I first heard DJ Krush in Bern Switzerland, 6 years ago. After a week's work, I stayed over the Friday night to fly Saturday. Everyone else in my group left Friday, meaning I had to explore on my own what had to that point been a very boring town.
And Friday night in Bern isn't much better than Saturdays in Luxembourg. Eventually I gave up and returned to the same restaurant/bar the whole class had been eating dinner in each night. I sat down at the bar and started talking to one of the employees I'd met a few days earlier. He was talking to another friend, and they welcomed me into their conversations. The uber-kind barman gave me a drink on the house, and we all talked. And the music played and it was the first time I'd hear DJ Krush. And we chatted and we drank and the barman brought drinks and it was fun.
The big question, I remember, was what language we were listening to. We didn't know! It turns out the answer is Japanese, but I had to look that up on the Internet later.
I was having fun. But I suddenly realized how much fun I was having when I commented on how all the customers at the bar were employees. Who's looking after the restaurant?
"Oh we've been closed for 2 hours," The barman says. "We sometimes stay late and have a few on the house on Fridays."
"Won't the owner get upset?" I asked.
"I am the owner. Another drink?"
And we had fun, and listened to the music. And after about the third playing of the album I asked who owned it and, after some haggling, bought it off him on the spot. He thought I was nuts. I swore that by morning the artist's name would be gone, but if I took the CD home I'd never forget it.
As it turns out, it was a day later when I discovered the CD stuck in my coat pocket. I hadn't remembered. And yet, it's one of my top ten favourite albums, and there's just so so much that I'll never forget.
That's just what happened to be playing on the stereo. DJ Krush, playing Candle Chant featuring Boss The MC. From his Zen album. I got my copy in Bern, one cold winter many years ago.
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
What I was listening to
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10 comments:
wow...I was wondering about the language. japanese, huh?
I worked once on a bar...Friday evenings we had a drink or two as well after closing...I usully had orange juice...can't remember specific music from that time period though...odd.
Certain songs bring me back to the places I first heard them.
OJ and ?
That's what you call knowing how to treat your employees right! Guests, too! So, do you remember the name of the bar?
No, but I could find it again. I'm sure of it.
Good music and lyrics, Morgan.
Thanks Doug. I can almost sing along, I've heard the song so many times. But I'm afraid I might be invoking an ancient shinto curse so I try not to do it in public.
Cool story. And you're right, if you hadn't taken the CD you'd have forgotten and your life would never have been the same. But still mostly the same.
Almost entirely the same. But yet, different, yes.
And thanks.
I was in Bern once - seems that we were both there at the same time - but maybe my old memory is wrong. In fact, seems like there were 2 Mikes there ??... I wasn't out with you, but my life would have been different if I had never gone to Bern
Hi Mike! (aka 80.61.11.114) No, you left on the Friday evening and I stayed and partied Bern style. Explain the "life different" comment... is that in reference to E Dubya Eye???
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