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This mix is in long dedication to the best coffeeshop in Amsterdam, Flower Power. The bartender/owner named Bas (Sebastian — “bas”) developed a strong rapport with Suzy and me by being a dive bar/coffeeshop that poured a good beer and cranked metal and hip hop, and didn’t mind that we were Americans who didn’t know shit about shit. We frequented it almost everyday as it was right around the corner of of the flat we rented, and they’d seek us out to come in for a pint even when Suzy wanted us to go to a museum. Even though they were usually closed on Sundays, they opened up especially for us on our last day in the ‘Dam.
The first time I heard 50 Cent was at Flower Power. The bar patrons and I would also sing in chorus the entire Black Sunday album by Cypress Hill (this dude from Germany shouting out “pretty insane; got no brain” will stick in my head for all time). We’d headbang to Aenima by Tool. This came at the nadir of the first wave of my lessons in brutality, as I was schooled on the glory of metal and aggression from my co-workers, peers and friends Dan, Justin and Dustin.
Those guys were awesome, and while there’s hardly a tune on this mix that was played there, every ounce of aggression is put out to the universe with love for my coworkers past and present, and Flower Power. Respect, brothers and sisters.
And hey, if you happen to be a patron past or current near Rozengracht, please give a shout back. Those guys, as well as Kjetil, our host and landlord, made those two weeks the most awesome vacation ever.
And now… for all the hate you can muster, and a little extra to punch a Yak.
- Static-X – Wisconsin Death Trip
- Lacuna Coil – Our Truth
- Soundgarden – Outshined
- Mudvayne – Death Blooms
- Disturbed – Stupify
- Mastodon – Colony of Birchmen
- Tool – Aenima
- The Dillenger Escape Plan (with Mike Patton) – Pig Latin
- American Head Charge – Just So You Know
- Coal Chamber – Big Truck
- Corrosion of Conformity – Clean My Wounds
- System of a Down – Know
- Rob Zombie – Superbeast
- Snake River Conspiracy – How Soon Is Now?
- Pantera – Cowboys From Hell
- Machine Head – Message in a Bottle
- Godsmack – Whatever
- Fear Factory – Back the Fuck Up
…in which I take you on a trip… through the mind, inner space and time itself. In the past few weeks, I’ve had the good fortune of recovering some first blog entries going back to 2003 where Suzy and I took a long-delayed honeymoon to Amsterdam for two glorious weeks. I could regale you with my writings forever, but instead, let us take the quest to enlightenment, self-discovery as we travel through giddiness, joy, peace, love, bemusement, reflection, questioning, anxiety, paranoia, panic, anger, badassery and ultimately resolution — the kind that generally leads to three grand slam breakfast skillets at Denny’s around 2am and about 13 boxes of Nerds.