Saturday was a night that won't be forgotten very easily! In the afternoon, I had about 11 brats in my house, celebrating my oldest son's 5th anniversary. The loose & wild atmosphere turned out to be the ideal introduction to THE GHETTO WAYS/RIVER CITY TANLINES/BLACK LIPS triple bill at the Lintfabriek in the evening. A couple of weeks ago, I had seen THE GHETTO WAYS at the mighty Pit's where they couldn't fulfil expectations after a devastating FATALS show. In Kontich however, their high-energy full throttle punkrock totally blew me away. The final gig of a European tour always delivers that little extra more so we got to see this New York trio at their very best. Awesome! Alicja Trout was next with THE RIVER CITY TANLINES. I hadn't heard any of the band's 3 singles so I was pretty anxious to witness this Memphis outfit on stage. Again, the show was a blast! Their adrenaline-driven punkwave made me dance like a fool and Alicja's vocals sounded real vicious. Check out The River City Tanlines' singles compilation on Dirtnap 'cuz it's a winner! So normally, we're used to 2 bands a night here in bloody Belgium and The Ghetto Ways/River City Tanlines bill would already have been a favourite of the year. Only, THE BLACK LIPS were scheduled too!! The first Black Lips show I attended sounded like a bad rehearsal but the second - only a couple of months later - was total garage punk insanity. Saturday, it was primal wreck and roll time again! Beers flew through the air, people went crazy, all for the sake of that goddamn rock 'n roll!! I can only say that The Black Lips are the contemporary gods of sixties punk!! Oh what a night!!!

Belgian directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, whose brilliant brotherly teamwork has been awarded two times with a Palme d'Or at the Cannes Filmfestival ('Rosetta' in 1999 and 'L'Enfant' in 2005), have been given carte blanche at the Brussels Filmmuseum in September. The Dardenne brothers have chosen some thirty movies that can be divided into two main categories. The first is a collection of movies that moulded the brothers as directors, such as the documentaries by Dutch director Johan Van Der Keuken. The other category consists of movies that evoke feelings of solidarity and identification with the brothers. The result is a diverse, original list of wonderful movies that hopefully will win the hearts of the attendant filmlovers in Brussels. Here's the complete list. For scheduling details, visit the site of the Brussels Filmmuseum.


LIBERTY
Leo McCarey, USA 1929
Oliver Hardy / b&w / 19'

CITY LIGHTS
Charles Chaplin, USA 1931
Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill / b&w / 85'

POURQUOI ISRAËL
Claude Lanzmann, France 1973 / colour / 190'

HANGMEN ALSO DIE
Fritz Lang, USA 1943
Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan / b&w / 134'

STROMBOLI, TERRA DI DIO
Roberto Rossellini, Italy 1949
Ingrid Bergman / b&w / 107'

STREET OF SHAME
[Akasen chitai] Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan 1956
Machiko Kyo / b&w / 84'

STRAY DOG
[Nora-inu] Akira Kurosawa, Japan 1949
Toshiro Mifune / b&w / 122'

L' ENCLOS
Armand Gatti, France - Yugoslavia 1960
b&w / 103'

A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO DIE
Douglas Sirk, USA 1958
John Gavin, Liselotte Pulver, Klaus Kinski / scope / colour / 132'

UKIGUSA
Yasujiro Ozu, Japan 1959
Ganjiro Nakamura, Mashiko Kyo / colour / 119'

ACCATTONE
Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italy 1961
Franco Citti / b&w / 116'

COMPARTIMENT TUEURS
Constantin Costa-Gavras, France 1965
Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Michel Piccoli, Jacques Perrin / scope / b&w / 91'

DODES'KA-DEN
Akira Kurosawa, Japan 1970
colour / 140'

QUATRE NUITS D'UN REVEUR
Robert Bresson, France - Italy 1971
Isabelle Weingarten, Guillaume De Forêts / colour / 82'

L'HISTOIRE D'ADELE H.
François Truffaut, France 1975
Isabelle Adjani / colour / 97'

THE CONVERSATION
Francis Ford Coppola, USA 1974
Gene Hackman / colour / 112'

THE DIARY OF A CHAMBERMAID
Jean Renoir, USA 1946
Paulette Goddard, Burgess Meredith / b&w / 86'

FAUSTRECHT DER FREIHEIT
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, DDR 1975
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Kurt Raab / colour / 123'

PASSE TON BAC D'ABORD
Maurice Pialat, France 1979
Sabine Haudepin / colour / 84'

BIANCA
Nanni Moretti, Italy 1984
Nanni Moretti, Laura Morante / colour / 97'

THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE
John Cassavetes, USA 1976
Ben Gazzara, Seymour Cassel / colour / 108'

THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS
Alfred Hitchcock, UK 1935
Madeleine Carroll, Robert Donat / b&w / 84'

LES CINEPHILES - LE RETOUR DE JEAN
Louis Skorecki, France 1988
no subt. / 75'

LES CINEPHILES - ERIC A DISPARU
Louis Skorecki, France 1988
no subt./ 56'

DE WEG NAAR HET ZUIDEN
Johan Der Keuken, The Netherlands 1982
colour / 150'

SANS TOIT NI LOI
Agnès Varda, France - UK 1985
Sandrine Bonnaire, Macha Méril, Stéphane Freiss / colour / 106'

THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL
[Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö] Aki Kaurismäki, Finland - Sweden 1990
colour / 68'

LES ROSEAUX SAUVAGES
André Téchiné, France 1994
Elodie Bouchez, Gaël Morel, Stéphane Rideau / colour / 113'

CRIMES AND MISDEMEANORS
Woody Allen, USA 1989
Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Martin Landau, Anjelica Huston, Claire Bloom / colour / 103'

VIVE L’AMOUR
[Aiqing Wansui] Tsai Ming-Liang, Taiwan 1994
Yang Kuei-Mei / colour / 118'

PORTRAIT D'UNE JEUNE FILLE DE LA FIN DES ANNEES 60, A BRUXELLES
Chantal Akerman, France 1994
colour / 61'

SUZAKU
[Moe no suzaku] Naomi Kawase, Japan 1997
Jun Kunimura, Machiko Ono / colour / 95'

S21, LA MACHINE DE MORT KHMERE ROUGE
Rithy Panh, Cambodja - France 2002
colour / 101'

L'ARGENT FAIT LE BONHEUR
Robert Guédiguian, France 1993
Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Ariane Ascaride / colour / 92'

CASINO
Martin Scorsese, USA - France 1995
Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone / scope / colour / 178'

If I had to guide a foreigner round Belgium in 3 days, 'THE ROYAL MUSEUM FOR CENTRAL AFRICA' near Brussels would be on top of my list. This grand p(a)lace came into being following the World Fair of 1897. Its collection of ethnographic objects from Central Africa is in fact the only one of its kind in the world.

The permanent exhibition still reflects the way Europe regarded Africa in the nineteen-sixties with all its exotica and colonial propaganda. It's a wonderful place for kids since there are many rooms with huge stuffed animals, African masks and instruments. Here, I can still feel the excitement I felt as a teenager when looking to old Johnny Weismuller Tarzan movies at my grandfather's place on Sunday afternoons.

Because of a radically altered social context not only in Africa but in Europe as well, the museum is now undergoing a metamorphosis that will be complete in 2010. For the occasion of the 175th Anniversary of Belgium's Independence, a temporary exhibit called 'Memory of Congo - The Colonial Era' offers a new look at the colonial past in which not only the European, but also the African players take their part. The exhibition is flawless; intriguing and revealing.

In the museum's cafeteria 'Simba', I always go for a Congolese Mongozo beer (alright, brewed in Belgium but what the heck). Yesterday, I bumped into Nick Cave at the bar. He was scheduled to headline a big rock festival that night. If he was searching for inspiration, he sure did come to the right place! After all these years, 'The Royal Museum for Central Africa' is still a stupendous place that keeps on enchanting its visitors.

ON A WEEKDAY IN SEPTEMBER 1999, JAPANESE NOISE MONGERS MELT BANANA GAVE A BLISTERING SET OF FRENZIED PUNK AVANTGARDE THRASH AT THE 4AD CLUB IN DIKSMUIDE. BEFORE THE SHOW, I ASKED THE BAND A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. NOW THAT MELT BANANA HAS JUST RELEASED A GREAT SINGLES COMPILATION ON THEIR OWN A-ZAP LABEL, I THINK IT’S ABOUT TIME TO PUBLISH THIS LITTLE INTERVIEW...



So when did the band start?

In 1994!

Only 1994?

OK, 1993.

Ah!

Our original drummer quit the band last year. He used to be in a band called Satanic Hell Slaughter which was a grindcore band. In Japan they were some kind of cult because they are from the northern part of Japan and people in Tokyo couldn't see 'em often. Since he had moved to Tokyo, we found his phonenumber and we asked him to join us.

How would you describe your music to outsiders?

The easiest way would be to say punk but we prefer to describe our music as GAGAGAGA-KIUNE-GAGAGAGA-KIUNE-KIUNE-NJHE-NJHE-NJHE-NJHA!!!

? ? ? ? ?

It's just a sound. Usually this expression is used for comic cartoons like Masinga.

Your music sounds like weird & fucked up cartoons. Can you tell us some more about the band's main influence?

We don't try to make music like watching a picture and trying to write a little change. Not like that! We just mix different influences in the brain.

Do you get influences from exhibitions?

Sometimes, we like going to exhibitions and watching Japanese animation.

Was the Japanese director Tsukamoto an influence?

It's not really a big thing for us. We're more into animation by Katsuhiro Otomo who did Akira and Spraygun. Spraygun is very good. It's a very fast and violent animation movie.

Do you sometimes get strange reactions to your music at live shows?

In the States sometimes but not in Japan. When we play shows in Japan usually young people come to the show. In the United States not only young people attend our shows but also old hillbillies who happen to be at the club. But it seems like they enjoy our music too so that's good!

What about the underground scene in Japan?

These days, there are many fastcore bands like Slight Slappers or Fuck On The Beach and grindcore bands like 324. Those bands are very active and many people go to check 'em out. Before - like 5 years ago - Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth and Steve Albini raved about the Japanese noise scene so many people started to pay attention. Although nowadays this kind of attention has been decreased, in Japan the hardcore stuff is very active.

How did you meet John Zorn?

We met him in Japan a long time ago. The reason why he put out an album of ours was when we played in San Francisco, Mike Patton saw our show and he's a very close friend to John Zorn. He knew us for a long time, but because of Mike Patton's phone call, he decided to put out our album which was recorded live in the studio.

Can you tell me about the A-Zap label?

It's our own label. Revolver USA helps us to manufacture and distribute. They have a good distribution in USA maybe not as good here. So far we released two albums on the label.

Can you make a living from the band?

Not really. I work at home as a free lance. I edit on a computer for other companies but it doesn't come constantly so sometimes I have money and sometimes not. But I can have time to do what I want to do, like writing music, so it's a good job for me. Once I had a 9 to 5 job but it was very hard to find the time to write music or to write lyrics so I quit it.

Well Done!

Melt Banana website

"If our lives are dominated by a search for happiness, then perhaps few activities reveal as much about the dynamics of this quest – in all its ardour and paradoxes – than our travels. They express, however inarticulately, an understanding of what life might be about, outside the constraints of work and the struggle for survival."

(The Art of Travel – Alain De Botton)

I will be travelling around WESTERN TURKEY for the rest of the month. A report of my journey will be published on my site in August.
ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAYS!

I always thought of FATS DOMINO as a bit of a corny singer. My parents used to have this dreary 5LP box set in their rather dull record collection (which also featured uhm... 'incredible masterpieces' by Neil Diamond, John Denver & Barbara Streisand). It must've been some kinda cheap reissue as I don't think they would've spent a lot of money on a box set. I gave it a few spins as a teenager but didn't understand what all the fuss was about. After all, Fats Domino was a household name, being one of the few black artists to continually make the pop charts, altogether selling over 65-million records, including 23 gold singles! A couple of weeks ago however, I ordered a couple of CD's at RED LICK and I really couldn't resist a £2,00 Fats Domino collection on Ace Records. The other day, I received the CD in my mailbox and I am totally hooked! 'The Imperial Singles Volume 2 : 1953-1956' is shockfull of spectacular New Orleans R&B tunes pushed towards rock and roll. This is what I call 'Goodtime Music' : rollicking R&B of the highest order. The lyrics are a true revelation : "Oooohooohooooo, you're so fine, I'm glad you're mine, lalala, lalalalalaa...". Simplicity in complicated times is all you need. The picture above features Herbert Hardesty from the Fats Domino rhythm section, lying on the floor of the 54 Ballroom in Los Angeles while honking out a sax solo of "Don't You Know". The fans loved it and so will you. The CD lasts for 71 minutes and I still keep pushing the repeat button. Woo Woo Woo, Woo Woo Woo Woo!!!

.


If the new documentary by Austrian filmmaker Hupert Sauper was pure fiction, people would left the theatre with a feeling of disbelief. Sadly, the tale of DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE is harsh reality. It tells about the struggle for survival of the fishermen around Lake Victoria in Tanzania where 'a little experiment' in the 1960s turned out into a complete disaster for the local people.

Some 40 years ago, the enormous Nile perch (which reaches up to two metres in length) was experimentally introduced into the lake but soon the voracious predator wiped out practically all other life. The fishermen who used to make a living by going out fishing the various species soon became obliged to work for the Nile Perch filet factories, which are called 'models of economic development' by EU-commissioners.

The reality however is that the fish factories sell the filets directly to Europe, making them too expensive for the locals to buy. So once the filets have been removed, the population is left with the decayed, discarded fish carcasses which they dry and use as food. Sauper's film turns into apocalyptic horror when he shows us how toddlers walk among the rotting fish whilst the maggots wriggle around the bare feet and the toxic ammonia gas blinds the impoverished people. This is the real truth behind the nice Nile Perch filet from Tanzania which is sold at your first world supermarket and eaten by two million Europeans every day.

So while so much fish is exported abroad, Tanzania itself is struggling to avoid famine. Fishermen spend their free time with prositutes who also serve Western businessmen and sinister Russian cargo plane pilots at the bars. H.I.V. infection rages through the region. Street children burn scraps of Styrofoam fish packing material so they can inhale the fumes, and fight with one another over meager portions of donated food. Globalization feeds the lucrative foreign markets while the locals starve to death.

To make things worse, the huge ex-Soviet cargo planes who come daily to collect the filets bring Kalashnikovs and ammunitions for the uncounted wars in the dark center of the continent. That's where the real money lies. This booming multiniational industry of fish and weapons is a haunting reminder of the consequences of capitalism and a deeply disturbing portrait of ordinary people who become the victim of the endless pursuit of profit from the Western world. Hupert Sauper has made a devastating, fascinating and very imaginative film.

You owe it to yourself to go watch DARWIN'S NIGHTMARE.

Just a quick post to tell you about the crazy spring sale at BLOOD & FIRE (thank you Tom!). This English label is together with Pressure Sounds the ultimate reggae reissue label, noteworthy for its splendid releases, both in music & packaging. Half of the current catalogue has been temporarily dropped in prices from £11,06 to £4,25 and that my dear friends is money for jam(aica) so do yourself a favour and get them while you can!

Last Friday, I got the ultimate chance to book a last minute gig by SOUTH FILTHY, one of my favourite contemporary bands featuring Monsieur Jeffrey Evans (Gibson Bros, '68 Comeback), Jack Yarber (Oblivians) and Walter Daniels (Jack O' Fire). The concert, which took place at a great club surrounded by a peaceful & pastoral stretch of land, was a full blast : a terrific party, full of atmosphere and cold beers. Some people told me that the combination of rural America & the Flemish countryside contributed to the majesty of the gig and I can only agree. All of the six musicians, including Ron Franklin on drums and two other musicians of whom I forgot the name but were nevertheless amazing, turned out to be extremely nice people and we all had a wonderful time. Thanks to Robert from Kiss n Run Booking for making it happen! Here's a picture of Walter Daniels having a beer with the locals...

Howdy!

This web log is a complementary outlet for my site http://www.batarang.be. Here you will find random notes on music, film, travel, etc.

I hope it will become an interactive kind of blog where we can learn from each other and forget all about the obvious.

Let's get it on!

Signed,
Luke Batarang