walk away

Τhat’s the highlight of the forthcoming Franz Ferdinand album. The way Alex Kapranos’ voice cracks when he admits “I love the sound of you walking away…”, trying to persuade himself that he doesn't really care makes my heart melt. I guess it’s the Scottish/Greek blood that runs through his veins I have to blame…


I swapped my innocence for pride
Crushed the end within my stride
Said I'm strong now
I know that I'm a leaver

I love the sound of you walking away, you walking away
Mascara bleeds a blackened tear, oh
And I am cold, yes, I'm cold
But not as cold as you are
I love the sound of you walking away, you walking away
I love the sound of you walking away, walking away, yeah hey

Why don't you walk away?
No buildings will fall down
Don't you walk away
No quake will split the ground
Won't you walk away
The sun won't swallow the sky
Won't you walk away?
Statues will not cry

I cannot turn to see those eyes
As apologies may rise
I must be strong and stay an unbeliever
And love the sound of you walking away, you walking away
Mascara bleeds into my eye, oh
And I'm not cold, I am old
At least as old as you are
And as you walk away…

Oh, as you walk away
My headstone crumbles down
As you walk away
The Hollywood winds will howl
As you walk away
The Kremlin's falling
As you walk away
Radio Four is static

Oh, as you walk away
Hey
The stab of stiletto
On a silent night
Stalin smiles
Hitler laughs
Churchill claps
Mao Tse Tung on the back


I love music, we have established that by now… But don’t believe the songs. They lie from time to time. Because if there’s one thing you already know, it’s that I never ever loved the sound of you walking away. Neither the sight of it. Nor the feeling… Especially the feeling.

serenity

In just a week’s time… I find myself with some money to burn, a brand new notebook and a sofa, a new car WITH a cd player, some stylish trainers, a couple of challenging job assignments, at least one famous actress harassing and almost stalking me, a good night sleep, a phone call from my lawyer that I am, in a way, a wealthy man, some unanswered questions, lots of strings [on the new PSB album] etc etc
Am I supposed to be thrilled and happy as happy one can be?

Make a wild guess…

reeds driftin’ on

I got no money to spend, no decorated place to crash, no flashy car to drive, no trendy clothes to wear, no challenging job to do, no v.i.p. friends to socialize, no time to sleep, no news from my lawyer concerning a compensation from another life, no questions asked, no strings attached... Nutha…
Then why the heck am I feeling so good?

silver jubilee

Today my parents celebrate their 40th anniversary…
How about that?
Forty years together!!!
I don’t know about you, but it sounds out of this world to me! Forty consecutive years with one another…
Sure, there have been some fights. Lots of yelling. Some glasses even breaking on the wall, hahaha… But, if you look at them , you just know they are happy. At least as happy as one can get in this life… And I won’t ever forget one thing I have listened my mother saying over the phone to one of her friends. She didn’t know I was listening, obviously: «What can I say, my dear… He’s a stubborn kind of fellow, my husband, oh yes he is. But do you know what? I was watching him the other day, sorting out his books in the huge library of his and I thought, “If I could turn back time, I would fall for the same guy again”… What can I say? I am still under his spell».
Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to create this image of the all American family with my folks being head over heels in love after forty years of marriage, two crazy kids and one lovely grand daughter… However, what I would like to point out is that… I kind of envy them. Sure, my dad never learned to program the VCR [although that knowledge would have been proved useless in the dvd era…] and my mother never approved of my obsession for Bad Brains BUT… they seem just fine to me. All right. Balanced. Calm… In terms with themselves. And more than satisfied with their choices.
I am 31 and I still cannot say the same thing about myself… I cannot imagine myself mature enough to cope with parental demands… I don’t have a stable career, the way my father had in my age…. And I don’t think I deserve to be loved the way he was…
Nevertheless, I consider myself to be one hell of a lucky bastard. My parents gave me the privilege to afford to have my own problems and nothing but. I wish I could do the same one day for my children [if any…]
So, mom & dad, I know u r not reading this, but from the bottom of my heart, I wish that, in ten years’ time, you will be both healthy to celebrate your golden jubilee as well. Knowing that you are out there, still doing the right way whatever it is you are doing so well all these years, makes me feel that this world is a better place…
Love,
Your son…

P.S. Ok you guys I know this is not the most rawk’n’roll post ever, but it was the only thing I felt like writing today. Cheers!

not in the mood

u could say I just had a bad day - but, actually, the day has just begun...

u could say I should be a little more patient, as weekend is just around the corner, tgif etc. - but patience is not my virtue

u could say I should be having the side effects of a good night out, lots of wine and lots of laughing out loud - but that was yesterday and yesterday is too far gone...

u could say I should be thanking God it finally rained - but rain's not enough when the heat won't go away...

u could say I should be more social and polite - but, if I were you, I would think twice before entering my office...

u could say I should be grateful I am in fine health - I know I should, but...

I am just not in the mood. Ok?...

take that and party

one of the best pop singles of all time and one very good reason why Gary Barlow [who?] deserves our respect… Somehow, I included it in my dj set last night, squeezed between less “cheesy” songs by Psychonauts and Bill Wells Octet… :-)
Everyone cheered up and started singing along. Never underestimate the positive effect of an all time classic tune…

I guess now it's time for me to give up
I feel it's time
Got a picture of you beside me
Got your lipstick mark still on your coffee cup
Got a fist of pure emotion
Got a head of shattered dreams
Gotta leave it, gotta leave it all behind now

Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it
I just want you back for good
Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it
You'll be right and understood

Unaware but underlined I figured out this story
It wasn't good
But in the corner of my mind I celebrated glory
But that was not to be
In the twist of separation you excelled at being free
Can't you find a little room inside for me

Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it
I just want you back for good
Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it
You'll be right and understood

And we'll be together, this time is forever
We'll be fighting and forever we will be
So complete in our love
We will never be uncovered again

Whatever I said, whatever I did I didn't mean it
I just want you back for good
Whenever I'm wrong just tell me the song and I'll sing it
You'll be right and understood

I guess now it's time, that you came back for good

What a song... And mind you, even McAlmont & Butler couldn't outdo the original version...

i luv this game. d'ya love me?

1-2
We scored the second goal in injury time.
Six minutes after the last minute of the second half.
On stoppage time…
I don’t want to write a review for yesterday’s match. But I want to use it as an example for real life. Because I believe that, at the end of the day, you could say it’s only the final result that counts. I don’t know whether that applies everywhere or not, but, if you really really want something, if u r passionate about it, then you have to exceed yourself in order to win, do whatever it takes, try anything.
And when the final whistle will be blown, just raise your head and take a look at the scoreboard. Who won? Was it you? If yes, congratulations, you deserved it. If not… maybe you should have tried harder… Think about it.
Even after the lights go out all over this scoreboard. The scoreboard of your life… Some manage to qualify for the next round. Others won't be satisfied unless they win the championship... But even then... after some time, they will have to defend their crown. So, it takes a lot of hard work.
But... if u are once a worthy winner, then it can't be that difficult to realize that no, it's not hard work you need. Just relax, take your time, enjoy the game and play it simple - there is no way you are going to lose, I promise you that...

how r u ?

- F.I.N.E.*
What about you?

- You know, the usual… I.P.O.D.**

- Ok then. It was nice chatting with you.

- Later…



*fucked-up, insecure, neurotic, emotional
**insecure, pressured, over-taxed, debt-ridden

exit wounds

Everyone who’s someone was there… The aunts, the relatives, the grand children, the gay couple, the “has been” actors, the “sexy till u drop” old ladies, the-pretty-girl-your-mother-wanted-you-to-marry-but-you-never-took-the-time-to-deal-with, the other one you'd had sex ages ago, her sister whom you fancied when you were fifteen, the ghost of your friend who will never come back…Everyone was there. They were all around you. So you chatted, you laughed, you got drunk as drunk one can get on a Sunday noon, you re-exchanged phone numbers you knew you wouldn't use, you toasted, you raised your glass, you saw some others raising their eyebrows for a second, you got bored and, eventually, you said your goodbyes.
Just as you were walking away, the-ever-so-pretty-girl-your-mother-wanted-you-to-marry-but-you-never-took-the-time-to-deal-with [don’t worry, she got married to a ridiculously wealthy ship owner and she’s having the time of her life], comes to you, smiles and asks just one innocent question: “So, have you found the girl of your dreams…yet?”
I mean… am I supposed to read between the lines or am I destined to waltz away glooming?

right till the end

As I am currently grooving to the new Audio Bullys album, “Generation” [to be released September the 16th], for some reason, I think about my friends. Since childhood, I’ve had a few friends, never had one too many…

Two of my best friends have died. One of them literally, because of cancer at the age of 21… The other one woke up one morning and decided all he ever wanted was to become a monk. He changed his name, left his family and drove all the way up to Holy Mountain. I have only seen him once since then…

But I am a lucky bastard. I may have very few friends but all of them, well, they’re fucking extraordinary…

I met Thanassis K. while still in high school. We got through a lot of hard and funny times together. And it’s a fact that your school buddies are bonded with you in a very special way. We can share and swap almost everything [apart from girlfriends].

Marc French is eight years older than me. He was my boss and mentor at the early stages of my so called career. He’s an incredibly patient guy and knows things about me one could not even dare to imagine… He has managed to summarize my personality in one phrase. Of course I am not going to write it down…. Forget about it!!!

John Dokman served his military duty with me on the very same war ship. We were in close company every single day for 17 crazy months. Suffice to say, it was impossible not to keep in touch right after, so we made it official: I became his best man.

I have known YK for years but he seemed unreachable. However, situations occurred and by the autumn of 2003 we were hanging out on a daily basis. He is one of the most charismatic and cool people I have ever met. Needles to say that when we go out, women only have eyes for him…

There are also some other friends that I don’t get to see that often. Michael K., for example, one of the best drummers in the world under 40, is a great chap but his touring schedule and our working hours that never cross each other keep us from hooking up regularly.

All of them are guys. I don’t have female friends. I don’t think this can be done. There are women I respect, like and with whom I can have a good time, but I don’t exactly consider them friends. It doesn’t work this way. Not for me. I could explain why but that’s material for another post altogether.

The reason why I decided to write about my friends [there are a couple more but on a different level] is because today, when I woke up, I took a look around my flat, had a quick re-evaluation of my life and tried to remember all my hits and misses. As you may have guessed, there have been a few hits and lots of misses. Somehow, my biggest hit is that I have these friends with whom I can share my hits & misses, alli my bits and pieces. Hey, if someone has friends that good where he can depend on, he can’t be all that bad, can I? :-)

So, dear friends, let me say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I don’t know what I’d do without you…

Cheers!