Auditory culture, soundscape ethnography, academic babble // Kuultavaa kulttuuria, äänimaisemaetnografiaa, akateemista juttua
On the bus. Morning. Two first graders.
“You know I tried the inflatable mattress yesterday, for the first time. I fell and hit my knee, really bad!”
“Auch!”
“Yikes, auch, yes. It looks like a cyborg. I look like a cyborg. I’m a cyborg.”
“I fell on my face once. I was three.”
***
At a bar. Evening. Two men.
“I sound drunk, don’t I?”
“That’s fine.”
“It’s the theme of the evening isn’t it?”
“…. it’s the theme of the evening.”
“You know when people ask me ‘how are you doing’, I reply ‘very well’, actually ‘god damn well’. Things haven’t been this well in… seven years. ”
[pause]
“I was thinking about my mother.”
“Oh yeah?”
[pause]
“Hilarious!”
“Depressing!”
***
On a bus. Morning. A group of teenagers arguing.
“You are a child, Lauri.”
***
In a bus. Evening. A man talking on phone.
“In that situation the shitty gospel music doesn’t bother me. Hallo? Do you hear me? Do you hear me?”
***
On a train. Afternoon. Two girls.
“Eliel is a wonderful name.”
“Yes it is. Do you think that anyone is actually called Figaro? Not as a pet name but really, as a real name?”
“I don’t know.”
***
At a second hand shop. Afternoon. A customer and a cashier.
“And these socks. Um, I’ll take the shoes out, I won’t be taking the shoes. How much is that?”
“But now I need start over…”
“Ok, I won’t take… Hey, was this dress…?”
“Ok, that’s enough fumbling…”
“Yea yea, fine.”
***
On a bus. Morning. A mother and a child.
“I can’t mom, I really just… can’t!”
“Okay.”
“You take the yellow ones and I’ll take the blue ones.”
“Allright.”
“Look there’s one of yours.”
“Mhmm.”
“… there’s one of mine.”
“Let’s get off here, okay. Wait. Thank you.”
***
At a taxi stand. Midday. A man talking loudly, to a queue of people.
“Here we stand in line like happy Carelians. It’s a totally Finnish situation this is, no taxis anywhere. It’s the same in Tampere.”
[a taxi arrives]
“Well now YOU get a taxi. Let’s not make a fuss about THAT. Do these guys understand what I’m saying? My two step brothers have driven a taxi here. I know what this is all about. They don’t have the guts to invest! If there wouldn’t be a university here, lord, the situation would be all double-o-seven. This city is just paralyzed.”
***
On a train. Midday. Man talking on the phone.
“So… He has his practice at the school. Could you go and pick him up? You know how to get there, you drive to the mailboxes. [pause] Wait, I’ll check it from my calendar, it’s right here.”
***
At a hotel lobby. Morning. Two little girls dancing.
“Come on barbie let’s go party.”
[both]
“A-a-aau yeah!”
***
