Before the school year officially starts, the "Days of Silistra" festival gives all of the local 14 and 15 year olds a chance to butt into lines and prevent good, older folk from buying beers. The beer festival coincides with the Days festival and the River festival fits right in too this weekend. It's a festival bonanza here in Silistra!
The weather, up until today's chill, has been perfect for an outdoor festival and the plaza behind the obshtina has been packed every night. Tuesday night saw the biggest mob I've seen in Silistra. There were people shoulder to shoulder and barely room to wriggle near the stage. All because Maria was in town.
Maria's a chalga singer, chalga being a fascinating little niche of Bulgarian pop music. The music could be quickly described as early Britney Spears-ish. It's not exactly "Hit Me Baby One More Time," but in some cases it has the general flow of that kind of crap. One of Maria's hits, for example, is "Obichai Me, Sega," or "Love Me, Now" in English. More interesting than the music though, are the videos, which combine the production values of low-quality videos from the eighties with writhing, wriggling dancers dressed in things that a person normally sees driving through West Hollywood. Some would have the indecency to call that kind of thing "bad" but it's incredibly entertaining in short doses. Some of the performers are legendary, Anelia actually puts out music that could be called good and respectable videos and Azzis (sp?) dresses in pseudo drag while singing at a very high pitch and performing in videos based on Satanic rituals.
I'd say 95% of chalga singers are singly named and, like I said, Maria was rocking Silistra Tuesday night. I'd guess there were around 6,000 people stuffef into the space of two football fields. Everybody was trying to get beer from the four booths that were selling it and the Silistra American squad was trying to get away from the mob near the stage since we'd been up there to watch the local cover band whose singer/guitarist is a friend of ours. Fortunately we were able to escape before Maria's third song ans certain suffocation. We then rode "The Viking," one of those swinging boat rides that's in the small fairground next to the main stage. All in all a great night.
Last night we say Akaga, a rhythm group from Sofia. They did a little samba, a little R and B, and some Turkish music. I loved every second of it, it's not often you hear that stuff played well, and live, in Bulgaria. There were far fewer people at the performance, and even with another chalga singer tonight, the chill will probably keep even more people away.
Saturday will be the day where silly folk try to swim the river. I won't be doing that this year. And after that the festival will go on through next week, and leave three days before school starts. It's a great way to end the summer.
Posted by Rob at September 9, 2004 05:22 PMtall, upper-middle class, male, psudeo-Republican "Libertarian" WASP
Oh good G-d. I'm sure that was all in jest from a good friend, but it reminds too much of when back at UCLA, though "completely qualified," I couldn't sit on the Judicial Board because "I don't represent black women."
Posted by: Owen at September 19, 2004 02:28 AMI didn't imply a thing about Asis' religious leanings or personal philosphy, I only mentioned his videos are inspired by satanic rituals. I suppose that could be amended to "Hollywood style satanic rituals" since most of Asis' visuals involve massive amounts of red lighting, blood, etc. and there's little that could be called religious. Point is, he's successful at what he does and what I wrote is hardly degrading. I even called the man legendary. He's incredibly entertaining and only an oddball would be offended by anything out of him. He's a credit to the country.
As for Scarlett, she may depend on herself (fine, if not perfect, by me) but she also goes through a decade of narrative living only for a man she can never have and blaming everybody but herself for her personal problems. She overcomes Reconstruction by being practical and completely objective, GREAT!, but she never puts that practicality to use on herself. So Rhett gets screwed. It's unfortunate is all, and it's her fault. I think she realizes it in the end, but of course, it's all too late then.
And if we're going to label and question respect, we might as well do it right. I'm tall, I come from an upper-middle class family, and I am male, I think the pseudo-Republican "libertarian" thing covers my politics well enough (Although I'm not sure how that directly relates to your argument about my better background), but WASP is just soooo not me. "W" maybe, but "ASP" no. And unlike Miss O'Hara, I have the utmost respect for those who, unfortunately, are not me or a doofus named Ashley.
Always great to hear from you Kara. Good luck with the little monsters this week and this year.
Posted by: Rob at September 13, 2004 01:13 PMI resent that you would imply Asis has anything to do with "the devil." He is overweight, Roma and gay-- possibly the three worse things a person can be in Bulgaria, and he still makes money.
I also resent your pot shot at Scarlett O'Hara. She took care of busniess at a time in history when most women in her situation would have crumbled into dust. So she was in love with a wanker and messed up the only man that really loved her, none of us are perfect.
Have some respect for those who overcome a bad situation. Not all of us are tall, upper-middle class, male, psudeo-Republican "Libertarian" WASPs.
Glad you're having a good time, though.