Fusion Stories - 11. Supporting The Underdog by Guest Blogger Martin Smit

Martin Smit has been, and sometimes is, a playwright and singer in a ‘difficult’ electronic band.He runs a website for independent musicians and hosts a twice monthly Podcast which promotes Music Tourism and features eclectic sounds from many strange and beautiful groups. Born in Africa now living in Europe, he believes that music, art and his wife and daughter keep the soul alive.

Martin wrote this for me earlier this summer:

So many thoughts, flying. Fusion, isolation, integration. The world cup starts to today and I am wondering how exactly I should feel about this, who I should support, get excited for, get hopeful for. Four years ago it was easy, I love to support the underdog and my home country (South Africa) was a natural underdog, so I could follow my instincts AND scream and sigh and be patriotic all at the same time.

Now, here in Krefeld Germany, as I type this out, I can feel the streets outside start to get a little tense and the TV with the sound down is practically jumping off its table with nerves. Germany, though, is no underdog and even won the cup a few times…. Mmm ok I think I will just sit and watch and let my emotions tell me what to do, and as I make that very me decision I realise just how ‘not German’ I am and I wonder if that I am dishonouring my adapted country by being like this.

Ok yeah, I think too much.

Fusion.

How do I fuse into the world around me? Well, not as much as others, because I work from home and I work on the internet, so I live and think and create in that hyperspace, that nowhere/everywhere world where if they don’t speak your language, an online translator is just a hop skip, mouse click away, and everyone speaks music.

My PC speaks Deutsch, but my internet speaks English so I find the language I pick up is of the strangest non-functional species in real world terms.

My daughter who now is grade 3 going on grade 4 speaks both English and Deutsch fluently, and I find that along with strange technical terms that I pick up from my pc (which has NO sense of humour by the way) I pick up bits and bobs from kids TV and gossip that she brings home with her.

Still does not help when I need to buy vegetables at the local market.

The fact is, as a natural outsider, I love my strange life here. I have my family and the world of music and I ‘meet’ hundreds of fellow artists every day. I love that in Europe knowledge and curiosity are thought to be good things in the pursuit of independent rock n roll and that with a few € in my pocket I can go quietly mad and get oh so much new CDs and surround my self with the strange passion that only people involved in the rock world can bring.

I do get out though, I play as a DJ at the Hard Rock café in Köln (or as rest of world calls it: Cologne) and that is a strange experience worthy of a blog entry all of its own. In addition, I am a somewhat reserved shy tourist who slowly, very slowly, loves to explore this new world he finds himself in.

So yes, the opening ceremony of the 2006 World Cup draws closer and I start to feel like, mmm I am German, maybe, after all, must be the songs and the way the TV is not just being nervous but also totally dancing around with unusual glee for a Teutonic appliance.

The weather is humid and reminds me of Africa and for once, I don’t feel homesick for my beloved cricket. ( OH, I wish South Africa had qualified, but perhaps its for the best, now I can pick another underdog with slightly less guilt.)

Written by Guest Blogger: Martin Smit

Check out Martin’s show at http://nextbigthing.libsyn.com/ where you can also subscribe to his regular podcast showcasing an eclectic mix of great new music from great new bands and singers.