Old avant garde Germans, dead Californians with low German surnames, old bands, Victorian horror, pre-war American gothic, old English bands.

Düsseldorf, 1969. Mr and Mrs Upduff and Grandmother Upduff decided they were going on a vacation. Mother Upduff hadn’t left Düsseldorf for 80 years. They pack the car, they take in equipment and started driving off to Italy. Mother Upduff was thinking about the mafia on their way to Italy. And off they went, driving in their automobile. Finally they got to Italy, beautiful old Italy, [Adds Smithian mock enthusiasm] fantastic sights.

It’s cold and it is graying in this kitchen low in the ground looking up to the surrounding buildings. Too much of the past here and too tired to battle the weight of history.

What are we living for? Two-roomed apartment on the second floor. No chance to emigrate, I’m deep in debt and now it’s much too late. Emigrate (Verb) To leave the country in which one lives, especially one’s native country, in order to reside elsewhere. The Emigrants (German: Die Ausgewanderten) a 1992 collection of narratives by the German writer W. G. Sebald.