Note-y thing: Yes, I’m a bit behind on this diary thing. But let’s pretend I’m not, huhkay?
Day two of my Smirnoff trip to Johannesburg began with clear evidence that I’d enthusiastically filled out a breakfast order for room service the previous evening while slightly inebriated:
I didn’t manage to finish it all, or even half of it. Such delicious excess would be put into a fair amount of perspective later in the day when we took a trip to Soweto. *seriousface*
Now, you read the word “township” and you probably imagine dreadful suffering and misery. The generations that grew up in township shacks didn’t choose to do so - it was a living condition enforced by the country’s lengthy apartheid era.
And while I’m not going to pretend Soweto is now an up-and-coming area likely to attract London’s sharkiest property developers, as we cycled around parts of the community in our blue helmets - to the obvious amusement of the locals - I think most of the blogfolk came to the conclusion that it wasn’t as grim as we were expecting. Continue reading »
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Monday May 17th, 2010 at
4:30 pm
One day into my blogger’s trip to Johannesburg courtesy of Smirnoff, and I’m a shut-in.
OK, not really. But it’s pretty tempting not to leave a hotel room that:
- Has a TV that greets you by name
- Has a shower room with a window that lets you watch TV while you condition your locks (it even has a speaker in the bathroom)
- Has a pool area and deck that makes you feel like you’re in Entourage
Oh yeah, and that staff smile and help you and stuff. Whoever invented pleasant service should export the idea to Britain sometime. I could do without the hammering in the morning - the hotel has literally just opened - but at least it means I don’t have to arrange a wake-up call.
Sorry, am I supposed to be a bit more blase and “whatever” about things? I repeat: SHOWER ROOM TELLY THING.
Music-wise nothing to report yet but I had an interesting chat to a chap by the name of Pogo last night at dinner. He creates audio/visual mash-ups like the below piece of amazingness, and is hoping to swizzle up something marvellous with the sights and sounds we encounter in the city over the next few days:
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Thursday May 13th, 2010 at
8:43 am
Tomorrow, volcanic ash guffs permitting, I will be flying to Johannesburg in South Africa to check out something called Smirnoff Experience ‘Mashup Street‘.
This particular happening will see South African band BLK JKS collaborate with Tiesto in a sizeable aircraft hanger, alongside other cultural crossovers involving fashion, food, art and (who’s sponsoring it again? Oh yes, Smirnoff) drinks. It all promises to be rather exciting, and it’s not often one gets the chance to say one is travelling to South Africa for a gig.
Hopefully I’ll be updating the site while I’m out there with some kind of diary, and I will try not to make my updates as life-sapping as those “let me show you my holiday photos” moments everyone dreads. And if I fail in my attempt, hey, normal service will resume next week (unless I manage to work out a way to stay for the World Cup).
If you’d like to watch the gig on your local internet, meanwhile, you’ll be able to do so on Facebook on May 15th - if you’re lucky you might get to see me “having it large” (after drinking responsibly, natch).
Tiesto and BLK JKS have created a rather rollicksome “track” to celebrate their mashing, which you can hear below. And if you have any tips on what I should/shouldn’t do/wear/eat/say/swim in while I’m out there, please do enlightenez-moi in the comments?
Posted by
Stuart Waterman on
Monday May 10th, 2010 at
1:26 pm
Sorry to say, the worldwide recession seems to have hit Brazil’s tenuously musical pre-World Cup TV ads. Check out this effort which, despite featuring stroppy genius Robinho and being set to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies”, is puh-ritty budget:
Lest we forget, in 2006 Ronaldinho and pals were part of this balletic masterpiece set in an airport:
That’s quite a drop in quality over the last four years. If the Brazilian Football Confederation’s marketing department were a band, they would be The Killers :(
Sia Furler is probably still most recognisable to people in Blighty for her stint in Zero 7, when she lent some high-class emoting to several otherwise quite somnolent songs which you’ll have heard used as dramatic shorthand in several TV shows over the last few years (see “Destiny”).
Those last few years, however, have also seen Sia release several very good albums, containing several very good songs, and yet she still seems to be very not a Proper Popstar as far as Most People are concerned.
Culture Connect is all about encouraging you to use the proximity of cities like Paris and Brussels (or, er London, if you live over there) to get your fill of kultchah. Did you know that a Eurostar ticket can get you 2-for-1 entry to numerous artful places in The Abroads, like Cit
Posted by
admin on
Tuesday May 4th, 2010 at
8:30 am
Sia Furler is probably still most recognisable to people in Blighty for her stint in Zero 7, when she lent some high-class emoting to several otherwise quite somnolent songs which you’ll have heard used as dramatic shorthand in several TV shows over the last few years (see 
