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Clock tower in Norway to chime songs by Bowie and Motörhead every day until the end of May
01.18.2016
10:00 am
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A fantastic but sadly fake
A fantastic, but sadly fake “photo” of David Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister (see the actual photo of Lemmy and his French girlfriend, here)
 
The clock tower that stands on the grounds of City Hall in the capital of Norway, Oslo, has marked the passing of the hours with musical interludes for many years. Now at six and seven pm respectively, the 49 bells in the tower’s carillon will play “Changes” from David Bowie’s 1971 album Hunky Dory and, the track “Electricity” from what sadly turned out to be the last record Lemmy Kilmister would record with Motörhead, 2015’s, Bad Magic.
 
The music of Motorhead and David Bowie to play from the clock tower on Oslo City Hall through May 31st
The music of Motorhead and David Bowie to play from the clock tower on Oslo City Hall through May 31st

In an interview with Oslo Town Hall’s carillonist, Laura Marie Rueslaatten Olseng, after seeing how many of her fellow Oslo residents were affected by Lemmy’s passing, she felt that the lyrics to “Electricity” reflected “an attitude that fit Oslo very much.” After Bowie’s untimely passing, Olseng said that there was “no discussion” and the choice was made to add “Changes” to the clocks daily musical rotation which also includes music from Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails, and John Lennon. The clock tower will play both songs daily until May 31st. You can listen to the bells chiming for Bowie below, and the belfry belting out Motörhead, here.
 


The clock tower at City Hall in Oslo, Norway chiming to David Bowie’s “Changes.”
 
h/t: Metal Hammer

Posted by Cherrybomb
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01.18.2016
10:00 am
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Norway’s monument to 91 ‘witches’ killed nearly 400 years ago
05.04.2015
04:18 pm
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Just like New England in 1692-1693, the little town of Vardø, located far north of the Arctic circle, in the extreme northeastern part of Norway—it’s actually much closer to Russia than it is to Sweden, which is unusual for a Norwegian town—experienced a witch crisis all its own in the 17th century. The witch trials ended up affecting an unusually high percentage of the local townspeople—the entire county of Finnmark had a population of 3,000 people, but 135 people were accused of practicing witchcraft, 91 of whom were executed. As in Salem, the method of “pond dunking” was used:
 

it was often part of the process to include “trial by water”—the result being seen as “God’s will”. Those accused were bound hand and foot and thrown into the water. If the person floated, it was sign of their guilt. If they sank, they were innocent. During the Vardø witch trials, all those that were subjected to “trial by water” floated—thus guilty in the eyes of God.

 
In 2011 a memorial for the victims of the witch trials was erected and unveiled by the Queen of Norway. The designers of the memorial were two highly esteemed artists, Peter Zumthor of Switzerland and Louise Bourgeois, born in France but active in the United States. The memorial, known as the Steilneset Memorial, is located next to what is believed to be the execution site of many of the 91 victims.

The memorial consists of two parts, a long hallway suspended near the beach, Zumthor’s “Memory Hall,” a long cross-hatched frame containing a corridor with 91 lamps, each one illuminates a window and a plaque that tells the story of the men and women killed with testimony from their trials. That is connected to the Bourgeois contribution, a black box made of glass with a constantly burning chair in the middle, with mirrors suspended above it. This part is called, “The Damned, The Possessed, and The Beloved.”

Of the artists’ process, Zumthor has said, “I had my idea, I sent it to her, she liked it, and she came up with her idea, reacted to my idea, then I offered to abandon my idea and to do only hers, and she said, ‘No, please stay.’ So, the result is really about two things—there is a line, which is mine, and a dot, which is hers…. Louise’s installation is more about the burning and the aggression, and my installation is more about the life and the emotions [of the victims].”

 

 

 
More after the jump…

READ ON
Posted by Martin Schneider
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05.04.2015
04:18 pm
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‘Tis the season for a serving of sheep’s head?
12.18.2014
05:04 pm
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In Norway, an old tradition has recently been revived: a meal of a sheep’s head with all the trimmings. Sound weird? It sure does, even more so when you learn that the eyes and ears are considered an especial delicacy.

A serving of Smalahove consists of a half-head, boiled potatoes and rutabagas mashed with salt, pepper, cream, and butter. The most scrumptious parts of Smalahove are the ear and the eye. The reason is that the meat at these locations is quite fatty—and the eyes and ears taste best when they are still warm. Yesterday the German magazine Stern ran a story about Smalahove by Denise Wachter. Smalahove is a dish with strong associations with Christmas. Interestingly, an EU directive forbids the serving of smalahove from adult sheep due to fears of scrapie, a degenerative disease of sheep and goats, even though scrapie apparently is not transmissible to humans. So smalahove is made exclusively from lambs.

Here’s what the OECD Studies on Tourism Food and the Tourism Experience: The OECD-Korea Workshop has to say about it:
 

[Gyimothy and Mykletun] describe how smalahove (salted, smoked and cooked sheep’s head) has become a part of the destination brand of Voss, a small town in west Norway. The preparation of smalahove involves burning away the wool from the head, leaving the skin intact and brown in colour. The head is then split into two halves by means of an axe, and the inner organs except the eye and the tongue are removed. It is carefully cleaned, salted, and dried for some days before it is smouldered on a cold smoke of fresh juniper, dry oak or alder. Having been both salted and smoked, the head could be preserved in an airy place for some months. The preparation of the dish is simple. The half head is first watered and steamed for three hours, then served with potatoes boiled in the skin and with stewed Swedish turnips.

 
A couple hours’ drive inland from the city of Bergen on Norway’s west coast, the town of Voss has taken up the cause of smalahove and converted it into a source of significant tourist revenue. In the past, fermented milk or beer was served with the sheep’s head. Today it’s aquavit—cumin schnapps. The sheep was once slaughtered right there on the farm; today it’s the butcher’s job.
 

 
With thanks to Thomas Schlich!

Posted by Martin Schneider
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12.18.2014
05:04 pm
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‘I will no longer mutilate and destroy myself…’: A mini-film from artist Prins Preben
05.10.2013
08:13 am
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neberpsnirp.jpg
 
Norwegian artist and film-maker Prins Preben has released I will no longer mutilate and destroy myself in order to find a secret behind the ruins, which is the first of a series of one minute films, partly inspired by a recurring dream.

‘I often dream of houses,’ Preben told Dangerous Minds, ‘So destroying one when awake is liberating I guess. I wear the chaos star and the ski-mask as a symbol of inner chaos and like going to war against myself.’

The film is a personal expression of the inner frustrations that lead to external violence. Preben also has plans for a project on Shakespeare’s MacBeth, for which he has been collecting strange facts about the play including:

In a 1672 production in Amsterdam, the actor playing Macbeth substituted a real dagger for the blunted stage dagger and killed the actor playing Duncan, in full view of the audience.

In a 1942 staging, with John Gielgud as Macbeth, three actors (two witches and Duncan) died and the set designer committed suicide.

In a Thursday-night performance in 1947 actor Harold Norman was stabbed during the final sword fight in Act 5 and died of his wounds. On Thursday’s his ghost is now said to haunt the Coliseum Theatre in Oldham, where the fatal scene was played.

Follow Prins Preben on Facebook.
 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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05.10.2013
08:13 am
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‘The Process Of Delving Into The Black Abyss’: A new film by artist Prins Preben
03.05.2013
07:33 pm
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image
 
The latest short film from Norwegian artist Prins Preben was inspired by a quote from H. P. Lovecraft:

The process of delving into the black abyss is to me the keenest form of fascination.

Simple, hypnotic and effective—like a moving Rorschach inkblot where we can picture our own demons.
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds

‘Alien or Satan’: A short film by artist Prins Preben


 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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03.05.2013
07:33 pm
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‘Alien Or Satan’: A short film by artist Prins Preben

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Alien Or Satan is a short film by Norwegian artist Prins Preben. Part joke, part examination of what is interpreted to be Occult / Extra-terrestrial. As Prins tells Dangerous Minds:

The film examines a lost human facing what may be described as the hidden or the unknown. It has a kind of perspective of what emotions we see as “occult/hidden”. It’s like two directions…Hell the core of flames in the middle of the Earth. And Space a more cold and endless place….both a “kind of hidden.” And of course, Lucifer is both celestial and alien.

Prins Preben on Facebook.
 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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01.30.2013
06:29 pm
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In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country: 7500 Images, 1 Track, Near Perfection

image
 
A beautiful video made by qrotozoa productions (aka Espen Hagejordet) from 7500 images shot over 12 hours, at Sør-Fron, Norway, using a Nikon D5000. The marriage between the music of the Boards of Canada (“In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country”) and qrotozoa’s images is near perfection.  Put on headphones, click full screen, enjoy.

More of qrotozoa’s exquisite work here.
 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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04.02.2012
04:02 pm
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Todd Rundgren talks to DM about his first remix

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When the promo for the new single by Norwegian nu-disco maestro Lindstrom dropped into my inbox recently, I was unusually excited. Not just because it was some new sounds from one of the undisputed masters of the genre, but because of these three magic words: “Todd Rundgren Remix.”

At first I thought it was a typo, or a mislabeling - surely they meant it’s a Lindstrom remix of Todd Rundgren? I mean, you can tell Lindstrom is a fan just from listening to his music (it’s all about those stacked synth chords) and besides, Todd doesn’t do remixes… does he?

A little bit more digging around proved that this was no typing error. One of my all-time favorite artists had indeed remixed a song for the first time, and with his usual immaculate taste, Todd had decided to remix a song by one of my favorite dance music producers. Through connections in the extended Rundgren fan network (which is itself an amazing thing, more like a family than mere rock fans) I was able to get some questions to Todd himself.

Dangerous Minds really needs more Todd Rundgren on our pages, so I am glad to share his answers:
 
You’ve been making music for a long time, but this is your first ever commercially released remix - how did it come about?

I was contacted by Lindstrom’s label. I’ve been making contributions to other artists’ recording projects over the years so it didn’t seem like that unusual a request. I don’t often get asked to be involved in ‘trans-generational’ collaborations, so that was different.

Your music has been a big influence on modern dance producers, but in particular the whole nu-disco/cosmic-disco genre - were you aware of any of those particular artists? And did you hear a musical connection when you listened to Lindstrom’s track?

Since I don’t usually focus on a single genre I don’t think of myself as having a ‘style’. It’s a little odd because in the 70s we thought of ourselves as prog-rock players and that disco was something of a sell-out for artists like Rod Stewart and Blondie. This ‘nu disco’ is a more organic movement, especially the emphasis on the instrumental aspect and lack of lyrics. That does remind me of some of the experimental excursions I’ve taken in the past.

I love how you embrace new music technology (and the new music it can help create). I’m curious to know what sequencing/recording program you’re using, and if you have any recent-ish programs or bits of kit you’re enthusiastic about? For instance, have you used Ableton Live?

I stuck with analog until the mid-Nineties, mostly because I was trying to be thrifty. I used Pro-Tools for about 12 years but finally got fed up with the tempermental and expensive technology and poor support. Recently, I have been an exclusive user of Propellerheads Reason. Since they added recording capabilities I’ve been able to record and mix with my laptop and without any environmental restrictions. I haven’t tried Ableton, mostly because I have yet to do any live mixing.

What are you listening to at the moment? Any music of the last 5 years that floats your boat and you’d recommend for Dangerous Minds’ readers?

I’m a big fan of ‘outsider’ music. It’s not very useful as an influence (at least not right now) but it’s a lot of fun to listen to and takes your mind off the ‘serious’ stuff. I recently downloaded Lorne Greene’s “The Man” and was so amused I decided to work some of it into my solo shows. Now the fans want a whole night of Lorne Greene. The problem with outsider music is that it’s often only one great song in an obscure career of mediocrity.

What’s in the immediate future for Todd Rundgren?* And is there anything more dance music-based, like more remixes or perhaps even dj sets?

It’s been suggested that I take a crack at DJing, and it’s not such a far-fetched idea. In 1993 I toured a record called No World Order and built a system that allowed me to improvise the set each night using a midi controller and a program I devised that would recombine samples on the fly. I had to build that program from scratch using MAX. Now software like Ableton is the prefered way to go, although I have some ideas about how it could be done with Reason.

Thanks, Todd!

Lindstrom’s “Quiet Place To Live (Todd Rundgren Remix)”, released by Smalltown Supersound, is available to buy from Juno Download. You can listen to it right now:
 

   Lindstrom - Quiet Place To Live (Todd Rundgren remix) by smalltownsupersound
 
And thanks to Jill Mingo!

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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03.19.2012
06:15 pm
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Muslim-hating wingnut Pamela Geller justifies mass murder in Norway


Above Rep. Eric Cantor and Pamela Geller in a photo I’ll bet Cantor seriously wishes didn’t exist!

Anti-Islam blogger Pamela Getter is a marginal, hateful freak who would have stayed that way had not Fox News and MSNBC decided to give her credibility a boost during that whole stupid “Ground Zero Mosque” debate/nonsense. Remember that? Me neither.

This hateful harpie should be shunned from civil society, anyway, but shouldn’t her clumsy editing of her alleged communication with Anders Breivik make her a seriously untrustworthy, not to mention undesirable TV talking head?

Why aren’t the FBI all over this woman???

Even Roger Ailes must be giving Geller second thoughts after this latest matter. I really hope that the Norwegian government calls her in as a witness in Brevik’s trial. It would be her just desserts, truly.

Geller’s latest toxic idiocy is an actual JUSTIFICATION of the mass murder in Norway. If this shit doesn’t disqualify her as a credible TV pundit—or even as one of Andrew Breitbart’s top bloggers at his Big Government site—I don’t know what would, because this will be pretty hard to top, even for an shithead of Geller’s caliber. Via Think Progress:

Popular hate blogger Pam Geller has received scrutiny in recent days as the public became aware that the right-wing terrorist in Norway, Anders Behring Breivik, had praised her blog and thoroughly cited her writing in his political manifesto. After a number of blogs made the connection, as well as the New York Times, The Atlantic, and other major outlets, Geller became incensed and began lashing out at her critics.

In a post defending herself yesterday, Geller — who has called Obama “President Jihad” and claimed that Arab language classes are a plot to subvert the United States — reached a new low. Geller justifies Breivik’s attack on the Norwegian Labour Party summer youth camp because she says the camp is part of an anti-Israel “indoctrination training center.” She says the victims would have grown up to become “future leaders of the party responsible for flooding Norway with Muslims who refuse to assimilate, who commit major violence against Norwegian natives including violent gang rapes, with impunity, and who live on the dole.”

To get her point across, Geller posts a picture of the youth camp children Breivik targeted. The picture was taken on the Utøya island camp about 24 hours before Breivik killed over 30 children, so it is likely Geller is mocking many of the victims. Under the picture, Geller writes: “Note the faces which are more MIddle [sic] Eastern or mixed than pure Norwegian.”

Could Geller’s outburst of smears be a distraction against mounting evidence that she might have communicated with Breivik in the past? A post from Geller in 2007 reprints a reader-submitted letter in which an anonymous Norwegian complains of Muslim immigration and boasts that he is “stockpiling and caching weapons, ammunition and equipment.” In the comment section, Geller claims that she provided anonymity to the reader to protect him from being prosecuted. Although Geller recently deleted the ammunition line from her post, a cached version is available. As Glenn Greenwald notes, “If this were an attack by a Muslim group, and a Muslim had something like this on his/her website, the FBI and multiple other groups would be swarming.”

Yep. So where are they?

She’s such a mean person that she thought it was okay to post that?!? She thought about this, she typed it our and she published it. Incredible. What is wrong with this woman’s mind? Below, a screenshot of Geller’s blog post, with her original repulsive caption, which she edited.
 

 
Kudos to Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs for his stellar reporting on Geller’s embarrassing folly.

Now having said that I never want to see her on television ever again, I will admit to getting a good laugh from seeing her put on the defensive and lose her cool on Russia Today recently. RT’s Lauren Lyster really, really let her have it. I laughed out loud several times. Humiliating and hilarious. THIS is the way this woman SHOULD be treated, with utter contempt. If you love to hate Geller, this is a bit of a laff-fest.
 

Posted by Richard Metzger
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08.01.2011
08:20 pm
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Morrissey compares Norway massacre to KFC
07.28.2011
08:35 am
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This headline reads like a spoof from the Onion, but it’s not. Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. From the Metro:

The Daily Mirror reports he told the crowd before singing Meat Is Murder: ‘We all live in a murderous world, as the events in Norway have shown, with 97 dead.
‘Though that is nothing compared to what happens in McDonald’s and Kentucky Fried S*** every day.’

Has Moz been listening to too much Glenn Beck? FFS, lighten UP Morrissey!
 
Sparks - “Lighten Up Morrissey”
 

 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Morrissey brands Royal Family ‘benefit scroungers’
Morrissey fans are lazy

Posted by Niall O'Conghaile
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07.28.2011
08:35 am
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