/christiania-copenhagen-squat-last-stand

http://www.loppen.dk/

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If after all this you are still thinking about the hashish, please go to AMSTERDAM, where it is legal, as you can see in these pictures of mine:

DAMA DE FERRO, RIO DE JANEIRO

Played yesteday in the best club in Rio de Janeiro: Dama de Ferro. The mix will be online soon @ www.soundcloud.com/annaleevia

MOTORHEAD IN SAO PAULO

Motorhead yesterday, in Sao Paulo

JONTY SKRUFF F at Lions Nightclub, Sao Paulo

Jonty Skruff F writes one of the best newsletters on the electronic music scene. Yesterday he played an eclectic set in Lions Club, Sao Paulo.

THERE WAS A BAR IN EAST BERLIN... THIS BAR CALLED 25!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3RhLz6onQM

Did you have the privilege of knowing Bar 25? If you did, consider yourself a lucky person, and prepare to revive special moments. If not, dont be sad, cause you can still get to know a little bit of the magic of this place: the movie of the Bar comes out soon! The project was financed by donations of the public, and its the first crowdfunded german movie. Stay tuned! :-) 

"There was a Bar in East Berlin

This Bar called 25

Where freaks went there to celebrate themselves

And party every night

Till the sun fill the place up with light

There was a Bar made of wood and love and green

A mystic place where you forget your tears

As soon as you stepped in

You felt like you're in another world

And after that was hard to leave..."

I was the luckiest EVER! Got a chance to play a b2b with my friend Red Robin a little bit before the closing. :D 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqeY_BI0aCI

PIECE DE RESISTANCE

When the fork eats the spoon,
and the knife stabs
the face reflected in the plate,
dinner is over.


(Marilyn Manson)