The Golem Walks Among Us
Time Out St. Petersburg, July 2005 | Click on the image to enlarge (hosted by flickr)
Taking the Golem out for a walk in Saint Petersburg proved as thrilling and exhilarating an experience as in Moscow. In both cities I was given dream venues to perform in: the 35MM theatre in Moscow, a modernist edifice with an incredible sculpture outside the place that juxtaposes a sputnik replica with a cast iron anchor circa Battleship Potemkin, and a cinema inside that was huge with marvelous acoustics and comfortable seats and sightlines-- and the stunning, 30's deco style massive and imposing Dom Kino cinema complex here (I write from the Cafe Max internet joint on Nevsky Prospekt in SP right now and rain is coming down hard outside after many days of superb weather...oh well, perhaps God's tears after such a volatile week of tragic events worldwide). Both halls were full with fans as the promotion for my appearances here has been top-notch, with tv and radio plugging the gigs and photos and articles in most of the newspapers and magazines and I played another television show upon arrival here, this one live for an hour where I spoke and played with the avant-russo guitarist Alexei Pliousnine--we have a duo gig tonight at he city's top underground rock club Club Moloko. I was really feelin' 'bout half-past dead upon arrival here Saturday morning after a 12 hour drive from Moscow in Andrey's BMW where because of us getting caught in the friday traffic rush where as many Muscovites were fleeing the city for their dachas we made only 60 kms in 3 hours trying to leave the city! But some 2 hours crashing in the Hotel Arbat Nord (wonderful hotel!) and some needed fuel injection of coffee and tea and cokes revivified me for the noon live tv broadcast and I performed solo and with Alexei and fielded phone callers around Saint Petersburg who wanted to know what guitar tunings I was using, among other things :-) The energy at my shows was crackling and electric and different both nights and both gigs really rocked nicely as the Golem cast its powerful spell and overwhelmed everyone as usual, what a pleasure to play this in Russia finally! Yesterday was a much needed day off where we escaped this lovely and charming city and we spent a relaxing afternoon at a resort on the Baltic Sea with some older Russian friends, finishing with a 1am repast at my favorite Saint Petrsburg after hours restaurant, The Idiot (after Dostoesvsky)...must say the food throughout the trip has been delicious and I have been dreaming of the perfect blini with caviar ever since Andrey and I made a pit stop at 6am right outside of SP on our journey here and we had our fill of these delicious pancakes with sour cream and caviar...maybe I'll go in search of one now...
more later
xxGary
Taking the Golem out for a walk in Saint Petersburg proved as thrilling and exhilarating an experience as in Moscow. In both cities I was given dream venues to perform in: the 35MM theatre in Moscow, a modernist edifice with an incredible sculpture outside the place that juxtaposes a sputnik replica with a cast iron anchor circa Battleship Potemkin, and a cinema inside that was huge with marvelous acoustics and comfortable seats and sightlines-- and the stunning, 30's deco style massive and imposing Dom Kino cinema complex here (I write from the Cafe Max internet joint on Nevsky Prospekt in SP right now and rain is coming down hard outside after many days of superb weather...oh well, perhaps God's tears after such a volatile week of tragic events worldwide). Both halls were full with fans as the promotion for my appearances here has been top-notch, with tv and radio plugging the gigs and photos and articles in most of the newspapers and magazines and I played another television show upon arrival here, this one live for an hour where I spoke and played with the avant-russo guitarist Alexei Pliousnine--we have a duo gig tonight at he city's top underground rock club Club Moloko. I was really feelin' 'bout half-past dead upon arrival here Saturday morning after a 12 hour drive from Moscow in Andrey's BMW where because of us getting caught in the friday traffic rush where as many Muscovites were fleeing the city for their dachas we made only 60 kms in 3 hours trying to leave the city! But some 2 hours crashing in the Hotel Arbat Nord (wonderful hotel!) and some needed fuel injection of coffee and tea and cokes revivified me for the noon live tv broadcast and I performed solo and with Alexei and fielded phone callers around Saint Petersburg who wanted to know what guitar tunings I was using, among other things :-) The energy at my shows was crackling and electric and different both nights and both gigs really rocked nicely as the Golem cast its powerful spell and overwhelmed everyone as usual, what a pleasure to play this in Russia finally! Yesterday was a much needed day off where we escaped this lovely and charming city and we spent a relaxing afternoon at a resort on the Baltic Sea with some older Russian friends, finishing with a 1am repast at my favorite Saint Petrsburg after hours restaurant, The Idiot (after Dostoesvsky)...must say the food throughout the trip has been delicious and I have been dreaming of the perfect blini with caviar ever since Andrey and I made a pit stop at 6am right outside of SP on our journey here and we had our fill of these delicious pancakes with sour cream and caviar...maybe I'll go in search of one now...
more later
xxGary
posted by Gary Lucas at 3:23 AM
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