Queensday

After work on Wednesday evening I took the train to Holland so I can celebrate the evening before Queensday. I planned to show really cool photographs of the market and partying Dutch people dressed in orange but when I wanted to make my first picture, I noticed that the battery was empty. So, for half a year this thing is working and the moment I'm about to make really cool pictures it's empty.

So you'll have to do with a video of the idiot who ruined Queensday by driving through the audience. This shocking news came to me when I was eating breakfast and turned on the television. Ever since 9/11 I haven't seen such bizarre news. I think the whole world has seen the footage already, but above there's a video seen from the point of view of an amateur filmer. The most intriguing about this film is that it gives a tiny impression of how scary it must have been to stand in the crowd at that moment. My art-director Victor immediately phoned me to see if I was allright. I reassured him by telling that Apeldoorn is too far from Alkmaar to be hit by the car.

As if this news wasn't bad enough already, all over the country the majors of the city showed their 'respect' for the victims by cancelling all the festivities on Queensday. I was standing in Alkmaar, dancing on drum 'n bass music with a beer in my hand. And suddenly the music was cut off. It felt like a punch in the face and the crowd of party animals around the outdoor dj-booth felt lost. After that I just went into the pub. But I can imagine that for people who can't enjoy themselves with something simple like drinking beer and singing, this must have been a big deception.

I can already see the face of the major, drooling on the phone because he makes such a political correct decision. I don't know if it's self-wanking or fear for face-loss that drives decision makers to cancel such a wonderful party. But a fact is that by doing this you give the murderer exactly what he wished for: a suicide of which entire Holland would feel the impact.

Of course me and my friends were able to set our minds off of this terrible news by going totally nuts on the dancefloors of the Alkmaarisch pubs. Around twelve there was another deception thanks of the patronizing policy in Alkmaar. All the pubs actually closed at 11.30 (!). I didn't see this coming so this second punch in the face totally knocked me out.

In a newspaper of Alkmaar I read that a well known local punk-band called Sangre doesn't want to play in Alkmaar because there's no underground anymore. I agree with them. The only underground club that was left in Alkmaar (Parkhof) has now merged with another club and totally lost its anarchistic identity. In Alkmaar the entire nightlife is now based on government projects rather than spontaneity. I saw it coming a few years ago when they demolished a squatter house De Raad, but this weekend I came to the sad conclusion that the nightlife in Alkmaar is dead. Slowly strangled by the decision makers in Alkmaar. They finally did it... The only thing that would prevent young people from finding their solace in binge drinking at home and using excessive amounts of drugs is to initiate a night train going from Alkmaar to Amsterdam.