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November 20, 2006

The hairy, the beautiful, the other, nuts and hippies

HAIRY CUSTOMER

Imagine me working behind the bar at Sound of Mu. It was a kind of quiet night at first, with people coming and going (it got busy later). There were maybe two tables occupied, when a hairy guy I've definitely met before a few times (one of the drunks usually found at Cacadou?) came in the door, stood at the bar counter and stared at me. He was focusing on me in particular, not seeming interested in the alcohol on offer. I wondered if he was stoned, but his eyes seemed ok. "Ingen ting?" ("nothing?") I ventured to ask.
"Oh, I was waiting for you to speak," he said in English, obviously knowing who I am, "You don't like to serve?"
Unsure about what he meant by "serve", I asked, "Do you want something to drink?"
"No" he said dismissively, and left. I'm sure I'll see him again (it's a small city).

Continue reading "The hairy, the beautiful, the other, nuts and hippies"

Posted by barry at 12:11 FM

November 9, 2006

I Was A Chinese Free Improviser

Back on 7 June 2006, Yan Jun visited Sound of Mu here in Oslo and I had the experience of playing improv with him and others at a concert. Who's he? Well, his self-description goes like this: "Yan Jun, sound artist and improviser. Well known as music critic, poet and organizer in Chinas indie music and sub-culture scene for years. Born in Lanzhou in 1973. BA in Chinese Language & Literature. Now lives and works in Beijing. Founder of Sub Jam and KwanYin labels. Founder of Tie Guan Yin (free-form electro-acoustic improvised project). Runs the Waterland Kwanyin weekly event for experimental/improvised music and sound art." You can download an mp3 recording of the show here at yanjun.org (128kbps, 25MB). It's a cross between free jazz and noise - not something I would normally play but it was a special occasion. Details:

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Posted by barry at 9:37 FM