Columbiahalle, Berlin
Another day, another major city to see a tiny section of. The first challenge is finding the Metro, and once you've found it you have to figure out how to buy a ticket and then where you have to put the ticket, and then which train you're going to get and to where, and then you have to remember where you came from for future reference. None of us really know what you're supposed to see when you are in Berlin, so we head for somewhere in the middle of the tube map and find ourselves in broad strasse, gleaming modernity amid austere civic buildings with eagles rampant on the top of them. There is so much construction here, you sense that Berlin has a lot to forget. The new government buildings are fresh, colourful and accessible, and play down the war chariots and eagles as much as possible. It's amazing to think of what has transpired here even in my lifetime. I wonder what my German peers make of it all. It also serves as a reminder that arbitrary acts of will on the part of world powers can result in these untenable situations, and that there is a kind of cultural gravity that can't be fought indefinitely. Perhaps there is a right place for everything and everyone. Or perhaps people just have an instinct for trouble.
We joined a bus tour of the city. The commentary was delivered in a dust-dry deadpan, especially the bit about Berliners calling the World Culture building "the Peanut Smile of Jimmy Carter".
Matt is trying out starting the gig on his own with Nowhere, which works really well. We consider not joining him after the song and forcing him to do the whole show on his own, but hey, we've come such a long way, we might as well play. We're only a week away from the UK tour where we'll be playing ninety minute sets, and it's a good opportunity to try out a few things before we have to start being entertaining in our own right. I'm looking forward to it.
