REBUILD
I uploaded a few new photos in the
photos section.
This week's theme was French bureaucracy--do to some unknown box going unchecked by some clerk deep in the bowels of the French banking system...my just opened account was closed! My banker called me to apologize--but she had no explanation. The bottom line--Caisse D'Eparnge had
rejected my account--as if I had bad credit, or a criminal record--or some other peccadillo lurking in my data. But, I don't. So, why? Well, in France...you don't necessarily get an explanation...you just get sent to the back of the line. This weekend, Remi and I showed up at a tennis court, which we had booked online thru the city's system for managing all the public sports facilities--and found that our reservation didn't exist (despite confirmation emails we received). No sorry, just, no. Now, meanwhile...as my bank is basically treating me like a war criminal, the French banking system's culpability in the illegal trading scandal is coming to light...making bad investments, and lying to the public, and setting up a fall guy, in a cog like Jerome Kervel...like, the only pictures Societe Generale released were, like, the worst photos possible, designed to make him look sketchy and guilty. In the meantime...*somehow* no one noticed billions of euros in bad trades...bollocks.
This week was one of those rebuilding weeks--too early in the year for real progress or activity. I sent out hundreds of emails, sms, and calls, managing the Disciplines project. I set up a page for the
Disciplines on Facebook. Strangely enough, you can't have a profile for a band, or under a fake name, or anything...could Facebook be any more square? Then again, I guess it's more spamproof. But seeing as even the content generated between friends basically resembles spam in my eyes...
I also made myself profiles for several categories on
esession.com, an online network for hiring musicians and producers to work on your music via file transfer--in other words, you could have Tony Levin play on your record without having to fly him to Cleveland and work with you. Jury's out if it will actually generate any work for me, but they are getting good press in the music magazines (I found out about them via an interview with the founder Gina Fant-Saez in
TapeOp.
I went out to see slo core instrumental wizards
Bombazine Black at La Scene Bastille. La Scene is about a 45 second walk from my flat, but I've never been there. It's a great location for kind of a bogus, pay to play club. It even *looks* like a mini Troubador inside. Unfriendly staff, overpriced drinks. That kind of thing. But, the band was good! Led by Matt D from Melbourne, who is living here now. After the show, I went with my friend and expat engineer
Scott Greiner to Le Motel for a few drinks with Bombazine B. Incredibly, a young guy from the band that had just played at Le Motel, came up to me and said he recognized me from playing with REM on the David Letterman Show--"you must have a pretty big TV", I said--I couldn't have been visible for more than a few seconds. Anyway, Scott is selling a full on ProTools rig--if you are in the market for a serious recording set up, contact him via his website.
While walking to my shrink I pass each time an incredible fish market. The other day they were selling whole sharks. I thought...who buys an entire shark? I felt a bit sad thinking they might go to waste.
However, we wasted nothing when we went to Marche D'Aligre a couple of weeks ago, and bought the last bit of
cochon de lait remaining--the head. And, I actually ate it. I refer to the French as a kind of Eskimo tribe--no part of any animal is wasted...even the bones end up in the soup. Or as an entree.
Love
KS
Paris
