« On your mark, get set, GO! | Main | not much »
February 14, 2002
sexual guarantee
Holland is the land of cheese. And not talking about the Gouda (although the Gouda is good). There seems to be a ton of tacky stuff: music, clothes, tv shows. Mtv Europe is also pretty bad (not like it is a modicum of good taste anywhere), but somehow I am enjoying the crapiness here more than I would be at home.
(Don't get me wrong, there are many very tasteful and refined Dutch things. For instance, there seem to be interior design shops on every corner, each one more beautiful and sleek than the last. Their perfectly ordered modern euro-style invites me in from the street, where I imagine myself sitting on a square-shaped couch, among the white walls and cool lighting, putting my feet up on a wide coffee table and laboriously pouring over upholstery swatches--but I digress. Also, the people that live downstairs have their first floor immaculately decorated with fine antiques, at least from what I can see through their curtains.)
I think I'm enjoying the kitschy-ness here precisely because its so foreign. There is no pre-determined cultural background that tells me, yes, the velvet Elvis rug or the Betty Boop shot glass or the Partridge Family Lunchbox is hella ugly, but hey! Arent they also so hip and cool! Here, the bad stuff is just plain fun.
For instance, right now I am really enjoying this Swedish import: Alcazar. The music is retro-disco, the lyrics don't make a lick of sense in that charming English-isn't-our-first-language sort of way, the videos are also tacky and gross, (horrible dancing, bad outfits, serious posing) but somehow, to me, it's all just a good bit of fun. And its great music to clean the house to, even if it does upset the dog a bit.
Posted by shannon at February 14, 2002 11:23 PM