7 things that sweeten the return to Brussels

I don't know about you but I am most definitely suffering from end of summertime sadness, so this is a little list of fun things to look forward to in Brussels that will hopefully sweeten the grande return. Save the dates!

2 September - Meet the Author session with  Douglas Coupland at BOZAR 

A little something for all the Generation X babies!

"But I get this feeling- It is a feeling that our emotions while wonderful, are transpiring in a vacuum, and I think it boils down to the fact that we're middle class. You see, when you're middle class, you have to live with the fact that history will ignore you. You have to live with the fact that history will never champion your causes and that history will never feel sorry for you. It is the price that is paid for day-to-day comfort and silence. And because of this price, all happinesses are sterile; all sadnesses go unpitied."

10 September -Knight of Cups Premier at BOZAR

Cause Terrence Mallick is one of my favorites and the trailer looks amazing

10 September - Sufjan Stevens at BOZAR 

13 September - your last chance to enjoy THE BELGIANS An unexpected fashion story 

Because Belgians seem to be taking over the fashion world

28 September - Morrissey is playing at Ancienne Belgique 

Love him or hate him this man has provided the soundtrack to endless nights and days! And if you don't like The Smiths you probably don't have a soul!

29 September - Bryan Ferry is playing at Ancienne Belgique 

The ultimate dandy is back! I got to enjoy him just before the end of 2014 and he left me wanting more! One of the concerts I am looking forward to the most next season!





And last but not least I may just manage to watch Gaspar Noe's LOVE in 3D. Cause we all love controversy and maybe when it comes to sex scenes 3D actually makes sense!

These are the days of miracle and wonder

Cause once in a while a movie comes along that moves your soul and reminds you that sometimes life is more astonishing than any fairytale and that cinema holds the power to irrevocably change a life. "Searching for Sugar Man" is definitely one of those movies. A vagabond, a poet, a wise man roamed the streets of Detroit in the 70s, hanging out on street corners, writing beautiful poetry that he recited in smoky bars with his back turned to the audience. Sixto Rodriguez recorded two albums, "Cold Fact"and "Coming from Reality" in the early 70s, whose lyrical storytelling even Bob Dylan would envy. 

Despite the fact  that he never quite made it in the US, through a copy of his album that an American girl took with her when visiting her boyfriend in South Africa, bootleg copies spread through the country and Sixto Rodriguez became the soundtrack of the revolution against the apartheid. His anti-establishment lyrics propelled him into superstardom comparable to that of Elvis and the Beatles whilst an air of mystery surrounded him. 

Unaware of his fame and record sales on the other side of the globe, Rodriguez gave up music and continued working in construction in Detroit. Decades later, two South Africans, a record shop owner, Stephen Segerman, and a music journalist, Craig Bartholomew-Strydom, fascinated by the story of this folk singer from the US who allegedly committed suicide on stage, by setting himself on fire, embarked on a mission to solve the mystery surrounding this artist and his quintessential rock'n'roll suicide. When in 1998 they discovered that Rodriguez was alive and kicking they helped organize a tour in South Africa where he played a series of sold-out concerts for thousands of his fans. Yet it wasn't until last year, when Swedish documentarist Malik Bendjelloul made this masterful movie that Sixto Rodriguez' career actually picked up in the US (he is playing at Coachella this year!)  A truly beautiful documentary about the nature of fame and the unpredictability and brutality of the music industry that rightfully won an academy award. Needless to say this is my favorite movie this year. A must see, cause these are the days of miracle and wonder!  

My favourite Rodriguez song and probably the most heartbreaking one! 

"...While the rain drank champagne
My Estonian Archangel came and got me wasted 
Cause the sweetest kiss I ever got is the one I've never tasted...
And I make 16 solid half hour friendships every evening

Cause your queen of hearts who is half a stone 
And likes to laugh alone is always threatening you with leaving..." 

"Cause there are two kinds of people in this world" and we all secretly love movie cliches

Cause it's Friday and the sun is kind of shinning and there is fun to be had so thought I'd wish you a good weekend and share this silly video I came across. Cause life would be unbearable if there were only two kinds of people in this word!

“There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who believe there are two kinds of people in this world and those who are smart enough to know better.”

Tom Robbins, "Still Life with Woodpecker"

I was lucky enough to be in Athens last weekend for the Athens International Film Festival where I saw Jacques Audiards' lastest film, "De rouille et d'os" (Rust and Bones) a heartbreakingly beautiful movie whose spectacular performances and flawless cinematography tranform this melodrama into one of the most movingly humaine love stories! A must see, cause passion is contagious!

Has your gaze ever wandered across the crowd?

Photo from the 2007 Athens International Film Festival


Weekend advice: