Update on the Book Fair Fail: the Frankfurt Book Fair proper doesn't start until next month - it's always an October event - but the advance symbosium (theme: "China and the world"), the debate to which two dissident authors (also originally planned as guests for the book fair itself) were first invited, then disinvited upon Chinese pressure, then invited again by PEN Germany took place this weekend, and PEN not only brought the two authors but gave them the time for two speeches as well. (Also, the mayor of Frankfurt, Petra Roth, had the opening speech in which she blasted the Book Fair organization for its lack of spine.) This was when two thirds of the official Chinese delegation left the room, including the former Chinese ambassador. Then current Book Fair director Jürgen Boos (aka the guy who had given in to pressure and disinvited the dissident authors) went after the Chinese and apologized. Whereupon the Chinese returned and declared they did not come here to be insulted by "lectures about democracy", and that the two dissidents could stay but were in no way speaking for the Chinese. Bei Ling, one of the two dissident authors, said the attitude was dissapointing and that there was not just one Chinese voice but many. More, in German, here. Net result: everyone, Chinese, dissidents and public alike, is pissed off at Boos. I can't say I pity him; I'm still too angry.

Something to do if one is angry: listen to Brecht, Weill, any combinaton or solo thereof, preferably interpreted by Lotte Lenya. I've recently aquired the 1930/31 film version of the Three Penny Opera. It's a weird hybrid, very early sound movie by Pabst, with long sequences evidently filmed as if for a silent film (for example Mack the Knife meeting Polly, or the big crowd scene wherein the beggars disrupt the coronation parade and confront the queen), and he doesn't use the new medium of sound for more than dialogue and of course the songs, with no background noises. Very eerie, and a contrast to Fritz Lang's near simultanous movies which use the possiblities of sound as part of the storytelling already - just think of how crucial whistling is for M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder. However, this film features several of the original cast, among them Lotte Lenya as Jenny, plus Pabst was a good director, so it's still worth viewing. As for Lenya, she's one of those singers whose voice isn't beautiful - anything but - but it suits the material so well, and you can still sense her charisma, that later interpretations pale. So, here she is, the original Pirate Jenny (subtitled in English for non-German speakers):



More Brecht and Weill, because I'm still feeling cynical and angry. This is from the Brecht tribute staged in Rio de Janiero. Servio Tullio sings Das Lied von der menschlichen Unzulänglichkeit:



Back to Lenya, with the one song that should be familiar even if you haven't heard anything else from either Bert Brecht or Kurt Weill - Mack the Knife: