It was a matter of minutes. First, the dark clouds, then the strong wind. It didn’t stop. It became stronger, really stronger. We were sitting in the garden, suddenly, a colleague shouted: “Time to take cover!” And everyone was inside the building.

Then the whole area was enveloped in darkness as the strong wind forced the trees to do a powerful dance. Twisting, turning, waving, cracking. More! I hurried to the bus station. I tried to call someone but it was difficult to get through. Then I stopped at the sight of a flower basin already cracked in front of me. The flowers were unharmed but the soil was already sprawled on the pavement. Tis a pity for the owner who wasn’t at home. Or who might be there but couldn’t do anything.

Then I got afraid that the flying debris–from the broken pieces of vases, pots, bottles or roof and blocks–would fall on me or scarce or hit my face or whatever part of my body. Suddenly, it dawned on me that it was a scene I remember from childhood. Tropical storms. Typhoons. Or even a movie like “Twister” as the dark clouds became compact and later would form a deadly cone.

It was sudden and astonishing by the sudden outpour of water and lashing of the wind. According to Der Standard, two people died in Vienna. Barbra Streisand cancelled her Schönbrunn concert tonight only to pursue it tomorrow, Friday. And the Donauinselfest? Come rain or shine the Danube music festival will go on.

He looks kinda lost and now he’s looking for the police guy, the army guy, the cowboy, the indian and the especially the rocker dude.

Barbra Streisand is in town and she will perform tonight at 8 in Vienna’s Schönbrunn, out there at the Ehrenhof (Honor Courtyard?). This is said to be her first live performance in Europe after she reversed her annuncement to do concerts again in 2006. The diva has the habit of announcing her retirement and coming back. Wikipedia documented that in September of 2000,”she announced that she was retiring from future paying public concerts.”

I cannot believe that despite the sky-rocketing price, some international ticketing sites suggest that tickets are sold out except for the Austria Ticket, which still offers the VIP Diamond to the tune of €2,392!!! The lowest is €172.

I have gathered that in order to be at the prestigious Neujahrskonzert one has to pay the same price and wait till there’s an available seat. Someone I know is still waiting up to this point. They already reserved more than two years ago and up until now they have gotten no word when will they be allowed to be there. And don’t forget the annual ball…

For the true followers and the curious perhaps this is nothing. You might probably pay more than the double if you were find out that Metallica would be able to bring back Cliff Burton from the dead and perform together with the band. Okay, I am just exaggerating.

A couple of days I saw ORF interviewed fans from South America who gushed at the thought of Barbra performing again.

One of them said: “You just have to be where she is!”

If you have no moolah and you are a fan you might be able to hear her voice outside of the Schönbrunn Palace.

It is called Rokko’s adventures and it is way cool. There are stories about music (Melvins, Dyse, Tumult records, …), arts (Gottfried Bechthold, Futurism) and other stuff (trepanation, situationist internationale, rokko’s grandparents) all in appealing lay out and a new crazy idea on every page.

Despite the title the thing is mostly in German, though. Available almost everywhere for I think 3 €. mail to rokkosadventures@gmx.at for a comprehensive list and a love letter.

I had to visit a university library yesterday, which I haven’t done for years. I didn’t even do it while I was studying. Anyway, I made a few interesting observations there:

> students walk slow it is true, I was constantly avoiding to bump into people from behind. Everybody was strolling around the premises slower than my grandma. Some of them I was faster standing than they were walking.

> nowhere without my mobile there was a sign of a mobile in a red circle and crossed out. I would understand that as meaning: no mobiles. Obviously the four or five people I witnessed right next to the sign talking on their mobiles understood differently.

> powernappers Within the two hours I had to spend at this library I saw three people sleeping at their desks.

Taking these in account, the fact that there is air condition and the unbelievable number of good looking girls around, I reinforce my opinion that the student’s life is the best there is and I strongly wish I was 20 again.

“Österreich” (the new semi-hyper-newspaperish tabloid) titled with “Today We Are Africa”. The headline is referring to the current temperature.

Well, I guess if Austria would really be “Africa” (what part?) for a day we would have to complain about more than about the heat. Many dead people, for example.

…I have to mention that comments and new posts are offline for a short time. So please don’t try to compose an awesome comment… you would only be presented with “BAD SQL ERROR” messages.

Thanx!

If you are planning to spend the hot summer nights in Wien, might as well spend it via chasing the stars. I mean, the stars of the movies while sitting under the hopefully star-filled night. Okay, that sounds so cheesy.

We all know the popular Kino Unter Sternen, which features a tribute to the stellar US comedian Jerry Lewis. It will run from June 28 till August 12. Apart from the comedian’s films, other movies to be screened include “Science of Sleep” with the fantastic and pretty Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, Roman Polanski’s “Dance of the Vampires,” and etc.

Now the city’s Main Library will also have its own open-air cinema and it is going to be on the library’s rooftops. Called Lichter der Großstadt (The lights in the metropoles), it is already in its fourth season. This year’s theme will the significance of big cities such as Vienna, New York, and Saigon and will kick off on June 22 till July 1. It will be a mishmash of classics, rarities, and succesful films. For Vienna the feature movie will be “Exit-nur keine Panik” and for NewYork it will be Spike Lee’s “Summer of Sam,” his cinematic rendition to revisit the serial killer Son of Sam and the situation of NYC around this time. I read that the admission costs will be €7 and € .50 cent higher for Kino Unter Sternen.

It seemed like a revelation for any trained Viennese: getting into the grass in parks and recreational areas will not longer be prohibited. But be careful, because nothing is as simple or straightforward as it might seem.

For any young kid from Vienna coming to London for the first time it was strange: people getting onto the lawns and grass of parks to rest, have a picknick or take a nap. And no grown up in a shabby uniform chasing them off the green. Now the city of Vienna will discard the “Liegeverbot” (prohibition of lying down) for their parks. Cool.

But - and this wouldn’t be Vienna if there were no “but” - this is only meant for the parks under the control of the city of Vienna, eg. Türkenschanzpark, Kurpark Oberlaa or Stadtpark. A lot of other parks are under the control of the “Bundesgärten” (federal gardens administration), like the Burggarten, Volksgarten or Heldenplatz and they have no inclination of letting people onto the green and they will even increase the number of shabby uniforms on grey old men to control the lawns are leaft untouched. There will also be private security companies helping to control these awful crimes.

Summing up that means that in those places, where there was no control in the last year so accordingly people are already using the green lawns there to rest, bathe in the sun or whatever, the status quo will become a legal foundation. Not much else, but better than nothing. I’ll tag it as a small step of the city towards more liberty.

A Biennale in a Viennese cafe?
Yes!

Long before what is now called discourse had taken over the institutes of fine arts all over the world, it was in fact already being conducted every evening. Long before what is now called critique of institutions had begun to rattle the foundations of the museums, buildings and programmes were already being vehemently argued about. And the practice, so greatly loved by curators and travelling lecturers, of talking ritually past each other under the umbrella of so-called symposiums has also been cultivated there for years. In the Anzengruber, as far as the fine arts are concerned, there is always Biennale (including buffet and video room) - a little less formal, certainly, than elsewhere, sometimes a little more vehement as well, but always marching onward. And this needs to be stated quite clearly now, when every village between Shanghai and Dubai, Prague and goodness knows where, decks itself out magnificently with its own Biennale and is convinced that it is quite special for doing so. So now: Anzengruber Biennale, for a change, as something official, with pictures for once. After all, not everyone has the entire history of art in mind all the time!

Opening: June 20, 2007; 6 PM.
Exhibition June 21-23, 2007.
Cafe Anzengruber, Schleifmühlgasse 19, 1040 Vienna