Lately scourge of the Danes

[imomus]

You know me, and perhaps you know Copenhagen, capital city of the Danes and home of the wonderful, pointy-faced philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. Well, I am in Copenhagen for the next thirty hours or so, hotelling in multi-ethnic Norrebro. Tell me (knowing me, and knowing this town) what I should do?

I've already seen the Henrik Vibskov shop, which was the most exciting boutique I've seen in years, with copies of FRUiTS and Tune lying around, fabulous donkey blanket ponchos, a "beard hat", an adult-sized baby cocoon, and other wonders, all acid-ziggurat-coloured. I could see the Tjili Pop cafe, eat at Wagamama, check out Icelandic art by Steingrimur Eyfjord, look at a flea market, catch a Billy Childish show. But you -- who know me, and know Copenhagen -- tell me what to do!

Comments

Hunger

[rinusvanalebeek.livejournal.com]

Read that book, and walk into the nineteenth history.

Or wave at Malmö.

You could eat herring.

Maybe it rains.

Here it is white shiny clear,

greetings from Berlin

PS. of course you could shoot a visual field recording, remember?

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

"eat at Wagamama"

Everytime a white person eats at Wagamama, a Japanese person commits harakiri.

[(Anonymous)]

go see childish you will go nuts for the bass player..
she was dressed like a nurse last time i seen em
twas the coolest garage punk show i ever saw
an ive seen a few
it was worth it to hear him play
to ease my troubled mind.
fly on brother

[(Anonymous)]

childish

Re: Hunger

[eustaceplimsoll.livejournal.com]

Isn't Hunger set in Oslo? Perhaps you're not implying otherwise and I'm being an annoying pedant.

Momus, I gave English tuition to three Taiwanese girls last year (it was a very nice job indeed). When they returned from a trip to Copenhagen they told me they loved it because... of an extraordinary preponderance of beautiful people.

Go forth and contemplate!

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Wagamama is a western restaurant using the Japanese word for "selfish". Which makes it amusing that there's a real Japanese restaurant around the corner from my hotel called Selfish. What's the Japanese for "cocking a snook"? (Or, indeed, cooking a snack?)

Re: Hunger

[imomus.livejournal.com]

They are quite striking, the Danes. They've been striking me all day.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

You beat me to it...

[(Anonymous)]

Unless you can get cheap ramen elsewhere in London, I don't see how comparing price lists like that makes any sense at all.

WASA

[pay-option07.livejournal.com]

Royal Danish Flagship sank hundreds of years ago when she came about in the harbour and a large swell flooded the gunports and capsized. Sort of an early version Greek Ferry.
It was raised 25-30 years ago. It might be on display somewhere. Fine example of utlity meets ornament and sinks.

[electricwitch.livejournal.com]

"an adult-sized baby cocoon"

I vote for that one.

Re: WASA

[pay-option07.livejournal.com]

You'll have to cross that long bridge to see it. Swedish I'm afraid.

Re: Hunger

[eustaceplimsoll.livejournal.com]

Of course you'll be needing a tune to hum.

Hope for me, I hope for you,
We're snowdrops falling through the night.

We'll melt away before we land,
Two teardrops for somebody's hand.

Follow me into just one more Spring.

Copenhagen, you're the end,
Gone and made me a child again.
Warmed my feet beneath cold sheets,
Dyed my hair with your sunny streets.

Children aren't afraid to love
And laugh when life amuses them.

And our love is an antique song
For children's carousels...

Re: WASA

[eustaceplimsoll.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's in Stockholm. I saw it when I was a nipper.

[peripherus-max.livejournal.com]

Copenhagen is the city where Michael Hutchence of INXS got into an altercation with a taxi driver outside of a nightclub. He fell, hit his the back of his head on the pavement, and the result was a fractured skull along with severed nerves that left him with only about 10% of his senses of taste and smell. This event likely triggered the depression which would plague him for the rest of his life. He once played the sensualist poet Percy B. Shelley in a lovely Roger Corman B-movie. Not that I would encourage you to seek out said nightclub, or watch "Frankenstein Unbound," but I would dare say a prayer on the streets for the last rock God.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

800 yen for a bowl of ramen isnt cheap; an average bowl of ramen in Japan would set you back about 300-400 yen. The ramen-ya that menu came from is based in Tokyo.

I dont agree with Momus that the whole of the United Kingdom is this avaricious machine perpetuated by slick, tacky marketing, but I would agree that London is guilty of being that (amongst other things), and Wagamama is a prime example.

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, I know it's not cheap in Japan, I just came back from a wonderful 2 month stay in Tokyo.
It's just that I don't see how price comparisons across cities (let along nations) make much sense. In Oslo, you'd be hard pressed to find ramen for less than 75 NOK (1500 yen), but it's got nothing to do with avarice or tacky marketing.

(I'm not disagreeing with your basic point, by the way, I know nothing about wagamama and haven't been to London in years).

[milgram.livejournal.com]

http://www.karrierebar.com/ - my new favourite bar in copenhagen - worth the trip down to vesterbro.

other bars: Kalaset, Cafe Salonen and Bankerot (indre by)

Take a walk around the residential section of Christiania - many cute self-built houses and a nice little vegetarian restaurant.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Okay, the Japanese guy who runs Selfish (http://selfish.dk) told me that he's been going longer than Wagamama. "Maybe they took the name from me," he said, waspishly.

It's better in English, anyway, because of the play on selfish / shellfish.

[milgram.livejournal.com]

oh and get a bike! i have a spare one in (north) norrebro if you don't mind looking like you've stolen an old lady's bike.

[(Anonymous)]

Please while you are there, look into this Joran Van Der Sloot fellow. I was pretty certain he did it, and now we've got him on tape admitting to dumping Natalee's body in the sea. Please put pressure on the Dutch government for us thank you.

[youllstillbe.livejournal.com]

That bike is my principal bike at the moment! My current one is still punctured. I actually prefer the larger frame size on yours. It's easier on my knees.

Momus - I'm five minutes away if you want a tour for a few hours. But you definitely will need a bike. And gloves.

[youllstillbe.livejournal.com]

I always thought it was a play on "Sell Fish"

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

"It's just that I don't see how price comparisons across cities (let along nations) make much sense. "

Lemme put it this way -- property and rental prices in Tokyo are just as inflated as they are in London. That in mind; Stock, noodles and a few bits vegetable and fish dont cost a tenner.

Wagamama isnt a gourmet restaurant -- it packs its customers in like cattle and you're served substandard food thats made by part-time students. It was an idea conceived towards the end of the 80s when Japanese food was exotic and charging £10 a head was acceptable in the era of the Yuppies. Now days you can see sushi next to the sandwiches in most supermarkets; Japanese food isnt anywhere near as exotic as it was. £10 for "ramen" is obscene.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

That makes sense.

[cap-scaleman.livejournal.com]

Never been to Denmark. I've seen some Danish show's on the TV and heard about their "danske folkparti" being racist but never been there.

Billy Childish eh? I thought you wheren't into punk, but you are into renaissance(ish) people?

I am relieved that you didn't arrive in the middle of the storm that hit Denmark and east-coast Sweden two days ago.

i don't know you or have a livejournal but i like yours sometimes

[(Anonymous)]

there is an absolutely great restaurant in copenhagen named bankarat. the interior has a ton of completely looney stuff and the food is great. really nice fashionable crowd that has the "i quietly do totally awesome stuff" vibe. heavily anonymously recommended.

henrik

[(Anonymous)]

the beard cap and baby cocoon are from Icelandic collective Vik Prjonsdottir.
check it out here: http://vikprjonsdottir.com/. Two of the members attend SVA in NYC for their MFA. They are sweet people.

Heart,
ryan

Speed demons

[pay-option07.livejournal.com]

Are there any of those topless social conscious citizens who want motorists to drive slowly.

[intergalactim.livejournal.com]

i've never been there, but looking at the online menu for Wagamama in Auckland, their prices (NZ$15-20) are exactly double what noodles would be anywhere else in the city (NZ$7-10).

also, i'm pretty concerned about their uncompressed pdf menu, 4MB for 2 pages puts the concept of pdf to shame. ("concept of pdf"? whatever...)

[jermynsavile.livejournal.com]

Go and see Childish. Enjoy it for what it is, not for what it isn't. Backwards is the new forwards.

[count-vronsky.livejournal.com]

little known fact: that is just a pointy mask he liked to wear. In reality he was rather moon-faced.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Actually I'm glad I did arrive in that, considering!

cph recommendations

[(Anonymous)]

Favorite area: Vesterbro (a local):

Nice walk: down Istedgade, from Konya Kebab and in the direction away from downtown. For coffee: Sort Kaffe og Vinyl. (Black coffee and vinyl) in Skydebanegade

For books: Thiemers Magasin – nicely selected Danish and English books. Sells coffee too. Værnedamsvej 24. While there, also check out design ect. next door at hansenogmadsen and super cool art at Can: http://www.yeswecancan.com/. Cool coffee shop around the corner in ‘Verdens mindste kaffebar’ (world’s smallest coffee shop)

For food:
Lele – Cool, Vietnamese. Trendy and crowded, but no reservations. Vesterbrogade 40. http://www.lele-nhahang.com/intro.htm

Karrierebar – in the newly opened meat packing district

Kung Fu Izakaya in Sundevedsgade 5 – Japanese yakitori place, trendy

For movies: Vestervovov – local and cool, http://www.vestervovvov.dk/ – or stay in Noerrebro, Empire is great.

Enjoy!

Re: cph recommendations

[imomus.livejournal.com]

That all sounds like sterling stuff, I'll go there tomorrow!

What to do in Copenhagen?

[(Anonymous)]

I'v heard tell of an arts gallery which was founded by the brewer. Carl Jacobsem. It's called Carlsberg Glyptotek or something.It's been around for ages, 19th C. Perhaps worth a peek. Google it or something?

wewillbecome.com

[mylifeismundane.livejournal.com]

i share kierkegaard's birthday! who coincidentally has the same birthday as karl marx. teehee.

you should totally call my parents and then tell me how they are.

Re: Hunger

[rinusvanalebeek.livejournal.com]

you are right, it is set in Oslo.
Maybe it was the 'Kristiania' that made me think Kopenhagen.

Anyway, everybody is posting about cheap food.
Hunger is out of topic,

greetings from splendidly sunny Berlinoise,

Re: Hunger

[eustaceplimsoll.livejournal.com]

Anyway, everybody is posting about cheap food.
Hunger is out of topic

Ha ha, true enough, but as we know: hunger never goes out of fashion.

Greetings to you from commonly cloudy London.

[shiu.livejournal.com]

hi momus

i actually live in norrebro a few minutes from tjilli pop. i guess you are leaving copenhagen soon though. too bad. today was a nice day for being outside. if you are still looking for things to do, send me a mixi message (i am nihongo wo wasure shimatta.)

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Sorry to miss you, Shiu, it would have been nice to have had company chomping on the sushi at Selfish! Anyway, I'm back in Berlin. See you next time. Oh, try to persuade someone to pay me to come and play in Copenhagen, I've never done a show there!

[shiu.livejournal.com]

hi momus

i think it's good that you did the show in malmo with cindy and anna and them... because the audience is nicer there i think... i will ask for you a gig but i need to know what deal you want. i am trying to get le ton mite to copenhagen and malmo in mid april, since he is playing with the koloni in gothenburg around late march... that might work together well i think.