One thing I noticed walking in the streets in London was that the way of adopting certain color was striking, especially red. Red, which is sometimes very loud and too much standing out among all, turned to be the clearest and purest color in London. It was not only because the modest color tone of the street, but I felt also the invisible effect of the air that made red appear as bright and cheerful as possible. Red looked happy in London.
So this is famous Palace of Westminster. I'm not sure why we decided to see it in the evening, not in the day sunlight, but it was probably because at first we regarded it as one of the ordinary sightseeing spots and we were seeking for some cool travel experience which might suit cool kids (like us, as we used to think). We didn't much care about famous historical places so we judged that we didn't have to rush for them and possibly could see them in passing. But it was, of course, far much worth than that and fortunately the timing was perfect because the occasional rain had just stopped before we reached the site and we could see the magnificent light reflected on the surface of the River Thames. It was no doubt breathtaking moment.
In the middle of our stay in London, the idea hit us out of whim, to visit Paris from London (just a curiosity and adventurous spirit of youngsters). We went to the tourist info and asked the price of flight or Eurostar train. In fact the ambition was in vain, as the price was far beyond expectation, supposedly due to the fashion season in Paris. So we discussed over coffee again how to put our spirit in more realistic way, then we decided to at least go and see the boarder between UK and France. We headed for Dover.
We admired the famous White Cliffs of Dover and the old castle, but what really excited us was beautiful and pastoral scenery toward Kent and peaceful seashore at Straits of Dover. The water was so calm and there were some local families walking around the coast or listening to the radio. We stared at the ferry which seemed come over from Pas de Calais making quietly its way into the harbor, and finally felt so satisfied.
My impression in London was "sunny" which must be a really odd expression. But as long as it was true, I cannot say it in different way. It was March. Not too cold, we were walking around all day in shirt and leather jackets. During our 4-days stay I'd seen rain only once or twice. And it wasn't uncomfortable at all, as we found why so many people in London didn't open the umbrella; because it wasn't necessary. When you got wet, you'd be just dry soon (although this was probably due to a certain level of dry climate in a certain season, it was surprising and fun to us.)
I liked so much the bank of the River Thames, and this shot was the late afternoon on the day before leaving London. It was sunny and I had mixed sense of warm wind and fresh smell of grass. There's a kind of tenderness around the place as if it congratulated our finest travel experience under the rare good weather.
I visited London in March 1999 as my first trip to abroad. The little adventure totally fascinated me and my friend. We were really just kids who loved Brit rock and got excited about everything. The tube, British Museum, Tower Bridge, Camden Market, Big Ben, Bond Street, Green Park, London Taxis, Sandwiches, Architectures, Canary Wharf, Design Museum, and musics. Even the combination of museum brochures and couple of souvenir postcards stirred me to take photo of them. Though it was a childish excitement I still remember how I felt happy and thrilled by the days full of things to see, draw, listen and experience.
Given the situation I'll soon get involved in a brand-new mission at very new department it seems I cannot take vacation for a while. Almost every year I've spent busy months through summer to autumn and after that I took 1 week off from work to travel. This year I still don't see my schedule at this early November. I miss travelling.
But anyway, I find a way to make up for. I can always take a look at pictures I shot in a city I visited, and remember everything I felt at the moment. Here I think of trying to write a little chronicle of travels in London, Copenhagen, Paris, Helsinki, Zurich, and my own hometown.
1つの曲が誰かの人生を変えることはなくても、ある世代の、少なくともある期間の人生には影響を与えることはあり得るはずで、Underworldの"Born Slippy Nuxx"はその一つです。何とも表現できない唯一無二の音の世界は、その冒頭から、“ある世代”に属する人ならすぐに分かるフィーリングを、1990年代半ばの記憶と空気とともに思い出すことでしょう。大げさな言いかたですが、これは本当にそういう存在の曲です。
漂うようなボーカルに、たたみかけるドライな疾走感。まさに全力で駆けているときの鼓動のように活き活きとした、それでいてクールで正確なビートに、何か特別な予感を思わせる美しい音調が重なり、今でも色褪せないテクノの傑作のひとつです。
この曲は1996年の映画"Trainspotting"に使用された曲として有名です。皆がこのきわどくエッジの利いた映画に憧れはしなかったとしても、この曲が"ある世代"に呼び覚ます記憶は確かにこの時代の空気と結びついていて、曲を聴きながら街を歩けば周りは映画のシーンのように見えるのです。
1990年代、80年代、70年代、60年代には必ずそうした時代を代表する曲がありました。不思議なことに2000年代、2010年代にはそんな音楽が生まれているようには思えません。おそらくこれは我々が音楽が人生の一部を占めていた世代に属しているのかどうかということであって、ミュージシャンの才能の問題でもなく、時代の善し悪しの問題でもないのです。
