The Wailing Woman & Other Neighborhood Characters

Every now and then, a woman in a newspaper hat walks around our neighborhood in Augsburg's Jakobervorstadt and wails. She moans, "Owa, owa, owa!", (German for "ouch") and after what we think was a suicide attempt (jumping?), was even strapped down in an ambulance once and whisked off to probably a hospital. I saw her at our tram stop, complaining and crying to the postman while smoking a cigarette, which she threw far behind her in frustration as she got on the train. I've also seen her talking to passerby's (not sure if they're familiar to her) who often have dull, meth-abused-looking eyes, and nod passively with no vocal response. 

Last night, a couple of Africans speaking in a loud and brash language woke us with their fighting at the bordello across the street. A group of teenage girls boosted each other so that their heads reached over the fence separating our street and the "Red Light District" (yes, it has red lights - my mother mistook them for seasonal Christmas lighting, admiring the festivity of my neighborhood), and they ogled and giggled the German equivalent of "OMG! WTF!". 

I don't feel unsafe here nor uneasy, but rather, sorry for all of these people, who are locked into the monotony of their problems and struggles and can't hold back, even in public. Maybe we need a nice community garden here. 

Ageing & Still Raging

Today, I listened to an episode of Sound Opinions that discussed the emergence of EDM (electronic dance music), its influences, impact on pop culture, and future in America. Though informative, it left me with a strange sensation of realizing that I’ve gotten older. I had never experienced this feeling before in relation to anything artistic, and it took me a while to understand my anxious reaction. This episode was the first to showcase a trending genre of music that I am relatively unfamiliar with. 

Sure, I know something about early 90s dance music; I fought for our family car’s radio station to be tuned to Chicago’s B96 until I was twelve or thirteen years old (the alternative rock station, Q101, took over after that point). But my knowledge of EDM ends at 1996, and, well, a lot has happened since then. 

This Skrillex guy, among others, has been producing sounds and beats that have evolved way past 1996. I don’t know how to use a laptop as a recording, producing, and mixing studio, I barely know what ‘dubstep’ is, and I don’t know how to sample. I mean, my blog isn't even hip-looking (Flash? Photos?). The way I make music (and study it) could be considered archaic today. 

Although I liked what I heard on Sound Opinions, I didn’t feel like a part of it and subconsciously began to wonder if I’ve already become obsolete. My anxiety signified that I felt as though I’m dinosauring. Or getting ready to dinosaur. 

Snap back to rational thinking: I’m not old nor done for. And even if I was, there are millions of resources to come by on the internet, at shows (whether they be Coachella, in a basement, or at a dive bar), and word of mouth. One can learn a tremendous amount by simply listening, reading, and staying open-minded. So, traditional musicians - don’t despair! We are still part of the conversation!