Sturm und Drang

[imomus]

As the whole of Germany braced last night for the huge winter storm known here as Orkan Kyrill, I became fascinated with the live television coverage of the gusting winds (over 200 km/h on the north coasts) and heavy rain. First of all, I noticed how it took a local event of this magnitude to feel I was actually in Germany at all (I'm usually mentally in Japan, the UK or the US, selected parts of the city of Berlin, the internet). Secondly, I noticed the silly way all the reporters -- mostly icily sexy blonde madchen -- were shouting into big fuzzy mic shields like enormous ruffling caterpillars, their hair flying out behind them. As the wind buffeted them, each in turn struggled, live on camera, to stay alive. There was something of Munch's "The Scream" about it all. But, in contrast to their usual icy reports on meetings at the Finanzministerium, this storm seemed to be flushing the madchen with an unwonted elan vital. Next I noticed that the flat and banal quality of television video was being transformed, by wind and rain and water on the lens, into something else, something more exciting and artistic, a kind of radical subjectivity that harked back, perhaps, to something in Germany's 18th century past: the movement known as Sturm und Drang -- storm and stress.

Yes, this natural cataclysm seemed to be bringing something out in these "emergency girls": they seemed to be reaching back to the Geniezeit, the "era of genius" -- that part of the German soul best encapsulated in the writings of young Goethe and Schiller. One of the reporters was even called Anke Genius! The Literary Encyclopaedia describes the Storm and Stress sensibility thus:

"In a nutshell, the central concepts of Sturm und Drang are ecstasy of emotion and passion; boundless affirmation of nature; the idolisation of the unique, creative and all-powerful individual (the "genius", the "Faustian" personality); the veneration of art as gospel, i.e. as creation of the genius... There was a strong psychological orientation in the movement: a keen interest in human nature and the passions that cause its triumphs and its downfall. The Weltanschauung [world-view] of Sturm und Drang was essentially tragic: as the Promethean genius it liked to portray is invariably undone by a world of mediocrity, tragic failure appears to be a matter of course for greatness."

A radical subjectivity, a derangement of the senses, a sense of impending crisis, an awe in nature, a fascination with death -- it was all there. Feeling my own genius rising up in me like a storm, I opened up iMovie and set shots of the "Sturm und Drang girls" to one of my own compositions, "I Refuse To Die". Here are the results.

[Error: unknown template video]

Comments

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Berlin seems to have escaped the worst of the damage, but the Kurier (http://www.kurier.at/nachrichten/chronik/51395.php) reports damage to the Hauptbahnhof:

"In the middle in the storm din of gale “Kyrill” suddenly a sharp bang: From 40 meters height falls two tons of heavy steel girders from the glass facade of the new main station in Berlin and cracks on stairs in the input area. Humans do not come to damage, only a few bicycles are zerschmettert under the rubble."

You can actually see this girder falling off the station building in one of the clips in the video. Just before the man with the glasses looks around, alerted by the bang.

[fishwithissues.livejournal.com]

the muppet windscreen in every shot is bizarrre. nice. the last slo-mo shot reminds me of the end of russian ark.

[(Anonymous)]

"stress" isn't a great translation of "Drang", which is more like "drive", "urge", "impulse", etc.

[(Anonymous)]

I think Nietzsche would be glad to hear that the German spirit is alive and well in the the local news reports.

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

Wow- real weather! You ought to come out here in the spring to the 'central tier' of US states and chase tornadoes. I think that El Nino is going to whip up a wicked spring this year.

:-)

I don't think those fuzzy mic covers do much more than look dramatic in the wind, but that's just me being snarky.

Stay safe out there.

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Saw the aftermath of the Xenia Ohio tornado back in '75 (?). Cars wrapped around trees, Red Cross lines. Grim stuff.

I think you're right about tornado season this year--el nino makes for nasty springs.

[(Anonymous)]

Y R AW THEY WHETHER LASSIES GETTIN HUMPED BY THEY WEE DUGS ??

[jemly.livejournal.com]

i got stuck in frankfurt and ended up sleeping on the floor of an art gallery in hanau.

[(Anonymous)]

Sounds like an overwhelming experience.
mixu62

[alphacomp.livejournal.com]

But it's such an extremely cool storm survival story!

I'd say it was worth it.

[qscrisp.livejournal.com]

There was a report on the BBC news last night of an island in the Pacific (I'm afraid that I've actually forgotten the name), whose residents are being forced to leave - to leave their ancestral home! - because of rising sea levels.

Things are happening fast.

[19091977.livejournal.com]

I've had dreams about this since i was little & am terribly excited about what happens next!

[cheapsurrealist.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid that I've actually forgotten the name

Lohachara (http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article2099971.ece)

[(Anonymous)]

How come the sea's rising over there but not in Britain?? Maybe their island is sinking??
mixu62

[19091977.livejournal.com]

My son seems to really enjoy your song! He's dancing along as i'm watching the video. It has always taken a storm to activate the German soul! They are too comfortable & managed now to have that Elan Vital. Who knows, maybe all of this crazy weather & what not will create a new kind of person! I certainly hope so.

[(Anonymous)]

You are a twat.

[beketaten.livejournal.com]

You have an awesome child. Haha!
That banjo-y sound really is irresistible.

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

A+++++ alles super, immer wieder gerne!

[(Anonymous)]

wirklich arschgeil, oder?

[(Anonymous)]

I keep thinking Wouldn't it be great if John Kricfalusi made a video for this song?

(I'd just read his blog (http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/) prior.)

--Michael

[lord-whimsy.livejournal.com]

Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" might be funny accompaniment to this video. Can I get a horned helmet, people?.

[(Anonymous)]

roger that, good buddy :o)
mixu62

[(Anonymous)]

Don't make this into an art thing... Just admit you got a boner in an unusual way, and move on.

[(Anonymous)]

Ha, that itube is droll indeed, you are the post modernist Haydn of German weather madchen. Thomas S.

[wingedwhale.livejournal.com]

If you would just tie it into the Bush administration, you could up your comments by 174.

[niddrie-edge.livejournal.com]

Apparently its un PC to say "brainstorm" these days.

PC Ray

[charleshatcher.livejournal.com]

I hear "dago-wop-skank" is making a comeback, though.

Spank it up

[(Anonymous)]

Monsieur Currie:

always exciting, very refreshing,
gentle rain on the funny bone

Wunderbar

carry on being unreliable!