Song of the Week, 2011-005 - Happy New Year, by Abba

It is Chinese New year, so this week won't miss with a new year song. There are actually three candidates, and it's a tough decision, but here it is, one of the best new year songs, Happy New Year by Abba.

"Happy New Year", something we say almost every year, somehow I feel that it implies a "not-so-good" if not a "bad" year has just passed. In order to regain one's morale, the start of a year is marked as the point where everything will start afresh, and all those happened will be left behind. It is a vision we long for, and a self-comforting statment. I don't know if it is good or bad, but sometimes I do think that as much as we like to say "learn from history, learn from past, learn from experience", "forgetfulness" is one of the most powerful weapons of human.

We make mistake, we regret, we learn the lesson, then we forget. Some people say it is the vicious cycle of human nature. However isn't this view of a "vicious cycle" only valid when we assume a progressive human development? In a time where we love to reflect upon ourselves, where we love to go nostalgic, where we praise the glory of our past, can we still confidently say that human development is progressive? Or we just simply change the way of our lives?

However there is one thing I can be sure of, this vision of progress is what take us where we are now. And I don't see there is any way that we will be able to shake this vision away. So maybe we just have to live with it. After all time progresses whether we progress or not, Happy New Year.

p.s. I'm not sure when they wrote this song, but the release year of it is 1980 where the two members of Abba, Björn Ulvaeus and Agnetha Fältskog, divorced (exactly the two in the beginning of the MV). I wonder if the lyrics is somehow linked to themselves, where they felt sad but were trying to stay positive with a "Happy New Year".

Happy New Year, Abba

No more champagne
And the fireworks are through
Here we are, me and you
Feeling lost and feeling blue
It's the end of the party
And the morning seems so grey
So unlike yesterday
Now's the time for us to say...

*Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have a vision now and then
Of a world where every neighbour is a friend
Happy new year
Happy new year
May we all have our hopes, our will to try
If we don't we might as well lay down and die
You and I*

Sometimes I see
How the brave new world arrives
And I see how it thrives
In the ashes of our lives
Oh yes, man is a fool
And he thinks he'll be okay
Dragging on, feet of clay
Never knowing he's astray
Keeps on going anyway...

*chorus*

Seems to me now
That the dreams we had before
Are all dead, nothing more
Than confetti on the floor
It's the end of a decade
In another ten years time
Who can say what we'll find
What lies waiting down the line
In the end of eighty-nine...

*chorus*

Song of the Week, 2011-004 - The Fix, by Elbow

Elbow made some very interesting music, and their lyrics can be witty and playful, actually i think they deserves more attnetion from the public. So it is good that their latest album The Seldom Seen Kid won the 2008 Mercury Music Prize and made a commercial success. Last week I have chosen One Day Like This by them, this week I decided to pick another song by them, also in their awarded album.

As much as I always like to believe that meaning of any artwork is subjective to the audience, I love to know what the artist wants to say. The Fix by Elbow is one of those songs, that without local knowledge (in this case, it is horse racing in England) or the artist's explanation doesn't really make much sense. It's lyrics contain lots of slangs and In-jokes.

The Fix is a song literally talking about rigging a horse race.

Once you know that, the featuring of Richard Hawley in the song doesnt only make sense, but it is actually a brilliant magic touch of the song. Since a fix seldom happens without teamwork, and Corruption never appears through a single hand.

So when we are talking about a morbid society, we need to have a bunch of inhumane capitalists, an absurd government and a large amount of mindless citizen... Yes, I am always cynical. Yet I never deny that I am part of this morbid society, in fact I might just contribute to its morbidness.

Our world only makes sense in a nonsense way.
Rationality is just another form of stupidity.

p.s. Richard Hawley looks awfully like To Kit (陶傑)...

p.s.2.
Here is the lyrics and some of the interpretations I found out or made up, any other suggestions are welcome:

The Fix, by Elbow

The fix is in
There's a nag(1) gonna dance home at Epsom(2)
The fix is in
Can't wait to see how it upsets 'em

Too many times we've been postally pipped(3)
We've loaded the saddles, the mickeys are slipped(4)
We're swapping the turf for the sand and the surf and the sin
Cause the fix, the fix is in

The fix is in
The odds that I got were delicious
The fix is in
The jockey is cocky and vicious

The redoubtable beast has had pegasus pills(5)
We'll buy him the patch in the Tuscany hills
And the Vino di Vinci(6) will flow like a river in spring
Now the fix, the fix is in

The fix is in
The snaps of the steward so candid
The fix is in
Yes, our pigeons have finally landed

The Donahue sisters will meet us in France
In penguins and pearls, we'll drink and we'll dance
'Til the end of our days, cause it ain't left to chance
That we win
Cause the fix, the fix is in

(1) nag = a horse in old informal English;
(2) Epsom = Epsom Downs Racecouse near London;
(3) postally pipped = "pipped at the post", which means marginally lost in a race;
(4) mickeys are slipped = slipped someone drugs, in this case probably the jockey or the horse is drugged;
(5) pegasus pills = pegasus is a winged flying horse in Greek mythology, pegasus pills probably means drugs or steroid is given to one of the horses;
(6) Vino di Vinci = Wine of Victory

Song of the Week, 2011-003 - One Day Like This, by Elbow

I must say I find this MV strangely uplifting.

Occasionally I find myself in a good mood just like the happy banner man in the MV of this heartening song by Elbow. While I do not dance or sing, what I do in a good mood is walking. I simply love walking.

In fact I go for a walk when I am in both good and bad mood. When I am in a good mood, I am enjoying the scene, the atmosphere, the moment in the walk. When I am in a bad mood, I am thinking, reflecting and releasing through walking. Anytime is a good time for walking, but I espeically like walking at night and very early in the morning when the street are not so busy, though early morning walk is hard to come by as I sleep late and wake up late.


When I was studying in London, I walked to school most of the time. I lived around Paddington and my school is in Holborn, it is about 4km in distance and it took me about 45 minutes for a single trip. However it always took me more than 45 minutes, especially for the trip from school reuturning home where no time constrain presented. The extra time went to my exploration of other possible routes for the trip, and wandering in shops and parks. The trip would have me pass through the busy Oxford Street, the miscellaneous SoHo district, the extravagant Bond Street, and the beautiful Hyde Park. Sometimes I took a detour to Covent Garden for killing time or China Town for restocking on instant noodle. One of the regular stop of the trip is Charing Cross Road where many nice bookstores located. As a poor student, mostly I only "read-in" and seldom have any "take-away".

Those were some lonely but precious time that I will always remember and treasure.

I am happy that in 2011 there is a new light which ignite my passion in walking, and it is early morning walk that I am talking about, how great is that! I am very grateful about this new light, I sincerely hope that I can keep on walking and enjoy walking.

"Drinking in the morning sun
Blinking in the morning sun
Shaking off the heavy one
Heavy like a loaded gun"

p.s. next time when I am walking I will listen to this uplifting song, gotta be really nice~

Song of the Week, 2011-002 - Teardrop, by Massive Attack

I always think the greatness of art lies in their ambiguity and openness.

When the artist put their works out into the public, they can explain what they want to express through their works. But it won't just stop there, the work of art will be like a new born which takes on a life of its own. The artist's will might still remains as a way for people to read that work of art, just like a child living under the shadow of the parents. Yet as time goes, the will of the artist loses its strength, the meaning and value of the work of art will then depend on how people relate to it. Thus, the work of art lives.

Some people are arguing what this song, Teardrop, by Massive Attack is trying to say, some suggest it is about abortion, some say it is about infidelity, some say it is about futility. I would say what you see from it, is what you feel about parts of yourself. Whether it is "fearless on my breath" or "feathers on my breath" isn't really that important. What really matters is that, it resonate with your state of mind, your state of heart.

It is my song of the week because it strikes my current state of mind.

"Teardrop on the fire" does sounds futile in a way, but when it is put together with "fearless on my breath", what it means is not futility but an immense passion that has no fear. I have never been so resolute in a certain aspect of life. I also don't know if the passion will wither, but what I am doing now will be a test of that passion. It is just a "teardrop on the fire" now, but I am "fearless on my breath". Even if it doesnt work out in the end, I will live with no regret, and I would love to have a "Nine Nights" in the end.

p.s. hospital noise at the start of the MV and the heartbeats at the background, makes it a nice theme for the medical drama "House". The vagueness of the lyrics also makes it very open to relate to the drama.

Song of the Week, 2011-001 - Cayman Islands, by Kings of Convenience

In order to make a habit of writing something regularly, I decided to start with picking a song and writing something, no matter long or short, about it.



As the start, I picked Cayman Islands by one of my favourite groups, the Norwegian duo, Kings of Convenience.

There is really no particular reason why I picked it to start the "Song of the Week" section. Well... part of the lyrics is thinly related to something that I plan to do in coming week but it is not the reason. Yet I don't know why the song keep looping in my mind this week. I don't know how long this looping will last, but luckily it is not a bad song to loop in the mind, in fact it is a great one. It is Calm, quiet and soothing, so I am happy to have it as the song of the week, and as the first one.

The lyrics remind me of a trip in a town, Chartres, in France. For better or worse, there is not a special someone as my company like the song mentioned. I just went there alone, but it is one of the greatest trip I ever had.

Chartres is not the most famous tourist spot, but it maybe on the list of Christian visitors when they go to France, as its Gothic Cathedral is one of the finest and the preservation of it is brilliant, in addition, there is a sacred item, a Tunic which is said to have been worn by Virgin Mary. The Cathedral was the reason I went to this town, but I didn't went there for its magnificent facade, or the beautiful stained glass, or the holy tunic, I went there for its floor. I went there for the labyrinth built on the floor of the Cathedral. I wanted to walk on it!

Unfortunately, when I arrived, they were having some kind of ceremony, and chairs were laid out, covering the labyrinth on the floor. However, come to think about it now, it is not so bad, as I got more time to explore the beautiful town. Just like the first line of the song "through the alleyways to cool off in the shadows, then into the street following the water", I walked the old path, passed the stone bridges, entered the calm garden. Walking with my own pace, I enjoyed every bits of the joruney. It was calm, quiet and soothing. If there is any chance, I am definitely going to Chartres again!









"If only they could see, if only they had been here;
They would understand, how someone could have chosen;
To go the length I've gone, to spend just one day riding;
Holding on to you, I never thought it would be this clear."

The Plane and the Pigeon

A piece of snow white A4;
With a few folds, a plane was formed;
Follow the swing of your hand, it took off without the sneering roar;
Yet, the humiliation was so hard to chew, when it is so well-formed.

The iron cage was cracked open;
The pigeon flied off, ran for its freedom;
It dropped a bomb on my head, and I was absolutely shaken;
I have to remind myself to learn from experience, the forever wisdom.

So tiny, dissipate like dust powder;
So light, float like a feather;
We are none for the other;
We are one under the ether.

Desperado

come to senses...

Simpsons opening by BANKSY

我可以說什麼呢...
日前才說起關於艾未未在 TATE MODERN 的作品"葵花籽"的看法，現在輪到剛發片不久 BANKSY 參與製作的 Simpsons 片頭。
一切來得太巧合了吧?!
不是艾未未跟 BANKSY 有路的話，這不算天意可以算什麼 ?

艾未未的葵花籽@TATE

Tate Mordern 的 Turbine Hall 是一個奇蹟的空間。偌大的地方任由藝術家發揮，在香港這幾乎是不能想像的奢侈。

這次由中國藝術家艾未未操刀，用上億計的陶瓷仿製葵花籽把一大片的 Turbine Hall 填滿。其壯觀相信難以言喻，多希望可以到那裡親身感受，想像那情景應該跟史高治叔叔在金錢海游泳差不多(史高治叔叔是否已經很 out?... 沒有所謂吧，從來都不是 in)。正打算叫身在英國的朋友去玩玩，影些相給我看，怎料才開了三天就因為健康及安全理由禁止遊人進入該片葵花籽，改為只可遠觀而不可竊玩。TATE MODERN 解釋說是因為遊人在那片葵花籽上走/跑/玩時，陶瓷葵花籽會釋出陶瓷塵，這些塵可對遊人和工作人員造成健康影響。館方和艾未未商議過後決定限制藝術品的展出方式，暫時未有對策，也未知會否再對外開放。英國一向都是一個崇尚健康及安全的地方，有說已近乎病態的程度。我不是專家，也不知道他們訂立的準則是否合理。不過這件事再，加上艾未未這件作品的背景，就引發起我一連串的聯想。或者，這一切都在艾未未計算之內哩 !

說我的想法之前，想先談談在 TATE 的 facebook 看見有人問為什麼一片陶瓷仿製葵花籽是藝術。這是一個好問題，而答案也因人而異，因為自杜象 (Duchamp) 開始西方社會對藝術的定義已變得相當模糊。杜象認為創作並不只是藝術家的個人的行為，因為在觀眾解拆和分析藝術品時才是藝術品跟現實接通的時候，藝術家和觀眾並不能分開，創作是兩者加在一起的行為。概念藝術就在這之上萌芽。概念藝術一種著重意念表達和分析的手法，藝術品的體裁只是意念的具體表現，最重要是創作者和觀眾之間一種智慧上的角力。這是否藝術就看觀者對藝術的定義，在我而言我是接受的。

回到艾未未的葵花籽，只看看我在文末附上的短片，就發現這作品其實充斥著隱喻和符號。其中有些艾未未在短片中已略有提及，例如毛澤東時代有毛主席是紅太陽人民是向日葵之說。當我們走進那一片葵花籽，一步一步踏在它們之上感受那種有趣的喜悅時，當中的含意真的耐人尋味。但我更在意的是另一方面的解讀，想是因為本科的關係，對於製造過程我都很感興趣，對這片葵花籽的製作也相當好奇。跟據短片，這片葵花籽海都出自中國的景德鎮，一個以陶瓷出名的地方。這些陶瓷葵花籽都以傳統的手法製作，而且每一顆都由人手上色，每一顆都獨一無二，每一顆都是藝術結晶... 我們這麼以為。當我們看著那些製作工人一排一排的坐在長枱，替那些燒好的葵花籽逐一上色，這畫面跟我們想像的藝術創作相距多遠 ? 以生產綫來形容是否更合適 ? 片中較後的一幕艾未未問一個參與的工人是否高興，那工人高興地回答最好多點這樣的工作，這次她賺了兩三千塊錢哩 ! 最後這些葵花籽一大包一大包的送到 TATE MODERN ，被小心翼翼地舖在 TURBINE HALL。

這一切都顯得充滿反差，卻也來得自然不過。因為這都不斷地在身邊發生，或者更確切地說，我們都活在當中。我們活在一個疏離的世界。吃的穿的用的都可以很方便地買到。至於它們來自哪裡，也就只有烙在不顯眼地方的一個 MADE IN CHINA 。誰人有份製造，跟本不到我們去知道，我們也沒有興趣知道。而製作的人也顧不了他們製作的東西都那裡去了，又賣給什麼人，有時製作過程被分散得他們跟本連自己在做些什麼也不知道，反正有工資便很好了。這一連串的想法在鬧出健康安全問題之後更加強烈。有產品含鉛什麼有毒什麼的新聞屢見不鮮，我們都第一時間想到停止使用那些產品，加強檢驗或禁止它們入口便可以了，又有多少人會想到製作者們的健康和安全呢 ? (我自問沒有做到) 加上近來上學讀到馬克思的商品崇拜 (fetishism of commodities)，這一切都令我有很深的感受。雖然我不知道我的解讀是否艾未未本人的意圖，但我選擇相信這是他計劃的一部分，什至相信他跟 TATE 使用了英國對健康安全的崇拜來玩一記黑色幽默。即使這不是他們計劃的一部分，也只好說成是"天公造美"，把所有東西以最完美的手法表現出來。

20100823

不要讓對事件的悲傷憤怒轉為對種族國家的仇恨.

不要胡亂傳遞煽動性資訊.

認真分析什麼對事件有幫助, 什麼才對逝者予以一種尊重, 一個公道.

人不只是社會的產物, 人還是'一個人', 不要把某些敗類的行為擴大為該社會每個人的罪.

珍惜自己所有, 也尊重別人所有.