Episode # 82 - Best of MyDenmarkTV.com from MyDenmarkTV on Vimeo.
Here you have it all boiled down - The best of 2010 from MyDenmarkTV.com. It's not easy to pick our absolute favourite moments from the past year, but a few moments that would have to make the list include the Copenhagen Carnival, Copenhagen Beer Festival, Distortion Festival (in particular managing to film a nearly 10 minute long interview with Distortion Founder Thomas Fleurquin while cycling!) and Kulturnatten ...just to name a few!
There were also some one-off moments like hanging out with Sebastian Overgaard from Street Dining and meeting Lars AP, author of Fucking Flink - his friendliness manifesto to Denmark. Our episode featuring Istedgade proved to be a hugely popular episode - which is gratifying since it is one of my favourite streets in Copenhagen.
So here's a bit of what you will find highlighted in our 'Best of 2010 episode:
We spent a bit of time on Istegade recently putting Episode #48 of MyDenmarkTV.com together. It really is my favourite street in Copenhagen - if I was moving somewhere else in the world and could take one street in Copenhagen with me, this would be the one. We pretty much let the images do the talking in this episode. Enjoy!
By: Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)
Following on the heals of Part 1 and Part 2 of this Istedgade series, the focus of this one will be the trendier end of Istedgade, let's call that 'upper Istedgade'. What could be referred to as 'lower Istedgade' (or 'Istedgade the Hooker' and 'Istedgade the Junkie') are areas of the street offering their own distinct set of nightlife possibilities - and these will be the subject of part 5 of this series...
Istedgade by night is pretty good, indeed. Bars and cafés abound. It's not wall-to-wall cafes or anything like that - that would in all liklihood prove to be hugely problematic. Furthermore, the target clientel at the establishment of Istedgade trendier places are not those planning to end the night in a mess of sloppy drunkiness (even if a good few end up this way, nonetheless). There are other areas of Copenhagen where those less capable of handling a few drinks with dignity tend to frequent, which is a good thing for Istedgade. This is not at all to suggest that this makes Istedgade a quiet place by night. It's certainly not.
Along upper Istedgade, there are a fair number of generally unpretentious alternatives for having a quiet drink or less quiet drink.
Until recently, Cafe Riga, with it’s laid back atmosphere and underground music was the place to hang - but an ownership change some months ago, apparently provoked by complaining neighbours, has, as if a neutron bomb exploded, left the walls (and furniture) intact but sucked the life right out of the place. The fantastic underground music and excellent local DJ’s have disappeared (along with the atmosphere they largely were responsible for creating). Still, Riga’s comfortable chairs and couches remain a pleasant option for whiling away a few quiet hours in the early evening.
Cafe Riga today...a rather unpretentious welcome
A better bet, if hip and trendy is your thing (and Carlsberg is not), would be Boutique Lize. Only open evenings from Wednesday to Saturday, Boutique Lize serves a variety fine beers (mostly foreign) while the highly competent bartenders happily serve up a wide assortment of cocktails - some of the better ones in town. A glass of ‘Brugs’, a tasty Belgian offering available on tap, or a mojito (arguably one of the best in Copenagen) are both particularly recommendable.
Then there are a couple of Istedgade’s longstanding institutions of alcohol consumption and chatter – Bang and Jenson and McKluuds.
While Bang and Jensen has always managed to effortlessly maintain an image of laidback, hipster-like cool (and rarely lets you down on any night of the week, even late in the evening on Sunday), McKluuds fits quite a different description. It is all 'Copenhagen bodega' - though one of the more accessible ones. By all means drop by McKluuds for a very cheap beer and a free game of pool, but not for the atmosphere.
Bang and Jensen by day - still pretty busy
Bang and Jensen by night - even busier and rarely a let-down...
McKluuds...always cheap and always...well, cheap...
The place that could take the prize for trendiness would be Strassen - and maybe it does in a parallel universe somewhere else. Unfortunately in this one, it doesn't quite make it. Consistently apathetic service (and a really nasty batch of raw burgers served up to us several months by a cook in the kitchen who apparently was a little overzealous about trying to close the grill down early for the night) has put Strassen way out of favour in my books. Still, when the bartenders are in the mood, they are capable of mixing up quite a tasty cocktail. And Strassen does get the prize for the most amusing fishtank in Vesterbro - a large tank built into the wall with a huge mural picture of Istedgade laid out behind it.
Another unpretentious possibility would be Simpelt V (across from Riga). Doing it's best to take over from where Riga left off when it changed owners, they still haven't quite got the music issue down to a science at Simpelt V, but they're kind of trying. It does look pretty hipster, what with all the vinyl hanging on the walls and the pleasantly comfortable seating.
Simpelt V - hidden behind the bikes and graffitti...
An untested newcomer is Malbeck, an establishment billing itself as an Argentian Wine bar. We'll see if this one flies, in time.
And still more newcomers will surely arrive in the area over the next months.
But what if you're hungry (you may be asking by now)? Well, that's up next in Part 4...
by Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)
The previous article (A stroll down Istedgade (part 1): Is this the seedy or trendy heart of Vesterbro) introduced an allegorical character, a schizophrenic named 'Istedgade' who it was claimed would star in an upcoming Woody Allen movie (a film apparently attracting a quite a significant 'buzz')...so that is where this article picks up. Got it?
welcome...
Istedgade the Hipster is unquestionably the most alluring of schizophrenic Istedgade's personalities.
First, about hipsters - in case you are not one but were thinking maybe you could be, or you are one and don’t know it, or you know you are one but are simply in denial. A hipster could loosely be defined as one who distains the mainstream - known to coldly yet vigorously reduce anything possibly fitting into any mainstream categorisation to kitsch and unworthy. With rare exceptions, they are rather skinny - 1 or 2% excess body fat kind of skinny, Mick Jagger skinny. They have complicated hair, just might be gay (or not entirely heterosexual) and of course, there are the tattoos. And if it’s not indie, underground, literature, music, film or some other sort of artform, it’s probably not that interesting. So while a lot of people could claim to be halfway there, one must be quite a determined breed to truely earn the title.
Meaning that 'Istedgade the Hipster' is a very specific sort of being - one quite in contrast to the other parts of its (schizophrenic) personality.
most certainly a hipster magnet...
Returning to our allegory (from Part 1) of Istedgade as the schizophrenic star of a Woody Allen film, let's talk about what happens in the film. Istedgade the Hipster spends much time on the couch in therapy (being a Woody Allen flick and all).
The opening scene (set in the office of Istedgade's long-time analyst):
Istedgade the Hipster (probably a 'he' but possibly a 'she') is lying on the couch complaining, agonising that in spite of their loud and continual protestations, he (or she) has become an object of fascination - the subject of the relentless and unforgiving talk of the masses. And this Istedgade the Hipster finds to be a terrible and rather soul-destroying plight. With amusing self-awareness, this fictional but ultra-cool hipster character worries that this film in which he (or she) is starring just may be Woody Allen's biggest film since Manhatten - a huge moneymaker. The buzz surrounding the film is ceaseless, and the very thought has left Istedgade the Hipster feeling more than mere anxiety. Istedgade the Hipster simply distains being associated with it all - this mainstream attention. Yet it seems there is no escape.
Rather, it has provoked a serious identify crisis within Istedgade the Hipster, one that could turn ugly (and into something more existential in nature).
So we return to the real world, briefly, once again.
A bit about Woody Allen movies. Woody Allen movies are always full of mainstream movie elements – the main characters are always Hollywood actors, the plot twists are often straight out of Hollywood and the endings are, more often then not, happily ever after. Of course, happily ever after in that trademark bizarre Woody Allen kind of way.
However, in spite of all this, they really are not quite mainstream movies. As stories, they have too many schizophrenic quirks. Instead, they stand apart, a brand of their own. They have this odd, hard to quantify, hipster-like shell that over time has proven quite resistant to penetration from the outside. Because in Woody Allen films there is basically always something different.
And in this way, they are just like Istedgade. Chalk full of, well, something different.
So the thing with Istedgade is that there is a risk that with all the attention it continues to attract (in it's coolness), and with its popularity continuing to soar, it just might cease being something different and instead become rather normal - just another not-so-distinct area of Copenhagen. If the graffitti should start to disappear (there's a fair bit of it at present), it will be more than a mere hint of what might be happening.
Now I'm not saying this is destined to happen, but surely sooner or later the chain stores and big money will get a whiff of it's potential and swoop in, no? And should this happen, as the composition of the shops and businesses shifts - Istedgade as we now know it will be no longer.
And should this turn of events take place, it will surely be the end of Istedgade the Hipster.
But we're not there yet. For now, Istedgade the Hipster thrives, genuinely non-mainstream (among many other identities as well, of course). The warmly welcoming local ecological bakery for bread, the numerous local design shops (mentioned in the previous article) for clothes, shoes and an assortment of other boutiques offering furnishing and other gadgets and gimmicks.
the local ecological bakery
funky light for the living room, anyone?
no brand names here...
or here...
or here...
or here...
or here, or here...you get the idea...
Yet when it comes down to it, of course, it's all very interesting, even if it's not quite a comprehensive in the range of 'stuff' you can find - you may need to leave Istedgade to get the rest of the 'things' you need.
And, of course, there's also Istedgade the Kitsch to contend with.
Istedgade the Hipster, of course, grudgingly accepts that lingering presence out of necessity, probably because Istedgade the Kitsch just isn't threatening in the way the mainstream stuff is. Istedgade the Kitsch is merely a bizarre and quirky part of Istedgade's schizophrenic personality.
Istedgade the Kitsch takes the form of a few peculiar shops selling an array of items presumably appealing to the (fairly numerous) immigrants of the area who have yet to acquire any sort of Danish design tastes and sensibilities. These immigrants are one of the features of the street that give it so much more character than other less diverse areas of the city.
welcome to the palace of kitsch...
see anything you like?
The junk being peddled at these kitsch places would make a great gag gift, if you’re looking for that.
But kitsch bits aside, Istedgade the Hipster has continued to grow stronger month by month over the last years - and this is without having even mentioned what is arguably Istedgade's the Hipster's best side - and that is the night time.
And this will be the subject of the Part 3, up next...
by Tim Anderson (timothyanderson2005@gmail.com)
Sometimes seedy, with it’s graffiti and hookers, other times trendy with it’s design shops and cafés, Istedgade is a street of complex character. It’s not so easy to put a finger on just what Istedgade is and where it is heading in the future - which makes it a fascinating spot on the Copenhagen map. But the next several articles (yep, this is the first of five of them) will try to.
Allow me to make a slightly abstract comparison between Woody Allan movies and Istedgade, the street in Vesterbro with, well, many faces. I love Woody Allen movies. Istedgade, like many a character in many a Woody Allen film, happens to be of a slightly neurotic temperment. This is pretty evident when strolling along the street and perhaps that’s part of the reason why I like it so much.
despite the street art, it's hardly scary...
Of the two main (almost parallel) roads that transverse Vesterbro and infuse the area with life, Istedgade and Vesterbrogade, it is Istedgade and its colourful history, that is most known around Copenhagen, but also around Denmark. As home to trash, treasures, junkies and hipsters, truly it’s got a bit of everything. You could say. Perhaps it's missing a few things.
fitting right in on Istedgade...
If Istedgade were a person, it would be schizophrenic with a few personalities. One personality would be a lover of design objects, another surely a hooker and still another most certainly a self-styled hipster (with a few tattoos). There would also be the anti-hipster, a lover of all things kitsch. The self-styled hipster would in all likelihood be the favourite guise these days.
need some ink done? choice abounds around Istedgade...
So just for fun, let’s imagine this schizophrenic person really exists, an allegorical character. For simplicity, let’s call them ‘Istedgade’, shall we? And just to make it really fun, let's also assume this person ('Istedgade') happens to be a character in an upcoming Woody Allen film. And let's imagine there is quite a buzz surrounding this 'Istedgade' character - that is, this character is attracting a lot of attention. Sound interesting...
Our ‘Istedgade’ character, with this complex personality, should fit in just fine into the said Woody Allen movie. Admittedly, it wouldn’t be an entirely typical Woody Allen-type character (most aren’t schizophrenic, after all), however as many Woody Allen characters do, Istedgade would surely have an analyst. That is, Istedgade would be in therapy.
In particular, the 'hipster' portion of Istedgade's multiple personalities would be greatly disturbed by a few things - in particular the temperment of the other personalities with which it must co-exist, as well as by thoughts of just what the future holds for it.
Back to the real world, for a moment.
One can't help wondering, when wandering through Vesterbro and then along Istedgade, just how long things on Istedgade will remain as they are. After all, Vesterbro as a whole (and particularly the street Vesterbrogade) has transcended it’s ‘worker quarters’ past, even if bits of evidence still remain (like the many identical and rather small two room apartments, some still without showers). Housing prices have risen rather wildly over the past 10 years (as they have all over the Copenhagen), plenty of big chain stores have moved in (Blockbuster's 7/11's, national chain stores), while fashion and trendiness remain the current buzzwords, particularly in Vesterbro's less obvious corners. Still, entrepreneurial enterprise of all sorts thrives everywhere.
Yet within Vesterbro, Istedgade has thus far taken a different direction. It seems even quirkier still - more independent.
On Istedgade, the bigger chain stores and pretty much any serious corporate presence remains conspicuously absent. With the exception of a lone Nordea bank branch (not even a single bank machine elsewhere along the road) and a small outlet of a national appliance chain (Punkt), both at the farthest reaches of the street, and a lone 7/11 at the start of Istedgade near the train station, corporate presence is minimal.
Perhaps it is that old lingering fear of 'Istedgade the Hooker' and 'Istedgade the Junkie' (both of whom who will be introduced in an upcoming article) that is keeping the chain shops, chain restaurants and chain coffee shops and cafes away?
In place of Blockbuster, there’s an independent video shop ('Yvonne's'). In place of fast food outlets, there are numerous schwarma shops and a few pizza joints (everyone has their favourites, but I would suggest one of the best being Konya Kebab, owing to its a charcoal barbeque – something very rare for a Copenhagen schwarma shops). In place of dominating corporate chain store clothing shops in other areas of Copenhagen, such as H&M, Istedgade hosts plenty of more independent and oftentimes nearly anonymous design and trendy clothing and gadget shops - some rather expensive, others less so. There are a few excellent restaurants, a good number of interesting cafes and a handful of independent bakeries.
a kebab straight of the barbeque...
random funky stuff...
yes, it is...and you can buy the sign...
But Istedgade is no longer keeping quite the same low profile it once was, and it's former reputation as a seedy place (though still alive in well among those who haven't ventured into the area in recent years) is quickly fading away (once you leave the train station area, that is).
In any article focussed on Vesterbro, attention is increasingly focussed in particular on the perceived 'trendiness' of the Istedgade - at least the upper portion of Istedgade.
the local skateboard shop
To return to our schizophrenic Woody Allen character 'Istedgade', and in particular the 'hipster' slice of its personality. The current trendiness of Istedgade (the street) is largely the sort of trendiness that eschews the mainstream - and that's the sort of trendiness that makes 'Istedgade the Hipster' (this schizophrenic persona of our Woody Allen character) tick. In fact, it is why 'Istedgade the Hipster' exists at all. So the fact that this perceived trendiness is attracting ever increasing attention tends to make 'Istedgade the Hipster' feel, well, threatened. How long can it last?
Istedgade - is it really just another typical street in Copenhagen?
But all of this is just a sort of introduction. This (imaginary) Woody Allen character 'Istedgade' (and it's threatened 'hipster' persona) will be the focus of the next entry. Along with another slice of its schizophrenic personalities, 'Istedgade the Kitsch'.
It's right here - A stroll down Istedgade (Part 1): Is this the seedy or trendy heart of Vesterbro?
And for a bit more of an introduction to Vesterbro in general, At the heart of Vesterbro.
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