This is the diary we kept while making "Wax & Seal". The newest entries come first... so in order to make sense of the whole thing you're going to have to start from the bottom of this page. If you find yourself enjoying this diary or, worse still, understanding the references contained therein - please seek medical attention immediately.
Day --- - 11 November 2004 - Freiburg
So weīve secured the album release for early 2005. Probably february.
Weīre still planning and adding dates to our tour of Ireland (and
the town of Freiburg!) at the end of November. Rehearsals are going well.
Big congratulations to Phantom FM. Theyīve worked hard for that licence.
Of course all of us Irish artists are selfishly rubbing their hands with glee
at the thought of more airplay... well, weīre not all saints!
Iīd write something entertaining now but BellX1
beat me to it. Theyīve started recording their eagerly awaited third album in Dublin
and their studio diary is worth a read if you have a few minutes.
Anyway. Congrats again to the Phantom crew.
Everyone is rallying around getting stuff done at the last minute for our
flights, van rental, accomodation, music gear, etc etc etc.
Times have been pretty frantic lately. I donīt know where I am.
The main thing is that weīre now at the "selling" point of the recordīs lifetime.
Iīll get myself together sometime soon I hope. Sure thereīs always
Christmas. As Phil Hayes would say Iīm looking forward to a Whopper Chrimbo.
In lieu of having the liner notes to read now, and before we start entering the
crazy period of touring and radio gigs, Iīd like to thank everyone who was involved
in the production of the record. Also, a big hug to all the people
here in Freiburg who have been real friends to me during my stay. Without them it
would have been really really tough. Also, to all my friends and family who have
gone through a lot of hard times in the time that Iīve been away. I shouldnīt
gush... but yeah, theyīve all been fantastically understanding and supportive,
when they had enough strife of their own. Anyways. Yiz all know who yiz are.
Adieu, Adieu,
Der Teig
Day 288 - 27 October 2004 - Freiburg
Final day of mixing... Wax & Seal and I Knew Better are under the spotlight.
Iīm getting excited now. Iīm also getting a little bit hungry. Why does
this diary always seem to turn to the subject of food. Hmmm.
Mitch was around last night at Temple. Very impressed with the mixes.
Iīm looking forward to being thrown to the lions that are the listeners
and reviewers over the next few months. Sure, itīll be great craic
altogether.
My faith in humourous german signs have been restored with the discovery
of "park & ride". Fantastic. Anyway, must ramble.
Der Teig
Day 287 - 26 October 2004 - Freiburg
Six O Two was being tackled this morning. Itīs nearly done now.
It sounds sweet with all that pedal steel madness going on in and
Nielīs other guitar bit too. Very nice. Like a lullaby.
Just heard that John Peel, the DJ on BBC Radio 1 has died.
A sad day for the music world. He was only 65.
So anyways, Frank is eating a banana beside and making me feel
a little bit hungry. What to eat? what to eat?
Thereīs a sign by a part of the train station in Freiburg used for dropping off
passengers, that I was told said "Kiss & Ride". Disappointingly, it says
"Kiss & Rail" or something like that. I thought I had stumbled upon the best
thing since sliced bread. The Irish would be queueing up for it.
While weīre on the subject, English phrases have infiltrated almost all
aspects of life over here. Itīs disturbing. A lot of the phrases are
completely misused too which adds to the peculiarity of it. TV is the worst
though. Itīs like watching the Fast Show sometimes... "welcome to dee Big Show".
Donīt get me started on MTV though. Such abuse of the word music I have never
before encountered.
Um, yes... sorry about that rant.
Der Teig
Day 286 - 25 October 2004 - Freiburg
Work still going on in Temple. We should be really really
tired by now but, for some reason, everyone is still going
strong. We have 8 songs done now.
Not much other news for you... in fact, no other news for you.
Mind yourselves
Der Teig
Day 285 - 24 October 2004 - Freiburg
Monochrome, Roadmap, Georgeīs St Arcade & Live What You Feel are
all done now. You or I is under the spotlight now. All sounds good.
Today, while hard work was going on in the studio, I was packed off
to the Freiburg v Stuttgart game. I have to say, I didnīt protest
too much. The Dreisam stadium (as the fans still call it - the Dreisam
is the river that runs through Freiburg, by the stadium, and marks
my route exactly from the Old city to Temple Studio) is only two minutes
walk from the studio. Itīs small, but pretty, which is not a common quality
of small stadiums. Freiburg won 2-0 surprisingly, because Stuttgart are or
were top of the league and the home team have been struggling lately.
Freiburg deserved it though. Itīs a bit of a derby and Stuttgart never
really got on top.
Anyway it was fun, and I was back in the studio straight after the match.
Thatīs the way it always should be.
So, thatīs all for today really. Weīre still in studio now and we probably
will be here until the early morning.
Mind yourselves
Der Teig
Day 284 - 23 October 2004 - Freiburg
Georgeīs St Arcade is done now too. Monochrome will be done within the next
hour I would estimate. Weīre working at tremendous speed now. We need to.
Itīs a bit of enjoyment finally after so much stress and worry. Worries
not over... but then sure if they were, where would the excitement be?
Suppinī tae in the Phoenix Park tea rooms bored out its mind after seeing
the barmy polar bears, no doubt.
The deadlines are encroaching so we must work fast. Apparantly monochrome
sounds like something Pink Floyd should have done. I donīt know about that.
Iīll tell you later when Iīve formed an opinion. In the meantime the view
is quite nice from the fence.
We took some nice photos with Britt recently. Some great ones. Maybe one or two
will find their way onto the album sleeve. No decisions made yet.
So, thatīs all for the moment. I may write something this evening too,
depending on my mood. Take care now.
Mind yourselves
Der Teig
Day 281.5 - the 20th and a bit of October 2004 - Freiburg
Roadmap is done, mixed and pushed out the door. Finally. We made great progress
today from a very bleak beginning. It sounds fantastic.
Big up to Davey G who helped out with the backing vocal arrangement. It sounds
majestic D. Iīm going to have a drink now. I donīt care what you say. No, donīt
even think about trying to stop me. Shuddupshuddupshuddup...
Rehearsals are going well by the way. Forgot to mention that in my spiel about
the gigs. Weīll give you more info on all that in the next two weeks. Itīll
be worth it. Believe me.
Bis morgen
Der Teig
Day 281 - 20 October 2004 - Freiburg
Frustrating times. So weīre still on schedule to get the album finished and
available for our tour but weīre being left with very little wriggle room.
Business is not nice.
On the other hand, the songs are sounding great, and if we can squeeze
out this album after such a difficult pregnancy, then Iīll be a happy little
bunny.
We organising a few warm up gigs in Freiburg so if anyoneīs in the vicinity
they may be interested in popping along. Weīre playing in E-Werk on the 20th
of november around 6pm.
While bored I gave the links page a bit of an overhaul. That should keep you
occupied for a while.
Tchussle
Der Teig
Day 273 - 12 October 2004 - Freiburg
Guten morgen,
Weīre putting together an Irish tour at the moment.
The full band will be travelling with me :
Niels Kaiser on electric guitars, Mitch Schillinger on drums,
Philipp Rauenbusch on bass.
The Open Zone gig will take place on Wednesday 24th November.
It will be a cracker. It always is. Great venue, great crowd.
Tchussle
Der Teig
Day 268 - 7 October 2004 - Freiburg
Good evening all.
All has been quiet on the news page recently. Apologies.
There have been a few changes made to the site. The brand new messageboard
is now up and running. Iīll see what I can do about saving the old
boardīs messages somewhere. Until then, do feel free to clog up the
new one with insightful comments and discussions. There will be a few
more subtle changes to the site over the coming months... Iīll keep
you informed of these changes.
So... Weīre approaching our deadline at breakneck speed, but we should
have everything done and dusted by the end of this month. At last.
I canīt really say anything else right now. Iīm happy with the way
things are going. Thatīs it.
Oh and thereīs talk of a gig or two around Dublin at the end of november
with a full band. Iīll keep you posted.
Tchussle
Der Teig
PS. You will have to register for the new messageboard. Sorry, if you have
already registered for the previous board. This will be the last forum change.
Any other modifications will be made in the new environment. Viel spaß.
Day 246 - 15 September 2004 - Freiburg
Tach!
I have begun to pick up the strange and unusual (to me that is) local
dialect, adding "le" to the end of words, like "Hallöle!". Or using
shortened everyday expressions like "Tach" which is how they seem to
pronounce Tag or Guten Tag. Itīs interesting (to me alone, probably).
Iīm over in Temple Studios now. I have a routine. I set out on a bike
I borrowed from Shane and ride alongside the Dreisam River all the way
out to the studio (which is situated on the Schwarzwald Strasse ... or
Black Forest Road). Itīs a lovely ride, and itīs downhill on the way home
which has got to be a plus.
Weīre transferring all our recordings over from Ivy Court to Temple Studios,
getting every track lined up and ready to go, and in the meantime listening
to albums and songs we like to help keep us focused. Iīm in good form and
enjoying the change of scenery and fresh forest air. The equipment in this
place is pretty cool. The kind of place where you wouldnīt mind go shopping
with decorating your bachelorīs apartment in mind. Itīs wall to wall iPod,
iMac (the one that looks like half a football lying down with a screen sticking
out of it on a protruding metal bar... nice), PCs, scanners, faxes, ... thatīs
before I even mention any of the sound equipment which
I must admit I do not understand or even recognise... only that it must
be good. There is an implement Shane brought over called a Joe Meek
Compressor, named after a mad London-based sound engineer and producer
who revolutionised all sorts of sound equipment and produced some of the
strangest records of his time... Met a sticky end too if I remember
correctly.
Iīm reading a book called Stasiland, about East Germany and the effects
the Stasi had on its members, informers and victims. Itīs essentially
a collection of the personal accounts of these peopleīs experience
written by an Australian writer who interviewed them while working in
Berlin after the fall of the Berlin Wall. There are some mind numbing
tales about how far a state will go to retain control. Brilliantly
written. I havenīt been able to put it down, which makes eating tricky.
Iīm beginning to think about lunch... mmmm
Der Teig (mmmm... bread...)
Day 242 - 11 September 2004 - Freiburg
Iīve got some new photos for you all. It will take me a few days to sort
out the scanning etc, so I will let you know when theyīre online.
I have muck-loads of things to do, but right now the weatherīs so oomskh
and sticky that all I want to do is melt into a little puddle.
It has become very hot again in Freiburg. Itīs like a second summer,
only ...later in the year.
My birthday celebrations are being planned as we speak. They involve
a cake, some beer, some friends and ... well thatīs about it really.
Just the way I like it. I have bought myself shoes and two books. Iīm
a happy camper. Cool books too. Reviews will follow if theyīre any good!
The big review starts tomorrow. Iīll tell you what that is tomorrow.
So, Iīm off to eat because Ich habe Hunger.
Bis später
Der Teigi
Day 238 - 7 September 2004 - Freiburg
We were discussing the merits of a trumpet solo on Know You Hate Me yesterday.
Who knows?
It has come to my attention that I need some new shoes. Half of my shoe heels
have gone and Iīm in need of a bit of soul... sole... sorry.
Okay, since Ronan is no longer selling shoes, Iīll be avoiding Grafton St
and Iīll stick to the little streets of Freiburg to seek out shoes. Actually,
Iīm not sure if Iīve mentioned this before but there seems to be an unnaturally
large amount of shoe shops in this town (even the odd schumacher pops up from
time to time). So I suppose this wouldnīt be a bad place to buy shoes.
As you may have guessed I didnīt do anything today yet, but I felt the need
to type something. The good news is that I only want to do one more lead vocal
and the rest is just backing vocals... weīre experimenting with different voices
and ideas on that. Weīre erring on the side of too many vocals for some songs...
but only because we can then remove what we donīt want or need later - much
more hassle to do it the other way around.
Also re-reading Malcolm Gladwellīs The Tipping Point. Itīs non-fiction, just so
you know. Fascinating stuff. Check out his website for a little sample if youīre
into it.
Must go and warm up.
Bis später
Der Teigi
Day 237 - 6 September 2004 - Freiburg
For "Withnail & I", Bruce Robinson wanted to describe
Marwoodīs current state of mind and his surroundings to the actors.
(If you havenīt seen it, do so immediately). He wrote something like this...
"Dostoyevsky described hell as
probably no more than a room with a chair in it.
This room has several chairs".
Weīre knee deep in backing vocals country right now. Experimentation and
a little bit of messing going on. Not sure what it will sound like. Itīs kinda
funny when youīre in the middle of it, because you have the backing vocals up
unnaturally loud in the mix so that everyone can hear what youīre doing...
This has the strange effect of turning every song into Bohemian Rhapsody.
Which I have no major objection to really, but it does sound a little out of place.
Weīre moving to Temple Studios on Thursday. It will be good for everyone methinks.
The change of scenery will lend an air of progress to the proceedings. It will be
nice to hear everything in a different environment too.
As Nigel Tapley once said, "anything starting with īthis bloke...ī is bound to
be legal". True enough....
So, this bloke and his mate, decided after having a nice little lock in, to
go down to Asda at about four or five in the morning. So, they get some grub and
a mini-golf set (as you do). Then they stroll across the car park to a very well known
English Premiership football teamīs grounds. They proceed to scale the wall (still drunk)
and make their way onto the hallowed turf, where they commence a game of mini golf and
their own little mobile-phone photo session. They then stroll out the large gates of the ground
at about seven in the morning (Yes, in broad daylight. God only knows what the night watchman
was up to).
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 233 - 2 September 2004 - Freiburg
So, Iīm back in studio after an extended period of rest, recovery & recouperation.
I have finally rid myself of the horrible throat infection that brought my sanity
and patience to their knees. Yes, Iīm still on drugs, but the good news is that
they now seem to be taking effect and my voice is on form and sounding better every
day. Iīm not saying any more in case I jinx the whole thing... so enough of that.
I did a small gig in Dublin when I was home in the Parlour. Twas good fun.
I CAN-NOT wait to get back gigging again. As a result of this huge desire for
gigging and as a result of countless conversations with friends and family
back home Iīm all refreshed and revved up to get the album out. Lots of ideas
circling in my head. Gave birth to a few nice ones today. It will all become
clear later on.
We took a trip out to Temple Studios, where the mixing is taking place. Itīs down
by the SC Freiburg grounds. SC Freiburg have been in the top flight of the German
soccer leagues for years despite the fact that they are the smallest team in the
top league, have the smallest ground etc etc etc. Itīs a great place to have a
pitch though. Anyway, the studio is just beside the stadium. Itīs a lovely warm
studio and if yesterday is anything to go by, I think the mix will be sweet.
Apologies to those that I didnīt manage to see while I was home. If itīs any
consolation, I feel really bad about it. I promise the next time, weīll have
something to talk about though!
Let me know how itīs all going for you people.
Talk to you all soon.
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 193 - 24 July 2004 - Freiburg
Right, so first of all, I have a load of new photos on the pics page at
last. You can check them out now. Some gems in there.
There may be even more over the next week or two...but Iīll keep
you posted. Keep an eye out for the long overdue pictures of Christīs
Happy Ring House, The Amazing Chip Fork, Radioactive man and a little spot-the-hat
Triglyph thingy with Paul & Dave from BellX1.
There are also old studio pictures that were found hanging about
on the hard drive, like old socks after taking a washing machine
apart.
Iīm going to be updating the picture pages a little bit. Restoring
a bit of order to the whole thing. I donīt think Iīll have that much
time on my hands in the next few months. Florian, the bassist, is returning
from overseas (it all sounds very sinister when I say it like that, doesnīt
it?), so the core of the band Florian, Niels, Mitch and myself are going
to start rehearsing for a tour of Germany and Ireland. We donīt have anything
set in stone yet but weīre thinking of touring Ireland in October. Weīll
keep you informed anyway. Donīt fret.
Thanks to those of you who downloaded the song samples from the music page.
Your feedback was gratefully received.
Talk to you all soon.
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 190 - 21 July 2004 - Freiburg
I have just put some new photos online. Well, theyīre actually old photos...
but theyīre new to all of you. More will follow shortly. Better ones.
Artier ones taken with my "new" old and battered all-analog camera. So yeah.
Believe me there are some cool photos on the way. Honest. And no, I didnīt
do another "Supergrass" on them. The less said about that the better.
So Iīve been to Austria over the last week. We stayed in the house of a
friendīs relatives in a beautiful country village. Itīs a lovely spot
high up in the mountains. Strangely hot weather in a kind of rain and
thunder storm way. Many boring events took place. It was great. Events
included childrenīs board games, poker (I didnīt realise there was money
involved mother, honestly, I thought we were playing for stones... turns
out I won loads... didnīt realise until we finished we were playing for
money...ooops), ski-lifts & a non-icy luge, whitewater swimming (well, not
whitewater... but there was a strong current), walking or hiking as the
Germans prefer to call it, crossing the old smugglerīs path through the mountains
into Bavaria, listening to The Hitchhikerīs Guide to the Galaxy in German,
sauna, reading,
....
Talk to you all soon.
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 178 - 9 July 2004 - Freiburg
Howdo everybody?
Well, the long awaited final pre-mixes have been completed. I have literally
just finished 30 second (approx) samples of each song that may or may not
end up on the final product. These sample mp3s are available from the "music"
page. So have a listen and tell us what you think on the messageboard or
send us an email.
That is all. I still havenīt updated the photos. I do have a lot of new ones
so Iīll upload them altogether sometime next week. Iīll keep you informed.
Until then, take care.
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 172 - 3 July 2004 - Freiburg
We are about to burn a disc with the final-ish mixes for the album minus
two songs. I am pleased to announce that they all sound fantastic. Obviously
Iīm going to say that. But really, I do think the whole disc sounds great.
Every song sounds really open and fresh.
In the next few days Iīm going to update the studio pictures. Iīve got some
pretty ones that should brighten up your day. I also took one or two a few
weeks ago that (if they come out right) could make for a pretty cool album cover.
We shall see. I have yet to finish that roll of film.
I was wandering around the shops this afternoon. Wading through the throbbing
crowds. Maybe they werenīt throbbing. I digress. I came upon some lovely shoes.
And some nice clothes too... but mainly shoes... very expensive shoes... I think
I should perhaps lose this growing feminine side of mine. Itīs slightly worrying.
Wass denkst du?
Thatīs it for the moment. I hope everyone of you is getting along okay. Do
send me a mail and let me know how you are. All contact will be received gratefully
and a juicy reply will be forthcoming. Thatīs a promise. I wonder is that
legally binding. Have I dug myself into a hole that I canīt get out of?
Tune in next week. Same bat time. Same bat channel.
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 164 - 25 June 2004 - Freiburg
Myself and a few of my friends here have taken to making the pilgrimage
to one of the Irish pubs for the football matches. Great craic altogether.
Last night was mental though. I mean, there were people who just came
along for a bit of a chat... they ended up screaming like girls by the
end of the match. Okay, this has partly to do with the fact that they
were girls, but nonetheless... The guys among us just kept looking at
each other wondering how long it would be before a player collapsed with
exhaustion. I think that was the fastest game of football Iīve ever seen.
Oh, the match was England v Portugal by the way.
Yesterday was very productive. Even though my voice has been back for a while,
I was dogged with a bit of congestion - I believe thatīs what all the cold/flu
/cough people call it. Yesterday though was great. Aled Jones eat your heart out.
Hmmm that gives me an idea... anyone for The Snowman as a B-side?
Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 160 - 21 June 2004 - Freiburg
Cut, cut, paste, cut, lower volume, twiddle the dingsbums until it sounds right,
paste, listen again, no, listen closely, ... mixing is a funny experience. The
patience involved is incredible. When Iīm not at the wheel or not involved physically
in things I go a bit mental. So, Iīve gone mental. The songs are sounding great
but I canīt really update you on why they sound great. The changes are so infinitismally
small that it seems pointless to even describe them. But the changes are there nonetheless
and they DO make all the difference. Itīs a strange process.
Going out this evening to the Irish pub to watch some of the footie. I havenīt seen
many of the games, and I havenīt got wrapped up in the who-plays-who-if-they-win-this-game
-by-2-goals stuff (thank goodness). But some of the football has been great.
Had a nice request from an australian radio station for some material recently. Itīs
good to know, that even with the low Iīm-recording-an-album profile that Iīve been
keeping, that the music still spreads without having to nurse it the whole time.
Itīs a pleasant thought. One that Iīll leave you with.
Okay, Tchuss
Der Teigi
Day 157 - 18 June 2004 - Freiburg
The football has been great of late. Iīm now a big Swiss goalkeeper fan.
That guy is the funniest ever.
Also in other footie news... thereīs a documentary film being shown in
the local Arty cinema called "the other final" or something to that effect.
Itīs well worth the entry fee. Iīd recommend it to anyone. Itīs about a
Dutch guy who decides, because heīs so depressed with the Dutch teamīs failure
to qualify for the World Cup, to organise a different final among the worldīs
worst international teams. Itīs a very entertaining film, concentrating on the
characters and their lives rather than the actual football match... which is
a great idea... because the football is really really bad. Great film. Itīs
in English too, which is good for me.
Thatīs it for now.
Bis bald
Der Teigi
Day 155 - 16 June 2004 - Freiburg
I found a few scribbles in my little notebook that I carry around with me.
My Other Festplatte - the inanimate one. So I thought Iīd share them with
you all. They were intended as diary entries :
....Can any of you mathematically minded people tell me what the chances are
for crashing on water during a flight from London to Basel (Switzerland)?
This is morbid curiosity on my part I suppose. This has probably occurred
to many people since the dawn of commercial air-travel... but exactly how
much use is a life-jacket on these flights? Iīm guessing a life-jacket wonīt
be much consolation to you when landing in a field of potatoes from a height
of 10,000 feet. Even IF you remember to pull down on the red toggles after
youīre pushed out of the plane by the flight-attendant....
....I was walking along last night when a girl asked me for a cigarette. Before
I could explain something to the effect of "sorry, I donīt have any", my mouth
decided to press ahead and say NEIN. Not "sorry" or anything. Just "NO". As if
I had a whole shopful of them in my trouser pocket but simply because I didnīt like
the cut of her, she wasnīt going to be getting any cigarettes from me.
Just as well her friends laughed and they all walked on. In France I have vivid
recollections of people being attacked for refusing someone a cigarette. Itīs
like a basic human right there. Somehow I think France will be the last place
in Europe to adopt the no-smoking ban. It feels like a basic human right there....
....Thereīs a little recording on the Easyjet flights to and from Basel that takes
you through the safety demo in English with a French accent. Itīs gas. They keep
repeating the word "brace". When you hear this word "brace" [which is pronounced
with an impossible amount of rolled rīs - thus providing its comedic value] you are
supposed to lean forward and put your head between your legs. I suppose its the
airlineīs equivalent to "duck and cover". A fat lot of good sticking you head between
your legs will be when coming to an abrupt stop after 10,000 feet. Although youīll probably
realise why your mother always told you to change your underwear in case you were in
an accident of some sort....
Before anyone writes in to complain. Yes, I do realise that planes donīt all fly at
10,000 feet. I was just trying to be dramatic.
Alexīs website is up and running now. Very nice it is too. See the entry for the
11th of may for more details.
Bis bald
Der Teigl
Day 154 - 15 June 2004 - Freiburg
Back in Freiburg. Itīs a little bit overcast here at the moment. It has been
nice weather overall though and itīs still warm. My voice is back
so thatīs good news.
Iīm not in the most verbose mood right now, so Iīm going to cut this short.
I feel like Iīm in a constant state of limbo at the moment; not staying in
one place long enough to really settle. Iīm good though, before I get a flood
of emails asking if Iīm okay. Iīm grand. Itīs just a bit strange.
The record is coming along fine and itīs clearer than ever in my head.
Which is quite an achievement considering the gunk that resides in there.
Bis bald
Der Teigl
Day 133 - 25 May 2004 - Freiburg
So Shane is horsing through the mixes while I do my best impression
of a spare tool. I do a mean spare hammer. Have you seen my pliers?
Uncanny resemblance. The songs sound fantastisch. Unheimlich gut.
Roadmap is playing in the background. I love the jazziness of it all.
I defy anyone not to dance, hop or even bob their head while listening
to this track. Iīm trying hard to resist repeating Fast Show phrases
like "nice" and "for a challenging exercise try tapping your foot
to the bassīs offbeat patterns".
In a rather cruel twist of fate my voice is recovering its former
charms on my last full day here for nearly three weeks. Ah well.
What can one do?
Weīve found the pig, so weīre going to go the whole hog. I Knew Better
has been calling out for an old north of england style brass section...
we resisted and resisted until finally it got the better of us. So
weīve rounded up a quintet from a local (award winning) brass band.
Itīs going to be sweet.
This will be my last diary entry for a while. Iīll resume properly around
the 15th July when I return to Freiburg. Until then there will be the odd
(very odd) sporadic update. Keep yourselves amused until then. Iīve been
suddenly hit by a worrying thought... how am I going to explain the corelation
between my presence in Freiburg and the level of bicycle theft in the area?
I suppose the first three rules of politics should come in to play here.
Deny. Deny. Deny. Oooh speaking of politics... a friend of mine is up for
election in Freiburg... so is Shane... bit mad that. Shane was roped into
it (or so he says), but Philipp or Flip as we like to call him chose to
stand... He was in the paper yesterday. Junge Freiburgers... or something.
Anyway, Take care of yourselves.
Der Teigl
Day 132 - 24 May 2004 - Freiburg
Weīre at the part now where Shane works like a dog and I do very little
except act the tourist in studio. I listen a bit, type a bit, wander
about a bit, play various instruments badly a bit, write a bit, learn
German a teeeny bit... this is a source of great mirth and merriment
for me. I think we all write a bit better and become a little more focussed
under pressure... but one should enjoy the lack of aforementioned pressure
when one has it. Am I right?
I must get some photos of the strange signs that I found around the town
before I leave. The camera is getting me out a little bit more. Itīs a great
excuse to wander.
Mitch played in the Freiburg stadium yesterday. 20,000 people in the crowd. Heīs
played to 80,000 people, 20,000 people. I donīt know how heīs going to react to
playing to twelve people in a small bar in Ballaghadreen. I should point out that
most of the audience were drunk. So no difference there then. Niels played the Wodan
Halle a few days ago with a country/bluegrass band. It was great to see everyone in
their button-down shirts and cowboy hats. Niels true to form wore his psycho country
shirt and a straw hat. He says heīs a pedal steel player so they have to look mad.
I believe him.
Did I ever tell you about Freiburgīs crime wave? There are two types of crime here
these days. Bicycle theft and Graffitti. Graffitti has only sprung up recently.
Nobody has done a thing about it. Iīd love to take a hurley and go out with a little
helmet and scare the bejeesus out of them, but Iīve no helmet and no hurley. Itīs a
shame because itīs such a picturesque little town. And the graffitti isnīt even good
graffitti. Bicycle theft was always going to be a problem here. They ride bikes as much
as the Dutch do. Thatīs probably because of all the students here. Whatever the reason
though, I think itīs great. While on the subject of traffic though... I love jaywalking.
I know this may come as a shock to all of you. Iīm not talking about wandering across
six lanes of bad tempered traffic on downtown fifth avenue.. but rather the kind of
jaywalking that people donīt even think about. Example...
The time is roughly 03:00 in the morning. No-one is around except for me and this other
stranger who is standing patiently at the lights waiting to cross. So I slip down a gear
and walk right past, straight out into the absolutely non-existent traffic to the absolute
horror of the person waiting for the little man to turn green (by the way, the little green
man in Freiburg looks more like humphrey bogart with his hat on than the little stick man
that we all know back home in Ireland). Itīs sooo much fun. Now I donīt encourage doing this
during the day when there are cars (and very fast ones at that) and trucks thundering
down towards the autobahn, but at night itīs just funny. How can a city like this have
a graffitti problem when its citizens are so law-abiding? ... It must be the bears.
Der Teigl
Day 130.5 - 22.5 May 2004 - Freiburg
Iīve just been listening to the Nick Drake documentary on BBC Radio 2 online.
It was lovely. Brad Pitt did an excellent job narrating I must say. So I just
wanted to say, prompted by that program... check Nickīs stuff out. Thanks.
Iīm off to find something thatīs not moving and eat it. Mmmmm keyboard.
Whatīs that youīre saying to me, enamel-covered clavier?
Der Teigl
Day 130 - 22 May 2004 - Freiburg
Hello Readers.
For reasons known to a very few select people I have to call Shane
"Captain" from this day forth.
My first batch of photos came out. Iīm very relieved. I will now be
seen everywhere with a cheap camera snapping pictures of everyone to
stick in books and on walls to remember you all by. So go make yourselves
pretty before I catch you. I have managed to catch Niels & Mitch playing
live so if the photos come out I may put them up on the site sometime soon.
But only if youīre good.
There were two storms with rain, thunder, lightning - the whole shebang -
yesterday. So things were kinda quiet in Freiburg as a result. Nature
tends to bother the Deutschies much more than it does the Paddies. Or maybe
itīs because we pay less attention. Iīm not sure.
Finally, in more hat news, Ray a local music head thinks my hat is suitably
sleazy. Iīm not sure what that means, but Iīve decided to like it.
Der Teigl
Day 128 - 20 May 2004 - Freiburg
After our very slow start this time around weīre now flying through
the material making great progress. The songs are sounding better every
time I hear them. Maybe itīs because of the sun. I donīt know. Elvis &
Foolish Part sound funking fantastic.
Mitch is due to arrive in about half an hour. Weīve had this old Korg
beat on "Georgeīs St Arcade" that sounds almost but not quite entirely
unlike coconuts (to borrow a phrase from DA). Itīs been niggling away
at us ever since we used it. Breaking point arrived yesterday when we
decided that it was time to get the biggest filthiest thonking thumping
mother and father of all drums to replace the little Korg. So with Mitch
being *just a little bit* more experienced than us at playing drums, we
decided that it was only fair that he should play it!
I have since been informed that my hat is Dean Martin all over. So there.
Big up to DP and Phil keeping diaries alive and well over on the
bellies site.
Check out Philīs science tip of the day. I think thereīs a book in that somewhere.
If in doubt, plug it out. Suddenly all those electricity black-outs in my area
while I was growing up in the bad old eighties make sense to me now.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 127 - 19 May 2004 - Freiburg
Dear Diary,
I get the feeling weīre being watched. Call me paranoid, but...
My new thing is hats. I buy hats. I look like a cross between Franz Ferdinand (the band
not the dead guy from the 1910s), Robin Hood and one of Bertie Woosterīs more stylish
friends.
I have my own personal translator and tour guide here in Freiburg who has also
become my official make-up artist and language tutor. Although you should probably ignore
the language bit because I severly doubt that she would like to be associated in any way
with my piss-poor German.
I got some shots of Freiburg from the top of the Schloßberg (the big hill that is basically
an antīs foot away from the centre of the town). The sun is out and everything looks great.
Iīm experimenting with photography. If anything at all comes out properly Iīll be extremely
surprised and very happy with myself. Iīve decided to develop my inner-Luddite in order
to balance my increasing nerdiness - what with all the writing, diaries, reading, learning
languages, etc. So Iīm using a completely manual camera. Completely manual. It has a slot
for batteries that you can use for a light meter... but Iīve thrown them away. Who needs em?
Well, weīll see on thursday when I get the first batch of photos back.
So now that Iīve got pictures of the outside of Freiburg Iīm gonna take shots of the city
and the city-zens.
Mitch bought a new car. Heīs very happy with himself. As he should be. Nielīs is in the wars.
He had a little accident with his eye. So Iīm hoping all will be okay in a week or two. Alexander
came around with all his keyboard bits again. So we have every piece of the puzzle now.
Florian is still terrorising the Med. I got an email from him recently. Didnīt understand
one word. Shane translated it for me. I still didnīt understand a word.
Last night I learnt a new phrase for "goodbye and good luck". It comes from just south of
Hamburg, or at least thatīs where Mitch heard it. It goes like this: "Hau die hühner" which
means "Hit The Chicken". Iīm busily incorporating it into my daily speech.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 124 - 16 May 2004 - Freiburg
So, I had a bit of a mad one last night. The Eurovision or Grand Prix thing
is taken a hell of a lot more seriously in Europe. That I knew already. I didnīt
realise the ACTUAL scale of the problem. Itīs immense. There was 20,000 people
in the street in one of the cities (canīt remember names, sorry); I sat in a
student bar, one of those huge warehouse type jobbies from the seventies with
concrete floors and stairs and ceilings, watching the Grand Prix with a load
of inebriated Germans who kept shouting MAX MAx MAX everytime the little fella
popped up on screen.
I pleaded with them not to fall for it. That itīs all
politics... I felt like the only sane guy in a zombie movie screaming at the
actors to wake up and see sense... I told them that
even if you have the two ABBA blokes with their happy heads, keyboard and
guitar writing for you now, youīre STILL not going to win unless
you write a crappy eastern sounding song with no discernible melody or musical
qualities of any kind. In fact Ireland nailed the "no discernible melody or musical
qualities" ... but it wasnīt eastern sounding. In fact it was just bleedinī awful.
Stick to the dayjob you, the writer, who used to be in Westlife. Hang on. Hmmm that IS his
dayjob.
So, predictably enough, every country voted for their neighbouring countries
thus averting the possibility of war breaking out for another year and then when theyīd
done that, they voted randomly for all the other countries to give the impression that
this was actually a contest. Sorry. I know that itīs all supposed to be above board
but come on! Would you trust a mobile phone company to count votes? Iīd trust them about
as much as I trust my bank (AIB - check the Irish news reports around the last few weeks
and youīll understand this more completely...). Enough ranting. Needless to say there
were many disillusioned Germans wandering about last night.
So after that I went to some student-infested area of Freiburg (that I havenīt visited in six years)
to drown my sorrows, of course.
The student bar was like a dinjy (how exactly does one spell that?) community centre,
crossed with a beach bar with wooden cut out palm trees, crossed with a drug rehab clinic.
Not pretty. But then itīs a student bar so that
explains that. All was fine. Had a nice enough night. Then I realised as I stood on the
step of the house that Iīd forgotten my keys when I was coming out. Buggeh.
So I sat on the step. It was 3am. There was no way in hell I was going to ring
the buzzer at that time in the morning because Iīd be murdered horribly and thereīs
nothing like a bit of mortality to spoil oneīs day. So I was sitting there for
about 15 minutes feeling sorry for myself when I decided to start texting people
to amuse myself. It was then that I discovered, cleverly buried under my phone,
the keys that I actually HAD brought with me. As a friend used to say to me, "how
do you not fall down more often?".
You may remember my friends, with the penguin/world-travel stories, hiding in an attic in
Leixlip, County Kildare, Ireland... well, they must be running out of supplies (or stories)
because Iīm meeting them in Dublin in two weeks... I should really leave this diary entry
now because itīs getting very long. Iīm in a chatty mood lately. I feel good. I even bought
lots of German books yesterday. Whatīs wrong with me? Iīm studying by choice? Thereīs
something seriously wrong here. Iīm turning into my parents. Right, Iīm off to reacquaint
myself with XML & XSL. If you donīt know what they are - Donīt ask. I just heard
coolness slam the door behind it.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 122 - 14 May 2004 - Freiburg
Hey all.
Elvis In Us All a.k.a Elvis a.k.a Inner Elvis... has been tweaked a little
bit. Weīre going to put Alexīs stuff into the mix next. Everything else sounds
perfect right now. Shaneīs demonstrating a tape delay program to me now.
Incredible what theyīre doing in real-time these days.
Met up with Niels, Elka & Mitch last night in Weberīs Weinstube which is one
of those cool little wine bars that serve food and drink until about 4 or 5
in the morning depending on how they feel. Everyoneīs in good form. I canīt
wait to start playing gigs with the guys now. Itīs not that far away really
but at the same time Iīm chomping at the bit. I want to get some new songs
together beforehand too... so we may be able to roadtest some material in
the not too distant future...
In other news... that banjo story I warned you all about... On Ivory Heart
I played some banjo for a few hours. Took me ages. Itīs a battered old thing.
Well worn. Itīs an American-made banjo. You can just about make out the Gretsch logo
on the head behind all the corrosion and dust and dirt that itīs accumulated over
the years. Now... I hope I remember this correctly... Shane was given this banjo as a
gift from an old German lady who was clearing out her attic. No-one she knew
was a musician and it belonged to her late-husband. Her late-husband was on a boat
during WWII, Iīm not sure if it was a U-Boat or a fishing trawler or what or where he
was at the time... anyway... This banjo was a bit of the flotsam & jetsam from a
bombed or torpedoed American ship. Itīs not a very good banjo. Itīs impossible to
tune it and the sound is not bright or loud. Still though, it has one hell of a
history. On that note Iīll leave you. Take care of yourselves.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 121 - 13 May 2004 - Freiburg
Weīre thankfully back on track after being plagued by technical
difficulties (damned computers, interfaces and other electric/electronic appliances
more complex than abacus..es? abacii? abacusibus?) for the last while. Great to make
some progress. So itīs all go from here on in.
Not to worry. Thank goodness my stay here is being funded by the Irish government.
That last sentence is a little misleading. It is in fact not funded at all by the
Irish government.
In one of the Freiburg cinemas they show a film every week on a wednesday that you
pay for only after youīve seen it. Itīs a sneak preview of a film. Nobody knows what
the film is going to be but itīs a very popular night with the students of Freiburg.
Students here are just as cheap as back home. Unsurprisingly.
Anyway I saw Vergiss Mein Nicht or Eternal Sunshine of The spotless Mind. Unfortunately,
the film was shown in its dubbed form and not in its original form with german subtitles
therefore I understood little of the speech. This is a bit of a disadvantage when youīre
dealing with the work of Charlie Kaufman. So, I have to wait a while for the film to actually
come out here before I can see it in its original version... by which time I may be back in Dublin...
Iīll be home around the 27th and back in Germany again around the 14th june.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 120 - 12 May 2004 - Freiburg
Mixing has commenced in the studio. Weīre going to continue with the mixing
until I basically recover my vocal abilities. Iīm back singing now but I wonīt
be tip top for a day or two more methinks.
I just ate one of Anicaīs cakes and Iīm completely stuffed. Not for the faint
hearted. My eyes are bigger than my belly. So despite the self-induced pain
in my belly, Iīm sitting in the studio trying to write a nice change for a new song.
I can hear the mixing process going on in the control room. Iīm walking in and out
when I hear something good. Klasse.
I was in possibly the quietest bar in Freiburg last night. It was so dead that we had
an impromptu game of catch and nobody bothered to stop us. I think the two staff members
were secretly betting on the outcome of our game. No, du hast recht, they DIDNīT have anything
better to do.
So, Iīm off to go through all my scraps of paper to see if thereīs anything that
occurred to me late at night thatīs worth keeping at all. Hit and miss. All this writing is so
hit and miss. Until next time...
Der Teigelheimer
Day 119 - 11 May 2004 - Freiburg
This section of the diary is really only for the nerds. So read on ONLY IF you
qualify...
WHAT WE PLAYED ON THE ALBUM... SOME DETAILS...
So I have asked Mitch for the details of his drum set-up for the record
and he has kindly revealed the following :
"On most of the songs, I played my four piece Ludwig set from the
seventies, tama starclassic 14x6, 5" maple snare drum, zildjian cymbals
including the 22" swish knocker! And perhaps we should mention the
14x8" Premier Resonator Snare with the Calf-skins on both sides,this
is the real secret weapon together with the Swish Knocker!" [Editorīs note: apologies
to all the wegetarians out there. By the way, the swish knocker was the evil looking
cymbal with the studs.]
"But I think,the magic of Shane Brady at the mixing desk is the biggest
secret on the drum sound of this record!!!!"
My (Tadhgīs!) guitar setup was simple. Basically we set up three microphones on an acoustic
Lowden F32 that I bought recently. The mikes used are an AKG pair and a
sennheiser. They look nice. Thatīs about all I can say about them because, technically speaking,
I donīt have a notion. I also played (with the same setup) an electric baritone
DanElectro guitar (acoustically), an ancient Gretsch banjo (did I tell you the story about the
Gretsch banjo? unbelieveable... remind me about it sometime) and a bouzouki...
I think thatīs it.
Nielīs setup was approximately this... [Until I have the exact details this will have to do]....
Rickenbacker bass, Gibson Country Gentleman, Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennesean, Gibson acoustic
(thereīs a photo of it among the pics... itīs a small bodied guitar, old and battered... great sound),
melody harp, ABM pedal steel, ...
Florianīs setup was basically the famous three microphones set up around his beautiful
old double-bass, or kontra-bass if you prefer.
Alexīs setup was ... Hammond, Harmonium, Grand Piano, Synths and general Beeps & Buzzes.
They were played through an assortment of filters/microphones/speakers/cables to give them a
different sound. I donīt understand any of it. But it sounds fantastic. Thatīs what counts, right?
You can visit him here and say hello www.alexanderpaeffgen.de
... and yes, as you may have guessed, his full name is Alexander Paeffgen.
Janīs setup was basically a Stick plugged straight into the mixing desk. You can find out
what a stick is at Stick.com. Makes sense really. Who ever thought theyīd
see a company called Stick Enterprises. I mean, seriously.
Shaneīs setup was a vocal microphone and a banana... so far. This is subject to change.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 117 - 9 May 2004 - Freiburg
My voice has made a partial recovery. Thank god. Iīm twiddling my thumbs here.
There is other stuff to be done of course but itīs incredible how much you depend
on your voice after a while.
I got a hard time yesterday from people who told me that we (meaning Ireland)
messed up postage stamps to celebrate the new EU countries. Itīs all news to me. Perhaps
itīs known in Ireland. Anyway, some bright spark designing stamps was supposed to have
confused cyprus and crete and managed to render useless the whole million or so stamps
that were already printed. According to the guys here the stamps were withdrawn... but
I checked it out... and it turns out the stamps are not being withdrawn, and An Post
come out sounding a little heavy handed. A spokesman said...
"What appears to be Crete is in fact Cyprus. The map has been tweaked and Cyprus did not
fit into the perspective, so we had to move it."
So there you have it. If you donīt fit into our vision of Europe, weīll move you. Personally,
I think someone wanted to make the commemoratives more valuable. Iīm getting very cynical
these days.
Mitch added some lovely Udu drumming to "I knew better" which weīve been wrestling with for
a while now. It sounds great. Although I still think his Udu drum looks like a flower pot
with a hole in the side of it. On that note. Take care of yourselves.
Der Teigelheimer
Day 114 - 6 May 2004 - Freiburg
Greetings from sweet pea. Everyone in Freiburg is shocked at my new voice. I do the best Satchmo impression now. I see fields of green... red roses too... The reason is because, although I feel fine, my voice sounds like it was attacked by a crack team of genghis khanīs most loyal servants who paid particular attention to completely destroying everything in their path. So my voice has dropped 8 octaves and a