Nur zur Erinnerung

[badseed1980]

Isn't the smell of Play-Doh absolutely amazing? I'd almost forgotten. But now I've taken the little cans of it that whiteboy gave me into work, and I was just playing around with them, and I can't stop sniffing at my fingertips. It's a comforting smell, and an exhilirating one.

This is what Blixa Bargeld must have been thinking when he did "Pelikanol", a long sound experiment/song whose only set lyrics were:

Nur zur Erinnerung:
Bittermandel
Marzipan
Pelikanol

(Only in the memory:
Bitter almond
Marzipan
Pelikanol)

He was remembering the smell of the paste he used in grade school, called Pelikanol, which smelled of almonds. Those smells of childhood creativity can be intoxicating. I remember being at Neubauten's 20th anniversary show, and at one point when everyone else was taking a break, Blixa sat down on the edge of the stage in his three-piece suit and started singing "Pelikanol", with its hypnotic rhythm, his bare feet dangling off the stage. It was magical. So was that essence he was invoking, that limitless creativity and wonder of childhood.

I like my Play-Doh. :)

Comments

[etainwilson.livejournal.com]

ooohhh! I absolutely loved play doh fresh out of the can, where it still had that loaf shape! I also love silly putty! I'm going to have to buy some this weekend.

[miss-lisa-ma.livejournal.com]

Play-Doh! Mmmmmm...what a great sense memory, the smell of Play-Doh. Fun and comfort and more fun. Thanks for sharing the buzz.

[delirifacient.livejournal.com]

Ah, that explains it! All this time I thought that Pelikanol was some sort of narcotic drug;-)

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Hell, maybe it was! Something to keep the kiddies quiet while doing their arts and crafts. :P