Graffiti-Gate

One more statement

on the historic as well as contemporary issue: the swastika (see below) not made invisible but crossed out with a fat black line.

It ain't over when it's over

I started this blog with a few posts on a Nazi eagle on a motorway bridge near Salzburg, with just the swastika taken out after the end of the Nazi regime, and its late disappearance.

A comment by mistereggz followed, likening the disappearance of remains to the dying of witnesses and survivors, and to the fading away of memory as a whole.

Here we go … It may have been one of those people who wants the Nazis back, or the formerly oft-cited 'strong man to bring back some order to those degenerate democracies' in Europe. It won't go away as it seems; bringing back the hurt to the sensible and sensitive ones. And it reminds us that dark history has not ended with the liberation from the Nazis.

Multi-cultural?

Spent an afternoon off in a café next to the main train station.

First I had eye contact with an Arab family, meaning We / I know, you're different and that's okay. Then I got a light from three young ladies who I thought were Muslim. The young bar lady, of Bosnian origin, told me they were really Serbian Orthodox.

Then I got a light from 4 young people of Turkish origin.

Finally the friendly bar lady and I gave some Londoners directions to the major beer hall of town, Augustinerbräu. I had mistaken them for Scottish.

Well? Well, the Austrian chancellor suggests the Social Democrats should be taking a tougher stance towards foreigners (in der Ausländerpolitik "kantiger werden"). What foreigners? What stance? A gentler, kinder, a machine gun hand? – Yours truly is neither in favour of any kind of violence, nor is he suggesting that the Austrian chancellor could be in favour of any such action. Yet to see how Austrian social democrats with their great tradition are giving in to racist and xenophobic populists makes me wish to build up some amps and huge speakers in front of the Austrian chancellery and blast it away with some feedback from Neil Young's guitar.

I don't really appreciate noise in public space, so the soundtrack is private and danceful:

The World of Arthur Russell, Go Bang. Soul Jazz Records, CD83

There are times, when it's really hard to find the right words, e.g. when yours truly is just fed up to the brim with the political situation in this lovely and peaceful country (yes, it really is, no matter what some 'real' Austrians are thinking when they're afraid of all those dark-skinned people). Then, at times the blogwart interferes to remind me I shouldn't post any comments that I might by sued for or registered by Staatspolizei or even military intelligence (don't think I'm that important …). Or the backoffice-crew stops by to administer some beer as a sedative while they invent some absolutely nasty puns that will never be published here.

Thanks anyway, lads, next round's on me!

Graffiti-Bridge revisited

For a detail see below.

Soundtrack: Prince Graffiti Bridge

Connected

At times, yours truly is simply a fan, an excited, joyful, little kid in a crowded, noisy venue.

Could've been with Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Harri Stojka Express, the early Vienna Art Orchestra, Prince, Talking Heads, The Fall, Hüsker Dü, Henry Rollins, or, more recently, Erika Stucky or Lambchop. This time it was the Stereo MCs, as DJs at republic café.

Got into the groove with the resident DJ, spotted Rob Birch early on in the crowd, prepared a little note for him and waited for a chance.

Caught him right ahead of his set, now or never, got an autograph with a PEACE next to his signature, dropped my note, and was simply happy to listen.

Even the backoffice-crew were there, all of them, not trying to cook up any nasty jokes. Respect.

untitled

Everybody

Everybody wants 2 find Graffiti Bridge
Everybody's looking 4, everybody's looking 4
Everybody's looking 4 love

Revolution?

I wonder, what happened here: did somebody try to cover old graffiti with black paint – to give new ones a black ground? Interesting effect anyway.

Whoever is trying to keep track – this is the third Salzburg city bridge appearing under this label.

'Me' - artist unknown, Salzburg 2009

Graffiti-Bridge

Gone in spring 2009,

a blank spot of local conglomerate rock, where the eagle had been.

Earlier this year a book was published, "Im Schatten der Mozartkugel", something like a tour guide to locations of Salzburg Nazi past, with a web site to go with it, imschatten.org. And there, one of the chapters is on the building of motorways during the Nazi period, with a striking photograph of this very site. So somebody had reacted.

... a Nazi eagle

with just the swastika removed at the old foundations of a new bridge. More than 60 years after the end of the war? Didn't anybody realize? Would somebody do something about it? Would I?

In the beginning

there was this motorway bridge. I passed it early in the morning on my way to work, and didn't see quite clearly. Yet the 50th time I saw it, I realized, there is ...