The Copenhagen Report

As a city sheds its identity…

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 14 May 2009 15:29:04 PDT

Today is a rare day where I will make a radical departure from the normal theme of this blog, which is basically ‘life in Copenhagen’. I’m not sure why, but what the hell, I’m going to write a bit about the city where I come from, which in many ways is the polar opposite of Copenhagen. Oshawa. If you think you’ve heard that name before, I know why. Oshawa, you see, has the dubious identity one of the renowned Canadian home-bases of General Motors. And with the pending bankruptcy of General Motors, Oshawa is the international news again, that is, if you are looking out for it.

To give you an idea of the impact General Motors has had on the political psyche of the city, just consider that Oshawa (population 150,000) used to have a slogan, “the city that moto-vates Canada” written on the ‘Welcome to Oshawa’ signboards as you entered the city. I’m not making that up.

Oshawa does make a momentarily interesting parallel with Copenhagen. You could say the bicycle in Copenhagen is analogous to the car (or truck) in Oshawa. Well, sort of. You could also say that style is to Copenhagen what precisely to Oshawa it is not. But let’s not push these stretched analogies too far. Actually, it would be interesting to measure just how many people are employed in bicycle shops across the Copenhagen. Oshawa is by in large a flat city, one that could have easily had a network of bustling bicycle lanes hugging every street-side. But there’s not and probably never will be, which is hardly surprising given the city’s historic dependency on the automobile. Anyway, when you live by the sword, you can have a pretty good idea of how you are likely to go, when you do.

Yesterday, the last Chevy truck rolled off the assembly line of GM Oshawa truck plant. The factory is closing after 40+ years of production, taking with 2500+ jobs. I must admit a feel a certain passing sentimentality hearing this. But before you think I’ve lost my marbles, allow me to explain. It’s not sentimentality for what is now lost, rather it’s a sentimentality for what never was. If General Motors had acknowledged the writing that has been on the wall for so many years now, well, there was plenty of time - and shitloads of cash available - to make the necessary reinventions that could turn the company into one that was actually useful in a ‘making a positive long-term contribution to society’ kind of way – that is, one that produced high quality, environmentally-friendly transportation products and thereby made a positive contribution to the world. Instead, the company chose to hang its fortune and its future on an unrelenting dedication to contributing in every possible way to the enormous sucking-sound of as many combustible, highly polluting resources burning, burning, burning.

No, like so many formerly great companies before them, General Motors didn’t even seriously try to do things differently when it became abundantly obvious it was living on borrowed time. What’s more, they’ve made a pretty good go of not trying – milking hoodwinked governments and taxpayers for countless hundreds of millions of dollars along the way. And it continues, with the talk being that a muscle-car, the Oshawa-built Chevrolet Camaro, is experiencing through-the-roof demand. Is that a huge collective (and anguished-sounding) groan I'm hearing, as the company that stubbornly never learns continues on its merry way?

Camaro or not, it's coming. Oshawa’s day of reckoning has always been tied to that of General Motors, and it creeps ever closer (there's still a decent sized footprint of GM left in the city). Although the city is not unprepared for what is now happening, given that a decent sized university has been built up over the last few years, giving the city an additional (and highly improbable) identity as student town (much to my astonishment - I mean, I couldn’t wait for the moment university days were upon me following high school and I was outta there), not to mention the thousands upon thousands working in Toronto who have created another Oshawa-persona, namely the city-as-commuter-holding-tank. Still, undoubtedly dulling the nonetheless traumatic blow that is the closing of the General Motors truck factory will require a certain political ingenuity, and it seems doubtful to me, admittedly from this great and largely ignorant distance, that Oshawa politicians are up to the task. They’ll just muddle along, as always. But who knows.

No, Oshawa is not a place I’ve ever been terribly fond of, though I have the greatest respect for my friends and family who have chosen to make it there home. It’s just never been for me. Attempting to passively co-exist there alongside such a singularly dominant company as General Motors, one so content to naval gaze at its own belly-button with nary a concern for the world around it, probably meant my relationship with Oshawa destined to end poorly from the start. But then the same can also perhaps be said of Oshawa’s relationship to General Motors.

Copenhagen biker gangs...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:54:07 PDT

They can't all be hells angels or rockers...this group parked their high-octane bikes...well, choppers, to be precise (yes, pictured) then proceeded to engage in a ferocious round of...Easter Monday window shopping in Nørrebro.

Maybe it's time to start sending more mail...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:49:25 PDT

Trying to conjure up an image of just how it is to live in Copenhagen for someone who has never been here is never an easy task. It's the nuances that can be so tricky. Case in point: beautiful blond postwomen on bicycles? An outsider could be forgiven for visualising something akin to what could be described as 'precisely the polar opposite of Planet of the Apes' (with more bikes). I not sure if this would be an entirely accurate image, although on a good number of sunny summer days I would probably be inclined to agree it could be.

Anyway, if you feel you could be characterised as something of a bicycle fetishist, or, more modestly, were simply curious to get a better handle on just what this Copenhagen bicycle culture is all about, gazing at a lousy phone camera picture of a couple of bicycling postwomen on this blog won't get you that far (though you'd be surprised at the effort capturing this little moment actually took). Rather, I suggest clicking straight over to ever-impressive Copenhagen Cycle Chic, run by a small group possessing an admirable dedication to the task, and feasting your eyes on some of the timeless pics there.

Enough said.

And now your moment of zen...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 09:00:09 PDT

I would suggest that if you only had 22 minutes to watch TV each weekday, and perhaps even listen to the news, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart might be about the best way to spend that time. Living in Copenhagen, one never has available quite the full range of American TV shows available to watch (which doesn't mean you're necessarily missing much), luckily The Daily Show is one that happens to be broadcast twice daily in Denmark, on DR2 (or you can just click over to www.thedailyshow.com to see a streamed version of every episode).

This past week has been one of the most memorable weeks in the shows history, as Jon Stewart has unflinchingly targeted his satirical guns at CNBC, the cheerleading and often mindless 24-hour American financial network, for 'missing' the fact that the market had become wildly overinflated, which included the stock valuation of countless companies. This attack by Jon Stewart in turn prompted Jim Cramer, host of one of CNBC's popular shows, to lamely fight back, which lead to an invitation to appear on The Daily Show on Thursday.

For anyone with a passing interest in journalism, have a look as Jon Stewart pulls off his comedian facade to give a little lesson in how to give a hard-hitting, uncompromising interview. It's quite a piece of work - a true moment of zen.

And if you did happen to catch the show and see Thursdays episode, it's worth taking a second view of the full, unedited version of the Jim Cramer interview (embedded below), which The Daily Show posted on their website.

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 1

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 2

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Jim Cramer Unedited Interview Pt. 3

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things w/ Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Jim Cramer

Deluded nationalists unite! The Copenhagen Post wants you!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:15:41 PST

Each week, The Copenhagen Post passes across my desk at work. For those with a limited knowledge of Danish with an interest in Copenhagen, it's a often the starting point for picking up a bit of Danish news (though a better one is probably the handful of English article published at www.politiken.dk). As I can pretty much follow along with the normal Danish press, my need for the Copenhagen Post is limited - a good thing as it is hardly a comprehensive news source. But they do gamely (and oftentimes lamely) try.

The Copenhagen Post has been making effort to resemble a more traditional newspaper over the years, for example, by adding an editorial section, where newspaper takes a stand on one issue of the other. Which is what motivated me to sit down a write this little piece.

Now, trying to gracefully convey my feelings after reading the pile of smelly tripe they attempted to pass off for the reasoned opinion of the editor in the Feb. 20-26, 2009 edition will not be easy. But I shall attempt to. Fortunately, they did not pollute the cyberworld with this editorial - it can only be found in the print edition. What a shame. I shall therefore allow myself to quote at length from the article, so the nature of it's content can be understood well enough.

The subject was dual citizenship. That is, the ability for citizens to hold 2 passports. In Denmark, this is not permitted (there are a few exceptions, for example, children with parents of 2 nationalities). This in itself has always annoyed me, as it represents a very small-minded way of thinking.

However, reading this editorial left me seeing red by the end of the first paragraph. It only got worse from there.

"It is a fundamental principle of democracy that members of a community should have a say in making decisions about their community. But just as it is impossible to serve two masters, so too is it impossible to live in two countries - by belonging to both, one never fully becomes a member of either," intoned The Copenhagen Post to kick-off the editorial.

Oh, my. Are you fu*king kidding me?!? Um, what is this sh*t about not being able to serve two masters? Are we living in the times of slavery? And then to artificially equate this to serving two countries?

Elequent it may be, but nonetheless idiotic rubbish.

Personally, I don't think I could count how many entities I 'serve'. Is 'the country' really such an important one, amongst the many? And is it the 'ultimate' one (we'll return to this term shortly)?

Let's see.

I'm Canadian and my parents, sister and extended family live in Canada (and some in the U.S.A). They are pretty important to me. I live in Denmark and have for quite some time (which incidently is also a member of the European Union, which is a pretty important entity in itself). I like Denmark, in general. My girlfriend is Danish, as is her family. Would I chose country over her...hmmm, let me think about that for a while... And I have close friends all over the world, obviously some closer than others. They are also important. My employer is a Danish company, situated here in Denmark, but is actually owned jointly by a German company and a Norwegian company (oh no, two masters again!), but on a daily basis I'm working with people situated in 8 different countries (all working for this same company). Impossible to serve 2 masters?!? Impossible to serve 2 countries?!? What century was this editorial written in?

But let's allow ourselves to plow on further, even if we must hold our noses.

"Citizenship is bestowed upon us at birth, and giving it up is the ultimate sign of commitment to one's new country. But before one can make that commitment, one must be permitted to do so: to become a new citizen, one must not only be permitted to enter a country, one must be allowed to live there, and then one must demonstrate a knowledge of the country's history, language and culture by passing immigration tests," continues The Copenhagen Post.

The 'ultimate' commitment to one's new country? Well, I suppose for some it could be, but since when should making the 'ultimate' commitment, whatever it is, be the grounds for gaining something so practical as a passport? Is there not a much lower and more practical threshold that is somewhat more meaningful, or at least 'sufficient'. Does one really have to give up their first passport to make this commitment? Is there not simply, say, any number of actions that would do, such as living and working in a given country for some time (and thereby paying significant taxes), maybe raising a family there, with no additional conditions really necessary? And certainly no arbitrary judgment about which is the 'ultimate' among them.

Although The Copenhagen Post, and sadly the Danish government, supports this antiquated law, the 'ultimate' problem, if I dare suggest it, seems to be an insistence upon viewing the passport as something that is rather romantic in its nature.

Newsflash: it is not.

A passport is a practical and unfortunately necessary document. Something that enables people to move around from place to place. To cross borders. To live their lives as they see fit to. To be together with the ones they love. To make a living as they choose to, and to utilise the abilities they have chosen to develop in themselves. While there may be plenty of romance within these ideas, a passport is merely a facilitator and a cold bureaucratic reality - and those have always had the unfortunate trait of never ever being in any way romantic in nature.

Being able to acquire an additional passport simply makes it easier for those living in a given country to become productive members of society there. Being a productive and deserving member of society can happen in many, many ways. It also so happens that it can be done without the demonstration of knowledge of a given countries language, history, and so-called culture. Or to put it another way, one can 'integrate' into society in countless ways. There is no single correct way to integrate - for example, by giving up one's former passport or passing some sort of 'immigration test'. Of course, especially with regards to language, everything should be done to encourage those who make a country their home to learn it's language.

As for reading history books?!? Give me a break! Will they tell you everything you need to know to be a good little citizen of your new country? Give you a balanced picture of society? Yeah, sure.

Which brings us to 'immigration tests'. Oh, geez. There are certainly some worthwhile practical questions potential citizens could be asked: about laws specific to Danish society, maybe some basics about government that are of practical importance. But it's pretty limited, quite frankly.

That may be tough for those who believe everything can be measured and then converted into some numerical value to understand, a group which apparently includes the editors of The Copenhagen Post. But here's the truth: sorry boys (there are no female editors of the newspaper listed), the real world ain't quite so.

Okay, let's push further into the editorial, into the Disneyland-like make-believe world of The Copenhagen Post editors. There is more still.

"Citizenship carries with it certain rights, but those rights are paid for by living up to the obligation of national service, national pride and national unity. Dual citizenship is divided citzenship, and will always prevent a 'citizen' from fully living up to those obligations."

Yes, at this point we have moved fully into fantasy land that I would never want to be a part of. In fact, it's somewhat scary. What kind of deluded nonsense is this about being 'paid for by living up to the obligation of...national pride'?

Is the implication that if someone does not demonstrate enough, ahem, 'live up to the obligation' of national pride, then they are unworthy of citizenship? What exactly is 'enough national pride'? Maybe singing the national anthem in a loud voice whenever it is demanded? Perhaps when stopped by the police? Or perhaps simply cheering wildly whenever the Danish national handball team scores a point would be enough? Whatever. What a complete joke.

This is the point when the writers have completely lost the plot. And where I have lost my respect for The Copenhagen Post's ability to write a meaningful editorial opinion.

So boys, do enjoy your freedom to express your opinion - but please, show the 'ultimate' respect for this freedom by not forgetting to engage in a bit of critical thinking while doing so. It serves us all so well.

How f*&king hard can it be to buy a bottle of contact lens solution in Copenhagen??!!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 13:13:24 PST

Actually, the answer is 'quite bloody difficult!' In fact, really f%#king difficult!

You see, for some reason only opticians in Copenhagen sell contact lens solution. Now, why Matas, for example, purveyors of a wide range of shampoos, body lotions, perfumes, and plenty of other more or less useful personal items, doesn't also sell contact lens solution has always been beyond me.

Okay then. Fine. Need contact lens solution, head for the optical shop.

Oops! Turns out the all friendly neighbourhood eye glass shops close at 17.30 on weekdays in my neighbourhood!! 17.30!! Is it too much to ask for just 1 lousy hour between 17.00-18.00 to shop every day??!! What the f&%k!?! It's like these shops are doing everything possible to avoid customers! Outside of the center of Copenhagen they close at 14.00 on Saturday. And of course, try not to run out Saturday night since on Sundays shops in Copenhagen are annoyingly closed.

How can something so simple be so complicated? I've been trying and failing to get a a simple bottle of contact lens solution all week, but it seems my schedule is not quite aligned with that of the sellers of contact lens solution in Copenhagen!!!

But I believe in myself. I believe anything is possible. So I'm sure tomorrow I'll succeed...well, I'm pretty sure...

Thanks for dropping by, but as it's 17.45 we'd rather not have your business.

Snowy søerne in Copenhagen...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:49:54 PST

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. The snowy lakes in Copenhagen...but watch out for frozen ducks...

You shook me all night long...well, for a few seconds anyway

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:50:09 PST

The walls were was shaking, the earth was quaking....last night in Copenhagen. Quite a few woke up wondering just what the neighbours were up to. In fact, the shaking woke me up too. And indeed it was an earthquake 4.7 richter scale at 6.20AM - the biggest earthquake in Denmark in 23 years. Hmmm, how about that. Earthquakes are extremely rare in this area - not surprising given how flat the regions is. The epicenter was in Sweden, some 65 km away from Copenhagen.

Click here to read about it on the USGS Earthquake Warning Center site.

Euro dreams...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 13:19:40 PST

I have to admit that I was something of a rare species, in my surroundings, back in 2000 during the last Danish referendum on whether to replace the kroner with the euro. At the time I was attending Copenhagen Business School, where support for the Euro was about as close to unanimous as one can get. Business types, you know. Myself, I was quietly something of a skeptic. Actually, it wasn't really because I was against joining. My position was that Denmark was in the enviable position of being able to afford to wait. Denmark had stability and a solid economy, after all. Which is to say, it was the 'Euro Club' that had to prove itself to Denmark, not the other way around. So why rush it? Why should Denmark rush into the scheme before the euro had proven itself as a functional currency?

So to be clear, this was by no means true opposition to the euro, more of a strategic 'what's the harm in waiting a couple years?'. A type of passive opposition. In case you didn't figure it out, the euro was voted down in Denmark.

Those couple of years have long since passed and as it turns out the euro has long since proven itself. There is really no need for Denmark to hold out any longer, and plenty of reasons to go for it. And probably it won't be long before the question is put to the public. These days, the financial crisis has brought a significant softening of public opinion in Denmark, with the majority now shifting towards a position in favour of the euro.

It seems unlikely that Danish Prime Minister and EU-superfan Anders Fogh Rasmussen will be able to resist holding a vote on the matter much longer. Now dear Anders admittedly does his best to temper his displays of excessively-overt EU enthusiasm, lest he talk himself out of his position of leader of his own party by overtly coveting a 'higher' position elsewhere in Europe, or provoke disquiet among his not-so-silent coalition partners, the embarrassingly racist Dansk Folkeparti, should they sense he is becoming a bit too overzealous about something that simply doesn't fit into their bellicosely juvenile vision of 'Danmark for Danskerne'.

Ironically, it is the very issues that the government didn't dare to address during the last referendum that are now fueling euro support. Those being any arguments grounded in economic logic - such as the point that simply adopting a currency that the Danish kroner is already tied to anyway isn't such a risk, when it comes down to it.

The fact that in the recent weeks, the National Bank was obliged to increase the interest rate spread between the euro and the kroner during the financial crisis was the real kicker that really shifted opinion. When people in Denmark, with homes and apartments already deflating in value by the day, realised that they were now also paying as much as 1.5% extra for the privilege of holding their loans in kroner instead of euro, finally a certainly logic which was previously drowned in nationalist sentiment snapped with a nearly audible 'cracking' sound (of course, that may actually have been the sound of shareholders jaws dropping open and hitting the ground when Roskilde Bank was suddenly nationalised and their stocks become instantly worthless), and almost overnight the shift the brought supporters of the euro in Denmark into a majority position.

So bring on the euro referendum. It might just be the occasion the government needs to shake the moth-balls off of those EU flags - flags which the Danish government seems to have a morbid fear of flying for even an hour longer than necessary each year, lest they be interpreted as some sort of anti-Denmark sentiment by the more rabid elements of the Danish population.

More about it here in a recent article from The Guardian.

Time to end it...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 10:22:20 PST

Opening the door the other morning, there they were. Yes, it is absolutely unbelievable that these huge think phone books which go straight into the recycling bin still make there way to the door of every house and apartment in Copenhagen...whether you like it or not! Seriously, does anyway actually use these things anymore? Stop! Stop! Stop!

And apparently Politiken's readers agree too.

Take me to that Samsø island wonderland!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 23:00:00 PST

The Danish island of Samsø was subject of a recent highly complementary profile in The Guardian, focusing on the incredible 'green' approach being taken by the inhabitants of the Danish island, who are now living 'off-the-grid'. Yep, no mainland electricity, the island is self-sufficient thanks largely to wind and solar power.

I've visited the island a couple of times, both visits occurred a few years ago, and I've been planning to get back every since. Samsø is an island whose reality more-or-less matches the romantic images phrases such as 'island life' can conjure up (assuming those romantic images involve Northern-Scandinavian type islands, of course). I mean, Copenhagen is also on an island, and I sometime jokingly refer to the idea of 'island-life' when talking about Life in Copenhagen because frankly this is not the sort of 'island life' people typically think about when using a phrase like 'island life'.

On Samsø, there's basically one small town of note, with a couple other smaller ones not so much of note. The best bet is to bring a bike (or rent one) to get around - but leave yourself plenty of time as it will take more than a day trip to get the most out of the island. Beaches are everywhere, there are some fantastic camping spots, it's as idyllic as anywhere in Denmark, and, the real icing on the cake, the island produces some of Denmark's most outstanding fruit and vegetables. Bring a pocketful of coins and be sure to stop at the farm produce stands dotting the roads of the island during the summer months to grab some mouth-watering produce. For example, I will always remember the eye-opening experience that a fresh Samsø onion (yes, an onion...) once provided me. Since that fateful day, I have found myself only able to cast a condescending eye upon mere supermarket onions, such a fresh onion snob I have since become. Okay, I may be over-dramatising just bit, but really, they are damn tasty onions.

So anyway, check out the article and the stunning accompanying pics. It's the kind of piece - particularly the photos - that's so compelling that if you're in right frame of mind, you mind find yourself fighting the urge to book plane tickets to Denmark (and ferry tickets to Samsø).

Your favourite shaving cream, monsieur...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:21:05 PST

Most weeks, the Tjek section of Politiken makes for an interesting read. One focus of the section is on comparing a number of similar products sold in various shops around Denmark, and assessing which one represents the best value. 'Value' in the check section is typically a fairly holistic measure, encompassing price - but quality is really at the heart of it. The range of products that have been put to the Tjek test is quite broad – recent examples range from the mundane - like table salt (who would have known there was much of a taste difference between different types of sale, but Tjek made a convincing argument that there indeed is), the distinctly Danish, like packaged fish (mackeral, for the most part I believe) in tomato sauce, to this weeks featured produce - shaving cream.

Tjek really is a pretty useful endeavour, because frankly without investing a lot of time, effort and energy, it's pretty hard to assess most products in any detail, especially when it comes down to examining what sorts of additives they contain, and so forth. Which is where this weeks assessment of shaving cream was pretty revealing.

So let’s talk about shaving cream.

Now personally, I'm a big fan of 'Brig' shaving cream, which can be bought in Netto for a whopping 8 kroner (or approximately 1 Euro). This has always struck me as a far better value than the widely available alternative, Gilette (at about 5 times the cost). Comparing the two, Brig to me has an equally pleasant scent, does what it is supposed to do (ie. foam) - and a can of it seems to last forever. And really, who can quibble with the price?

So it was revealing to read Tjek to see how Brig rated, and how the alternatives stacked up. Brig was among the cheapest, but points were awarded for organic contents, no perfume, and non-harmful additives. I should also add at this point that I’m a huge fan of organic and non-perfumed products – soaps, etc. As more and more of these relatively natural products enter our apartment, the alternatives seem to become progressively less appealing - in many cases, at least. Especially when it comes to unnaturally flowery smelling perfumed soaps and detergents, and such.

So, Brig shaving cream it turns out, received a score 3 out of 6, handily outscoring Gilette (which managed a pitiful 1 out of 6 and was red-flagged in all categories).

But the clear winner was Anglamark Shaving Cream, available at the supermarket SuperBrugsen for 26 kroner - the only shaving cream to score 6 out of 6 – as it was the only shaving cream to contain absolutely no offending additives. As for Gilette, well, don't believe the advertising hype. There you have it.

Oh, be warned, the assessment did not get into niche categories such as 'best shaving cream pie' - should you be looking for just the right way to celebrate the winning goal in a future football victory, or such.

The Storm at Vega

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:46:13 PDT

ng
The impossibly seductive Pernille Rosendahl (and Co.), live at Vega on Thursday evening, concluding a month long tour around Denmark.

There's always a risk of having to listen to a lot of not so great-filler whenever a band with only one album is headlining a show, but The Storm didn't waste anytime moving firmly from one solid track to the next from their excellent debut album during their high-energy show on Thursday. I certainly wouldn't hestitate to plunk down my cash to see them again in the future.

The Storm features a bit heavier sound than the now-defunct Swan Lee, but there's no denying Pernill Rosendahl is one hell of a talented singer - and they are a pretty decent songwriting duo as well, with the promise of more to come. Let's hope so.

With Transglobal Underground coming to Copenhagen...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:08:56 PDT

by: Timothy Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)

Upon discovering that Transglobal Underground, one of the (many, many) favourite bands of The Copenhagen Report, was coming to Copenhagen for a show on Nov. 13, we got in touch with Tim Whelan, the band's leader, keyboard and guitar player, to find out in advance of the show about what they've been up to lately. But if you've never heard Transglobal Underground, it's a chance to check out their full-throttle live performance, which never disappoints...

It's great to see the band showing up in Denmark (and Sweden) for a few shows. You could say the shows from the current tour have been pretty scattered around - how does the band decide where to tour these days?

Most of the time we've been playing where the album has been released.....and it hasn't been released in Scandinavia so we haven't played there for 2 years up till the current invitation to play with Valravn.

TGU has been persistent over the years - a good things for fans of the band. How has the focus of the bank changed over the years, and how would you describe it at present?

We've tended to move between the more dance side of what we do....DJing, soundsytems etc, studio production work, and the live band. At the moment we're concentrating on the live band, up till the end of this year at least. There's been a big revival of small festivals in the UK, which has been important for us. We also have a DVD out with interviews and a lot of live footage, which is something people have been asking for for a while. It's hard to explain what we're all about without seeing it happen live in front of your eyes.

The line-up of TGU is always evolving, giving each album it's own personality, with different influences. Tell us about the current line-up and its influence on the sound of the band - both on-stage and on the current album?

The line-up coming to Denmark is Tuup on vocals and percussion......singer, MC, poet, storyteller and around TGU since the early days; Krupa on vocals, who's worked with One Giant Leap, Sista India and made her recorded debut with TGU on 'Moonshout'; Sheema Mukherjee on sitar and bass.....the best British born sitarist going and well known in her own right in the UK; Hamid ManTu on drums who also does much of the programming work; Rav on dhol and tabla who we kidnap from his normal weekend work on the club and bhangra scene from time to time; and myself on machines and guitar.

There's 3 or 4 others involved in the current touring group from time to time, but in general we try to stick to a six piece band

Personally one of my favourite tracks from 'Moonshout' is 'Spice Garden' just because it has so much emotion and it's so different from pretty much anything else I can think of from the back catalogue (of course, finding 2 similar TGU songs isn't exactly easy...). How did that song come to be?

A few years back we worked with the legendary vocalist Yanka Rupkina and the Trio Bulgarka in Sofia. 2 songs we recorded with them came out on our previous album 'Impossible Broadcasting' but Yanka also sang a solo piece over a very sparse backing we'd recorded. It took us a couple of years to find the right atmosphere for it; after that the instrumentation was recorded very quickly.

Can you pick a couple of favourites songs from the current album? And how about all-time favourites?

Well everyone in the groups got their own favourites and they change at different times! Right now mine would be 'Mera Jhumka' and 'Mag ak Ndaw'

How did the Alex Kasiek/Tim Whelan alter ego (among others, I suppose) come to exist?

Since in the early days of TGU there was no line-up, a number of names were invented and different people used different names at different times. Alex Kasiek turned up so often in these days that he turned into a real person and now lives in retirement in the Bohemian countryside, with several years supply of beer and sausage and a large unfriendly dog.

Any future plans beyond the current album and gigs?

We have some great remixes of 'Dancehall Operator' coming out in January on vinyl and mp3.

To close the interview: I was recently asked a question about Copenhagen as a city that I'll rephrase and re-direct to you in a different form: If TGU was a person, how would you describe them?

A big friendly giant.

Thanks to Tim Whelan for taking the time to answer our questions. Transglobal Underground play Kulturhus in Islands Brygge on Sunday, Nov. 13. Tickets 140 kr+service charges at www.billetnet.dk.

Two exhibitions worth your precious time...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:17:00 PDT

The exhibition u-turn is notable for its scope, and for the fact that its simply not the kind of exhibition that makes it's way to Copenhagen often enough. It's really more of a typically London or Berlin kind of exhibition. It's by no means mind-blowingly original or anything like that, but it's amusing - and it would be great to see more exhibitions closer to this scale in Copenhagen. Personally, I haven't had a chance to fully explore many of the associated events, of which there are many throughout the month, but I did get out to one of the main parts of it, that being the one out at Carlsberg in Vesterbro/Valby, which was quite amusing and perfectly located in an big old (and now unused) warehouse/manufacturing room. A great way to spend an hour or two on a Sunday.

And of course the ever-reliable Louisiana has done it again with a fantastic retrospective of Danish artist Per Kirkeby's work. Watch the video in which the curator of the exhibitions talks to Per Kirkeby about some of the paintings to gain a pleasantly insightful peek into the mind of this well-known Danish artist, one who has put a lot more thought and feeling into his scratchy, abstract and colourful works then first meets the eye.

...and if nothing else, enjoy the inevitably peaceful setting of the almost always compelling museum, overlooking the Øresund Sea. And it's so much easier to get out there for a visit now that Louisiania is now open until late every weekday evening.

...we scrub harder

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 12:45:21 PDT

I know this blog is desperately in need of more loving, and I will work on it. In the meantime, a possibly helpful note: if you need someone to clean your toilets, consider poaching one of the staff from the cleaning service of Copenhagen airport. Apparently, they do scrub harder (or so their sign claimed...), which I suppose is what you would want. Enough said.

Is this where the best falafel in Copenhagen is found?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:56:27 PDT

The unpretentious falafel stand in Christiania. A fine falafel, they certainly sell. The best in the city...it just might be, if you ask me.

Farewell Nyhedsavisen...we won't miss ya'!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 14:56:01 PDT

Out came the announcement a short while ago that one of Copenhagen's 4 free daily newspapers, Nyhedsavisen, had (at last) run aground, apparently after bleeding some 1 million kroner per day (!!). It officially closed its doors for good yesterday.

Here's a couple of comments I can offer:

Firstly, this is hardly a surprise. In the last apartment we lived, Nyhedsavisen used to get delivered to the door most mornings, for some reason or other. We certainly never ordered it. Interestingly, it was generally there on the doorstep in the late evening, the day before. That is to say, the news was about as fresh as a loaf of stale bread - and an extremely low quality one, with not much taste to begin with, at that.

Secondly, bike anywhere around the center of Copenhagen and one cannot avoid the free newspapers. MetroXpress and Urban are arguably at the absolute bare minimum level of acceptability of the lot - lest you misunderstand what I'm mean, let me define 'minimum level of acceptability' as not unlike choking back an abnormally bitter and horrid morning coffee that is just a tiny bit above room temperature, when no other alternative is available (and your fighting off a mean hangover). So it's not saying much.

To put it another way, while basically it was barely even worth bothering to flip through Nyhedsavisen, MetroXpress and Urban can provide a bare level of distraction during a 5 or 10 minute metro ride. But not much more. And the fact that I'm even suggesting this is the definition of a 'minimum level of acceptability' suggest the depths to which daily journalism standards and expectations have fallen, at least in the area of free newspapers.

Imagine if somebody actually managed to put out a free daily morning newspaper that managed to provide some original insight, even if it wasn't comprehensive in it's coverage. That could actually be something worthwhile, and a much better way to kill time during a metro ride.

So good riddance Nyhedsavisen, we really won't be missing ya'.

*Ed. note: Upon second thought some hours later, I believe it was actually '24 timer' that arrived at our door each day, not Nyhedsavisen. Nonetheless, this doesn't really change the bottom line, since the free newspapers are virtually interchangeable anyway...and I should acknowledge that they do, every once in a while, pull out some half-baked piece of journalism that is mildly original. It just doesn't happen all that often, and it takes them rather a lot of forest in between...

The joys of media-whoring

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:03:11 PDT

I am not typically a reader of the Danish (tabloid-style) newspaper BT. But yesterday, I felt obligated to purchase a copy for the first (and probably only) time.

You see, my girlfriend's parents happen to be BT subscribers, which proved lucky for me, as it was they who discovered what I otherwise I would never have known - which was that in yesterday's BT issue I had been quoted extensively, though rather cryptically, in an article in BT's travel section.

Yes, it seems the good folks at BT (or at least one of their journalists, Kåre Welinder) was trolling around CNN's website and came across the interview I recently contributed about life in Copenhagen. Kåre was kind enough to write a very positive article based on a few of quotes and comments from that interview, translated into Danish - attributing them to 'den canadiske journalist Tim' ('the Canadian journalist Tim'). Nice.

A shame Kåre didn't bother to actually give my full name, or directly mention The Copenhagen Report, or drop me a line to mention he was writing the article (I promise I don't bite...even tabloid journalists) but no matter - Kåre was kind enough to suggest that the whole interview could be found on CNN's Travel webpage. I'm not entirely sure why he didn't instead quote from Connie Nielsen's slightly more high-profile and interesting interview from the same CNN page, on the same 'life in Copenhagen' theme - not that I'm complaining!

I also must admit that yesterday, for the first time in my life, I felt like a bit of a media whore, since only a few hours earlier I had finished ghost-writing an interview-article for an upcoming issue of World Finance magazine (an article about banking, that had nothing to do with life in Copenhagen...). From BT to World Finance, all in a day - talk about covering the media spectrum...

And one last personally amusing side-note. Each Monday, during one of the twice weekly 3 1/2 hour sessions of Danish lessons I subject myself to, each class member has to bring in an article from a Danish newspaper or magazine to talk about...I already know what article I'll be bringing to class this coming week...

A little surprise from BT...you've been quoted...

Summer days on Bornholm

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:00:26 PDT

Rønne, Bornholm from the air...

Ending up on the Danish island of Bornhorm during the summer months, and a mere 3 hours from Copenhagen - assuming no bad weather has caused the catamarans to be cancelled (more on that later) - is never a bad option, in spite of the unreliable Danish weather. So, a few simple pictures...

Rønne from the sea...

Deep blue waters straight off the rocks waters makes for a great place for a quick jump into the water at Allinge (just in front of the røgeri)

the view from Hasle...

fishermen in the Rønne harbour...

wood...and water

a visit just woudn't be complete without a bit of smoked herring...in this case from Svaneke

yep, smoked herring...

smoked fish!

Now this is a moment in Danish time. A classic and tasty Bornholm tourist dish from the Svaneke Røgeri - smoked herring, rugbrød, and some butter (and in this case a mussel on the side...)

Homemade at Svaneke: The Flødebolle (a distinctly Danish, well, Scandinavian, chocolate treat...)

Hammershus...taking you all the way back to the 13th century. Kind of.

the view from Hammershus...

The ferry ride home on a rather, ahem, blustery day is another story...one involving cancelled catamarans, a slow ferry, small paper bags and many gagging-like noises. Thankfully, none of them were coming from us, the day of this photo.

can't bode well for a smooth ride home...

3 hours of wavey action, little paper bags and way too many unpleasant sounds...

Hmmm, what's that beer...?

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:06:01 PDT

Every now and then, some little and seemingly meaningless event or incident reminds you that things are always developing, and in the case of Copenhagen, generally for the better, I would say.

A recent addition at the exit gates at Copenhagen Airport is a case in point. The orange facade and clean lines of the relatively new 'Nørrebro Bryghus' bar is the first thing passengers see as they exit the airport. And this really is something notable - notable for what it isn't.

See, in years past, dear old Carlsberg would never have let such an opportunity to blast their green logo in front of a few million people, many stepping onto Danish soil for the first time, get by them. But somehow the little Nørrebro Bryhus-microbrewery outfoxed the giant, grabbing onto this prime spot. And it's more than a symbolic victory, since this really is the first 'visual of Denmark' as passengers exit customs and effectively enter Denmark.

It's also a nice allegory to the state of the beer market in Denmark, which has been thoroughly rejuvenated with the addition of piles of small breweries and tasty beers. I like it.

Friday night at Tivoli (with The Flaming Lips)

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:44:26 PDT

One of the best deals out there for a night of entertainment happens on a Friday night at Tivoli Gardens - the amusement park in the center of Copenhagen. Well, not just any Friday, but some of them. In case you live in Copenhagen, but under a rock, every week Tivoli hosts a Friday concert ("Fridagsrock") series, where for the price of admission you get a 'free' open air concert. And every now and then a major international act turns up - such as this past week - along with plenty of worthwhile Scandinavian names the rest of the weeks. Admittedly, not every one of them is exactly worth the price of admission, and there are times when Tivoli's lousy sound system can be problematic. But if you get yourself into the right position, and the band has decent sound guys, it can be pretty damn good.

This past Friday The Flaming Lips rolled into town and played a Friday concert at Tivoli. It was an impressive performance, to say the least, as The Flaming Lips take their stage show pretty seriously...well, sort of. Maybe seriously is the wrong word for a band that plays a nearly 2 hour show with a bunch of Teletubbies dancing along beside them. Yes, Yoshimi Battled the Pink Robots. Do you realize? Enough said.

Yoshima battles the pink robots...

Do you realize?

Så crooner vi igen!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 03:44:24 PDT

By: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)

"Så crooner vi igen" ('So we crooner again') announced the sign above the bar as we sauntered into Kassen on Nørrebrogade one Wednesday night not all that long ago. As the band set up the Rhodes kyeboard, double base and drum set, we had a hunch we just might have stumbled on to something. Casting our eyes over the classic bar menu, and the classically decked out bartenders, we decided we had to pull up a bar stool and find out.

Indeed we had.

There's almost nothing better than discovering a new mid-week diversion, even if it's actually not all that new and has (presumably) been there right in front of your blissfully ignorant eyes for some time. Precisely this was what happened Wednesday night about 3 weeks ago when, rambling around Nørrebro looking for just the right place to fit our mood that evening, 'Kassen' came up as a suggestion. It was a place we had been ignoring for some years.

And what do you know, turns out Wednesday at Kassen is 'Crooner Night'.

This means a special classic menu of cocktails (you know the ones, Manhatten, Martini, Cosmopolitan, etc., etc), and, best of all, a nice little lounge band playing in the corner.

Any band that can coolly finish off their evening set of crooner classics with a casually lounge-like jazzy version of a classic-in-its-own-kind-of-way 'Eye of the Tiger', just chilled-out enough to make you want to tap your feet as you throw back one last martini, is absolutely good enough to fill a few hours on an otherwise non-descript Wednesday night in Copenhagen. You gotta love it.

'Crooner night' every Wednesday at Kassen 20.00-01.00

Just right for a Manhatten...

Cycling along the lakes...and the smell of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 05:48:56 PST

Not that long ago, anyone going for a little bicycle ride along the lakes ('Søerne') in Copenhagen, which stretch from Vesterbro, past Nørrebro and all the way over to Osterbro, was greeted by very unfriendly gates and 'no cycling' signs. It looked exactly like this:

...obviously, not everyone agreed with the message

It was one of the most nonsensical cycling restriction in Copenhagen. Not only is are the lakes a great place to cycle, but with two enormously wide paths, one running right alongside the water, the other set about a meter higher set in from the water, there is more than ample enough space for both bicycles and pedestrians. But at long last, the restrictions are being lifted and finally the path along the lakes looks as it should. There are still a couple of fences up towards Osterbro, which I assume will disappear soon (or are being left to 'slow' bicycle traffic).

no more barriers or bicycle restrictions!

An amusing thing about this (above) picture is it is precisely the sight of a campaign an adamant local has been running every morning for the past few months, putting up a banner over the (former) barrier proclaiming the path along the lakes for pedestrians, then sitting herself at a chair on a table and thereby partially blocking the small entrance in the barrier where bikes and people could go through. Apparently a protest of the coming changes to along bicycles. I used to cycle by her on my way to work every morning.

Actually, I was even once (annoyingly) stopped by a tricky police officer positioned to catch the many, many people (like me) who chose to be, ahem, civilly disobedient when going along the lakes with a bicycle...the fine never did arrive in the post.

Incidentally, a fair way to judge of how the summer is going in Copenhagen, that is, if there has really been a summer at all, is to take a stroll along the lakes ('Søerne'). A hot summer not only means algae-coated green-tinged lakes, but also results in the lakes emitting a lovely stench. And judging things by this measure, it hasn't been such a bad summer around here. Fortunately the ducks seem to like it no matter what.

the lovely green Copenhagen lakes...

Grabbing just a tiny ray of Connie Neilsen's limelight...

noreply@blogger.com (Tim) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:04:44 PDT

It's a bit frustrating that I just haven't had time these last few weeks for this blog, but as I promised, that will change soon.

In the meantime, perhaps this interview I did with CNN International about life in Copenhagen in connection with one of their shows, My City_My life could be of interest.

It's not often that you get to share the stage with Connie Neilsen, somewhat metaphorically in this case, and I certainly couldn't ask for anymore publicity for this blog than this!