James Taylor: the quintessential American singer-songwriter

Out of habit I was looking for DGratis weekly English feature by Michael Richman when I came across a familiar face (James Taylor with his inseparable acoustic guitar) and a familiar song: You've got a Friend. The thing is that it wasn't James, no doubt one of the most popular American singer-songwriters, who actually composed this famous song, but his good friend, another accomplished female colleague, the great Carole King. But it was indeed James who turned "Friend" into a worldwide hit. 

Needless to say, the article's title reflects Michael's love for James Taylor's music, who I'm glad to say we both share as he has also been one of my all-time favourite musicians across the Atlantic. His velvety voice grabs your soul and can move you to tears. 

I became acquainted with James's music in the early 80s when an old friend borrowed me a cassette (those were the days!) of his 1971 album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (which I shortly after bought myself and still have to this day), containing, among others, the above mentioned JT classic "You've got a Friend" and another song I do love, "Close your eyes". But it wasn't until I purchased another tape, curiously enough an earlier work, the 1970 album Sweet Baby James, that I fell head over heels for his music. Two songs caught my attention right away: the opening one, which gave the album its title and, above all, the gloriously moving Fire and Rain. Even though in those days I couldn't fully understand the lyrics, I immediately loved James's melodic guitar playing and the deep warmth of his voice. Apparently James had written the song in the late 60s to come to terms with the high (fire?) and low (rain?) moments of his life. He was only in his 20s but already struggling against depression and drug addiction. 

There are so many other songs I could recommend if you've never listened to James Taylor. But indeed the one that always comes to mind is, which else, Carolina in my mind, featured in his 1968 self-titled debut album. Legend has it that James recorded it for the Beatles's label, Apple, while staying in London. James sings about his longing to return to the state of North Carolina, the land he would call home in his childhood days (actually he was born in Boston but moved further south at a very young age). The lyrics are so heartfelt that you can feel James's homesickness. In this old clip below he tells the small audience it's a song he "wrote in Spain" and he was "homesick at the time", and goes on to say that though he "didn't have a home that doesn't keep you from being homesick sometimes".




The quality of both the sound and picture is not great, is it, so I'm embedding this other YouTube clip with the full lyrics. I never seem to get tired of listening to the song!

There has been a legendary speculation as regards the identity of Karen, the woman he mentions in the famous line "Karen, she's a silver sun." Until very recently, James was reluctant to reveal the girl's identity, which resulted in lots of odd theories: some people argued that Karen might be a poetic name for Carolina, while others believed that Karen was actually a beautiful young girl that James met in our country. Many have even interpreted that the song could be about drugs, since, when it was written, Taylor was battling a severe addiction to heroin, as I said above. Not until he gave a concert on the BBC in 2009 did he disclose the real identity of "Karen". Apparently, his afore-mentioned "James Taylor" debut LP was recorded at around the same time the Beatles were producing their famous Double White album; it seems that Taylor flew to Formentera, where he bumped into a young Scandinavian woman by the name of Karen in what seemed a fleeting relationship, just a casual meeting, because he never saw her again. 

Whatever the story, Carolina is one of the most beautiful, delicate songs I've ever heard. Wouldn't you agree? As  Michael says in his DGratis feature, James was awarded this year the National medal of Arts by President Obama for "his remarkable contribution to American music". As the voiceover reads, "his distinctive voice and masterful guitar playing are among the most recognized in popular music and his expensive catalogue of songs has had a profound influence on songwriters and music lovers from all walks of life". I wouldn't be able to put it in a better way. This is a short CBS video of the ceremony.

As this entry is becoming way too long, let me end up saying that James was famously married to another notable fellow singer-songwriter (birds of a feather ...), the ever so popular Carly Simon. In this last video they sing a duet (they divorced years later), namely a delightful love song I mentioned earlier, "Close your eyes". So please guys, do as the song says and let James and Carly's voices fill your ears: "I don't know no love songs and I can't sing the blues any more. But I can sing this song and you can sing this song when I'm gone ..." A beautiful duet, no doubt.

Thank you so much, dear Michael, for the inspiration you've given me by writing your fantastic article in DGratis. I wonder if we might go to see JT live in Madrid together ...

SUSANNE: Skiing – my secret passion

I love skiing. Since the age of seven I’ve been skiing at least once a year, so I can’t imagine a winter without going to the mountains. Now, when the cold season is beginning, I’m eagerly looking forward to the first snow and the next skiing holiday. You can’t imagine the incredible feeling of carving through the powdery snow while you have the spectacular mountain panorama in front of you, the sun shining in your face and the glittering snow particles spraying into the air in front of you.

It was in the 70s when we, that is, my parents, my brother and I, went to the Alps for the first time to try this upcoming sport. I remember the fashionable equipment: a Norwegian woolen pullover, an anorak, leather ski boots up to the shins, large heavy skis and neither a helmet nor special ski glasses. After a couple of hours we were dripping with sweat or, what's worse, if it was snowing, we were soaked to the skin. Compare with today’s functional self-breathing skiwear! What else has changed? Skiing has become a mass sport: Each year thousands of people travel to the popular ski resorts and try to gain a free track on the crowded ski slope, so they have to find accommodation, eat and shop in the formerly cute mountain villages. If you go skiing in the high season, expect queuing at the ski lift and in the restaurant. Apropos restaurants: In those days, fast food didn’t exist in ski areas, and we had lunch in kind of little Alpine cottages which were run by their owners. I especially remember one where a busy old lady offered her delicious home-made crepes. On the other hand, now you have the comfort of artificial snow-powdered runs that guarantee easy downhill descents to the town below without scratching your skis.

The above mentioned and other collateral effects of mass tourism make me increasingly worried about nature in high mountain areas (and that also fits with our topic, as you must remember the “sacred balance”, don’t you?). But I admit that it would be hard for me to abstain from skiing, although there might be a sustainable way of practising this sport, as the first video below "Ski for Nature" demonstrates.  Do you notice that the people ski in a different way? It’s an old form of skiing, the telemark style, which is enjoying a revival in recent years. 

Then I’d like to show you how beautiful skiing can be: The first video is an advertising clip from Atomic, a well-known ski manufacturer.  

The second, a teaser trailer from the film Claim ("the greatest ski movie ever"), shows some daring extreme skiers in their element. 

I hope you enjoy the clips and, maybe, they will encourage you to try out this wonderful sport. 

Hi,  it's me again! I've found a short video that promotes respect towards mountain areas. 

Thanks for the lovely nature-oriented post, dear Susanne. I can see you're a keen skiing fanatic and rightly so. I mean, I've never practiced the sport myself but my children have, well, on and off, and I know it's great fun. Actually, my daughter is going skiing (snow permitting!) to Andorra only next week with her secondary school mates.

Now that I think of it ... I "kind of" skied twenty-five years ago, when I was a budding young teacher in Leon, the year before I passed my competitive exam ... may I reminisce the anecdote? Mariano, one of my students and an inveterate skier, invited me to join him and his wife for a weekend in the popular ski resort up in the north, San Isidro. He provided me with the whole (branded) gear: the warm clothing, a pair of skis, glasses, gloves ... the lot! I looked like a real Fernandez Ochoa, ha ha!

But to cut a long story short, believe me, it was frustrating. However hard Mariano tried to teach me the rudiments of the sport, I felt my legs weak and kept stumbling on the immaculate white snow, much to the hilarity of the able kids around. And to cap it all, my delicate white complexion got severely burnt under the winter sun as it got reflected on the sun like on a mirror. I was a staggering "tomato" on skis! So that was in a nutshell the one time I kind of experienced the pleasure (!) of feeling the soft white blanket under my feet - again. Long gone had been my childhood days in Germany when there were knee-high snowfalls and I would go downhill on my sleigh ...

Gustavo: "The Real Dirt on Farmer John"

(Or the magnificent translation into Spanish: Las calabazas gigantes del granjero John)

Did you ever think that another type of agriculture is possible? This documentary really made me change my mind. After all, even in one of the most polluting countries on earth (yes! The United States of America) it is possible to live in peace with Mother Nature … and “Farmer John” has the key. Don’t you want to know more about this brilliant, unusual guy? 

The documentary tells the story of a Midwestern farmer called John. Born within a family of farmers, he soon realized that farming would be both his dream and his nightmare. But John didn’t look like his neighbors (in fact, he didn’t want to, since he was quite different). When he went to college he discovered the hippie revolution of the sixties and brought some friends to his father’s farm. And then the problems came as the neighbors started to talk bullshit about John … 

But this wasn’t the only problem John had to face. The wrongly called “green revolution” ruined most Midwest farming families, including John and his smart hippie project. However, he came up with a truly “green” solution to save his farm, his (and his roots) way of life and his funny, liberal personal view of life … I guess you want to know how the story ends! 

Thanks a lot Gustavo, this is a most interesting post on our blog. You just forgot one thing: the film / documentary in its entirety is available here in case anyone wants to watch it. At least I'll do as soon as I can, as the story has aroused my curiosity ...

George Harrison: The "reluctant" Beatle

Slightly over ten years after Freddie Mercury’s death, on November 29th 2001, another legend of popular music left this world: George Harrison, the “darker, more spiritual” member of the greatest band that ever was - unquestionably: The Mop Tops, The Fab Four … of course, THE BEATLES!

He will never be considered the most accomplished guitarist (though he’s recently ranked # 11 - not bad! - in a poll conducted by Rolling Stone magazine, “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”) or a brilliant singer. George always kept a low profile within the band, never bothered to steal the limelight, the leading role selfishly shared by John and Paul (or is it John and Paul?), the two giant egos who constantly clashed with one another up until the day the Beatles inevitably split up. 

But to me, an unconditional Beatles fan, and this is something I admit that took me years to find out, George was the most talented musician of the Liverpudlian act, sort of the glue that kept the band together. I don’t think their musical adventure would have worked out without him. Because, though much less prolific than the most famous composing duet in the history of rock, Lennon-McCartney (or McCartney-Lennon, what would you say?), George Harrison penned such memorable Beatles songs as “Taxman”, “If I needed someone”, “While my guitar gently weeps”, “Here comes the Sun” or indeed “Something”, which the great Frank Sinatra ignorantly, almost disgracefully, called his favourite “Lennon-McCartney theme” but also - and not many would disagree - “the greatest love song ever written”. 

Or would you indeed disagree with the archetypal “crooner”, the man who sang so many unforgettable love songs? If you do, maybe you need to listen to “Something” once again. Because sure thing you’ve already done it ... or have you? In any case, I don’t even have to insert the lyrics scroller, since it’s so easy to follow the words that George came up with. I love the naive video, featuring the four greats and their wives at the time: Patty, Yoko (yuk, I’ll always kind of blame her for the Beatles’s separation!), Maureen and Linda, in order of appearance. You know guys, I can’t help it, the more I listen to the song, the more it … “woooos me”!

Harrison's wife, the gorgeous Patty Boyd, was later famously “snatched” by the Beatle's close-friend and guitar hero (at least to me!) Eric Clapton, who years before had written “Layla” (a song many of you are probably familiar with - “You’ve got me on my knees, Layla!”) as a token of Eric’s then unrequited love for Patty Boyd-Harrison. I’ll get back to this love/hate relationship between George and Eric later on. 

Going back to George alone, he was a man of profound spirituality who soon became fascinated by Indian culture and religion, so much so that he eventually converted to Hinduism. It all began when he had met Ravi Shankar, often considered the greatest contemporary Indian musician as well as the ultimate sitar virtuoso. George himself found the instrument so appealing that he introduced it in a few Beatles songs. Arguably his biggest hit as a solo artist, My Sweet Lord, even includes the complete recitation of the famous Hindu mantra, “Hare krishna”, and I guess I should also embed the song right at this point, shouldn’t I?

I remember the hit being aired endlessly on the Spanish FM stations during the 80s and how I felt so soothed by it (Hallelujah!). That’s why, if I had to recommend you something quintaessentially “Harrison-ian”, I’d urge you to buy his 1970 album “All things must pass”, produced by himself and the famed Phil Spector, where My Sweet Lord is included. To me it’s definitely George at his most intimate, with beautifully-written, accurately-orchestrated songs that will stir your heart no doubt. It’s difficult for me to pick up a single song other than “MSL” from the album so I’ll embed the one that gives the whole record its title.





My last selected piece comes from the 1991 reunion album between George and Eric (curiously enough, barely a few months after Freddie’s untimely death) and it’s not, I’m sure, his most famous song. It’s called “Cloud Nine”, from the successful namesake comeback album that George recorded in 1987 after a long absence from the music scene. I particularly like this 1991 live rendition in Japan alongside his “bittersweet” friend Eric Clapton. They had sort of smoked the pipes of peace after a short row over the Patty Boys affair (actually she'd divorced Eric a couple of years before this gig). I love him playing - and singing - a bluesy rock with a slide on an unusual in his early days Fender Stratocaster.

Wow, I’m making this too long, aren’t I? So to cut a long story short, I must say that, however big I wanted this tribute to be, it feels very small compared to the extraordinary documentary that American director Martin Scorsese, a great Beatles fan himself, recently released to commemorate George Harrison’ death. It’s called “Living in the material world”  and it’s a fantastic 3-hour journey through the life and music of the often deemed “reluctant” Beatle. Needless to say, I’ve seen it – and enjoyed every minute of it! – and I’ll be delighted to lend it to you guys. But let me put an end to this lengthy post by inserting a CBS news clip on the sad day of his passing in L.A. to lung cancer at the age of 58, which summarizes George’s life and death. 

As a voiceover suitably reads, “There’s a Beatles’ song for just about every occasion”, and I couldn’t agree more. Of course, George Harrison was an essential part of a glorious one-off band that filled with sheer joy – and still does today - the ordinary lives of many across the world …

(Allow me to dedicate this post to David, a keen musician and talented guitarist who, I'm proud to say, has inherited his dad's love for the Beatles - and indeed to all the Fab Four enthusiasts worldwide. This is for you, sonny!)

JOSE SANTIAGO: Twenty years without Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury, still today, is one of the most famous singers around the world. Who cannot remember his spectacular voice or his stage presence? He was known as the vocalist, pianist and frontman of the legendary British rock band called Queen, whose members were Brian May (guitar), Roger Taylor (drums) and John Deacon (bass guitar).

He was born in Zanzibar (Tanzania) on September 5th 1946 and his real name was Farookh Bulsara, the oldest child of Bomi and Jer Bulsara, who sent him to India with his uncles. There, he attended St. Peter’s boarding school, where he began to show interest in music and started taking piano lessons at the age of seven.

In 1964, Farookh moved to Middlesex in England with his family and he immediately joined up with a blues band called Wreckage. At the same time he started graphic design at Ealing College of Art, where a fellow student introduced Freddie to Brian May and Roger Taylor. They were the founders of Smile, a new band that were looking for a vocalist. Freddie became the lead singer and the band eventually changed into Queen in 1971 when bassist John Deacon joined the band.

From then till his death, Freddie’s life was linked to the history of Queen; although he never abandoned the band, he also achieved remarkable success as a solo artist. In 1985, he started his own career recording “Mr Bad Guy” and two years later he made a parody of himself with the cover version of The Platters’ song “The Great Pretender”. In that year Freddie made one of his dreams come true, as he sang with Montserrat Caballé the well-known song for Barcelona’s Olympic Games.

Later, Freddie collaborated with Dave Clarke in the recording of the West End musical “Time” and he participated and supported other Clarke’s projects, too. He was also interested in opera, ballet and theatre. He surprised Wayne Eagling (The Royal Ballet’s principal dancer) during a charity gala at the London Coliseum in 1977, performing a choreography Eagling had designed for him.

Sadly, Freddie Mercury died on 24th November 1991, twenty-four hours after he had announced he was suffering from AIDS.

Here I attach two songs by Queen: the first one the worldwide famous “Bohemian Rhapsody”, which Freddie wrote himself and was included in the 1974 album “a Night at the Opera”. A year later Queen released the single because, contrary to what the rest of the band believed, Freddie thought it was going to be a hit. Actually it stayed for 9 weeks at the top of the UK charts. So I hope you will enjoy the inimitable opera-rock style of Queen.

The second one is “Made in Heaven”, which belongs to the posthumous namesake 1995 album. This song may be less well-known than “Bohemian Rhapsody” but was also written by Freddie in the years prior to his death, when he was struggling with AIDS, and it shows his feelings near the end of his life. Unfortunately, Freddie died before Queen had finished recording the album “Made in Heaven” and the rest of the band concluded and published it in 1995.

If you are curious enough, you can find more information on Queen’s official website by clicking on this link.

Part Two: Twenty years now ...


I was a child when a friend of mine introduced Queen to me. I hardly knew a thing about this English rock band in that moment, but soon I became an unconditional fan. As I was listening to more and more music by Queen, Freddie Mercury’s voice seemed to have no limits; he was able to sing any kind of music, even opera with Montserrat Caballé!


Apart from Freddie’s voice, which many people believe was the only reason for Queen’s success, the rest of the members of the band were - and luckily still are - very good musicians. It was their combined hard work that made this band so successful. They transformed any music style in their own so you can identify a song is theirs from the very beginning. Besides, their videos were full of irony and imagination as well as revolutionary and controversial.


Finally, I don’t think not only did Queen change the way music videos were filmed, they also became a band the newer groups took into acount.


When the life of Freddie Mercury came to an end on 24th November 1991, the whole world was shocked. Who could imagine that only 24 hours after he had announced he suffered from AIDS he would be dead? I remember the next day we did not have to attend lessons at school because there was a teachers’ strike, so I was able to spend that morning with some friends; we all agreed that we would have liked to enjoy further albums by Queen.


In addition to yesterday’s post, I’d like to enclose one of the best songs Queen has ever written from my point of view, The Miracle, because it was one of the very first by Queen that I ever heard, so you may understand why I became fond on the band. I hope you will like it as much as I do. 


Sadly, the message of the song is suitable nowadays, but “one day you’ll see when we can all be friends”.

LUCIA LOSADA: Enchanting Krakow, POLAND

Travelling on a budget? Eager to visit a not so common touristy place? Then, you should consider one of our most unknown European neighbours, Poland. Nowadays, it’s as easy as ever: only three and a half hours by plane keep you away from Krakow and its tiny airport and, by the way, you’ll find a fairly good deal if you choose a low cost airline. Don’t worry about accommodation either, since Krakow has plenty of hotels, hostels and apartments for rent, all of them cosy and cheap, although you should book any of them in advance. 

Krakow, included in the World Heritage List, is the second biggest city in Poland and also its cultural and artistic centre, although Warsaw was chosen over it as the official capital since the very end of the 17TH century. Maybe this decision helped Krakow to “survive” WW II in better shape than Warsaw, which was seriously damaged. Nevertheless, you’ll still find traces of the Nazi occupation – and its later “communist/USSR-friendly” period, which was indeed some kind of occupation too - wherever you look.

But let’s go step by step. The first spot you’ll surely visit is the Main Square or Main Market Square. Believe me, there’s no way you’ll miss it, because it’s the largest medieval main square in Europe! You’ll end up there countless of times because the city life revolves around it. It was once filled with an enormous city hall – there’s only a tower left now -, a church and the Cloth Market ... but now it’s packed with tons of tourists, Spaniards included. So, if you are expecting to spend your holidays practicing English without hearing someone speaking Spanish whenever you turn your head ... let me tell you something: that place doesn’t exist anymore.

Krakow's Main Square

But you can drown your sorrows at one of the many cafes and restaurants that you’ll find within the city’s ancient walls, demolished mainly to let the town grow a little more in the 19th century, or at the lively Jewish quarter. Seize the opportunity to try the delicious Polish cuisine and, if you have some time and money, purchase some souvenirs at the Cloth Market. The amber jewellery, as well as the leather or fur items and wooden crafts are the most popular products. Just be sure to remember that you can’t use your Euros in Poland, since Poles have their own currency, the Złoty. If you are as bad at Maths as me, just keep in mind that almost anything is going to be cheaper than it is in Spain. That should be enough.

If you are keen on museums, there’s a bunch you can visit in Krakow. I’ll recommend you two of them: the City’s History Museum, placed right under the Main Square, where you can see the remains of the Old City Hall, and Oskar Schindler's factory, a really didactic and entertaining museum about the WW II in Krakow.

Wawel Castle

Aren’t you familiar with the city yet? Then, you should pay a visit to Wawel Castle and Jagiellonian University. The castle is, in fact, a majestic group of buildings (including Krakow’s cathedral) where the Polish kings used to live until they decided to move to Warsaw. Actually, the Nazis left Poland before they had the chance to destroy the whole structure, so we are lucky to visit it nowadays. Jagiellonian University is about one hundred years “younger” than Salamanca University, but it also had some famous students, such as Copernicus or Pope John Paul II. 

Krakow is a place where you can go walking almost everywhere (no slopes whatsoever!), but you’ll need to take a bus to get to your next destination: the Wieliczka salt mine. The entrance ticket is a bit expensive but the visit is really worth it. Believe me when I say that you haven’t seen anything like this salt mine before. It was included on the first list of World Heritage Sites in 1978 and it was active until 2007… from the 13th century! But it isn’t just a salt mine. Life must have been kind of boring down there, so miners decided to spend some of their time carving statues and even chapels out of the rock salt. The guided tour takes about two hours, but you are only allowed to see less than 1% of the mine. Awesome is the most accurate word I can think of to describe this place.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

But thinking about Polish history also means thinking about WW II, so let me give you my last piece of advice: visiting Auschwitz is a must. Obviously, it isn’t easy, but it is just something you have to do, because, as Spanish philosopher George Santayana said once: “The one who does not remember History is bound to live through it again”. The Polish want to remember, so the entrance is free for that reason. No words can describe how you feel when you visit Auschwitz, but you won’t feel comfortable anywhere, even if you are surrounded by tons of tourists. If you want to leave Krakow with a smile on your face, just don’t visit Auschwitz on your very last day.

To sum up, Krakow is one of the most charming places in Old Europe, full of art, history ... and bars, so don’t miss a once in a lifetime opportunity and head to Poland. You won’t regret it!

Auschwitz

Elena Herrero: GALILEO, WAS HE REALLY THE FIRST?

Hi folks! Do you want to know a bit more about Galileo?

In 1609, Galileo Galilei turned his own version of a kind of telescope towards the sky, using a magnification of just 30. He decided that the earth moved around the sun and not vice versa; as you know, as a result of this, he was accused of heresy by the Church, since they could not hold back science.

Galileo is supposed to have been the first human being to see the moon´s craters, as well as Venus, Jupiter or the stars of the Milky Way, but was Galileo really the first?

For centuries, the Italian scientist was considered the first man to have used a telescope to study the heavens, but nowadays new evidence has appeared which suggests that Galileo was actually the second person to achieve this scientific breakthrough. Research that has recently come to light shows that Thomas Harriot, an unknown English astronomer, had drawn some maps, never published before, with drafts of the moon, Jupiter´s satellites, sunspots and even Halley's Comet, five months earlier than Galileo´s drawings. 

But Galileo was also on the news some years ago because of another macabre reason: Some Italian scientists were trying to exhume Galileo´s body in order to access his DNA, in an attempt to understand how the astronomer was able to developed his revolutionary theories about the universe, bearing in mind that he was gradually going blind, because he suffered from a degenerative eye disease. It might explain some of the mistakes he made in his drawings.

Well, I´ve attached a couple of great YouTube clip related to Galileo. Enjoy them!

Thank you so much once again, dear Elena. Your post suitably supplements the reading about the famous Italian astronomer in unit 2. Very enlightening indeed!

Pau Gasol: Ten years on ...

November 1st 2011 marked the tenth anniversary of Pau Gasol’s arrival at the worldwide famous American basketball league, the NBA. Pau was at the time a skinny lad with a lot of promise, having succeeded in helping FC Barcelona to a couple of domestic titles, if my memory doesn't fail me.

Most experts and analysts in Spain were pretty skeptical about a likely illustrious career, which indeed the 7-footer has had over these ten years, when he signed for a modest franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies. However, Pau had an immediate impact on the team (and the game) and was awarded the "rookie (novato) of the year" trophy. 

I probably don’t need to talk about his subsequent move to the more glamorous LA Lakers, the two championship rings so far, his all-star appearances and even the famous quote by Mr Barack Obama himself (and he knows the stuff, as he played the sport – and still does, it seems), deeming him the best power-forward in the league. 

Of course, I shouldn’t forget to praise what he’s done for my beloved sport in Spain, leading our national team to a string of triumphs worldwide over the last decade. Now he is totally determined and focused to win an Olympic medal (well, the FIBA officials permitting, since they’re usually too lenient with the haughty Americans’ constant travelling violations – pasos, that is) in London this next year; but whatever the outcome, Pau Gasol is to me, no doubt whatsoever, the greatest basketball player ever in our country, isn’t he? The “Michael Jordan of Spain”, as it were.

But not only do I admire Pau as a well-rounded player on the court, but especially off it, as he’s an intelligent, articulate, well educated man (his parents are largely responsible, and his younger siblings, Marc and Adriá, are no exception), who also oozes great charisma and makes me really proud whenever I hear him speak to the media, both domestic and internationally. And the way he speaks English, I mean, he almost sounds like a native American!

So I thought I should end this entry by embedding a couple of interesting interviews (for the sake of listening comprehension) he gave in recent years. The first in June last year to one of the most respected sports journalists in the USA, Ahmad Rashad, a former football all-star himself. Pau talks in his LA home about his background, his family, and his other passions - his “diverse talents and interests”:

Then on a more frivolous note, in January this year Pau was the special guest of the peculiar Scottish-American talk show host, Craig Ferguson.  A far more relaxed atmosphere in the studio. Funny how Craig is amused (and bemused) by Pau's comparison between LA and Barcelona!

So dear Pau, thank you so much for ten years of success in the sport I love but, above all, for being a truly great ambassador of Spain across the world.

Elena Herrero: IT´S TIME FOR HALLOWEEN! TRICK OR TREAT?

With Halloween just one day away, families throughout the world are prepared for the celebrations.

Halloween became an occasion to note on the Spanish family calendar around the year 2000, the onset of the Third Millenium. November 1, All Saints' Day, has been observed for centuries across Spain, with adults visiting cemeteries to sit at an ancestor's grave through the night.

October 31 is an increasingly recognizable day, along with Halloween parties and related events held throughout our country.

When I was younger, Halloween was not a big thing, but now it is not only foreigners who celebrate it, but also Spanish families. Pumpkins are for sale in local shops, even if this seems to be a tradition followed more by expatriate families. Spaniards are happy wearing fancy hats, make-up and masks, and young children enjoy going out to "Trick or Treat". What do you think about it? 

I have attached a video of the great song ´This is Halloween!´ from the movie ´The Nightmare Before Christmas'. Enjoy it!

Lyrics | Danny Elfman - This is Halloween lyrics

Well done, dear Elena! Now, would you like to learn a little more about the origins of Halloween and its importance in American society today? How about watching this nice short video on the History Channel?

 

Happy Halloween everyone!

Jose Santiago: BBC's Top Gear, the unconventional motor TV show

Although there are hundreds of motor programmes on TV, all of them seem to be the same. They are presented by a good-looking girl, who, I find it hard to believe, is there because of her speaking skills. Besides, most people cannot afford those expensive sports cars they show as if they were runabouts. Finally, a man’s voice-over tells us how incredibly majestic all the cars are.

Fortunately, exceptions do exist; yes, I am speaking about a TV-show called TOP GEAR. This programme is hosted by three men, Jeremy, James and Richard, who test cars and make funny interviews to VIPs. They do not intend to sell every single car as the best ever, and above all they do it humorously. They also test themselves any other kind of vehicle through very extravagant trials, which clearly demonstrate the programme’s ultimate intention, which is entertainment. However, like the rest of its competitors, TOP GEAR mainly tends to show expensive cars.

If your curiosity is now growing, I have attached a funny video of the show, so you will be able to notice why it is famous and successful worldwide. In Spain you can watch it daily from 8.15 to 10.15 a.m. on CUATRO (available in English, of course).

Thank you so much, Jose. Well, I can only say I utterly love the show, everything about it: from the opening music (a classic rock song, The Alman Bros' "Jessica") to Jeremy Clarkson's dry, often politically incorrect humour, and the wacky car tests, but above all, when the show puts celebrities in a "reasonably priced car". To give you an example, let's watch Spain's #1 public enemy as regards F1, indeed Lewis Hamilton, who visited Top Gear after his debut season in 2008. It's a good laugh to hear him say that our Fernando (his teammate then) "is a bloody good driver" before Jeremy jokingly boasts he once overtook him on an Oxford ring road!

But how about something a little more glamorous? This is Cameron & Tom (Diaz and Cruise, that is) in another reasonably-priced car. Who'll do the fastest lap?

C'mon folks, do as Jose and send your posts for our blog!

Steve Dalmas: A fun English lesson through music

As you know, this Wednesday our American colleague in Peñaranda's satellite school, Steve, came to our class to play a small gig on his acoustic guitar. He explained that he's involved in a project on teaching English through music, which sounds terribly interesting.

We were all amazed at his single-handed guitar playing technique, which he started developing years ago after he suffered an unfortunate accident which paralysed his right arm.

Steve performed both his own material and well-known songs (well, some of them probably more than others), which we really enjoyed and sang along to. It was good fun indeed!

As he was singing, I thought I could write a post on our blog about the songs he chose for the recital. (except for Let it Be, which of course you know perfectly well). Starting with one of the most famous folk songs ever about America (the USA, that is), legendary singer-songwriter Woody Guthri's "This land is your land". Legen has it that he wrote it in the late 40s when he got sick and tired of endlessly listening on the radio to "God Bless America", which he found excessively patriotic and complacent. Often deemed a communist in his native America, Woody altered the verses over the years and gradually made the song into a political statement, as he firmly believed workers had the same rights as the rich and powerful.

There's a famous live cover I love by "The Boss", which is the clip I embed here. The lyrics scroller does not faithfully reflect Bruce's actual delivery but it'll give you an idea of the song's true meaning. By the way, listen carefully to his moving opening speech ...

Next Steve sang "Proud Mary", by the awesome Creedence Clearwater Revival, one of my favourite American bands of the 60s. Front-man John Fogerty wrote the tune about the namesake "paddle-wheel", one of the many picturesque river boats rolling on the Mississippi River. I love the energy of John's powerful voice and the pounding of the guitar riffs!

Sadly, Steve ran out of time before he could deliver his last song, Bob Marley's "No Woman, no Cry", a politically-charged reggae classic ("the hypocrites mingle with the good people we meet"), whose lyrics depict the "government yard in Trenchtown", the slums where Bob himself used to live as a young man. He reassures a woman (his mother?) as he's leaving the place that the slum won't get her down and everything will be alright, so she should "shed no tear". Down below I embed his famous live rendition. Enjoy!

Thank you so much, Steve, for your spirit and a great lesson!

Sergio Merino: Savor-y nights

One of my students from the intermediate group this year, Sergio, is a versatile, multi-faceted young man from Valladolid, whose many interests range from music to film-making. He writes and directs his own shorts, plays in a rock band and even has a home recording studio. 

I first met Sergio some three years ago through a local poet, Gloria de Castro, who in turn I had met thanks to a former student of mine at the time - and a good friend now -, Ana. To cut a long story short, Gloria once invited me to one of her recitals at a lively salsa dancing pub you may know, El Savor, where she usually reads her heart-felt poems to the accompaniment of Sergio's guitar playing. On Tuesday Gloria read her latest stuff with the help of her inseparable Sergio and there I was with a few students (not many, sadly!) to watch them live.

The thing is that he had told us in class that he runs his own blog - which you should visit here to find out what an accomplished artist he is - and I was overjoyed to see that he had written - in Spanish, though! - a short but lovely post about the recital. I liked it so much that the idea dawned on me right away: I had taken a few pics of Sergio and Gloria on stage and recorded bits and pieces on my i-pod, so why not publish the whole thing on this blog? So I put pen to paper (or to my Mac, to be precise) and translated his words as accurately as I possibly was able to. 

Today, I’ve just arrived home from one of those “Savor-y” nights that are celebrated in the namesake pub every evening. The only difference being that I myself was on the stage and not just listening in the audience. Tonight I accompanied local poet Gloria de Castro on my guitar. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t played in this temple of Salamanca’s nightlife for a long while, or because the sound was particularly good, or simply because I take great pleasure in breaking the total silence that fills the bar by playing my guitar while we perform.

Cover versions of Gary Moore, Dire Straits, The Eagles, Elvis Presley, as well as songs from soundtracks, or even my own songs, are enough to accompany a poet’s voice. I love the freedom of being all alone in the face of music so as to complement the poetry, and of feeling free to come and go, change the tonality, move from one song to another, or join them together … in a nutshell, of trying to contact and relate to the audience. Indeed poetry played the leading role tonight but I feel that there is a part of me on the stage for which I am responsible and I try to rise to the occasion.

As if that were not enough, I have a whale of a time with what I do. The subtle light, the silence of the pub, a finely-served drink of rum and the perfect sound coming out of the audio mixer make these nights special. On other occasions I also have great fun accompanying singer-songwriter Juanjo Dominguez, Amanda G. Monge or even my own voice.

Being a "pucelano" who lives in Salamanca, I must say that it is a gift for me to relish a spot in these music-filled midweek evenings that once in a while us the performers delight ourselves with, as do my friends and the public that drop by.

Once again I'm heading back home with a good “Savor” (taste, that is) in my mouth ...

Needless to say I earnestly recommend you guys to go to El Savor on a future occasion and enjoy a lovely evening of poetry and music courtesy of two relatively unknown but really talented artists, Gloria de Castro and Sergio Merino. By the way, she's having her debut novel published shortly. A noir mystery, I hear.

Susanne: The safety of travelling

Yesterday I read in a digital newspaper the horrible news of a German tourist who had died in French Polynesia in mysterious circumstances. It was said that he may have been eaten by cannibals, isn't that scary and ... hard to believe?

So much for tourist destinations - we saw a short piece of a video from the e-workbook - and their dangers ... That German tourist was surely aware of the probability of unexpected events, because he was on an adventurous world tour, but he would never have thought of his own tragic death.

I know, this is a macabre contribution to our blog, but it made me reflect on the safety of traveling: What is considered a safe destination?

Anyway, you can read the full news here. 

The following video is much more pleasant and fits our topic about cities. It's the official video clip of Alicia Keys' song "New York" which I really like (Juanjo, what do you think about the piano?). That city must be wonderful and really exciting, so I'd love to visit it (... after Glasgow?). Everyone I know who has been there is fascinated by New York.

Thanks a lot, Susanne, for both the macabre news (ha ha, only joking!) and the lovely song, whose full title is "New York Empire State of mind (part 2)" . As you can see, I've even found the scroller online so that you can all read the beautiful lyrics as you listen to Alicia. Just one thing: I've found out that the song was originally penned by Brooklyn natives Angela Hunte and Janet Sewell-Ulepic, who were pretty homesick during a trip overseas.

Lucia Losada: There's more to the British Isles than English

Do you think English is the only language the inhabitants of the British Isles speak? If you do, I’m afraid you are wrong. Just like Spanish shares our country with other languages, such as Galician, Catalan or Basque, English has a handful of “roommates” too: the Celtic languages. Needless to say, English is, by far, the most spoken language in the British Isles nowadays, so some of these Celtic languages are in serious danger of disappearance. 

For example, just 2.000 people speak Manx (the Isle of Man’s native language), which actually disappeared as a first language in the 70’s when all its native speakers died. Fortunately, it came to life again as a second language some years ago. 

Other Celtic languages are healthier: Scottish Gaelic is spoken by 60.000 people in Scotland and some more in other places (the USA, Canada, New Zealand or Australia) while 600.000 people speak Welsh as their first language. Not too bad, don’t you think?

Irish or Irish Gaelic is one of the luckiest, since it has been recognized as the first official language of the Republic of Ireland (English is the second, can you believe it?). Children must study Irish at school, although there are just 72.000 native speakers. The rest of them (about 2.5 million people) range from fluent speakers to people who can say only a few words (in fact, the bigger group). No wonder the Government tries its best to encourage the use of Irish by all means. Some of them are as original as this one:

Thanks a lot, Lucia! The topic came in just handy with the reading text "Languages alive and well" by David Crystal (page 15 of your textbook). And may I say I had a good laugh with the funny short!
The thing is I've always loved "all things Irish" since I first travelled to the Republic in 1992, and I'm really fond of the country's music and culture. That's why I thought I could extend your entry a little bit by embedding this beautiful, heart-felt old song in Gaelic performed by one of my favourite Irish artists, the great Mary Black: Mo Guile Mear (My Gallant Darling) is a tribute to Bonnie Prince Charlie (the descendant of Mary Stewart, Queen of Scots), who had sought to sit on the throne of Britain.

If you want to read the original lyrics and their translation into English, click here.

Suzanne Plaar: a weekend away in Portugal

Last weekend my family and I stayed with some friends in a nice cottage in Tarouca, near Peso da Regua, in Portugal. That is located in the Alto Douro region, which I learnt is included in UNESCO's world heritage list. I was really impressed by the beauty of a landscape where viniculture is the predominant element. 

Many years ago I worked for a wine import company, which is when I became interested in wine and viniculture. In Regua we also visited the Douro Museum, where you can see how hard the work of the wine growers was until only a few decades ago. I would have liked to show you all an entertaining video, but regrettably there was none on Youtube. However, I believe that the text on this UNESCO link is quite interesting, even though a bit long:

Thanks a lot Suzanne, very interesting indeed! You know, I've been, like you unsuccessfully, searching high and low for a related video, but at least I managed to find this photo gallery of the Portuguese region, which I hope suits your entry just fine.

FEB pays tribute to Perfumerías Avenida

I just can't help it! You know how mad about basketball I am and really proud of our local team, Perfumerías Avenida. That's why I've decided to embed this audiovisual presentation designed by the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB) on its official website on the occasion of the fantastic win at the Spanish Supercup. It very much depicts the bustling energy that our cosy, always packed, Würzburg arena oozes whenever the team plays a thrilling home game, as well as the endless talent and charisma of the girls.

The icing on the cake is the background song chosen for the montage, one of my all-time favourite rock anthems by the legendary British band The Who: the awesome, ever so energetic "Baba O'Reilly", which you may recognize as the introductory theme song of the famous criminal drama CSI: New York.

The clip features some spectacular images of Salamanca and, after the music-filled report, some post-game interviews with the players (including one in English with the Supercup MVP, American power-forward DeWanna Bonner), President Jorge Recio and, of course, our Shrek lookalike, coach Lucas Mondelo!

Enjoy and ... long live the champs!

Elena Herrero: Big Ben is the new Pisa

Have you heard the news? Well, it´s true. Big Ben, one of the most prominent symbols of both London and England, is tilting, and it´s now visible to the naked eye.

Experts think that the situation is getting worse. The tower is sinking more quickly on the north side of the Palace of Westminster. The tilt has increased by about a centimetre a year since 2003, and the top is now just under half a metre off the perpendicular, which means that it would take another 4,000 years or so for it to match the angle of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, which leans by about four degrees.

The problem apparently has been caused by the construction around the foot of the tower of a tube line and an undeground park in the 1970s. But the worse thing is that the leaning clock tower is already causing cracks in the walls of other parts of the House of Commons.

It’s time to take another trip to London, isn´t it?

Thanks a lot Elena, you're indeed our architectural correspondent!

Now, I'm sure you would like to watch this short ITN report on the news I've found on YouTube. I guess the authorities in Pisa are now seriously concerned and wondering if tourists will all of a sudden start travelling to London instead, looking for that coveted picture of themselves apparently holding up a tilting tower!