Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Heath Ledger is found dead

AOG, Madrid

Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan inhabited by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, according to the New York City police.

A native of Perth, Australia, he won acclaim for his role as a co-star in Ang Lee’s 2005 film “Brokeback Mountain”. The film, based on a short story by Annie Proulx about two cowboys who fall in love, won critical acclaim.

The New York Times said of him in that movie: “Mr. Ledger magically and mysteriously disappears beneath the skin of his lean, sinewy character. It is a great screen performance, as good as the best of Marlon Brando and Sean Penn.”

Signs point to a suicide, police sources said. Mr. Ledger was 28.

I for one, am shocked.


Monday, January 21, 2008

Beggars, artists and Romanians

AOG, Madrid

Last Sunday, I went to a friend's birthday dinner. My improv teacher's boyfriend was hosting a dinner in honor of his turning 30. At least I think that's how old he was turning!

We ate Gnocchi with 2 sauces, and then played a few table games, not without absenting ourselves (Paula, Ana her friend and I) to buy some cigarettes and gossip a bit. Innocent gossip.

When we returned, after scouring the streets of northern Madrid in search of an open bar with a working cigarette machine, we got back to a group of men desiring to play Karaoke on the X-Box.

And so we did.

Afterwards, we did that very Spanish of things, we talked. For hours.

At one point we were discussing Madrid's beggars. How some of these people are part and parcel of the city, and how they have certain areas where they work.

The conversation was odd and peppered with strange protagonists. Some I had knowledge of; others, I had never seen. I had heard of the gypsy thalidomide woman with deformed arms and legs who sits on cardboard and displays herself in all her glory, expecting society to take pity on her.

Then there is the American black musician who plays the saxophone on Callao square, off Madrid's Gran Vía, and right in front of the FNAC store (famous for music, books, DVDs and electronic equipment). As you walk past, he will ask you for money, regardless of whether he is playing a tune or not. He just asks as you walk past. Odd I think.

Then there was the lady beggar who got up from her spot, started to walk up the street, then, stopped, shook her hips slightly, let drop a huge turd, then just continued on her way.

Her, I'd never seen. But I have encountered the small army of Romanian gypsies who pretend to be deaf mutes and walk around with a printed sheet of paper and ask (or rather gesture) for your money. They pretend to belong to an NGO.

They I find a little reprehensible since genuine NGOs carry out the same exercise and have to meet people who have already been fooled once. They have even been on the news a couple of times. And yet, you can see them in central Madrid daily. Pretending to suffer from a disability. Not nice. Not fair. But then, neither is their life probably...

So we continued to trade stories all night long, moving from people with mental problems, to those who hold no sway over the public´s minds.

Today, I was traveling home from giving a class, and saw a young guy doing some juggling at a traffic light. He didn't seem to be doing all that well. Perhaps drivers are not too keen to support struggling artists.

Last night, two of my dinner partners were discussing their life in Madrid. What they do on their spare time, and how spare time is of the necessity. One of them, the lead singer in the band, mentioned how he payed for singing lessons once a week- 38 Euros per hour.

He mentioned in passing that he was going to stop working at the hotel chain where he's been working as accountant for 2 years, and how he was entitled to 8 month's unemployment benefit. "And now, with more free time, I can concentrate more on my singing", he declared.

"If you are in Madrid, you always have to be doing something to further your career. You can't spend your life working in a bar. If you are going to do that, stay in your home town", said Ana- working actress.

I admired them both. I am always glad to be in the presence of talented people.

Then today, I was brought back down to earth when I saw the juggler. I wonder how many lawyers, or teachers or pilots have to moonlight to make their dreams come true?
Why is it that only artists are expected to do other jobs and work twice as hard as anyone else to carry out their vocation?

Thursday, January 17, 2008

National Anthem

AOG, Madrid

A national anthem. A song which is somehow meant to represent the best that a country has to give but which often uses lyrics which are odd, warrior-like, poetic, or plain strange.

There is not a country on Earth which does not have one. However, there is one whose national anthem has no official lyrics. At least not at present. Spain.


Spain’s martial national anthem is based on a military march of the XVII century. It is known as the Royal March, and until the beginning of the XX century, had no lyrics (it is worth noting that the XIX century was disastrous for Spain, and this during a time when most of Europe defined nationalities had their heyday defining the modern states we have today).

It was up to King Alfonso XIII to change this state of affairs. He commissioned the poet Eduardo Marquina to come up with some lyrics. These, although not necessarily very popular, were the official words until Spain became a Republic, and the Himno de Riego became Spain’s national anthem.

At the end of Spain’s Civil War, General Franco reinstated the old National Anthem and commissioned José María Pemán (1897-1981) to come up with some lyrics. For better or worse, most Spaniards knew his version of the national anthem. However, with the advent of democracy, these were derogated and Spain’s anthem is an unsung affair.

And so it was until a couple of months ago when Spain’s Olympic Committee asked that some lyrics were written down so that Spain’s athletes could have something to sing at matches, and not just stand there silently humming or lah-lah-lahing the anthem away.

Legend goes that after witnessing a rousing rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone at Anfield in 2007, the President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, said he felt inspired to seek lyrics to La Marcha Real ahead of Madrid's bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

So a commission was set up and a national contest (sort of) went on to come up with lyrics. The result was meant to be introduced to all in a star-studded gala headed by Spain’s famous tenor, Placido Domingo.

Guess what happened….


The press got hold of the wining lyrics- written by unemployed Mr. Paulino Cubero (above), 52,- and everyone found them to be disappointing.

They were either not very poetic, too nationalistic and reminiscent of Franco's version. Or just had no literary value. They were supposed to be presented in Parliament and a vote was to be had on whether or not they were the new lyrics.

In short, a project intended to unite the country, backfired. Or rather, it worked, but not as you thought it would. It did unite the whole country in declaring the lyrics to be not only banal, but atrocious.

The foreign press have had a field day with this. The Guardian, The New York Times, even FT have noticed this new episode in Spain’s difficulty to be at ease with itself.

Finally, the Olympic Committee withdrew its request and said it would bring it up at a later, less acrid, time.

Strangely enough, no one has said a word about the tune itself.

Friday, January 11, 2008

No Golden Globes this year

AOG, Madrid

The Golden Globes have been canceled. Well, the ceremony at least. No parties, no make up, no show, no glitzy run-up to the Oscars.

The reason? The on-going writer's strike.

I have to admit that it is a pain, but, after all, I do support the right to strike by any group of workers. Used as I am to European strikes, however, where public workers ask for money to make a decent living, I find it hard to side with some writers who earn the kind of salaries a street sweeper in Europe will never see in his lifetime.

However, the right remains and it is not dependent on a certain amount of money, but rather on a job and its proper payment.

Will the same happen at the Oscar's?

I have chosen to post this image of Julia Roberts, who is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for Charlie Wilson's War.

I find it beautiful as well as haunting.