Come the last few days of the aging year, we all start making resolutions for the new one: gonna do more exercise, start a diet, take up a new hobby, even quit smoking, blah, blah, blah. Then, one way or another, most of our good-will intentions gradually fall on stony ground, don't they? But it's always nice to kind of try and "mend our ways", isn't it?
That's why I thought I could sort of say a musical goodbye to 2010 on our blog and, at the same time, wish you all the best for 2011. And there's a delightful song by a fantastic artist who you know I was privileged enough to see live recently, Jamie Cullum. It's called "Next year baby" and I think it suits today perfectly. My favourite part is when Jamie sings: "But if there's one thing I must do / Despite my greatest fears / I'm gonna say to you / how I've felt all of these years!
I've chosen the longer live version because at the beginning of the rendition, before the actual song, you can watch Jamie deliver one of his renowned, physically-charged impromptus on stage. A great entertainer, he really is!
Anyway, my dear students, I do hope you all have well-meant resolutions for the new year, many of which, despite your greatest doubts, will be fulfilled to make you feel better, nicer, healthier people.
HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE EVERYONE AND A BLISSFUL 2011!
Hi everyone! Well, even though I’m not physically with you, at least I am virtually (I hope I won't catch any of those viruses which screwed me up during my flu bout).
Thanks for remembering me, José Luis! Well, I did get over my flu, and what’s more, what I’m writing about today is an indication of how well I recovered. On today’s entry I would like to speak about sports, concretely athletics. You all know we have a renowned annual event, the “San Silvestre race”. How can I start talking about it?
The San Silvestre race in Salamanca was born 27 years ago when a bunch of pals made up their mind to have a stroll across the town’s streets. In time it engaged more and more people and became increasingly popular. The race is held on the last Sunday of the year, the date this year being 26th December, and runs over a distance of 8.4 kilometres at the longest version (there are another three smaller circuits for other ages). Nowadays, thousands of people have a sort of festive day apart from an exhibition of healthy habits.
Personally, I first ran it back in 2004. For whatever reason, I hadn’t cheered up enough to cover it for a second time, but this year I got up the nerve to try and accomplish it again.
How did I do it? Well, I enrolled in a gym (Multiusos) in August and I got healthier and healthier and with more stamina while running. I would do my push-ups and sit-ups, which were kind of helpful. Apart from all the exercising at the work-out room (though it wasn’t one of my priorities as I wanted to be trained in endurance) I ended my series in the swimming-pool within the “Multiusos” sports centre.
Well, apart from this, I’ve been several years working out on my bike as an amateur. For the day of the race, I got my best friend riding next to me on his bicycle, which had a mileometre to help us find out when the 8.4 kms were over. My race strategy? Always jogging gently, at a quiet pace, since my aim was “just get to the finishing line, Antonio”.
Well, I had several preparation races (running the real distance) throughout several days and I fulfilled them all (the work-out was really helpful). I confess athletics is one of my least favourite sports, but being encouraged by the spectators, competing with other runners and trying to achieve my goal made me go ahead.
After having a nasty last week “thanks” to my friend the flu and despite not having trained since then, I got ready for B-Day (Big Day). Though I wasn’t completely on my top form, I got out into the street, lined up within thousands of other sportsmen and ready to set off. As you can see in the photos (in the one above I'm the guy at the back of the second group) I was wearing a reflecting waistcoat so as to be spotted by my acquaintances and family. I turned on my 80’s music on my Mp3 player to keep my mind distracted of the inevitable “physical pain” and eventually ... I did it! In 45 minutes, 56 secs.
After the race we were given away some gifts (e.g. a T-shirt, a key ring, etc.) but that is not so important. The important thing is that I DID IT. Like learning English, the San Silvestre is a hard long distance race.
I had planned to write a bit about the TV series The Tudors, but until now I haven’t had time. Last Wednesday in class, we were speaking about Henry VIII and his wives when I thought: “What a wonderful occasion to review this serial!” And here you have it.
Henry VIII was a monarch of great importance in English history. Why? Well, like all the kings at that time, he considered himself God’s presence on earth. What is really shocking is that when the Pope denied him his divorce from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, so that he could marry one of his mistresses, Ann Boleyn, he proclaimed himself the Head of the Church in England and founded a “new” religion: Anglicanism. All this just to marry Ann Boleyn! Whoever objected to accepting this new religion was beheaded, even one of his best friends, Thomas More.
Six were the wives of Henry VIII: Katherine of Aragon, Ann Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr. The most amazing thing was that two of them were beheaded accused of treason, two others died, and only two survived him. The serial faithfully reflects the reign of Henry VIII and his love story with Katherine of Aragon, a queen which he let die of cancer in the famous Tower of London, where whoever was punished got sent, just before they were beheaded. His marriage to Ann Boleyn was going well until but deteriorated because she couldn’t give birth to a son, only to Elizabeth. Besides, many advisors to the King lied and said that she had cheated on him with many men, even his brother, who was beheaded for that. Then Henry married Jane Seymour, the woman he really was in love with. Unfortunately, she died at labour when he gave birth to Henry’s only son, Edward. Some people think Henry let her die so that his son could be born. His fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves wouldn’t last long, because she despised her. As he said in the serial, “she looks like a horse”. Oliver Cromwell, one of his advisors, was beheaded for having advised him to marry her. As a result, Henry got the divorce. His fifth (and youngest) wife, Katherine Howard, was beheaded for cheating on him with one of his advisers, Thomas Culpepper, which is exactly what he did to all his women. His last wife, Katherine Parr, was fortunate enough to survive him.
Although this TV serial’s historical acuracy has been questioned, I hold the view that it perfectly reflects the way Henry VIII behaved: his cruelty, (he slaughtered all the rioters who disobeyed his orders), his pride, his morality, his lack of feelings, his obsession to have a male heir, which led him to abhor and reject some of his wives, and his unstoppable thirst for power, for conquering new places and expanding England’s territories overseas. Furthermore, the serial highlights most of his physical changes. The king evolves from a handsome, agile man who fought in wars to an unsightly, insane, aged, plump man (his overweight is not seen in the serial, though). However, Henry VIII is not the only evil in the story, given that he is surrounded by wicked advisors, as thirsty for power as himself. When he died, he was buried with his beloved Jane Seymour. In the end, he was “punished” in some way; as his only son reigned just for a few years and died young.
To sum up, The Tudors portrays the life of Henry VIII who, despite his cruelty, became the most hated but, at the same time, the most loved and respected king who deeply influenced the history of England.
Thanks a million, Miguel, for yet another fantastic contribution to our blog. Well done!
You know, I watched the series myself, and I loved it. Not the most accurate, as you say, in terms of historic rigour, but still a lovely depiction of the most despicable English King ever.
So I thought I should embed a clip of the serial and, because both of its picture quality and engaging content, I've selected this one:
Have you heard of Stendhal Syndrome? According to psychiatrists, it is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, faint and confusion when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful, or to a large amount of art in a single place.
This “illness” is associated with Florence, Italy, given that is is named after the French writer Stendhal, who visited the town in 1817. After a long day admiring its urbanization and appearance and walking along places like the Uffizi Gallery, the Cathedral or the Academia Museum, Stendhal went inside the Basilica of Santa Croce. He completely collapsed in a heap, confused and exhausted by such a magnificent accumulation of beauty. Romantic, isn’t it? Probably, this illness rises to the ocassion.
Florence is a medium-sized, ancient town, located in the region of Tuscany. Surrounded by green hills, Florence can be considered a proud aristocrat city, whose strategic situation has been coveted along history. In competition with Pisa and Siena, which are, most of all, medieval cities, Florence emerges as the Renaissance model under the rule of the Medici family. And the centre of Florence has stood out since then, an astonishing accumulation of palaces, cobbled streets, churches and museums as well as a ‘joy of life’ (due to the Renaissance’s confidence in the human being and his optimism).
If you visit Florence on a short trip (just one or two days), there are some must-go places to visit. Fortunately, Florence is not a sprawling town, but rather compact and walkable. The Duomo (Cathedral) and the Piazza Signoria are solemn, lavish places you can’t miss. The building of the dome in the Cathedral, named after Saint Mary of the Flowers (Santa Maria dei Fiori), is an architectural daring by Brunelleschi. In time, this enormous octagonal dome, undoubtedly Brunelleschi’s masterpiece, has become the symbol of Florence. Opposite the Duomo’s façade, the Baptistery contains Ghiberti’s bronze doors. Their technical perfection, the use of perspective and the realism of the figures embellish the entrance to the Baptistery. Actually, Miguelangelo said they deserved to be the Doors of Paradise.
Piazza Signoria is continuosly walked by the tourists, given that you need to pass through this nice square to go everywhere. The Palazzo Vecchio is the most outstanding building in this square: elegant, superb and proud of itself. Also in this square is the Loggia dei Lanzi, displaying famous statues.
If you like visiting museums, Florence has two of the most recognized worldwide: The Uffizi Gallery and The Academia Museum. The former contains some of the most refined masterpieces of the Renaissance painting, such as Boticelli’s The Birth of Spring and Venus. Then, the Academia is one of Florence’s most visited museums, because it houses Micheangelo’s celebrated sculpture, David, which perfectly reflects the tension of the protagonist, about to slain Goliath. Art specialists say that the sculpture is not well finished, owing to the fact that it was carved from discarded marble. Who cares? It is probably one of the most recognized icons of male beauty (who does not want to have such a six-pack and dorsals?) Other monumental places are the Palazzo Pitti, the Ponte Vecchio, Santa Croce and the Piazza Michelangelo. Palazzo Pitti was the residence of the Medici family, who were used to living in lavish environments. Hence, you can imagine the series of sculptures, paintings, architectural adornments and ornaments you can find there. Ponte Vecchio is another symbol of the city, built in the 14th century, specially used by the Medici family to go from the Palazzo Vecchio (in Piazza Signoria) through the Uffizi Gallery towards the family residence (i.e. the Palazzo Pitti), without going out in the street. Santa Croce is an austere Franciscan church, which contains some of the most magnificint tombs in the world (Michelangelo, Macchiavelo, Galilei, etc.). And finally, Piazza Micheangelo, located on a hilltop opposite the Arno river, offers a breathtaking view of the city. No doubt, a place where couples go to kiss. Well, to be honest, the hypnotic views are postcard-worthy and really inspiring for painters.
If you like ice-creams, you can’t miss Grom, in Via Campanile, just off the cathedral. Their tasty, creamy ice-creams are really a delight to your senses. But if what you like is coffee, you know that the Italian way of making the beverage is famous worldwide; then, you should go to Café Rivoire, in Piazza Signoria, where you can breathe the same atmosphere and spirit as the likes of Goethe, Stendhal and Hemingway. Mind you: don’t drink a cup of coffee while sitting in a chair as it is prohibitive! You should take it at the counter instead. However, if you don’t mind the price and the weather is nice, the outdoor tables give you the best front-row seats in town for people-watching. Finally, if you like going places off the beaten track, leave the city centre and head directly for the much less touristy Porta San Niccolo, where you can find a lot of budget restaurants (e.g. trattorias), pubs and lounge-bars and enjoy the typical ‘Aperittivo’ at 7 p.m. or thereabouts. At this kind of dinner you pay just for the drink (although it is rather expensive; for instance, a glass of wine costs 8 euro), but you can take food from a lot of trays full of pasta, pizza, meat, chicken and fish, so it is good value for money. Moreover, it is one of the most deeply-rooted Italian customs so if you want to adapt to Italy’s lifestyle, you should go and have an ‘Aperittivo’. Happy adaptation, my Godness!
Obviously, I have to omit many reference places in Florence, in order to be concise. For example, I have hardly written about its lively nightlife. Since Florence is packed with Erasmus students, you should go out and hit the town every night. All in all, Florence offers a lot of choice, so you won’t have a dull, predictable holiday. In this sense, the city is extremely rewarding. If any of you has been an Erasmus student in the north of Italy, you will have noticed I have failed to mention other places. I assume that, as I firmly believe that my tips can be complemented by your suggestions and recommendations, so that we can praise the beauty and enthusiasm of this unique town called Florence.
As you know, sometimes we need a kind of impulse to encourage us to do things even if they are no big deal, like what I'm doing right now, writing to you about the last film I borrowed from José Luis, Walk the Line. The thing is last Monday we were having in class a little chat about this movie and there was an interesting comment by one of my classmates so I decided to write a film review. So here is my humble tribute to the rebellious country singer Johnny Cash and the gorgeous and ravishing film based on his life, Walk the line, a musical biopic set in the Great Depression.
While growing up with his family in the Arkansas countryside, Johnny becomes interested in the blues and country music he daily listens to on the radio. However, not until Johnny joins the Air Force in Germany at the age of 19 or so, does he start composing his own musical stuff. Once he leaves the Air Force, he marries Vivian and decides to live in Memphis in order to push ahead with his career as a musician, which launches as soon as Johnny and his band cut a record. Now, mix and match tours all over the country, loving affairs, family issues, amphetamines and tranquilizers with tons of great music and you are getting a sight of both the movie and Johnny’s essence.
Regarding the film’s title, named after a song by Cash, the movie is all about “walking the line”, that is to say following the rules and behaving in a balanced way. The point is Johny Cash wrote “Walk the line” at the time he got married to Vivian so it can be understood that he is going to walk the line - by not doing what he really enjoys but his wife doesn't - just because of his love for her, which, as the human beings we are, we know is not always fair. As another song goes, “sometimes you walk the line and sometimes it walks you”.
To sum up, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and I am sure so would you, not only because of the captivating plot or the fantastic music but also the great cast the film has. Joaquin Phoenix nails Johnny Cash (the way he walks and holds his guitar, as well as his recreation of Johnny’s singing style, humming and talking out of the corner of his mouth) and so does Reese Witherspoon as June Carter, which indeed won her the Oscar for Best Actress.
So what can I say? Give it a try! I mean, watch the film or listen to Johnny Cash, a pioneer of rockabilly and rock and roll, a star of the 50s along with Carl Perkinks, Jerry Lee Lewis or Elvis Presley; and also a living legend of the 90s. Besides, according to a comment on Youtube (wise people!) Johnny Cash's music “would move Chuck Norris to tears”. Hey, that is pretty much!
By the way, have you seen another musical biopic you would like to write about? Ray? The Doors? Control? Sid & Nancy? Dreamgirls? La Bamba? The list is endless!
Nowadays, a considerable number of people enjoy bullfights, which to them mean from a leisure activity to a high form of art. This tradition, which has spread worldwide and gained diehard followers ever since it emerged in the eighteenth century, does not only bring enjoyment but also the suffering - and death - of animals and sometimes, unfortunately, people. Since bullfights have just been banned in Catalonia, we need to ask the question: is bullfighting necessary in the 21st century? On the one hand, the festival often goes beyond entertainment because its supporters conceive it as a true art form, even as kind of a man-against-nature fight. Therefore, it is considered a way for the bullfighter to demonstrate his strength and courage in a breathtaking exhibition. Moreover, it means a steady flow of money, and, what is more, a cultural tradition in Spain. In this sense, the bull might be considered as one of the most representative emblems of our country. On the other hand, as I said above, bullfighting involves the suffering and death of innocent animals. Many tend to say that it is a fair fight between the man and the bull, but is it? Before the corrida, not only is the animal locked in complete darkness for 48 hours, but also badly fed and sometimes even pinched and hurt so, when “released”, the bull is disoriented because of its induced blindness. Furthermore, every time the bull is stabbed it becomes weaker and weaker until the agonizing animal succumbs to a painful death. While bullfight may seem simply another human “ritual” where animals are killed, like hunting or slaughter, there is one thing that worsens it: the eager public is glaring at the whole process while encouraging the bullfighter to spread more blood. Can anything - including tradition - justify this slaughter-like ritual anyhow? If tradition is the only reason to allow this “entertainment” to continue, people should think about past traditions such as the wrestling between gladiators. To conclude, I believe bullfighting has become a harmful, unnecessarily cruel spectacle, given that there are many enjoyable, more civilized pastimes like live sport, theatre or cinema, which do not involve killing any animals. There don’t seem to be any good reasons not to follow the example of Catalonia, except for the clichéd argument that it is a long-standing, yet to my mind old-fashioned, tradition.
Thanks so much, Miguel. Great job! Now, to illustrate this heated debate for and against bullfights, I've found this YouTube report on the issue. Would you like to post your own comments?
Famous columnists, when they run out of ideas, write about what just happens to themselves right at the time. Likewise, I´ll try to imitate them. I've got to admit I'd had an awful night, because of the damn gale force winds and irritating rain beating the tiles. So, in desperation, I switched on the radio and stayed in that way for hours. Everything seemed to be getting worse and worse, and the more hours passed, the worse my mood was. Then, suddenly, the presenter said "Up, it's 6 in the morning, and this is a "guitar non camastron" solo for you all, my friends!!" Well, to be honest, I couldn't catch the name of the group or singer, but it would have been something like this:
I promise, mates, after a horrible night, this is a real good way to wake yourself up (I mean, both your body and your mood). Jimmy Hendrix versioned Bob Dylan (awesome!) and this is probably the song's very best cover of the song. It can be heard in "Forrest Gump", "Watchmen" and "Battlestar Galactica", and (surprise!) you even can find it on "Guitar hero 5"!
Jimmy Hendrix ( Seattle 1942- London 1970) is considered the greatest guitarist in rock history. His biography is incredible: poor, self-taught, rebellious, he eventually had a tragic, dark death. From the very beginning, Jimi showed a striking ability to mine, as if it was a precious metal, a stunning, new guitar sound. His dexterity was so powerful that he could play his guitar for more than two hours, even recreating the USA anthem, as it happened at Woodstock in 1969.
Fortunately, his legacy lingers to this day with extraordinary power, energy, and, I can assure you, it's a magical formula to straighten out a bad beginning!
As I said in class, I will introduce you to the - unknown by many - world of music in videogames!
Now, you must be thinking, I do not fancy right now listening to some speedy, computerized music from Mario Bros. or whichever strange game this guy is playing.
Actually, there is some pretty good music in more “serious games”, more centred on the adult world. It is like most fields in art, there are games for kids, and games for older people, maybe more violent, maybe with very interesting or remarkable plots, or even non-stop action. Most of these games have in fact very intense and deep music. I think of it as kind of ambience music, like in movies for example.
My favourite soundtrack of a video game would be from Painkiller, developed by People Can Fly. The author of this soundtrack, Marcin “Cedyn” Czartynski, is actually extremely gifted for music and knows how to create the atmosphere for each level of the game perfectly. My favourite one is Train Station:
At this level, you have to deal with the demonic lost souls in an abandoned train station; the developers worked really well on recreating the atmosphere of Zurich's train station. Surrounded by darkness, alone, and full of fear, you attempt to start the level, and then the music plays.
It is funny, because I like to listen to this music when I want to relax, to rest. And while you’re playing the game, you are not precisely doing this! ☺ As user Grigorij117 perfectly puts it in a Youtube commentary:
“Try and play this music when you realize that you're alone - and nobody else is home. Try it only when it´s dark - the best moment is when you can see the moon, preferably midnight. Listen to it, and then ask yourself: do I have the courage to go outside?
Do you have the nerve to listen to this music on an MP3 player in the middle of a forsaken part of the city? Or an abandoned railway station?
I’ve tried that. And believe it or not, after few moments I had to run. I did not care where to, just far away from that place.
This is what good music means to me, music that makes you feel every kind of emotion.
Here are a few more examples of great music in video games. I really recommend every one of them. By the way, if you are interested and you actually see the videos, I do not recommend listening to the music of battles, which is pretty horrible and repetitive XD. User ultddave in Youtube has all the videos!
Deemed by the renowned US sports channel "A Renaissance Man", Pau Gasol is getting to new heights. Once considered a "softy" - a soft player, that is -, however well rounded and skilled he is on the court (even President Obama had to finally accept the evidence last season that he is the best centre in the league), not content with the two NBA champioships in a row he's won, Pau's achieved a new landmark in the world's most famous basketball competition: leading for the first time the so-called "efficiency rate" category, which basically means that, as far as statistics are concerned, he's the best player (the MVP) in the league right now. So ESPN has dedicated this interesting documentary down below to our Spanish superstar: not only his charisma on the court is highlighted, but also his public persona, his family background and stuff. And he's such a fluent speaker of English, I mean, Pau sounds like a true native American!
For many critics, it seems, this might be one of the films of 2010 and a serious contender for best movie in next year's Oscars. Will the Manchester-raised director Danny Boyle sweep the board again as he did with the much-acclaimed Bollywood-esque hit "Slumdog Millionaire". So this is the official teaser trailer of Boyle's latest creation, "127 hours", based on a true story:
And then, of course, the likely Xmas box-office record breaker. The long-awaited first part of J.K. Rowling's best-selling book's final installment: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Will Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón (who already shot the Prisoner of Azkaban sequel) wave his magic wand and manage to still surprise audiences across the world? This is (with subtitles in Spanish) a small sample of the much hyped film:
Frankenstein, who is the creature? Once again I am writing for this blog. The reason is that I was planning to bring Frankenstein to class so that other students could borrow it. That is why I just decided to write this review to encourage my classmates to read it, or at least, to explain some important themes the book deals with to those who may have already – or will- read it. Victor Frankenstein has a happy life with his family. However, he decides to study at the University of Ingolstadt. A long way from his hometown, he starts to investigate what gives people life. He becomes so obsessed that he starts to create a creature from limbs and other parts of dead bodies. When he accomplishes this difficult task, he suddenly realizes his mistake and abandons the creature he has created. The creature does not know anything about human beings –he cannot even speak- but he gradually acquires a human-like behaviour by observing a rural family. However, he is rejected, even mistreated everywhere he goes. Knowing that he will be alone for the rest of his life, resenting the abandonment of his creators, he decides to take revenge on Victor by killing people he loves. This Gothic story brilliantly portrays the consequences of Science, which has boundaries that human beings must never cross. Victor goes beyond those boundaries by creating an artificial creature. He plays God and that has consequences. Victor’s excessive worship of science, alongside his selfishness -he abhors his own creation and abandons him-, leads him to suffering throughout the book. Who is the creature in this story? Victor is a human that has shown no respect for his creation. The creature, nonetheless, is just looking for anyone that loves him. He saves a babe from drowning but his father shoots him; he helps the rural family with the tasks but when they see him they despise him, and he has to wander alone and remain hidden in case someone tries to kill him. The more he learns about human behaviour, the lonelier he feels. On the other hand, Victor is depicted as a selfish character who has everything the creature cannot have: a family. In fact, the relationship between Victor and his creature can be defined as a "doppelgänger relationship". The doppelgänger is the evil double of one person. The creature is the manifestation of Victor Frankenstein’s inner dark side (the same could be applied to Dr. Jekill and Mr. Hyde). When Victor Frankenstein is happy outside, the creature is miserable inside. The monster is evil outside (his aspect is hideous) but good inside. The creature could hence be considered as a reflection of Victor’s authentic, repressed feelings. The story also reflects on the humans’ behaviour. No one in the novel gets to accept Frankenstein as it really is because of his hideous aspect. He is abandoned by Victor; he is shot after saving a baby, and everybody tries to hurt him. We reject others when we consider them different and that is why the creature does not fit into the human world. He learns to speak, to reason, to discuss; but he can't be accepted just because of his aspect. As you may have observed, this story seems of topical interest nowadays. We still laugh at others because of their physical aspect. To sum up, Frankenstein can be read as the rebellion of a son unjustifiably abandoned by his parent, as the rejection of a human citizen because of his aspect, and as the isolation of a creature that is “born” with goodness but becomes evil because of the influence of human beings. I definitely encourage you to read books and to review them on this post! See you, mates!
Thanks Miguel, great job as usual. Hey folks, keep sending your book reviews! Now, I thought I should insert a couple of Franky-related clips. The first is a humorous Jib-Jab sendable, which insists on the need for a new American President ... Start trembling, Mr Obama!
Then, on a more serious, scary note, this is the terrifying 1931 movie classic's trailer, starring the legendary Boris Karloff:
Hi everyone!! This is my first time contributing to a blog so it’s a new experience for me! :D I would like to start talking about a genre of music that many people avoid because of stereotypes, and it’s metal music. When someone says “Oh, I love metal”, what the majority of people think about immediately is: noise, people screaming, insults, obscene lyrics, and even violence. Well, I’m here to try to change your mind. ;D It’s true that some bands meet these requirements (and are famous because of that … maybe it has to do with marketing too) such as Slipknot, Rammstein, etc. But not all the bands are like that, in particular, I’m going to talk about my favourite band: Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish band founded by Toumas Holopainen and Tarja Turunen. Its style is “symphonic metal”. Why do I think they’re different? Because they have achieved something that, at first sight, may be unimaginable to everybody: mixing metal music and opera. Tarja Turunen is a lyrical soprano and, obviously, has an amazing voice (last year I had the opportunity of listening to her in Madrid and it was one of the greatest experiences in my whole life), and Toumas is a fantastic composer and musician (he plays the keyboards). Some time later, Emppu (guitar), Julius (drums) and Marco (vocals and bass) joined the band, and so, the group was completed. Sadly, 5 years ago, Nightwish and Tarja went separate ways. Now Nightwish has a new singer, who isn’t so good as Tarja. Don’t misunderstand me: I am not criticizing her, but I consider that Anette (the new singer) shouldn’t sing Tarja’s songs cause her voice is not so powerful as Tarja’s. Anyway, although I prefer Nightwish with Tarja, I have to admit that I like Nightwish with Anette too, but it’s not the same. The last tour Nightwish and Tarja did ended in Helsinki with a concert in the Hartwall Arena. The whole concert was filmed to be sold on DVD (I have my own ! :D). Another reason why Nightwish is my fave band is because I even like them more in concert than listening to them on a CD. Well, the song I've chosen was sung during this concert and it’s a cover version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera”. Sorry if I have bored you with such a long text, but metal music (and Nightwish in particular) really fascinate me and I just wanted to share them with all of you. Hope you enjoy it!!
P.S.: My fave part is from 3:35-4:14. No words to describe it, AMAZING!
Hi mates!
Here I am, whiling away the long rainy evening and listening to what is possibly my favourite album of all time, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon (I’ll never grow tired, however many times I’ve – literally - flipped with it). So I’ve decided to put pen to paper and contribute something for the music section of our great blog. You know, last Saturday I went to see Paco de Lucia in concert at the Multiusos. I’d listened to many of Paco’s famous records before, but this was going to be the first time to watch him live. You see, my son David, a keen guitarist himself, and my father-in-law, a self-confessed flamenco enthusiast, were accompanying me to the event. They both had been lucky enough to watch him on another ocassion at the same venue a few years prior to his temporary retirement from the music scene. But now he was back into the limelight, and I thought, well, I can’t fail to see him again, can I?
So there we were, the three of us, up in the gods (you know, the upper gallery of seats, or, very appropriately, the peineta, as the best floor stalls were sold out – so much for the crisis!), ready for some flamenco music with a modern feel to it, as the maestro of Algeciras wisely combines the duende of the Andalusian genre with more modern sounds. You see, he’s helped on a very plain stage (barely a few plants at the back) by a proficient band of musicians (among them not only another flamenco guitarist and the inevitable palmeros/cantaores but also a keyboardist and a bassist) who often give Paco’s pieces an almost jazzy touch. But the distinct flamenco essence always lingers in his songs, no matter what.
The long-awaited show ran for a solid two hours and twenty minutes (mind you, there was a 15-minute intermission halfway through it), during which the guitar genius delighted the diehard fans with extended versions of his most recognizable hits (Almoraima, Zyriab, Fuente y Caudal, … you name it). Now and then, some among the audience (gypsies, no doubt) would shout at the top of their voices the enthusiastic oles amidst the indifferent, always stern gesture of the genius (I could get a close-up of his wrinkled face aided by a very handy pair of binoculars). You see, being an Andalusian through and through, he’s never been the funniest man on earth, let alone an otherwise generally fun-loving land like Andalucia. Only a few hardly audible words of appreciation did he utter during the whole show, but not even a much obliged “Thank you, Salamanca”. And I couldn’t help feeling that nowadays, already in his mid 60s, after an illustrious career that has spanned since 1965 no less, Mr Paco de Lucia is sort of bored with gigs and audiences, but his hard-earned, well-deserved reputation as arguably one of the best guitarists in history is more than enough to still fill venues like Multiusos to their capacity.
Now, are you getting the impression that I didn’t enjoy the concert? Well not really, I mean, who can deny Don Francisco's talent, his impeccable technique and precision guitar playing (though my knowledgeable son sometimes whispered to me “Dad, he made a mistake at that note”) but anyway I must admit that now and then I was getting, as it were, cold feet. Personally, some pieces just went on too long amid, I can concede, fine impromptus by his musicians as well as some magnificent dancing – to many in the audience, it seems, the highlight of the night judging by the after-show comments –from a speedy bailaor (can’t remember his name) who tapped his feet like mad on the tablao (wow, too many Spanish words, I guess!)
But who cares about the lengthy songs, the austere, almost aloof performer, even an average sound, though not bad considering the inherently poor acoustics of the venue, when right in front of you is the one and only Paco, el de Lucia, a true guitar wizard, OLE!! And to end the show, no surprises, the inevitable Entre dos Aguas, the song that shot him to international stardom, even if he took some time to go for it despite the insistent “encore, encore” shouts.
Well, this review was pretty long, wasn’t it? Hope you didn’t get too bored. If you did, perhaps I can draw a laugh or two now: the maestro is, not surprisingly, renowned for his scarce TV interviews, at least on home soil. But funnily enough, you can see him here not only performing but above all speaking, yes, another variety of English, what I call Inglés de Cádiz ( ha ha!). I mean, you'll have to do your best to understand the younger Paco, and I'm sure you will, as the captions are in ... Polish. Enjoy!
Hello folks!
Well, I can't think of a better way to "premiere" this music spot than an opera review, written by one of you. Whether you like the genre or not, you have to admit there's some passion and grandeur into it ...
Elena (2NA):
As some of you know, last week was my introduction to opera.
I, like many people I hope, had listened to opera before, but maybe not in a very conscious way, I’m afraid. I mean, I had listened to some radio programmes, while I was doing the chores or chatting on the phone. Not the most "correct" way, is it?
The thing is that last Thursday I attended a pre-recorded exhibition of "Cosí fan tutte" by W.A. Mozart, which was performed at the Salzburg Festival 2009, with Adam Fischer as a conductor. Frankly, I was expecting a more complicated wardrobe, a fat lady, an old-fashioned story about honour and pride, as well as unintelligible songs and arias.
My first shock was the stage production (by Claus Guth): so modern, so elegant, so intelligent.. With very few elements he creates a real atmosphere, very close and captivating.
Then, the characters: they sing (of course), dance and act. Just think how complicated singing an aria can be while you are writhing in fake, deep pain and sadness. And I must say that the singing and the acting were ... incredible! Accurate, moving, heartfelt indeed.
The plot was both old and modern, ageless: the fidelity between the brides and grooms, the suspicion, the practical jokes, the remorse. Fortunately, the play was subtitled, so (since I can’t understand Italian at all) I was able to absorb the pith of the story as well as identify some Italian words and enjoy their musicality.
Last but not least, these are a few reflections of mine:
a) Can you ever imagine that a singing-story that is over 200 years old would be so modern?
b) Who, among our best known singers (¿), will last 200 years, with all their power?
c) Seeing an opera live must be great!!
Well, I think I´m still a bit shocked, ha, ha, but definitely it was worth it!!
If you're interested you can find more details on this link.
Thanks so much Elena, well done! Now this is one of the YouTube clips you can find on the link above. Mind you, the subtitles are in German, unfortunately.
Hi everyone, here is my little review of a film I borrowed from Jose Luis, To kill a mockingbird, which was included in my elementary school’s film programme so I had the chance to see it when I was young (Victorian times!) and, although enjoyed it then, this time, of course, has been much better. As it is usually said, classic films never die so don't miss the opportunity to watch this film which grabs you by the throat.
To begin with, innocence and punishment are the themes of this story set in Alabama in the 1930s, the American depression era. First and foremost, the main plot deals with the situation of Boo Radley, a black man accused with no evidence of having raped a white woman; it also focuses on Atticus Finch, the determined lawyer who accepts the case and goes ahead with the trial in spite of the threats from the town’s racist citizens, who want him to give up. The secondary plot, led by Atticus Finch's children, Jem and Scout, revolves around another character, Tom Robinson (Robert Duvall), a man that children fear with no reason, a kind of bogeyman. And what happens next is something you will have to discover by yourselves.
I enjoyed the film a lot and, though all the black characters are just idealized, it is the perfect story about the “sin of killing a mokingbird”, the old proverb that Atticus explains in the film:
“Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't eat up people's gardens, they don't nest in corn cribs, they don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird”.
That proverb relates perfectly with the plot because it is a clear metaphor for the danger of hurting innocent people, like Boo Radley, charged without evidence, or Tom Robinson, punished without doing nothing unfair; or vulnerable people, like the kids, Jem and Scout. It is the kind of film that calls for a deep reflexion on human relationships. So, finally, to encourage you to watch it and just to end up on a funny note, according to DC comics To kill a Mockingbird is Clark Kent's (AKA Superman!) favourite movie, and you all know a man like him can't be wrong!
24 October
Hey, you can't possibly imagine how thrilled I am. You know, over the weekend I've been receiving stuff from you guys to post on this blog. And since two of them were film reviews, I've decided to set up a specific spot for them called The Screening Room. OK, I must admit that I've taken the label from the namesake CNN programme. Hope they won't sue me for this! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response, I'm sure it will only encourage other classmates to do the same ... or will it?
Anyway, we "premiere" this brand new section with two extraordinary films (though I haven't seen the latter, I've read rave reviews) in their own right: a classic 1970s movie and a current box-office hit.
Miguel A. Herrero (C1):
How many of you have Facebook or another social network account? I suppose most of you do. But have you ever wondered how (or when) Facebook sprang up or who created it? If you have, you can find your answers in The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Rooney Mara.
The main character, Mark Zuckerberg, is a smart student of Computing Studies at Harvard. Affected by the break-up with his girlfriend, he creates Facemash, an application in which the students can choose who is the ‘fittest’ girl. It is such a great success that the smartest students in Harvard, the Winklevos brothers, propose that he helps them create a Harvard directory – called the Harvard connection- in which everybody can see other students’ data. He likes this idea and decides to join in, but realizing that he can improve it, he decides to start this project with Eduardo Saverin, his best friend. The project, initially called The Facebook, starts to spread in other universities with huge success. Both friends then become allies with Sean Parker, the creator of Napster. Thanks to this association, Facebook not only reaches other continents and becomes an outstanding enterprise, but also makes the friendship between Mark and Eduardo deteriorate. We witness that in the present day Mark has been sued not only by the brothers Winklevos, but also by his former good –and only- friend, Eduardo.
The film deals with the current theme of social networks. Nowadays people are connected everyday and have lots of “friends” online. The film brilliantly juxtaposes these two realities. On the one hand, Mark’s success due to Facebook’s worldwide spread with millions of people from all continents –even Africa- connected and making new friends. On the other hand, as Facebook spreads and Marks starts making money, his troubles increase given that he lost his only friend and is sued. The more money he makes, the more problems he has, just as the motto of the film states, “you don’t get 500 million friends without also making a few enemies”.
The film makes people reflect on the usefulness of social networks. Hence, it is clear that they have not only advantages, but mainly disadvantages, which are depicted through Mark’s life. Mark spends hours and hours sitting in front of the computer so he has no real life. He’s lost his only friend because of Facebook and all the friends he makes and all the parties he goes to are simply a result of his position. These consequences can also be applied to Facebook users. If you spend many hours logged on to it and making Facebook friends, you will become a Mark Zuckerberg and lose the opportunity of making real friends. Social networks like Facebook might be useful just in the right measure but not if you become addicted, which is not so odd given that there are lots of them, as you can see on this link.
I strongly recommend you to watch this film because it offers an interesting view on how one of the best-known companies was created. As it usually happens, building such a huge company brings money, but associated with it many other problems arise. To end this long review, I would like to praise the figure of Mark Zuckerberg, who, despite the problems that Facebook caused him, is at 20 one of the youngest millionaires and his company, Facebook, is worth $25 million.
P.S. This is the trailer in case I have persuaded you to watch the film. You should give it a try, it is worth watching.
Luis Rodriguez (C1):
I’ve just seen The Godfather again. I think I’ve seen it at least seven times. And, as it happened before, I’m still fascinated by Marlon Brando’s hoarse voice, the beginning of the film (‘America has made me rich’, but actually America hasn’t made me happy'), the light (Gordon Willis’s photography is outstanding), etc.
Scriptwriters say that you can know if a film is good or not in the first ten minutes. Probably The Godfather is one of the best examples of this theory. In just five minutes (the first scene), the title’s character is completely described, and so are the Mafia’s rules. So, at the very beginning, it is clearly stated that the Mafia is a family with its own rules you can’t challenge, that the Mafia is not a firm with bills, invoices and VAT, but it works through its owns mechanisms based on friendship, loyalty and favours.
I know very few people who don’t like The Godfather. Well, the reason is too obvious: it’s a superb film. But, before Jose Luis tells me that ‘to write that stuff, it’s better not to write anything’, I’ll do my best and run myself into the ground. Maybe one of the clues in The Godfather is the key aspect of a masterpiece: the possibility of finding several levels of significance, so that everybody can enjoy the film. I’ll try to explain my arguments. It is easy to take the adventure of several gangs fighting and shooting. But, at the same time, The Godfather is an intelligent visual essay about power fights and strategy games. Besides, it shows a world inside another world: the Sicilian way of life incorporated into the totally different American society (and how it achieves to reproduce itself there). It also reflects the change of the times, the fight against two cultures, etc.
However, beneath that surface, there is a classical scheme of acceptance of your own destiny, of your own fate, which reminds you of Shakespeare’s plays. Michael is Vito Corleone’s only son, a man with an American name who was separated from the Family’s business due to Vito’s decisions. Nonetheless, the circumstances (tragically wrapped with a spiral of death and murders) oblige him to accept Don’s role. All the spectators can watch the change from his initial innocence towards the recognition of his own fate, his own journey to Hell. And the impossibility of running away from it. Well, probably everyone suffers this journey to Hell, but I’m sure that –at the same time– we enjoy seeing how Michael gradually becomes a member of the Mafia.
Coppola’s rhythm is tense in some scenes but always gripping. Gordon Willis’s photography is still analysed in the Academies of Visual Studies. Nino Rota’s soundtrack is probably one of the most recognizable musical scores in cinema history. All the characters are extraordinarily played by one of the best cast of actors in the 70s (James Caan, Robert Duvall…). Al Pacino plays Michael Corleone in a way that can be defined as soft and, at the same time, disturbing. But we must recognize it: The Godfather wouldn’t be the same film without Marlon Brando. His jaw, his cheeks, his hoarse voice, his soft movements, his way of staring at their enemies, of crying in the presence of one of his sons’ dead body ... all of these features lead to one of the best performances ever seen on a screen.
Therefore, I strongly recommend The Godfather if you haven't seen it yet. As Vito Corleone said, ‘It’s an offer you can't refuse. Please don’t take that as something personal. It’s just business’.
The latest entry by Antonio about the history of the English language inspired me to write this bit, in which I will try to show you some of the languages that deeply influenced the English language and I will try to exemplify it with English words.
First of all, one of the main influences English had was French. In the 11th Century, Edward the Conqueror – who was French - became king. As a result, many French words started to appear in English language. We as speakers use these words without realizing they have a French origin. Here is a list for you to see what I mean more clearly.
English words English words derived from French PIG PORK
DEER VENISON
BUY PURCHASE
DEALER MERCHANT
MOTION MOVEMENT
PRIDE PROUD
There are more examples of these. The usage of these pairs of words is different. For instance, you tend to say ‘pig’ when you refer to the animal, but ‘pork’ when you refer to the meat of the animal to be eaten. The same happens to ‘deer’ and ‘venison’
Moreover, Latin, as Antonio suggested, has also influenced English. This can be seen in words like ‘data’ – the Latin plural form of datum-, ‘bacteria’ – Latin plural form of ‘bacterium’- or the widely known word curriculum. From Latin come other words which are rarely used or more appropriately used in formal contexts. See this list:
English words English words derived from Latin
MARRIAGE MATRIMONY
SELLER VENDOR
ANSWER RESPOND
BUILD CONSTRUCT
WIFE SPOUSE
FAST RAPID
FEATURE CHARACTERISTIC
Latin words are easier for us Spanish speakers to remember but they are less used in natural English so my advise is try to use English words as much as possible, that is, words that are not familiar to us, Spanish speakers. Besides, there are still Latin expressions persisting in English such as “ad hoc” or “ basis”.
Obviously, English evolved from Old English, which helps us explain the patterns of the current language. What is the plural of ‘ox’? It’s not ‘oxes’ but ‘oxen’. This –en ending indicated plural in the past. Another example of that rule is the word ‘brethren’. Can you guess its meaning without looking it up in a dictionary? The lengthening of a vowel was another indicator of a plural form and for that reason we have ‘feet’ and ‘teeth’. Furthermore, have you ever wondered why there is a list of “irregular” verbs? Irregular verbs were in the past called “strong verbs”. If you look closer you may observe that there are irregular verbs that are really alike. See the past tense of sing, swing, and ring; bend and lend, or cut, shut and put. There are patterns to identify and learn irregular verbs, which exist because of Old English. The rest of verbs, the so-called “regular” verbs, were called “weak” verbs and were characterized by the addition of the ending –ed. Does this sound familiar?
Last but not least –as Jose Luis often says- I would like to point out that English is also influenced by Spanish. Yes, it is indeed!
English words English words derived by Spanish
NAP SIESTA
PARTY FIESTA
CANTEEN CAFETERIA, CAFÉ
WATCHER VIGILANTE
I know that there are many other languages that have influenced English, like for instance German (I know the word ‘dog’ comes from German); but this is all I know so if any of you can expand this information, feel free to do it.
To sum up, this is probably boring, but I have demonstrated English is a language that has evolved from loans of many different languages. I assume that you may have used some of the words that I have written down on the lists, but had you ever wondered their origin or why there are two words for saying the same thing? I hope that from now on you start to realize these things so that you can add more words to my list. Please comment!!
OK, thanks Miguel. I guess if you and Antonio continue like this you'll end up making your mates into fully-fledged philologists, ha ha! Anyway, to illustrate the influence of Latin and French this is yet again a clip featuring Melvyn Bragg, where he teaches us how English lost its prestige and became "a poor third, bottom of the pile" and how it took 300 years to emerge and then changed dramatically into the language we more or less know today.
Antonio (C1):
Hi everyone!
I’ve just seen a new entry about English language usage, which you can read down below. What I see is that English is bound to change over the years. Anyway, are we aware of what the origins of English are? I’ve selected and summarized parts of a text in the Wikipedia about the “origins of the English language”:
English is a Germanic language from north-west Germany (currently) and the Netherlands. The peoples who lived at that time in what is nowadays called “The British Isles” were the Angles, the Saxons, the Jutes and, to a lesser extent, the Frisians. They fought the Roman Empire. Some Latin words entered the vocabulary of these peoples before their arrival in Britain and the subsequent formation of England.
The original Old English language was influenced by both the Scandinavians and the Normans. Due to this cohabitation English resulted in a significant grammatical simplification.
Then, I add an excerpt that I consider remarkable for what I’m going to explain next:
… The Germanic language of these Old English-speaking inhabitants was influenced by the contact with Norse invaders, which might have been responsible for some of the morphological simplification of Old English, including the loss of grammatical gender…
As a kind of analysis, my considerations are:
1) The verb tenses are much simpler than in other languages:
For example, when conjugating the Present Simple of the verb “to eat”, it hardly changes. We are only concerned that the 3rd person (He, she, it) takes an “s”.It eases things a lot!
2) There is no difference between masculine and feminine (as a general rule). What a simplification!
3) Many words look the same in Spanish or are very similar:
Chocolate, tea, fundamental, aspects, to commence, to elaborate, rapid, grotesque … They just come from Latin or French. (Thanks, Roman Empire!)
Dear classmates, see that we are somewhat fortunate to study this precious language, English.
It has some features which make it easy. Keep practising it!
Thanks Antonio, very enlightening indeed. Now, you asked me to embed a YouTube clip which illustrates this topic you've dealt with of The History of the English Language. I just hope you don't mind I took the liberty of selecting a different one, featuring a renowned English author called Melvyn Bragg (a perfect standard English he has!), which I'm sure both you and your mates will like too:
22 October
Morning folks!
Well, Francis completed his first week with both my groups yesterday (hope you enjoyed his presentation, did you?) so it's time to embed the quick guide to Liverpool we saw in class, featuring the main sights of the Merseyside capital. This was shot prior to the year 2008, when the city was about to show off its "European city of Culture" status, but it's fresh enough to give you a very good idea of what Liverpool is like right now. Hopefully we can go there (or to Edinburgh) next year, sometime in Carnival or Easter!
Then, I should also post the small excerpt from the 1990 film Dancing thru' de dark, which shows some lovely Scouse accent as it is set in the Merseyside area . Not the finest example of British cinema, but a funny film anyway, it portrays a group of "lads and lasses" on their stag/hen night. Linda, the fiancé, has major doubts about the wedding when a band fronted by her ex-boyfriend - of course, the love of her life - arrives in town. You can guess the rest ...
In this particular scene, you can see both the boys and the girls in action, just about to start their frenzy day and well into the night. We barely saw the first minute, when two of the fiance's mates, on their way to the billiards club where the leader of the pack, Eddie, is waiting, are trying to chat up two local girls unsuccessfully (classical music, it seems, is not their main expertise!). Listen, I know the accent may be difficult to understand at times, but keep watching the scene till the end, and I'm sure you'll pick up plenty of it.
Well, this is all for now, but let me tell you something. Apart from Antonio's (C1) John Lennon thing and my own stuff, there's nothing else on this blog. What are you waiting for?
20 October
These days in the 2NA class we're dealing with the subject of English as a "global" language David Crystal, a renowned British linguist, explains here how the 20th-century lingua franca achieved the status that it has today:
Then, Crystal poses a fascinating question (at least to me as a teacher): Should English be taught, accordingly, as a global language? The main impact, he says, is in the teaching of comprehension. In fact he claims that you students should be exposed to as many "non-standard variations as possible". Wow, that's a big statement. Listen to his considerations:
So would you like to be "exposed" to many varieties of English? Now, you can't possibly imagine the hundreds of videos available on YouTube which reflect this diversity of accents and dialects across the world, not only in English-speaking countries but indeed in places like Italy, France, Russia ... sadly, not Spain it seems, I wonder why! These are just two examples. Maria, one of my C1 students, sent me this one a few days ago. This happy-go-lucky chap from London can apparently produce as many as 24 different varieties! You don't believe me? See for yourselves...
If you find his accents (and telephone conversations) too daunting (let alone the coarse words he uses too often!)this is another "lighter" sample (21 accents this time) churned out by a funny English girl, Amy Walker:
OK, I'll give you a break. See now what David Crystal meant? He wasn't exaggerating the slightest bit, was he?
15 October
Hello everyone, and a warm welcome to the third "edition" of My EOI Blog!
It's taken me a bit to make up my mind and start blogging again, I guess it was because I didn't find the right time to do so. Or probably because, since this year I have another advanced level group as well as the brand new C1, I wondered if I should have two separate branches, so to speak. But I've decided that would be too much work so I'll just make a clear distinction what level each entry is aimed at or where the students publishing whichever thing belong to (C1 / 2NA)
Anyway, I do hope as in the previous two years that this otherwise unambitious, low-key blog will be an excuse for you to collaborate with me, little by little, in extending this tiny thing and indeed to read, listen and watch lots of stuff in English. Will you mates help me do so?
My students from last year will probably have noticed by now some new features: a different template (you have to change with the times!) and a more eccentric, tongue-in-cheek photo for my personal profile: instead of the boring toast at the Cambridge pub you can now see me wearing some tacky glasses with the US flag while holding a Union jack. Very appropriate, don't you think? I guess it suits my often clownish personality better!
Whatever, the main purpose of this blog of OURS is basically to give you the chance to write your own comments, reviews, ideas, you name it, as well as sharing with the rest of your classmates - and the students from my other group - songs, videos, film clips, articles ... in English, of course. If you simply want to post a comment, write your stuff on the box provided at the end of the monthly entry and click on the "publicar un comentario" button. Sometimes you wish to publish a song, Youtube clip, etc. and a more elaborate text so you may want to forward the lot to me by mail and I'll get the job done for you. I'll show you all this procedure in class shortly, OK?
But let me assure it's piece of cake. As an example, one of my enthusiastic students from the C1 group, Antonio, emailed me about 10 days ago with some ideas about John Lennon on the occasion of his 70th birthday (if he were still alive, that is!), which I'm publishing here and now to open this blog. This is what he had to say:
Antonio (C1):
JOHN LENNON’S 70th BIRTHDAY!!
Rather unfortunately, he is no longer among us, because of that fateful day, way back on the 8th December 1980 ... , do you all remember?
I will do my bit by speaking briefly about John Lennon’s life by heart:
John Lennon was born on 9th October 1940, and soon became an orphan who his auntie Mimy took in her care. Quite rebellious by nature, he started playing the guitar and, putting many details aside, eventually joined “The Beatles” with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey). They officially released their first album on 12th October 1962, called “Love me do”, a title which grammatically isn’t that correct, but sounded more “catchy” (it would be “Do love me”). They became extremely famous all over the world and in the history of music (together with “The Rolling Stones”). They broke up in 1970 and began their solo careers.
As regards John Lennon, he was married to Yoko Ono and they were involved in some unorthodox situations (like being in bed for 7 days, semi-naked, etc).
On the day of his death, he was staying in a hotel in New York and a fan, whose name was Mark David Chapman, asked for an autograph. Lennon agreed to it and, hours later, he was shot dead at point-blank range. He didn’t die on the spot but hours later, in hospital.
As a piece of curiosity, he uttered a controversial saying which went down in history: “We are more famous than Jesus Christ”
He was really aware that # “9” dominated his life, according to many experts in paranormal events.
I don’t know if I leave out something. Anyway, thanks for giving us the chance of practising our English to the ones who voluntarity do so.
See you!
Next, I reckon I have to embed my first audio-visual stuff, so these are a couple of JL-related clips: The first is a feature by the Associated Press which deals with the controversy around John's figure in the USA and how the CIA stills seems interested in him.
The second is just a clip with dozens of snapshots of John, a heartfelt tribute to the man and his music (the song on the background is one of his most famous, Hold on):
Well, this is all for now. Let me just finish this first entry by sending regards to some of my students last year, who might be reading this. Apparently, they can't live without my blogs, ha ha! FOND GREETINGS TO YOU ALL, FOLKS!
