journal entry from last.fm

haha didnt recognize this site has journal function, ok i will use this as my blog then,since blogn-only sites plain suck.

i am working in thailand at the moment as a junior german assistant,and junior is quite fitting since i cant do anything here by law,the "golden age" is set at 20 (meaning when you´re 20 you can drink and buy alcohol legally and go to clubs etc etc)
bangkok,where i stay,is a terrible place for the music i am interested in at the moment. its cd stores either do crappy metal bands (Savatage,DIO,hypnos) discount or just feature cds with the lastest customized hit puppy,be it a thai or an "americanized" creature,since the thai popstars all sing in their mother tongue,probably one of the reasons because ive never heard of them in germany "hey check out this great cd!" "ok whats she singing about?" "err dunno,but track 4 rocks!!")
yeah right,track 4,this leads me to my next point. i absolutely cant stand people that call themselves "fans" of a certain band,and when you hear them talking next to you about the latest tattoos of the singer or how great all tracks except 5 of 7 are great... ya whatever. i miss going to concerts regularly,i miss the fake "hardcore for life" attitude (come on guys,you will never keep this attitude up until the day you die,meaing a natural death,not by someone elses hands or some false cure)and "we re so emo because its trendy" clubs, fat 16 year old conor oberst fans with red-black stripe tshirts and strawberry shaped earrings anyone ?

the bands that have absolutely dominated me for the last few weeks were without a doubt ISIS and BOHREN & DER CLUB OF GORE.
ISIS is just...i cant really explain it,its one of the very few bands that does not simply try to create meaningful,emotional music outside the ordinary,but actually ACHIEVES this,and it amazes me every time i listen to one of their records (panopticon these days,why the fuck do i always write "panotpicon" on the first try?), and i wrote them an email,which ill just copy into this. and the best thing: they replied, thank you very much again here! isis are the fucking best band on the planet,this and last year,for me at least. last year it was a tough competition with neurosis though (yeah,been a sludgy year ^_^)

more philosophical shit and something about bohren& der club of gore soon to come,maybe some images as well -_-;;

heres my email and the answer by aaron:

Hi,my name is Vincent,i live in Germany,Leipzig to be exact,but right now,in
this period of my life i am in Bangkok,working at an international
school,but anyways, i just wanted to say thank you very much for your
music,for being there,for touring (i saw you live two times,i will never
forget both evenings) and for releasing the most colourful and emotional
music i know yet. your music means so much to me,i can hardly express how
much it enriches my everyday life,i am a huge admirer,and i didnt even know
this before i saw you the second time (yep,in Leipzig on May 15th). I got to
know your band through the ipecac website,and i just thought "ok lets give
it a go" when oceanic was released, and what can i say, the beautiful and
struggling melodies you created on "oceanic" opened my heart to other parts
and views of this world,same with "panopticon" which is my favourite record
of last year and this one as well...i cant go on writing more because i
would repeat myself and you would probably get bored of my,i
guess,repetitive and superficial words,but words are all i have,and a slight
hope you might read this email, to express what you mean to many of your
fans,ive seen very fanatic people on both of the concerts.
everytime i listen to a song of isis,it reminds me of a certain aspect of
life,scenes from a certain day start flashing in my head,imaginations,i
reach my arm out to touch them and when i fall down because there is
nothing,your music catches me.and the scenes just become more and more,the
songs are growing as well. i started playing bass,and your melodies always
give me energy,ideas,or just pure fascination...
before your concert in the middle of may i had certain struggles in my
life,concerning women, nowhere to go (i know that i want to study,or
continue writing articles about music) but that evening....i know it may
sound pathetic,but it changed my life indeed,because it was a decision FOR
what i love from the bottom of my heart,honest music with a meaning,that has
something to say,and not a woman that would betray me anyways after 2 weeks
(uninteresting story for you anyways)....
yeah that was about what i wanted to write,i had the pleasure of seeing you
live two times,i had a quick chat with aaron (being in the first row is
great) because he pushed the monitor on my stuff (my fault,sorry again) and
i only see improvement in your music,your performance,your energy,the
variety of emotions you cover up,the people you inspire,everything,you are
one of the very few bands out there,that really touch my heart,and are
actually a band that will be remembered,thats at least what i hope,and i
will do my part for that...please keep going,you are an enrichment to many
people i know,inculding myself of course(since i have a strong interest of
teaching people to be tolerant not just concerning music,but everything) and
just...thank you _very_ much for everything you've done and havent done yet,
will do and wont do. my life has become much more enjoyable here,there, in
my head, and in my heart.
Deepest regards,
Vincent

PS: Hope you will be around Leipzig/Dresden on your next european tour
again,cant wait to see you live again once i return to germany.

hey vincent,
thanks for the email - you have a lot to say abotu our music which is
very much appreciated on our end.... though we don';t know quite what
to say in response. first off, it's not silly to us that you feel our
music changed your life or perspective on life in some way - it's the
best compliment we could hope for. i know that many bands have
changed my own life, and that i would be quite a different person if
it weren't for those experiences. i wish i knew what else to say, but
the only thing i can think of is to say THANK YOU - thank for
listening to our music with open ears and mind, thank you for coming
to see is on multiple occasions, and thanks for writing us to share
your thoughts....
take care and we'll see you in germany next time we head off for a
european tour!
a