I recently returned to my home town, Würzburg, with my wife to show it to an Italian couple that we are friends with. What struck me yet again is how "different" I looked at this city that I grew up in.

You really have to ask yourself how much you look at that city of yours. I can't count how often I walked over the old bridge over the river Main without having more than a brief glance at the toes of the statues (which are at roughly head height) while rushing to wherever place I needed to go at the time.

I really started to appreciate more what a nice place I actually grew up in. Since we showed them both the city and also introduced them to the regional culture, we had the chance to enjoy fantastic food and to delve deeper into the historic aspects.

For example, Würzburg was for a long time the seat of the so-called Prince-Bishops (Fürstbischof) who wielded both spiritual and worldly power. As a consequence there are a huge number of churches in the city alone. When I looked at these churches before, I just saw a church plain and simple. Ever since I have been to the cathedral in Cologne, I have been more than disinterested in churches (it's hard to get better than that one in my eyes).

Not this time, though. In passing, my Italian friend commented that he finds it weird, that there are many "worldly" symbols in here. And true enough, the majority of the interior designs depict the bishops and several swords and other insignia, but not many crucifixes or other pictures associated with Christianity. It was very enlightening to see, that worldly power of the Church led to a fusion of symbols of power.

This was just one of several anecdotes of a very enjoyable trip. My conclusion from this trip is to really have a closer look at my surroundings. Especially when I have been in one place for a long time. There may still be something to discover.

Kreator...

Let's talk Kreator...

I know that I haven't mentioned it yet, but I am somewhat of a metal fan. Now Kreator is a band that has wowed me since I started listening to metal. Mostly through their live performances on festivals. This article is by a fan with a couple of beers so I will not bother with references, therefore clearly marking it as fan-fiction :P.

Kreator's been around almost since before I was born. Mille Petrozza's an intelligent song-writer with an amazing aura on stage if I've ever seen one. As a German, his German-influenced English makes me cringe sometimes, because I tried so hard to let go of the accent in favour of the British accents (which rule over all things American by the way).

Anyways, over the years, I have spoken to many a Kreator fan and mostly it appears to me that the albums 'Outcast' and especially 'Endorama' are considered some sort of mishap among the 'true' Kreator fans. Personally, I think they are the best things that Kreator ever ... well... "kreated", I guess. The self-confidence to take the foot of the pedal for a second although one plays thrash metal is a powerful tool. The contrast to the fast parts becomes all the more apparent that way.

This thought only came to me today when listening to the two albums while trying to switch off (don't know why it works for me, but it does!). I went to a Kreator gig now about two and a half years ago (Thrashfest) and that is when I noticed first. The supporting acts were fantastic consisting of Death Angel, Suicidal Angels and Exodus. All great bands in their own rights, but they were all concerned with destroying the place with speed and just sheer amazingness. Non-stop aggression was awesome at first, but once Exodus arrived I honestly got tired of it. It sounds crazy, but it did.

I couldn't believe it, but I felt like not being bothered about Kreator before they even stepped on stage. It was the first time, I saw them live on tour, not on a festival, which is different anyways. Then Kreator did something, that I so did not see coming. They renewed my excitement for thrash by playing one of my favourite songs from an entirely different genre from tape and on screen before they even stepped on stage. Watch yourself. I put the opener and a favourite Kreator song of mine one after the other.

Kreator was suddenly harder than anything I have seen only half an hour prior, simply because they put in good ole Johnny. He's got style "and" helps in making Thrash Metal just that bit more Thrash ;) Coming back to my initial point, by making albums like Endorama and Outcast, Kreator gave themselves a chance to makes their truly epic thrash songs sound even heavier and more awesome.

End of rant.

Then and Now - Or how I like listening to older people

I've watched an interview with Bryan Cranston (lead actor of Breaking Bad) on the David Letterman Show (check out the video below) and something struck me. He was talking about the time he took with his brother in search of his vocation by riding a motorcylce through the US and only stopping when they needed cash. Once or twice he makes a comment like "Bear in mind this was in the 70s, so finding a job was fairly easy".

Now, I am one of those folks, who likes listening to the stories of people who grew up in a different era. I remember the time, I spoke with a friend of a friend of my brother's (yeah, I know, it is a bit convoluted) who lived in Northern Ireland during the IRA's heyday selling photocopiers to companies, because every time a bomb went off, the shockwave would shatter the glass of windows and the like in the area. These damages were payed for by the government and so all companies were fairly eager to buy them. Even if that story was not true (not sure, why it shouldn't be), it is still a fun story from a different time.

But back to my point, I have a bit of a romantic streak when I like to do something like breaking out and go somewhere where progress isn't as advanced but don't have the guts for really taking the step. I remembered wondering if times were really that different in the 70s, when I watched "The Motorcycle Diaries" (check trailer below), but I figured, then, that it is different, because that's South America. Well, judging by the interview above, it was different in the westernised world, too. 

Most people take all these stories with a pinch of salt thinking "another old fool ranting about the good old days", but I am starting to wonder if the young people of today are a bit more pressured into completing their apprenticeships, studies or whatever they are currently doing (I still call myself young, but that's probably just my opinion ;D). I still remember my University studies and they were happy and careless. I enjoyed them and the people I met and the studies I did, greatly affected the way, I approach situations. When I look at the students after the Bologna Process, there already is a stiff difference. They seem to have less time to do more and it feels to me as if they are herded through their student life just to get finished. Only to go on and find a job and live a streamlined life.

This brings me back to one specific point that Bryan Cranston mentioned. It was easier to find jobs in the 70s. My mother told me the same stories, when she tried to find a student job. I told my wife this and the people in their environment from that time all said the same. There were more jobs than people, willing to work, around apparently. I currently am myself in the job hunt, too, and I always assumed that I did fairly well in the career skills department, but I am finding myself in extreme difficulties actually finding a bleeping job. So it would seem that those old ranting fellas are right and it is harder to find a job nowadays.

I am not sure this constant development towards efficiency is a good thing. Efficiency is very good and I am mostly all in favour, but it should not hamper the personal development of the individual. My life has been everything, but straight forward and I am, for the most part, glad that it turned out that way. I was, however, unlike other people, able to combine my detours with things that can be written on a CV. Judging by the fact, that those flower-power loving 60s and 70s hippies (I jest, of course) actually formed their future, my and your present, I really wonder what the western world will look like in, say, another 20 years, with peeps like me being able to form their future. People that were already formed into efficient problem solving, out-of-the-box-thinking, maximised worker bees...