Commuting (back) from COPenhagen

Last year our family made what we thought was a pretty bold move. We left my hometown – the place I was born and raised and have built a bank of significant relationships -  to experience life in Copenhagen. When we left a number of our friends and family predicted that we’d stay overseas for good.

I decided to write about our experiences on a blog I called “Commuting from Copenhagen.” It is a title both metaphorical and literal, symbolizing a personal commute across the world, as well as the wildly different modes of transportation the residents of each City depend on to get around.

During our year abroad our children made friends with kids from all over the world, learned a fair bit of the language, spent priceless time with their family in Denmark, and became pretty damn good at soccer. They also attended schools where worries about class size, union rules, and shortened days (or is it weeks now?) are concerns beyond comprehension for Danes, whose social welfare safety net is more like a California King bed made with Frette sheets and a goose down pillow.

I sat in cafes undisturbed by endless conversations conducted over ridiculous looking bluetooth headsets, or by blinking faux-news video monitors with “breaking stories” detailing how the latest reality star was seen doing coke in the bathroom stall at a Hollywood hotspot. And didn’t hear a single mention of a soy latte or a skinny macchiato. At least I don’t think I did. The coffee wasn’t cheap but the civility alone was worth every Krone. (The Danes have left the feeble Euro to most of the rest of the Continent.)

I also met and worked with extremely talented filmmakers, creative types and change makers who made Oscar nominated films, great ads, and worked hard to make a real impact on environmental issues during the UN Conference on Climate Change (COP15).

We would jump on a less than one hour plane ride to find ourselves in Prague, a dark and mysterious City that is worlds apart from Copenhagen, with its spotless design and laid back – yet sometimes aloof – people.  I drove solo across beautiful farmland to a ferry on the Danish Coast, spent 45 minutes in the boat, unloaded in Germany, and was soon hitting 140 mph on the autobahn on my way to action packed Berlin.  We even loaded up a mini-van National Lampoon European Vacation style and took the whole family on an epic two-week tour of Europe that went from Denmark to the south of France, through Paris and up to Amsterdam.

On each of these trips I played a mental game where I would find myself calculating the mileage and trying to imagine the what exotic locale I would see by traveling a similar distance from LA.

Hmm…let’s see:

Copenhagen to Prague = 346 miles

LA + 346 miles = Stockton, California

Copenhagen to Amsterdam = 490 miles

LA + 490 miles = Winslow, Arizona

Yikes.

All the while, I scanned the hometown news keeping an eye on events at home.  I watched unsurprised, but disheartened, as the City budget crisis threatened to decimate already meager levels of city service.  On a quick visit home, I saw that some rain had caused damage on Mulholland Drive near Laurel Canyon but the budget shortfall prevented its repair.  I took a picture for posterity.

Los Angeles - Circa 2010

Actually, the budget issues facing LA and the State aren’t all that different than the “crisis” brewing here.  As part of its “austerity” efforts the government is pushing hard for a radical restructuring of the Danish workforce. They want to push the maximum work week 37 to 38 hours. Can you imagine? 38 hours!

To encourage support for the proposal, the Danish government has a media campaign which goes along the lines of “you give us an extra 12 minutes a day and we’ll keep you happy, educated and well fed for the rest of your life.”  Or something like that.  It couldn’t help but remind me of the all-news radio station pitch that promised  “give us 22 minutes and we’ll give you the world.”  (A statement which of course has now been made obsolete by Google’s ability to give you anything in the world in .22 seconds.)

Despite the doomsday scenario of a 38 hour work week, by any statistical measure the quality of life and overall well being of people here is higher.  Much higher.  Just look at those annual “world’s happiest people” surveys.  Year after year, Copenhagen and its Scandinavian neighbors top the list.  LA generally falls somewhere between Kansas City and Kuala Lampur. Our economy continues its slog with very few real signs of progress.  The McCourts still own the Dodgers (please someone make it stop), while SC is in NCAA hell.  Let’s face it, it’s not even purgatory.  And as for the prospects for my kids college education…the recent UC fee increases make the one-time jewel of the U.S. higher education system seem more and more like a distant dream for most folks.

Yet, with all that we have decided to return to LA. Why? Well, yes, it is home. And of course there is the weather.  Always, the weather.

What surprised me though is that people over here still seem to have faith in – and almost a reverence for – LA and California generally. Wherever I went I would get a similar response to my telling people where I was from. Eyes would light up.  People would ask if it was really like “Entourage.” And of course I would tell them “yes, it’s exactly like that.”

They’d share stories of visits to Malibu and rides up the coast on PCH, the Hollywood sign, some minor celebrity sighting or how great the late night burger was at that “place that looks like a train.”  And not even one person said “how can you stand the traffic…the smog…the crappy schools”  But I guess that’s what we have New Yorkers around for.  Especially the ones who have moved to LA.

I guess either the Dream Factory is alive, well and doing its job or there is something still vital about LA,  at least in people’s minds.  And while not convinced that LA is ready to completely turn the corner I still believe that on its best days there is no place in the world like it.  Only time will tell, but we are looking forward to coming back and being a part of what’s next.

So this will be my final post on “Commuting from Copenhagen.” I have no plans to keep a blog about our life back in LA…I’ll just tell my friends over here to watch Entourage.

Hej hej.

Worlds apart…

It’s a total mind fuck.  There’s just no other way to say it.  Not much more than twenty-four hours ago flying out of LA after a late night celebrating the Lakers winning Game 7 over the hated Celtics.  At Pink Taco in the Century City Mall no less. What can I say?  We were out of options and it was almost game time. At least my car didn’t get torched.

Now I find myself sitting on a stubby little train they call the “pig” on my  way to the northernmost tip of Denmark in a Coastal sea town called Gilleleje to meet the family.  We are staying at the beautiful cottage of our good friends Carmi and Heidi Cohen, who also own and operate an amazing spot on the other side of Denmark that I’ve written about before.  So I woke up this morning in Copenhagen, grabbed my bike and two bags and set off for the train north.  The people are so quiet…quiet but polite, helpful and well…civil.

First stop is Helsinger. Translated in English as Elsinore.  You know, Hamlet and all.  It looks just like you would expect.  Train goes up the coast, through beautiful lush forests and ends at the tiny little harbor town with not a lot to do but take walks and eat smoked fish.

I’ll take it.

Downtown Gillejele

Leaving the Silo

Our last week here at the Gemini Residence in Copenhagen.  An amazing place for our family to live and always full of surprises.  Just about every day tourists as well as architecture students and enthusiasts come by the building to check out the unique design.  Today we were met by a group of Swedes on a tour of Copenhagen at our front door so invited them to come in and check it out.  They were quite happy.

Los Angeles – c. 2010

Mulholland and Laurel Canyon

I shot this with my cheap plastic Holga camera on Mulholland and Laurel Canyon in early March. I’ve been living abroad for six months now and I’m just amazed that the City is in such a bad place financially. To me, this chance picture says it all.

These people live among you…

The LA Times sports columnist TJ Simers occasionally runs a piece with emails that mock the small-minded and petty nature of some of his readers. It’s pretty easy, really.  Just recap insane comments from the gullible and easily inflamed and you’ve got instant material for your column. Then remind us that “these people live among you.” Here is an example.  I’ve often thought the concept could be applied to the political world, especially when reading quotes from the bloggers and radio talk show hosts that frame the political debate at home.

First a disclaimer: most of my friends know my political leanings. I’ve been an active Democrat for a long time, but by no means do I consider myself bitterly partisan. It doesn’t mean that I don’t firmly support the principles and values of the party – it’s more that I made a decision a long time ago not to take this stuff so damn personally.  And I try to not preach to other people about their beliefs. When I was running political campaigns I wanted to win badly, not just for the sake of it – but because I believe in the fundamental principles of the party and felt that the candidates I worked with were going to improve lives. But I never took it personally. It’s all part of the deal.  You do what it takes to win -  then you leave it on the table and try and move on to work together. I know, sounds quaint.

But the tone in today’s political debate is just way out of control.  It affects both those on the left and right – and so much of it is so outrageous that it doesn’t deserve comment. But I came across this little beauty right from my good ol’ hometown and just had to share.  It comes from the top-rated drive-time duo John and Ken on KFI 640. You know, “more stimulating talk radio.”

The two have taken up the mantle to repeal the State’s global warming efforts via a proposed ballot initiative next year.  Fair enough guys, you think it’s a job-killer.  Never mind that getting off our dependence on foreign oil could improve our national security.  Or that California is attempting to set itself up as a leader in clean-tech jobs and industries, much like the growing economies in China, Brazil and dozens of other countries. And hell, the President has the corner on calling out the banks and Wall Street for getting us in this mess. So why not blame those crazy environmentalists, led by out of control lefty Gov. Schwarzenegger, for trashing our State’s economy?

Here are Ken and John on the issue, according to a story from the LA Times:

GOP gubernatorial candidates and Tea Party organizers paint the 2006 law, considered a model for other state and federal efforts, as a job-killing interference in the economy. Talk radio is flailing at what John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, drive-time hosts on Los Angeles’ KFI-AM (640), call “the global-warming final solution act” promoted by “fascist, Nazi” officials.

Did I mention this is the #1 rated radio show in its time slot?

I know. I’m the gullible one.  Took the bait. And I also know they don’t give a rip about what I have to say. Besides, we’re living abroad…in Europe!  How un-American can you get get? They would have a field day with that. But guys, did you have to go there? Are you really serious? How about calling out those nanny-state loving sadistic devil worshipers that want to encourage kids to eat healthy and exercise? (oops, sorry if I blew the theme of today’s show.)

Yes, these people live among you.  And they have a few hundred thousand others who listen to what they have to say every day.

Heard it on the radio…

Since being over here I’ve mentioned to a few people that while there are a ton of things I like about Copenhagen, there is one thing that is just plain bad.  Danish radio.  I’m sure if I dug deep enough I could turn up the reasons for it. Perhaps it has something to do with licensing fees or the government requiring a certain amount of local content but make no mistake, it’s not very good.  Still we listen to it at the house because it’s like watching Huell Howser…kinda cheesy but it’s what you do.

One of the upsides of such bad music choices is that it forces you to revisit songs you’ve heard maybe hundreds of times before.  I suppose you could go the other way, shut it down and just seek out the best new “indie” stuff but I tried it with Grizzly Bear and, well, they pretty much blew. So I wanted to share a few “classic” (or at least well-worn) songs that showed up on the radio here in Denmark and made me sit up and listen again…even though I’ve heard them a thousand times.  Click on the “play” arrows to give a listen and see if you agree with what I’m saying.

Stevie Wonder – Living for the City

Ultimate r&b precursor to rap…stunningly powerful. Try and listen on speakers or headphones if you can. What do you call a dude that comes up with a song like that…uh, genius? If this song doesn’t give you chills, you are cold-blooded.

The Knack – My Sharona

Heard this the other day on local radio sandwiched between two lame pop songs… I think one was by “Ke$ha” but I’m not really sure.  The song just knocks you out of your seat. I remember when it came out.  I was in my Foreigner phase then – which thankfully didn’t last too long – but I remember what a huge hit this was and the “Nuke the Knack” backlash. What the hell was that about anyway?  Check out this live performance from 1979.  All the components…skinny ties and just a ridiculous guitar solo, killer bass and a kick-ass drummer. Not to mention the pervy theatrics.  I have a feeling that any band in 2010 would kill to come up with a song like this.

Aretha Franklin - Chain of Fools

Two R&B/Soul artists on this list?  Funny since my tastes mostly tend to run in a slightly different direction. (think: politically charged lyrics and loud guitars.) But this list is about songs you’ve heard a lot before and maybe never really appreciated, not stuff you always listen to. So this definitely meets the test.  Maybe this entire theory applies to Aretha Franklin though.  I know she is  a legend and all, and no dis r-e-s-p-e-c-t, but just not my thing. Then this classic popped up on our little kitchen radio the other day and – BOOM!

Jeff Buckley – Lover You Should Have Come Over

OK…this song didn’t come on the radio here and you may not have heard it 1,000 times. But hopefully you’ve heard it a few times. I was at this bookstore in Copenhagen this month and they had a box of used CD’s for sale. Even though I already have it on my iTunes I bought the CD Grace for 10 kroners…exactly $1.90.  I saw Jeff Buckley and his band perform in 1995 at the Tower Records in Westwood . They played at the top of a staircase, and unlike what you may think when you listen to this song it was one of the loudest rock and roll shows I’ve ever heard. People might think of him as a “sensitive guy” but he was a serious ass-kicker.  Anyways, if you’re not as familiar with him this was his only album, and he died a year or two after I saw him in LA.  He fell into the Mississippi River and drowned at the age of 30.

Jacob Golden – Cry Baby Cry

Ok, threw you a curve ball here.  Jacob Golden?  Well, another way to re-appreciate a song you’ve heard over and over again is to hear it re-imagined by new artists.  When I’m not suffering through the Danish pop radio blitz I like to throw on a great all-covers internet radio show from SF-based somaFM. I don’t know who this guy is but I heard him do this tune from the White Album and it just reminds me what amazing songwriters the Beatles were.  But maybe that’s the point of this here post…sometimes it’s best to appreciate what you already have.

AN AFTERWORD…

I came back to this post just this week and realized how much of an old fart I sound like. The part about Danish radio is absolutely true, but these songs probably sound even better due to equal parts nostalgia and a small dose of home-sickness. Plus, let’s face it…radio sucks everywhere. So instead of just listening to a bunch of old stuff I’ve loaded up on new music and some more other things I may have missed when it first came ’round.  MGMT is crazy. Still trying to get my head around it, but those dudes are heavy.

LCD Soundsystem has a new Disc coming out that I really want to check out.  In the meantime, I can’t get enough of Sound of Silver. Just great, great songs.

Only an hour flight but many miles away…

Back from Prague…a cool, mysterious city with lots of dark corners.  Only an hour plane flight from Copenhagen but many, many worlds away. The dour Czechs make Danes look downright giddy in comparison. But then again, Czech history provides plenty of material for angst.

When you stop and think about it it’s pretty amazing how you far 397 miles can take you.

The State of the Union

While the cold of the winter seems to slow time here in Copenhagen, world affairs continue to move ahead in dramatic fashion.  The events in Haiti made any hopes of a smooth transition into a new decade wishful thinking. And there is still buzz even here about the Massachusetts Senate race, as it appears voters are looking to lash out at anybody remotely close to responsible for making political decisions.

Meanwhile, it seems that any time I read about economic growth or investment it’s the creation of some massive wind farm being built in Brazil, growth in China exceeding 10%, or even how Uruguay is producing the next great wave of Hollywood hit-makers.

Here in Europe there is a lot of speculation about what it all means for the Obama Administration, as well as the overall direction of the US. No need for me to suffer through Cokie Roberts, George Will and Sam Donaldson  (warning: click here at your own peril) I get to see European anchors on the tube speculating about all this stuff. The good news is I can’t understand most of what they are saying, just like those guys on the Sunday morning news shows. But what I do pick up is that even overseas where President Obama enjoys great support, there is a growing perception that the rest of the world is catching up to the US and that the current Administration is faltering.   It’s not just the economic downturn – everyone is getting hit – it’s more the sense that the US is no longer the dominant force on the global stage and has in fact lost its footing at the top of the mountain.

The President’s State of the Union offers a chance for him to shape the national debate by putting America’s focus back on track and away from the finger-pointing and name-calling that makes up political discourse right about now.  He’s a “socialist.”  They’re “tea baggers.”  Just brutal.

So in all humility, but in the spirit of the upcoming State of the Union address, a few thoughts from the cheap seats in anticipation of the speech:

The beginning, middle, and the end of the speech has to be about jobs. I know I’m not saying anything that nearly every political consultant and so-called message guru on CNN is probably saying right now. That by itself doesn’t mean it isn’t right, and it definitely doesn’t mean that the White House and Congress need to talk job creation at the expense of broader policy objectives. In fact, virtually every major policy initiative under consideration and attack is in some ways connected to jobs.  Health Care: healthy population and efficient delivery system means cost savings and productivity. Climate: We need to lead on green technologies because it is a huge center of growth and opportunity for our people. And please, will everyone just stop using the words “cap and trade”? It’s total bullshit to most of us.  Education: If we don’t invest in kids and challenge all involved (teachers unions, parents, and the bureaucracy) to do better, we are screwed.  And we have no chance at getting the jobs of the future.  Simple, huh?

Unify the country around a common threat: Of course, Al Qaeda and the rest of those wing-nuts are a common threat.  The President will mention our “renewed and vigilant efforts to fight terrorism” in the speech and rightfully get a standing O from both sides of the aisle.  But another kind of threat that needs to be articulated is that the rest of the world is going to eat our lunch economically if we don’t get things in gear.  China is experiencing over 10% growth.  Countries in the Persian Gulf are looking at ways to get off dependence on Persian Gulf oil (I know, crazy but it’s true). Here in Europe, despite a crapper economy there continue to be pockets of growth and actual confidence in the future. So…time to rally the troops, take on the rest of the world and do what we do best.  Innovate and compete.

Reject the Supreme Court’s decision on campaign finance and call for “unilateral disarmament” by the Democratic party while challenging Republicans to do same. After the decision pundits on the left and right predictably lined up calling it either a “crushing blow to democracy,” or one that “frees American business from the yoke of second-class citizenship.” I’ll take a stand here: allowing unlimited corporate and labor union money in elections is just plain insane. But that’s just me. I know the argument in many places will be that “we can’t fight with one hand tied behind our backs”  so we’re going to play by the rules as they are. That approach will lead to some very bad decisions by politicians and their consultants and even worse public policy.  Besides, running crappy :30 second spots and buying a ton of media intended to overwhelm voters just won’t work anymore. Great brands don’t gain market share just because they beat their competitors into submission.  The key to elections are good candidates with effective messages that connect with voters.  And believe me, not a single major candidate on either side of the aisle is having any problem raising enough money to at least be competitive on television.  “Just say no” people.  It will pay off for you in the long run.

So Mr. President, there are a few thoughts. Good luck tomorrow.

Kierkegaard on the value of “reflection”

It’s bitter cold with howling winds and the City is extremely quiet, which is actually a good thing as December was filled with non-stop action. So not a whole lot to do other than read, recharge, and reflect.  All of which has led me to seriously consider a quote from everyone’s favorite Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard who said: “Far from idleness being the root of all evil, it is rather the only true good.”

Soren Kierkegaard

And really, who am I to argue with that kind of reasoning?

A chilly start to the New Year

A beautiful but bitterly cold Sunday here…and a far cry from the mayhem just a few nights ago.  Took a few shots from our place today and thought I’d share.

Our downstairs neighbors...

The Harbor beginning to freeze over