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Bücher, schnell gelesen: 1.645

James Lee Burke – Angst Um Alafair (Pendragon Verlag, 2023)

Gelesen: 01. – 12.06.2023 (netto 663 Seiten).

Aus dem Amerikanischen von Jürgen Bürger.

In Band 20 geht es zurück nach Montana, wie schon in Band #3 und Band #17. Aber diesmal wollen Dave samt Familie (Ehefrau Molly, Tochter Alafair) sowie Clete einfach nur Ausspannen und die Wunden (aus Band #19) heilen.

Die Story beginnt harmlos und mit einer falschen Fährte. Aber irgendwer ist hinter Alafair her. Und er kennt Alafair, hat sie ihn mal im Gefängnis interviewt? Er war das sprichwörtlich Böse, aber er ist ja bei einem Autounfall des Gefangenentransports um Leben gekommen. Sagen die Cops.

Im ersten Drittel geht es üm das allgemeine Böse (in Menschen, auch bei Cops) und darum das Asa Surrette möglicherweise überlebt und seinen Weg nach Montana gefunden hat.

Asa kennt keine Grenzen, liebt es zu Quälen und sich in das Leben von normalen Menschen einzuschleichen. Manipulativ. Böse. Und er hegt seit langem einen Groll gegen Alafair.

Die Suche nach Asa steht im Mittelpunkt, aber es gibt jede Menge Beigaben in Form von Entführungen und Morden, an denen sowohl Asa als auch die Familie eines wohlhabenden Ölbarons beteiligt sind. Diese Familie ist das perfekte Beispiel für die Profiteure der Ausbeutung, die dazu beigetragen haben das ehemals makelloses Montana physisch als auch gesellschaftlich zu verwüsten.

Dazu führen Dave und Clete einen Kleinkrieg mit der lokalen Polizei, die so gar kein Bock darauf hat das Auswärtige für Unruhe sorgen. Und Leichen hinterlassen. Aus Notwehr.

Wie in keinem anderen Buch aus der Dave Robicheaux Serie treffen hier das geläuterte Gute (Dave, im Rahmen auch Clete und Gretchen) auf das Böse – auf eine Welt und auf Menschen ohne Limits. Denen keine Grenzen gesetzt werden.

Diese Grenzen setzen am Ende Dave & Co mit aller Gewalt. Und dürfen erleben das es immer noch mehr Böses gibt, das ggf. auch aufräumt. Und damit Dave, Clete und Gretchen vor eine Mordanklage bewahrt.

Gerechtigkeit? Killt. Das Böse? Killt immer. Der Mensch? Ein Abgrund.

Großartig. Einfach nur Großartig.

Soundtrack dazu: Meat Puppets – Embodiement Of Evil, was sonst?

PS: Das Original hat mit “The Light Of The World” den besseren Titel, definitiv. Das deutsche Cover Foto gibt das ja auch her.

2023/06/13
… the challenge of new, the challenge of memory lane!
Sometimes you got give in. Give in to the urge to jog down memory lane. Being able to see Bärchen und Die Milchbubies at the Hafenklang was such an occasion, as they had been a known name from Hannover in the early 80s. But i never got to see them as far as i can remember.

Lulu und Die Einhornfarm was the support, though it is their recent record that gave the tour the apt name: “Alles Klärchen Bärchen” – i guess they were the real headliner. I knew that it is a side project of one of the Crackhuren lot but that Band is way off my mu-sick-al territory, so i did not know what to expect.
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Lulu und Die Einhornfarm (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 04.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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What i got was a very modern interpretation of 80s Deutschpunk, thankfully delivered with drive and in short & fast doses (my guess would be all songs clocked in around the 01:30 mark). They had plenty of fans dancing and singing so i guess they qualify for being popular (as in Pop).

It wasn’t my thingy but i can see why it touches mainly younger folks (with a less narrow minded mu-sick-al upbringing than myself). Check them out for yourself, who am i to judge?

Next on the revived Bärchen, shrunk to a 3 piece with original members Annette singing and strumming the Guitar, Kai on Bass and singing too plus Markus (Hamburg Ramönes, ex-Rotzkotz) on drums.

Little fun fact: Whilst originally part of the No Fun family of Hannover fame all of the current members reside in … sunny Hamburg. The lure of the big city?

I guess since their retrospective collection came out on Tapete Records they have found larger interest beyond record collector scum hunting for their 1980 single with the all time novelty hit “Jung Kaputt Spart Altersheime“.

Where Lulu & Co where fast, wild and i guess obnoxious (and lured the younger contingent), Annette & Co where slow, behaved and … shy (and lured the older contingent).

Like offensive little sister vs. behaved older sister – the loudmouth on the outside whilst the shy older sister has more inside depth. But in the end both are the same blood – personal stories from a female perspective.
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Bärchen und Die Milchbubis (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 04.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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There was distinctive less action on stage and off stage, i also sensed less people in the room. Knowing some of their old stuff i guess i knew what to expect and partly i got that. What did strike me though was that the few songs announced as new by and large worked much better for me, specifically when the Bass was playing chords to carry the vocals. They got friendly applause and on some of their old & known stuff even some sing-a-long.

Would i see both again? I guess not, unless eg. Bärchen would appear as a package at the Hafenklang. Was it worth it beyond discussions on Senseo-Pads, Incontinence and Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetz with fellow Oldpunks? I guess yes, because the memory lane only ever is good if you ground yourself into realities of today.

NB: Memory lane also came up with this pic that i always found utmost funny back then – additional fun nugget is that the Skin with the black eyes now is a renowned Professor for Experimental and Quantum Physics. Beat that freedom of mind!

Bärchen und die Milchbubis (80something – (c) Tapete Records)
2023/06/05
… Hamburg = no show, Lyon = full force: Claimed Choice!
It is all about choices. I took the choice to let go the last home game of the season months ago for some battery recharging days out with me love in our 2nd home up north but made sure i would be back for a potential relegation game. More or less luckily FCSP did not make that relegation (but the other team from Hamburg did) but the Thursday evening was rescued by Claimed Choice from France.

Unfortunately my choice to see them Lyonese was only shared with few friends and equally less other regulars or other interested parties. The rest seemed to favor Arthur Dent…

Only ~15 tickets sold prior to the show, my wild guess would be same amount sold at the door, so only about 30 good people took the chance to see a band that actually is way beyond Oi!, has so much more mu-sick-al capabilities and is able to cover such a wide territory.

And, frank, they can write songs. With complex structures. Good songs.

They waited upon the half-time whistle of the football game and then lured the folks from the bar (and the screen) over towards the stage.

They are typically filled under “Punk, Bovver and Oi!” and i have to admit that this falls way to short of their capabilities. To start with, they all seem to be excellent musicians, even a slight mishap on a not fully rehearsed new song is overcome right there with ease.
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Claimed Choice (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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And on top their sound – like with many of their label partners on Une vie pour rien Vinyles – branches so much wider. They seamlessly blend even Wave, Post-Punk or whatever label you wanna stick to it.

And, even better, they where not pulled down by the low turnout and did hang full force in, with broad smiles and full energy. Speaking to them after the show they made it clear they wanted to play the Monkeys whatever, some of them even had been there before accompanying eg. Lions Law. And loved it.
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Claimed Choice (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de 2023)
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I guess they played everything they had (the two records clock in at a total of 12 songs), they did let go though the Jook cover (a great song ahead of time as an Original but covered too often in this genre, so i had no complaint letting it go).

Claimed Choice – Setlist (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 01.06.2023 (c) gehkacken.de)

Once done they left for good but almost every individual in the audience approached a band member to give something extra, even if they had played it prior. It took a bit to get them from the bar, the merch booth and elsewhere back on stage but then it was encore time.

Great stuff and much to my surprise i have to admit that i was not expecting such an excellent delivery. Me mate Matthias was even more surprised, has he learned by chance that the 2nd guitar of Claimed Choice also plays Bass for Matthias current biggest mu-sick-al love Cran. And fills in as the tour guitar player for the equally great Prisonnier Du Temps. I guess he was the happiest member of the audience in the end!

As always if a band convinces me down from the stage i had to pick up vinyl, with Claimed Choice that was easy as all of their stuff fits a 12″ and a 7″. Most of me mates made the same choice actually, well done lads.
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#recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes
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You can grab your copies from Une vie pour rien?, the label that carries most of the new cool French sound. Pick both the 12″ (which includes their demo tape) and the 7″. They are worth it! After some more chats with fellow concert goers and #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes i set on me bike and took the short ride home, happy as could be.

I guess those supporting the other club in Hamburg where less happy and some even regretted not choosing the Monkeys.

It is about choices. As ever.
2023/06/02