Blog Archive

Monday 14 May 2007

Devin the Dude ScandaEuro Tour 2007 Part 1

Alright y'all, I'm sitting in my hotel in Amsterdam, spent about 2 hours last night trying to download an ftp program but couldn't get any of the sites to work. Like something was blocking my download ability. This was after smoking about 10 hash doobs, so I gave up last night at like 2 am and went to bed thinking "I'm not going to get any of this shit up till I get home."

But alas and alak, a quick try in the monring time, semi-sober with a hashover but not stoned out of my gourd, I got the freakin' ftp program to download on the first try and well, hear ye hear ye, it's goin' down.

That being said, I have been taking a lot of photos with this other litle camera, and well, I have no way of getting those off said camera, so here's just the ones from my fucked up D-70 with a broken lens that won't focus on anything more than 2 meters away and a flash with a brain of its own. And dead bateries. And I always forget my glasses. YIKES. I told you before, I'm not a photographer, I'm a hustler. Anyway.

Before I left, my wife and I gave DJ Eva and early birthday present. See, while I am gone they are going to Hot Springs, Arkansas, so we got her a little digital camera that she has been wanting for months so she can show me photos from their trip. It's moments like this that make me wonder why I ever leave the house, but then it's moments like taking a sea plane over a glacier and seeing 600 people sing along to "What A Job" a million miles from home that make it pretty worth it. And the money, the money is nice too. I love Euros and Kroners.


But not as much as I love this little monkey.


Know'm sayin'?


And this little monkey as well, Elena.

Anyway, shortly after those photos were taken, The Dude and I set out on a flight to Stockholm via Amsterdam. Lemme tell you this right now, I got love for Continental Airlines, I have Elite Status there now and they make things rather easy, but they don't have shit on KLM. First of all KLM has much roomier seats in economy, Continental puts you in a fucking baby seat where KLM has you in this naturaly reclined throne with decent leg room and a nice headrest. KLM also doesn't charge you for drinks, Continental does, and I know I personally need a few drinks to cross the freakin' Atlantic (pills help too but alas and alak...). They had the Simpsons on the TV and a great vegetarian pasta. I'm just saying, KLM you win everytime. Continental, step your game up. The tall alcoholic travellers of the world are sick of your shit.

Both airlines need to get some better films though. If I see Happy Fucking Feet on one more plane I'm gonna scream.

Anyway, Stockholm is fucking beautiful.

As partially evidenced by this photo.

From the jump, our hosts in Stockholm told us of the weed smoking laws in Sweden. Supposedly the cops can stop you on the street and if you look stoned they can take you in and make you piss. If you have weed in your urine, they will fine you or arrest you. That didn't happen to me or Dev thank God, but um yeah, if I move to Scandanavia someday with the family (and just might) I'ma go to Norway I think. Sweden is lovely and all but um, I have enough weed paranoia in the states.

That being said, I guess its better to piss and pay a fine than to spend a night in jail and pay many fines over many years and have a permanent record, I don't know man, I thought all of Scandanavia was at least halfway cool with the wacky weed, but apparently it's an issue in Sweden. Sweden, I say to you and all other nations (from my safehouse in Amsterdam), quit fuckin' hatin'.


Devin started the trip off in the park across from the hotel playing some basketball with the locals.


Showin' them how it goes.


This little kid was fuckin' shredding. We watched him for like an hour.






Know'm sayin'?


Johanna has the entire region on lock. You can tell that immediately, super promoter and such. Everyone respects her, its quite a respectful place though. Such a nice place, but they have such draconian weed laws, don't get me started again, I know I know, there's more to life than weed. The beers were great, anyway... DJ JOHANNA B!




My boy Scooter was in town with my boy Chris from Mad Gods (photos of him on other camera coming soon) and we kicked it quite hard. They also brought some of our Swedish homeys to the show. Dudes who have been to the radio station before and shit even. I'll have their pics up later as well and more info.


Rackham from thescrewshop.com is a big southern hip hop supporter.


As is LaLean! Great to meet you guys!


Work.

So the Stockholm show was insane, tons of people going nuts and I took all the nighttime photos on the other camera, soooooo you'll have to wait for those. There's also a lot more to report, so yeah part 2 will be a monster. I promise. I hope.

But after the freakin' show, at 4 a.m. we set out on an 11 hour drive to Aarhus Denmark, which also featured 3.5 hours on a ferry boat complete with gambling and duty free shopping and fairly uncomfortable seats. But it was awesome. I got some video coming soon on the DVD I keep writing about but not making.


We did get to see this fort however when we stopped for gas.


Which was, as they say in Texas, Thowed.


Devin and Fred marvelling in the wonder, pondering how many ships were blown out of the water by canons back in the day from this exact same spot.

And all my photos from Aarhus are on the small camera, but we linked with the Pimp A Lot Records crew and Devin tore the hourse down once again. We hadn't really slept at all for three days at that point so it's pretty much a blur. I need to see the photos to bring it all back.

Then it was on to BERGEN BERGEN BERGEN. A city so nice you gotta say it... um thrice. It was dope cuz Lars of Tiern and Lars opened the show and performed that song (that you may have heard on Damage Control before) and the crowd went nuts. Again, all the live show and sea plane photos are on the other camera. And I got mad video on the plane, it's insane.


But here's a few shots from dinner that featured trout, salmon, scallops, shrimps, vegetables, those little potatoes I only ever see in Europe and a lot of Champagne.

For more from this excursion peep out the photos on Lars and Leca's Montana Bar Blog Right Now.



It was quite dark in the dungeon where we ate. Read the text on the Montana Bar site and you'll see that Lars describes the dinner as having it all including women. There were no women there, we were in a dungeon and in a garden, flitting around like fruitcakes (I mean ballers) drinking champagne and cognac, wide open to the scenery in the middle of nowhere (that is actually the place to be though) and we really saw no one except the waiter and the caretaker of the hotel, who was a woman yes, but I'm trying to paint a picture here, we were in an extremely remote place. Surrounded by mountains and water and peace. I thought about seeing if I could get a job in housekeeping at the hotel, get a lil villa for the family, and fish for my own food. The place is also surrounded by apple trees everywhere. I mean, fish and apples, that's a good diet. I'm with it, Melissa start packing, we r dropping out.

Maybe.




Devin in the Dungeon.

My dude took this one whilst rolling some of Bergens finest.




As evidenced here.

Then we went to Malmo, back to Sweden. Yet another beautiful city full of wonderful people. Wow. Peace to Mats Nileskar, the number one archivist of black music in the world. He should teach a class. Like the realest music journalist on the planet. Motherfuckers, as I said before, step your game up. Quit following the hype. You got a dude from a town in Sweden whos more up on new music than you. Yes I'm talking to all of you, listen up journalists. More on that later as well, we not done yet.

No smoking in Malmo either.

We had to respect the warnings though. We didn't want any alarms going off and such.


Two of Swedens dopest artists Timbuktu and Chords. I have Chords album from last year and he's off the chain. We keep hearing Timbuktu on the radio everywhere out here. They are killing it. Doing shows in Ethiopia and shit and setting up workshops for the kids out there. What are you doing?


Fred, DJ Large and Devin.


Fred and Johanna. FredSoReal, JohannaSoReal I mean. They hooked your boys up quite hard.




DJ LARGE played "One Day" up in the club.






DJ Large, DJ Johanna B and Timbuktu. Such a nice scene out there in Sweden.


Haze.

In the end, big ups to everyone we've met so far along the way. Big regards to Fred and Johanna, if you're fuckin' with anyone else over here, you're fucking up, real talk. Ha, I ride for my peoples. And will continue to. But for today I think I'm just gonna smoke hash in a hotel room and watch BBC News people call the Church of Scientology a cult and start fights with cheeky men in suits who are just two steps down from Tom Cruise on that couch. YouTube it, it's funny. Not that I have any problems with Scientologists, I really don't care, but this kind of shit is my UFC. British journalists screaming at church leaders who in turn threaten to fight them. Now THATS entertainment.

Anyway, yes, I'm still delirious. At night I can't sleep, I toss and turn, no visions of bodies being burned, but my head just swims with all the shit I have to do, today, tomorrow, in July, August, September, this Friday, this Saturday, etc.

Oh What A Job This Issssssssssss. More later. Maybe some Amsterdam street photos.

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