In This River - Danube in Winter

Vikings - Quotes (2)

It is the way of prophecies only to be understood when it has happened, and it is too late to change it! - The Seer

Power is always dangerous. It attracts the worst, and corrupts the best! - Ragnar Lothbrok

It is true that the more complicated a person is, the more interesting he is. But at the same time, the more dangerous he is. - King Ecbert

No one can withstand old age in the end. - Harbard

You might want to read something more about the above quote, and about the legend behind it, on Hurstwic!

Ragnar Lothbrok: Do you think you are a good man?
King Ecbert: Yes! I think so... Are you a good man?
Ragnar Lothbrok: Yes! I think so...

It is good to travel with hope and with courage, but it is still better to travel with knowledge! - Ragnar Lothbrok

Vinyl

People are saying that Vinyl, the TV series, has a great soundtrack, and it really has.
I say that Vinyl is about people, people and their passions, excitement, families, joy, struggles, happiness, rage, anger, job, success and failure…

The above are wrapped around music, or wrapped in music, all sort of music: disco, funk, blues, rock-n-roll…

Created by Mick Jagger & Martin Scorsese & Rich Cohen and Terence Winter, this new drama series is set in 1970s New York. A ride through the sex- and drug-addled music business at the dawn of punk, disco, and hip-hop, the show is seen through the eyes of a record label president, Richie Finestra, played by Bobby Cannavale, who is trying to save his company and his soul without destroying everyone in his path.

http://www.hbo.com/vinyl/about/index.html

Vinyl being music related, one might say that is about musicians, yet a closer look reveals three categories involved one way or another: musicians, “recording men”, and fans and listeners.

The first ones, the musicians, don’t give a s*!t about money, yet they need them to eat, to drink, to have a joint… They are the fuel of the engine; rocket fuel; rock it!

The “recording men” along with the staff from their companies, “feel” the music in terms of money and jobs (cutting jobs, or keeping jobs). And there are people with (dirty) money behind them too. They don’t really care about the artists, about the musicians. They need the musicians in order to keep the music industry alive, and keep the money spinning, spinning faster than an LP on the turntable. This is the actual engine that brings the sound waves to our ears!

The listeners in general, and the fans in particular, are the grease, the oil that keeps moving this industry's engine along with its gears.

Either you like music or not, this TV series, Vinyl, is definitely worth watching, because it’s not only about music; it’s about people!

Vinyl is about YOU!

Street of Dreams

Turned onto the Street of Dreams driven by Leonard Cohen's songs. The song is My Oh My.

Street of Dreams is a short film directed by Martin Scorsese for Dolce & Gabbana, starring Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson.

Both are worth watching!

Enjoy!

November Clouds

The pattern of the clouds was very unusual that November day, especially the one above the line of the horizon. The powerful contrast sent a sensation of a strong inner force ready to be unleashed! It only needed a sign... I dare to make an image-sound parallel between this photo and Be'lakor's song called Venator.

Here are a few more pics.

As proposed by Noiembrie, Active Child's Johnny Belinda is also a great tune for the above pictures! Please enjoy the sounds along my pictures!

This post is also published on In Awe Of Rock. Rock on!

Life

Life is a lottery in all its aspects.
Or almost...

Anathema - Lost Control


Sirenia - Lost in Life

Coffee Spoons - a Quote

I have measured out my life with coffee spoons.

T. S. Eliot - The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

A Quotation from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Just heard it in a TV documentary, I've liked it, so here I am sharing it with my readers:

Music is liquid architecture; architecture is frozen music.

Searching the web for this quotation, I've learned a new English word (new for me):

polymath: a person of encyclopedic learning

Do you like this quotation? I hope you do!

Just Night

Reading Dunia's lines, a Romanian writer friend, my thought began their way, at a slower pace at first, then at a higher rate, towards The Sheltering Sky. There is a certain sequence in this movie which I consider like some sort of an inflection point of its action. It is not a peak of its action, and rather a scene that seeds the grain for further thoughts, for future reflections. The sequence itself is not an exceptional one regarding the technique, yet the simple fact that keeps on rising from the depths of the memory after so many years, contradicts somehow the appearances. What truly strikes is the dialogue between Kit and Port (Debra Winger and John Malkovich):

Port: You know, I miss times like this, places like this, more than anything in the world.

Kit: I know you do. 

Port: This is what I wanted to show you: this place.

Kit: Yes.

Port: Come on!

Port: Here... the sky is so strange. It's almost solid. As if it were protecting us from what's behind. Look!

Kit: What's behind?

Port: Nothing! Just night.

Kit: I wish I could be like you, but I can't.

Port: Maybe we're afraid of the same thing.

Kit: No. We're not! You're not afraid to be alone. And you don't need anything. You don't need anyone. You could live without me.

Port: You know that, for me, loving means loving you. No matter what's wrong between us, there can never be anyone else. Maybe we're both afraid of loving too much!

Kit: Let's leave here!

Port: Okay!

Kit: Okay! 

The breaks in the dialogue between the two travelers were left on purpose. Actually Port is a traveler, and Kit is a combination between a traveler and a tourist. The difference between the two is essential, being explained right at the beginning of the movie:

A tourist is someone who thinks about going home the moment that arrived, whereas a traveler might not coming back at all. 

Bernardo Bertolucci is the director, and the script belongs to the writer of the the book on which the movie is based, Paul Bowles, along with Mark Peoploe.

And because we can not skip the music, I will use it as an ending, but I will not end until I will make you aware of watching the clip (some sort of a trailer) right to its end, in order to discover something to make you reflect even more!

Colors of the Fall

The other day I went to a funeral service in a small village near my town. The atmosphere was overwhelming, and the weather was cold and cloudy. Gray, compact, stratus clouds. A heart attack; and he was not even old. Nor young, yet not old...

On the way towards the church and the graveyard, I've noticed many colorful chrysanthemum by the fences.

In a churchyard by a river,

Lazing in the haze of midday...

While on my way back, I've shot some of them because I saw pretty colors in a gray day.

Mr. President

Usually I stay out of politics. Only I just wrote a comment on G+ related to Ceausescu, the former Romanian communist president, which appears in the clip (at the end of the post) of a Romanian rock band, ALTAR (MIND THE VOLUME!: clicking the link opens their website, and also their audio player). I thought I should add it as a post on my blog, so here it is:

An "emblematic figure" of Romania, a living nightmare for years until the 25th of December 1989. I was almost 19 back then, and at my 18th birthday I've had not hopes for a better future till my 40s. Luckily a Wind of Change blew all over Europe, and my dream came true less than a year later!

Now, we are changed, but not as some of us have dreamed of!

There are so many Romanians to vote abroad because they did not feel comfortable at home in Romania, they had no other option for a decent living in the country they really love.

I've noticed that the majority of the voters outside Romania was made out of young people! And if you are looking at them, they are not beggars or prostitutes! I'd rather say that they have white collar jobs! Yes, Romania has this kind of people too!

And these people want change in order to come back home, to live happily together their families and to work in and for their own country, Romania, a beautiful country as one might noticed right here in my Google Photo Albums!

There's a word for the situation that these voters want to change in Romania: kleptocracy!

Kleptocracy, alternatively cleptocracy or kleptarchy, is a form of political and government corruption where the government exists to increase the personal wealth and political power of its officials and the ruling class at the expense of the wider population, often with pretense of honest service.

Out of the Blue

The other day I was supposed to drop something to the recycle bin.
Because I like the blue texture on a silvery background, I thought why not taking some pictures prior to complete the action?

The photos were uploaded and distributed on Google + some hours later, and now it is the time to show them here, along with some very good music. Mr. Blue Sky is a famous track from Electric Light Orchestra's (ELO in short) album named Out of the Blue.

PS Photos are phone's camera quality.

Good Morning!

Sunrise near Domasnea, Caras Severin county, Romania.

And here's Norah Jones with her... Sunrise!
 Norah Jones is the daughter of Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar and Sue Jones.

Beauty and The Beat, Bucharest - postponed

We've received that sad news about Tarja's severe case of laryngitis in front of Sala Palatului, Bucharest, when we expected to enter to the show. Now we have a video confirmation from Mike Terrana. Fortunately this illness is temporary! I am glad that the show was postponed and not cancelled!

We are barely wait for The Beauty and The Beat, so get well soon, Tarja!

See you on the 7th of May!
Best health wishes to both of you!

Drobeta Turnu Severin - Downtown - 2013

I've managed to take some new photos in order to make a comparison betwen these and those shot back in 2006. For musical background I propose Black Sabbath - Changes. Speaking of changes I am noticing fewer people on the (same) streets... Perhaps the photos were taken at some different hour of the day... And I've changed the cell phone...

Sound City - the Movie

Sound City is David Grohl's directorial debut, and "it's the most important thing I've done, because it's not for me", as David states in a RollingStone.com interview.

In this age of technology when you can manipulate anything, how do we retain that human element?

The conversation became something much bigger: how do we keep music to sound like people?

I am very delighted to see that such a kind of production! Being directed by a musician adds genuine music feelings!



Here are the links to the official websites of some of the bands mentioned in the above trailer:
Tom Petty
Fleetwood Mac
Neil Young
Cheap Trick
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pat Benatar
Guns 'N Roses
Johnny Cash
RATT
Metallica
Rick Springfield
NIRVANA

Let's not forget about Foo Fighters!

and the show must go on!

Buick Riviera 1971 - 1973

Buick Riviera - something to believe in

1971 to 1973 Riviera by Buick, also known as "Boat tail" has quite an unique design, being one of the cars that impressed me as a child. And I still like its design. The very first Riviera that I saw was a green one. I have to mention that it came into this world the same year as myself. Only I have a humanoid design!



If you're interested in a new Buick, just click on it!

Music: Two Tons of Steel

Fresh snow

I was quite surprised this morning to notice some unusual light outside.

It was the street light reflected by the fresh layer of snow in town!

(pictures taken with my hTC, so don't expect quality in low light... and low temperatures...)

In the parking lot this morning.

An office with a view: a "power" view!

In Awe Of Rock

Let's Get ROCK!

Yes, rock music deserves my particular attention, so I've started a new blog: In Awe Of Rock!

WE WILL ROCK YOU - Freddie Mercury - (c) 2006 Mihai Midus Once upon a time, there was a Virgin Radio Classic Rock golden age, with listeners passionate about good music. Unfortunately that time is now gone, and former community members were "scattered [...] like brown leaves blown by the wind" (Manowar - The Warriors Prayer). Virgin's London radio station was sold and rebranded. Some devoted DJs (including Leona Graham) continued their good work they previously performed, but the community of listeners was thrown like an unuseful paper draft to the recycle bin. That moment the new radio station lost the relation with the ones it is supposed to broadcast for!

But that is an old story, and a new one is about to begin: Let's Get Rocked!

Bruce Springsteen - concert in Vienna, Austria

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band performed a long show in Vienna, on the 12th of july, 2012!

The key word is "exuberant"! The short (German) description of the ones from OE3 was "Grandios Konzert"!

The Wrecking Ball Tour brought 3 premieres, "Tougher Than the Rest", "Loose Ends" and "Empty Sky", and was a very long show: 3 hours and 39 minutes (with no breaks)! Read more in Stan Goldstein's article.

Wrecking Ball

- a few pics -

Ticket bought from eventim.at

The BOSS!

Backing vocals

It's still light outside the stadium!

Beautiful fan(s)!

Ernst Happl stadium!

All the stadium's lights were turned on during the second part (bonus!) of the show!

Passion