selfie on return from LEO dj gig with Altr 26 April 2018. time 2am.
Category Archives: Helge Blog
I’M JUST THE DJ
THERE are many things that people seem to MISUNDERSTAND about life, EVEN WHEN it is spelled out to them.
Even this title (hence the reason above) is bound to cause confusion in the refusal/inability to see the deeper meaning of it.
SO, Nick Cave’s egoistic/narcissistic act of performing in ISRAEHELL, against requests from the BDS movement not to, claiming his choice of performing where and when he wants to as ‘his prerogative’, has somewhat (anti)dramatically brought my 36 year DJ career unexpectedly to a close.
Why? Why allow some asshole in some godforsaken part of the world, to affect me in such a way?
Firstly, I believe that CONSEQUENCE is not an imaginary principle (like religion) or, for that matter, an arbitrary selective one. In the latter sense, in having a selective memory where people know the facts, is a pointless exercise: you don’t fool anyone! And do not forget, that my entire 8 year court case is based on the principle of CONSEQUENCE. While LAWYERS tell me, without a qualm, that LIFE IS UNFAIR, it seems to go over their heads that there can be no greater self-confessed INDICTMENT of a legal system, than that!!
So you see, AS FREE AS I AM, I am still bound by the LOGIC OF CONNECTIVITY.
Also do not forget that I lived through every painful second of apartheid, and deeply respected boycott movements abroad and st home!
SECONDLY, the entire oeuvre of the alternative scene (as exercised by me through my DJ work) in Durban, was based on an uncompromising RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS.
THEREFORE, for Cave to play in ISRAEHELL, the only apartheid state in the world, exhibiting abuse of HUMAN RIGHTS of Palestinians, in the midst of a concerted and intensive/intentive GENOCIDE OF AN ENTIRE NATION, that is taking place before the GLOBAL EYE with such IMPUNITY, palls, pales and shatters humanity, not to mention compassionate LOGIC!
BUT: the notion of HUMAN RIGHTS is not an ABSOLUTE RIGHT existing in a vacuum. It exists within a CONTEXT and within an ASSOCIATION OF FAIRNESS i. e. I have ‘right’ to say what I like, but that does not give me permission to say racist things, to do hateful things, or to be racist.
Thirdly: Nick Cave, whether with the Bad Seeds or not, was/is a central and iconic player (excuse the pun) within this framework and ethos of the alternative movement in Durban, and my role in creating that framework is now history.
Fourthly: while I may be ‘just the DJ’ I am, first and foremost an artist, and I do NOT REQUIRE recognition within mainstream media/art circles for me to have ABSOLUTE FAITH in my own artistic value. I therefore DJ as an artist.
This means that I imparted this CONTEXT within which I gave the ENERGY, excitement and VALUE of my work, to the alternative scene in Durban as a COUNTERCULTURAL and UNDERGROUND resistance to the mainstream narrative, and within which it carried IMPORT and VALUE.
Nobody, or perhaps very few, have noticed that there has been a persistent intention (whether conscious or not) of the mainstream media to undermine the alternative movement by BLURRING THE LINES with ’80’s music! While the alternative movement ostensibly began in the ’80’s (in fact it mote than likely began in the ’70’s with the explosion of PUNK!!) it certainly DID NOT END there, whereas ’80’s music did….!!!
THINK about that for a minute!!
For the most part, I continue to be an enigma as far as the mainstream media are concerned, occasionally slipping through the net. I therefore remain largely unknown to the general public and I am OK with that!
AND YET, if there was an iota of authenticity in any of the alternative or artistic platforms on the world wide web (oh lol) OTHER THAN KAGABLOG, then I am still to be informed!
THINK about that for a minute!
It is not as if I do not have a public web site, managed by Robin Kearney, which gets approximately 1500 hits per month!!!
AND SO!!
To simply exclude Cave from my DJ repertois would be the equivalent of chopping off both my hands and pressing ‘random select’ with my toe, with Cave eliminated from my music library.
Who could forget “THE MERCY SEAT”?
Who could forget “THE CARNEY”?
Who could forget “HENRY’S DREAM”?
Who could forget “RELEASE THE BATS”
Who could forget “RED RIGHT HAND”?
Who could forget “UP STEPPED THE DEVIL”?
Who could forget “DO YOU LOVE ME”?
Who could forget “O’MAILEY’S BAR”?
Who could forget “JOHN FINN’S WIFE”?
Who could forget “THE SHIP SONG”?
and on and on…
I rest my case!
OVER AND OUT=
Recovered Couch
a couch that I repaired and recovered. For sale: R4500. View: White Elephant, Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust 9am to 1pm Monday to Friday.
GO! PLAY!
GO! PLAY! PRESS RELEASE
EVENT: GO! PLAY!
VENUE: ORIGIN NIGHT CLUB, CLARK ROAD, DURBAN
DATE: FRIDAY 13TH MAY
3 DJS: HELGÉ, DR. NONONO, outa i (all lower case thanks editor!)
START TIME: 8:30 PM
ENTRANCE: STUDENTS R50 (STUDENT CARD!) BEFORE 10PM ONLY
BEFORE 10 PM – WOMEN R60; MEN R80
AFTER 10 PM – WOMEN R80; MEN R100
PHOTOGRAPHS OF HELGÉ JANSSEN SUPPLIED BY GERALD BOTHA, STELLA NOVA STUDIOS, KLOOF, KZN
Durban’s premier night club Origin is set to host Durban’s premier alternative night: a reunion spanning some 30 years of clubbing focusing mainly on the alternative music explosion of the ‘80’s.
Talking centre stage will be Durban’s premier alternative DJ and multimedia artist Helgé Janssen who pioneered the alternative club music scene through the ‘80’s into the mid-to-late ‘90’s starting out at FACES (Upstairs) between ’81 to ’86. Once FACES had closed due to the ongoing and persistent interest of the Apartheid security forces, Helgé then started his own venture called PLAY which was hosted over the following 10 years at the Community Arts Workshop (opposite the ICC) in Walnut Road, then at 330 Night Club, Point Road on a Friday night, moving eventually to the Berea Inn on a Tuesday Night.
The dance floor was seen as a place of resistance and the nightclub a space of dissent. Like-minded people, dissatisfied with the apartheid mind-set, were thus able to find both a sanctuary and inspiration to cope with the repressive times.
Helge has had a novel published by Pine Slope Publications called “Tell Tale” which deals largely with the Alternative Scene of this period. Helgé had a retrospective exhibition of his art and fashion work at Chilliplum Restaurant in Kloof in 2013. He was one of the founding members of the avant-garde performance group and its artistic director: The Body Of Despondent Artists (BODA 1984-87). He wrote three avant-garde plays all of which were performed at the Grahamstown Festivals to much acclaim. Once the group had disbanded, Helgé pursued a solo career with two avant-garde self-penned plays: BLOOD and THE COME-UPPANCE OF PUNCH. The latter play featured a pro and epilogue by life long friend Eldon Swallow based on the Goddess Nemesis.
Supporting Helgé at the GO! PLAY! event djing will be his son LEO aka DR. NONONO (who was one of the founding members of the highly successful NONONO Durban party ventures!). Leo was also the didgeridoo player and keyboardist for the highly successful 7 member Durban band ‘Towards Higher Consciousness’ (THC). LEO has developed his own unique style of djing in a modern alternative context and has a popular following.
Helgé is most privileged to also feature DJ outa i (Mario Passarra) one of three founding members of SCRATCH Night Club in Cape Town. Mario, who is an art historian, founded the Africa South Arts Initiative, an online art site, which seeks to rebalance the exposure of African Art within the African Diaspora. Mario will be playing a predominantly reggae set.
Upstairs at Origin will feature an exhibition of paintings by well-known Durban artist Lee Hempson who won the KZNSA members exhibition last year and has had many successful exhibitions, notably at ArtSpace in Umgeni Road. Lee currently lectures Art at M.L. Sultan Technical College.
A collaboration of memes from Helgé, Leo, Mario, Lee and Cape Town based, yet world renowned artist and filmmaker Aryan Kaganof, will be screened against the side of the building across the road from Origin. There will be fire breathers and a fashion show with men modelling Helgé’s designer shweshwe skirts!
While the night is a reunion reaching back three decades, there is much historical import to be gleaned for the inquisitive Durban’s youth. After all, the South African ‘alternative scene’ had its GENESIS in Durban and one would gain much insight into what the fuss has all been about!
An event not to be missed!
NB!
It is a requisite that the use of ANY the accompanying images of DJ and Multimedia Performance Artist HELGÉ JANSSEN for publicity purposes be credited to:
GERALD BOTHA, STELLA NOVA STUDIOS, KLOOF, KZN
plus credit must be given to:
COSTUME INNOVATION, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION: HELGÉ JANSSEN
Your co-operation and assistance in this regard is DEEPLY APPRECIATED.
KIND REGARDS,
HELGÉ JANSSEN
CELL: 0847640794
39 OLD MAIN ROAD, KLOOF, KZN
13 MAY GO: PLAY – ORIGIN
BLOG NINETEEN
Here once again is an uncollected registered letter sent to the Ed. Dept. Incompetence is no excuse for contempt of court. It seems to me that they are burying their heads in the sand. OR they don’t know what to do so they do nothing. OR they think that if I am frustrated often enough I will just give up.
I sent tracking numbers to THREE of their email contacts.
I sent the previous uncollected registered letter straight back to them via normal post.
This version I am going to file with my court papers AS IS.
I CANNOT DO THEIR WORK FOR THEM.
BLOG EIGHTEEN
The Education Department as headed by the MEC for Education Ms. Neliswa Penny Nkonyeni and supported by their legal head Mr. Mandla Gwala have still not responded to ANY of the registered letters I have sent to their offices. This in spite of sending emails with tracking numbers. They are in direct contention for contempt of court.
Either that or they realise they do not have a leg to stand on and are simply being honest.
The ELRC have not submitted ALL of the ‘records’ that I left with Mr. Charles Oakes during the first arbitration hearing May 2010. PLUS correspondence that I had with him post the hearing and PRIOR to his issuing of the first award. This correspondence is IN ORDER as Mr. Oakes had not made it clear that a ‘CLOSING ARGUMENT’ was policy.
Yet MORE SHENANIGANS.
Are these people even qualified or do they think incompetence is an acceptable legal excuse?
It isn’t.
The CD MacRobert Inc. submitted for the current version of arbitration case PSES627=09=10 was not DATED and hence there was some CONFUSION that that this could well not be the UPDATED version of the records.
This is professionally UNACCEPTABLE.
I subsequently requested VALENS TRANSCRIPTS to uplift the CD and to VERIFY that this was indeed the correct CD by listening to it as each would be verbally dated.
I was told by the efficient and attentive clerks at the Labour Court desk that the CD had been uplifted.
As I had heard nothing from Valens within the week, I sent them an email requesting confirmation and that any delay in this regard could COMPROMISE the situation as any child would know that if this is NOT THE CORRECT CD, that the ELRC would then be given TIME to send the updated version.
I then got a response from VALENS telling me that between them and the Labour Court Clerks that the CD has GONE MISSING. AWOL. GONE. NOBODY CAN FIND IT.
It is normal procedure for the company uplifting the CD to sign receipt. It has NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CLERKS AT THE LABOUR COURTS.
Am I a FOOL?
VALENS HAS COMPLETELY COMPROMISED THE SITUATION.
I shall have to make legal represenation to the courts in this regard.