The SentinelVol. 2 , Issue 12, 21 June 2009

Integrity, heart, humour

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FeatureHighs and lows

Three venues,three performances

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SportThe new

season beckons

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Lifestyle

Still roaring

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Sport

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Highs and lows

On the 20th anniversary of his arrival, Jules Marshall reflects on a turbulent couple of decades in the quaint and charming, but sometimes challenging, city of Amsterdam.

I first visited this fair city in 1981 and was immediately smitten by its combination of sleazy underground and quaint, historical beauty. I was only here for a night – a final blowout with some mates on a month-long European road trip to celebrate the end of school – and like most first timers, never made it out of the red light district.

I came again in 1984, this time for a week, again with mates to celebrate the end of university. Being that much older and cultured, I did make it out of the centre this time, and wandering wasted round the Stedelijk Museum marked the first time I ever ‘got’ modern art.

When I visited again in 1988, I thought fuck it, I’m going to live here. It was not that I’d been unhappy in London. In fact, on paper I had been doing pretty well. Editing a magazine and living with a Smart Attractive Girlfriend (SAG) in a spacious, rented, ground floor flat in Fulham, from which I could walk to work.

But in the dog end of the Thatcher years, I felt myself becoming mired in the professional ghetto of middle class dinner parties and house-price conversations, when London had promised so much more. I was 27 and felt too old for gigs and clubbing, the Greens (I was a party member) had won a massive slice of the UK European elections and yet no seats. This feeling of disenfranchisement was the ‘push’ that sent me here, and the promise of a freer, greener, more fun life here was the ‘pull’.

So, having studied Dutch at evening classes in London and having even landed a job here, I arrived on the last Saturday in June 1989, bought a bike and started work on the Monday.

Honeymoon period

Feature

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Highs and lows

by Jules Marshall

Everything was rosy for the first two years, by which time I’d picked up enough Dutch to realise that this was not the nirvana I had initially thought, but so what? It was a great place to live, I didn’t feel over the hill and I was living a greener, healthier life. I entered an unashamedly expat period. We had a tiny flat in De Pijp, a kitten we’d found on the street and my freelance writing had built up enough to live okay on.

The SAG and I bought a house in Oud Zuid and there seemed no looking back. Then I got the bejesus kicked out of me by half a dozen cops on Queens Day 1993 (long story) and the dream ended.

On my first day at work, at what I dubbed The Least Boring Computer Magazine in the World (Mediamatic), we held an edito-rial meeting on the Film Museum terrace. We’d roll in to work, listen to the Stone Roses all day, leave late and within a few weeks I’d discovered the underground rave scene. So far, so utopian.

An old school mate came over to join us (the SAG had come with me) and another (our illustrious Sentinel co-editor) a few months later. The fact that I’d lost my lovely job, when the publisher decided there was no future in all this computer/IT nonsense, barely dimmed my enthusiasm for the city.

Jules (left) at Park Pop 1992, in The Hague.

New lifeIt was a six-week trip to Brazil that prompted me to stay. A psyche-delically drenched week in the Amazon cleared away the negativity I’d built up. When I returned and the SAG announced that I’d had my fun and now she wanted a baby, I was happy to oblige. She was pregnant within six weeks.

My enthusiasm rose and rose until at the end of November 1996, in a home birth, my first child was born; I had finally let go of my griev-ances with the city, and I only had to look at the facilities available – from childcare and good schools to shops and the Albert Cuyp, all in easy walking distance – to realise here was a good and afford-able place to raise a family.

My satisfaction with the city continued to rise; in fact, the first year of family life was the happiest I’ve ever been. But sadly, when the hormonal disturbance of pregnancy faded, my SAG had morphed into a shrill, emotionally incontinent harpy and my happiness became less and less to do with where I was living and my material circumstances, and more to do with her volatile outbursts.

Apart from this, Amsterdam life as a freelance with a baby could not have been sweeter. On a bike, we had the freedom of the city, with parks within walking distance, playgrounds everywhere and none of the postcode lottery in healthcare and education that my contemporaries back in the UK would have to negotiate.

Turning pointIt was child number two that pushed me back over the edge, in 1999. Juggling baby and toddler care and trying to pay half a mort-gage, while harpy SAG took out every frustration in her own life on me, started me on a downward spiral.

The Amsterdam Expats England Supporters Club

I took up yoga to help me cope then did 18 months’ therapy. Both really helped; in fact, when my therapy sessions ended, in the summer of 2002, I felt as confident about the future and as happy to be in Amsterdam as I had ever done. Around a week later the SAG pulled the plug on our relationship (again, long story). She took the house, the kids and the cat. I took my bike, some clothes, my laptop and a reluctance to live any longer.

For the next seven years, I felt like I was crash landing a plane on a search for rock bottom; bouncing, burning, tumbling and still not coming to rest, exploding then tumbling and crashing some more. Amsterdam could go fuck itself; I didn’t care any more.

But imperceptibly to me, and I thank the yoga practice I managed to keep up through the maelstrom of despair, things did improve until, sometime last year, it struck me that I was more or less back to my old self.

The parallel life of London middle-classness with which I had plagued myself (how successful would I have been? Could I have married someone more suitable? Surely I would have had more material comfort than I had achieved here) was balanced by the thought that, no, Amsterdam has been a trip, an experience that has moulded me into something exceptional and unique.

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Full circleFor the past few months I’ve been working for the city, writing stories to promote it as a place to come and do business. I’ve had the chance to look in-depth at the creative industries here, the financial services and biotech clusters, the IT infrastructure, the ambitions the city has. And you know what? The Amsterdam Metropolitan Area (which also includes Almere, Haarlemmermeer and Amstelveen) just might be teetering on the edge of a new golden age. I plan to stick around and see the journey through.

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Three venues, three performances

Lifestyle

"Are you going home then?" This is the question I have been asked around 6,000 times since I was informed that my three month contract was not being renewed. It would seem that this is the knee-jerk response to such a situation for many people. Well, I'm not going home. Instead, I have embraced my first week of unemployment, not by job hunting but by sampling some of the finest music venues the Netherlands has to offer.

Having already seen the Killers when they played the Heineken Music Hall, I had to experience Paradiso and the Ahoy in Rotterdam to give a comparison. So, rather than wallow in my jobless predicament, I went to see the Fleet Foxes and the Kings of Leon in the space of three days at the aforementioned venues.

Our new lifestyle correspondent, Clare Pickens, had a little more time on her hands than she expected over the past few weeks. But she certainly made good use of it!

Religious experienceFar and away the stand out performance was the Fleet Foxes at Paradiso. Having never seen them live and like many people, knowing only their most mainstream hit, Mykonos, I went with an open mind and was blown away. As a venue, the Paradiso lends itself perfectly to this sort of music, with fantastic acoustics, an ecclesiastical backdrop and an intimate setting. Never before have I heard crowd members shushing each other to bring the whole venue to a silent standstill. The band performed outstandingly, with funny anecdotes between songs and lead singer, Robin Pecknold, treating us to an a capella sample, surpassing anything on their current album, Sun Giant. Again, something I have not seen live before and which would not have been possible in a larger venue. I'm not sure about the spurious €3 surcharge on the door but, overall, a spectacular evening.

Royal painsIn stark contrast, both in venue and level of performance, were the Kings of Leon at the Ahoy. Despite riding the hell train of zero ventilation on the hottest day of the year, so far, I arrived in high hopes. Having seen them at the O2 in London, I felt in for a treat. Of course, the trappings of the larger venue – queues for the bathroom and beer, and no ketchup at the hotdog stand – are all to be expected, but the venue was packed and there was a good vibe in the air. This was clearly not grasped by lead singer, Caleb Followill, who in true diva style chastised the crowd for not being upstanding, threat-ened to walk off stage, professed to believing their biggest hit, Your Sex is on Fire, to be crap and then, in a ridiculous about face, asked us to forgive his “crabbiness”, before walking off stage and refusing to perform an encore.

As a Kings of Leon fan, it pains me to write this, particularly since they exceeded my expectations in London last year. Perhaps the brothers Followill have got a little ahead of themselves and misunderstood that a certain level of popularity in the UK or America, does not translate as easily to the likes of the Netherlands.

On my listA band who seem not to have fallen into this trap are the Killers. Having seen them both in London and here at the oh, so modern Heineken Music Hall, they delivered brilliantly both times. As a venue, HMH is exactly what you would expect; a metallic building designed for the new millen-nium, swathed in flashes of green and the trademark red star. A corporate money-making spin, which actually works as a prime location to experience some of the world's finest musicians. But give me the stained-glass elegance of the Paradiso any day.

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So that's it, all over, leaving us another four years to discuss whether the Lions are still viable as a concept. For those who watched this tour the question must be, "what is there to discuss? It was great!" But we should not forget that, despite the successes of the tour, there are still many voices that wonder aloud about the Lions place in the modern game.

Still roaringGuest correspondent, Martin Salt, reflects on the British and Irish Lions’ recent rugby union test series in South Africa.

Defying the oddsThe Lions were supposed to be whitewashed by the South African Springboks. This didn't happen because the Lions were better than expected and the Boks not quite as good as everyone thought. The Boks won the series by two matches to one, but the statistics show that the Lions scored seven tries to the Boks’ five and 74 points to their 63 over the three tests. This demonstrates how close the series actually was and won't have many top teams shaking in their boots at the prospect of facing South Africa.

Had the Lions lost 3-0, there would have been the usual clamour to end this rather curious sporting spectacle. Why? Well, the argument is that you can't put together a scratch side from four nations, once every four years and expect to beat top sides. Unfortunately, this is completely missing the point. It is usually true that the Lions lose the series and this is as it should be. The Lions are the underdogs and always will be. But what makes it exciting, and rarely more so than on this tour, is that sometimes they win games and occasionally they win the series. Therein lays the whole ethos of the tour. It's about adversity, passion, courage and a coming together of four different nations and styles in a common cause against the odds. Anyone who fails to understand this fails to understand sport and would deprive rugby of one of its greatest spectacles.

Contrasting stylesCan this tour be considered a success? Despite losing the series, the answer has to be yes. The last Lions tour that went to New Zealand was undoubtedly not successful. Sir Clive Wood-ward attempted to apply the same model that had won England the Rugby World Cup two years before, using many of the same aging players. But coaching a Lions tour is not like coaching a national team and the tour was an unmitigated disas-ter, ending in a whitewash. Selecting a separate midweek team to the Test team appeared to divide the squad, negating the Lions greatest strength: unity.

In contrast, Ian McGeechan knows exactly what makes the Lions tick. He was the coach when they beat the Springboks in South Africa twelve years ago and, again, he has taken a group of players and instilled in them the mindset that makes the Lions so formidable. The Springboks are no pushovers and have often been accused of using the darker arts of rugby, which have no place in the modern game. But regardless of this, they are undoubtedly one of the most physical sides in international rugby. And let's not forget that they are the current World Champions.

Team spirit helped the Lions to a resounding victory in the third test.

South Africa may have won the series, but not without damage to their reputation.

Final verdictTwo losses, one of which should have been at least a draw, for the Lions and an emphatic win at the end must be considered a success; not necessarily for the team, but for the whole idea of the Lions. They looked as if they would have continued to improve had they played another three tests and despite what South Africa may have said after their heavy loss in the third test, they would have really wanted to win, if only for the simple reason that they have never whitewashed the Lions on a tour and they won't get another chance for twelve years.

So, lay aside a bottle of something nice for twelve years’ time and maybe, just maybe, you'll get to open it in celebration next time around.

Schalk Burger (in green) received an eight-week ban for an eye-gouging incident..

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For anyone unfamiliar with our competitions, the Fantasy Football League (FFL) is run by Gary Rudland and Gijs Smeets on behalf of The Sentinel and is open to anyone. It runs for the duration of the football season and encompasses all

The new season beckonsIt may not seem long ago that the prizes were handed out for last season’s Fantasy Football League (FFL) and Fantasy Football Gold (FFG) competitions, but by the time the next edition of The Sentinel is published, we will be only four days away from the

start of the new Premier League season.

competitions in which Premier League teams are involved: the league itself, the Champions League, the Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup), the FA Cup and the Carling Cup. It costs just €20 to enter, which works out to around 50 cents per week.

The Fantasy Football Gold (FFG) competition is run by Denson Pierre and has a higher entry fee. Participation is by invitation only, based on performance in the FFL and previous FFG seasons.

During the football season, competitors in both competitions can read updates and analysis in The Sentinel, with FFL-related articles on page five and FFG-related articles in The Gold Room on the back page. The latest league tables are also published on the

Sentinel website: www.thesentinel.eu

The wait is almost overWe are currently waiting for British newspapers to publish their 2009-2010 fantasy football formats and rules. As soon as this happens, Gary and Gijs will tailor the chosen competition to the FFL format and invite readers to join in the fun.

Watch out for messages over the coming weeks from sentinelpost@gmail.com and sentinelffl@yahoo.com, which will include all of the FFL rules. And in the meantime, if you are thinking of participating, it might be wise to start considering who you would like to include in your team this season. Watch this space…

FANTASY FOOTBALL LEAGUE 2009-2010 Fantasy Football Gold

2009-2010

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Editors - Denson Pierre, Gary Rudland Webmaster - Simon O. Studios

Web host - AmsterJammin.comContributors - Colin Bentley, Jules Marshall, Clare Pickens and Martin Salt Email - sentinelpost@gmail.comDesign & Realisation - Andreea Bulisache Website - www.thesentinel.eu