Saturday, May 29, 2004

No Love Parade in 2004

Well, it is not really news anymore: There will be no Love Parade in Berlin this year. Although many attempts had been made in order to save this festivity the organizers couldn't find a way to finance it.

The Love Parade is the largest Techno Party on the planet. Still... for those who have never heard of it(I don't know where you have been for the past ten years), here is a history of the event.

Anyway, the Love Parade has always been controversial. While many people supported it because it brought tourists to town (about a million for the weekend during the best years of the event) others stressed the negative effect on Berlin's parks. The parade route led right through the Tiergarten (sort of the equivalent of New York's Central Park for Berlin).
Garbage and urin from several hundred thousands of techno lovers wasn't really good for flora and fauna.

I didn't enjoy the event very much. But that is mostly connected to the fact that I don't like techno music.

A few years ago - right before Love Parade weekend - I was riding the subway when a few rhimes came to my mind. Since it was boring to sit in the train I tried to make a poem out of them.

When I had reached my destination I just had to write them down. The poem is meant to be a little funny. I didn't want to insult any techno fan. Ok, here it is. (I never translated the poem, sorry):

Der Raver

Jedes Jahr zur Sommerszeit
Im Juli macht er sich bereit,
Damit er durch Berlin nun tanze.
Love Parade - so heißt das Ganze.

Ob die Sonne scheint, oder ob's regnet,
Mit Enthausiasmus reich gesegnet
Erträgt der Raver Hitz' und Nässe,
Solang nur aufgedreht die Bässe.

Erblickt er eine schmucke "Sie",
Schluckt er Red Bull und Ecstasy,
Um für den Balztanz fit zu sein.
Natürlich sagt sie da nicht nein.

Im Tiergarten, so in der Mitte,
Sie pfeifen auf die gute Sitte
Und geben sich der Liebe hin;
Der Raver mit der Raverin.

Doch... leider hat er's nicht geahnt:
Der Freund der Raverin, er bahnt
Den Weg zum Liebespaare sich
Und schlägt den Raver fürchterlich.

Halbtot liegt er am Wegesrand,
Die Mutter hätt' ihn kaum erkannt.
Und doch er freut sich - das ist klar -
Auf's nächste Mal, in nächsten Jahr.

3 comments:

Milani said...

Glad i went to the 2001 parade! = )

One good thing abt Europe is that there are many people who share my love for techno!!

Anonymous said...

Well, if the organisators of the Love Parade (wasn't it Dr. Motte and friends) hadn't claimed it to be a political event, it would still be possible. But the benefit of the political tag is that it doesn't cost any fee, while just having a party this large would cost a huge amount of money to pay to the city of Berlin.
Lilli Marleen (http://lillimarleen.blogspot.com)

t'su said...

What a shame. The Love Parade was a blast, although I can see some of the nagative externalities...

(I was at Love Parade, 2000)