February 2006

Granted: one expects the winters in Germany to be cold and dark. Berlin lies astonishingly high on the globe--at 52° latitude, to be exact, on a par with Edmonton (New York, for comparison, is at about 41°). But the exceedingly great length and dreariness of Berlin winters sometimes become unbearable. By the time February rolls around, it's nearly impossible to shake those bleak winter blues. Such were the conditions for recording The Casual Artscast 017, and what better chance to extol the virtues and peculiarities of German culture and life?

Old Man J observed that, generally speaking, Germans want to be respected by society and Americans want to be liked. Hence the almost complete lack of small talk between strangers in Germany or even recognition of each other. If the Funk Doc gets another door slammed in his face in a public building, or holds a door open for somebody (!) and receives no recognition of it, sources say he's going to puke.

On a recent adventure with public transportation, the Funk Doc witnessed the psychologically unstable and drunken ravings of two middle aged German citizens. Nobody, except for the Doc, seemed to heed these two people, much less show any concern for them. Can this be another cultural difference between Germans and Americans? Do Americans tend to look for answers to social problems on a more individual, private level (thus the myriad church, charity, and other private organizations), while Germans look more to the state for solutions to such problems?

One of the last unrenovated buildings in Friedrichshain on Simon-Dach-Straße.

The musical choices this week were aimed at cheering us up, and frankly, we know of no better way to do this than by listening to The J.B.'s. Wu-Tang don't hurt neither.

Question: Why are the J.B.'s track titles always so goddamn long?

Flea market on the famed Boxhagener Platz, where Bud Powell records go for 5 Euros a pop.

You can never get too much of the Fernsehturm.

Timetable and Playlist:

0:00-1:00 - Cussing in German

1:00-4:00 - German Stereotypes of Americans

4:00-7:30 - Self-Reliance in the U.S.

7:30-11:00 - Individualism and Determining One's Own Fate

11:00-15:00 - German and American Individualism

15:00-18:00 - Individualism in Business

18:00-19:00 - The J.B.'s - Urfunk

19:00-22:30 - The J.B.’s - If You Don’t Get It the First Time Back Up and Try It Again, Party

22:30-24:30 - American and German Friendliness

24:30-28:30 - Shrinking Eastern German Cities

28:30-31:00 - Social Mobility among German Women

31:00-34:00 - Begrüßungsgeld and Negative Population Growth

34:00-35:00 - Youngstown's Prison Industry

35:00-36:45 - Wu-Tang Clan and Clifton Chenier

36:45-39:40 - Wu-Tang Clan - Shame on a Nigga

39:40-43:00 - Clifton Chenier - Zydeco et Pas Sale

43:00-44:00 - Zydeco's Origins

44:00-48:00 - Drunks in the Train

48:00-50:30 - American Likeableness, German Respect

50:30-54:30 - Private vs. Public Social Help

54:30-57:00 - Berlin's Greatness

57:00-1:02:00 - Inviting Germans to Your Home

1:02:00-1:03:00 - German Earnestness

1:03:00-1:06:00 - Gradations of Funk

1:06:00-1:10:40 - The J.B.'s - All Aboard the Soul Funky Train

1:10:40-1:12:00 - Webforum and Goodbye