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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 8th 2013 edited
    I'm back too. God, I have SO much to share, both for the Vienna and London concerts -- pictures, stories, you name it (including Thor's Torture Tour). I'll get to it in a structured fashion! Right now, I'm still riding high on a cloud of excitement....while I have landed physically, I haven't landed mentally. dizzy
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 9th 2013
    In your own time wink
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorPlingKong
    • CommentTimeOct 9th 2013
    I just came back to my apartment too, and just wrote a freakin' ESSAY on Facebook about my experience of the Elfman event in London and how much it all meant to me. Unfortunately it's in Norwegian, and I don't have the energy to write a similar English version right now. I'll have to get back to that. But I'm still floating on that same cloud as (Torture) Thor.

    Really great meating you all! smile
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 9th 2013
    Pictures from the event here:

    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set … 3b03991f26
    I am extremely serious.
  1. still too tired from Thor's Torture tour to write everything down, mostly because Bregt did such an amazing job on it anyway wink

    Simply saying the concert was downright amazing, just because everybody was simply jumping of joy afterwards. The way the crowd made Elfman crawl out of his shell on stage made the evening so much more magical afterwards. The entries of Bonham Carter and Tim Burton himself made the evening even more amazing.

    the thing about the sound which Bregt mentioned was correct. The details (some of the things I was looking forward to the most) were literally drowned by the massive performances of the orchestra. But the positive side of this made each performance simply larger and grander than perhaps expected. Mars Attacks was as massive as I heard it on the Silva Screen compilations, Batman was awesome and the songs of The Nightmare before Christmas were downright staggering. The oogie Boogie songs as encore was basically the highlight, simply because Elfman started acting crazy on screen. What a thrill.

    As for the city, beautiful as expected. And thanks to my 2 most trustworthy guides (Bregt and Thor) I got to see as much of London as could be expected in a matter of days. Thor's Torture Tour (completely free of charge) made it all possible. Sadly thanks to that I'm still limping like the hunchback of notre dame.

    And of course always worth remembering on these types of meetings are the many wonderful and friendly people we meet during it.

    Ahh, another experiece I'll never forget love
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
  2. I'm wondering how much I would have enjoyed this concert had I have gone. I dislike with a passion Elfman's songs for The Nightmare Before Christmas. But the rest sounds as though it was excellent. Great to hear that everyone seemed to have a great time.
    The views expressed in this post are entirely my own and do not reflect the opinions of maintitles.net, or for that matter, anyone else. http://www.racksandtags.com/falkirkbairn
  3. Wonderful pictures Thor.
    www.synchrotones.wordpress.com | www.synchrotones.co.uk | @Synchrotones | facebook | soundcloud | youtube
    • CommentAuthorkilar30
    • CommentTimeOct 9th 2013
    The concert was amazing!!!!!! My favourite pieces (for me): Mars attacks, Batman/Batman returns, Nightmare before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands.

    Fantastic night!!!!!
    • CommentAuthorkilar30
    • CommentTimeOct 11th 2013
    Lydia Kavina with the theremin in "Mars attacks" was wonderful!!!! Someone have a video of these piece in the concert?
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeOct 13th 2013
    Here's an interview with Elfman a few days before the first concert
    http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oc … on-singing
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 13th 2013
    So The Guardian can interview him, but not I! The OUTRAGE!
    I am extremely serious.
  4. The logical next step: Go start an English language Norwegian newspaper and gain world wide reputation.
    Bach's music is vibrant and inspired.
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 13th 2013
    I'll do that tomorrow.
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorcrocodile
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2013 edited
    Hi, it was nice to meet some of you guys in London. Great night indeed. And as a direct result I decided to join this forum (apart from FSM and JWFan) as well. smile

    Karol
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2013
    Hi there. That was a good night! beer
    Kazoo
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 15th 2013
    Good choice, Karol! This is the best film music forum on the interwebz (although it can be a bit slow at times).
    I am extremely serious.
  5. Thor wrote
    Good choice, Karol! This is the best film music forum on the interwebz (although it can be a bit slow at times).


    The only thing that isn't slow is your Torture tour Thor wink

    But welcome Karol smile
    waaaaaahhhhhhhh!!! Where's my nut? arrrghhhhhhh
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    He, he...yes, indeed.

    I should specify that I don't mean MENTALLY slow, but ACTIVITY slow.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Thomas Glorieux wrote
    Thor wrote
    Good choice, Karol! This is the best film music forum on the interwebz (although it can be a bit slow at times).


    The only thing that isn't slow is your Torture tour Thor wink

    But welcome Karol smile


    Speaking of which where is that write-up of the days events you said you were going to report, eh Thor?
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Thanks for the nudge, Timmer. I'll get to it now.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    cool
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Thor's Torture Tour is not for the faint of foot.
    Kazoo
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Does it involve not using Tube Trains? wink
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013 edited
    So here's a loooong write-up of the Vienna-Horner and London-Elfman events.

    VIENNA

    After arriving in Vienna on Wednesday afternoon, I checked in and walked the streets a bit, before interviewing director Joe Dante in a 1-hour group interview at a hotel (to be published soon). After that, I tried to hook up with others, but it seems like I was almost the first to arrive. I had a Wienerschnitzel at a local place (not the best place, to be honest), watched some Champion's League in a local pub and went to bed relatively early.

    Next morning, I met Marian Schedenig for the first time. Strange that we've known each other for 15 years or so, but never actually met. Marian was "playing" my photographer for the interview with James Horner at the rooftop restaurant of a fancy hotel. The interview was great -- Horner is such a modest, shy person who has no Hollywood quirks at all -- but I was a bit stressed out by the PR people who constantly pointed at their watches to make me quit the interview (even after just 7 minutes, and I was promised 10). Eventually, I got 11 1/2 minutes, and I'm sure most of you are aware of the radio program I did, available here (which also includes interviews with David Newman, Sandra Tomek and recordings from the actual concert):

    http://celluloidtunes.no/celluloid-tune … l-edition/

    Anyway, after that Marian and I split up. This was the day for Vienna exploration. I took the subway to the gorgeous Schönbrunn palace otuside the city, and while it was swarming with tourists, I was really taken aback by the architectural beauty. Reminded me of Von Trier, Resnais and Antonioni. Spent 3 hours there, also taking an inside tour (expensive!). I took another subway to a remote graveyard just by the freeway to see Mozart's grave. Then I returned to the city centre, catching some other sights (the St. Stephan's Catedral, Mozart's house, the townhouse and other great buildings).

    In the afternoon, I met up with John Chambers, Tim Burden, Mark Langdon, Petr (Lokutus) and Francis who were all attending the Joe Dante screenings with Q&A. I skipped the first screening (of THE HOWLING) because I was starved. Ate a great Viennese dinner in a place for locals that I found. Then I returned to the Cinemateque for the screening of SMALL SOLDIERS, preceded by a Dante Q&A. Since I had already interviewed him, this was just a bonus. It was already getting late by the end, so we all went back to our hotels. Long today tomorrow!

    On Friday, I explored some more of the city. I also visited the Museum of Modern Art to see an exhibition on 'angst' (of all things). I went back to the hotel to change into a suit, then walked to the Gmoakeller restaurant by the concert hall. I had arranged the get-together there, so I had to be early. We had two long tables in the basement of the restaurant. Eventually, most of the people came -- 25 people, including James Southall and wife, 3 Norwegians(!) and many more from FSM, Maintitles and JWFAN. A great dinner, and I tried my best to avoid drinking too much (but failed somewhat).

    Then followed the actual concert, which has been covered extensively elsewhere. I was sitting just a couple of rows behind Horner; which was great, because I could witness his reactions to the performances.

    After the concert, many of us crashed the VIP reception where Horner, Newman and others were roaming about. I interview Newman there, and took plenty of the free drinks! After that, some of us continued the party in various bars in the vicinity. I think we kept it going to about 4 in the morning, at which point it was either karaoke or nothing for me. I even asked the receptionist in James' hotel if we could use their PA system for karaoke! Oh, God. There was no karaoke, however, and I went back to the hotel.

    Unfortunately for me, I was flying to London the following day. I wake up with an insane hangover, had some brunch and checked out. When I was standing on the train platform to the airport, I realized I had forgotten my passport, keys and wallet in the hotel room's safe. So I had run back to the hotel with a huge suitcase, with pounding headache and nausea, to retrieve them. At that point, I was already pressed for time, so I had to take a 45 Euro-taxi to the airport. Once there, I realized Robert Townson and David Newman were taking the same plane as me. I think I managed to utter an 'hello' or something, but I was too hung over to engage in any conversation.

    -----------------

    LONDON

    Arriving at Heathrow, I hooked up with fellow Norwegian Eirik Myhr, a film composer. We took the 1-hour subway train to King's Cross and checked in (a tiny apartment in the basement of a building, right from the trash cans!). Then we met Bregt and Thomas for dinner. They were staying in a hostel nearby. We chose an Indian restaurant, but the place was rather terrible. Tiny portions, poor taste, shoddy service and some drunk, noisy guys on the table next to us. Initially, my plan was to go all out this evening, but I was still hung over from Vienna, so we just had a couple of beers in a pub after that (a German-Norwegian couple I know was also joining us) and went back to the hotel.

    On Sunday, I joined Bregt and Thomas for some sightseeing. We went to Primrose Hill for a stroll through the park and to see the views, then headed to the London Museum. I was not really in a museum mood this day (neither was Thomas, I think), so I kinda rushed through it. I think this annoyed Bregt a bit, who wanted to spend more time there. After that, it was time for the famous Thor's Torture Tour, which was basically a walk through the famous sites of downtown London -- Trafalgar Square, St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben etc. As I've seen all of these before, it was really more for Thomas' sake. Bregt provided the wacky guide audio (I think he must have said "The Tower of London is the cradle of democracy" about a thousand times...). We also had lunch at Baker Street at some point.

    After that, we returned to the hotel for a quick shower, met up again and returned to Charing Cross for dinner at a Mexican place called Lupita. Great food, although the selection of beer was limited and the bill quite steep in the end (29 quid for me). Joining us were Eirik, Alex (a Spanish acquaintance of Bregt's) and a Norwegian-English couple I know -- the guy had run a marathon earlier in the day, finishing 10th out of 16.000!

    After the dinner, some of us walked towards Soho for drinks. We eventually found an OK pub, but they closed just 20 minutes later! After that, none of us were really in the mood for heavy partying (except maybe Alex) since we had the big concert the next day, so we went back to the hotel. I think Alex was disappointed, but hey -- whatcha gonna do? We had an itinerary to take care of.

    On Monday, Eirik, Bregt, Thomas and I went to Camden. Bought a couple of T-shirts, and said goodbye to Bregt and Thomas who wanted to go on another sightseeing rampage. I just wanted to relax and hang around, so Eirik and I remained. Whenever I'm familiar with a city, I really prefer to just relax and avoid all the heavy sightseeing. Eirik and I had lunch in Camden, took the sub to a random place none of us had been before (Old Road?), which wasn't particularly exciting. We found a pub and ordered one of the worst-tasting coffees I've ever had. Then again, who orders coffee in a British pub, right?

    Back to the hotel to change, and on towards High Street Kensington and The Spaghetti House for the get-together. This was great. We were about 15-16 people -- some I had met before, others not. At one point, Richard Kraft (Elfman's agent and the producer of the concert) rushes in and exclaims "Where is Thor?". He gave us a concert program and allowed to ask questions about the upcoming event. Then he was gone again. A nice surprise.

    Then was the concert itself, which has been covered extensively elsewhere. One of the most amazing concerts of my life, and I was sitting just 5-6 meters from the stage. To see Elfman live, singing on-stage. Well, I tried to put it into words here, in Norwegian:

    http://montages.no/2013/10/danny-elfman … bert-hall/

    After the concert, a rather large group -- including Jordi, who had now joined us -- strolled back towards High Street Kensington to find a pub that was still open. I managed to find one -- more of a cocktail bar that didn't even have beer on tap -- and we all crammed together. Stayed there untill about 2-2:30, and then we split up. Some went on to Soho, others went back to the hotel. I went back, as I was really feeling the days of heavy drinking and partying.

    I got up on Tuesday, checked out, met Bregt and Thomas again for lunch, as well as the longtime FSM acquaintance Tim (aka Ahem). Then Eirik and I returned to the airport at about 2.

    So that's it, basically. Another SUPERB film music week in Europe. You can see some pictures here:

    https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set … 3b03991f26
    I am extremely serious.
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Thanks for the report Thor.

    Thor wrote
    Bregt provided the wacky guide audio (I think he must have said "The Tower of London is the cradle of democracy" about a thousand times...).

    Of course you mean that the Houses of Parlaiment are the cradle of modern democracy!
    Kazoo
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Great report Thor beer

    I wish I could have been there for much of it but too many personal things in the way at present.

    I think I'd have been more in your camp with not doing the sightseeing thing, though having said that I would happily spend days in the Natural History Museum with Bregt wink

    p.s. I highly recommend The Tower of London, at least on some future trip.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    I've already been to the Tower -- but yeah, despite being a tourist trap, it has stuff to offer (like the crown jewels and stuff).
    I am extremely serious.
    •  
      CommentAuthorThor
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Bregt wrote
    Thanks for the report Thor.

    Thor wrote
    Bregt provided the wacky guide audio (I think he must have said "The Tower of London is the cradle of democracy" about a thousand times...).

    Of course you mean that the Houses of Parlaiment are the cradle of modern democracy!


    Ha, ha...that's right. At some point, your guided audio was going in one ear and out the other.
    I am extremely serious.
    • CommentAuthorTimmer
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    Thor wrote
    I've already been to the Tower -- but yeah, despite being a tourist trap, it has stuff to offer (like the crown jewels and stuff).


    It's far more than just the jewels but I'm mad on History so anything like this I'll happily spend hours mooching around in.
    On Friday I ate a lot of dust and appeared orange near the end of the day ~ Bregt
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      CommentAuthorBregt
    • CommentTimeOct 16th 2013
    I thought the London Museum close to the Barbican was very interesting too.
    Kazoo