Saturday 23 May 2009

On the Street... Drooping Ears, Oslo







Lord Bassington-Bassington's attempts to get hits by copying The Sartorialist continues. So here The Chronicles have the pleasure of bringing an iPhone-snapshot of a stylish young gentleman, Edvard, met on the streets of Oslo this Friday. Edvard's drooping ears are absolutely perfect for the upcoming season.

But then, come to think of it, drooping ears are perfect for every season.

Sunday 17 May 2009

Music, Patriotism and Austrian Stupidity

It’s May 17th, Constitution Day here in Lord Bassington-Bassington’s homeland of Norway. This makes it appropriate to share some thoughts about patriotism expressed through music and lyrics.

While His Lordship is undoubtedly fond of his country, he finds much patriotic and nationalistic music hard to swallow. Sure, he loves his country, but he finds the blindly insisting patriotism that characterizes such music somewhat, well, un-Norwegian. For while Norwegians tend to be fond of their country, they are often acutely aware of its faults.

While songs that express such pragmatic patriotism are hard to come by in Norway, there is an outstanding example of this in another mountainous country with a glorious past, namely Austria.

In Austria, the Austropop singer Rainhard Fendrich’s song “I Am From Austria” serves as an unofficial national anthem. The song is not only a beautiful pop song, but also a very moving meditation on what it means to have – and love – a country.



(Mr. Fendrich)

This live version of “I Am From Austria” is performed by the group Austria 3 which consists of Fendrich himself, and renowned Austrian singers Wolfgang Ambros and Georg Danzer.



While Southern dialects of German are very beautiful, Mr. Fendrich’s Alemannic dialect can be a tough nut to crack even for people who have some familiarity with German. So The Chronicles would like to provide a transcripton of the original Alemannic lyrics, taken from this website.

I am from Austria

Dei hohe zeit is lang vorüber
und a die höh' hast hinter dir
von ruhm und glanz is wenig übersag ma wer ziagt no den huat vur dia
ausser mir

I kenn die Leit', I kenn di Ratten
die Dummheit die zum Himmel schreit
I steh zu dir
bei Licht und Schattenjeder Zeit

Do kann i moch'n wos I wül
Do bin i Herr do kea I hin
Do schmützt des Eis von meiner Sö (Seele)
Wia von am Gletscher im April
A wenn ma's schon vergessn ham'
I bin dei Apfel du mei Stamm.
So wia dei Wasser talwärts rinntunwiederstehlich und so hell
fast wia die Tränen von am Kindwird a mei Bluat auf amoi (einmal) schö
Sog i am Mensch der Welt vio stolzund wann ihr woits a ganz allan (allein)
I am from Austria

Es war'n die Störche oft zu beneiden
Heit fliag i no
füh weiter fuat.I siech die meist, nur von da weit'n
wer kann versteh'n wia weh des monchmoi tuat

Do kann i moch'n wos I wül
Do bin i Herr do kea I hin
Do schmützt des Eis von meiner Sö (Seele)
Wia von am Gletscher im April
A wenn ma's schon vergessn ham'
I bin dei Apfel du mei Stamm.
So wia dei Wasser talwärts rinntunwiederstehlich und so hell
fast wia die Tränen von am Kindwird a mei Bluat auf amoi (einmal) schö
Sog i am Mensch der Welt vio stolzund wann ihr woits a ganz allan (allein)
I am from Austria


And for those reader of the Chronicles who do not know German or Alemannic at all, here’s a translation kindly provided by that staunch Styrian, Mrs. Dea. Vielen Dank!

In am from Austria

Your high time is already gone
And you even left hell behind
There’s only a little bit left from glance and glory, tell me who’s
Going to take his hat off to you

I know the people, I know the rats
Stupidity screaming to the sky
I stand by you
In light and darkness, all the time

I can do what I want,
Here I come from and to here I belong
Ice is melting from my soul
Like from a glacier in april
Even if we already forgot about it
I’m your apple you’re my trunk

As your water is running down
Irresistible and so bright
Just like the tears of a child
And my blood is getting fast
So I tell the world full of pride
And if you want completely alone
I am from Austria

I often envied storks
Today I’m flying away even further
I often see you only from the distance
Who can understand how much that hurts

I can do what I want,
Here I come from and to here I belong
Ice is melting from my soul
Like from a glacier in April
Even if we already forgot about it
I’m your apple you’re my trunk

As your water is running down
Irresistible and so bright
Just like the tears of a child
And my blood is getting fast
So I tell the world full of pride
And if you want completely alone
I am from Austria


Just as love of a woman, patriotism can be blind. But his this is true love, true patriotism: To see the flaws of one’s beloved clearly, but to still sing its praise.

Happy birthday, Norway!

Sunday 10 May 2009

For Those About to Roque

As readers of this blog will know, Lord Bassington-Bassington’s musical tastes tend towards dark, quiet music. But as many pups of his generation, he was raised on the sounds of hard rock and heavy metal.

As his years have advanced and his ears drooped ever lower, he has lost his taste for such sounds. Not just because bands like this tend to make a terrible racket, but also because hard rock musicians tend to be among the most terribly dressed people on the planet.

However, occasionally His Lordship gets pangs of nostalgia and pines for some real rock’n’roll. But where can one get such music without having to suffer some multimillionaire trying to convince us that he’s coming straight from his job as a mechanic?

Enter brilliant Bostonians The Upper Crust, who are able to rock – or rather, roque – out without ever lowering their sartorial standards (or the volume on their Maréchal amps).



Some people, obviously in an attempt to explain away the insights of The Upper Crust’s incisive lyrics, have tried to interpret the band as some sort of ironic social commentary.

Surely the joke’s on them.

Friday 8 May 2009

Victory in Europe Day

These Chronicles will not be a place to air Lord Bassington-Bassington’s political ideas.

However, His Lordship finds it difficult not to congratulate his fellow Europeans on this day, Victory in Europe Day, which marks the final defeat of the insanity that was the Nazi state.

His Lordship would like to raise his glass in silent tribute to all those who fell victim to the terrible events that took place during the terrible years of Nazism.

Friday 1 May 2009

Solanaceae: Summery melancholy

The self-titled debut album by Solanaceae, the new project by Kim Larsen of Of the Wand and the Moon, has arrived here at Bassington Manor. But so has the first really hot day of the year, which has resulted in a major bout of laziness. Being a rather large canine, Lord Bassington-Bassington does not deal well with heat.



So instead of dictating something substantial about this little gem of a record to his trusty secretary, His Lordship is content to direct reader of The Chronicles to the first review of the record that has been published, at the intriguing little Swedish web publication The Shadows Commence. Less work for His Lordship, more traffic for these excellent Swedes. Everybody wins!

Lord Bassington-Bassington suspects that the softly sung and spoken sounds of Solanaceae will form a large part of his soundtrack to the coming summer, and from Bassington Manor's most comfortable couch His Lordship gives Solanaceae a big ”two forepaws up!”