Hard Boiled Wonderland - Discussion
0 (0 Likes / 0 Dislikes)
The story of why I'm
standing here now and trying
to build a bridge to you
was that Sebastian Gramss
called me at some point and said:
“I can't just make music anymore.
.
We have to articulate
what is happening in the world.”
And then, of course, I thought
about what my contribution can be?
I cannot play an instrument,
nor can I meaningfully
speak about music.
But maybe I can try
to give some associations
to what the lyrics did to me.
I wanted to come here tonight
like a blank piece of paper
so I can hear it the way
you all heard it tonight.
It was just –
Sebastian, sorry to say that
– it was exhausting.
And it was fascinating.
.
It didn't give me a chance
to switch off for even 30 seconds
and what better
thing to say about art?
It was awesome.
But, I say it again,
it was also exhausting.
And that's exactly what you wanted.
And, of course, I tried to think
about how I can distance
myself from all this a bit?
Tamara said at some point:
"I prefer to go to the garden",
and that's an impulse
that’s familiar to me as well
when the madness of
the world crashes into our lives
as you have discussed here.
How can you actually find a balance
between the two – this impulse that,
on the one hand,
you don't want to be ignorant
of what is happening in the world –
which I definitely think is necessary –
but at the same time
you also want to ensure
that your own strength remains fresh?
I think that's something that's
part of our art of living today.
If you only go to the garden,
you become ignorant
and take no responsibility.
But if you expose yourself
to the madness of the world
like we did tonight,
you can go crazy
and you can despair.
And I would say:
.
if you don't despair these days,
you're a complete idiot.
For good reasons – there are many,
many reasons to be desperate.
We are, so to speak,
the first generation
that can see what's
happening everywhere in real time:
If a textile factory is burning in
Bangladesh, we get the information...
People drowning in the Mediterranean,
we get the information...
If something happens in
a mine in Bolivia, you will notice...
How wouldn’t it drive you crazy?
So I want to point out –
you have to have the power
to distance yourself from it,
and we just don't know how to do it
– to be able to experience
everything all the time.
And in the end the effect is,
as it was articulated:
"Yes, who actually
has any responsibility here?"
This summary of crises and
bad developments in the world
doesn’t seem to allow the possibility
that today there is
such a thing as a small roof hatch,
an emergency exit or maybe
even a little more hopefully said:
A dawn.
But I still want to point out
that this condensation
of negative events
also poses the risk
of falling back into ignorance
because you have no idea
how to actually loosen the knot.
And then I’d say
– It's not that dark.
A lot of exciting and good things
are happening at the moment.
As you said:
“We musicians, we don't
just want to make music,
we also have to make a statement.”
Others do that too in
completely different areas.
I think we live in
exciting, positive times
and in a very good way.
How does it all fit together?
We don't really know that yet.
I would say... as a suggestion:
Don't look for a Megavision
Don't look for a Megavision
that solves all problems at once.
Say goodbye to the illusion
that there is a big hit,
the great world view,
the big mega–religion
that can solve everything
instead embrace your helplessness,
surround yourself with those
who think similarly,
start to take the first steps.
Then you will get an idea
of what the second step is.
This is our time right now.
We didn't choose it,
but it's our time.
So, now it's your turn.
– I agree with you completely.
I find that to be a brilliant,
absolutely moving and good idea.
There is always hopelessness.
In my opinion, it is only through art
that has a political claim
that it is possible
to create this small world
where you can bring a bit of change.
– It's about sharing and community,
and that's why I find it
very important to try to share
and create community
in all possible situations.
And that's why
I think it’s very important
that we're trying to talk to each other.
– First of all, I have a feeling
that it is very difficult for me
to put into words
everything that surrounds us.
The work was,
of course, less of an attempt
to save the world,
but rather to save myself...
To somehow create a valve
in myself to process this whole flood.
.
Resistance is a big word, but there
is an inner pressure to do something.
.
.
And that is why
the project is definitely
subjectively important to me
– again, completely apart from
what it does for other people –
for me personally as a catalyst,
and for all of us
(in the band) I think...
To collect or write these
texts over weeks and months,
and to arrange them,
to sort things out
– what kind of topics there are...
That was definitely a very
long process and, as I said,
that actually went pretty well...
– I would like
to know more about that.
If you look into this darkness
that we had in the texts today,
if you face it,
then what exactly
is the “saving thing”,
for you personally?
– Well, you hear about all
the terrible things in the world,
and then you can't
do anything about it.
You hear about things that happen
and about people
who are suffering terribly,
in ways we know nothing about.
Or at least I don't.
.
And then you hear about it
and, of course,
it makes you depressed in a way,
but somehow you cannot
process all this information.
Things rush by us...
on a smartphone or on TV,
or on the radio.
There has to be
something else we can do.
Since I can't invent an
algae-absorbing device,
what I can do is make music.
And in the instrumental
parts of the performance,
– I hope that's
the impression it made –
the music has a certain
“power without words “ for us.
That's why there were also
longer passages without text,
so that a different, poetic power
can bring the whole thing
to a completely different level.
.
And then the group
somehow finds a kind of answer
to the respective text
through this playful improvisation,
which we then discuss
or modify or sort again.
.
Of course,
many things are so incredibly bad
that you can no longer make music.
That's why the music
is sometimes silent,
because it just gets
too much and any melody
would sound like a mockery.
If you describe someone's death
any sound sounds cynical.
That's why the music
sometimes withdraws completely.
– I thought it was a really
great idea that musicians
from different genres come together
and try to make some
political impact or, at least,
to express their individual political views.
I just loved it.
I believe you haven’t
been together that long.
But if you manage
to stay together longer,
I think something
really great can come of it.
- I want to admit that this is also
about my own need to express things.
.
I don’t want to hide behind
the sign "We’re saving the world".
We also have our
personal motifs to do this
and that’s also a part of it.
Yes, it was provocative at times
and it was clear,
from the beginning it was clear:
It can't be an "evening of smiling".
.
It must bring things
to the melting point
and also have a right
combination of topics,
so that it really impacts you,
otherwise it is somehow superfluous.
That one has opposites
maybe get to the point
...and it doesn't end with:
"Yes, just as I said in the beginning:
Trump is stupid and Bolsonaro too."
and then we all quickly agree –
what's the point
of this whole thing then?
– The greatest, the best
music and works of art
were already written
when war broke out in
the 20th century and this disaster...
Beethoven saved nothing.
And I think you really
have to see that art is only a means.
.
Now I ask you:
Was there anything you
heard in the concert today
that you didn't already know?
Has something changed for you?
Will you maybe think
about a thing or two?
– Although I actually knew
the facts that were addressed,
.
it still gave me something new.
Because, every time
I thought: I know that already –
there was another
point of view in the concert
where things were questioned
or I asked myself about my own urge
to just sit on the sofa
and deny all the problems...
So, this contradiction is something
that’s very familiar to me as well.
So, on the one hand, a desire
to make a difference politically
and on the other hand being
lazy and having other needs
and somehow not being satisfied...
I found such a tension on stage
that was incredibly strong,
and I think that's
something I can think about.
Yes, I think that's one point,
this concert or concerts like this
can make a change because
we know the whole thing rationally,
we know the whole process,
we know the whole thing...
Everyone who is here,
as you said, has learned nothing new.
But Saffron Foer once said:
The problem is, we don't
understand what's really there.
We have a rational knowledge, but
we don't have an emotional knowledge,
and only emotional
knowledge can guide action,
rational knowledge
is pure knowledge.
And events like this
can lead to the fact
that maybe one or two people
start using their emotional knowledge
.
and that brings about change...
I think that's the goal
of something like this.
– At the moment we live in a time when
the energies that conjure up demons
are becoming increasingly visible.
It is getting closer and closer to us.
And to show that
there is another energy,
namely a positive energy,
a creative energy,
that was my motivation
to participate in this.
And it is not a question of art,
but a question of using energy.
.
What am I working for?
Is that visible? Do you become visible?
And usually these issues are often
left to the “energies” of others.
.
– I come from Ukraine
and when Sebastian asked me
to take part in this project,
I said to him:
"I feel like for the past 20 years
I’ve been doing nothing else –
the whole time: giving my voice
to the people who lost their houses,
.
who lost close family
members during the war,
to fight this senselessness...
And I tried everything:
I collected and brought
humanitarian aid to the front line,
and gave concerts
in the front line for the men,
gave workshops for children...
– I think it’s an absolute advantage
to be able to talk to people
.
and to argue
and discuss and exchange ideas.
So this is what I’m taking as
an inspiration from the project.
I wanted to refer to Tamara earlier...
when you mentioned that
"Beethoven didn’t change anything",
that the war broke out
also in the 20th century,
and I don't think that art or music
have ever prevented
any war from breaking out.
.
But personally I don’t believe
that art or music
can save the world,
not as such,
but they can save
the world for everyone personally
by giving them hope.
And also, as the lady
said at the beginning –
you share something,
you share an emotion,
thoughts and this can give hope.
– I was a singer in the choir tonight,
When I first heard
the lyrics in the rehearsals,
I thought:
“No, please, not that topic” –
sexual harassment
and stuff like that...
And I could hardly bear it,
.
I found it interesting that the music
made these texts bearable for me.
.
At the same time, the music
made me far more touched by the texts.
.
– My Suggestion:
Sebastian, you have the last word.
I add again:
It was awesome!
– Thank you very much.
It is, of course,
a great feeling for us
that the audience is
interested in the project,
to do the whole thing and
not have only 20 people sitting here.
As I said before:
If nobody comes to the gigs,
then I don't know
what to do anymore – really!
In any case – I am very happy that
you all came. Thank you very much!