Just got back from Belgium. I’m sick as a dog like always after travelling. I’ve been listening to Radio For Peace International at work today and they are bashing Obama for not being progressive enough and I got home at around six. Started cooking pasta for Elin while reading an interview with Monty Colvin (once of Galactic Cowboys). Inbetween this and that I had 15 mins over and sat down by the TV. The american show COPS was on. Man! What a piece of crap show it is. This particular episode featured a buff cop arresting a prostitute on crack. During the arrest the viewers learn that she is the mother of nine children, she is currently on a high and that she got beat up recently. This very sad, but we know that it is real. It is the sad truth that is a lot of people’s lives.
What is unreal to me is that this in some twisted way is supposed to be entertainment – watching a condescending, patronizing cop spewing better-knowing on this poor woman, telling her that she is a bad role-model for her kids and making all the calls he needs to bring her to jail. Myself, I’m trying my best not to cry. Now, tell me why this is 7 o’clock entertainment on public television?
Can this actually be for real? Did the nosey, smartmouth lil’ prick from Veddige, Sweden actually succumb? Yes, we have finally done-diddily-done it to quote Ned Flanders (that is also what our belgian friends call me, Flanders).
Where? When? How? WHY??!! Well, we first had plans to put on a big show. Big wedding with a huge BBQ for everyone (YES! You too!) but then we just got tired and decided to do the opposite. A small, secret thing. So that is what we did. Here in Örebro where we live.
It was just our parents, brothers and their wives and kids. And a handful of other more or less important people who witnessed the whole thing. This was a month ago (17 May). The ceremony was cool indeed and concisted of music like “Orion” (Metallica), “I Feel You” (Depeche Mode) and “Kashmir” (Led Zeppelin). My good friend Marcus Vahlström (of Polizei famous) did a great job singing on “I Feel You”. Myself I sang “Trip Through Your Wires” by U2. And after all the “yes’s” we had dinner together and then me and Elin went to Cambodia and Thailand.
So that was basically it. It was a supercool day and the trip was simply amazing! Now we plan to live happily ever after – and this week we are going back to Belgium to celebrate Tijs’ and Hanne’s upcoming wedding! Oh, and we’re gonna see Testament, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden! How cool – I got myself a wife that listens to the Priest.
There’s a swedish saying would translate “cross in the ceiling”! Whenever something unexpected occurs this saying applies. Like me updating this blog. There’s also a saying that goes “I sense owls in the swamp”. That one however is a bit harder to apply today. So far, anyways. Today is saturday and I’m paralyzed in front of the computer. I have some work to do that I should really get going with since Elin is at work till three but I have a hard time “getting the thumb out of the ass” (another swedish expression, actually). So, it’s been ages since I last wrote but I think we’ve been up to the same dirty things since last (christmas, new years etc). This is the chinese year of the rat by the way. And don’t I feel like a one?
We went to the wedding of one of Elin’s friends. Basically I knew no one and ended up eating and drinking too much. It’s always great when you get home realising that you’ve been rotating 7-8 answers all evening: “Yes”, “No”, “—” (accompanied by “the look”), “Mostly Motörhead”, “I only dance to german-spanish gay electronica” and “Yes, my glass is always half-empty, so by all means, fill it up sweet-cheeks”.
Have been quite a bad reader lately. Elin gave me Damien Echols’ autobiography “Almost Home – My Life Story Vol. 1″ for christmas. That was a good, but sad, read. In case you don’t follow the demise of The West Memphis Three, it’s the disturbing story of three kids who got accused/convicted for the murder of three eight year-olds. It’s a tale of prejudice and narrow-mindedness. I’ve been supporting the WM3 for a long time. Sadly, this whole thing feels disturbingly close to home to most people who give it some time. Anyways, I also got Biff Byford’s autobiography. The of Saxon y’know. It was a fun a read, lots of good stories. I only wish that he was as good a storyteller as Mr. Echols. The last book I read was Stephen King’s hard case crime novel “The Colorado Kid”. A cool one, though lacking a lot of the caracteristics of the more typical King novels.
I’ve done quite a lot writing the last couple of months. One kinda cool article was about the release party for Mammuth’s new album “The Cardiac Defect”. I got this idea that the photo shoot should have a heart-theme (cardiac, get it?). So I found a pigs-heart and a bucket of ox blood. Well, it turned out the singer of Mammuth was a vegetarian. “Big deal”, I said. “So am I!” But he didn’t want to do it so I had to make fake blood out of syrap and some other stuff. The heart I carved from a sweet-potatoe.
Aaahhaha! Check this out. I found a clip of Rammstein covering a Ramones tune together with some of the Ramones guys and Jerry Only from The Misfits. Listen to the first minute. I would trade my grandmother to be able to sing like that!
Been reading a lot lately. First off was William Gibson‘s “Virtual Light”. A really cool cyberpunk novel. Will have to check out “Neuromancer” soon. It’s a classic and I have yet to read it.
Then Elin suggest I read the Boris Starling novel “Messiah” that she gave me for my brithday, and my, was it good! That one about a London serial-killer.
Then came two books that I started reading a while back but put aside for reasons too stupid to print. “Veronika Decides to Die” by Paulo Coelho is a fantastic tale of young Veronika who tries to kill herself. Once finished I sent that one off to Sandor because I’m pretty sure that he will enjoy a good part of it. (The masturbation episode if nothing else.)
Uhm, what next? Oh yes, Neil Peart – the drummer from Rush – wrote a book called “Ghost Rider – Travels on the Healing Road”. Pretty good, and being a Rush fan there is always the trivia bonuses, but I think that he streched the whole thing too long in the end.
A couple of days ago I got asked to write an article of the life of Brian Welch (ex-Korn guitarist) – based on his book “Save Me From Myself”. I got it in the mail a couple of days back and I think the editor of the paper wants it preeeetty soon so I’ll have to read through it superfast.
I have been up to quite some mischief since last, I must say. Some costed more than others. Bare with me and I’ll bring you up to date.
First off. The most wonderful thing has happened. For the first time ever (and last, mind you!) I got engaged! That was ten days ago and Elin was the victim of course. We decided to do it on the very spot – close to the castle in Stockholm – where we met the first time about 15 months ago. After that we went to a fancy restaurant up in the air. So yes, now I am one happy bloke.
About three weeks back I went downtown (Stockholm) to catch up with Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying. Really nice guy. We sat down for a good hour talking about the band, the album, the tour and the faith.
After that I did a photo shoot with the band, went home for dinner and then took Elin with me to the show. Some other bands played (Himsa, Darkest Hour and Maroon) I think but I saw nothing of them.
The article I wrote about As I Lay Dying was published in the newspaper Dagen last week. It came out allright but as always you think you could’ve done better. About the band, well metalcore isn’t really my thing but lately the band has moved a bit closer to a thrash sound which makes them way more interesting for me. And well, their show was energetic enough.
So what was the whole car crash thing about you wonder? Well, I went to London (via Belgium) with the guys form Animasola for some UK shows to promote the band. It was a really fun eight day trip but during one show in London some dopeheads smashed a car window on the car I borrowed from Jens. Then they took all our clothes. That was in the middle of the night. Needless to say the experience sucked pretty bad. I’ll write more about that and our stay in a London anarchist house the next time. Maybe some of the guys have pictures (though I douit since the on digitial camera got stolen).
I went to London in may to work which was just great. I’ve only been there once before, and that was basically only for one day. So inbetween records label meetings in the daytime I went around town to museums and other cool locations such as Abbey Road.
A couple of weeks after I got home I had a new tattoo which came out great. It is a pirate ship with an angel and a couple of pirates (who happens to look a lot like my folks) and a banner saying: “Rise & Save This World”.
After that it was time to deal with the burning bush and the beard had to leave. Someone close to me had been complaining about it one too many times. Then Jens got married on the 2nd of June and Artiom and Liron flew all the way from Israel and spent two weeks of sight-seeing with me and Elin. Apart from the Modern Museum in Stockholm I think the Ge-Kås super-outlet in Ullared made the strongest impact :)
Originally we were planning to go to Sweden Rock Festival, but both me and Elin thought that the bands kinda sucked so what better chance to see some great bands, and meet some great friends, than to go the Dessel (BE) and the Graspop Metal Meeting?
Other than emptying Tijs’ and Hanne’s fridge (below, the people, not the fridge) with hung out with the cream of the good Belgian people. Wim and Jasmine took went to Antwerpen with us to check out waffels, the cathedral and lots of other cool stuff. That was a blast. So was the festival. Elin liked Pain of Salvation and Ozzy the most I think. I though perhaps Slayer and Type O Negative were the best. As were Oceans of Sadness. It’s been a while since I worked out in the middle of a mosh-pit but I thought that this was a great opportunity to support some dear friends so I did that as well as to crowd-surf at the end of the last song.
Tijs made the observation that the lot of us were pretty much like a bunch of life loving pensionaires as we went out to restaurants in an old-fashion style, buying the other couple every other day and ejoying the good, grown-up life. Before we left for Sweden he and Hanne expressed their “Let’s do this till we’re 60!” desire which is a done deal.
Wim took as back to the Dusseldorf airport a couple of days after the fest (yes, Ryan Air had us fly to Germany and not Belgium). Wim, you stinky twat! I can not say enough times how glad we are to have such a good friends driving us from and to the airport.
So anyways, mom and dad came up to Stockholm for my birthday a week ago which was great fun. No we are off to the video store to grab something to watch this evening.
Can this actually be for real? Did the nosey, smartmouth lil’ prick from Veddige, Sweden actually succumb? Yes, we have finally done-diddily-done it to quote Ned Flanders (that is also what our belgian friends call me, Flanders).
There’s a swedish saying would translate “cross in the ceiling”! Whenever something unexpected occurs this saying applies. Like me updating this blog. There’s also a saying that goes “I sense owls in the swamp”. That one however is a bit harder to apply today. So far, anyways. Today is saturday and I’m paralyzed in front of the computer. I have some work to do that I should really get going with since Elin is at work till three but I have a hard time “getting the thumb out of the ass” (another swedish expression, actually). So, it’s been ages since I last wrote but I think we’ve been up to the same dirty things since last (christmas, new years etc). This is the chinese year of the rat by the way. And don’t I feel like a one?
Have been quite a bad reader lately. Elin gave me Damien Echols’ autobiography “Almost Home – My Life Story Vol. 1″ for christmas. That was a good, but sad, read. In case you don’t follow the demise of 
Been reading a lot lately. First off was 
I have been up to quite some mischief since last, I must say. Some costed more than others. Bare with me and I’ll bring you up to date.
I went to London in may to work which was just great. I’ve only been there once before, and that was basically only for one day. So inbetween records label meetings in the daytime I went around town to museums and other cool locations such as Abbey Road.
Originally we were planning to go to Sweden Rock Festival, but both me and Elin thought that the bands kinda sucked so what better chance to see some great bands, and meet some great friends, than to go the Dessel (BE) and the