waldemaar plays video games...

Ten reasons why i *heart* this wonderfully lo-fi video
















1.the video gamer outfit (which i must point out is very much like waldemaar's cameraman outfit, witnessed at the last anti-slam)

2. in the show me and marty are currently rehearsing for edinburgh, we've been taking choreography reference from the pet shop boys, and those moves have found their way here

3. the lo fi graphics

4. an original nintendo game console has been used.

5. the line "disco yourself"

6. most if not all of the video game sound effects on garageband have been used...

7. the fact that marty (aka waldemaar) came over one day to get his tripod back "because he had an idea for a music video" and that the next day BOOM its there. and in all its its d.i.y-ness its utterly charming..

8. brief shot of that horrific vintage yellow plaid jacket, with gold shiny disco ball hanging from front pocket.

9.the return of the black jim afro wig. but most of all

10. the track!!! where has waldemaar been hiding this one? its brilliant!

so i locked myself out of the flat yesterday.

its here that i feel i must note i have never ever ever locked myself out of any place i have ever lived in, so perhaps it was my turn or era or something. i was kind of in a rush to get out, not really quite awake yet, and i vividly remember looking at my keys hanging off a ribbon on the door, and cheerfully thinking
*ah yes my keys are there *
before walking out and pulling the door shut, thinking
*um wait, keys should be.... F**K*

the good news is there is a friend with spare keys who lives close by. but as his phone is switched off i've had a summery day and a half of homelessness. so last night i ended up in a spontaneous sleepover at a friend's house. i very rarely stay over at people's houses in berlin. even when i'm on the other side of town i generally prefer to make it back to mine to sleep. so there is some element of childlike wonder in staying over at someone's house.

said friend has no alcohol to drink in the house. which means last night was a bit like one of our nights out together, without the drinking (which is to say not like one of our nights out, at all) . so for once i can remember all the details about the evening (a lot of talking about our work, some viewing/listening of each other's work, going to bed and reading). . being in his flat (he lives alone) and around his stuff last night in this morning has been kind of fascinating. there are lllllot of random objects. i keep finding more , a bright orange watergun, a lime green afro wig, some sunglasses marked *real 3d* (think about it for a second)

and i've discovered all kinds of other interesting details that i was never aware of. like his hip hop period, his new yorker magazine collection, or that he used to run track (and as soon as he woke up he left to go for a run). all of which i have only been made aware of by staying here....
sorry just got distractedby a package of oil paints on the other side of this desk.

and i wonder what happens in the secret, at home lives of the rest of my friends. maybe i should take this episode of homelessness to tuck into the worlds of the rest of them. who knows what new sides of them i will find?

or maybe i'll just keep going by that friend with the spare key until he's at home or answers the door...

This saturday..... an adventure in beat poetry....

Shut up and SPeak!!!!

Shut Up And Speak # 8
(English version below)

Es ist wieder so weit:
Zum nunmehr achten Mal findet am 06. Mai 2010 SHUT UP AND SPEAK statt
und diesmal sind wir zu Gast im Festsaal Kreuzberg.
Es gibt Performances in deutscher und englischer Lautsprache und auch in
deutscher Gebärdensprache.

SHUT UP AND SPEAK ist eine Nacht voller Spoken Word Performances.
Es gibt eine etwa eineinhalbstündige Show voller berührender, schöner, lustiger,
nachdenklicher, politischer, trauriger, wütender, leiser und lauter Texte.
Auf der Bühne stehen ausschließlich Frauen/Lesben/Trans*,
im Publikum sind alle Gender sehr herzlich willkommen.

Was noch? Spoken Word ist die direkte, intime und authentische Performance
von Texten, die den Federn, Kulis und Tastaturen der Darbieter_innen
selbst entstammen. Diese Form der Performance entstand ursprünglich aus der HipHop- und
Beatnik-Bewegung der USA – in den letzten Jahren erfreut sie sich auch
in Deutschland und Europa zunehmender Beliebtheit.
Im Gegensatz zu Lesebühnen wird Spoken Word häufig performt –
im Gegensatz zu Poetry Slams gibt es hier keine Wertungen und Sieger_innen.

Fakten:
06.05.2010
SHUT UP AND SPEAK
-mit Gebärdensprachperformance-
Festsaal Kreuzberg
Skalitzer Straße 130

Eintritt zwischen 2 und 6 Euro.

Die Türen öffnen sich um 20:00
Die Show startet (pünktlich) um 21:00

Wir freuen uns auf euch!!!


Shut Up and Speak # 8
The time has come again for our next SHUT UP AND SPEAK show.
The show will be on May 6th at Festsaal Kreuzberg.

Performances will take place both in the spoken language of
English and German and in German sign language.

SHUT UP AND SPEAK is an evening full of spoken word performances,
an approximately 1 ½ hour show full of inspiring, beautiful, funny, thoughtful,
political, sad, angry, quiet, and loud texts.

The stage will only be for Women/Lesbian/Trans*.
In the audience all genders are welcome.

What else? Spoken Word is a direct, intimate, and authentic
performance of words, which owes its debts to the Hip Hop and
Beatniks movement in the USA. In the last years spoken word has also
been gaining increasing popularity in Germany and Europe.
In contrast to a regular reading, these texts are brought to stage in a lively performance.
In contrast to Slam poetry, there will be no winners and no competition.

Facts:
Date: May 6th, 2010
SHUT UP AND SPEAK
-with sign language performance-
Festsaal Kreuzberg
Skalitzer Straße 130

Costs: 2-6 Euro
Doors open: 20:00 h
Show starts: 21:00 h

We are excited to see you there!

Schatzi Improvisieren Mich!

not a poetry slam,
not an improv show,
not an open mic,

what then?

perhaps a funny experiment in between all these things.

hosted by
Maria Maddalena aus Cattolica
and Paula Varjack

not *another* talkshow

what is it about the format of the talkshow? why does it seem to be so conducive to cult television moments such as these... and this

and this

and this?


and this??

well darlings you're right there isn't need for another talkshow, so me and marty have got something else in store for you. Berlin's first "Mockshow"
what is that you ask? We're not entirely sure either, but maybe you'll just have to come down to hbc gallery this sunday and find out

Me and Marty present...
a mock talk show hosted by Paula Varjack
Featuring our one man house band Martin Bengtsson!!!!!

Musical guest Joe Czarnecki
http://www.myspace.com/theinstrumentalguitarmassacre

Also featuring:
Comedian Paul Salamone
http://www.paulsalamone.com

Slam Poet Jacinta Nandi
http://www.myspace.com/myenglishclass

Mc Luna C Aka Moon
http://www.myspace.com/thatmoonbloke


and last but not least, our lovely show runner
Mirabelle Jones....
http://www.myspace.com/mirabellejones

so we'll see you there... it may or may not be a bit like this...

turn off your TV!!! ident from paula varjack on Vimeo.

tune in, turn on, get varjacked!!!

hey hey hey,

this is just a short missive to say, thanks to the wonder that is mirabelle jones, i now have a website (you may have noticed before that the paulavarjack dot com domain just took you to my myspace, cheeky i know, but not a bad idea until one has a website up and runnning)

have a looksy!!!