Amsterdam Weekly: Vol 5 Issue 19, 15-21 May 2008

Volume 5, Issue 19

15 - 21 MAY 2008 A balancing act

‘Mutation is in the air.’ page 5

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The Healthy Issue

The greening of grocers page 4 / Making better humans page 4 Breathing with Simon Vinkenoog page 5 Portraits of test animals page 6 / How healthy are you? page 8 MUSIC: Health on health p. 12 / FILM: Mike Leigh goes happy-go-lucky p. 18 / SEX: Healthy wanking habits p. 19

Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Music/Clubs . . . . . . . . . .11 Gay & Lesbian . . . . . . . .14 Stage/Events . . . . . . . . .14 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Glutton . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Ladywood . . . . . . . . . . .19 Classifieds/Comics . . . .21

15-21 May 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

ATTACHMENTS In this issue and...

A healthy body... A healthy mind... A healthy balance... A healthy state of affairs... A healthy dose of reality... A healthy attitude... A healthy economy...

A healthy bank account... A healthy supply... A healthy habit... A healthy bouncing baby... A healthy lifestyle... A healthy sheen... A healthy looking corpse... A healthy diet... A healthy profit... A healthy meal... A healthy warning... A healthy kick in the balls...

A healthy view... A healthy all-bran snack... A healthy political arena... A healthy weight... A healthy workout...

A healthy day at the spa... A healthy night of sleep... A healthy round of drinks... A healthy sized burger... A healthy historical perspective... A healthy diagnostic system... A healthy apology... A healthy advantage... A healthy alternative... Yes, that’s it. A healthy alternative. Always good. So tune in next week for The Unhealthy Issue. After all, you can’t have health without it! And do remember: it’s all about balance.

On the cover AAAAAA....

Photo by Denis Koval www.deniskoval.nl

Next week I don’t feel so good.

Letters Got an opinion? We want to hear it. inbox@amsterdamweekly.nl

Amsterdam Weekly BV De Ruyterkade 106, 1011 AB Amsterdam Tel: 020 522 5200 Fax: 020 620 1666 www.amsterdamweekly.nl General info: info@amsterdamweekly.nl Agenda listings: agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl Advertising: sales@amsterdamweekly.nl Classifieds: classifieds@amsterdamweekly.nl PUBLISHER Todd Savage EDITOR Steve Korver ASSISTANT EDITOR Nina Siegal AGENDA EDITOR Steven McCarron FILM EDITOR Julie Phillips COPY EDITOR Mark Wedin EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Sarah Gehrke EDITORIAL INTERNS Sulakshana Gupta, Robin Kawakami ART DIRECTOR Bas Morsch PRODUCTION MANAGER Karen Willey PRODUCTION DESIGNER Russell Joyce PRODUCTION INTERN Denis Koval SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Carolina Salazar ACCOUNT MANAGERS Marc Devèze, Simone Klomp, Floortje Mennen FINANCE ASSISTANT Simone Choi DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Patrick van der Klugt MARKETING ASSISTANT Anna Bandurska MARKETING INTERN Kate Hutchinson FINANCIAL ADVISER Kurt Schmidt (Veresis Consulting) PRINTER Corelio Printing Amsterdam Weekly is published every week on Wednesday and is available free at locations all over Amsterdam. Subscriptions are available for €60 per six months within the Netherlands and €90 per six months within Europe. Agenda submissions are welcome, at least two weeks in advance. New contributors are invited to visit Amsterdam Weekly’s website for contributor guidelines. Contents of Amsterdam Weekly (ISSN 1872-3268) are copyright 2008 Amsterdam Weekly BV. All rights reserved.

10 THIN THINGS by Arnoud Holleman

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Amsterdam Weekly

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15-21 May 2008

AROUND TOWN Global out, local in

Genetic arms race

Real green grocers put new spin on ‘health food’.

How perfect do we really want to be?

By Robin Kawakami

On a recent sun-drenched visit to new Amsterdam grocery store Marqt, the usual street-side crates of mouth-watering produce had been replaced by a cheery avalanche of locally grown strawberry plants for sale, all bearing almost-ripe fruit. The idea was to buy the plant, grow the fruit at home and enjoy the sweettart pleasure of delayed gratification.

Maybe the fruit wasn’t perfectly ripe and ready, like what you might find at Albert Heijn or Dirk, but buyers here are embracing the idea that their shopping choices can also directly influence the health of the planet.

The message at Marqt—and that of an increasing array of ‘slow-food’ oriented businesses in Amsterdam—is clear: when it comes to grocery shopping and growing, global is out, and local is in.

And with this shift, health-conscious people are demanding more flavour and less of a carbon footprint from the products they purchase.

In short, ‘health food’, like most things du jour, has gone through something of an extreme makeover. In the past, organic food was eaten by ‘greenies’, who fell into that shapeless hemp sack with ‘commies’, ‘hippies’ and ‘lefties’. These days those borders have all blurred, and more of the population is simply interested in ‘good food’.

‘It used to be that “eating organic” implied a whole world view, meaning you ate a particular way, and additionally you probably dressed and voted the same way,’ says Merle Koomans, spokesman for Estafette, de Biologische Eetwinkel, an organic produce chain with 11 stores in the Netherlands. ‘These days we have customers who fly to New York every week as business people, but upon returning home, want to shop locally. The whole idea of choice has changed.’

The organic food movement that began in the 1970s was essentially about food that was good for you, and good for the Earth. With today’s heightened sense of urgency regarding climate change, more people are taking notice of how their food is produced.

For Estafette, ‘good food’ means food that is healthy on three fronts: for the body, planet and grower (meaning that the grower is fairly reimbursed).

‘We have customers looking for a fair trade product who find themselves also leaving with something organic,’ Koomans says. ‘These different interests are consequently widening our customer

JOB JANSSEN

By Matthew Curlewis

base.’ And clearly, this is proving successful on a business level, as having opened only a few years ago with six stores in the Netherlands, Estafette now plans to open one or two more stores each year.

At Marqt, Quirijn Bolle, and his business partner, Meike Beeren, say they keep three key factors in mind for their food: ‘Tasteful, healthy and sustainable.

And in that order!’

Marqt is a new kind of food-shop for Amsterdam. Located on the Overtoom in what was once a large antique warehouse, its high ceilings and quasi-industrial feel invites comparisons to New York’s Chelsea Market or the American-based Whole Foods, a natural food supermarket now found in the US, Canada and the UK. Marqt’s business model is completely different, since suppliers—many of them local farmers—are partners in the business and have a say in how things work on a day to day level.

Bolle, a former Ahold employee, spent a lot of time observing how larger supermarkets conduct business, and he felt it was time to radically change the model. Because all supermarkets essentially sell the same products—the same bottles of Coke and the same bags of Doritos—their business plans constantly revolve around cost-cutting as a means of survival. Not long after a supermarket begins to accept product from a small farmer, they will have to ask if they can have the product for ten per cent cheaper, and another ten per cent the next year. Small businesses cannot survive that way.

Bolle’s face lights up when describing how things are different at Marqt.

‘It’s wonderful to watch the growers come in and see the produce they’ve grown so carefully, being bought by customers who truly appreciate that effort,’ he says. ‘It’s a win-win situation for all of us.’

At the Netherlands branch of Slow

The end of plastic fruit and veg?

Food, the international, non-profit ecogastronomical organisation, members believe food should be ‘Good, clean, and fair’. Arjan van Hartesveld, who heads the Amsterdam Convivia (the local chapter), agrees that consumers are hungry for modern shopping that doesn’t rely so much on the idea of fast and cheap. Founded in 1989, Slow Food Nederland’s numbers have recently jumped to 1,800 members from only a few hundred with the establishment of a number of new regional ‘convivia’.

‘This idea of good food is not an elite thing any more,’ says Van Hartesveld. ‘Our membership is reflective of people from all walks of life who all share in common the idea that we should care about what we eat and how we eat.’

At a recent event, Slow Food volunteers showed up at the Wednesday Haarlemmerplein Farmer’s Market—a September 2007 addition to Amsterdam’s map of weekly organic produce markets—to promote the idea of eating seasonal vegetables. Producers from the market donated asparagus, and the Slow Food volunteers cooked it and gave it away to customers while discussing the principles behind Slow Food.

Van Hartesveld was clearly delighted with the results. ‘It’s not that we’re talking to a wall anymore,’ he says.

‘People on the street are getting it loud and clear that we have the choice.’

Marqt is teeming with customers who seem to get the message. Bolle is also impressed. ‘We didn’t do any market research,’ he says. ‘This was simply a gut reaction, a gut feeling that consumers were ready for something like this.’ And with a second store to open soon in Haarlem and another 20 planned across the country, green business is clearly making good business.

The 1997 science fiction film Gattaca portrays a futuristic dystopia of new eugenics, in which embryos are genetically manipulated to produce ideal children. In the resulting society, DNA determines social class, with genetic discrimination replacing outmoded biases of race and gender.

Only a decade since that film’s release, scientific improvements ranging from cosmetic surgery to the Human Genome Project mean that such biological enhancements might not be that far off.

On 15 May, the Blaise Pascal Institute of Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit (VU) will bring together an expert panel of specialists in genetics, bioethics and molecular biophysics to discuss the ramifications and limitations of human enhancement.

Dr Bert Musschenga, director of the Institute and VU professor of moral philosophy, will open the symposium with a discussion about the ‘utopia of manipulability’, creating perfection through human intervention. His work examines the ethics of human life extension—what some biologists predict will be possible within 25 years. ‘The question is: should we want that?’ Musschenga says.

Central to the human enhancement debate is transhumanism, an extreme ideology developed in the 1980s by futurists in the US. Its proponents believe that science and technology can transform humans into a more developed species— an enhanced version of Homo sapiens in the evolutionary line-up.

Dr Cees Dekker, a professor of molecular biophysics at Technische Universiteit Delft, who will appear on the panel, opposes transhumanism and excessive interference in human biology, warning against a ‘genetic arms race’. As both a Christian and a biophysicist, Dekker believes there is a fine line between human rehabilitation and enhancement, and sees human dignity as central to his argument.

In a debate that promises to be the highlight of the symposium, Dekker will go head-to-head with Dr. Peter-Paul Verbeek, philosopher of technology at the Universiteit Twente, who argues in favour of some forms of human enhancements.

Verbeek believes human dignity cannot be separated from technology, because technology makes us human. ‘We should not be against [technology] per se, because that’s a false form of conservatism,’ he says. ‘You cannot defend yourself against something that makes you what you are.’

Because of this indissoluble link between humans and technology, Verbeek believes in questioning specific kinds of human enhancements instead of rejecting

Amsterdam Weekly

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Betere mensen maken, 15 May, 13.0017.00, Vrije Universiteit-Kerkzaal.

Free reservations at www.blaisepascal.nl.

In Dutch.

Live to be 100 The trick is to keep breathing.

By Steve Korver So how does one live a long, healthy and balanced life?

‘Just feel good. That’s the secret,’ answers the poet, writer and inspired child Simon Vinkenoog over coffee and joints on a Monday morning at his garden house in Amsterdam Noord.

‘Oh, and try breathing.’ We both inhale, then exhale. I feel better already.

Turning 80 on 18 July, Vinkenoog starts celebrating this week at the Bimhuis by declaiming his poetry backed by a jazz band. Around the official birthday itself, there will be events organised at OBA public library and much will be published: Vinkenoog’s collected poems, a scrapbook of his memorabilia, his 1951-57 correspondence with the recently deceased writer Hugo Claus and a new collaboration with the musician Spinvis. Yes, the man is still busy. And he even finds time to rate as Amsterdam Weekly’s oldest contributor.

Vinkenoog has lived—and continues to do so. He’s the psychonaut who made it.

Born in Amsterdam, he barely survived World War II. During the ‘hunger winter’, he ended up contracting a skin disease which had him covered with a rash, and then scabs. ‘But then a new skin broke through. Maybe that’s why my skin still looks so young,’ he jokes as he rubs his wrinkles.

After the war, he moved to Paris and befriended CoBrA painters like Karel Appel and Corneille, and writers like Hugo Claus and Remco Campert. He started publishing poems, magazines and novels before returning to Amsterdam in 1956. ‘I had become a world citizen and would therefore always be a strange duck here in Holland.’

And it only got stranger when he became an LSD test subject at the Wilhelmina Gasthuis hospital in 1959. His previous main literary theme of ‘hate’ became ‘love’. ‘Before then, I was always busy with hate,’ he says. ‘I had handicaps, insecurities, depressions—of course, I can still burst out in tears if I see something horrible on TV but I’m no longer always busy with it. One person’s nightmare is another’s fairy tale...’

By the 1960s, he had evolved into a full blown shamanic hippie performance poet.

And like his friend, the late American poet Allen Ginsberg, he moved with the times.

In 1979, he was the ‘priest’ who ‘married’ rocker Herman Brood to the off-her-rocker Nina Hagen. He was also named the ‘poet of the fatherland’ and managed to get married six times.

But now he’s been married to his constant companion Edith for over 20 years.

‘Partnership is happiness. It’s about balance, like summer and winter,’ says Vinkenoog. And indeed, the couple still

STEVE KORVER

them entirely. He also thinks that ethics continually evolve: about 150 years ago in the Netherlands, the use of anaesthesia during surgery was viewed as immoral because it was seen as ‘unnatural’. Now it would be considered immoral to operate on someone without anaesthesia, he adds.

‘We change through the technology we use.’

In Gattaca, what began as an effort to eliminate inheritable diseases from society became a way of producing designer offspring, blurring the lines between health and enhancement. Could our current methods of prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion mirror that development? Clinical geneticist Dr Mariet Elting will share her experiences as a genetic counsellor, discussing whether parents are expressing a desire not just for healthy children, but more perfect progeny.

Musschenga warns: ‘Changes in genetic makeup are irrevocable. Children are always confronted with the expectations and ideals of their parents, but when growing up, they can resist that. That’s a part of maturation. But a change in your genetic makeup... It’s already part of who you are.’

While much of the scientific knowhow for genetic enhancement is still in development, Musschenga sees the popularity of cosmetic surgery as a troubling sign in the present. ‘When [people] start with these kinds of intervention, they never stop,’ he says. ‘They’re never satisfied with themselves. It’s an endless quest for more physical perfection. You can stay busy your entire life trying to perfect yourself by means of operations and surgery.’

This pursuit of elusive perfection, which Musschenga sees as a growing trend in Dutch society, also forces unwilling participants to come to terms with this brave new world. ‘If you’re a woman of normal beauty who does not want cosmetic surgery, but all the women in your environment want it and have surgery, your relative beauty decreases,’ Musschenga explains.

For Verbeek, cosmetic surgery reveals how technology reorganises the way in which people relate to the world, where personal ethics and aesthetics merge.

‘People start to interpret their bodies as entirely makeable,’ he says, ‘and they now become responsible for what their bodies look like. That is a very difficult thing, and we might ask ourselves if we want that to continue.’

Ultimately, Musschenga wants to explore the grey areas of human enhancement: if ultrasound reveals a foetus with only one leg, while an adult has an accident resulting in a leg amputation, is it ethically acceptable to intervene in one scenario but not the other? Where does rehabilitation end and enhancement begin? While Musschenga remains vague about any ‘right’ answers, Verbeek takes a more definitive tone: ‘Humans and technology have always been intertwined. We are not pure. We are hybrids.’

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come across as a pair of crazy kids in love.

‘The garden is our child,’ says Edith.

‘And on 13 April 2004, we had a second child. That was the day we discovered the internet.’ They laugh.

Once motivated, Vinkenoog just can’t stop giving advice on how to live—or maybe he’s just generating another poem.

‘Enjoy! Be entertained by the social games you play! Look 360 degrees around you!

Learn! Then unlearn! Yoga’s good: it brightens up every cell! There are no endings, just et ceteras! Always be in a process!

Stay curious! Smell the mutation in the air!

Be a generalist, not a specialist! Enter new houses! Stay surprised! Be in wonder!

Everything is allowed! Don’t kill time, make time! Keep your own street clean!

Regard every pain as a growing pain! Stay flexible! Read Walt Whitman—he’s the opa of hip! Trust life!...’ Vinkenoog pauses.

‘Actually trust is good but it’s also good to stay a bit suspicious, since it’s just getting more and more about the survival of the fittest out there,’ says Vinkenoog as he motions towards the outside world beyond their self-made Eden.

Vinkenoog takes me on a tour of the garden, one in which even gnomes would have trouble getting around, but not Vinkenoog. He shows me his latest project: reclaiming a path through the rose bushes to the second cabin where he keeps his books. The emerging path has a sign: ‘Terra Incognito: Fun in progress.’

So is hyperactivity the secret to a long and healthy life? ‘Well I’ve always danced like a fool! Sure, maybe it’s just about exhi-

Simon Vinkenoog in his garden of earthly delights.

bitionism or narcissism but, nonetheless, at least you’re stretching!’

‘When you mentioned that you wanted to talk about healthy-living, I dug up a few books,’ says Vinkenoog when we return to the table. These few books form a metrehigh pile, but the one he really wants to show me is called Live to be 100 by a certain S Sage. He points out something he’s underlined: ‘Maintain a consistently optimistic, positive and constructive mental attitude’.

‘Really it’s just about getting away from conditioning and all that Victorian moral nonsense,’ says Vinkenoog. ‘That whole Christian-Judaic idea of “one god” is the most dangerous of things. Our neighbour over there describes it best: “God is a garden”.’

While Vinkenoog takes a moment to admire God, I notice he had been reading last Saturday’s Volkskrant magazine.

Under the headline for an interview with cabaretier Mike Boddé about his long and crippling depression, Vinkenoog had scrawled in large letters: ‘Learn to live with the chaos, young man!’

Learn to live with the chaos. I think I can do that. But first I’m going to sit here for just a while longer.

Simon Vinkenoog 80 with Bo’s Art Trio, 18 May, 21.00, Bimhuis, €15. www.simonvinkenoog.nl

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The hidden price of health Like most of us, photographer Jaap Scheeren had seen the common images of test animals in grotesque situations and wondered if that’s still the reality. In 2005, he was allowed to take photographs in a Dutch animal testing facility. But beyond the photos, very little information was given. Since then,

Illness of Duchenne

several managerial boards have changed hands, bureaucratic confusion only increased and it became clear that no information would be given regarding these photos. (We don’t even have permission to state the name and location of the facility, though it does reside in the Netherlands). Rather than bury

the images, as a result of a lack of cooperation, we decided the photos alone can speak volumes.

It’s important to note that these particular animals are not being tested for cosmetic reasons—a practice most people now agree is obsolete and should be abolished in general (though, it does

continue). These animals are being used to increase the medical effectiveness on both humans and other animals. The sacrifice of a few for the benefit of many. Despite how you may feel about this line of thinking, one thing is clear: the faces of these animals should not be hidden or ignored.

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Surgery improvement

Immunisation

Animal medication

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15-21 May 2008

How the hell are ya?

Asking Amsterdammers about how healthy they feel gets a variety of responses. But the most common answer is: Mwa.

BY GIULIA GRIMALDI

H Name Ali. Age 27.

Occupation Taxi driver/guide/entertainer.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

Yes. What’s your secret? Cycling, eating good, being positive. Maintaining a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Do you want to be healthier? No. Why not? I am fine like I am.

What’s unhealthy? Being lazy.

Any tips for the better life? Come and be a taxi biker.

ow are you? That is a question we often hear, but don’t often take seriously. Maybe if it were worded as, ‘how well do you feel?’, or even ‘how healthy are you?’, we’d give a more thoughtful answer. Although, we’d probably start by listing some numbers: the kilos we weigh, the calories we eat, the hours of training we are planning to have next week. But is it really a quantitative matter or is it more qualitative? What about lifestyles, like the common pattern of always being in a hurry, living stressful lives, not having time to enjoy ourselves,

while, on the other hand, enjoying bad things too much. All of these aspects play a huge role in defining our level of healthiness, and sometimes they can have very different meaning, depending on a person’s lifestyle. We asked various people around town to find out about the realities of their health and to what extent they are following their own ideal.

But perhaps most interesting is how many people would like to be healthier, yet few of them are willing to do what they consider necessary to get there. At least, that’s the common perception.

Name Hendrik.

Age 47.

Occupation Policeman.

Do you consider yourself healthy? Not really.

What’s your secret or downfall? I enjoy too much of the bad things in life, like eating and drinking.

Do you want to be healthier? Yes. How are you going to achieve it?

Drinking less.

What’s unhealthy? Drinking a lot of alcohol and smoking.

Any tips for the better life? Try to control bad habits.

Name Melissa.

Age 20.

Occupation Student Do you consider yourself healthy?

Yes, pretty healthy.

What’s your secret? Drinking a lot of water during the day and being active.

Do you want to be healthier? Yes, I would like to be more fit.

How are you going to achieve it? Eating less junk food.

What’s unhealthy? Sitting down all the time and eating unhealthy food.

Any tips for the better life? Stay active.

Name Roal.

Age 29.

Occupation Concierge at a school.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

Yes, I do.

What’s your secret? Training a lot and listening to nice music that makes me feel good.

Do you want to be healthier? No. Why not? I like myself.

What’s unhealthy? Not saying ‘hello’ to others and walking straight on your way.

Any tips for the better life? Try to be more friendly and open towards other people.

Name Sam. Age 29.

Occupation Piercer.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

Overall I would say yes, even if I know I have some unhealthy habits.

What’s your downfall? Cigarettes and coffee.

Do you want to be healthier? Yes. How are you going to achieve it? Quit smoking, because I really cannot quit drinking coffee.

What’s unhealthy? Generally living stressful lives and, in Amsterdam, taking too much drugs.

Any tips for the better life? Become a vegetarian and smile.

Name Niels.

Age 30.

Occupation Physiotherapist.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

Yes, but not as much as I was, nor as much as I should be.

What’s your downfall? I blame studying for my masters. I have no time to exercise.

Do you want to be healthier? Yes. How are you going to achieve it? Playing tennis.

What’s unhealthy? Committing suicide is probably the worst one.

Any tips for the better life? People should question themselves once in a while as to what kind of life they want to look back on when they will be 80.

Name Johan.

Age 34.

Occupation Teacher.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

Yes. What’s your secret? Common sense.

Do you want to be healthier? No, but I would like to be a little bit thinner.

How are you going to achieve it? I don’t think I am going to achieve it.

What’s unhealthy? Complaining.

Any tips for the better life? Make sure that you have nice people around you.

Name Kiki.

Age 46.

Occupation Fair trader.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

Absolutely.

What’s your secret? Keeping alive the child inside me.

Do you want to be healthier? No. Why not? It would be boring.

What’s unhealthy? Stagnation. Talking and sitting doing nothing.

Any tips for the better life? Just live it.

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SHORT LIST

Experimenteel Filmweekend, Friday, Filmmuseum and Vondelkerk

THURSDAY15 MAY

FRIDAY16 MAY

Rock: An Evening with Ween

Film: Experimenteel Filmweekend

Ween. Those hard-to-describe and even-harder-to-classify musical shape shifters from New Hope, Pensylvania are back. Gene and Dean Ween (aka Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchionado) have been producing their special brand of witty and irreverent alternative rock for 24 years. The pair met in the eighth grade and, after a number of independent cassette releases, recorded their first studio record in 1990 entitled GodWeenSatan: The Oneness: a collection of short sharp nuggets of musical craziness. Since then the duo have released ten studio albums alongside many live and independent offerings (and more recently the first episode of a fishing show). Ween are master genre jumpers—paying homage to 70s pop, disco, progrock, country and metal. Live, Ween will take you on a wild ride, and after some three hours of madness you’ll have gotten you money’s worth: ‘lock up the doors it’s gonna be a long night’. (B Gerussi) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, €17.50 + membership

Forty years worth of weird shit... The Filmmuseum just completed the conserving of 400 Dutch experimental films from the period 1960-2000. This collection includes work from such artists and film-makers as Frans Zwartjes, Barbara Meter, Paul & Menno de Nooijer, Paul de Mol, Shinkichi Tajiri and Jacques Verbeek & Karin Wiertz. Compilations of these films will be screened throughout the weekend at the Filmmuseum, but the highlight is tonight’s opening night across the road at the Vondelkerk—that’s right: weird shit in a church—where Karel Doing has put together a programme, ‘Visible/Audible’, bringing together many of these films backed by a live soundtrack composed by Juan Felipe Waller and Philemon Mukarno. (Steve Korver) Filmmuseum and Vondelkerk, various times and prices. Until 18 May.

Jazz: Sylvie Courvoisier & Lonelyville The superb Swiss pianist Sylvie Courvoisier has grown immensely as an artist since moving to New York back in the 1990s and no project has showcased her range and ideas better than Lonelyville, a dynamic quintet that beautifully smashes that nebulous zone between composition and improvisation. As heard on the group’s wonderful eponymous 2006 debut, written material and wide-open sections connect with a purposefulness that not only sounds built-in, but also makes hazy which is which. Much of the credit belongs to the terrific, sublimely flexible group blazing such rangy paths—violinist Mark Feldman, drummer Gerald Cleaver, cellist Vincent Courtois, and electronicist Ikue Mori—-who spin gold from the leader’s cues, but Courvoisier’s elaborate compositional structures were designed with these musicians in mind (the group has existed with only one change since 2004, but they’ve all worked together in other contexts much longer). The group only convenes sporadically, but all reports suggests that over the years the material has matured in the best possible way. (Peter Margasak) Bimhuis, 21.00, €16

SATURDAY17 MAY Pop: Ein Abend in Amsterdam Paradiso’s German night goes into its second edition, and this time it should be possible to write an entire preview for it without mentioning either you-know-what the historical event, nor you-know-what the sport. Instead, this will be all about the music. Because that is something else, alongside you-know-what the sport, that the Germans are quite good at. And tonight’s schedule gives a pretty nice overview of what is happening across the Eastern border. First of all, there’ll be FSK, who are kinda legendary. Eighties avantgarde heroes and John Peel favourites, the band have recently started a comeback on Hamburg’s Buback label—which is itself kinda legendary.

Jeans Team represent Berlin and its legendary electropop scene. And the afterparty’s rocked by Cologne’s Kompakt label, which is quite famous and renowned in the electro world. Up in the small room are two lady-DJs from Hamburg: DJ Patex vs Frau Kraushaar. They’re not legendary, but quite good. Should be a good nacht. Hurrah!

(Sarah Gehrke) Paradiso, 20.00, €15

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SUNDAY18 MAY Beer: Meibockfestival Spring is fasting season in the Roman Catholic Church. But one thing the monks were always allowed to do was get smashed. And rumour has it they invented bock beer during spring, because it is more nutricious than lager. Cheats. Bock beer has also a higher alcohol percentage. Drinking that stuff on nil-by-mouth! One would imagine those monks had quite funky times during fasting season. Brouwerij de Prael celebrates the meibock-season with the 11th edition of its beer tasting festival. Bock beers from home and abroad will be presented to the thirsty throats, all for a more than decent price: €7 gets you ten beers. And don’t worry: for everyone that can’t hold their liquor quite as well as those monks, snacks will be supplied, too. Thank God! (Sarah Gehrke) Brouwerij De Prael, 13.00-20.00, €5

World: Toumani Diabaté Arguably the greatest and best-known kora player of our time, Mali’s Toumani Diabate has managed to both preserve the hypnotic traditions of the 21-string African harp, while restlessly finding new contexts for its gorgeous, cascading sound. Over the year’s he’s discovered ways to use the instrument in flamenco (with Ketama), blues (Taj Mahal), pop (Bjork), and jazz (Roswell Rudd)—-to say nothing of many cross-African collaborations—but on his latest album The Mande Variations, he tweaks the solo format he explored over two decades ago on his first album. But here Diabate draws upon all of that subsequent cross-fertilization to make a record that relentlessly yet seamlessly forges a modern sound with the most basic materials, whether through the use of new tuning systems or through cheeky quotations, such as the Morricone lick that opens ‘Cantelowes’. (Peter Margasak) KIT Tropentheater, 15.00, sold out

Book fair: Amsterdam Wereldboekenmarkt The hype around Amsterdam being UNESCO’s World Book Capital is in full swing. And today, it’s about going for the record: the world’s largest book market. Five kilometres worth of stalls will snake their way from Waterlooplein to Centraal Station. Go to the website www.kantien.nl for all the information, including stall location maps based on genre, publisher and bookshop. But is this not too much of a good thing? It’s almost like only eating Big Macs for a month—it can’t be healthy. (Steve Korver) Various locations, 10.00-18.00, free.

MONDAY19 MAY Country/Comedy/Politics: Kinky Friedman So what’s that low-hang droop-dog Kinky Friedman doing in the Paradiso? Why ain’t he back running for governor of whatever-it-is that state he comes from—oh yeah, Texas—or writing all those, like, magazine articles or funnystuff books or plopping out more of them music recordings that he’s done since the 1970s, when he became this kinda ethnic subversive from Good-Ole-Boy Land? He think his whipcrack wit’s gonna work among us Euro-city sophisticates—even if it’s kicked up by some ragtag skunk-jambalaya combo featuring folks with names like Little Jewford and Washington Ratso? Ain’t he afraid he’s just gonna inspire lame-brain previews like this one? (Steve Schneider) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, €12.50 + membership

Party: Nachtburgemeester Elections In 2003, a new brand of Amsterdam mayor was elected: a ‘night mayor’ and one that was, in fact, a collective of eight DJs and party organisers. Under the moniker of Nachtwacht (‘Night Watch’), their platform was to ‘stop the frumpification’ of Amsterdam’s nightlife. In 2006, artist, art jockey and gallery owner Chiel van Zelst was elected and continued to build bridges of communication between the nocturnal souls and the daytime politicians. ‘By far,’ says Van Zelst, ‘the most common thing people say to me is, “Get later hours for nightlife!”

That’s what everybody wants.’ And tonight—in appropriately fun style—new elections will take place that will help define the city’s nights for the next two years. Twelve contestants have answered the call and each will have five minutes to state their case before a jury and the audience who decide the next leader for the ongoing night fight. (Steve Korver) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.30-05.00, €5.

WEDNESDAY 21 MAY Music/Event: Balkanbruiloft Balkan wedding music has power. There’s nothing like surfing the fine line between purgative partying and impending apocalypse: yes we have eaten. Yes we have drunken. So now we dance. But tonight shouldn’t get too out of control: it’s in the Concertgebouw, after all, and Mayor Job Cohen is on hand to officially marry three couples. But the line-up is explosive: Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, ‘queen of gypsy music’ Esma Redzepova, Romanian multi-instrumentalist Vasile Nedea and some virtuoso youngsters from Serbia’s Novi Sad. Things could really catch fire—and why not: the Balkan tunes they play at weddings are the same tunes they play at funerals. (Steve Korver) Concertgebouw, 20.15, €42.50/€50.

Send details and images for listing consideration at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl.

Amsterdam Weekly

15-21 May 2008

Ska: Orange Grove Summer ska and reggae transposed to an acoustic format. Bitterzoet, 20.30, €7.50 Rock: 3xLive Sets from The Wrong Jeremies, Labcane and Jelena. Afterwards, the Horse Meat Club party gets all jumpy. Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €6 Jazz: ZEQ-Attack++ Dutch duo ZEQ-Attack invite top soloists to experiment with unusual instruments, such as the slide sax, contrabass flute and malletKat. Tonight saxophonist Ab Baars plays the sakuhachi and percussionist Erik Karsemeyer concentrates on the Tibetan scales. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 World: Eddie Palmieri Renowned Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican-American pianist, band leader and musician, best known for the smooth way he melts jazzy piano with hypnotic Latin rhythms. Melkweg, The Max, 21.30, €25 + membership World: Cumbiamba Afro Latina New dance night promoting invigorating sounds from Colombia, Venezuela and other Latin American countries with a strong Afro culture. Live guests are Miguel Osorio & La Parranda, plus DJs. Badcuyp, Zuidpool, 22.00, €8

Eddie Palmieri, see Saturday

More listings at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

Send listing suggestions at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl

Thursday 15 May Rock: An evening with Ween Alternative rock weirdos—in the best possible way. You never quite know what you’ll get from them but it’s usually good, often great and typically fun. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, €17.50 + membership World: Exotic Trio Dinner concert with Eastern European music. Badcuyp, Zuidpool, 20.00, €4/€9 Rock: Health Like their LA peers No Age, Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda, Health nab elements from punk and hardcore and then de-contextualise them. But whereas most from that scene opt for a form of charming amateurism, these hotly tipped hipsters strain further, infusing complex percussion and deadpan tribal Liars-style chanting into their blasted beats and feedback deviations. Support from Adept and Eva Braun. See article p. 12-13. Bitterzoet, 20.00, €7 Classical: Contrast Works by Mozart, Stanhope and Beethoven. Bethaniënklooster, 20.15, €16.50 Jazz: Sylvie Courvoisier & Lonelyville Swiss pianist and composer Courvoisier has an affinity for jazz, as well as classical and experimental music. In the improvisation group Lonelyville, she plays her erratic compositions with cellist Vincent Courtois and her husband Mark Feldman on the violin. The less-is-more approach of drummer Gerald Cleaver and Ikue Mori’s electronics provide an avant-garde edge. See Short List. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Jazz: Ploctones Funky jazz crew led by guitarist Anton Goudsmit. Badcuyp, Noordpool, 21.30, €8 Rock: The DIEPTE rock ‘n roll circus What?! Random upper case letters? Random lower case letters? A lonely apostrophe? Why do promoters think they can make up their own laws of literary decency when naming their events? Still, if you can get over the offence, this rock ’n’ roll show features sets from The Stilettos, Green Hornet, The Krontjong Devils and Low Point Drains, and it’s a chance to show support for defunct garage punk haven De Diepte, so let’s not be too fussy. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.30, €10 + membership Pop/Rock: Club 3voor12 Live radio and TV session featuring sets from Voicst, Angus & Julia Stone and Grand Island. Desmet Studios, 22.00, free, tickets: www.3voor12.nl

World: Anouar Brahem Trio Composer and oud player Anouar Brahem and his band easily blend classical Arab music with elements of late Western romanticism and jazz. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €25 Dancehall: Sizzla Big booty dancehall sounds. We’re sure Mr Sizzla is pretty popular, but unfortunately we can’t really figure out what he’s singing about. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €25 + membership Jazz: Giani Lincan Ensemble & Emi Dragoï Lincan is considered one of the best cimbalom players in the world. The Romanian virtuoso plays lightning fast solos and emotional atmospheric pieces, touching on various genres, from gypsy jazz and classical to Balkan folk. Special guest is accordionist Dragoï. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Rock: The Picnik Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €6

Peter Stampfel

FEDERICO BONELLI

MUSIC

Classical: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Performing Dukas’s L’apprenti sorcier; Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No.3; and Schumann’s Symphony No.3. Conducted by Italian, Fabio Luisi, with solo violinist Liviu Prunaru. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €52.50

Folk: The SubHoly Modal Rounders Featuring Peter Stampfel (banjo/vocals), Lukas Simonis (guitar), Nina Hitz (cello/harp/keyboards) and Alan Purves (percussion/toys). OT301, 21.00, €5 Rock: 3xLive From punk to rap metal, with Grumble, Plutonium and Koll. OCCII, 21.30, €5 Rock: Ruby Ann & The Round Up Boys Rockabilly.

Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5

Saturday 17 May Festival: B-CONNECTED An international urban music exchange, connecting the youth of Amsterdam to those in Africa. Dutch hiphop and R&B artists like Fouradi, Ninthe and Blaxtar will be performing, but there’s also representatives from South Africa and Malawi. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 18.00, €5 Contemporary: Amsterdam Sinfonietta So the Sinfonietta are celebrating their 20th anniversary. I swear, it only feels like the 18th. There’s gonna be works by Vaughan Williams, HK Gruber and Haas, with guests like trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger, violinist Janine Jansen and pianist Ronald Brautigam. Muziekgebouw, 19.30, €50

Pop: Angus & Julia Stone Australian brother-sister acoustic pop duo. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 20.00, €10 + membership

Festival: Ein Abend in Amsterdam Europe’s open borders policy can be risky business. When it isn’t those multilingual talents hitting town and stealing all the top writing jobs, it’s an invasion of German bands out to prove that our neighbours aren’t as sonically annoying as you’d expect—at least it usually only takes one swift punt to send the bland Belgian rockers back home. Anyway, the second edition of this Duitse feest brings diverse sets from 1000 Robota, Jeansteam, FSK, Gustav & Band—who seem to have sneaked in from Vienna— and Anajo. With plenty to prove, it could be a fun alternative to London Calling. Paradiso, 20.00, €15 + membership

Pop/Rock: Opshop Polished melodic rock from New Zealand. If you’re punching the walls for the lack of new Snow Patrol products, you can always try this mutton variation of the guitar pop theme.

Sugar Factory, 20.00, €13

Classical: Nederlands Kamerorkest Vocalists Lisa Larsson and Nathalie Stutzmann front the orchestra during works by Corelli, Tippett, Boccherini and Scarlatti; conducted by Christophe Mangou. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €28/€33

Friday 16 May Rock: Most Serene Public Anthemic Canadian guitar pop reminiscent of Arcade Fire and this band’s Arts & Crafts labelmates, Broken Social Scene, who hit town last week. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 19.30, €7 + membership

Rock: The Happening ’60s and surf rock party with Beyond Lickin. Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5

Sunday 18 May Opera: Tristan und Isolde There’s been a Wagnerian drought of late, but the DNO are about to end it with this hefty piece inspired by the Tristan legend. Gottfried von Strassburg’s epic is his primary source, but his plot also highlights personal conflicts: Wagner was at that time in love with Mathilde, the wife of his patron Otto Wesendonk, while his introduction to the pessimistic philosophies of Arthur Schopenhauer is also reflected in the opera. Het Muziektheater, 13.30, €15-€90 Classical: Nederlands Kamerorkest (See Saturday) Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 14.15, €28/€33 Blues: Harmonica Shah & His Detroit Blues Band Unsurprisingly, Detroit blues driven by a very loud harmonica. Bimhuis, 14.30, €15 Classical: Aurelia Saxofoon Kwartet Performing on old instruments for the first time. Which doesn’t equate to saxophones they picked up on Queen’s Day. Muziekgebouw, 15.00, €15 Classical: De Nederlandse Bachvereniging Bach, Bach and more Bach; conducted by Gustav Leonhardt.

Muziekgebouw, 15.00, €25 Classical: Entretiens avec Francis Poulenc The Hexagon Ensemble team up with actress Carol Linssen for a programme dedicated to Poulenc. Bethaniënklooster, 15.00, €16.50 Jazz: Margo Klerx Soulful jazzy pop, with the singer-songwriter launching new CD Day’s Delight.

11, 15.00, free World: Toumani Diabaté The world renowned star from Mali arrives for an intimate show to promote his new album of solo kora music, The Mande Variations.

Even if you don’t have tickets for the main event, afterwards there’s a Putumayo World Party Mali special with DJs and special live guests. See Short List. KIT Tropentheater, 15.00, sold out Classical: Strijkorkest L’Arte del Arco Works by Vivaldi, Boyce and Janácˇek. English Reformed Church, 15.15, €12 Singer-songwriter: Wallis Bird Acoustic pop from Ireland. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 15.30, €7 + membership Latin/Jazz: Rumbatá Led by percussionist Jaime Rodríguez, Rumbatá play a lot more than just salsa —though it’s a fun enough starting point for your Sunday afternoon. Sugar Factory, 16.00, €8.50 Rock: Gem Whatever happened to Holland’s next big white hope? They went and recorded a new album, of course. Utrecht’s answer to The Jam and The Libertines are still heard fairly regularly on TV ads and the like, and once this low-key tour is out the way, you’ll probably find them at every major summer festival going. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 19.30, €10 + membership Classical: Het Orkest Schumann’s Manfred Overture, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D, and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5; conducted by Alexander Vakoulsky, with violinist Marta Abraham. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €25 Pop/Rock: June’s High Amsterdam guitar pop. The show marks the launch of new CD Iceflower. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 20.30, €10 + membership Jazz: The Hollywood Saxophone Project Badcuyp, Noordpool, 20.30, €7 Hiphop: Blu & Ta’Raach LA rap duo. Bitterzoet, 22.00, €10 Pop/Rock: The Teenagers Danceable French synth pop. So what do you think? Style over substance or sexy and funny? Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.30, €9 + membership

11

Monday 19 May Singer-songwriter: Kinky Friedman From country to rock to pop balladry, Friedman has been there and done it all over the past 40 days. These days, he’s known as much for his writing, humour and politics. A seated concert. See Short List. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, €12.50 + membership Jazz: Pierre Courbois The talented drummer picks up the VPRO/Boy Edgar Prize 2008, as well as performing four sets with some astounding jazz peers. Bimhuis, 20.00, €16 Classical: Calefax Rietkwintet The reeders celebrate Holland’s watery ways with a diverse programme inspired by the wet stuff. Baritone Marc Pantus collaborates to up the operatic stakes. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €31 Classical: Elegast The premiere of Joost Kleppe’s Elegast, plus works by Van Delden, Clarke, Sibinga and Smit. Uilenburger Synagogue, 20.15, €15 Classical: Nederlands Kamerkoor Getting festive with a trio of Bach works and Händel’s Dixit Dominus. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €23.35/€27.50 Opera: Opera per Tutti! Weekly performance by De Nieuwe Opera Academie. Vondelkerk, 20.15, €20 Heavy: Cursed Canadian hardcore punks. Support from Legion Of Substitute Heroes, Anaphylactic Shock and The Unborn. Bitterzoet, 20.30, €7 Funk: Groove Collectors Horny dance funk. Sugar Factory, 21.00, €5 Rock: Shit and Shine It should have been Glasgow’s The Twilight Sad shining brightly tonight, but alas, it got shelved. Instead it’s just Shit and Shine, an indie band who’re more like an army of drummers with guitar accompaniment. Tribal, noisy and certainly weird, often their sets contain just the one very long song. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 21.00, €6 + membership Experimental: DNK-Amsterdam A presentation of current works by students from the Sonology department of the Koninklijk Conservatorium, showcasing young electronic musicians who’re utilising the most advanced digital media with tape pieces, live electronics and video. SMART Project Space, 21.30, €5

Tuesday 20 May Folk: The Wailin’ Jennys Female Canadian folk trio, who sound very pretty and all, but there’s a distinct lack of wailing. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.00, €8 + membership Classical: Thomas Hampson & Wolfram Rieger German baritone and pianist performing works by Schumann, Wolf and Barber. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €34/€40 Electronica: Einstürzende Neubauten German pioneers of ’80s industrial music, the band continue to explore the boundaries of modern electronica to create menacing compositions. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 20.30, €23 + membership Jazz: Melody Gardot Bluesy vocal jazz from Philadelphia. Bitterzoet, 20.30, €10 Pop/Rock: Vampire Weekend From Split Enz and Paul Simon to bastardised Afro percussion. It can be argued that there’s not too much originality surrounding Vampire Weekend, but how many hyped bands aren’t rehashing the past? On the bright side, their self-titled debut is a pretty strong guitar pop album and with tickets in short supply, this should be a fairly hot and bouncy party. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 20.30, sold out Hiphop: Lil’ Jon Atlanta’s ‘The King Of Crunk’. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 21.30, €35 + membership Rock: Pissed Jeans Suitably noisy and raw garage punks from the Sub Pop roster. Even their recorded sound harks back to the energy of Jesus Lizard, so the live version should prove lethal. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €7 + membership

Wednesday 21 May Opera: Tristan und Isolde (See Sunday) Het Muziektheater, 18.00, €15-€90 Folk: Vetiver American indie folk whose tender and lulling music is often overshadowed by the presence of occasional collaborator Devendra Banhart. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 19.30, €10 + membership Jazz: David Binney American jazz alto sax player, performing with pianist Craig Taborn, bassist Scott Colley and drummer Brian Blade. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Jazz: Groove Night Hans Dulfer hosts this Jazz Impuls night, providing a platform for turntablists, DJs and jazz cats. Guests include: Ruben van Roon, Eric Vloeimans, Stewlock’s, Isaque van Niel, Bassman Barkman, Joshua Samson, Koen Schouten, DJ Kikke and DJ Phillippona.

Pakhuis de Zwijger, 21.00, free

12

Amsterdam Weekly

15-21 May 2008 From top: JOHN, JAKE and JUPITER. BJ, the ‘fat one’, took the picture.

Was it good?

JOHN: It was delicious.

JAKE: It was tasty.

BJ: Best veggie burger I’ve ever had.

JUPITER: It was OK. Do you like fruit?

JOHN: Yes, but in juice or smoothie form.

JAKE: Love fruit.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: I adore it.

Which kind do you like the most?

JOHN: Berries, strawberries.

JAKE: Hard to say, maybe mango.

BJ: Mango.

JUPITER: Bananas.

How often do you eat it?

JOHN: Not terribly often.

JAKE: Only when I can find it fresh.

BJ: Not enough.

JUPITER: Ideally, daily.

Do you ever think of your mother when you eat fast food?

JOHN: Nope.

JAKE: Rarely.

BJ: No. JUPITER: What kind of question is that?

LA band comes to town with their spastic, raging and uncompromising live show. But are they healthy?

Do you eat a lot of salt?

JOHN: Oh yeah, love salt.

JAKE: Not really.

BJ: I did this morning.

JUPITER: I don’t really monitor my salt intake.

AN INTERVIEW WITH HEALTH ABOUT HEALTH

How many cups of coffee do you drink a day?

JOHN: Zero, I hate coffee.

JAKE: Zero.

BJ: At least two JUPITER: 2+.

MUSIC

Any other mood you’d like to share?

JOHN: Detached ennui.

JAKE: Not particularly.

BJ: Enlightenment.

JUPITER: Annoyance with John’s ennui.

Do you need one now?

JOHN: Nope JAKE: Obviously not.

BJ: To wash down this Grolsch?

JUPITER: Have one already.

Where are you at right now?

JOHN: Hotel in Dublin.

JAKE: In the van on the way to Glasgow.

BJ: On a black couch in Glasgow.

JUPITER: To clarify, we are each answering these questions individually from different locations on tour.

Sugar, milk, black?

JOHN: Hate that shit.

JAKE: If I drink it I want it with a shitload of sugar and some soy milk.

BJ: Depends on my mood.

JUPITER: Black.

Health 15 May, Bitterzoet, 20.00, €7

By Bas Morsch

Hi! JOHN: Hey! JAKE: Hello.

BJ: Hi. JUPITER: [awkward silence] How are you doing?

JOHN: Alright.

JAKE: Well.

BJ: My nuts are halfway up my ass, but other than that I’m perfect.

JUPITER: [silence now persistent] Good show last night?

JOHN: Yes, very good.

JAKE: Good.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Yes. Tired?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Yep. BJ: No, baby, I can go all night.

JUPITER: No. Hung over?

JOHN: Yep. JAKE: Not today.

BJ: Yah. JUPITER: No.

Do you feel comfortable in your surrounding?

JOHN: Yes, but everything smells like bacon.

JAKE: It would be great if these seats reclined.

BJ: Yes, it’s soft.

JUPITER: The band WAR is playing in the background. I find that comforting.

Did you have breakfast today?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Sort of.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Just did.

What did you have?

JOHN: Pint of yoghurt.

JAKE: A smoothie and some hummus.

BJ: A bagel with cream cheese and fried ham.

JUPITER: Toast.

Any allergies?

JOHN: Nope.

JAKE: Not that I know of.

BJ: Something gave me hives once.

JUPITER: Too many strawberries can cause me to break out in a full-body rash.

Do you smoke?

JOHN: Smoke weed, son. I cigarettes.

JAKE: When I drink.

BJ: Occasionally.

JUPITER: I also hate cigarettes.

hate

If so, do you see this as a problem?

JOHN: No JAKE: No. BJ: Yeah.

What did you eat last night?

JOHN: Portobello mushroom burger.

JAKE: Malaysian mushroom satay.

BJ: Veggie burger.

JUPITER: Falafel sandwich.

What would she say when you eat fast food?

JOHN: Don’t eat that.

JAKE: Nothing comes to mind.

BJ: Nothing.

JUPITER: She would recommend against it.

Do you take drugs?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Yes. BJ: Take them where?

JUPITER: On occasion.

If so, what kind?

JOHN: Hippie drugs.

JAKE: Wonder drugs.

BJ: Weed.

JUPITER: Varies.

How are your ears?

JOHN: Terrible.

JAKE: Fucked up.

BJ: Big. JUPITER: Huh? Do your girlfriends or mothers tell you to buy earplugs?

JOHN: No. JAKE: Yep. BJ: No. JUPITER: They don’t have to.

Do you have earplugs?

JOHN: Yes, in my pocket.

JAKE: As of this moment no.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Yes. Does it bother you that the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle is not particularly healthy?

JOHN: No. JAKE: Occasionally.

BJ: No. JUPITER: No. Do you talk about that with people?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Yep. BJ: No. JUPITER: This is my first time opening up about it.

What health advice do you get the most?

JOHN: Drink lots of water.

Amsterdam Weekly

15-21 May 2008

JAKE: Get lots of sleep.

BJ: Gargle with salt water.

JUPITER: Moderate your use of methamphetamines.

What health advice do you hate the most?

JOHN: Don’t have a problem with health advice.

JAKE: Get lots of sleep.

BJ: Gargle with salt water.

JUPITER: Moderate your use of methamphetamines.

Do you consider yourself healthy?

JOHN: Kinda?

JAKE: Not really.

BJ: No, I’m the fat one.

JUPITER: Usually, except when hungover.

Which one of you four is the healthiest?

JOHN: Not me.

JAKE: Hard to say, I know it’s not me.

BJ: Me. JUPITER: Me. How does that show?

JOHN: IBS. JAKE: Hangovers, insomnia, fatigue, depression, suicidal ideation.

BJ: I’m the fat one.

JUPITER: Glistening abs.

Do you care about your health?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Yeah.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Of course.

Which one of you four cares the most?

JAKE: I would say our drummer BJ. Or Jupiter.

BJ: John.

JUPITER: Jake, he’s a hypochondriac.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the way you take care of yourself?

JOHN: 7.8.

JAKE: 6.3.

BJ: 7.

JUPITER: On tour 5, at home 8.

Do you ever feel you should take better care of yourself?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: All the time.

BJ: Sure.

JUPITER: I feel that way right now.

After that thought, do you actually start taking better care of yourself?

JOHN: I drink a kombucha.

JAKE: Not at all.

BJ: For a day.

JUPITER: I’m going to do push-ups as soon as I finish this ridiculous interview.

If so, is that structural, or does it fade?

JOHN: Fades.

JAKE: Not much to fade.

BJ: Fades.

JUPITER: A bit from column A, a bit from column B. Do you ever say to yourself, ‘I should drink less?’

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: All the time.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Yes. Do you then?

JOHN: Sometimes.

JAKE: Very rarely.

BJ: For a day.

JUPITER: Not really.

Which one of you is the heaviest drinker?

JOHN: Jake.

JAKE: Me. BJ: Jake or Jupiter.

JUPITER: Jake, except when he stops drinking for a few days because he thinks he’s going to die.

Is he a nice guy when he drinks?

JOHN: He’s always a prick.

BJ: Nice at first.

JUPITER: He talks a lot.

What’s his favorite brand of beer?

JOHN: Probably Chimay.

BJ: Pabst.

Any fights caused by drinking?

BJ: Only with inanimate objects.

JUPITER: Only silent hatred.

Do you do sports?

JOHN: Nope.

JAKE: Not anymore.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Yes. If so, what?

JAKE: I grew up skateboarding and snowboarding. Now I don’t do shit.

BJ: Running and golf.

JUPITER: Body boarding/surfing.

After you played a sport, do you ever say, ‘I should do this more often?’

JAKE: Sure.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Every time.

And.... do you then do it more often?

JAKE: I did those things all the time.

BJ: I can’t afford golf.

JUPITER: It’s difficult to find the time.

Do you ever use the excuse that you do not have to play sports because you move and sweat a lot on stage?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Yes. BJ: Not really.

JUPITER: No. Or because you have a lot of sex?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Yes. BJ: Absolutely not.

JUPITER: Unrelated.

Do you have a lot of sex?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Not when I’m on tour.

BJ: Absolutely not.

JUPITER: Not enough.

Does it make you feel healthy?

JOHN: No. JAKE: Depends on the situation.

BJ: Absolutely not.

JUPITER: Yes. Any sex injuries?

JOHN: No, but I’ve been pissed on.

JAKE: Only when I do it with animals.

BJ: I blew my taint.

JUPITER: Abrasions.

Any stage injuries?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Lots.

BJ: Just knuckles and balls.

JUPITER: I had a broken drum stick pierce my upper lip.

What was the worst injury you ever had from playing music?

JOHN: Guitar to the face.

JAKE: Emotional damage.

BJ: Balls.

JUPITER: See above. I had to go to the hospital.

Is there blood on your instruments?

JOHN: Yes, lots.

JAKE: Yes. BJ: Yes. JUPITER: Yes. Are you afraid of the doctor or dentist?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: Of course.

BJ: Dentist only.

JUPITER: No. If so, why?

JOHN: He costs lots of money.

JAKE: It is never a pleasant experience.

BJ: Teeth are closer to your head.

Do you come up with excuses not to go to them?

JOHN: Money.

BJ: No. JUPITER: Money.

Were you ever really sick and/or hospitalised?

JOHN: Nope.

JAKE: Yes. BJ: No. JUPITER: Yes. If so, what was it?

JAKE: Acute asthma attack.

JUPITER: Strep infections.

What is your weakest body spot?

JOHN: It’s all weak.

JAKE: My left knee.

BJ: Taint.

JUPITER: Also my left knee.

What’s wrong with it?

JAKE: I tore a ligament snowboarding.

BJ: I strained it.

JUPITER: I tore my ACL playing steal-thebacon against an 8-year-old girl. That bitch scored a point while I lay squirming in agony. There are some wounds only time can heal.

Do any of you suffer from hypochondria?

JOHN: Nope.

JAKE: I would say yes.

BJ: No. JUPITER: No. If so, what is your biggest fear?

JOHN: Bears.

JAKE: That’s easy: despair, loneliness and death.

BJ: Heights.

JUPITER: Car accidents.

How are your neurotransmitters?

JOHN: Excellent.

JAKE: I don’t know. Probably sub par.

BJ: What?

JUPITER: I’m concerned.

Any anxieties or phobia?

JOHN: I have mad anxiety.

JAKE: Anxiety.

BJ: Claustrophobia. Is there a fear of being sweaty?

JUPITER: Car accidents.

If so, how do you deal with them?

JOHN: Pacing. Drinking.

JAKE: Heavy drinking, listening to music.

BJ: I do the opposite.

JUPITER: I spend 6-8 months a year driving around in a van, it’s called flooding.

Do you have ‘issues’?

JOHN: Nope.

JAKE: Yep. BJ: Sure, my kitten was eaten by a dog when I was seven years old. His name was Mittens.

13

JUPITER: Absolutely, and so does John.

But don’t you think this is a lot to ask of us?

Do you ever say ‘Fuck! I’m depressed’?

JOHN: No. JAKE: Sometimes.

BJ: I usually leave the ‘Fuck!’ out.

JUPITER: Not as much as I used to.

If so, are you then really depressed?

JAKE: Certainly not dangerously.

BJ: No. JUPITER: I’m better now.

Do you consider yourself happy?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: More than before.

BJ: Sure.

JUPITER: I think I could be, under the right circumstances.

If so, why? If not, why not?

JOHN: This band makes me happy.

JAKE: Making music, doing what I want to be doing.

BJ: I’m sitting on a comfortable couch with a beer watching Back to The Future II. JUPITER: Expectations.

Are you healthy when you are happy?

JOHN: I don’t think they’re related.

JAKE: Mentally, yes.

BJ: Yeah.

JUPITER: Usually.

On the inside of your album it says You will love each other.... Is love healthy?

JOHN: I think love contributes greatly to your overall health.

JAKE: If you consider the effects of psychology on physical well being then I would say that love is very healthy.

BJ: If interpreted falsely, it’s unhealthy.

JUPITER: What people call love is often unhealthy.

Is your music purifying?

JOHN: It’s cathartic.

JAKE: It’s important to me.

BJ: Yes. JUPITER: It often is.

So... Are you healthy?

JOHN: Yes. JAKE: No. BJ: No. JUPITER: Yes, with an if... Or no, with a but...

Considering both mental and physical health, would you be healthier if you were NOT playing in HEALTH? Please explain.

JOHN: Yes, I would be much healthier, I wouldn’t be on tour... I would have better hearing. I wouldn’t be losing my fucking mind on tour this long. I would be a lot healthier.

JAKE: I treat myself like shit when I am at home as well. Moreover, If I wasn’t doing this I would have some monotonous job that would leave me in a state of low level misery, which I would medicate with further substance abuse. So no, I would not be healthier if I were not in this band.

BJ: No, I’d be working in an antique store.

JUPITER: It’s hard to predict exactly what’d I’d be doing if I weren’t in HEALTH. I think in many ways I might be more psychologically and emotionally healthy if not for the rigorous touring, but at the same time the constant challenges of that lifestyle force me to be more adaptive as a person than I might otherwise need to be. ...and that’s HEALTHy.

Amsterdam Weekly

14

Noodlanding! Featuring a Peaches DJ set. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 23.30-04.00, €12.50

Passion House, Latin and electro. Odeon, 23.0005.00, €12

Friday 16 May

Undercover/Disco Exota With Andrea Esu & Fabrice (Rome), Fanklub DJs (Antwerp), Vance and Cleo. Disco Exota peeps take over the bar, which ain’t a bad position to assume. Flex Bar, 23.00 05.00, €10

Rednose Distrikt & Radio Distrikt With the Rednose radio platform early in the evening, before they kick out their usual jams after midnight. Bitterzoet, 21.00-04.00, €7.50, free before 23.00 Planet Delsin Techno and electro with Derrick May (Detroit) and Tim Nieburg. 11, 22.30 -04.00, €12 De Revolutie Hiphop and funk. Odeon, 23.00 05.00, €14

Lee “Scratch” Perry Reggae: Lee “Scratch” Perry Reggae and dub legend who turned 72 yesterday, so don’t forget to take along some taart. Melkweg, The Max, 21.00, €24 + membership Blues: Scott Henderson Blues Band Master guitarist, best known for his bluesy funky work in fusion outfit Tribal Tech. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €20 + membership Rock: The Intelligence Lo-fi post punks from the US. Patronaat, Haarlem, 21.00, free Jazz: TryTone in Zaal 100 Experimental jazz concepts.

Tonight: Boucalé Ensemble plays the music of Paul Termos, The Royal Improvisers Orchestra, and there’s a music and dance game piece titled [PLAY]. Zaal 100, 21.00, €5 Funk: Hipdrop Live session featuring members of Cmon & Kypski, Zuco 103 and Lefties Soul Connection.

There’s also a funky soul set from the Soul Prophets. Bitterzoet, 21.30, €5 Pop/Rock: Eagle Seagull Nebraskan indie rockers who also share a bit of that epic Arcade Fire vibe. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.30, €8 + membership

CLUBS Thursday 15 May Bloemetjes Buiten An electro special. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-03.00, €5 VOTE08 The Week van de Amsterdamse Student ends with DJ sets from Willie Wartaal and Joost van Bellen. Good to see that university funding is so well spent. Course, the aim is to get folks voting in the student council elections, if they aren’t too pissed. Melkweg, The Max, 22.00-late, €8.50 Wildvreemd A wild birthday party for DJ Carlos Valdes with all his super vreemd pals. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €10

Etnisch Hysterisch A night of sexy tango, Balkan beats, the latest in gypsy, Indian, klezmer, Arabic, Latin and African electronic dance music. Along the way, resident DJ Kareem Raihani invites his favourite musicians to jam with him during his set.

Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €10 Friday At last, Flex Bar learn to appreciate the power of English. Pulsing dance sets from Troy Pierce (Minus), Wesdex and Tim Woesternink, who aren’t English in the slightest. Flex Bar, 23.00-05.00, €10 Jamrock Reggae and dancehall in this Sizzla afterparty. Paradiso, 23.00-05.00, €12.50 klinch: Electronation vs Crackhouse Electronation in The Max, with a four-hour set from Tiefschwarz (Berlin), plus other guests. Crackhouse in the Oude Zaal, with Orlando Voorn (Detroit/Los Angeles/Amsterdam), Aron Friedman, Brent Roozendaal and Carlos Valdes. Melkweg, The Max, 23.00-late, €16 + membership

Gemengd Zwemmen Two rooms of swimmingly diverse noise. In The Max, ¿Que Pasa? is celebrating its sixth birthday with a proper world party; in the Oude Zaal, there’s alternative dance, pop, rock and indie hits. Melkweg, 23.59-late, €9

Sunday 18 May Pop Sunday Funky, jazzy lounging with Phil Horneman, Edgarage and Swift. Westergasterras, 15.00-21.00, free WickedJazzSounds Jazz, hiphop, broken beats, nujazz, funk and Afro sounds, as classic vinyl collides with live musicians. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €9.50 Zonde! New weekly Sunday party for summer. Special for this opening edition is a live set from hotly-tipped electronic party outfit Crystal Castles. Paradiso, 23.3004.00, €7.50

Monday 19 May Cheeky Monday True skool jungle and drum & bass, featuring players from the local and international scenes. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-03.00, €6

Tuesday 20 May Strafwerk Minimal techno night. Winston Kingdom, 22.00-03.00, €6

Saturday 17 May

Wednesday 21 May

DFM Benefit Party Supporting the online indie broadcast platform with diverse live sets and DJs. OT301, 21.00 -03.00, €7

Dancing With The AllStars Live bands, electronic acts and DJs. Winston Kingdom, 21.00-03.00, €5

Club Rascal Down on the indie disco farm, shearing season has now passed and everyone has new happy summer haircuts. Club 8, 22.00 04.00, €5 Teleskope Looking up at the stars with DJs Alex from Tokyo (Tokyo), Lil’Tony (Helsinki) and Olaf Boswijk. 11, 22.30 -04.00, €12 Housexy House party with Seamus Haji (UK), Billy the Klit, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano, Jordi Bouman and Ramon Rive. Panama, 23.00 04.00, €16 Sounds of the Bumblebee A party for 2-Step, UK garage and speed garage fanatics. In the Tuin Zaal, there’s more eclectic sounds. Hotel Arena, 23.00 -04.00, €15 Eartharea A new house and electronic music concept from the people behind Earth. Resident DJ Per will be secured behind the decks, plus this first edition includes a live set from Duotone.

Sugar Factory, 23.00 -05.00, €12.50

GAY& LESBIAN

15-21 May 2008

Saturday 17 May Party: Deep Spring Again a wicked party organised by Spellbound. This means lots of performances and a divers musical palate to dance to. This edition sees shows by the quirky Elle Bandita and Thomaz, plus DJ sets by Trashling (techno/electro), Martijn (house/disco) and Kaseta (electro/wave) to name but a few. Oh, plus visuals by Alex&Jeremy of course! OCCII, 23.0004.00, €7

Sunday 18 May Social: FurBall Cafe A great bar in itself, what with the friendly staff, great music and tasty fingerfood, but when it hosts FurBall Cafe, it’s even better. Hairy Marys and those in pursuit of the hirsute (including some smooth admires) all gather here for a jolly woof time.

PRIK, 19.00 Club: Latin Fuego T-Dance DJ Claucio Duarte spins happy Brazilian sounds for a young and sexy crowd.

As the slogan says: happy sounds and nice bites...

Or should that be nice butts? From the organisers of Rapido. Club Chi, 19.00-01.00, €5-€7.50 Party: Asian Disco Night East meets West at this friendly dance party. DJs RW and Eko spin the decks, plus performances and tasty Asian snacks (eh, that’s food!). Cockring, 20.00-23.59, €5 EurosongTravestifal The sixth edition of this fun evening takes the piss out of the Eurovision Song Contest. Organised by Chick With Dicks and drag bar Lellebel, the contestants of this different ES are drag artists like Corry Broccoli and Marlene XL. They hail from countries like Fabeltjesland, Luilekkerland and Wasteland. Well, douze points pour l’idee! Reserve tickets on 421 5151 Winston Kingdom, 20.30, €10

STAGE Opening Dance: Jiuta-mai Yoshimura Kisyi and Yoshimura Misuzu present a programme of jiuta-mai, a stylised dance that was the preferred art form in the Japanese homes of courtesans and high-ranking citizenry. KIT Tropentheater, (Thur 20.30), €18

Friday 16 May

Theatre/Dance: Killing Time Anat Geiger and Mischa van Dullemen kill time before their deaths by exploring the balance between young and old. They make confessions and tell lies to the public and to each other.

And they dance. Melkweg Theater, (Thur-Sun 20.30), €9

Sex club: XXX Leather Mega leather/sex party with a strict dress code: leather, rubber, uniform, army. No jeans & trainers. Quite popular, so get your tickets quick. DJ line-up: DJ Benjamin and DJ Jon Doe. Visuals: Eddi Bali. Party Centrum van Galen, 22.00-04.00, €24.50-€30

Festival: Dans voor Mei The fifth edition of this dance festival arrives at the numerous Nes theatres, offering up a programme inspired by ‘dance and language’. The four-day gathering allows equal space for amateurs and professionals, making it a great way to check out young talents breaking onto the Amsterdam dance

Edited by Willem de Blaauw.

Amsterdam Weekly

15-21 May 2008 scene. And as a bonus, the events overflow into OBA as well. See www.dansweb.nl. Various locations, (ThurSun), various prices Music/Dance: Dances Collaboration between the Radio Kamer Filharmonie and Dansgroep Krisztina de Châtel. With guests like soprano Claron McFadden, there’s works by Ravel and Rameau, and importantly, a new choreography performed to Louis Andriessen’s Dances. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, (Sat 14.15), €28 Theatre: Moeder Courage Joop van den Ende Theaterproducties tackle Brecht’s Mother Courage and Her Children, regarded as one of the greatest anti-war plays of all time. Anne-Wil Blankers takes the lead role of Mother Courage. In Dutch. Stadsschouwburg, (Mon, Tues 20.15), €15-€35 Theatre: De Gebroeders Ouedraogo What are the expectations of West African refugees? Are they really so different than we Westerners often think? And what happens when we meet them? With this premise, Flemish writer Peter De Graef wrote a story in which Gop and Antwan Ouedraogo, two brothers from West Africa, come into contact with a couple in the Netherlands. In Dutch. Frascati, (Tues, Wed 20.30), €14

Ongoing Theatre: De geschiedenis van de Familie Avenier (3 & 4) Maria Goos’ play, written on request for Het Toneel Speelt, depicts the history of a Dutch family through the decades and an ever-changing society.

Divided into four parts, the play finally concludes by taking us from their world in 1970 to 2000. In Dutch.

Stadsschouwburg, (Thur-Sat 19.00, Sun 14.30), €15.50€38 Dance: Borrowed Landscapes Anouk van Dijk’s newest choreography is about freedom: of both individuals and society. Questioning what is authentic or original, she uses her dancers like pebbles in a Japanese garden, moving them around to create order and disorder in a limited space, forcing the individual to surrender to the greater whole. Frascati, (Thur-Sat 20.30), €14 Performance: Varekai Yet another Cirque du Soleil touring monster. This one is based loosely on the Greek myth of Icarus. Grand Chapiteau, (Thur-Sat, Tues, Wed 19.30, Fri, Sat, Wed also 15.30, Sun 13.00, 17.00), €25€74 Theatre: De Fantasticks The famous ’60s musical, with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones, gets a Neder-reworking. Arjan Ederveen and Johnny Kraaijkamp Jr take the lead roles, as Broadway comes to Westerpark. In Dutch. Westergasfabriek, (Thur-Sat, Wed 20.30, Sun 15.30), €35 Theatre: Lente During the John Everett Millais exhibition, Olivier Provily presents a piece about five young women moving through time. Van Gogh Museum, (Fri 20.00), €10 (includes access to exhibition) Performance: Placebo vs Extra Stout Theatre sport improv with the locals taking on a team from Nijmegen.

In Dutch. CREA Theater, (Fri 20.30), €6 Comedy: easylaughs Comedy improv in English. Two knee-slapping shows every Friday night. CREA Muziekzaal, (Fri 20.30, 22.30), €8, €5 (late night) Comedy: Comedy Explosion New and used stand-up comics doing their thing, with guests like Vincent Geers and Nabil Aoulad Ayad. In Dutch. Comedy Theater, (Fri, Sat 20.30), €12.50 Comedy: Caveman Peter Faber’s hit trip back in time.

Comedy Theater, (Sun 20.30), €14

Party: SpontaanEigenwijs Presentation Borrel Volkskrantgebouw, (Fri 17.00), free Party: Live Art Zone #1 Music, DJs, art installations and theatre a plenty. NDSM-werf, (Fri, Sat 19.30-01.00), €15 Book fair: Amsterdam Wereldboekenmarkt This ain’t no ordinary book fair. This is a bloody massive book fair.

Nine hundred stalls stretching across five kilometres of terrain, from Centraal Station to Waterlooplein. If you can’t find what you need, you probably can’t read. Various locations, See Short List. (Sun 10.00-18.00), free Event: Meibockfestival Mmmmm...beeeer. This is your chance to test ride a fine selection of spring bocks, and there’s even non-alcoholic variants and snacks if you prefer. See Short List. Brouwerij De Prael, (Sun 13.00-20.00), €5 Multidisciplinary: ZIDMixtSunday—World Festivities An afternoon of cultural activities from around the world: a workshop on Bollywood dance, live music by Fado singer Daisy, a Mexican performance, fine arts and food. ZID Theater, (Sun 14.30), free Multidisciplinary: L’Usine op Zondag From neuropsychologists to actors, there’s always a diverse selection of guests presenting their ideas. In Dutch. Hetveem Theater, (Sun 16.00), free Film/Music: Celluloid Fever: The Goddess An unusually sensory night in Paradiso, mixing 360-degree film projections, live music and theatre, all inspired by Hollywood legend Rita Hayworth. Local indie electro pop band Coparck have even created an original soundtrack for this event, which is the first part of an audio-visual trilogy. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, (Sun 21.00), €15 Music/Poetry: Simon Vinkenoog 80 This summer, Holland’s one and only beat poet will turn 80. Simon Vinkenoog’s rhythmic performance style can be considered musical in itself. Still, he has collaborated with many jazz musicians down the years and with Bo’s Art Trio he recorded the CD Cobra. Tonight the poet and the trio will host a line of guests, including saxophonist Theo Loevendie and young poetry talent Vicky Francken. See article, p. 5. Bimhuis, (Sun 21.00), €15 Party: Nachtburgemeester Verkiezingen Amsterdamse nachtburgemeester Chiel van Zelst is on the way out, although is at least still polling better than Bush. Who will succeed him? That’s for the public to decide tonight. See Short List. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, (Mon 19.30-05.00), €5 Debate: Masters of Intervention—Empowering Dreams Dick de Lange (Saatchi & Saatchi) versus Ole Bouman (Nederlands Architectuurinstituut) in a debate titled ‘Empowering Dreams: Planning the brand, branding the plan’. In English. Felix Meritis, (Mon 20.00), free Discussion: Women Inc Weekly talk show highlighting specific female issues. In Dutch. Pakhuis de Zwijger, (Mon 20.00), free Multidisciplinary: Lloyd Time on Mondays Weekly eclectic programme featuring discussions, music, presentations and art. See www.lloydhotel.com. Lloyd Hotel, (Mon 21.00), free Multidisciplinary: Amsterdam Studenten Festival Students, alcohol and entertainment. Oh, and some fierce competition. There’s all sorts going on all over town across the next few days: concerts, clubs, poetry, theatre, exhibitions and films, with Amsterdam students getting to show off their skills, whatever they may be.

See www.amsterdamsstudentenfestival.nl for locations and times. Until 22 May. Various locations, (Mon-Wed), various prices Discussion: De Kracht van Afrika—Topsport in Afrika Discussing the sporting power of Africa in the run-up to the Olympic Games. In English. Felix Meritis, (Tues 19.30), €5

Market: Tori Spelling Yard Sale Rietveld students try to shift their unwanted junk. Grab your own junk and a blanket and see if you have more success than the art students. Gerrit Rietveld Academie, (Thur 13.00), free

Book presentation: Delphine Bedel The visual artist and curator launches the book All that is solid melts into air—Notes on Tourism. In English. Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam, (Thur 20.00), free Art Fair: Kunstvlaai API The bi-annual alternative art fair returns to promote the hottest contemporary art talents from Holland and abroad. 400 artists will be showing work, with 75 galleries represented and 15 art schools. See www.kunstvlaai.nl. Until 18 May. Westergasfabriek, (Thur-Sun 12.00-18.00), €6

Douglas White, see Opening

ART More listings at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

Opening Amsterdamse School Straatmeubilair Uitgelicht Celebrating the street furniture and objects created by architects and designers of the Amsterdam School. Museum Het Schip (Wed-Sun 13.00-17.00), opens Friday, until 31 August Hipop Urban paintings by Rah Crawford, whose dynamic bursts of colour and energy aim to expose the hip-ness in American popular culture.

Studio Apart (Tues-Fri 10.00 -18.00, Sat 12.00 17.00), opens Friday, until 30 June Amsterdammertjes Parade Fifty-five artists pay tribute to the those famous Amsterdam bollards, AKA the Amsterdammertjes, which are gradually vanishing from view. Their creative homages can be found in the Spiegelkwartier—on the street and in the galleries of Nieuwe Spiegelstraat. See www.amsterdammertjesparade.nl. Various locations (Sat, Sun 12.00 -17.00), opens Saturday, closing Sunday Douglas White English artist White takes decaying objects, discarded waste and generally that which we have cast aside as useless or irrelevant and breathes new life into it. Here he’ll show a new installation made of exploded tyres. Galerie Gabriel Rolt (Wed-Sat 12.00 -18.00), opens Saturday, until 22 June Henk Pander Nature meets industry in this series of paintings titled Amsterdam—Portland (Oregon). Galerie de Rietlanden Exposities (Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), opens Saturday, until 17 July

EVENTS Party: 10 Jaar 3voor12 The fantastic public service music broadcaster celebrates 10 years of tunes with booze and some live folk from The Tunes. De Balie, (Thur 19.00), free

15

Balkanbruiloft

Unlikely Paintings and murals by Elizabeth Cooper, Leo de Goede, Terry Haggerty, Jasmine Justice, Bertold Mathes, Klaus Merkel, Sonia Rijnhout and Gary Stephan. W139 (Sun-Thur 11.00 -20.00, Fri, Sat 11.00 -22.00), opens S aturday, until 22 June

Party: Balkanbruiloft A bit of a weird one, as this concert at Concertgebouw actually includes a trio of weddings, being performed by mayor Job Cohen. At its heart though, it’s a Balkan party, with music performed by the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Esma Redzepova & Vasile Nedea and Winds of Change. However you look at it, it should be a mighty piss up. See Short List.

Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, (Wed 20.15), €42.50/€50

Checking Reality Envision the world as a computer game in which your clothes are 3D-projections and a GPS system tells you the position of an object. Imagine yourself as an avatar, flying through future cities and simulated landscapes.

This exhibition poses such a virtual world in the real world, with special events occurring during its run. See www.platform21.com. Platform 21 (ThurSun 12.00-18.00), opens Sunday, until 10 August

Lecture: The Empire of Women—Not a Fairy Tale An introduction to the operatic works of Chinese stars Li Liyui and Guo Wenjing, which will play a key role at the upcoming Holland Festival. Muziekgebouw, 20.00, €6

Eugène Brands Numerous gouaches, photos and ethnographic objects in a visually interesting survey of the Cobra artist. Gallery Lemaire (WedSun 13.00-17.00), opens Sunday, until 8 June

Museums Nieuwe Oogst Shining the architectural spotlight on the newest members of the Bond van Nederlandse Architecten. ARCAM (Tues-Sat 13.00-17.00), closing Saturday John Everett Millais He was the foremost painter of the English Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, and Britain’s most successful artist in the latter half of the 19th century. His jewel-like, highly detailed paintings exude a dreamy, serene atmosphere, and this exhibition comprises some 100 works, covering all aspects of Millais’ career. Van Gogh Museum (Mon-Thur, Sat, Sun 10.0018.00, Fri 10.00-22.00), closing Sunday Maria Sibylla Merian & Daughters—Women of Art and Science Containing the most important and influential natural history art from the Netherlands in the 17th century, this exhibition features more than a hundred rarely displayed masterpieces, including original drawings, watercolours, gouaches, prints and books.

Rembrandthuis (Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), closing Sunday Beeldend Gesproken Kunstprijs Promoting the talents of artists from a psychiatric background. Jan van der Togt Museum (Wed-Sun 13.00-17.00), Amstelveen, closing Sunday Tobias Rehberger: the chicken-and-egg-no-problem wall-painting The first major Dutch retrospective of works by German artist Tobias Rehberger, who in the mid-’90s gained an international reputation for objects and installations at the interface of fine art, design and architecture. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 25 May Edwin Zwakman: Fake But Accurate A retrospective of well-known Dutch photographer Zwakman, in which his three latest series can be seen together for the first time.

Huis Marseille (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 25 May Paul Sietsema: Three Films The American artist Paul Sietsema has earned a reputation during the last decade with a refined cinematographic oeuvre of three films. Within the context of his first solo exhibition in Europe, the three works will be screened as a trilogy, representing three distinct phases in a conceptual artistic expedition through (art) history. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 25 May Rachel Howard New work by the acclaimed British painter. Museum van Loon (Fri-Mon 11.00-17.00), until 26 May Boek Zoekt Lezer A historical overview of the Dutch literature world, showcasing advertising from the 17th century to the present. UvA: Special Collections Library (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), until 28 May Stella Faber: Foliage Presenting the work of Faber, who photographed the mountainous rainforests in Ecuador and Costa Rica. She researches the inner landscape of the rainforest in all its original complexity and dignity. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.0021.00), until 29 May

Amsterdam Weekly

16 Eyes Wide Open The Stedelijk Museum presents a selection of recently acquired paintings, photographs, examples of film and video art, sculptures and graphic works by artists working in the Netherlands or elsewhere. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.00-18.00), until 1 June Karel Appel—Jazz 1958-1962 By one of the nation’s most famous post-war artists, this collection comprises some 23 large-scale works. CoBrA Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 1 June Jessica Dimmock—The Ninth Floor An exhibition of socially-engaged photography by the young American photographer. This disturbing portrait series features a group of young heroin addicts living in a ninth-floor apartment in Manhattan, New York. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 1 June Wim de Haan—Drawings 1954-1964 Around 50 drawings from the late period of the artist’s life (he lived from 1913-1967), whose often intuitive and expressionistic style has a powerful immediacy. Much of the determination felt in his work is said to be born of his experiences as a Japanese POW in WWII. CoBrA Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 1 June Florian Pumhösl: Programm A Docking Station presentation. In his films, paintings, drawings and installations this Austrian artist investigates the varied visual traditions of the 20th-century avant-garde.

With Programm he stages a meeting between the leading figures of Brazil’s cultural elite and a highranking military officer, set against the backdrop of a dilapidated villa. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.0018.00), until 1 June Daniel & Geo Fuchs: STASI—Secret rooms This exhibition opens up the hidden rooms once used by the STASI, the infamous East German secret service, in a series of monumental photos. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 4 June Lucian Freud The first ever Dutch retrospective of this extraordinary and unconventional German artist.

Gemeentemuseum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), Den Haag, until 8 June Superheroes and Schlemiels Superman, Maus, The Rabbi’s Cat and many other heroes and anti-heroes from the art of comics feature in this exhibition of comics and graphic novels by Jewish artists. Joods Historisch Museum (Daily 11.00-17.00), until 8 June Kurt Lubinski: Photographer in Exile Documentary portraits by this German photographer, who gained a significant reputation as a successful photojournalist for his worldly travel reportages in the ’20s and ’30s. Joods Historisch Museum (Daily 11.00-17.00), until 8 June Geert van Kesteren: Baghdad Calling The acclaimed Magnum photo-journalist shows how Iraqi refugees are living in countries like Jordan, Syria and Turkey, as well as images of everyday Iraqi life, shot by the locals in areas where journalists would never dare to tread. Nederlands Fotomuseum (Tues-Fri 10.0017.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), Rotterdam, until 15 June Expanding the City Various photographers present their take on Amsterdam’s Zuidas. The show introduces a cross-section of the Zuidas Virtual Museum’s Zoom Collection, providing a unique compilation of different perspectives on a construction site in development. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 22 June Nancy Spero: Spero Speaks A solo exhibition by this prominent American artist, including exemplary works from different phases of Spero’s lengthy artistic career.

A diptych sheds new light on the ‘persona’ of Spero, as artist, but also as activist, feminist and mentor.

De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 22 June World Press Photo Exhibition of winning photos from the 2007 World Press Photo competition, including the esteemed Photo of the Year: an image of an exhausted American soldier resting in Afghanistan, taken by UK photographer Tim Hetherington. Oude Kerk (MonSat 10.30-17.30, Sun 13.00-17.30), until 22 June Luis Buñuel Photos, film fragments, original posters and memorabilia from the Spanish filmmaker’s Mexican period. Filmmuseum (Daily 13.00-22.00), until 22 June Michael Najjar–-Augmented Realities, Works 1997–2008 The first major retrospective of the 41year-old Berlin-based media artist, filling 800 square meters of the museum. Much of his polished images deal with the theme of human life being controlled by computers and information technology. GEM (TuesSun 12.00-18.00), Den Haag, until 29 June Zomer in de Kerk The Nieuwe Kerk lays itself bare in the early months of summer. Rather than showcasing treasures gathered from around the world, you can explore the church and its tombs in their own full glory.

Nieuwe Kerk (Fri-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur 10.00-22.00), until 29 June

In Afghanistan Hans Stakelbeek’s photos of the rebuilding process in Afghanistan. Centrale Bibliotheek (Daily), until 30 June Amsterdam and the House of Orange An exhibition surveying the ties which have bound Amsterdam and the House of Orange over the centuries. Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 31 August Lectori Salutem Delving into the history of books, with original objects, beautiful manuscripts and books from Dutch collections, photographs and texts. Allard Pierson Museum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), until 7 September Mondriaan Following the publication of a new book, this exhibition attempts to put paid to the popular idea that Piet Mondriaan was a cold, mathematically-minded man and reveals that he was in fact an artist engaged in a passionate quest for a new formal language in which to paint. Gemeentemuseum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), Den Haag, until 26 October Inside Out Personal portraits in word and image show how youths deal with religion and the part it plays in their daily lives. Bijbels Museum (Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 2 November Drie Meiden in Verzet—Hannie Schaft en de Zusjes Oversteegen Exhibition about Hannie Schaft—’the girl with the red hair’—and Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, the girls she collaborated with in the resistance movement, and the difficult choices forced upon them in WWII. Verzetsmuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat-Mon 11.00-17.00), until 7 December

Chris Shaw: Life as a Night Porter Shaw spent 10 years working in London hotels, all the while using his camera to both document the hotel’s unexpected human spectacles and keep himself awake through the long hours of his shifts. Hup Gallery (Tues, Thur, Fri 10.00-17.00), until 1 June Milly Betten, Henny van der Meer Recent grid-style paintings by Betten; organic looking objects and sculptures by Van der Meer. Galerie Roger Katwijk (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00), until 1 June Sustainability and Transparency A photo exhibition displaying the themes of ‘Sustainability’ and ‘Transparency’ through the eyes of a diverse group of international photographers, including renowned artist, Chris Jordan (US). Melkweg Galerie (Wed-Sun 13.00-20.00), until 1 June Nicolas Provost Retrospective exhibition of works by filmmaker Nicolas Provost, featuring seven of his films. De Brakke Grond (Mon 10.00-18.00, Tues-Fri 10.00 -20.30, Sat 13.00 -20.30, Sun 13.00 -17.00), until 1 June Miles Aldridge: New Works Fashion photography?

Perhaps. But if you look a bit closer, you’ll notice a certain discomfort underlying the world of glamour Aldridge portrays, as if something terrible is just about to happen. Reflex New Art Gallery (Tues-Sat 11.00-18.00), until 7 June

ADDRESSES

15-21 May 2008 Niels Helmink: Shopkeepers Photos of shopkeepers in their winkel domains. Galerie Bart (Thur, Fri 11.00-18.00, Sat 12.00-17.00), until 7 June Carli Hermès: The Elements The commercial photographer presents a new set of expressive fantasy images. Galerie Rademakers (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.30), until 8 June Hairbusiness: Heads and Tales An interactive multimedia installation bringing to life the intimate world of the hairdresser, where guards are let down—both physically and emotionally—as you stare into the mirror. Imagine IC (Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 11.00-17.00, Thur 11.00-21.00), until 14 June De Staat van de Straat Window exhibits featuring diverse street art from the collection of André Eggens. Bellamyplein (Daily till 00.00), until 15 June Arabic Graphics Exhibition showcasing the graphic and typographic design works of Lebanese-Dutch designer Tarek Atrissi, who has developed ideas for commercial and non-commercial projects around the world. De Levante (Wed-Sun 13.00-17.30), until 22 June Arnout Killian: Park Solo exhibition featuring colourful and vibrant paintings inspired by Vondelpark in the summer. Van Zijll Langhout (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00), until 30 June Joods Historisch Museum Jonas Daniel Meijerplein 2-4, 531 0310 K-Space Amsterdam Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal 262

11 Oosterdokskade 3-5, 625 5999

KIT Tropentheater Mauritskade 63, 568 8711

Allard Pierson Museum Oude Turfmarkt 127, 525 2556

KochxBos Gallery 1e Anjeliersdwarsstraat 3-5, 681 4567

Amsterdams Historisch Museum Kalverstraat 92, 523 1822 Annet Gelink Gallery Laurierstraat 187-189, 330 2066

De Kunstfabriek Polonceaukade 20 (Westergasfabriekterrein), 488 9430

De Appel Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10, 625 5651

De Levante Hobbemastraat 28, 671 5485

ARCAM Prins Hendrikkade 600, 620 4878

Lloyd Hotel Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 419 1840

AYAC'S Keizersgracht 166, 638 5240

Maison Descartes Vijzelgracht 2A, 531 9500

Frisse Koeien The cows are back in town. De Kunstfabriek (Tues-Fri 12.00-18.00, Sat, Sun 12.00-17.00)

Badcuyp 1e Sweelinckstraat 10, 675 9669

Maloe Melo Lijnbaansgracht 163, 420 4592

Field Work—Part One As a two-part exhibition and ongoing discussion, Field Work conjectures two parallel, interconnected, and yet differently oriented trajectories that encompass art, nature and ecology.

Featured are works by Allora & Calzadilla, Andrea Geyer, Marine Hugonnier, Lasse Lau and Jason Middlebrook. SMART Project Space (Tues-Sat 12.0017.00), closing Saturday

Bellamyplein

Palestine 1948 On 14 May 2008 it will be exactly 60 years ago that the State of Israel was founded. This long term presentation shows how this event affected the lives of individual Palestinians. Tropenmuseum (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 4 January 2009

Galleries

Pepijn van den Nieuwendijk: Salon Printemps 2008 Monumental three-dimensional ceramic objects and oil paintings inspired by Victorian artists like Arnold Böcklin and Viktor Vasnetsov, Catholic devotion cards and works of the the Arts and Crafts movement. KochxBos Gallery (Wed-Sat 13.00-18.00), closing Saturday

De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Bethaniënklooster Barndesteeg 6, 625 0078 Bijbels Museum Herengracht 366-368, 624 2436 Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3, 788 2150 Bitterzoet Spuistraat 2, 521 3001 De Brakke Grond Nes 45, 626 6866 Brouwerij De Prael Helicopterstraat 13-15 Centrale Bibliotheek Oosterdokskade 143, 523 0900

Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 531 8181 Melkweg Galerie Marnixstraat 409, 531 8181 Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234a, 531 8181 Meneer de Wit Postjesweg 2, 616 3680 Museum Het Schip Spaarndammerplantsoen 140, 418 2885 Museum van Loon Keizersgracht 672, 624 5255 Muziekgebouw Piet Heinkade 1, 788 2010 Het Muziektheater Amstel 3, 625 5455 NDSM-werf TT Neveritaweg 15, 330 5480

Club 8 Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B, 685 1703

Nederlands Fotomuseum Wilhelminakade 332, Rotterdam, 010 213 2011

Club Chi Nieuwezijdsvoorburgwal 161

Nieuwe Kerk entrance on the Dam, 638 6909

CoBrA Museum Sandbergplein 1-3, Amstelveen, 547 5050

OCCII Amstelveenseweg 134, 671 7778

Cockring Warmoesstraat 96, 623 9604

Odeon Singel 460, 624 9711

Comedy Theater Nes 110, 422 2777

OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913

Concertgebouw Concertgebouwplein 2-6, 671 8345

Oude Kerk Oudekerksplein 23, 625 8284

Consortium Veemkade 570, 06 2611 8950

Pakhuis de Zwijger Piet Heinkade 179-181, 788 4444

CREA Muziekzaal Turfdraagsterpad 17, 525 1400

Panama Oostelijke Handelskade 4, 311 8680

CREA Theater Turfdraagsterpad 17, 525 1400

Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8, 626 4521

Desmet Studios Plantage Middenlaan 4A, 521 7100

Parool Theater Sint Pieterpoortsteeg 33

Ellen de Bruijne Projects/Dolores Rozengracht 207A, 530 4994

Party Centrum van Galen Jan van Galenstraat 24

English Reformed Church Begijnhof 48, 624 9665

Platform 21 Prinses Irenestraat 19, 344 9449

Felix Meritis Keizersgracht 324, 626 2321

PRIK Spuistraat 109, 06 4544 2321

Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400

Reflex New Art Gallery Weteringschans 79A, 423 5423

Tobias Lehner: Multiplexor The first solo exhibition in the Netherlands by the Leipzig-based painter. Grimm Fine Art (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00), closing Tuesday

Flex Bar Pazzanistraat 1, 486 2123

Rembrandthuis Jodenbreestraat 4, 520 0400

Foam Keizersgracht 609, 551 6546 Frascati Nes 63, 626 6866

SMART Project Space Arie Biemondstraat 107-113, 427 5953

Thrill & Suspense! Diverse works by 19 young and talented artists from home and abroad. Walls Gallery, until 24 May

Galerie Bart Bloemgracht 2, 320 6208

Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 624 2311

Galerie de Rietlanden Exposities Rietlandpark 193, 419 4705

Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam Rozenstraat 59, 422 0471

Shintaro Kago The first European solo exhibition by this much-talked about Japanese artist, who deals in satirical and grotesque manga imagery. K-Space Amsterdam (Wed, Fri, Sat 12.00-19.00, Thur 12.00-21.00), until 24 May

Ferdinand van Dieten-d'Eendt Spuistraat 270, 626 5777

Stedelijk Museum CS Oosterdokskade 5, 573 2911

Marcel van der Vlugt: A New Day In this photo series, Van der Vlugt remakes John Collier’s painting, Lilith.

But rather than rehashing religious imagery, this collection reinvents the character in a world of plastic surgery. Witzenhausen Gallery (Thur-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 24 May

Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen Hazenstraat 27, 06 5203 1540

Elliott Erwitt: Personal Best The Magnum photographer presents highlights from his 60 year career.

Galerie Wouter van Leeuwen (Thur-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 24 May

Paul de Reus: Hello Earth, part 2 Solo exhibition.

Galerie Ferdinand van Dieten-d’Eendt (Thur-Sat 11.0018.00), closing Saturday The Disobedients Works by Adel Abdessemed, Gabriel Orozco, Wilfredo Priëto, Fernando Sánchez Castillo and Pascale Marthine Tayou. Annet Gelink Gallery (Tues-Fri 10.00-18.00, Sat 13.00-18.00), closing Saturday Chikako Watanabe: Animal Trail An installation attempting to visualise the invisible ‘animal trails’ of Amsterdam. Ellen de Bruijne Projects/Dolores (Tues-Sat 13.00-18.00), closing Saturday

Ewout Huibers: De Onvoorstelbare Stad Surreal urban images of Amsterdam from this master of interior and architectural photography. Meneer de Wit (Tues-Fri 14.00-18.00, Sat, Sun 12.00-18.00), until 30 May Bonnie Severien: Supernatural Paintings of landscapes and interiors with unusual twists. AYAC’S (Fri, Sat 13.00-17.30), until 31 May

Patronaat Zijlsingel 2, Haarlem, 023 517 5858

Galerie Gabriel Rolt Elandsgracht 34, 785 5146

Studio Apart Prinsengracht 715, 422 2748

Galerie Rademakers Prinsengracht 570-572, 6225496

Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238, 627 0008

Galerie Roger Katwijk Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 198-200, 627 3808

Tropenmuseum Linnaeusstraat 2, 568 8200 Uilenburger Synagogue Nieuwe Uilenburgerstraat 91, 427 8347

Gallery Lemaire Reguliersgracht 80, 623 7027

UvA: Special Collections Library Oude Turfmarkt 129, 525 2141

GEM Stadhouderslaan 43, Den Haag, 070 338 1133

Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7, 570 5200

Gemeentemuseum Stadhouderslaan 41, Den Haag, 070 338 1111

Van Zijll Langhout Brouwersgracht 161, 06 2825 9620

Gerrit Rietveld Academie Fred Roeskestraat 96, 571 1600

Volkskrantgebouw Wibautstraat 150

Grand Chapiteau near Amsterdam ArenA (P2)

Vondelkerk Vondelstraat 120

Grimm Fine Art Hazenstraat 24, 422 7227

W139 Warmoesstraat 139, 622 9434

Hetveem Theater Van Diemenstraat, 626 9291

Walls Gallery Prinsengracht 737

Hotel Arena ’s-Gravesandestraat 51, 850 2400

Westergasfabriek Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 586 0710

Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401, 531 8989

Westergasterras Klönneplein 3, 475 1412

Hup Gallery Tesselschadestraat 15, 515 8589

Winston Kingdom Warmoesstraat 129, 623 1380

Imagine IC Bijlmerplein 1006-1008, 489 4866

Witzenhausen Gallery Elandsstraat 145, 644 9898

Jan van der Togt Museum Dorpsstraat 50, Amstelveen, 641 5754

Zaal 100 De Wittenstraat 100, 688 0127

Verzetsmuseum Plantage Kerklaan 61, 620 2535

ZID Theater De Roos van Dekamaweg 1, 488 8449

15-21 May 2008

Amsterdam Weekly

Healthier eating De Natuurwinkel Elandsgracht 118, 412 4696 Open Mon-Sat, 8.00-19.00; Sun, 11.00-18.00 Cash, PIN Recently, your Glutton has been following the Great British Menu competition on the BBC, hosted by the cutting-edge food guru, Heston Blumenthal. Three hard-to-please food critics are combing the UK with the enviable gastronomic task of tasting the best dishes created by Brit chefs. They are battling to curry ‘flavour’ with the critics, and the winner will cook for 50 top international chefs at a posh restaurant at the tip of London’s phallic ‘Gherkin’, the iconic skyscraper poking the skyline.

Amongst the competitors is a gent named Chris Horridge, who combines biochemistry with culinary aplomb. His food philosophy is three-dimensional: it looks delightful, tastes marvelous and is healthy to boot. He avoids dairy products, glutens and sugar (using a sugar substitute called zylotol instead). He uses a milk substitute of his own invention, and of course he buys all his produce from local regional farms. The result is edible art laced with fancy foams and saucy dribbles, served on black or white roof tiles.

I watched him for a while and then I thought: I can do this! So, instead of going out to dine, I decided to cook at home like Horridge. Since health was the objective, I headed to the Natuurwinkel on the Elandsgracht. The range and quality of the ‘biodynamic’ products is pretty overwhelm-

THE UNDERCOVER GLUTTON I didn’t regret purchasing the biodynamic ingredients for some old fashioned home cooking. The only trouble was dining solo. ing. I didn’t have a menu in mind; I just wanted something colourful, healthy and yummy. My selection: a clutch of green runner beans (€0.91), a small orange pumpkin

(€2.63), baby shallots (€1.59), feta cheese, breadcrumbs and a small packet of intriguing black rice. I headed home to the Glutton’s Lair.

17

I prepped my small pumpkin by slicing it in half, discarding the seeds (although in the name of conservation I should’ve kept them to grow on my balcony) and steamed it for under five minutes. I made a stuffing from leftover defrosted minced veal (shame on me), which I sauteed with baby shallots, my own balcony-grown herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage), garlic, a dab of tangy black bean sauce, chilli paste, a dribble of tomato sauce, salt and pepper.

To bind the mixture, I stirred in breadcrumbs and feta cheese, and then I spooned it into the pumpkin half. I wrapped it in foil before zapping it into the oven (preheated to 250 degrees). Then I blanched my green beans, sprayed them with lemon, and sprinkled on sesame seeds. I put my black rice on to boil and set the kitchen timer for 25 minutes.

In no time at all, I was plating up nutty black rice on a deep white soup plate, and topping it with my piping hot aromatic veal and shallot-stuffed pumpkin. The feta cheese pieces had melted, leaving crusty little chunks dotting the surface, lending a salty crunch.

The crisp lemon-tinged green beans made a great salad substitute, fresh and zingy. I poured a glass of chilled pomegranate juice to wash it all down. The roasted pumpkin, although sweet, was slightly overcooked and mushy, and the spicy meat filling was a tad dry. It lacked a sauce or minted yoghurt to moisten it. The black rice was chewable, very much like wild rice but a smaller grain.

I didn’t regret purchasing the biodynamic ingredients for some old fashioned home cooking. The only trouble was dining solo. It’s my belief that eating should be a social affair, with robust pots plunked down onto a table surrounded by friends and family. Next time I’ll invite the neighbours.

Amsterdam Weekly

18

15-21 May 2008 Poppy finally stopped smiling as the tongs found their new home.

Bike stolen? No problem. Mike Leigh returns to comedy with the story of a woman who can’t help being cheerful.

WHAT’S THE POINT OF OPTIMISM? FILM Happy-Go-Lucky Opens Thursday at Cinecenter, Kriterion, The Movies and Pathé Tuschinski.

By Massimo Benvegnù

The opening scene takes place in London, but it’s very Amsterdam: a young woman weaves through traffic on her bike. She

stops by a local bookseller, and when she exits the store, discovers her bike has been stolen. I am sure that given the percentage of stolen bicycles in this city, Amsterdammers have learned to cope with that feeling. But not all of them will do it in such an extremely serene way as Poppy, the heroine of Happy-Go-Lucky, the latest character study by British auteur Mike Leigh.

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is 30 years old, teaches kindergarten in North London, lives in a flatshare with her best friend and fellow teacher Zoe, dresses in flashy colours and high-heeled boots, goes clubbing with her girlfriends on Friday nights and is the kind of person who—in the words of Eric Idle—always looks on the bright side of life.

For example, she regards the fact that her bike has been stolen simply as motivation to improve her skills; she decides to take driving lessons instead (it’s London after all). That’s how she ends up meeting Scott (Eddie Marsan), who’s basically her opposite. Where Poppy is a very openminded teacher, Scott is strict and severe.

Poppy is a joker, while Scott’s completely paranoid about everything, especially traffic and ‘The System’ in general. Their clash of personalities is by far the best part of Happy-Go-Lucky. You start to feel like you’ve known these people all your life.

Fans of the sombre tones of Leigh’s most recent films (like his Golden Lion winner Vera Drake) be warned: HappyGo-Lucky is mostly a comedy. Hawkins plays Poppy for laughs, and she’s magnificent at that. Audiences either root for her, and within five minutes want her as a best friend/confidante/girlfriend, or get really annoyed by her character’s attitude. There’s no way not to react to Poppy, and Leigh proves to be a master director when he finally decides to show how her philanthropic ways towards everyone can actually backfire.

Not much happens in Happy-GoLucky as far as the plot is concerned, and the film plays less as a whole than as a series of vignettes. In the funniest of these, Poppy gets dragged to a Flamenco class by a friend from work, and the attending Brits get exposed to a sudden outburst of hot Mediterranean emotions courtesy of their Spanish dance teacher.

It doesn’t go unnoticed that most of the characters in the film are teachers, but Leigh has said that analysing the various shapes of education wasn’t really his main intention here. He simply wanted to show a kind of character he’s observed: this particular kind of resilient woman who always tries to be positive, no matter what happens around her. Famously, Leigh doesn’t really write a script, but allows his film to emerge from long rehearsal sessions with his cast—one more reason to applaud the jury’s decision to give the best actress award to Sally Hawkins at the latest Berlinale. Her Poppy is simply one of the great characters of the current cinematic year.

Five-Word Movie Review

FILM

Edited by Julie Phillips.This week’s films reviewed by Massimo Benvegnù (MB), Angela Dress (AD), Andrea Gronvall (AG), Luuk van Huët (LvH), JR Jones (JJ), Joshua Katzman (JK), Dave Kehr (DK),Terri J Kester (TJK), Steve Korver (SK), Marie-Claire Melzer (MM), Mike Peek (MP), Julie Phillips (JP), Bart Plantenga (BP), Gusta Reijnders (GR), Jonathan Rosenbaum (JR), Marinus de Ruiter (MdR) and Bregtje Schudel (BS).

All films are screened in English with Dutch subtitles unless otherwise noted.

Festivals Latin American Film Festival on Tour Fans of Latin American cinema can head to the Melkweg this weekend for LAFF on Tour, an annual selection of the best films shown at the Latin American Film Festival in Utrecht. There are a couple of political films, including the Berlin Golden Bear winner Tropa de Elite, about a police unit operating in the slums of Rio, but also the romance and subtle humour of the Mexican film Párpados Azules (‘Blue Eyelids’), which won the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. All films except Tropa de Elite (which will be released in cinemas next week) have English subtitles. Until 20 May. Melkweg Cinema Witnessed from Within A series of critical documentaries from Israel. They include a biographical doc on nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu, a look at the work of Israeli activist Ezra Nawi, and a portrait of the Palestinian fishing village Fureidis (literally, ‘Paradise’), which has been surrounded

by Jewish colonies that film is called Paradise Lost.

De Balie

ARMS GROWING OUT OF WALLS Repulsion Rialto

Be Kind Rewind

New this week Be Kind Rewind The sweet-tempered Michel Gondry works well with sharp-edged material (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), but his projects as a solo writerdirector have been soft and surreal celebrations of innocence that threaten to drift off into whimsy (The Science of Sleep and now this feature). Danny Glover entrusts his run-down video shop in New Jersey to clueless assistants Jack Black and Mos Def, who accidentally erase all the videos and decide to shoot their own low-rent versions of popular hits. Their project is a great success with customers, but the studios object and Glover gets an eviction notice. This anachronistic tale goes beyond Capracorn to evoke Depression-era fare in which the charm is overtaken by mush. One wants to protect it, but it’s hard not to gag on the cuteness. With Melonie Diaz and Mia Farrow.

Premiere costume party at Kriteron this Friday. (JR) 98 min. Kriterion, The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Happy-Go-Lucky In his new comedy, Mike Leigh looks on the bright side. See review, above. Cinecenter, Kriterion, The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski Paris This Altmanesque tale, written and directed

by Cédric Klapisch (Chacun cherche son chat), is centred around a male dancer (Romain Duris) who needs

a heart transplant and has to come to terms with his fear of death. But he’s the least interesting of the characters who drop by in this interwoven, matter-of-fact assortment of stories—one that, among other things, attempts to elevate ordinary street market workers to sex gods capable of reeling in the supermodels. The dreaded French cliché pops up time and time again, but a fairly uninteresting main character is about all that plagues this appealing Parisian slice of life. Juliette Binoche leads an excellent ensemble cast. In French with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 130 min. Pathé Tuschinski, De Uitkijk

Still playing Un Baiser s’il vous plait A light, sexy romantic comedy directed by, and starring, Emmanuel Mouret. Gabriel (Michael Cohen) gives Emilie (Julie Gayet) a ride into Nantes. He asks for a kiss, and they wind up telling stories to each other about how one kiss can be a dangerous thing. With Virginie Ledoyen, Stefano Accorsi. In French with Dutch subtitles. Cinecenter Le Ballon Rouge & Crin-Blanc These classic shorts by French director Albert Lamorisse are so pure in their emotion and elemental in their drama that parents may be as moved as their kids. In Le Ballon Rouge (1956, 34

min.) a little boy’s blue-grey existence is brightened by the arrival of a dramatically red balloon in the lesserknown Crin-Blanc (‘White Mane’, 1953, 40 min.) a boy forges a bond with a proud wild stallion. Both films tell the same story—the balloon is coveted by neighbourhood bullies, the stallion by mercenary horse wranglers—and both end with a moment of transcendence, as the boy and his prized ‘friend’ escape the cruel world of grown-ups for the limitless unknown. (JJ) De Uitkijk

The Band’s Visit In this year’s art-house hit, the

Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band, a small combo specialising in traditional Arab repertoire, flies from Egypt to Israel to play at the opening of a cultural centre. When their guide fails to meet them at the airport, they take the wrong bus and end up in the wrong city.

To their rescue comes beautiful Dina (Israeli superstar Ronit Elkabetz), the owner of the only café in town, who sees the band’s arrival as both a business opportunity and a chance to relieve the local boredom. Directed with a firm hand by Eran Kolirin, who also wrote the original screenplay, The Band’s Visit gently lets you inside its unique sense of humour. The moment when the band is finally allowed to play its repertoire is the cherry on top of an appealing cinematic dessert. (MB) 87 min.

Cinema Amstelveen, Rialto The Banishment A chilling domestic drama from Russia, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev (The Return). The film opens with a shady urban character (Alexander

Baluev) seeking his younger brother’s help in sewing up his bleeding arm. When the brother (Konstantin Lavronenko) vacations with his kids and troubled wife at the family’s country place, she suddenly blurts out that the child she’s carrying isn’t his. Spare dialogue and long takes add to the sense of foreboding, with Lavronenko (who won the best actor prize at Cannes) keeping his character so buttoned-up you could burst from anxiety watching him consider his revenge, while the verdant landscape devolves from pastoral to sinister in the space of a phone call. In Russian with Dutch subtitles.

(AG) 150 min. Rialto Cassandra’s Dream After making his best and smoothest drama (Match Point) in England, Woody Allen returns there for one of his most clueless and awkward, outfitted with a standard-issue Philip Glass score. In both cases Allen’s usual hang-ups about class and money lead to conventionally complicated murder plots. Two economically challenged cockney brothers in South London—a garage mechanic and compulsive gambler (Colin Farrell) and a more settled sort who runs the family restaurant (Ewan McGregor)—get pushed into killing a businessman who’s threatening to expose their rich uncle (Tom Wilkinson).

(JR) 108 min. Pathé Tuschinski

The

Darjeeling Limited Sometimes you travel through life with some extra baggage. In the case of the Whitman brothers, it’s a luxury Louis Vuitton set that looks colourful and flashy even in India. A year after their father’s funeral, Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) meet aboard a train for a journey of spiritual healing. The fact that they have not spoken to each other in a year doesn’t prevent them from getting straight into the family’s old dynamics, which involve manic tics, substance abuse and sexual escapades. But soon both the emotional and the physical baggage starts to fall away.

Film-maker Wes Anderson (Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums), much like his characters, has found his grown-up voice. This delicious curry comedy is a rich plate for film-goers, entertaining and poignant, just as it should be. (MB) 108 min. Kriterion Dunya & Desie A reasonably entertaining parade of ethnic and class stereotypes, based on the TV series and directed by Dana Nechushtan (Nachtrit). With Eva van de Wijdeven as kaaskop teenager Desie and the award-winning Maryam Hassouni as her Moroccan best friend Dunya. In Dutch. 96 min. Het Ketelhuis, Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Studio K The Fall Tarsem Singh follows up his visually stunning yet shallow debut The Cell with a film of epic scope, shot on location around the globe and again delivering a visual feast for the eyes. Singh financed the film himself, only to see it banished to distribution hell by those shifty Hollywood suits. If you can stomach the saccharine, it might be worth it for the eye candy. (LvH) 117 min. Kriterion Getting Home When the simple factory worker Zhao realises that his friend and drinking buddy Liu has died during a binge, he decides to take his friend’s body back to his distant home town. The result is both a funny, original road movie and a tour of modern China through the eyes of director Zhang Yang (Shower). In Mandarin with Dutch subtitles. 110 min. Rialto La Graine et le mulet Sixty-year-old Slimane Beiji has just been fired from his dockworker’s job in Sète, in southern France. He has been living in a shabby hotel ever since his divorce, but does his very best to keep in touch with his children. At the same time, he is having an affair with his landlady and has grown fond of her daughter, Rym. It is Rym who helps him realise his last dream: to run a couscous restaurant. Tunisian-French director Abdel Kechiche wants to paint a complete family picture. He succeeds, but at a cost: estrangement from Beiji. It’s not until two hours in that we really begin to understand his pain and appreciate his friendship with Rym—just in time for a beautiful finale. In French with Dutch subtitles. (MP) 151 min. Cinecenter, Rialto I’m Not There Todd Haynes’s ambitious and daring new film is a biopic in the sense that it depicts the main events in Bob Dylan’s life and career. But they are not told in chronological order, and Haynes uses six different actors to play the singer. The different performers (including Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and the black actor Marcus Carl Franklin) and the constant moving back and forth in time don’t make it easy to identify with any of the Dylans. But simple identification is probably not what Haynes is after. His film is not about Dylan himself, but about the mythmaking around a pop star. I’m Not There has its moments, but in the end it’s more an interesting audiovisual lecture than overwhelming cinema. (MM) 135 min. Studio K Import Export Austrian despair monger Ulrich Seidl cuts between two tales of young adults sinking deeper into poverty. The ‘import’ is a tenderhearted Ukrainian nurse (Ekateryna Rak) who arrives in Vienna looking for decently paid work but winds up cleaning a geriatric ward. The ‘export’ is a Viennese youth (Paul Hofmann) who suffers various indignities while accompanying his

Amsterdam Weekly filthy-minded stepfather on a trip to install vending machines in the Ukraine. Seidl’s drab long shots have a narcotic pull that keeps this absorbing throughout its 135 minutes, but the final image—a bedridden crone mindlessly chirping, ‘Death! Death! Death!’—is typical of the movie’s knee-jerk grimness. In English/ German/Russian/Slovak with Dutch subtitles. (JJ) Filmmuseum

Into the Wild Moving, if somewhat overlong, account of the life of Christopher McCandless, with a bravura performance from Emile Hirsch. At the age of 22, McCandless left his wealthy, dysfunctional family, gave his college cash to Oxfam and took off into the breathtaking beauty of the American wilderness. What starts as a run-of-the-mill road movie twists into an American Odyssey as, after two years away from it all, McCandless meets an untimely death in the wilds of Alaska. The usual Characters Met Along the Way include Catherine Keener, Vince Vaughn and Hal Holbrook. McCandless won’t stick with any of them, and gradually begins to unravel in his determined solitude.

The film becomes a meditation on the human need for human company, framed against some of the most glorious scenery the world has to offer. A triumph for Sean Penn as a director, backed by a custom soundtrack from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. (AD) 140 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski It’s Hard to Be Nice Tragicomedy by Srdjan Vuletic about a taxi driver in Sarajevo who has been hanging out with petty criminals but decides to better his ways.

In Serbo-Croatian with Dutch subtitles. 102 min. Rialto

Juno Juno (Ellen Page) is 16. Juno is full of life and

sarcasm. Juno is pregnant. Oops. She gives up the thought of abortion after hearing that her baby has already developed fingernails and instead starts looking for adoptive parents. She finds the perfect couple in Mark and Vanessa. They’re wealthy, nice and Mark might even qualify as cool, since he shares Juno’s taste in music and splatter movies. Ellen Page is beyond perfect as the wisecracking but friendly Juno, who’s bright, yet young and naïve enough to think that there is no harm in spending time with the adoptive father of her unborn child. Add a solid script and a great soundtrack and there you have it: this year’s independent American masterpiece. Directed by Jason Reitman. (MP) 92 min.

Het Ketelhuis

Lady Chatterley In the hands of Pascale Ferran, and

in French, DH Lawrence’s classic novel becomes an almost spiritual film about the transforming power of love and sex. The first time Constance Chatterley (Marina Hands) and her gamekeeper Parkin (Jean-Louis Coullo’ch) do it, things are a bit clumsy—and they both remain fully clothed. Their growing intimacy is shown by their increasing lack of garments, until, by the end of the film, we see them not only completely naked but dancing around in the rain, and feel we have gotten to know them. In Hands’s brilliantly natural, César-winning performance, Lady Chatterley is both funny and moving: you can’t help feeling for her. Hands has moved Lawrence’s novel past the pornographic and the feminist to the human level. (MM) Rialto Lars and the Real Girl An awkward young man in a small Minnesota town (Ryan Gosling) invites his older brother (goofy Paul Schneider) and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) to meet his new fiancée, but to their horror and embarrassment she turns out to be made of rubber. The local psychiatrist advises them to play along with his delusion, and eventually the close-knit religious community, moved by concern for the brothers, joins in.

I’m not sure there’s still that much compassion in the world, but in keeping with the spirit of the movie, I was willing to pretend. Craig Gillespie directed a script by Six Feet Under writer Nancy Oliver. (JJ) 106 min. Studio K La Maison A father in the midst of a divorce (Sergi López of Pan’s Labyrinth) looks at a house that’s up for auction.

Gradually his life becomes entangled with the fortunes of Cloé (Bérénice Bejo), the young woman who grew up there, in this drama directed by Manuel Poirier. In French with Dutch subtitles. 95 min. Het Ketelhuis

No Country for Old Men The Coen Brothers’ latest

brings Cormac McCarthy’s novel to the big screen, and it’s a shock to the system, simultaneously elegiac and terrifyingly violent. A subversion of the classic lawmenchase-outlaw genre, the film is shot like a cross between a Western and a horror flick. A Texan named Llewellyn Moss (Josh Brolin) takes off with millions in cash he’s found at the site of a drug deal gone wrong.

Tommy Lee Jones is the laconic Sheriff Bell, trying to bring Moss in Javier Bardem is Chigurh, the Terminator hitman dispatched by the cartel. The Coens give us none of the usual male-bonding, hunter-and-hunted nonsense: Chigurh, Bell and Moss are entirely alone, each in his own way, particularly Moss as the slaughter inevitably catches up with him. A stunning piece of cinema. (AD) 122 min. Cinema Amstelveen, The Movies, Pathé De Munt

Persepolis A satisfying adaptation of the autobio-

graphical graphic novel about a girl coming of age in Iran during the Islamic revolution in the 1970s, strug-

gling with everything from tight headscarves to bomb threats. In a cute and comical hand-drawn style, the book’s writer and illustrator, Marjane Satrapi, and her co-director, Vincent Paronnaud, draw parallels between a girl’s passage from innocence to puberty and the violent transition of a civilised country into a fundamentalist state. Even a denunciation from the Iranian government couldn’t stop the screening of this irresistible and intelligent charm offensive. The English, as opposed to the French, version is showing voices include Catherine Deneuve, Sean Penn and Iggy Pop. Subtitled in Dutch. (MdR) 95 min. Rialto

19

Ladywood

by Jennifer Lyon Bell

Peur(s) du noir A French animation project about fear of the dark. Graphic designer Etienne Robial asked six cartoonists and illustrators to go deep into their anxiety closet. The result: six scary shorts in black-and-white.

One highlight is Lorenzo Mattotti’s little fairy tale about a dusty Mediterranean village that is suddenly haunted by an unidentified monster. Mattotti draws a desolate, De Chirico-esque seaside town and really makes you feel its burning sun and devastating loneliness. Another is Marie Caillou contribution, about a Japanese schoolgirl being bullied by her classmates. Caillou’s naïve, animeinfluenced visual style combines with hardcore cruelty to yield disturbing results. In French with Dutch subtitles.

(MM) 83 min. Melkweg Cinema Silk A visually arresting period piece, set in the 1860s, that addresses memory and loss. Michael Pitt stars as Hervé, a young Frenchman convinced by a hustling silk merchant (Alfred Molina) to journey first to Egypt, then to Japan to purchase silkworm eggs, leaving behind his devoted wife (Keira Knightley). Directed by François Girard. In English/Japanese with Dutch subtitles. (JK) 116 min. Het Ketelhuis, Pathé Tuschinski Speed Racer The original animated series started the Japanimation craze that still captures the imagination of our feeble Western minds, but even if you aren’t a big fan of Anime, there’s a lot to love about this rollicking roller coaster of a live-action remake. Young rally driver Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch of Into the Wild) dukes it out with a sinister CEO, with a little help from the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox), who may or may not be his older brother. The story isn’t anything to write home about, but a stellar cast and the trademark Wachowski visual flair combine to deliver a film that actually is familyfriendly fun. With Susan Sarandon, John Goodman and Christina Ricci. (LvH) Pathé De Munt Talking Guitars In this different approach to a music documentary, Claire Pijman profiles the New York based Dutch guitar builder Flip van Domburg Scipio.

Jackson Browne, Carly Simon, Paul Simon and Ry Cooder all talk about the man who made their instruments. 73 min. Het Ketelhuis

There Will Be Blood An epic film of intimate propor-

tions about a ruthlessly ambitious oil baron who comes into conflict with a charismatic young preacher in the California desert in the early 20th century. A powerhouse performance by Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview netted him a rightly deserved Academy Award, but Paul Dano’s performance as the weaselly Eli Sunday is also impressive to say the least. Don’t let the sprawling length or the emotional investment the film asks of its viewers deter you: There Will Be Blood is a true masterpiece that any serious film lover simply cannot afford to miss. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia). (LvH) 159 min. The Movies Tricks A Polish coming-of-age comedy directed by Andrzej Jakimowski. In Polish with Dutch subtitles. 95 min. Filmmuseum, Het Ketelhuis Le Voyage du ballon rouge Chinese master HsiaoHsien Hou (Café Lumière, Three Times) has based his first French-language feature loosely on Albert Lamorisse’s 1956 classic Le Ballon rouge. Here the balloon and the story follow young Chinese film-maker Song (Song Fang), who moonlights as a nanny in the house of Suzanne, an edgy, emotionally unstable voice actress (Juliette Binoche in another brilliant, subtle role). Song bonds with Suzanne’s son, but still there’s something missing, symbolised by the presence of the self-willed red balloon, which peeks through windows and peeps around corners. In French with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 113 min. The Movies, Rialto

You, the Living A brutally deadpan comedy by

Swedish director Roy Andersson, who seems to have translated the entire range of human misery into a loosely connected series of slapstick gags. His black humor is impressively layered, each layer darker than the last: when a joker at a family banquet insists on performing that old parlour trick of yanking the tablecloth out from under the dishes, he not only shatters a huge collection of crystal and china but also reveals—look sharp or you’ll miss it—a vintage dining table inlaid with swastikas. Andersson’s building block is a static long shot so solidly composed it suggests a panel in a comic strip the central figure is often encased in his own suffering, and sometimes additional laughs come from a background figure surveying his despair in open-mouthed bewilderment.

(JJ) 94 min. Filmmuseum

RUTH VAN BEEK

15-21 May 2008

SPANKING THE MONKEY My girlfriend likes porn okay, but she thinks I masturbate while watching it too much. I have gigs of porn on my hard drive and masturbate three to four times a week. Is this healthy?

Perhaps it’s the dirty company I keep, but masturbating three to four times a week seems plenty normal to me. Even if you were jerking off multiple times a day, I wouldn’t necessarily be concerned. Can you get to work on time? Do you still have friends? Do you still have hobbies outside of jerking off? Are you still hot for your girlfriend? These would be signs that you’re losing control. But if you feel fine, and you aren’t crashing your hard drive, then I wouldn’t worry.

You have a bigger problem on your hands (as it were) if your girlfriend seems freaked out about your habits. She might feel excluded. Anytime you’re in a relationship, your partner naturally wants to be intimately involved with your sex life, so if you’re off doing your own sexual thing, she may feel lonely or rejected. It’s like if you got a new job, then refused to share any interesting office stories with her. That wouldn’t be nice.

To help her feel more included, ask— gently—if she’d like to see your wanking materials. If she thinks your porn choices are odd, let her talk to you about it. If you have a porn specialty you think might turn her off—foot fetish? policewomen?—try not to get defensive, just see how she responds. A cool girlfriend will at least try to understand. After all, most people have sexual fantasies beyond their real-life partner, and a thoughtful lover will give you room to indulge those, including the privacy to wank how you wish.

Best case: maybe she’ll discover activities she’d like to try with you. She might get hot watching you get aroused by porn. If you can find female-friendlier films that work for you too (try an Abby Winters DVD!), maybe she’ll want to masturbate right alongside you.

Once you resolve the porn issue, it’s good to make up rules together regarding solo masturbation. For example, she might agree that as long as you’re giving her frequent orgasms, and you won’t jerk off when she’s home without offering to include her (i.e. don’t dash off after dinner to ‘do some quick email work’ and then let her walk in and find yoiu with your dick in your hand), then you can wank with her blessing. ladywood@amsterdamweekly.nl

Amsterdam Weekly

20

15-21 May 2008

Special screenings 4 Elements Documentarist Jiska Rickels por-

trays the four elements by linking each one to man’s efforts to use—or fight—them. Each element has its own landscape, atmosphere, language and protagonists, hard workers making a living in the face of adversity. Earth is represented by a coal mine, water by crab fishermen in the Bering Strait, fire by firefighters in Siberia and air by a crew of astronauts in training. Narration and dialogue are in Russian, English, German and Kazakh, with sparing use of subtitlesbut in this beautiful, thought-provoking film, the challenge to the audience is amply repaid. (TJK) 100 min. De Uitkijk

Alles auf Zucker! Light-hearted German comedy about a journalist, of Jewish descent but nonreligious, who has to organise a traditional Jewish wake following the death of his mother.

This duty, however, mixes up with his need to play a snooker cup in order to pay off his gambling debts. Directed by Dani Levy, starring Henry Hübchen and Hannelore Elsner. In German with Dutch subtitles. Het Ketelhuis

Andrei Rublev Andrei Tarkovsky’s first major

film (1966, though banned and unseen until 1971), about a 15th-century icon painter. This medieval epic announced the birth of a major talent it also stuns with the sort of poetic explosions we’ve come to expect from Tarkovsky: an early flying episode suggesting Gogol, a stirring climax in colour. In Russian/Italian with English subtitles.

(JR) 205 min. OT301 Belle de jour Though it may not equal the sublimity of his last three features, Luis Buñuel’s 1967 masterpiece remains a seminal work that clarifies his relationship with Hitchcock. Like Hitchcock, Buñuel was a prude with a strong religious background and a highly developed sense of the kinky and transgressivewhat he does here with Catherine Deneuve parallels Hitchcock’s encounters with Tippi Hedren. The film recounts the story of a frigid but devoted upper-class housewife (Deneuve) who secretly works at a high-class brothel to satisfy her

FILM TIMES Thursday 15 May until Wednesday 21 May. Times are provided by cinemas and are subject to last-minute changes. Film times also at www.amsterdamweekly.nl De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Citizen Nawi Fri 20.00 Izkor: Slaves of Memory Thur 22.00 Jenin Jenin Sun 22.00 Paradise Lost Fri 22.15 Since You Left Sun 20.00 The State of Israel vs Tali Fahima Sat 20.00 To See If I'm Smiling Thur 20.00 Who is Mordechai Vanunu Sat 22.00 Witnessed from Within Thur-Sun. Cavia Van Hallstraat 52-I, 681 1419 Bound Thur, Fri 20.30.

Cinecenter Lijnbaansgracht 236, 623 6615 Un Baiser s'il vous plait daily 16.00, 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 13.45 La Graine et le mulet daily 15.45, 19.45 Happy-Go-Lucky daily 16.15, 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 11.00, 13.30 Into the Wild daily 15.45, 18.45, 21.45, Sun also 11.00.

Cinema Amstelveen Plein 1960 2, Amstelveen, 547 5175 The Band's Visit Tues, Wed 20.30 Horton (NL) Sat, Wed 13.30, Sun 11.30 No Country for Old Men Thur-Sat 20.30, Sun 15.30 The Other Boleyn Girl Thur-Sat, Tues, Wed 20.30 Winx Club en het geheim van het verloren rijk Sat, Wed 15.30, Sun 13.30.

Filmhuis Griffioen Uilenstede 106, Amstelveen, 444 5100 The Kite Runner Thur, Sun, Tues 19.30 Mon Oncle Fri 19.30.

Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400 Astrid Lindgren vertelt Wed 13.45 Belle de jour Sat 14.15 Calanda Films Wed 19.30 Filmmuseum Experimenteel Fri-Sun De Grote vriendelijke Reus Sun , Wed 14.00 Heimatklänge Mon 18.00 Import Export Thur, Tues, Wed 17.15, Sat, Sun 21.45 Le Journal d'une femme de chambre Wed 17.00 Simón del desierto & Un chien andalou Sun 16.00 Stellet Licht Thur, Fri, Mon-Wed 21.30 Susana Thur, Mon, Tues 17.00 Tricks Thur, Tues, Wed 19.45, Fri-Sun 17.30

masochistic impulses. Placing her fantasies, dreams and recollections on the same plane as her everyday adventures, Buñuel comes closer to the French New Wave than he did before or after. In French with Dutch subtitles. (JR) 101 min. Filmmuseum Bound The Wachowski brothers’ first film was this adroit and sexy 1996 crime thriller about the hot romance between a gangster’s moll (Jennifer Tilly) and the ex-con who’s her neighbor (Gina Gershon).

Eventually they concoct an elaborate scam to rip off the gangster (Joe Pantoliano), a money launderer for the mob who temporarily has a couple million dollars. (The laundering here involves literally washing blood off bills.) This gets very suspenseful, as well as fairly gruesome, in spots, and if it never adds up to anything profound, it’s still a welcome change to have a lesbian couple as the chief identification figures. (JR) 110 min. Cavia

Ex Drummer In this 2007 interpretation of the

Flemish novel by Herman Brusselmans, an arrogant writer is convinced by three physically challenged freaks to join their rock band. He decides to lead them in a local band contest to provoke the literary establishment and to get in touch with some ‘real people’ in the process. Flanders was shocked by the profanity and gross images in this pitch-black comedy, but that was exactly the comment that director Koen Mortier was aiming for in his attempt to break through the indifference of the cultural elite towards genuine social problems. In Flemish with Dutch subtitles. (MdR) 90 min. Kriterion

Fanfare Bert Haanstra’s gentle comedy (1958) about a rivalry that divides a small-town marching band is one of the all-time most beloved Dutch films.

(SK) 86 min. Pathé Tuschinski Garment Girls of Bangladesh A documentary (2007, 60 mins.) about the sweat shops of Dhaka, focusing on a 2006 series of worker uprisings. Also showing The Promised Land (2007, 90 mins.), about Bangladesh’s ‘stateless’ Urdu-speaking minority. Both films are directed by Tanvir Mokammel. OT301

Tristana Sun 19.45, Mon, Tues 19.30 Voie lactée Thur, Fri 19.30, Sat 19.45 You, the Living Thur, Tues, Wed 21.45.

Het Ketelhuis Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 684 0090 African Bambi Sat, Sun, Wed 14.45 Alles auf Zucker! Tues 19.30 De Avonturen van het Molletje Sat, Sun, Wed 13.00, Sun also 11.00 Dunya & Desie daily 17.15, 19.15, 21.15, Sat, Sun, Wed also 13.15, 15.15, Sun also 11.15 Juno daily 19.30 La Maison daily 17.30 Morrison krijgt een zusje Sat, Sun, Wed 13.30, 15.00, Sun also 11.30 Silk daily 17.00 Talking Guitars Thur-Mon, Wed 19.45 Tricks daily 21.45 Zomerhitte daily 21.30.

Kriterion Roetersstraat 170, 623 1708 Be Kind Rewind daily 219.45, Thur-Mon, Wed also 21.45 Britannia Rules the Waves Mon 22.00 The Darjeeling Limited daily 17.15, Fri, Sat also 23.45 Ex Drummer Wed 17.00 The Fall Thur-Tues 17.45, Thur-Sun, Tues, Wed 20.15 De Gebroeders Leeuwenhaart Sat, Sun, Wed 15.15 Happy-Go-Lucky daily 17.30, Thur-Sun, Tues, Wed also 20.00, Mon also 20.15 Pippi in Taka Tuka Land Sat, Wed 14.45 Rec daily 22.30, Fri, Sat also 0.15 Shine a Light Thur-Sun, Tues, Wed 22.15, Sun also 14.45 Sneak Preview Tues 22.15 De Spiderwick-Kronieken Sat, Sun 14.30 Het verhaal van Xiao Yan Sun 11.00, Wed 15.00.

Melkweg Cinema Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 624 1777 Control Sun 20.30 Fiestapatria Thur 19.00 Juizo Mon 19.00 Latin American Film Festival on Tour Thur-Tues Lou Reed's Berlin Wed 20.30 Parpados Azules Thur 19.00 Peur(s) du noir Sun, Wed 19.00, Mon, Tues 20.45 Tropa de Elite Sat 19.00 Las Vidas Possibles Tues 19.00.

The Movies Haarlemmerdijk 159-165, 638 6016 Be Kind Rewind daily 19.45, 22.00, Sat, Sun, Wed also 15.00, Sun also 12.45 Happy-Go-Lucky daily 17.00, 19.15, Fri-Wed also 21.30, Sat, Sun, Wed also 14.45, Sun also 12.30 Into the Wild daily 16.00, 18.45, 21.45, Sun also 11.15 No Country for Old Men daily 17.15 De Spiderwick-Kronieken Sat, Sun, Wed 14.00 There Will Be Blood daily 21.15 Le Voyage du ballon rouge daily 16.30, 19.00, Sat, Sun, Wed also 14.15, Sun also 12.00.

De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512, Themroc Mon 20.30.

OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 Andrei Rublev Sun 20.30 Garment Girls of Bangladesh Tues 20.30

Herr Lehmann Herr Lehmann (Christian Ulmen) is a bartender in Kreuzberg 36, a run-down, arty part of West Berlin right next to the Wall. It is 1989, and Lehmann’s world of misfits and dropouts is about to change. But worse things are about to happen: Lehmann’s parents are coming. This 2003 nostalgia trip by Leander Haussmann is a sort of German Slackers, with a soundtrack featuring Eels, the Violent Femmes, Calexico and Nick Cave. In German with Dutch subtitles. 105 min. Studio K Le Journal d’une femme de chambre Oddly enough, Jean Renoir’s 1946 Hollywood version of Octave Mirbeau’s novel was a lot crueler and more ‘Buñuel-esque’ than this, Buñuel’s own remarkable and neglected 1964 French version. Formally and thematically, this is one of Buñuel’s subtlest and most intriguing late works the novel’s action is updated to the ’30s and includes a commentary on the French fascism of the period. This was the first of Buñuel’s many fruitful collaborations with screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere and producer Serge Silberman. Jeanne Moreau plays the heroine, and others in the cast include Michel Piccoli, Georges Geret and Françoise Lugagne. In French with Dutch subtitles. (JR) 98 min. Filmmuseum Mon Oncle Jacques Tati’s 1958 film is a transitional work: Hulot is still here, but he no longer occupies the foreground set off to one side, as the eccentric uncle of a desperately modern family, he is more of a visiting sprite, suggesting a human alternative to the mechanical life forms that occupy the center of the story. In French with Dutch subtitles. (DK) 110 min. Filmhuis Griffioen

Repulsion Roman Polanski’s first film in English (1965) is still his scariest and most disturbing.

Catherine Deneuve is a quiet and quietly mad beautician living with her older sister in London and terrified of men. When the sister and her boyfriend take off on a holiday, her fears and her isolation in the apartment are allowed to fester along with the uncooked food, with increasingly violent and macabre results. As narrative, this works only part of

The Promised Land Tues 20.30.

Pathé ArenA ArenA Boulevard 600, 0900 1458 120 daily 19.30 Alvin en de Chipmunks Fri-Sun 13.10, 15.30, Fri also 17.45, Sat, Sun also 11.00, Wed also 11.55, 14.15 Be Kind Rewind daily 12.30, 14.45, 17.00, 19.20, 21.40, Sat, Sun also 10.20, Sat also 23.50 The Bucket List daily 19.35 Doomsday daily 17.20, 22.00, Sat also 0.25 Drakenjagers Fri-Sun, Wed 12.40, 14.40, 16.40, Sat, Sun also 10.50 Dunya & Desie daily 16.30, 18.50, 21.20, Thur-Tues also 12.05, 14.20, Sat also 23.35 The Eye daily 22.05, Sat also 0.20 Fool's Gold daily 17.50, 20.15, Thur, Mon, Tues also 12.50, 15.20, Sat also 23.00 The Holiday Tues 13.30 Horton (NL) Fri-Sun, Wed 12.45, 14.55, 17.00, Sat, Sun also 10.40 Iron Man daily 12.10, 14.50, 17.50, 18.40, 20.50, Thur-Mon, Wed also 21.30, Thur, Mon, Tues also 12.45, 15.50, Sat also 23.30 Meet the Spartans daily 16.10, 18.20, 20.20, 22.20, Thur-Mon, Wed also 12.05, 14.05, Sat, Sun also 10.10, Sat also 0.15 Morrison krijgt een zusje Fri-Sun, Wed 13.50, 15.45, Fri, Wed also 11.50, Sat, Sun also 10.05, 11.55 El Orfanato Sat 23.30 Penelope daily 12.25, 15.05, Sat, Sun also 10.00 The Ruins daily 19.40, 21.50, Thur, Mon, Tues also 13.00, 15.15, 17.30, Sat also 0.05 Sneak Preview Tues 21.30 Speed Racer (Imax) daily 12.00, 15.00, 18.00, 21.00, Sat also 0.00 Street Kings daily 12.00, 14.35, 17.10, 22.00 Taken daily 16.50, 19.00, 21.10, Thur, Mon, Tues also 12.30, 14.40, Sat also 23.30 Tashan daily 14.00, 17.15, 20.30, Sat, Sun also 10.45, Sat also 23.45 Vantage Point Thur-Sun 20.10, 22.10, Thur, Sat, Sun also 18.10, Thur also 12.05, 14.05, 16.05, Sat also 0.10 What Happens in Vegas daily 11.50, 14.10, 16.20, 18.30, 20.40 Winx Club en het geheim van het verloren rijk Fri-Sun, Wed 12.20, 14.30, Sat, Sun also 10.15.

Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 Be Kind Rewind daily 12.30, 15.00, 17.30, 20.15, Sat also 22.45 The Bucket List daily 16.00, 21.00, Thur, Mon, Tues also 13.45 Doomsday daily 16.25, 18.55, Thur, Mon, Tues also 14.00, Sat also 23.45 Drakenjagers Fri-Sun, Wed 12.30, 14.30, Sat, Sun also 10.30 Dunya & Desie daily 12.20, 14.40, 17.00, 19.30, 21.50, Sat, Sun also 10.10 Fool's Gold daily 12.05, 14.45, 17.15, 20.00, Sat also 23.00 Horton (NL) Fri-Sun, Wed 13.45, Sat, Sun also 11.15 Iron Man daily 15.15, 18.30, Thur-Mon, Wed also 21.45, ThurSat, Mon-Wed also 12.15, Tues also 21.15 Meet the Spartans daily 12.25, 14.30, 16.45, 18.50, 20.50, Sat, Sun also 10.20, Sat also 23.30 Morrison krijgt een zusje Fri-Sun, Wed 12.15, 14.15, 16.15, Sat, Sun also 10.15 No Country for Old Men daily 18.20 The Ruins daily 21.35 Sneak Preview Tues 21.45 Speed Racer daily 12.10, 13.10, 15.10, 16.10, 18.10, 19.45, 21.10, Sat, Sun also 10.15, Sat also 22.50

the time, and as case study it may occasionally seem too pat, but as subjective nightmare it’s a stunning piece of film-making. Part of a horror series, selected by Weekly reviewer Bregtje Schudel. (JR) 106 min. Rialto

Simón del desierto & Un chien andalou Two

classic surrealist shorts from Buñuel, the first from 1965 (in Spanish with English subtitles), the second from 1928 (silent). Filmmuseum

Themroc

The great Michel Piccoli plays an anonymous worker who one day decides to give up his job, demolish his apartment and eat a policeman for dinner. There is no dialogue, only primal grunting and the occasional cough. This film by Claude Faraldo was released in 1973, but thematically and spiritually it belongs to Paris in 1968. 110 min. De Nieuwe Anita

Tristana In this 1970 masterwork, Catherine

Deneuve is a young woman unhappy with the constraints of turn-of-the-century Spanish society her mild revolt is rewarded by an amputated leg.

Luis Buñuel conjures with Freudian imagery, outrageous humor and a quiet, lyrical camera style to create one of his most complex and complete works, a film that continues to disturb and transfix. In French with Dutch subtitles. (DK) 97 min.

Filmmuseum Voie lactée Luis Buñuel’s 1969 film takes the form of a religious parable—two pilgrims come across a range of figures from Catholicism, including the devil and the Virgin Mary. Buñuel is fascinated with the twists and turns of Catholic doctrine as only a fallen Catholic can be, and he constructs a series of elegant, witty paradoxes that parody theological argument while holding fast to its methods. Still, the revue format—the episodes don’t really connect with each other—seems to diminish Buñuel’s power to create a convincing parallel world. A bit of a poor relation among the magnificent films of Buñuel’s late period, but rarely shown and well worth seeing. In French with Dutch subtitles. (DK) 100 min. Filmmuseum

Street Kings daily 21.20, Thur, Mon, Tues also 12.45, 15.45, Sat also 23.40 Taken daily 12.00, 14.15, 16.30, 19.15, 21.40 Vantage Point daily 18.00, Thur-Mon, Wed also 20.30, Thur, Sun-Tues also 13.00, Thur, Mon, Tues also 15.30, Sat also 23.15 What Happens in Vegas daily 13.30, 16.15, 19.00, 21.30, Sat also 11.00 Winx Club en het geheim van het verloren rijk Fri-Sun, Wed 12.00, 14.00, 16.00, Sat, Sun also 10.05 Zomerhitte daily 18.40, Sat also 23.25.

Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 Cassandra's Dream Thur-Sun, Wed 21.50, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.00, Sat, Sun also 14.10, Wed also 16.20 Fanfare Sun 10.30 Happy-Go-Lucky Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 21.00, Thur also 17.30, Fri, Sat, Mon, Wed also 12.15, Fri, Sat, Tues, Wed also 18.00, Fri, Sat, Wed also 15.00, Sun also 13.10, 15.50, 18.40, 21.40, Mon also 15.30, 17.50 Into the Wild daily 13.45, 17.15, 20.45 Iron Man Thur-Tues 15.30, 21.30, Thur-Mon also 18.30, ThurSat, Mon-Wed 12.30, Sun also 12.40, Wed also 18.40, 21.40 Morrison krijgt een zusje Sat, Sun, Wed 12.45 Paris daily 15.20, 18.20, Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues also 12.20, Thur also 21.20, Fri-Wed also 21.15 Silk Thur, Fri, Mon, Tues 14.40, Fri, Sat, Sun also 19.20, Sat, Sun also 16.40, Tues also 18.50, Wed 14.00 What Happens in Vegas daily 13.00, 21.45, Thur also 19.00, FriWed also 16.00, 19.15 Winx Club en het geheim van het verloren rijk Sat, Sun, Wed 12.00 Zwartboek Thur, Tues 13.30.

Rialto Ceintuurbaan 338, 676 8700 The Band's Visit Fri, Sat, Wed 15.30 The Banishment daily 19.15, Sat also 12.30 Getting Home daily 22.05, Sun also 11.15 La Graine et le mulet Thur-Tues 21.00, Thur-Mon also 18.00, Fri-Sun, Wed also 15.00, Sat, Sun also 14.40 It's Hard to Be Nice daily 17.10 Lady Chatterley Sun 14.00 Mutluluk Wed 19.30 Persepolis Fri-Sun, Wed 16.30 Repulsion Sat 23.00 Le Voyage du ballon rouge daily 18.30, Thur-Tues also 20.45, Sat, Sun also 13.45.

Studio K Timorplein 62, 692 0422, Dunya & Desie daily 18.00, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 20.00, Sat, Sun, Wed also 16.00 Herr Lehmann Sun 20.00 Horton (NL) Sat, Sun, Wed 15.30 I'm Not There Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 21.45 The Kite Runner daily 21.30 Lars and the Real Girl daily 17.30, Sun also 22.15 Recep Ivedik daily 19.30.

De Uitkijk Prinsengracht 452, 623 7460 4 Elements Wed 21.30 Le Ballon Rouge & Crin-Blanc Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed 17.00 Castor et Pollux Sun 13.00 Earth Thur, Fri, Tues 19.00, Sat-Mon, Wed 17.15 The Other Boleyn Girl Sun 16.00 Paris Thur-Sun, Tues 20.30, Wed 19.00.

Amsterdam Weekly

15-21 May 2008

WEEKLY CLASSIFIEDS Ads are free, space permitting. They will be posted both to the paper and online. Guaranteed placement is available for a small fee see our website for details. Ads may be published in English, het Nederlands or whatever language is best for you to communicate your message. How to submit an ad: via our website at www.amsterdamweekly.nl, by fax at 020 620 1666 or post to Amsterdam Weekly, De Ruyterkade 106, 1011 AB Amsterdam. Deadline: Monday at 12.00, the week of publication. terdam, close to public transport and shopping, but situHATE THE ROBOTS Paranoid male actor aged ated on a quiet canal. 2 bed25-35 needed for student film. Must hate robots. room. 60m2 incl. cable, interShooting May 24-25 but flexible. Food for pay. Email: net. excl. gas/water/electr.

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Rent 900€ all included except ed? Send your c.v. to HOUSING FOR RENT edwin.schukking@tns-globfor Internet. Please write by al.com ROOM(S) AVAILABLE In emailfordetails/appointment: BOOKKEEPERAmsterdam dire need of cash, I decided sweethome4you@yahoo.com Weekly has an opening for an to rent out one or two rooms FABULOUS VIEW Modern experienced bookkeeper on of my three story apt, recent- and comfortable, fully fura part-time basis. See adver- ly renovated in Amsterdam- nished, 80 m2 3-room apparttisement on page 23 of this Westerpark, on a temp basis. ment with fabulous view over pls call 0645009030 week’s paper. the lake in a perfectly main(SWISS) GERMAN Are you CENTER OF A'DAM Cozy tained building. Enough free looking for a fun job in the apartment in the busy tourist parking space. 1500 euro per centre of Amsterdam? Are district of the center of Ams- month. Tel.: 0613394482

AD OF THE WEEK

JORDAAN APPARTMENT Fabulous view on the most beautiful canal of Amsterdam in Jordaan area. 70 sq m2, one bedroom, fully furnished in perfectly maintained building. Pictures available on demand. Available from 07 June 08 - 21 June 08 Price: 600 euros/ week Tel: 0623400217 cedric_assaouloff@hotmail.com 2 BDRS 550 AND 650 Newly renovated apartment. furnished and equipped. Beautiful surroundings near Lake Gaasperplas in SE- Amsterdam. 15 min to central with metro. Near Shopping. Storage and parking available.

Looking for quite reliable roommates. All incl in rent. klokhorststraat@yahoo.com

comebeginninginAug2008will be happy to hear some more info.Pleaseaddpictures.Email: nirotaub@gmail.com ART STUDIOArt Studio €300 gallery in front. Creative, innovative, and multicultural environment. With patio as an extra...First and last month is due. NOTE: Not for living space, work only. Please phone to make an appointment 0614061397.

business process. We work through a countrywide network with professionals who can help on each issue. Call us for RAAD! 06912217.

GREAT HAIR COLOURIST Tints, highlights, colour changes, creative colours.

With more than 10 years of experience, if I can’t do it then nobody can do it! Now at Mctavish Salon in de Pijp.

Contact Daniel for appointment: 0624137392 or OFFICE TO RENT Approx- danielsmeets@yahoo.com. I imately 25m2, quiet and light, also do make-up. about 5 min walk from Leidseplein. Access to shared QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY kitchen and garden. Prefer Specialized in fashion, music gay/lesbian tenant. 395€per and portrait photography see mon (includes service costs) www.andresphotography.com contact me for rates and info.

Call Richard 0654926862. at andresinbox@gmail.com DESK FOR RENT Desk/workspace for rent with- 3D GRAPHIC ANIMATORS in creative collective in heart A team of 3D graphic animaof Amsterdam. We are look- tors is looking for clients. 3D ing for people to share office graphics will give your messpace with our film produc- sage the illusion of depth not tion company. 1 desk avail- available through traditionable. Shared kitchen. Build- al graphics. Our range of proding offers reception service, ucts includes: Architectural bike garage + cleaning. E.250 visualisations(3D renderper month ex BTW. info@god- ing,3D Architectural Walkthrough),3D visuals, CG motherfilms.com videos and images.

FOR SALE SALE CAMPER SHOESI’m selling my camper shoes: one pair of boots(size 36) 30 euros and three pair of shoes (size 37) 40 and 45 euros I can send photos contact: sandalias@gmail.com

BEACH STUDIO FOR RENT 54m2 studio for rent in Portugal - Algarve (Praia da Rocha). Fully furnished and equipped with access to 2 private swimming pools. Fees from 30€ per day. All local TRANSPORT information, photos and contacts available online ENGLISH MAN WITH VAN http://thealgarvehouse.com.s Can help with removals, big apo.pt or small, in or outside of the country. Reasonable rates, HOUSING WANTED quick service. Contact Lee LOOKING FOR APT 20 year on 06 2388 2184 or whiteold violinist and composer is van@whitevanman.nl or see looking for an apartment in the www.whitevanman.nl. centreofAmsterdam,between €500 and €850. please contact REPATRIATE IN STYLE A jeroen@jeroenvanderwel.nl beautiful UK Citroen XM 2.0 SEI for someone needing spaSHARED HOUSING cious, luxury, space age transROOM FOR ONE MONTH port to the UK (it’s too expenIn shared apartment with 2 sive to import). Vast boot ppl. Close to Vondelpark. Peri- space, some cosmetic issues od: 1 month from begin. of on the outside, mechanicalmay till june. Price: 300 euro’s ly very sound. 190,000 miles, black leather Interior. Front all incl. tel. 06-42774518 wipers don’t work. €300 or OTHER SPACES offers.

PHOTO STUDIO For amaFREE STUFF teur and professional photographers. Can also be used 100FREETOPMOVIESInteras meeting or gathering netsitewww.realityportal.info space. 100m2, €150/day. Pos- is Connecting Couragous Cool sible to rent photo equip- Conscious Content + the best ment. High ceilings, good, docs&filmsforFREE!See100s natural light and located on movies like Zeitgeist, Sicko, WG Plein, adjacent to Over- WhattheBleep,USversusJohn toom. For appointment and Lennon. Just a click a way. Your more info contact D. Ingel: life will be transformed!!! Your new news portal...

06 2883 4224.

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21

SERVICES

TAX & FINANCE Trying to get quality advice and save money at the same time? We are specialized in bookkeepcenter to make and show my ing and taxes, and guide our art in A’dam. I’m planning to relations through the entire

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Soul at Work, A’dam. Sign up for free e-newsletter on www.soul-at-work.com.

BUSINESS ADVICEAre you thinking about starting your own business? Do you have a company but administration and papers are not your thing? Do you need a business plan, labour from abroad, to buy real estate or moving abroad? Call Tulipany on 0610218271 or email info@tulipany.nl.

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Ansinghstraat 88 1072RD A’dam. helen.maynardhill@qikwando.com.

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Amsterdam Weekly

15-21 May 2008

22 btinternet.com or phone 004428 82898616. SEAN.

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0641 96 94 97.

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GROUPS & CLUBS HEY! YOU AMERICAN? Join the fun with like-minded Americans at Democrats Abroad. With monthly DemsFun Drinks, discussions, issue groups, and other activities. You don’t even have to be a Dem to join! Go to www.democratsabroad.nl for more info.

SINGING LESSONSOn Prinsengracht (Jordaan). Classical voice training, breathing techniques, vocalization.

For beg & advanced. 1-on-1 & group lessons. From classic, jazz to rock, all styles.Free intro lesson and reasonable prices. For more info,call Michael on 020-3202095, or mail: ajara77@yahoo.com

LANGUAGES DUTCH GROUP COURSE EXCELLENT DUTCH PROFICIENCY in conversation with solid base of pronounciation,grammar+spelling starts Beginners Course/0905-08 to 27-06-08/Fridays/18:30 to 20.00/€ 144,- excl /info: excellentdutch@hotmail.com 06-36122870 www.excellentdutch.nl WANT TO IMPRESS? Conversation? Business? Commercial? Hospitality? Academic? Highly qualified & experienced native-speaking English teacher offers private & group courses in city centre-pleasant & relaxed atmosphere. Increase your potential with tailormade courses. griffinenglishservices@gmail.com ITALIAN LESSONS! Summer time is coming: learn Italian and make your holiday easier! Native speaker gives individual lessons, also to learn basic skills to communicate during your holiday and understand much more about culture, history and traditions. Personal programs available.

0627526558 lezioni.italiano@yahoo.it DUTCH FOR EXPATS C&C Language Support. Private Dutch lessons in Amsterdam, relaxed atmosphere, tailored to your needs, all levels, flexible schedule, 1-on-1. Concentration on practical use and conversation. Tutor also speaks Spanish. For details, visit www.lasu.nl.

RUSSIAN LANGUAGE Private Russian Language lessons with native speaker.

EVERY LEVEL. 15 euro/hour. phone +31616335429 email: samir84@tlen.pl

IMPROVE YOUR DUTCH! in a study conversation group on Tues or Wednes at 20.0021.30 Also private classes, intensive, conversation, NT2, etc, all levels, starting every week, professional approach, linktaalstudio@gmail.com, Vijzelgracht 53C, Anja 0641339323 DUTCH COURSESLanguage school in the centre of Amsterdam offers inspiring group courses at a reasonable price.

Check out our website www.mercuurtaal.nl or call 6934250 INTENSIVE DUTCHCOURSES at JOOST WEET HET! Classes 4 times per week during 4 hours. Good teachers, fun classes and energetic atmosphere. Small groups, personal approach with emphasis on conversation.

2,3,4 and 8 wks courses. Price: E 8 /hr. Visit www.joostweethet.nl email: info@joostweethet.nl tel: 020-4208146 DUTCH CONVERSATION with GLOSSA on inspiring location in Amsterdam. Small group one week intensive in May. Do you have a basis in Dutch? Do you want to practice Dutch? Do you want to feel more confident in Dutch?

Are you higher educated?

More information and other training options: www.glossa.nl or call 06 1471 5372.

MUSIC SAXOPHONE LESSONS Master student at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with a much experience, gives saxophone lessons. Beginners, Intermediate and Advance levels. First lesson no charge! 0627526558 saxlesson@yahoo.com GUITAR LESSONS Experienced guitar teacher has place for new students. I do house visits and teach at your house. mobile:0651920487 martijndebock@gmail.com ELECTRONISCHE MUZIEK These lessons are intended for musicians, composers or technicians who want to develop their knowledge in

20th century electronic music. Pieces from Stockhausen, Xenakis, Nono, Cage and others can be dealt with.

Introductory lessons to this music are also possible. Based in Amsterdam: 064 840 9637 BASS LESSONS Bass Guitar lessons for Beginners and Advanced students. Private lessons based on the music that you like. I’m a professional musician and have experience teaching. Contact: dnbass@gmail.com

THE ARTS IMPROVISATION JAM For Dancers (any kind), Musicians, Painters, Photographers, Actors, Singers. This Jam is an open and creative field where multiple arts explore together the theme of improvisation. Every Monday 19.30-21.For more info please contact info@talile.com or visit www.talile.com DRAWING AND PAINTING Summer workshops by professional artist, various techniques, all styles, from scratch to painting with oils.

Contact joneiselin@hetnet.nl.

LOOKING FOR LOOKING FOR A WOMAN in Amsterdam for intelligent conversation, sweet tease, sensuous play and good sex.

Call me: 0639062606

# OF AMERICANS: 5419 Are you one of the thousands of Americans living in A’dam?

Join the fun with like-minded Americans at Democrats Abroad. With monthly DemsFun Drinks, discussions, voter registration and other activities. You don’t even have to be a Dem to join! Go to www.democratsabroad.nl for more info.

PRACTICE ENGLISH English Practice Group Amsterdam meets weekly for informal practice sessions in centrum. Led by native speaking EFL instructor, English Practice Group focuses on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and fluency.

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RFID - SYSTEM developer needed. I’m a media architect and I’m looking for collaborators familiar with RFIDtechnology and mobile interface developer to prototype a media-architectural project. For more info. contact simona.sofronie@gmail.com

VOLUNTEERS JOIN THE MOVEMENT What if we gave to each other without expecting anything in return? If we joined hands to help those with greater needs than ourselves? What would happen?

Come find out... Serve the City: 9-12 May. Join the Movement, Make a Difference. www.servethecity.nl info@stcamsterdam.nl 0642244109

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NOTICES WHAT IS AN ESOTERIC School? Alive, inspiring and meaningful in this time and culture. Also for you? The Phoenix Fellowship (Esoteric School for Personal Development) welcome you to these open nights in Amsterdam each Tuesday evening. www.phoenixdynamics.nl or Call:0618687959

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