* tba.

Students Event Guide & Literary Journal University of Hamburg

* to be announced...

t able of C ontents
C ategories
weblinks university life film/cinema exhibitions market music locations theatre creative corner imprint

3 meet the tba-family: rikA 4 AbatoN 5 AlmanyA 6 Turner illuminateS 7 The cement gardeN 8 Love & money - the cryptic plaY 10 DubtarI 11 Grafikdesign im jugendstiL 12 Deutsches zusatzstoffmuseuM 13 Sneak previeW 14 PrinzenbaR 16 tba - Around the worlD 17 HamleT @ thalia 18 PrinsessaN 19 SlacklininG 21 Chomskyed in colognE 24 The age of sounD 25 Interview: The age of sounD 28 EGO @ band of the week 30 Imprint & the tba-familY

Weather forecast: Sunny with a bit of tba

You Dont Need a Weatherman / To Know Which Way the Wind Blows Its Summer, apparently, and I feel right at home. It seems that Ireland and Hamburg share the same Northern-Mediterranean climate that is wonderfully suited to attending a lot of indoor events... Every month, more readers are coming to the pages of tba to find all of those events, locations and little Hamburg gems that they didnt even realise they were looking for.

You are welcome to join the tba-team with your spirit and knowledge, whatever it may be! Meet us every Wednesday, 6 pm at the Anglarium (Phil-Turm, 1st floor, room 171) or mail to: office@tbajournal.com

So if you havent yet saved enough ...and so with this issue, we provide money to buy your own Greek isyou with a first aid kit that will en- land, keep on reading to discover able you to enjoy even the greyest of the delights of Hamburg indoors. Summer days. Oh, and if the sun should happen So, instead of longing to be on to warm your faces for a few hours, a warm beach somewhere in the then you could always leg it to the south, dip into this edition and find nearest green space and try your something that will help to trans- luck at Slacklining... all the cool port you to a better place, filled with kids are doing it.... Art, Music, Love and even Cement, if youre in to that sort of thing. Your editor

Meet the tba-faMilY

rika
Aaaaah finally! I live in Hamburg! After three years I finally got to my favourite city in this country. Since last October I am an official citizen of Hamburg. And I love it! Ive adored this city since I was about ten years old, this was when my older sister moved here and I visited her for the first time. I still remember this as if it was yesterday. I was in the living room, the windows were open and people were talking and laughing downstairs in the cafs. This was the atmosphere where I fell asleep, every time I stayed with her. I know now that this was the very special atmosphere of the Rotherbaum area. Now I live in a completely different neighbourhood, in Volksdorf. What I love here is that it is so close to nature. There are at least three different protected nature areas and I just bought a new bike to explore all the small paths around my place. Of course this is not all. As someone who was just recently called a musician (though I wonder how she came to that because I havent touched my instruments in years...) I adore the number of music clubs and locations, the number of open-mic and open-stage nights. The Reeperbahn festival is a great invention, not only for tourists. My next step is to get a place more to the centre to revive my childhood memories. So if anyone might know a free 2 to 3 room flat with bathtub, you are free to mail to office@tbajournal.com.

Source: Rika Groeneveld

abaton - a quite different kind of theatre

Where? Read more: Allendeplatz 3, Bus 4/5 Grindelhof Abaton page How much? 5-7,50 (Wed. is movie night: 5)

How many times have you seen an ad for a movie that would be perfect to go see on the big screen, only to realise that the multiplex cinemas have all moved on to Transformers 3?? Well, if you love going to the movies and want to catch up on all those films youve missed through studying for exams or demonstrating, its worth checking the Abaton. Located as close as possible to the university campus, this cute little cinema

not only shows films much longer than the big Coca-Cola-MenuMainstream-Cinemas, it also offers other films, smaller productions, repetitions of classics and the films that you definitely wanted to watch, but nevertheless missed last year. For all of us that study languages or believe that the spirit of a dialogue in the original movie is brutally murdered by dubbing, the Abaton is an excellent alternative to the more expensive Streits cinema. A 6 entrance fee for students invites you into this smallish movie theater, friendly staff and a drink at the bar. Stop in front of the cinema, read the articles and reviews on the offered movies in the showcases at the outside of the building. And watch out for Abaton specials: directors of the movies visit the cinema regularly and talk about their piece of art to the audience! Dont miss this chance, it is, quite literally, close at hand! V.S.

alManYa We are all foreigners When Were not at hoMe

Where? Read more: Abaton f ilm page

Visiting a foreign country a blurred image of foreign odours, sounds, languages and people. Other values, deities, habits, prices, fashion and money create a holiday feeling, a feeling of being a stranger and a discoverer of another world. What is enjoyable and interesting if you visit a country for a limited amount of time, causes lots of fear, insecurity and a feeling of being lost and deracinated if you have to move to this foreign country because your parents found work there. In their movie Almanya Willkommen in Deutschland the sisters Nesrin Samdereli and Yasemin Samdereli tell a story like that: The young Turk Hseyin manages to find work in Germany but misses his family terribly, so that he returns to his small village to take his family his wife Fatma, the two sons Veli and Muhamed and their daughter Leyla - with him. The new country is connected to all kinds of hopes and dreams: Muhamed dreams of endless Coca Cola, but cannot imagine living among the Germans, as his best friend tells him that they believe in a tortured guy hanging on a cross, wearing a thorn crown and that they eat human flesh and drink human blood to worship him. By telling a story in a story, the two sisters manage to include first, second and third generation immigrant problems, thoughts, hopes and beliefs. The fruit of their work is a hilarious, but also serious movie, which shows Germans how foreign their home country can seem and how cultures connect and blend into each other and the identities of the people living in them. V.S.

Source: official film webpage

Source: official film webpage

t urner
When? Where? Read more:

illuminate S
I was sitting at the kitchen table recently when my flatmate informed me that she used to work at a Licht-verleih. From the context of our conversation, it was pretty obvious that she meant that the company rents out industrial lights for television and film productions, but my mind was captivated by the quixotic idea of a company renting out light to people.

02 June 11 September Bucerius Kunst Forum Bucerius web page

How much? 5,- for students

The quality and intensity of light has always created a deep emotional response in me. When I think of travelling through Italy, what represents the country in my imagination better than any Roman ruin or Gucci-clad beauty is the deliciousness and softness of the light. Difficult to describe such things in words...far better to go take a gander at a truly uplifting and deeply edifying collection of Turner paintings. William Turner was a master of conveying the emotional impact of light, and its absence. The paintings are truly beautiful, infused with Turners subtle artistic sensibilities. Although his work is complex and can often be better appreciated through detailed study, I find that each of the paintings in this exhibition can be appreciated almost instantly. There is a directness and a power to his paintings that makes them accessible to everyone. As I write these words, storm clouds are hurtling by overhead. It is June and yet Hamburg is as sullen grey as Ive seen her in a while. We may not be able to rely on gorgeous sun-kissed days in this northern metropolis, but as long as Turners pictures hang near the Rathaus, we have the opportunity to share in the riotous colour of one mans world. M.L.T.

Source: Marc-Liam Toolan - photo of: Joseph Mallord William Turner - Sunrise with sea-monsters

B ook

review :

t he C ement G arden

By

i an m C e wan

Ian McEwans brilliant first novel deals with a dysfunctional family where the sudden death of the father and more disturbing death of the mother unsettles the four siblings and leaves them on their own without supervision and rules. The story is told from the perspective of the fifteen-yearold Jack who is struggling to reach manhood. He has three siblings, his older sister Julie, his younger sister Sue and his baby brother Tom. When their father dies of a heart attack, the family has to cope with some difficulties. The mother is hardest hit and soon follows her husband to the grave. The four are now on their own and they decide to conceal their mothers death by burying her in the cellar of her own house, in a trunk full of cement in order to avoid being separated by social services and placed into foster care. The reader can see that the family unit is deranged right from the beginning and after the tragic and somewhat mysterious death of both parents, the breakdown runs its course. When the parents were still alive the family didnt receive any visitors or socialize with anybody. The only exceptions for the children were their contacts at school. The siblings fall rather naturally into their new roles and form a new family unit but the present isolation carries on. I feel that it is this isolation that leads inevitably to the incestuous relationship McEwan creates. For example, when the parents were still alive, Jack and Julie play doctor with Sue. Jack unsuccessfully tries to talk Julie into being the guinea pig instead of Sue. Quite unsatisfied by her rebuff Jack keeps on fantasizing of Julie while masturbating.

In this new family order, Julie obviously represents the mother figure, having taken over this role when her own mother falls ill. Jack refuses to roll with the punches and a power struggle develops between him and Julie. He escapes more and more into his own world of apathy, and also boycotts his bodily hygiene. Further, he struggles to cope with his guilt, the financial constraint and the sexual tension between him and Julie. But soon, awakened by the action around him, Jack begins to take responsibility and assists Julie rather than opposing her authority. As Julie introduces her older boyfriend Derek to the family, Jack feels a streak of jealousy. Derek is not only a rival but also a threat to their ostensible new stability and independence, for slowly but steadily he reveals their desperately well-kept secret. Later on, Derek catches Julie and Jack during intercourse and he finally learns the excruciating truth about this rotten family. Julie does not seem to mind Dereks allegations but Jack feels obviously caught and is mortified because deep down he senses that their encounter is morally wrong. However, they carry on and are not in the slightest bit bothered by Derek smashing their mothers concrete coffin to pieces since they are aware that it was just a matter of time. McEwans novel will stick in your mind for a long time for sure, its a hell of a book. It might appear small and by flipping through it you might think its an easy read, I can tell you it is not. It is definitely close to the knuckle, yet McEwans delicate choice of language makes it poetic while at the same time the content is deeply disturbing.

S.R.

r eview : love & mone y

Source: University Players

There is this man from London e-mailing a woman in France. They soon start talking about intimate topics. Then he tells her how hes killed his wife. Thats it. There is this woman in between her coworkers and some mannequins talking about all and nothing, love and money; and how she falls in love with clothes and bags. Until shes all dressed up, another mannequin, next to her mannequin-husband. But lets start at the beginning. Where is the beginning in this story? Dennis Kellys play Love and Money begins at a point where most conventional dramas end: after the death of the main female character. Sorry if that spoiled a potential suspense in the storyline, but thats what the viewers were confronted with right at the beginning. Most of the story is told backwards, but even that is not guaranteed throughout the whole play. It sometimes gets quite confusing but in effect it gives the audience a possibility to enjoy the scene as it is. With or without context. As the classical ways of talking about a play no longer apply, lets talk

about some topics on which it focuses. A very obvious central theme is money, economy, capitalism. Jess, the main female character, is addicted to shopping. As with most addictions, the addict tries to keep it a secret as long as possible. But it gets worse, she starts lying to her husband, David, and incurs debts. She no longer wants specific clothes or bags but simply feels the need to buy anything. David is unable to cope with the situation but nevertheless tries to deal with it and plays it down. This makes things worse for everyone involved. From now on, everything in their relationship is about money, getting another job and paying the debts off that have steadily increased. The specifics arent made clear to the audience but can be deduced from their behavior towards each other, or more specifically, their non-behavior. In order to earn some money, David even gives another man a blow job a fact that is intricately and at first subtly introduced. The play deals with a problematic relationship, an addicted wife, a husband who is stressed out and probably depressed. So a lot of heavy stuff, up to date problems with which the audience is most likely able to identify.

However, this doesnt necessarily mean theyll be able to comprehend the behavior of the characters on display. Why exactly David murders Jess at the end, or rather at the beginning, isnt and shouldnt be readily understood at once, and can be interpreted in several ways. Is it because he was too stressed out by his jobs and relationship? He desperately wanted to drive this new Audi could that bring him to murder his wife? There are probably more motifs; maybe its a combination of all these factors. Unfortunately the female protagonist couldnt quite compete with her male counterpart. She had a tough role to play and the long monologue at the end was extremely demaning, but she wasnt able to let the viewer identify with her. The emotions her tragic character must have surely felt werent conveyed to me. The University Players displayed a simple stage-design, some flowers in the back that could be put into position whenever needed, a coat-rack with fancy, colorful and sparkling clothes on it. A couch, a bed, a desk, some chairs. Basically normal furniture thats easily transformable for any occasion that comes up. The plot by contrast is rather extreme but could happen in exactly this kind of setting. This shows us the insanity that can result from a life as unassuming as our own.. K.F.

d uBtari - ride
Album? Hear more? www.dubtari.de

the offBeat trai n

When asked about the sound of Hamburg, one is likely to drift off into the past, wandering around with memories of long-lost German Hip Hop days - Absolute Beginner, parts of FK Allstars, Deichkind, Fettes Brot, Mr. Schnabel, Samy Deluxe ... I guess you catch my drift. You might also go so far as to think of Hans Albers, his (in-)famous Auf der Reeperbahn nachts um halb eins and the early days of German cinema. Another direction might take you to the Indie (Tocotronic) or Reggae/Ska corner (I-Fire, Dubtari). Now, now... wait a minute Dubtari?

Dubtari - Live in Altona: release 15 July

Yes, Dubtari! For years, the Dubtari crew has been an underground tip for all things offbeat, ska, reggae, dancehall. The eight-strong band has been around for more than ten years and played as supporting band for reggae masterminds Culture and Burning Spear. While always thinking on a larger scale they were the opening act at Summer Jam in Cologne 2002, amongst many other gigs they never forgot and are proud of their roots in this northern city. In Hamburg, they have played almost every major gig there is to play - from Hafengeburtstag to Altonale, from Reeperbahn- to Elbinselfestival, you name it. And during this decade of Dubtari, theyve developed

some kind of tradition: their concerts in the Fabrik in Hamburg-Altona over the years have become an institution of its own. The mix of trilingual offbeat music that drifts from Reggae to Ska to Drum n Bass over to Latin rhythms and Hip Hop elements and is labelled Intercontinental Offbeat by themselves, regularly takes the audience hostage and culminates in a concert that leaves everybody smiling. After having released three studio albums and worked in various musical cooperations, the band, which is lead on-stage by two vocalists Marcophone and Quiandra and backed by the brass section of Sren and Sch, Robs on the drums, Szigalle on keyboard, Ivo on guitar and Bolze on bass, has now pushed their discography to the next level and decided to record this great live experience for a live-album. In November 2010, they equipped the Fabrik with loads of high-tech equipment and recorded the whole gig, and after having spent almost half a year with intense work on mixing and mastering, the result will soon be available on CD ( July 15, 2011). I can only recommend listening to this piece or, naturally, paying the next Dubtari concert a visit, which sadly wont be earlier than 26 November 2011... T.S.

10

Source: Kolja Schmidt

G rafikdeSiGn
Where?

im

J uGendStil

People tend to do When? 20 May - 8 August weird things when they are motivated by How much? 5-8,- feelings of nostalgia. How else would you explain the fact that twice every semester, the students of Hamburg University go on a pilgrimage to the poster sale and purchase images of fin de sicle cocoa commercials, cigarette advertisements or soup publicity? Because that is basically what Art Nouveau is: advertisement. It is a form of commercial art that has manifested itself not only in advertisement posters but also in the architecture of the early 20th century. Names like Alphonse Mucha or Antoni Gaud come to mind when we see the intricate floral designs, the delicate lettering and the silkily clad women sprawling on naturally- Jugendstil furniture. Looking at all this splendour, one tends to forget that one is looking at a work of art that was produced to sell something, true to the maxim: art sells. The Museum fr Kunst und Gewerbe has collected a few prime examples of the era and created an exhibition around the theme of Art Nouveau graphic design. The smallish collection ranges from teeny tiny matchbox-sized patterns to full-blown posters of the famous Mucha. Surprisingly, you also stumble across works of Toulouse-Lautrec, the infamous postimpressionist painter who could be found just as frequently drinking absinthe in the Moulin Rouge and messing around with prostitutes as he was in his atelier creating images of the roaring 1880s in Paris. I especially recommend going to see the exhibition because for five Euros you can roam freely through the entire museum and check out the other exhibitions as well. Maybe make your next Tuesday Museum-Day and enjoy not only art from the beginning of the 21st century but also Politik im Knsterplakat, Japanese fashion design and portrait photography. J.T.
All Pictures on this page: Julia Tegtmeyer

Museum fr Kunst und Gewerbe Steintorplatz (S/U Hauptbahnhof )

11

d eutSCheS Z uSatZStoffmuSeum - w hat S your

Source: official homepage

food made of ?
from Poland and Denmark to enter the museum through a small glass-door. I paid the small fee of 1.50 and walked into the exhibition which is designed to resemble a supermarket. A tiny supermarket. The exhibition is not large, however it is filled with information. I spent half an hour flipping the pages of a reference book, analyzing the additives of a candy bar I had taken with me. I learned that sawdust makes yoghurt taste like raspberry and that bread does not always equal bread. I was introduced to the fact that additives are the cosmetics of food. They prevent wrinkles, add color and make things smell good. Wandering through the aisles of the make-believe supermarket, I got scared of sauce and angry at Captain Iglo. I felt the urge to plow my own field, harvest my own crop and bake my own bread. But who was I kidding? I cant even keep my little pot of basil from dying. I had to leave. I know that I tell little white lies every once in a while but does my food have to do the same thing? I was always so thankful that it filled me up and provided me with the energy I need. And now it has betrayed me by keeping secrets that it shouldnt have kept bottled up. Walking back to my bike, my hand grabs a candy bar from my backpack. I unwrap it and take a bite. Ah, the sweet taste of hypocrisy. S.G.

Where?

Auf der Brandshofer Schleuse Bus 112, 120, 124, 34: Nagelsweg

How much? students: 1.50 Read more? Museum webpage

In a month, the average German pays about 200 for food. But what do we get for the money? It turns out that we get more than we see even more than we want. Invisible ingredients make our food tasty, spicy, runny or tender, but most importantly cheap. Due to recent events, more and more people have been asking the question: What is in our food? I hope they are prepared to hear the answer, because the truth tastes pretty bitter. As hidden as the additives in our meals, the Deutsche Zusatzstoffmuseum is nestled in between warehouses and containers at the Hamburger Gromarkt. Every day, more than 2,000 workers load tons of produce and flowers on these premises. When I got there, I didnt see a soul. In fact, I had to ring a bell for the receptionist to buzz me through the barb-wired gate. I walked by trucks
Source: official homepage

12

h ello
Where? When?

to the

S neak v irGinS ...

Streits Cinema, U/S Jungfernstieg Mondays 8.30pm

Every MonHow much? 5,- day evening at about 8:30 pm Read more: Streits webpage you will stumble across a little mob in front of the Streits Cinema at Jungfernstieg. Why? Its time for the Sneak Preview! For those who havent been to a Sneak before: A film that isnt yet running in German cinemas will be shown and as we are at the Streits itll always be in English. For those who have been to ordinary sneaks: you simply have to participate at the Streits! It is a cinema experience thats one of a kind. Like in any other mysterious community, certain habits have developed over the years. The oldest tradition is the Trailershow starting off with the Dolby Spectral Recording- Trailer from 1991. This little spot, whilst one is flying across beautiful landscapes, is accompanied by clapping of the audience ending with a Mexican wave. At the end, the famous dialogue from Jackie Chans Rumble in the Bronx is shown. When Jackie is asked Ist alles ok? and he replies NEIN! he will never say

it without the audience supporting him. Between Jackie and Dolby, new as well as old trailers are shown in turns. Whilst the new ones are just supposed to inform the audience about upcoming films, the old trailer classics are hints about the main movie. Following the Trailershow, the Sneak virgins are welcomed by name, the award ceremony of the prediction game (on www.mysneak.de, everyone who feels like it can guess what film will be shown next week. And if he or she is lucky win free tickets! After that, there is usually an auction of a DVD and as a highlight the feeding of predators (free sweets! Hurray! ). So if you want to spice up your cinematic life with good foreplay and ambiance you certainly will be delighted with the Streits Sneak Preview. It is highly recommended that you reserve tickets in advance as the Sneak is usually sold out but you will only have to pay 5 for the ticket (and 0,50 for the reservation).. S.T.

13

P rinZenBar - what
Where? When?

a loC atio n!

Grner Jger (U3 Feldstr)

Source: Official website

Wed, 11 May, 9pm

How much? 9-11 Have you ever been to Prinzenbar? Well, you dont know what its like. Have you been there twice? You still dont know. Three times? Still... Because the feeling, Prinzenbar itself, is indescribable. So lets see what makes it so special: Located at the Spielbudenplatz, the building used to be one of Germanys oldest cinemas. It was one of the places that showed the first, only a few seconds long movies, one of them featuring a train. People ran out of the cinema screaming in panic because they feared the train would drive out of the screen and kill them all. If you go there now, you dont have to run anymore but can go inside and marvel at the beautiful plastering thats still all over the walls and the ceiling. They tried to keep it as original as possible and have a conservator that restores the plastering when necessary. However, focusing only on this part would make Prinzenbar appear more like a historical sight in which you can observe early 20th century architecture. Prinzenbar is open to a lot of different shows and acts. That means: Pay attention or you might enter a sadomasochist party. All kinds of people like to come here and everyone sees a different purpose, a different possibility in Prinzenbar. In the afternoon there might be a business-meeting, at night a candle-light dinner and the next

morning theres an electro-music party for all the revelers of Reeperbahn who dont want to go home yet. What makes Prinzenbar extraordinary is its ability to transform. No unusual light effects have to be used even though they have exotic ideas like letting fluorescent soap bubbles float around (and make everything look quite awkward, they admit) the room itself is enough of an effect. The interior is decorated in warm shades of red, which intensifies the intimate and personal atmosphere. There are mirrors which enlarge the room. However the most significant characteristic of the room are the several levels from which you can get an overview of the room, the bar and the people. Prinzenbar especially wants to show smaller, slightly less popular musicians which you can get to know in an intimate atmosphere.

14

Source: official homepage

On the other hand, some established stars also like to come back and play in this extravagant location, like the Subways who played a small act just after having played at the Hurricane Festival. They are happy if they remember where to find everything, even though its been a while since they last played at Prinzenbar. But its also a struggle to keep the location running. Its not a central location at the Kiez and thats why they dont have too many walk-in customers. You have to actively decide to go there. But thats, in a way, a plus for you as a customer: Prinzenbar doesnt open its doors and waits for you to come by. When the personnel open its doors, they offer you something special. Talking to them, you feel that they see their work at Prinzenbar as an affair of the heart. They love working there and presenting new and special shows, also giving yet unknown artists a chance to present their work. Even though its a rather stressful job mostly performed under great time-pressure, they are happy to do it. They are establishing a series of singer-songwriter-events, so if you feel the need to show your abilities at that place where Rammstein once shot a video that won an Echo, go ahead and ask them. K.F.

Source: official homepage

15

tba around

the world

- moSCo w

All Pictures on this page: Source: Milena Vanessa Rizo Blandon

16

r eview : h amlet

@ t halia

- Poor

willia m

Source: official homepage

I wanted to go to the theatre, and I wanted to see Shakespeare. It was my first time seeing Hamlet, and Ill probably never forget it. They called it a student festival. A student campus festival. Well obviously low prices attract students. However, it all started with silence (like most plays). There are expectant eyes focusing on the scene, a depressing atmosphere with a dead deer lying on the ground, a high curtain of black suits in the background. After a few minutes the actors appeared. Screaming, dancing and sometimes spitting. I am sure that I was not the only one thinking. What the hell? Then Hamlet had his entrance, which was quite surprising, because he was born out of the other Hamlet. So there were actually two Hamlets. And of course, like every new born, Hamlet No. 2 was dressed in his birthday suit. To sum it up: some loud words, many obscene presentations, horrifying music in the background, and a glaring light, coming out of a torch, blinding the audience. At times, I put my hands over my eyes. Then, suddenly I wanted to stand up and leave the theatre. I wanted to say something. Something like: You guys have no clue who Shakespeare was! Shame on you! But that would have been pretty melodramatic, so I cut it out. I looked at my friends. They were laughing. And then I looked

at the people who did not show any reaction. Actually, they were all holding their breath. And in between, you could hear probably the most famous sentence of all: to be or not be. Not to be in that theatre would certainly have been a great choice. The play was a disaster. Not only because of the, somehow psychotic, Hamlet, who was spitting and screaming. Everything was torn, incomprehensible, blurred beyond recognition. I mean, imagine you visit the Louvre. First you pay at the entrance, and then wait for about 5 hours to finally get in and see the painting everyone talked about. And then you notice that someone had painted a moustache on Miss Mona Lisa. But it was more like you really saw how some distinguished artist took a felt pen and drew two big black lines on the canvas. Of course, expecting the visitors to clap their hands and say: great job! Its Art. Its liberty of Art. Its an interpretation. However, it seems to me that some so-called artists or directors try their best to make their work at least unforgettable. Some people say its a matter of taste. I say its a matter of mind. Is it cocky to feel sorry for Shakespeare because he must be turning in his grave? I am not entirely sure. A.A.

Source: official homepage

17

P rinSeSSan f illinG
Where? When?

the

S weet t ooth

Woldsenweg 1 (U1/3 Kellinghusenstr.) Hofweg 63 (Bus 6 - Zimmerstrae) Tue-Sun, 10am-8pm

Source: Rika Groeneveld

Read more? Prinsessan web page Have you ever dreamt of molten chocolate cake with clementine sorbet and pomegranate? Or a menu only of sweet dishes? If so, youre going to fall in love with Prinsessan. The Prinsessan is a desert-bar run by the sweets-loving Roman Witt and his team. Their concept is so successful that they opened their second bar in Eppendorf in October last year. Prinsessan offers a great number of delicious cakes, Petite fours and chocolate, as well as hot chocolate, tea and coffee. The Caf in Hofweg is inspired by Swedish housing and Victorian interior design. The place is kept light through white walls and furniture and cosy through accents in red, violet, wood and silver. At the bar, facing the kitchen you can watch the cook preparing your dish. Chairs and couches are very comfortable and the atmosphere is friendly and welcoming so you can easily spend hours talking, reading and laughing there. The charming staff are always relaxed and calm, giving you time to choose from all the delicious and yummy jewels of sweets and theyre happy to chat too.

Most interesting and important is the food, of course. The menu offers hot chocolate with cinnamon, lavender, almond and even bergamot, the flavour of Earl Grey tea. You can get a lot of different tea flavours as well as breakfast and lunch. The breakfast menus are named after European princesses. Sweet Kate is a sweet breakfast with a scone, a croissant, jam, cream and fruit salad. A lot of ingredients are organic and some dishes are even vegan. Coffee and hot chocolate can be ordered with lactose-free milk. The Prinsessan is the place where I go with my friends who come to Hamburg to visit me. It is a lovely little refuge with a cheerful atmosphere where you have all the time you need to catch up. You can sit there for hours, eat and drink tasteful creations and there is still enough money to go to a party later that night. R.G.

18

Source: Sophie Thiel

w hat

a wonderful da y for ....S l aCklininG !

Read more? Gibbon Slacklines Slackline videos on Youtube Have you ever been to a park and wondered what those crazy people over by the trees were doing? Walking and bouncing on some sort of flat rope...Well then youve witnessed one of those new fancy sports: Slacklining! What makes it so appealing is the simplicity of its concept. All you need are either two trees or pillars (or anything that forms two reasonably stable anchor points) which are about 10 to fifteen meters apart, and of course your Slackline. Setting up a Slackline takes you about two minutes- if you want to get some extra advice go to YouTube for some instruction videos . And thats basically it! Now you are ready to get started with your first attempts. Roughly speaking, a Slackline is a tension belt but not immobile and inflexible as you might expect it to be, but very elastic, bouncy and wobbly. The tension and height can be adjusted to suit the user so if you have your first goes, dont set it up too high, a bit below your knee is usually a good height to start off with and a lot of tension assures easy walking. You might get a bit frustrated at first because youll fall off a lot, but believe me it gets better very

soon. Once youve mastered the basics like walking forward, backward, turn on the line and maybe even kneel on it, you can start doing little tricks like jumping across it. There is a humungous amount of stunts you can practice on a Slackline! If you want to have a look at some of them either wait for the next Slacker you can hijack or again go to YouTube and search for Gibbon Slackline Trick in a Minute. One of my favorite stunts is the butt bounce: You start of in a standing position, then put some pressure on the Slack with your body weight and then simply let yourself fall onto it, so you reach a sitting position. The Line will catapult you back up so you can land on the line with your feet again. It requires a lot of practice and patience but when you perfected your

19

trick, it is something you will most definitely be proud of ! We are not here to belittle things so lets be honest for a second: Slacklining can hurt! So if you start Slacking do yourself and your physical integrity a favor and be cautious and take it easy! And sadly, as we live in a rainy city, you will be confronted with looking out of the window and being quite angry with the weather as Slacklining in the rain isnt much fun and neither is it very safe. But once the sun comes out, it is the finest thing to meet up with friends in a park, have a picnic and present and practice your newest skills with other people. If you are interested in Slacking, there is a variety of options for how you can proceed. Either you are just hardcore and buy your own Slackline. You get them on e.g. on www.amazon.de or at Globetrotter. Gibbon Slacklines is the trailblazer on the Slackline market and offers very good value for money! They sell different types of lines. For beginners the Classic is recommended it costs about 60 but from my experience, it is smarter to buy an advanced line- e.g. the Jiblineright away. If youre Slacking on a regular basis you will get bored with the Classic quite fast as it isnt so great for jumping and tricking. If you prefer to try out Slacklining before you invest in your own line you will surely meet Slackers in parks (hotspots are the Stadtpark, Wohlerspark near Holstenstrae, Unnapark near Osterstrae or the Dammtorpark across the Dammtor station) and dont be shy to ask if you could have a go! Almost everyone gets into Slacklining that way. S.T.

20

C homSk yed

in

C oloGne
A large screen projects the image of the empty podium. An enthusiastic student raises a sign with the somewhat un-academic assertion that Chomsky Rocks. I travelled from Hamburg to Cologne in order to attend this lecture entitled The Evolving Global Order: Prospects and Opportunities. I met former students of mine whod come from Potsdam, and Im quite sure that many people had travelled even greater distances to hear this 83 yr old distinguished professor speak. What had brought us here and why was this enormous lecture hall imbued with such an atmosphere of expectation? A small procession of university dignitaries accompany him to the steps leading up to the stage, and a few moments later... Enter Chomsky, Stage Right. He begins to speak, not in soaring rhetoric, but in measured tones. There is no distinction between the style he uses to describe technical details of linguistics and of political matters of urgent import. Ive been listening to his speeches for more than ten years, and Ive become accustomed to the cadences of his lectures, but Ive often heard people lamenting his lack of rhetorical verve and charisma. Whereas political

The atmosphere is intense, there is a visceral energy in the room as people scramble to f ind a seat two hours before the show starts. Im sitting in a huge lecture hall at the University of Cologne, Ive travelled for 5 hours and waited for another 2 hours to be here. I dont have a place to stay in the city, but I havent felt such a wonderful sense of anticipation in many years. In fact, Id been waiting for this moment since 2000, when I first came across the political writings of Chomsky as a disillusioned undergraduate. Although I ostensibly studied English, Philosophy and Anthropology, it was reading Chomsky that really fired my imagination and made me reconsider the world in radical ways. The moment is drawing closer, people of all ages are still standing at every entrance, urging the university porters to let them in, though the remaining seats have been occupied for almost an hour. Under a barrage of requests, the staff finally relent and allow streams of latecomers into the hall, undergraduates and distinguished professors alike take their places on the steps and on any unoccupied piece of floor.

21

luminaries such as Obama wow us with the craft and delivery of their speeches, Chomsky has chosen to commit himself to an unrelenting focus on content and coherence. His on stage presence may be somewhat dry and methodical, but when glancing at the upturned faces of the audience, it was not difficult to apprehend an emotional response. Simply put, Chomsky has a huge fan club. Although he derides the notion that he is in any sense a figurehead or a leader traditional labels that do not synch with his Anarcho-Syndicalist beliefs it is undeniable that he engenders passionate responses, both in those who idolise him and those especially his fellow countrymen who despise and dismiss him with vitriol and contempt. There may have been a number of people in the audience who were there because they simply wanted to be in the presence of an intellectual giant of the 20th century. A man who has repeatedly been described as one of the most important and most cited - intellectuals of the post-war era certainly holds a certain status on campus. However, many more were there because of his ideas and what his activism represents. Together with the recently deceased Howard Zinn, he is considered to be a dissident in his own country, willing to speak truth to power in ways that have made him enormously unpopular amongst intellectuals on both the Right and Left in American life. He has inspired many as a result of his political activism, the consistency of his world view, and his clearly enunciated sense

of right and wrong. Despite the horrors, brutality, cynicism and duplicity that he has been decrying for more than 50 years, he provides many people with a sense of hope, not in the sense of an empty slogan, but hope that people of conscience and determination can achieve real change. Instead of bitterness and gnawing cynicism, his response to the man-made injustices of the world is enlightening and uplifting. And what of the man himself, this somewhat stocky yet frail figure on stage, born before the Great Wall Street Crash of 1929? Why has he come, and why does he continue to travel around the world, giving lectures at universities and to small community groups? It may be that he loves to travel and earn frequent flier points, it may be that he gets a great kick out of standing in front of crowds, denouncing inequity and untrammelled power. One cant presume to fully understand his motivations, but from my perspective, it seems that he burns with a deep sense of indignation. The more one reads his political texts, the more apparent this anger becomes, and I am left with the sense that it is his unique blend of anger and intellectual honesty that impel him to continue reaching out to people, sharing his view of the world and inviting them to organise and create a better reality for the sake of future generations. The brilliance of Chomsky is that his anger is not simply an emotional response, but is always informed by rationality and thoughtfulness. It was somewhat difficult for me to avoid the temptation of

22

asking him to stand with me in a picture that I could proudly hang on my wall, but following his seminar one day later, I was reminded of something that Chomsky had said himself: In fact, its extremely important for people with power not to let anybody understand this, to make them think there are big leaders around who somehow get things going, and then what everybody else has to do is follow them. Thats one of the ways of demeaning people, and degrading them and making them passive. I dont know how to overcome this exactly, but its really something people ought to work on. At a time when Hamburg University is facing a significant crisis, when students are being forced to work more and study less so as to fund a university education, Chomskys conviction that well-organised and committed people can effect change is instructive and inspiring. Its not enough to read Chomsky, its not enough to go see him live...but for me, his importance lies in his ability to inspire people with the realisation that change wont be handed down by any leader, rather, real change must be fought for by ordinary people. M.L.T

23

a nd

then C ame the

a Ge

of

a weSomeneSS t he a Ge

of

S ound

Hear more? The Age of Sound page Album: And Then Came the Age of Sound available on Amazon/iTunes The best discoveries are sometimes made purely by chance. Just like the discovery of penicillin or radioactivity, The Age of Sound was a discovery that was made purely accidental and nonetheless groundbreaking. Through a group work in one of my seminars, I met Olli who casually dropped the bomb that he had a band who had just released their first album and that you could actually purchase it on Amazon and iTunes. Considering the fact that people in a band are ten a penny, you get even more excited when the band is actually blatantly brilliant. It took them years to get to where they are. When they started out they were a shitty school band formed by sandbox friends who just wanted to make music together. These friends are Oliver Grandt (vocals / guitar), Sebastian Gtcke (lead guitar), Hauke Winkler (bass / cello / backing vocals) und Steffi Cordes (drums). They worked their way from shabby practice rooms and crappy sound at the beginning to a professional yet utterly likeable group today which is applaudable. Their music stems from hard work and dedication as you seldom see with student bands. They call themselves an indie-rock-brit-pop-beatles-oasissound-connecting-mod-happening-on-eight-legs. Their music is energetic, melodic and their album And Then Came the Age of Sound is so surprisingly versatile and just REALLY good. There is nothing schoolband-like about them. They are just as amazing live (for example on a balcony overlooking the Reeperbahn, check out their balcony TV gig on youtube) as they are on CD. I must admit that even with my grand Saturday hungover headache their song On a Sunday made me want to dance (I predict hit potential!) The driving sound makes your feet move inexplicably in rhythmic motions and I caught myself humming the song after the second time I listened to it, which is quite impressive. The combination of the danceability and catchiness of the melodies simply make me happy. Dear TAOS, thank you for helping me through Saturday and Sunday. I am going to buy your album, because I love you. I am not trying to brown-nose you, you are fabulous. Because you make honest music and stop-motion videos. Because you are a band from our local nest that really has the potential to do great things and make a lot of people happy. Because your singer actually has a voice that was made for singing. Because of everything. Sincerely yours, the world. J.T.

24

i nterview : the

aGe of Soun d
TAOS: First of all we wanted a name that didnt already exist and that would look interesting on a poster. We wanted it to SOUND like music. After 2 months of intense brain-wrecking we came up with Hi-Fi Rifle and The Age of Sound. We let our friends decide between the two and The Age of Sound won. (to all those new bands out there: Hi-Fi Rifle is still available!) tba: Even though its a terrible question: please define your music genre-wise. TAOS: Nowadays it would probably be called Indie-Pop. In a leaflet we were once advertised as Psycho-Brit-Pop, but I still dont really know what thats supposed to mean. tba: Who are your musical idols? TAOS (Oliver): Oasis, Elliott Smith, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Beatles. tba: What ambitions do you have for the future? TAOS: We hope to be able to record many more albums and play tons of gigs. And of course we want to win at least two Grammys. tba: Whats your biggest success been to date? TAOS: We loved that we got to play as the support act for

tba: Tell us something about yourselves. What do you do when youre not on stage? The Age of Sound: Apart from Steffi (who has an office job) we are all students. That makes for a wild mix of History, English and German Literature, Philosophy and Biology. And this is also what we do in our free time, because with studying and music there is not much time left for leisure activities. We dont mind though, because nothing is more fulfilling than being a musician. tba: When and how was The Age of Sound founded? TAOS: The band as it is now came into existence in 2006. Weve all known each other since our days in school or even kindergarten. It was one of those friends start a band for fun-stories. tba: What made you start making music? TAOS (Oliver): I started playing the guitar when I was 15 because the Beatles inspired me and really planted a deep fascination with music in me. I wanted to do what they did. Before that I used my creativity for drawing but I feel that music is the ultimate art form and I stuck with it. tba: Tell us something about the name The Age of Sound ...

25

Art Brut (YEAH!) at Groe Freiheit 36. Our greatest success, however, is that we got to record an album that is even available in stores. Were pretty stoked about that. tba: What is the greatest thing that ever happened to you at a concert? TAOS: Sometimes the crowd actually sings along, which is an absolutely amazing feeling. Once someone threw a bra on stage. Never gets old! tba: How is making music compatible with your university chores? TAOS: You have to tactically plan your absenteeism and you cant ever get sick. If you also get used to spending some sleep-deprived nights, its going to work just fine. tba: What is your impression of todays music business? TAOS: These days there are of course many advantages to being able to promote and present yourselves and receive instant feedback. As vinyl/cd lovers, however, we are a little melancholic. The death of physical music definitely pains us a little. tba: What is your connection to Hamburg? Do you have a favourite place?

TAOS: Difficult question. Since we all grew up in this city, we are somewhat connected to it. Maybe not only somewhat but completely. tba: Which song from your current album is your favourite? TAOS (Oliver): Anyone, because it takes off like a rocket yet remains very pop-like. (Sebastian): Fan, because I co-wrote it and therefore have a special relationship with it. (Hauke): Youre Free. Why? Absolutely epic. The Wurlitzer-organ is amazing. (Stefanie): Youre Free, because its different from the other songs and just turned out surprisingly bloody brilliant. Especially considering that at first we didnt even want it on the album. 1

tba: How do you get gigs in Hamburg?

TAOS: We finally got ourselves a booker, but sometimes we just get random requests to play a show. At the beginning the whole act of getting gigs was really difficult. Sometimes you actually have to pay if you want to play at a venue. Its a vicious circle because without an audience youre not getting gigs and without gigs youre not getting an audience. tba: How do you assess your own popularity? Do you make

26

use of social networks a lot to promote yourselves? TAOS: Social networks are incredibly important for promotion purposes. You can safely say that without MySpace (the older ones among you might still know it) we would not have an album today. We had over 13,000 fans on there, which was pretty impressive. But those glorious days are over, because MySpace is absolutely dead. Here we go again on Facebook. For the current album we have a PR-company that spreads the word of the release for us in many different channels . Some radio stations play us, too. If that means were popular, I dont know. tba: What problems have come up in your band life? TAOS: The worst are definitely the costs. If you stand at the beginning, making music is an incredibly expensive hobby: instruments, rehearsal space rental, travel costs at low / no pay. A while ago, we bought a band VW bus, so that we can get to shows without having to rent a car each time. English! And the album recordings, we also paid for ourselves. Therefore you dont really have money left for anything else. tba: Your tips for upcoming bands? TAOS: If youre having fun, stick with it! Thats really the best advice I can give you. We started as a crappy school band and are now playing all across Germany. tba: Why are YOU THE Shit? ;) TAOS: Because we make music that we love and we have an incredibly good taste. ;) tba: Any famous last words? TAOS: Only ever watch Anchorman in J.T.

27

e Go @ B and
Where?

of the

w eek

Grner Jger, Neuer Pferdemarkt 36 (U3 Feldstrae) This diffamation is only the tip of the iceberg in the long list of bloodcurling gossip that has been spread about EGO. It is completely and utterly untrue that the band doesnt have an agenda and that they are happy just playing music and having fun. No! EGO are striving for world domination at least or would only settle for a world tour with lady gaga as their support act. Other heinous rumours claim that all band members like to drink beer when in fact they live an ascetic life completely devoted to music and only drink spring water out of crystal cups. When asked about their musical influences, EGO praises the genius of Katy Perry. She made her mark in music history, says Marius with a tear in his eye. Surely, Black Sabbath invented Heavy Metal and Metallica developed it further. But without a doubt it was Katy Perry who perfected it. Other musical influences are vehemently denied. We have nothing in common with bands like Die rzte, Rise Against or RHCP. They are abso-

When? 20.07. 7pm How much? free Hear more? EGO web page Self-aggrandizement is totally sexy. For this very reason, tba is tremendously proud to announce that one of our very own tba family members has taken on a new passion; music. Actually, music has always been a part of the life of Marius, who started playing the violin and the oboe at a tender age of 2 months. After five years of intense musical studies in the remote monastery Po Pso Ng in the Qin Ling mountains in China, Marius returned to Germany to start primary school with the commoners. After meeting Marc Zollondz, another musical monk from the beautiful city of Hamburg, the two decided to look for fellow believers to create an uber-rock band. With Francisca Bullinger on the drums and Jonas Clausing devoutly slamming the bass, EGO was founded. Not wanting to restrict their creative magic they never decided on a musical style that they would stick to but nowadays they agreed on a label for their other-worldly spherical sound: tropical Dutch opera pop. This exotic mixture is such a novelty that the audience often mistakes it for Rock music of some sort.

28

lutely unoriginal and cannot compete with EGOs musical genius. The band meets every week to meditate in the basement of Francis grandmother and thinks about how to ensure lasting world peace and way to tell the world that pizza is really tasty. They themselves are contributing to the improvement of the general everything by making their music egologically degradable. Being egological is the very essence of our music and encapsulates the very essence of our spirit. In spite of all this goodness, Ego are also experiencing the first downside of the fortune and fame. We hardly go outside any more for fear of being recognized on the street. Its really hard not to lose touch with reality when youre this famous. Again, enviers want to tarnish the bands stardom by claiming that the band has stayed humble at heart and is grateful for every single person showing up at their concerts. Likewise untrue are the rumours about their recording sessions in their practice room with a microphone taped to the ceiling and of their planned release of merely 4 4 songs. Naturally, EGO have already released 20 albums with major record labels and have enough material for 20 more in their safe. Despite their raging success, EGO are only on stage for the third time this month. Missing this would not only be a deathly sin, but also deeply disappoint the dead lovely band members. Dont destroy our dreams. If you dont come, you make Bunny cry! Meet this young and fresh-faced band that wants to change the world. EGOs message to the world is: Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, life is short, so party we must. or alternatively: Finger im Po, Mexiko.* By the way, for those of you wondering: EGO stands for Elephant Grapholagnia Overlord.
*Unfortunately, tastefulness forbids a translation of this ancient German proverb.

J.T.

29

Imprint - the tba familY

editor-in-chief sub-editors

p.p. Marc-Liam Toolan Tobias Steiner, Julia Tegtmeyer, Bjrn Behm, Susan Reichelt

Meet the familY

authors

layout copyright 2011, all rights reserved

Tobias Steiner

tba - to be announced
Students Event Guide & Literary Journal University of Hamburg

Source: Sarah Kaufmann

photography

Abdolazimi Fllenbach Graham Groeneveld Reichelt Richter Steiner Struckmann Tegtmeyer Thiel Toolan

Asal (p. 17) Kim (p. 8f., 14f.) Shaun (p. 12) Rika (p. 18) Susan (p. 16, 22) Stephanie (p. 7) Tobias (p. 10) Vera (p. 4, 5) Julia (p. 11, 24-29) Sophie (p. 13, 19f ) Marc-Liam (p. 6, 21-23)

- see picture credits -