Application
basics:
Name: Max Heidel
Age: 25
Location: Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China
Picture: http://taschenrechner.us/meb&w.jpg
art & literature:
_name a musician [or group] who has effectively changed your perspective or expanded your thinking. include lyrics that bear some significance to you, and describe their representation of your ideas & emotions.
There are so many, but hands down my favorite musicians of all time are Einstuerzende Neubauten. One of their best songs in my opinion is Was ist ist or What is, is. This song is one of the most incredible things I've ever heard. The chaotic music of saws, hammers, and various bits of metal striking each other never ceases to entertain me. Taking those pauses in the lyrics and actually singing them in the form of some strange woodpecker-like "dee dee dee", Blixa Bargeld leaves you with not only space, but ignorance of what should fill that space. I love musicians that constantly fuck with people like that. I think the song speaks for itself:
Zwei dinge sind unendlich:
Die Dummheit und das All
Kein . . . . . . , nur . . . . . überall
Mehr . . . . . . und . . . . zu hauf
Nur die Liebe und das Wetter h?ren nimmer, nimmer auf
Wir fordern etwas Abwechslung in uns'rer Umlaufbahn
endgültige Befreiung von Newton's Schwekraftwahn
keine Gravit?tlichkeiten, Fliegen f?llt sonst schwer
Schluss mit Kontinentendrift, Pangea wieder her
Was ist ist
Was nicht ist ist m?glich
Nur was nicht ist ist m?glich
Wir fordern mehr . . . mit unser'm . . . Charme
Mehr . . . und . . . , Birnen, Marzipan
Wir wollen noch mehr . . , Substanzen illegal
Kein Montagsresteessen, 5-Sterne minimal
A firstclass - bonusticket from . . . to Berlin
eine Kiste mit Champagner, Biowodka, Biogin
ein Weltgeb?ude ohne W?nde, soviet Platz muss sein
einen Morgen ohne Kater, ohne Reue, nicht allein
Was ist ist
Was nicht ist ist m?glich
Nur was nicht ist ist m?glich
Wir fordern Sonnenuntergang fürs ganze Abendland
Tanzverm?gen, unersch?pflich, die Nacht danach ist lang
ohne . . . . . . end jenseits von Kritik
einen v?llig leerer Himel, angereichert mit Musik
Wir schreiben schwarze Zahlen ins utopische Kalkül
Wir fordern Fingerspitzen und das passende Gefüjl
Tagsüber auch die Sterne, mehr Sterne überhaupt
Und heute schon die Gestringen zum Untertagebau
Was ist ist
Was nicht ist ist m?glich
Nur was nicht ist ist m?glich
Wir wollen züngeln, zündeln, wandeln, t?nzeln auf dem Grat
bulimische Verschlankung für den ganzen Staat
und . . . . . . . keinen Kopfsalat
Gef?ngnis für Hans Munstermann wegen F?lschung und Verrat
Wir fordern auch die Buchstaben zurück inst Alphabeth
Damit Unsereins im Babylon-Gestammel sich versteht
Wir fodern . . . . und . . . . .
Die Musik muss endlich richig laut damit uns jemand glaubt
Was ist ist
Was nicht ist ist m?glich
Nur was nicht ist ist m?glich
ENGLISH VERSION for those who don't understand.
Two things are endless: ignorance and space
None . . . . . . , just . . . . . everywhere
More . . . . . . and . . . . abound
Just love and the weather never, never end
We demand some change in our orbit
absolute liberation from Newton's gravitational mania
no gravitational bodily harm, or else flying's a heavy task
Put an end to continental drift, bring back Pangaea
What is is
What is not is possible
Just what is not is possible
We demand more . . . with our . . . charm
More . . . and . . . , pears, marzipan
We want even more . . , substances illegal
No monday leftovers, five-star minimum
A first-class bonus ticket from . . to Berlin
A crate of champagne, eco-vodka, eco-gin
A world house without walls, there must be enough space
A morning without hangover, no regrets, not alone
What is is
What is not is possible
Just what is not is possible
We demand a sundown for the Occident
Dance capacity, inexhaustible, the night after finds no end
without . . . . . . and beyond critique
a completely empty sky, enriched with music
We pencil black figures into our utopian calculation
We demand a deft hand and the appropriate touch
In the daytime stars as well, more stars in general
And today yesterday's men for underground work
What is is
What is not is possible
Just what is not is possible
We want to nibble, kindle, armble, gambol all along the edge
bulimic diet for the whole governing body
and . . . . . . . no lettuce heads
prison for John Everyman for forgery and treason
We demand letters are put back in the alphabet
so the likes of me can think amid the Babylonian babble
we demand . . . . and . . . . .
play the music really loud at least, so someone can believe us
What is is
What is not is possible
Just what is not is possible
_explain, in depth, a particular work of art that you find meaningful, and its importance to you on a personal level.
One of my favorite pieces of art is Goya's Saturno Devorando a su Hijo. I remember when I was a kid seeing it for the first time in a book and thinking to myself how scary it looked. When I was studying in Spain, I got to see it in the Prado. It's the best example of a painting that's terrible, yet at the same time you can't stop looking at it. More people should have that on their wall rather than a print of Starry Night.
_movies/directors
Akira Kurosawa - Rashomon
Juan Carlos Tabio - Lista de Espera
Sergei Bodrov - Kavkazskij Plennik
_books and _authors
Che: A Revolutionary Life - Jon Lee Anderson
Companero: Vida y Muerte del Che Guevara - Jorge G. Castaneda
Red Star Over China - Edgar R. Snow
Don Quixote de la Mancha - Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra
Novelas Ejemplares - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
1984 - George Orwell
МЫ - Евгений Замятин
_items
Any form of recorded music, but preferrably cd's.
Cuban cigars
My passport
personal & political:
what is one social ill you wish you could change and why? how does this affect you in your daily life, or in the lives of those around you?
I don't know if it's a real social ill, but I'd love to change the way people outside of America view Americans. I'm American, and every day I am confronted with certain attitudes towards my nation. Usually, there questions are just of a curious nature, but there have been times when I've had people in my face demanding I tell them why my country does such and such a thing (usually defending Taiwan). Also, there's much many people in America don't understand about the people here. I wish they could know what it's like to be here. People in America would immediately stop blindly defending Tibet, opposing the one child policy, etc. Sure China's got problems, but when's the last time America was highly praised for something we did???
_who or what has most inspired your intellectual growth and why?
My mom. No matter what, she's let me make my own mistakes while simultaneously encouraging me to do whatever I want to with my own life.
do you feel that you are prejudiced?
Of course. Who isn't? If I am walking down the street and I see a guy dressed as a bum, what am I to believe he really is? He could be an investment banker on his way to a costume party, but unless I stop to make conversation with him, he's a bum.
do you think it is necessary to be politically correct in a learning environment? a working environment?
No, being politically correct often hinders progress. It is imperative, however, that one be fair.
in our generation, who do you feel deserves recognition as a genius, and why? what characteristics do they possess that are definitive of this title?
Wile E. Coyote. It says so on his business card.
free expression:
_describe your greatest passion in life
That would be language. Language in general as well as specific languages. Knowing how particular languages work is not only interesting, but it is a wide-open door to cultures of the world. If you can understand someone's language, you can better understand the person. That's why I have made being a linguist my profession.
_describe yourself in ten adjectives - five positive traits, and five character flaws.
+
willing
content
stubborn
considerate
inquisitive
-
boring
lethargic
pessimistic
talkative
curious
These are things that sometimes describe me. 10 words doesn't leave much room to accurately describe a person.
_insert a picture, poem, letter, or paragraph that is symbolic of your personality.
This is my absolute favorite place in the whole world. The ruins of the cathedral of St. Paul, Macau.
