The Weekly Croissant: LIVING RENT FREE
Squatting in the Netherlands/ Stealing a Hotel/ Obituary for a Quiet Life
Hello Friends,
Just a quick note today as I am running out of hours before I have to be up again for a video session and then an afternoon gig in Rotterdam. I am really enjoying my first tour of the Netherlands, and feel that I’m experiencing an AUTHENTIC art hoe lifestyle, squatting in my friend Anna’s apartment in Den Haag.
Anna is a professional Baroque violinist and has an original Chagall lithograph on her wall. This morning we popped around the corner to the coffee shop and then purchased a loaf of fresh bread from the bakery on the way back. There are beautiful cut flowers in vases around the apartment, and her photographer boyfriend is visiting from Paris for the weekend. #peak #aspirational #arthoe
Speaking of squatting, my first show was just outside of Amsterdam, in an artist commune (art hoe commune?) made-up largely of squatters, living at an abandoned water treatment plant. I learned that the Netherlands has a long held tradition of squatting on unused land, or in unused buildings. Apparently, the practice is so common, that landlords with empty properties that they plan to renovate or tear down actually have to do uber-cheap “anti-squat” sublets to get people into the space so they won’t end up with musicians like me trying to house themselves while on tour. I love this. It reminds me of that one video where the guy goes … “let the people work from home…. and turn the office building into AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND HOMELESS SHELTERSSSS!!!!’
Here are some scenes from Het Groene Veld (the artist community at the old water treatment plant)
The subject of housing also reminded of this wild article I read in the NYT about a man who managed to become the legal owner of an entire New York City hotel simply by occupying one room of it. This is a wild story.
And one last hot take on this topic, bassist extraordinaire Steve Haan (your friend and mine), sent me this beautiful piece from the Bitter Southerner, called Obituary for A Quiet Life
Hope you find it as lovely as I did. Thanks, Steve!
Before I sign off to get a few hours of shut-eye, here’s a song by Carl Anderson that really got me this week. It’s simple, but gut wrenching none the less. It’s called Friend, hope you enjoy it.
Have a wonderful Sunday, I hope you are eating lots of pastry and paying no rent!
WE’RE NOT GONNA PAYYYY-AYY we’re not honna payyy-ayyyy
anybody?
nobody?
Was I the only one writing “RENT” lyrics on my flare jeans with multi-color sharpie in 7th grade???
OK OK, I’m delirious! Must sleep.
Xo
Rachel