Dark side of the moon.

I'm going to be very honest with you. Classic album or not, I'm not a huge fan. I like it yeah, but it doesn't give me the satisfaction I get when putting on Skid Row's self titled and that first note of Big guns hits. Before you attack me again, this is a matter of opinion not slandering a band. I wouldn't dare. It's Pink Floyd we're talking about after all.

But there are certain things about this album that I find fascinating. ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' was an expression of political, philosophical, humanitarian empathy that was desperate to get out." is what Roger Waters said about this album. The lyrics are about greed, conflict, mortality, mental illness and religion, which I believe is a huge deal for an album released in 1973. It was recorded at London's Abbey Road Studios between May 1972 and January 1973 and it still till today holds the record for the most weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. Over 800 weeks! How amazing is that? I was reading about estimated copies sold worldwide just the other day, we're talking about over 45 millions though that means little when you look at the actual artistic legacy which let's be honest is far greater.

I think Neal Schon of Journey described this album perfectly. He said that a double eclipse is an extremly rare phenomenon that happens every 20 000 years, where during a legendary lunar or solar eclipse the moon will pass in front of the sun twice in the same day. Which also connects to the albums name, Dark side of the moon, they saw it as a phenomenon that's why they chose that name. Have you ever asked yourself though what kind of an album deserves to be on this throne? Holding the title of ''extremly rare'' like the double eclipse? I mean imagine the expectations it would have to meet...it's very ambitious if you ask me, setting out to make an album like that. What kind of an masterpiece does it have to be to be so influentual and amazing that every man, woman, child and even their pets would know the title? Do you think there really is an album like that out there? I know everyone would chose a different album for this title, let's be honest, I would of pick Bruce, but just because he changed my life doesn't mean he changed the entire world. So no, I don't think there's an album like that out there but I believe some come close and this one is definatelly one of them.

Depression and mental illness and insanity none the less are a horrible thing, horrible, horrible thing. It turns your own mind into your worst enemy, makes you distant from your family, from everything around you, from the world really. And when you're alone it makes everything even worse. You're completly disconected and all the static in your head is screaming at you making you feel like you're going crazy. It makes you paranoid, anxious, afraid...being alone and disconected is like being in your own world, completly unaware of your surroundings and the fact that Pink Floyd know how to paint that picture is amazing.

All that aside let's focus on what is really extraordinary on this album. The instrumental parts of the album. Gilmour is amazing no arguing here. For the time, the 70's when this album was recorded and released the music is years ahead. The electronic entry of On the run and then the melodies of Any color you like...and all that combined with Gilmour who really outdid himself and Waters and Mason and of course Wright god rest his soul, they all showed off their talents here and it payed of because put together like that...it's pretty much mindblowing.

What I believe really turned this album into this iconic thing that it is now are the lyrics. It starts with Speak to me, 90 seconds long intro that sets this whole psychedelic mood of the album perfectly. I find this intro really mesmerizing, so many sound effects, the manical laughter which is one of my favorite parts ha ha and the ''speech'', "I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the most of us are".

Then there's Breathe, starting with "For long you live and high you fly, and smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry", gentle song with a melodic bass like and soft drumming, echo guitar and electric piano. Beautiful song but esentially about paranoia ''Run, run rabbit run. Dig that hole, forget that sun. And when at last the work is done, don't sit down, it's time to dig another one''. Still, a great song. As well as On the run and Time, Time is especially great, I really like the alarm sounds and chimes and the whole bluesy guitars and the lyric ''hanging on in a quiet desperation is the English way''. Not just the English way to be fair...

"The great gig in the sky" built around a piano, you know they originally wanted to title it ''The mortality sequence'' or ''Religious theme''? I read somewhere that the very early live versions of this song incorporated recorded Bible readings. I honestly love this song most because of the title, no musician ever really dies they just go play ''the great gig in the sky'' right?

And then you've got ''Money'' which is probably the most famous Pink Floyd song. If none other this song everyone should know, it's the only song from this album that was featured on the Billboard hot 100. I think it was somewhere in the top 20 when the album came out. The bluesy bass line and an epic guitar solo combined with a saxophone by Dick Parry and the lyrics about capitalism and greed and quite honestly human nature of always wanting more no matter how much we've got. The selfish, greedy nature. ''Money it's a crime. Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie".

This album also features songs, Us and them about dealing with a split personality and the rest of the world during war, Any color you like, Brain damage and Eclipse. Now the last two are the ones that somehow had most impact on me. Brain damage was inspired by Syd Barrett's mental breakdown, originally called the Lunatic song includes a lyric ''I'll see you on the dark side of the moon'' which is aparently about being different and defending it, being proud of it, so Waters said anyways. And then there's the last song Eclipse, maybe it should be called Brain damage part 2. "All that you give... deal, buy, steal, create, destroy, eat, meet, slight, fight ... is in tune. But the sun is eclipsed by the moon."? "There is no dark side of the moon really. As a matter of fact it's all dark.". Plot twist much? What on earth does that mean then? Nothing? Everything? Was everything just a lie? Is that the whole point? To throw you in for a spin? Confuse you? Make you question everything? Show you that in reality there's no dark parts of your mind, instead everything is dark. I suppose that's what's the most brilliant part of this album.

Each song with the lyrics paints a picture, instrumental parts aside it creates a storm of emotions, probably even stronger for those actually dealing with such isues. I like to think of the album as just one really long song, divided into parts, kinda like Green day's Jesus of Suburbia.

Now to my problems, oh yes I have a couple. First one being you need patience to let the album grow on you. I have to admit when I finally got my hands on it and played it for the first time I was severly disappointed. After all the hype and talk about it I expected it will blow my mind the very first second instead someone asked me if my record player died and that is why it's making such weird noises. I don't blame them really. It took me a long time to even get through the side A of the album. I was bored, I wasn't paying attention to the lyrics because the vocals didn't impress me, they seemed rather dull, missing that power, that energy, that they usually had. I'd say it's kinda like life it's not about the destination but about the journey, so if you make it through the journey you won't be disappointed in the end.

I can't say what I usually say ''go get it you'll love it''. It doesn't work like that with this album, you either love it or you hate it, no other option. Well maybe there is a little gray area in between since I don't hate it but I don't love it either. However if you're a collector, if you value music, if you're just a music lover like me then this album shouldn't be missing in your collection nevermind if you love it or not. It is an iconic piece of musical history and an album that started a revolution, and was crowned by many people as the greatest album of all time. Not. I have yet to find an album that will amaze me so much to even consider calling it the best record of all times. Even if Springsteen's Wrecking ball came pretty close to it. For me at least.

Storm

I am caught off-guard by you, like a wave I pulled into. It's a feeling I can't fight, like a wildfire, deep inside.

You're taking my heart, by storm, I'm lost in your love, lost in your love. I can't hold back anymore, I'm lost in your love, lost in your love.

You're taking my heart, by storm, you're taking my heart. You're taking my heart, by storm, you're taking my heart.

I am torn apart by you, it's a spell I can't undo, oh, I can't escape it now, I am in too deep to get out.

You're taking my heart, by storm, I'm lost in your love, lost in your love. I can't hold back anymore, I'm lost in your love, lost in your love.

Where the streets have no name.

Another week that felt like will never end later, I'm sitting here trying to focus on the positive. It shouldn't be that way but it's been getting harder and harder to write about the good things in life. Music is one of them but you don't want me to write love letters to bands all the damn time, or whine about concerts I missed, records I can't find or whatever else band related that seems to bother me that week. Maybe that one Metallica shirt I can't find anywhere... Art is one of those positives as well but I learned by now that people that don't share my passion hardly even understand it...

So how about a little bit about my weekend instead? If you're looking for a drunken story full of regrets you're in the wrong place. I spent the weekend in museums. Open night at the museums is one of my favorite summer events. I go every year, just to see the same things over again and sometimes new things. One of them being the ''a town beneath today's town''. It's amazing, in the cellar of a palace, it's called Princely palace, there's an exhibition, the largest presentation so far of the Roman Celeia *Celeia is the former Roman name of our town*. You can walk amongst the remains of Roman walls which are amazing to look at as is. This towns history is so vibrant and so rich. The earliest settlment here was actually from 9th to 6th century B.C. At the time it was Celtic tribes, we've got remains such as jewelry, coins, pots and dishes. It's always fascinating to see that in person. To know how old this town really is. To just imagine who all was walking here before you.

And then in the 15th century B.C. came the kingdom of Noricum and Celeia within it scope was annexed to the Roman state. At the time of the Emperor Claudius Celeia was one of the first in the province to acquire the status of an independent town, a ''municipium'' if you will. The next two centuries represented the time of the town's biggest flourishing and growth. There's records suggesting that in that time the town was big, largely populated, and secured with walls and towers which some remains you can actually see today. There were also multi storied marble palaces, wide streets and squares. The nickname for the city was ''little Troy'' or ''Troia secunda'' which means second Troy. Aparently we also had a temple of Mars which was known all over the Empire. These are the details even I didn't know and it's always interesting to learn new things. Specially when it's a part of your own history since it's been happening in your hometown. The once huge Roman province took a turn for the worse in the 6th century when the town became much smaller and it's hardly even mentioned any more.

There's one more thing left of the Roman Empire, my favorite and I hear it's one of a kind in the world. A Paved Roman street, a part of it closed a part of it open allowing you to actually walk on it. If you look close enough you can see different types of marks on the stone, wheels, horses, wear from people walking. It really is something special.

There is also a tiny bit of natural history displayed, with some animals, skulls, fossils, mostly bears, skin, paw molds, claws, skelleton. Must be because we have so many bears here. I made sure to ask how the bears died. I was asured they all died of natural causes. Thank god. I'd have a serious problem with the fact that those animals were slaughtered and displayed in a museum. If that was the case that is...

Then you've got 2 floors of nothing but the Counts of Celje who were the most influential late medieval noble dynasty on the territory of present day Slovenia. In simple words, big thugs. There was a time, a shorter period then we'd want, where the Counts owned more then 20 castles all over the country *as it is now anyways*. But not only here but beyond our borders too, with the marriages of their daughters. That's how they acquired large estates in Hungary, Croatia and Slavonia. As their influence rose they became the most powerful family in the area. Count Ulrich I was a leader to so called mercenary soldiers and he joined king Louis I of Hungary on his quest into Dalmatia and later Rex Romanorum Charles IV to his coronation in Rome. Ulrich's son married Anna of Poland. And all of the counts were related by marriage with the rulers of Bosnia and both Hungarian and Polish kings.

The rise of the family continiued when in a Battle of Nicopolis Count Hermann II saved king Sigismund of Hungary's life. As a reward the king donated many estates and an entire city and county in Croatia to the family. Then there was also an alliance with the imperial house of Luxembourg with the marriage of Barbara, Hermann's daughter. And later when the very same Sigismund was elected as king of the Romans he elevated the Counts of Cilli to the rank of Princes of the Holy Roman Empire though they kept their title ''grof'' meaning Count.

Unfortunally this is not a story with a happy ending. If it was then my town would be the capital of Slovenia today if not the capital of entire Europe. Maybe. With the death of John Hunyadi, Ulrich the second got his title as the Captain General of Hungary. But then he was killed by Hunyad's son in Belgrade. Legend goes that his high maiden saw a black raven before Ulrich went to battle. She begged him not to go because the raven means danger, tradgedy, death. He didn't listen and he left anyway, then aparently the very same raven was why he died, during the battle he saw a raven and while looking at it he got stabbed and killed. Unfortunally he had no children so the male line of the Counts died and after the war their estates and property were handed over to the Habsburgs based on the inheritance agreement. The rest was either ruined or stolen, unfortunally very little was left or recovered, most artifacts are replica's as well.

But what's a story about Counts without romance? The story about Friderik and Veronika. Honestly forget Romeo and Juliet because this...This is worse. They were married, she was his second wife but because the marriage was unwanted Veronika was hunted. She was actually the first woman on trial for being acused of being a witch in Slovenia. She was pardoned but still murdered. Her and Friderik married a year after his first wife died in ''misterious circumstances'' legend goes that he was the one that killed her because he was so madly in love with Veronika and this was the only way for them to be together. Which only helped with the cold relationship he had with his father at that point. Veronika was ''below him''. Lower class, unworthy if you will. Friderik's father was furious, he said he tarnished their reputation because he had other plans with his son.

As a punishment he built a tower on their castle grounds and locked him up inside that tower. And while he was locked away, his fathers people were hunting down Veronika, who was hiding in the woods for a while and then in a different castle. When she was finally brought back Herman acused her of trying to poison him and that she used witchcraft to make his son go crazy and marry her. She had a good spokesman that helped her prove that none of it was real, though she was still taken to yet another castle where she was killed, by being drowned in a bath tub.

Though Friderik was later released because of Ulrich's death that doesn't make this story any less tragic. To love so deeply and to lose so much. Devastating.

The second museum of the night is a few hundred meters away, located in the building also known as Old Count's mansion. Beautiful building. You can see both art and cultural history in the rooms of the first floor. And then on the second is something known as the ''Celje Ceiling''. It's an amazing painting from the 16th and 17th century, painted in simple tempera on canvas it's divided in 11 parts, the biggest in the center, is made with pillars, drawing perspective upwards, making it seem like it's rising up in the sky. The longer sides are showing the four seasons and the short ones are picturing the battle of the Romans and the Troyans while the corners have 4 giants. The author is sadly unknown but they do know that he used both sketches as well as models for this piece. Taking a proper picture is impossible, on my phone at least. But I tried...

There's a hall in this room with this ceiling, with a ton of chairs so you can sit down and stare as long as you please, there's also two insanely comfy couches in the center. There are very few things in this town that I love more then lying there and just getting lost in the painting. I said it before if we'd have Starbucks I'd be over twice a week, bribing the staff with coffee to let me lie there for 30 minutes before the museum opens op, and just relax.

The exhibition also includes private items of a Miss Alma Karlin. Now she was a badass lady. A writer, a poet, a world traveler. She studied languages in London, learning English, French, Latin, Italian, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Russian, and Spanish. Later on in life she also learned Persian, Chinese, and Japanese. She really was an amazing woman, she opened up a language school to make money for her travels, working up to ten hours a day and she was the only woman that traveled alone around the world before the 1920's. In 1928 she came home as per request of her dying mother, herself also battling with sickness and depression, she didn't travel again after that, she focused on her writing then, though a lot of her work is still stored in archives, unpublished, some in Slovenia and some in Berlin. What's really fascinating is that my aunt actually told me she remembers seeing her walking around in town. Amazing.

The exhibition also includes paintings by her best friend, plenty of works include Alma herself.

The exhibition ends with Renaissance room with furniture and paintings, which goes on to another room with a mix of Renaissance and Baroque, and later on just Baroque. Some pieces are really incredible, like a wooden wardrobe, lined with ivory and tortoise shell. The late Baroque and Rococo and later on even Biedermeier show in furniture and so many portraits one even of Sisi. There's also a ton of delicately crafted clocks, china, miniatures, religious statues, you know the works. And the very last room is dedicated to historicism.

There's that. I suppose I can't wait to museum night 2018, by then maybe the new permanent exhibition which is in the works for way too long now will be finished. They're planning on opening a couple more rooms in the Princely's palace where they'd put all the skulls and some more artifacts of the Counts on display. Which reminds me, completly unrelated but the room with the amazing ceiling also has another ''piece'' a human skin belt. Neatly rolled into a circle. I was always both amazed and disgusted by it.

So what's a museum night if it doesn't end with a drink? Obviously it was a rather good weekend. Here's to hoping that the week goes on in that spirit. It's looking bleak but hey it's only Monday.

Museums are located in the city of Celje, in Slovenia. These are all permanent exhibitions, so if y'all are around you can go check them out as well. If you made it this far, congrats, thank you, enjoy your weekend and stay safe out there.

My head's above the rain and roses, making my way away.

You can probably guess what this post is going to be about. The concert last tuesday of course. This one was special. I barely waited for this one. Why? Because it was in my own country. C'mon how many times can one say that one of their favorite bands actually played in their country? Well I suppose Americans can say that often. Us Slovenians? Never. Up to the last second I was convinced this is just a tribute band, that they didn't get the real Green Day but some cover band because they wouldn't know the difference anyways. I was prepared for anything at that point. Imagine my insane happiness the first second their drunk bunny came dancing on the stage. I was freaking out. Like literally completly freaking out. To a point where the next morning my voice was gone. So worth it.

Green Day are my boys. I started listening to them when I was a 12 or 13 year old kid, when American Idiot came out and my mom bought it for me, purely because she liked the cover *cheers mom*. Love on first sight and listen. I started wearing all black, using eyeliner and studs and spikes all over because of Billie Joe, can't say my parents were too happy about that, or my teachers...And I had to admit I had the biggest crush on Billie too, come to think of it I still do. A little bit at least. Those green eyes and eyeliner...enough to make me weak in the knees. Hah. On a serious note and his good looks aside, I admire him so much, he stands up for something, he stands up against Donald Trump, he hates homophobia, racism, any kind of hate, he says love will win that all we have to do is spread love. He's amazing like that. Did you know that when he was a child he'd pretend to be Elvis, dancing in front of his mirror to The Sun Sessions? As if I needed any more reasons to love him. Hah. Not that I'm playing favorites, I love Tre and Mike just as much, great guys as well.

Now back to the concert. I actually saw them before in Austria in 2013 *my god was is 4 years ago already?* but as I said before, favorite band and your home...that is different. The energy on the concert, the love, the passion...it was breath taking. They play Bohemian Rapsody before coming on stage as a part of the act and it is amazing when everyone in the venue starts singing along as loud as they can. I love Queen, always did always will and seeing so many kids *yes kids they were that young* there singing along to one of the best songs ever written...hair raising moment. I just love seeing younger generations enjoy old rock instead of all these new types of ''music'' that are really far from actual music.

I said this before and I'm saying it again, there is nothing on this planet that could compare to the moment of anticipation and excitment, when the lights in the venue go dark and you know the band will come on stage any second, and then that first note hits. It's amazing. Better then any kind of drug, better then alcohol, fight me on this but better then sex too. My favorite thing on the planet, that one moment. That one moment when the music hits you and you feel no pain, everything disappears and it's just you and them and ''real life'' doesn't even matter in that moment.

They came on stage with a bang, literally, there were explosions, there was fire, there were sparks flying. Amazing. Billie talked about how it's been 19 years since they were last here *please guys I beg you don't make me wait another 19 before you come back again, though I can always go to Austria or Italy but still* and then he said that they are not even going back home that Ljubljana is their new home. I wouldn't complain. I'd welcome them with open arms. *I can hear my best friend in my head just now ''you mean open arms and open legs don't you?'' hah sorry, I just had to*...

There's this moment when he talks about leaving all evil outside behind closed doors, evil doesn't exist inside the venue, on their show, no hate, just love. He said that in that moment we have one another and that's all that matters, we're all one, he told us to just hug eachother and spread love. It was beautiful. I was a little surprised when there were none of his usual rants, but then I realized that it must be because he wants the shows to be a get - away. A safe place for the fans so they don't have to think or worry about events all around us. The world is ugly, and if we can forget about it for at least 3 hours that's a welcome change. Yet despite all this he didn't forget to say ''Fuck you Donald Trump'' during American idiot. Got to be one of my favorite moments on the show. I could never get enough of it. I hate Trump just as much as he does. There was also the usual ''repeat after me, no racism, no homophobia and no Donald Trump''. Amazing. If only people would listen to that. Actually listen. But most of them lost the ability to listen a long time ago.

''This is not a tea party this is Rock 'n' roll'' hah. That is true, the audience was fired up from the start. From the first moment to the last, everyone was on their feet, screaming, singing along. It was amazing. I've noticed that Slovenian crowds are usually pretty shy but not this time, they were loud, they were passionate, they sang along to every line. Billie has this amazing charisma, people do everything he says and it's amazing to watch. I was a bit concerned before that maybe they won't get the reaction they usually get, because of our shy nature but I was not disappointed.

There was fire, a shower of sparks falling from the ''sky'', there were explosions, some really loud. REALLY loud. I heard some people were jumpy and nervous, I suppose after Manchester and Bataclan it's somewhere deep down in you and you can't really help it? I myself wasn't worried. I felt completly safe, a ton of police and security left nothing to chance. So nothing really made me jump, I love pyro, I love fire, I love big bangs, they make the show even better if that's even possible. Like Guns n' Roses with fireworks? And sparks falling during November rain? Ahhh I could just die on the spot, it's beyond perfect. How will I even survive next months Guns n' Roses concert? I probably won't…

So they played 25 songs, old hits, and music from the new album which by the way I think is beyond perfect *fuck the haters*. There was Know your enemy, Bang bang, Revolution radio, Holiday *where I completly lost it for the first time hah*, Boulevard of broken dreams *where I lost it for the second time*, When I come around, Minority, Are we the waiting, St. Jimmy, Basket case, Still breathing, American idiot and obviously more, plus the medley of songs that is so cool oh my god! During those songs Billie said how awesome it is that he see's no cellphones in the crowd *there were very few and mostly just to light up the venue during slow songs*, he said he loves that we are living in the moment not saving it for later. I bet he liked that after that tiny incident a while back where he told a fan in the first row that he can't really see him if he's looking at him through a phone screen. Hah. I actually saw a couple of lighters in the air too. I mean can we forget about the fire hazzard for a second and bring that back? I want a ''sky full of lighters''. Just once.

There were of course fans on stage too, two were singing and one was playing the guitar. A guitar she got to keep later on. I know jealousy aint pretty but if it would burn I would burn the entire city down. So jealous. Though I'm happy for them, they got to live their dreams. Everyone should get a chance to do that someday. A hug from mister Armstrong though? I'd do anything for that. Heh. Big fan yes. Moving on. One of the fans singing with him, she was so cute, totally stole the show, he just hung back let her do her thing. It was the best thing ever. Specially when the crowd started chanting her name. Nothing but love and support in that venue that night and I loved it so much.

What I probably loved most though was this little speach he had that he believes music, rock n roll music in particular has the power to change the world. He said he believed in that since he was 6 years old. I get it. I believe the same thing, maybe not since I was 6 but I do strongly agree. Music has the power to make a difference in the world, to change the world because it can change the people, inspires the people to do better, to be better, to love instead of hate.

And let's not forget about how he mentioned plenty of times how beautiful our country is, how they spent all day in Ljubljana and loved it or how he was saying ''hvala'' which means thank you over and over again as well as ''ljubiti'' which means ''to love'' or just love. It was pronounced slightly wrong but oh my gosh so adorable you have no idea.

All in all, woah what a night, amazing, breath taking, perfect, wonderful...I needed that get - away more then I thought I did. I needed one of my heroes telling me everything will be alright and that love and music is all that really matters in the end. Not hate, not all the bad things happening around us, not the ugly things which there are too many in this world. Love is what matters, loving those close to you and loving those who aren't close even more, because hate will burry us all. And I needed to get lost in the music and forget about everything that is wrong right now and just live in the moment, feel alive and happy and surrounded by so much positivity that would make the sun look pathetic. I love music above all else and getting to experience concerts like this one is just....mindblowing. I am forever grateful to be able to do that.

Which brings us to the end of this post, I'd like to give a big FUCK YOU, not to Donald Trump this time even if let's face it he'd deserve it, but to all the haters in this country, all the people writing dumb comments, saying how horrible they are, how their careers are falling apart that's why they played here, how they haven't put out a good album after American idiot, how they don't really know what punk music is. Sincerly fuck all of you. YOU don't know what music is. And though I could sit here and write at least 20 paragraphs on why you're a bunch of dumb fucks *I apologize about the strong language* I won't. The guys taught me to be better, to be above the petty hate comments and verbal violence *you're still idiots though* and besides I know the truth and the truth is that they are amazing musicians and that the concert was absolutely magical and a couple of salty people can't ruin that for me. So here enjoy these pictures instead....

Cheers to Rancid as well, they couldn't pick a better support for their concerts because they are just as energetic, loud and totally badass like Green Day are. Now guys, remember spread love not hate, leave a nice comment on someone's page for a change and just...tell the people you love that you do, there's no such thing as telling them too many times.

P.S. Music aside for a second, I doubt there is anything sexier then a man completly in love with his wife. My couple goals right here. They are perfect together.