The Wake - Fortnightly Magazine

Carl Carpenter

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Berlin part 2

My night out on the town with my Japanese and Polish friends was a smash. We hit the Karaoke bar with full force. Everything from The Rolling Stones to Madonna was performed with mild and expressionless enthusiasm, with the rest of the patrons laughing drunkenly all the while. Karaoke is a very communal experience. It’s a great look into Japanese culture, as its serves as their primary source of recreation, according to my doctor friend. …

Berlin

Im in an internet cafe in Berlin, with a 25 year old doctor from Japan, who was studying abroad in Poland, and is traveling Europe now. He was in the same room as me, and we saw some sights today. His English is.. .limited.

When I got in last night, I didnt have a place to stay but this Columbian girl who´d just missed her train to Poland was crying on a bench I was …

Learning Abroad

Two of my professors here at school are surely to be some of the most memorable you could ever hope for.

One teaches my International Marketing course. He spends most of the time in class telling stories of his foreign excursions, which serve to illustrate his points. He’s been all across the world and knows a great deal about the nature of foreign relations. One Particular story of note involved his attempt to broker a …

Last night these two bouncers…

I attended a club night north of London last night (Watford area to be exact). It’s a good 50 minutes outside of the city. I took the bakerloo to then end of its line, and was picked up from there in a car for the remaining 20 minute drive. We stopped by a house out in the London burbs. The kids there were watching Superbad, and we’re qute intrigued to meet someone who had actually …

Yid Army Street Parties: A run for my life

It was two Sundays ago that I went down to the Oxford Arms in Camden to watch the Carling Cup final with Charles, his uncle Ola, and the usual rowdy crowd. Tottenham vs. Chelsea, two London clubs going all out for a some coveted hardware. The die-hard fans were out in full force all across London. It had been 9 years since Tottenham had last one any title, and win would salvage their lack luster …

Camden Days and Camden Nights

On Saturday February 10th I was in Camden for the day, losing myself amidst the market mayhem. It’s like a whole other world. You’ll enter one of the markets at point on Camden High Street, and emerge and hour later hundreds of feet down the road, with no idea of how you got there.

I took out my headphones and enjoyed the sites and sounds as the colors of the crowds burst into life. The smells …

Summer ’08 soundtrack

The race for top songs of the summer is going to be a heated battle. With mammoth releases set to drop in every genre, it’s hard to tell which albums will make the splash. There are a few certainties though, particularly in terms of what the club and bar DJ’s will be playing to get patrons off their feet and dancing.

Firstly, Dr. Dre’s third full lenth LP, Detox, is scheduled to flood the airwaves this …

Basketball update

My days of running the point for the Imperial College Medical Basketball Team may be numbered. Team captain, Xu Wang, has grown weary of my months worth of excuses for not yet paying my dues. A hefty forty pounds, which I’ve been able to avoid through an intricate web of stories. However, he’s finally layed down the law, “pay at the game or you’re out.” We’ll see what a few carefully worded emails can’t do, …

Lazy Sunday

Last Sunday (or was this a few weeks ago…) I went down to Trafalgar Square for the Chinese New Year Celebration. They had a large stage with several Kung Fu and dance acts. I then went over to the China Town area for some authentic Chinese cuisine. The festivities concluded with the last of a series of hourly fire works displays in Leicester Square. I then separated from my friends, and went to go find …

Football Fever and Old Street Music Magic

I finally attended my first premiership game, Fulham v Aston Villa at Fulham. Given the number of Americans on the Fulham team, we opted to support them. They hadn’t won in several months, and Aston Villa was towards the top of the league. We went down to a local pub before the match and took down a few with the faithful. We went to the Fulham store and bought scarves, and then headed down to …

Celebrity Run-ins and Late Nite Bus Tales

One of my four jobs and internships here in London is with a Media, Touring, and Management firm called Airmtm. They handle the careers of artists like Jamie Cullum, The Bad Plus, and Manchester’s I am Kloot, among hundreds of others. They also handle all the media work for the world famous jazz club, Ronnie Scotts. It served as a place for the Jazz obsessed Londoners in the 40’s and 50’s to see the greatest …

Four Stories of 20 DJs and more

Late one evening, it was decided that we should head to a nightclub called Turnmills in Farringdon, near Kings Cross Station (of Harry Potter fame). The club was set to have over 20 DJ’s play throughout the night, including from members of Hot Chip and Macabees, and proper sets from The Metros and Fisherspooner. On top of that, there were gift bags at the door, and free Ice Cream and hair-cuts inside.

We arrived early …

Shot Callin’ and Clothes Swappin’

Sometime last week I went and practiced with the Imperial College Medical Basketball team. Imperial’s actual team had already held tryouts, but the medical team was willing to give me a shot. The team was comprised primarily of Asians, Indians, a Swede named Ole, polish kid named Demitri, a British kid named Alvin, and a Portuguese coach. They all had British accents, except for the coach, and they all played the most unorthodox style of …

Last Saturday, Blow Up Metro in Tottenham

I’m a little behind in my blog posting, as it’s been a whirlwind second week here in London. I’ll start with last Saturday. I went to a small basement club in the Tottenham area of Central London. I was initially denied at the door with the explanation of, “No football or rubgy shirts allowed.” I attempted a response but the pony tailed ogre was in no mood. He took a brisk step forward, placed his …

Surprise Show

The Lionheart Brothers, straight outta Trondheim Norway, made their way to the Oxford Circus in London on Monday night to play The Social. I had originally intended to take the tube down to Ealing Broadway to watch a match and enjoy some discount pints. I stood at the station, with my Ipod on for some 15 minutes, nose in a book, before I realized there was no longer anyone else waiting. Apparently the message delivered …