F1 racing cars

a formula 1 racing car will fail to start unless its engine has been heated to the required temperature. they have to do this by pumping hot water around it.

it will also fail to pull away if you do not give enough gas approaching the bite point. some form of electronic wizardry on board will cut the engine to avoid stalling.

also whilst on the track, the car must be driven hard enough to keep the tyres warm and to create sufficient downward force from the spoiler, otherwise you wont be able to keep it on the track.

in some ways, F1 racing cars are alot like people.

people who have to get all fired up before they undergo a task. people who will not start something they dont think they will be able to do. people who need stress in order to perform, even if they have to create that stress themselves.

as martin pointed out though, formula 1 racing cars have been carefully engineered to perform at their best under these conditions.

people havnt.

blogs are special

i havnt been posting as much as id like to recently. perhaps i havnt had so much on my mind that iv wanted to share.

however something that i have been gradually realising is how important these blogs are. i mean blogs in general, not mine in particular.

i cant really be sure why the internet/www was originally created. communication seems the primary intention but it seems to have developed into a world wide billboard for companies to advertise themselves and to gain information on potential customers so they can target them with better, more specific advertising.

for ages i thought sites like myspace and facebook where genuine social networking sites built for that intention. facebook we all know now is purely an advertising machine. and i wonder too whether google was created because the brains behind it wanted to give the world quick and easy access to information, or because they knew the idea would be popular and that they could sell advertising space on the site and that companies could sponsor the page in order to get a better placement.

i find myself now feeling very cynical and dubious about anything i see on the www. can i trust the motivations behind a site if all around its edge are flashy banners trying to sell me something, averting my attention from the information i was originally looking for.

but have you noticed, an abundance of flashy banners around this blog? the sole content of this blog is my thoughts and what i want to say.

what the www offers us is the chance to talk, communicate whatever we want to whoever we want without censorship. forums allow us to share information and discuss topics with like minded individuals and email is personal way to communicate with those close to us be it personally or through business.

start using the tools available to learn. read what people have to say, discuss opinions and broadcast your own. ignore the advertising and the money making scams, especially those under the guise of social networking.

dont think outside the box

you have to have rules and you have to have boundaries. its ok to break the rules and to push the boundaries but without the original rules and boundaries this would be impossible.

dont think outside the box - try placing yourself out of the box but continue to think within the box.

dobry den

prague is such a fascinating city.

at first it feels like you are walking through the set of a costume drama. you expect to see people carrying lighting equipment and as you turn a corner, some kind of make-up trailer with a director screaming orders at bumbling extras.

every building is a work of art - i really do admire that style of architecture that is just so over the top and glorious - it makes you sad that so many british citys have lost that period of architecture.

but at least britain has developed visually as it has culturally. i mean with huge multi-level shopping centres and trendy clubs and bars built in and around modern buildings.

i wonder if some of the architects who built prague would ever dream that one day, their building would house the "biggest club in central europe" where you can listen to techno and watch girls dance in their underwear until 5 in the morning.

although this element of the city has become widely popular with stag parties and the like and is now perhaps what the citys reputation is built upon, i would urge anyone visiting prague to simply spend an evening strolling around the old town square and venturing down its many side streets and they will see a different side of a prague that is more breath taking then anything the clubs and cabaret bars could offer.

my blogs over the coming weeks will purely consist of photos of prague.

things this week that have made me happy/smile

(sometimes we are too negative)

the above image was found via google from randomsynapsesoftheheart.blogspot.com, i dont know where they found it from.

the list is as follows:

• listening to radioheads 'in rainbows'


• drinking shandy


• riding the scoot around in the sunshine


• riding the scoot around in the rain but still staying dry


• preparing for my trip to prague with my girlfriend


• having extra long, extra steamy showers in the morning and not worrying about the time


• that stories get completely blown out of context and people tell you about them when they dont actually know what the original story was


• discovering new and interesting web sites


• drinking well made coffee


• and eating bon bons
  

its good to do this every now and then - especially following a bad week perhaps.

FAME!

or lack of?

i will start by saying that some of the ideas you will read about in this blog are founded on interpretations. they could be entirely wrong and if they are, id rather not know.

i have been thinking a lot about the ideals of an artist who i have been spending a lot of time with recently. i wont say who he is - after reading this blog you will hopefully understand why.

most artists are constantly seeking attention, looking to get their work seen and heard. we measure our success from our notoriety - 'have we made a name for ourselves in our chosen field?' and so on.

sometimes it feels like it isnt enough to be purely creating, there has to be a recognisable outlet that can be measured such as how many people come to your show, how many pieces you are selling and for how much. this is what we want to tell people about in pubs and at work, not that we have just been locked in our studios producing for ourselves.

it seems very rare to meet an artist who is the opposite of this and perhaps this is why i have been so intrigued by this topic recently.

the artist in question is not interested in recognition for his work - in his words (roughly) - 'its just something he feels he has to do.'

i really like the way he will produce work and share it only with close friends and family instead of whoring it to a mass audience.

a big turning point in my development as a performer was when i stopped caring about audience reaction. of course a good reaction is always nice and you can definitely tell when you have an audiences full attention, but 9 times out of 10 you dont and this use to really bother me.

recently though, i have found increasingly that my best performances come when i completely shut out the audience - if they want to listen then they do - i wont try and force any reaction from them. the only opinions i seek afterwards are my own and that of my very close friends.

i can imagine that this is similar for 'artist'. being able to produce, free of any expectation or demand and the only reward being the feeling of satisfaction which can only ever come from within no matter what.

i have set my sights on this type of existence. to be able to produce, write and perform entirely free of expectation or demand and i wonder whether this type of attitude should be embraced by more artists.

perhaps the internet and channel 4 have taught people that a creative ability is another way to make money and become famous rather than something personal that should be nurtured with those close to you.


(an unrelated blog i found today - http://www.sethgodin.typepad.com/)

making of a hit part 2 (and a bit)

recording spoken word at martins.

id like to think that i passed on a bit of knowledge during this process as recording vocals is something i have had to do time and time again and in many different circumstances although i am by no means an expert.

the day was productive - now all thats left to do is edit.

ping pong

feel like im ping ponging between happy and sad today.
the biggest thing thats pissing me off is that i cant seem to make anything happen. like plans that should really be falling into place by now but arent. time is slowly dragging by and nothing is making any progress.
its not my fault - its totally out of my hands - but everyone else is now holding me up and when it all goes wrong - im gonna be the one who looks like a mug.

interesting also how everything that goes wrong seems to be someone Else's fault. i think i need to work on that. without noticing it sometimes, i think we project emotions and attitudes onto those around us. my girlfriend always thinks theres something wrong, that i have some kind of a problem with her and that makes her feel unhappy. i have no problem with her what-so-ever. i love her to bits and being around her always makes me happy, but perhaps, if i have something on my mind, even right in the back of my mind, that gets projected out giving people this impression of unhappiness. so perhaps the reason everyone else seems to be getting on my nerves is actually my fault to begin with.

the weekends nearly here and i really need it. hopefully once friday nights out the way then i can relax - i have a feeling this weekend is going to be a good one.

self promotion

so the other day i entered a massive online/television competition for unsigned artists to win a record deal. think x factor but for bands and singer songwriters.

http://orangeunsignedact.co.uk/acts/bonde-de-wolf

im already feeling pretty disgusted/embarrassed with myself.

looking through the acts that have signed up and created their profile they all have something in common. they are so desperate. scrambling over each other to try and get noticed, to get votes and to convince us that they are the next big thing.

sure you gotta be confident, you have to make chances happen for yourself but this kind of shameless plugging is degrading isnt it?

these bands are an A&R mans wet dream - they cite their inspirations as 80s bands such as the smiths, they sound exactly like the libertines, they dress straight out of high street acceptable alternative fashion stores and have perfected a rock n roll style swagger and drawl that they have clearly spent years practising in their bedrooms.

am i one of them too?

id like to think that i have more class. that my music has depth and that i am a three dimensional artist. not that i dont want votes, that i dont want to be successful and my music to gain recognition, but i think if i dont keep my music personal and maintain my identity as an artist - id just feel empty inside.