bier und currywurst

she got the sausage - hence the facial expression - and I got the beer.

On Friday we were given two tickets to a concert that took place last night. Flea was very happy because I had failed to buy tickets due to being ill (shame on me) on the day they went on sale and then it was sold out. I was very happy because one of the bands, New Model Army, had been a big favourite of mine when I was a teenager. One of their songs, Green and Grey, has stayed with me for years as it describes how it feels to be "left behind" in a disadvantaged area while other people move away to a "better life". As I've kind of done just that, moved away, I find the song very moving - especially this:

No, not for one second
Did you look behind you
As you were walking away
Never once did you wish any of us well
Those who had chosen to stay

And I sometimes worry that that's what I did. Or that people I care for think that's what I did (which is worse, I think). This song shows how damn hard it is to come from one of those places - most people I know who stayed or went back are one of three things: UNemployed, because there is no work around for them, UNDERemployed, not enough hours or work that is beneath their potential, or OVERemployed because it's not possible to live in those kind of places and maintain a good standard of living without working and working and working. Things that mitigate my "guilt" are that I have not gone to live in a city and have not "made it" - I still live a rural life and I work to help disadvantaged people and places. Also, I do care and I do wish people well.
It was a bit of a shame that not more people in the audience knew NMA, it made the concert a bit "flat" but I had my own little party and people stared at me :-)

Which brings me on to the next subject: people. The main band was Die Toten Hosen and most people had come to see them and didn't care much for the other three bands (even though the Donots were fab). Unfortunately for Flea and I, our tickets were for seated places and, not only that, we were seated in the A1 Nae Fun section. There were people there who complained about us standing up. They told us we had numbered seats and should stay on them. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO PUNK?!! When did we start sitting on fricking numbered seats?!! Well, after a polite interlude, we went to find a more....jumping/yelling place and stood on the steps with some other people and got beer spilt all over our legs. WHICH IS HOW IT'S MEANT TO BE. Our seated friends could be seen in the distance. I believe one of them may have tapped his foot to the music. But he probably got told off by the others for that. I always wonder why people like that go to concerts?
Second point about people is how worrying mass hysteria is - looking down at everyone hopping up and down in time to the music and all raising their fist when told to and shouting stuff as per instructions got me thinking (whilst jumping up and down myself, of course) about what else one could shout, what other gestures can be made - how close were those people to being in a position to be totally manipulated? The concert took place in a football stadium and I thought about how stadiums have been used by the Nazis, the Junta, the Taliban....maybe those people who refused to budge off their numbered seats are exactly the kind of people who save humanity from following the flag and killing whoever the person with the microphone tells them are the baddies? Maybe I should be glad that there is a bit of boring and sensible in every crowd. Being the kind of "jump into the water, find out you can't swim" person I am, it's always good to have people around who think things through, work things out, say "hang on, let's wait a second before we do anything" - it does have a rather sobering effect that is easy to resent, but it also has a great value, which should never be forgotten. Mr Spitzi is exactly that kind of influence in my life and is the reason why I have money in a bank account and am not running around the world as a crazed idiot. Blessings on the sensible people.

Amongst many other things that I have to do before we go on holiday (easyjet sent me a reminder about that today and I'm feeling slightly alarmed by how close it is) is to see Green Day. With Flea, of course. I'm so glad that I have someone in the family who embraces noise and crowds like I do. And doesn't mind or laugh at me when I jump up and down and sing "I LOVE THE WORLD" at the top of my voice while all the people around us stare at me. Because I do love the world, even if it does, sometimes, feel like it's throwing razor blades at me. It's good to be alive.