Knights of Argoth

by Timur Kulikov

Knights of Argoth is a video game that is being developed endlessly discussed by Timur and Yuri. If/when it is eventually realised as a game, it will be awesome. Or so I think. I know nothing of video games, I just look at Timur’s graphics.

I especially like this drawing of a rather menacing dude in wizard’s hat and trench coat. It looks like the cover art for a yet-to-be-recorded prog-rock album.

Двенадцать стульев

by Ильф и Петров

I don’t think there is anybody who was born in the USSR and never read this book. I thought I knew it rather well. I was wrong. Re-reading it recently, I came across the passage from which I only remembered the famous slogan #3.

Старухи, неся впереди себя в обеих руках жестяные мисочки с кашей, осторожно выходили из кухни и садились обедать зa общий стол, стараясь не глядеть на развешанные в столовой лозунги, сочиненные лично Александром Яковлевичем и художественно выполненные Александрой Яковлевной. Лозунги были такие: «ПИЩА — ИСТОЧНИК ЗДОРОВЬЯ» «ОДНО ЯЙЦО СОДЕРЖИТ СТОЛЬКО ЖЕ ЖИРОВ, СКОЛЬКО ½ ФУНТА МЯСА» «ТЩАТЕЛЬНО ПЕРЕЖЕВЫВАЯ ПИЩУ, ТЫ ПОМОГАЕШЬ ОБЩЕСТВУ» и «МЯСО — ВРЕДНО» Все эти святые слова будили в старухах воспоминания об исчезнувших еще до революции зубах, о яйцах, пропавших приблизительно в ту же пору, о мясе, уступающем в смысле жиров яйцам, а может быть, и об обществе, которому они были лишены возможности помогать, тщательно пережевывая пищу. Ильф и Петров, Двенадцать стульев
Holding iron bowls full of porridge in front of them with both hands, the old women cautiously emerged from the kitchen and sat down at a large table, trying not to look at the refectory slogans, composed by Alexander Yakolevich and painted by his wife. The slogans read: FOOD IS THE SOURCE OF HEALTH ONE EGG CONTAINS AS MUCH FAT AS A HALF-POUND OF MEAT BY CAREFULLY MASTICATING YOUR FOOD YOU HELP SOCIETY MEAT IS BAD FOR YOU These sacred words aroused in the old ladies memories of teeth that had disappeared before the revolution, eggs that had been lost at approximately the same time, meat that was inferior to eggs in fat, and perhaps even the society that they were prevented from helping by careful mastication. Ilf and Petrov, The Twelve Chairs (translated by John Richardson)

According to Wikipedia, there were no less than twenty adaptations of this novel. For me, the one and only Ostap Bender is Andrei Mironov in 1976 film directed by Mark Zakharov.

Windswept Tree

by Tamara Kulikova

Canvas, acrylic paints.

Fetén Fetén

A few days ago, a rather mundane act of flipping through the Spanish TV channels was rewarded by a discovery. I never heard of Fetén Fetén (Jorge Arribas and Diego Galaz) before. The music is original and surprising yet sounds intimately familiar. Street party? Cabaret? Soundtrack of Fellini movie? It is nostalgia purified but it’s bound to make you smile. Waltz, tarantella, foxtrot, bolero, tango, csárdás; something Celtic, something Balkan, and something unmistakeably Spanish: “música para sonreír, para bailar o para emocionarse”. Thanks to RTVE, one can watch this program online in its entirety.

So do it already!

The Best of Harry Belafonte

by Harry Belafonte

This rather misleadingly named two-CD set in fact includes two early Belafonte albums, Calypso (1956) and Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean (1957), in their entirety, plus several bonus tracks, some of which could be better left out. In a way, this compilation continues the tradition of misleading names started by Calypso, which is not a calypso but mento album. To add even more confusion, the CDs themselves are labelled The Best of Harry Belafonte — Calypso — Disc 1 and The Best of Harry Belafonte — Calypso — Disc 2. But who cares! Calypso became the first LP ever to sell over one million copies. According to the liner notes,

<Irving> Burgie was credited with the majority of the songs, which had been well rehearsed before Belafonte entered the studio... Ironically, then, it was the one piece of improvisation, Day-O, that would give the album its opening signature track and inspire a plethora of imitators.

Even if it is not really “the best of” Harry Belafonte (thank goodness for that! I can’t stand “the best of” albums), it is worth having for the sake of Day-O alone. Other highlights include Love, Love Alone and Scratch, Scratch.

Thirty-Three Teeth

by Colin Cotterill

There used to be a flea market in C.C. El Campanario every Saturday. Not any more. Can’t believe it was in any way hampering the trade there — the commercial centre is still half-empty. It’s a shame, for there are very few second-hand shops in Corralejo. Some time last year, I bought the brand-new first edition of Thirty-Three Teeth for exactly €1 (one euro) — a bargain, especially knowing that the same book on Amazon is priced at over £100.

I have to confess that the reading did not go as smoothly as it was the case with Curse of the Pogo Stick. (At least in part, this probably has something to do with me mostly reading it on the beach.) But it is a great read, full of suspense, as any decent mystery novel should be, gentle humour, and little and bigger gems waiting to be discovered...

A wall two and a half metres high protected the place as if it were something more special than it was. The ministry of Sport, Information and Culture presently and unofficially occupied a seven-storey building that overlooked the non-spouting fountain at Nam Poo Square. Given the shape of things in Laos, the square was naturally a circle. ‘What do you all do here?’ she asked. ‘Oh. Absolutely top secret. Can’t possibly tell you.’ ‘All right.’ ‘But these two buildings are Lao secret police.’

The Butcher’s Ballroom

by Diablo Swing Orchestra

Who said art rock is dead? I discovered this fantastic album browsing through Jamendo’s free music collection. The last time I’ve enjoyed listening to heavy metal cum operatic vocals was, um, probably never. The opening track, Balrog Boogie, is a killer, but please don’t stop there and listen to the end. My other favourite songs include D’angelo, Porcelain Judas and Pink Noise Waltz.