Congrats Lance! - Ode to France (hey that rhymes)
Lance Armstrong ends his career on top of the world with his 7th Tour De France victory (in a row) today. Congrats to Lance, what an unbelievably amazing accomplishment. I wish i was in Paris to enjoy the moment and watch him sip champagne as he rides down the Champs Elysee (remember Hitler drove his tanks down this road, scary stuff). Which brings me to my ode to France. It seems alot of Americans hate the French, with no good reason, except that the French didn't support the War in Iraq (sorry, i didn't either since before we invaded, I saw all this mess coming). Now let me just clarify my politcal stance quickly. Nope, i don't think pulling our troops out now is the right answer (there is no right answer, we fucked it up), and i support our boys and girls over there and if i were a praying man, I'd pray for their safety every hour of every day. There is a hell on Earth, its Iraq. We caused it. I'm sure it was no picnic under Saddam, something tells me its much worse now. I hope one day it gets better. I wouldn't bet on it. There were and are far worse places and far worse dictators that we didn't invade. Sudan. Congo. Rwanda. North Korea. Going into Afghanistan was the right thing to do. I'm glad we did it. Iraq and Afghanistan had nothing in common.
Back to France. Any American who dislikes France, and has never been there, shame on you. Its a beautiful place with wonderful people. I've been to France 3 times now, and i think i've met two or three rude French people the entire time. Now i LOVE New York City, but meeting 2 or 3 rude people a DAY in New York is not uncommon at all. New York is still a GREAT city, maybe the best city on Earth, with great people. So is Paris. Paris was my favorite city on the planet until i went to Prague. Paris is still a close second, and for museums, art, etc... Paris is unrivaled. Prague is just magical. Its actually not that expensive to vacation in Paris either. About the same cost as an average trip to the Caribbean. I know plenty of people who have backpacked all over Europe, very inexpensively. I'm jealous. what an experience. And the rail system that connects the countries of Europe is spectacular. You'll find, almost everyone in Paris speaks some english, and will happily speak to you in English if you politely address them in French with a simple "Bon jour". Knowing even a few basic words of the country's language goes a very long way.
If you've never been out of America, its hard to comprehend that Europe is ALOT older than America. So much of Paris and the countryside date back many many centuries. The history is found everywhere in daily life, without walking into a museum. I visited Normandy for a couple days once. a powerful experience. Every American should make the trip. Utah and Omaha beaches are absolutely beautiful and its difficult to imagine such horrific events ever taking place there. But when you see the endless rows of crosses and stars in the battle cemeteries, things snap quickly back into perspective. Everything in Normandy is so old (well, everything that wasn't destroyed in the war). Most of the structures still in everyday use, homes, shops, farms, date back to the 1600's and 1700's. In America, how much from that time period is still in daily use? And the people of Normandy were wonderful. Even the ones who spoke no English at all. Normady is captivating. We even had an older couple we met, who lived in Normandy, invite us into their home (17th century farm house which was beautiful) so they could cook us THANKSGIVING DINNER. Ummmm, its not a holiday for them, but this is the extent of the hospitality that was extended to us by the people there.
So why did i write a whole blog entry on France and what does this have to do with music? Well, first, its my blog and i'll write what i want, though i do hope you enjoy it. Second, i think music, art, and culture share some connection. They don't necessarily have to be linked, but they often are. I'm very fortunate to work with music sent to me from around the world, it keeps me very open creatively to be exposed to such a vast array of musical styles and influences. Believe it or not, if i'm mixing even a street level hip hop track, my mix just might be a little more creative because i've gone to France 3 times. Something to think about.
- Ken
Back to France. Any American who dislikes France, and has never been there, shame on you. Its a beautiful place with wonderful people. I've been to France 3 times now, and i think i've met two or three rude French people the entire time. Now i LOVE New York City, but meeting 2 or 3 rude people a DAY in New York is not uncommon at all. New York is still a GREAT city, maybe the best city on Earth, with great people. So is Paris. Paris was my favorite city on the planet until i went to Prague. Paris is still a close second, and for museums, art, etc... Paris is unrivaled. Prague is just magical. Its actually not that expensive to vacation in Paris either. About the same cost as an average trip to the Caribbean. I know plenty of people who have backpacked all over Europe, very inexpensively. I'm jealous. what an experience. And the rail system that connects the countries of Europe is spectacular. You'll find, almost everyone in Paris speaks some english, and will happily speak to you in English if you politely address them in French with a simple "Bon jour". Knowing even a few basic words of the country's language goes a very long way.
If you've never been out of America, its hard to comprehend that Europe is ALOT older than America. So much of Paris and the countryside date back many many centuries. The history is found everywhere in daily life, without walking into a museum. I visited Normandy for a couple days once. a powerful experience. Every American should make the trip. Utah and Omaha beaches are absolutely beautiful and its difficult to imagine such horrific events ever taking place there. But when you see the endless rows of crosses and stars in the battle cemeteries, things snap quickly back into perspective. Everything in Normandy is so old (well, everything that wasn't destroyed in the war). Most of the structures still in everyday use, homes, shops, farms, date back to the 1600's and 1700's. In America, how much from that time period is still in daily use? And the people of Normandy were wonderful. Even the ones who spoke no English at all. Normady is captivating. We even had an older couple we met, who lived in Normandy, invite us into their home (17th century farm house which was beautiful) so they could cook us THANKSGIVING DINNER. Ummmm, its not a holiday for them, but this is the extent of the hospitality that was extended to us by the people there.
So why did i write a whole blog entry on France and what does this have to do with music? Well, first, its my blog and i'll write what i want, though i do hope you enjoy it. Second, i think music, art, and culture share some connection. They don't necessarily have to be linked, but they often are. I'm very fortunate to work with music sent to me from around the world, it keeps me very open creatively to be exposed to such a vast array of musical styles and influences. Believe it or not, if i'm mixing even a street level hip hop track, my mix just might be a little more creative because i've gone to France 3 times. Something to think about.
- Ken
posted by Protools Mixing at 1:33 PM
1 Comments:
I too have been to france thrice. I personally believe anyone who says the French are rude (who have not been) are the definition of ignorant Americans. I met one rude French person, a cab driver who pretended not to speak english just to watch me struggle. In retrospect it was a fun time, and ultimately made way for plenty of future jokes. At the time.... it made me miss my train... Which brings me to my next point about Europe. Its hard to imagine (like you said) how old it is, they measure in thousands not hundreds of years. Also its hard to imagine how efficient/clean/respectful/safe the country/people are. Its not uncommon to be invited for dinner, and extremely uncommon to be insulted by a European. I find Germany to be the best, but there is a sort of German pride that they have, and I respect it thoroughly. Maybe thats why I took 4 years of learning German :o) ---> So what I was getting at is this.. The problem isnt so much France (like Ken said), its American tourists. Often unwilling to even learn a word or two of french. I know how annoyed I become with Mexicans when they dont make any attempt at english. I can equally see the French population having a matching annoyance.
Anywho, my underlying message is this... Europe is a magical place with gum drop fountains and rivers made of caramel. If you get a chance to visit, take it, you wont regret it. I'm thinking about doing it during college this year.
And I highly suggest all of the following cities because of how amazing they are..
Paris, France
Murren, Switzerland
Lucerne, Switzerland
Heidelberg, Germany
Colmar, France
-Tom
PS: Buy the Eurail pass, its worth it.. You'll use the trains almost everyday there..
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