Pomodoro e Basilico

With the great success of 'Eelrock' in the 60s and 70s, Holland was ready to create a second genre and add it to its Musical Heritage. We're talking early 80s and the concept of 'Nederpop' is invented. Musically at least as renewing as the 'Eelrock' genre, Nederpop arrived with a bang with a band called 'Doe Maar' (freely translates to 'Go on, make my day, I don't mind either way, so you might as well go ahead with it, but do understand that you won't get my complete support, simply because I don't care). It's a concise language, Dutch. Doe Maar brought a ska-ish, reggae music to the Dutch public. Combining typically Dutch subject matter ( drugs , television , eternal doom , existential crises , and of course the secret love for your night nurse ), the colours of the early 80s (bright pink and an incredibly hurtful shade of neon-green) and a combination of boyish good looks with a naïve desire to make 'adult music', the ba

Time for some culture injections. I think it's a good moment to explain some of the weirdness that is Dutch Music. I'll try to steer clear of the details of the major Dutch successes in Global Rock and Pop History. What? Dutch successes? Yes, there are a few. And anyone who has ever spoken to a Dutchman for over 20 minutes will undoubtedly recognize the following dialogue: Dutch: "So do you know some Dutch Music?" Undutch: "Ehm?" Dutch: "We are very famous for our music!" Undutch: "Ehm?" Dutch: "Don’t you know any Dutch music, come on, you have to guess!" Undutch: "Ehm? Was Elvis Dutch?" Dutch: "No, come on, one of the most famous songs in the world is Dutch!" Undutch: "I thought Paul McCartney was from Liverpool?" Dutch: "The Golden Earring! The Golden Earring! The Golden Earring!" Undutch: "Ehm?" Dutch: "Come on! They are famous! You know, 'When the Lady Smi

Today’s the first Ctrl-VdG Friday. Just click to Leave a comment and then empty your Ctrl-V inside. No explanations needed. Mine is: Not in Support - Could be OSG or Finance?

The first Dutch Starbucks has opened inside Schiphol Airport. Price for a Grande Latte is €3,70. Price for a Grande Java Banana Chocolate Chip Blended Crème Frappuccino is €5,60. Now, quick, let’s make this blog interactive. Run over to your local Starbucks and use the comments to give me the price for these two items in your local currency. If they don’t sell the Java Banana Chocolate Chip Blended Crème Frappuccino, choose the thing that most resembles it. It should have at least some chocolate in it. Remember, we’re looking at the Grande versions.

The Flight Codex is in fact a rather large document. As many important life altering documents (think The Bible, the Harry Potter series or the Argos Catalogue), it goes into a lot of detail. It is also quite repetitive, to be completely honest, and not the best of reads. In it, the 6 major European Airlines have laid out the ground rules of Modern Day Air Travel. It offers a set of detailed instructions for airplane staff, airport personnel and assisting job functions. More importantly, it contains a complete glossary of all processes and procedures on which Modern Day Air Travel is based. The most important rule has been embossed as a watermark on the inside of the front and back cover. It reads: Air Travel will be as uncomfortable as can possibly be achieved under a shroud of inconvenient luxury The rule makes immediate sense to everyone who has ever taken a plane. It explains the following 'quirks' of air travel: Air Travel at first glance seems to offer considerable time s