Aidan Truhen – Fuck You Very Much (Suhrkamp, 2018)
Gelesen: 16. – 23.07.2018, netto 341 Seiten
Das beste verrate ich zuerst: Die wohl lustigste Art jemanden zu Töten ist ihm mit einen übergroßen Kürbiskanone den abgeschnittenen Kopf seines Kumpels in den Oberleib zu ballern.
Und letztendlich darum geht es in diesem Buch: Launig, lustig und eloquent Rache zu nehmen. Die klassische One Man Army Geschichte ist es aber nicht, dazu ist der dauerlabernde Ich-Erzähler zu großkotzig. Eigentlich müssten seine Gegner ob des ganzen Gelabers Selbstmord begehen.
Jack Price ist Drogenhändler und hat sein ganzes Imperium an die New Economy crowdgesourced. Beim ihm gibts Kokain bester Qualität über eine völlig anonyme, App-gesteuerte Lieferkette. Aber dann will ihn jemand umbringen. Und benutzt dafür die fieseste Killertruppe auf Erden.
Aber Jack ist nicht nur großspurig, großmäulig sondern einfach auch viel cleverer als die gedungenen Killer. Einen nach dem anderen macht er kalt. Immer lustig, immer sportlich.
Das Lesen ist manchmal anstrengend und der Dauerquatscher geht einem manchmal auf dem Geist aber es bleibt einfach eine launige blutige Angelegenheit. Und das war schon immer ein Qualitätsmerkmal.
It ain’t a sprint, July in Hamburg this year is a marathon in damn heat. Next on where Battalion of Saints from sunny San Diego, a household name in the 80s, a lesser known name in the 90s (even whilst on Taang back then) and a lost name/cause after that (at least from our viewpoint across that mighty ocean). Many people in Hamburg decided to let go the option, i was curious to see what they are up to now. On purpose i did not check out obvious sources like YouTube, ahead of the show, as i wanted to make my (most likely final) choice based on stage performance.
First on in a rather empty Hafenklang were The Cryptics, from New Hampshire in the US of A. They had the pain of playing towards say 15 people facing the stage and i have to admit they did well. They stick a “Melodic Punk” label onto themselves, i guess thats is something that works in the US of A but for me it ain’t working (and does not do them justice).
The Cryptics (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.07.2018 (c) gehkacken.de)
They had good moments when they where short and fast paced, they had almost good moments when they where fast but melodic. And they had lackluster moments for me when they were slow. Best was the bass, who kept a very groovy line throughout the songs. I think i will dig them out deeper, i already noted that the singer has some solo recordings up (on the internet, damn internet – never forgets) that at least got my ears.
But what started with them already was that itch that was to be carried forward to Battalion of Saints: In passing the singer noted that is was the first show with the guitar player and the 3rd with the bass. So effectively we saw a new band or, my wild guess, a band leader with a new assembly.
And that swiftly gets us to Battalion of Saints, who have George Anthony as the only remaining member of what was Battalion of Saints in their hey-days in the 80s. To be very frank my first shock was when i saw George, as he looked like a very wasted rock star. Very wasted. Very much too much weight on him. Then i noted that the singer of The Cryptics settled behind the drums. And my initial reaction was fear of seeing a joke. And little did i know!
To vocals and drums the setup added a fuzzed bass (with a very agile bass player) and a solid guitar (with someone who looked initially to be in the wrong band). And what they delivered was surprisingly tight, in sync and basically rock solid. And the more they played, the more they filled the Hafenklang (now still empty with say 45 good folks) with a unique wall of sound that had Georges unique vocal style has a high pitched instrument on top.
Battalion of Saints (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 22.07.2018 (c) gehkacken.de)
Most likely this ain’t the Battalion of Saints from eg. “2nd comming” but it is a Battalion of Saints with a unique sound, delivered surprisingly consistent and well. I could make out some songs i remembered, i could make out the notorious “Ace of Spades” cover in their unique style but to be frank i did not bother, as i got carried away by their sound.
And the end many of the people attending actually recognized the set as a good one and as someone put it in typical Hamburg style “…was für ein Brett!“. I have seen far worse incarnations of band names and i have listened to far worse performances over all the years. If you have a chance to see them in 2018 – go and check them out. If the figures on drums, bass and guitar change then fear the worst but at least expect a surprise.
I loved it but i can also understand why people did let go the opportunity: They most likely spared the 14€ for Dickies and TSOL on Tuesday.
This July is a very busy July for shows in Hamburg, almost every day there is a show worth considering and for me it is about every other day that i plan to attend … much higher frequency than normally for me. On a warm and sunny Friday it was time for Bonecrusher at the Monkeys and for some hope that more people would attend than last time round, where it was a very lonely Sunday.
Support was for The Analogs from Poland and i had no clue about them: Neither that they existed nor how they sound. But that is the good thing if you go out into a club – you get to see something new every once in a while. Just be open for that!
The Analogs (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 20.07.2018 (c) gehkacken.de)
They are around for some time, since 1995 according to a rather funny Wikipedia entry, and they are a recognized Street Punk Legend in Poland. They mu-sick-al style ventures a lot into what i would call rock but never on the boring side. The one item that did stand out was that they like their songs long and complex, i guess none was shorter than 4 minutes.
I captured what felt the longest one, in order to put it here i had to tone down the quality to reduce hosting size. But hear yerself:
They were tight, together and well rehearsed and many people in the audience seemed to dig them (besides their polish fans i noted a couple of locals smiling away and getting some merch after the show).
Next on Bonecrusher, that hard working working class outfit that does not need a lot to be ready: They took the stage, they adjusted little bits and off they took. Off went also the shirt by one member of the audience, a moment some feared. This time round he annoyed again but got some push back from some of the audience. His own fun did not impact the fun of others that much, still at moments yet again it was at the brink of a non-verbal communication.
Bonecrusher (Monkeys Music Club, Hamburg, 20.07.2018 (c) gehkacken.de)
Bonecrusher provided a neat and complete set of old and new material and delivered their set as a well oiled engine. Both guitars celebrate a near perfect sound and bass/drums provide the solid pushing backdrop it needs. And Michael takes the front, engages the audience and delivers the message. And what they do not have is even a scent of a gap between “on stage” and “off stage”.
Just perfect if you ask me. The only item that did make me unhappy was not the shirtless contingent but the fact that despite more people attending compared to last time round it was still more “half empty” than “half full”. I keep my fingers crossed for the next time and hope that Mike and Co choose weeks off work that – at least in Hamburg – gives them a slot without any competition left or right of that date. They deserve it.
I took a final beer and plundered the merch stall, as Bonecrusher had the perfect item in stock: A Polo Shirt. The friendly lady handed me one labeled as “3XL” and i complaint that i would not need a tent. She said “honey, it comes out much smaller, that’ll do for you“. Little did i know until next day when i realized it compares to M and my six pack (and my wide shoulders) won’t fit ever.
