Ok, il nome è molto brutto, ma l’idea è geniale: un barcamp per chi lavora nel o con il settore pubblico, specialmente dal lato e-government. Bravi questi inglesi! Mi interessa soprattutto lo stream sui media sociali (io faccio moolta fatica a “vendere” le pratiche di trasparenza assoluta e conoscenza accessibile alle amministrazioni italiane, anche a quelle illuminate, e vorrei capire se loro hanno gli stessi problemi) , ma non so se potrò andare: quando ho ricevuto la segnalazione di Marco (complimenti per il radar!) l’evento era già in overbooking. Comunque ho scritto all’organizzazione, vediamo se si libera un posto. Tra l’altro, la sfortuna: venerdì sera suono con Cisco a Marghera, si tratterebbe di dormire un po’ (poco) raggiungere Treviso la mattina presto e prendere un volo per Londra. Grrrr! Ospita Google, che ha aperto una sede a un indirizzo che è già una dichiarazione di intenti: Buckingham Palace Road!

Oggi sono all’Università di Modena, per tenere un seminario su “Strumenti innovativi per lo sviluppo delle creative industries: esperienze e lezioni dal Regno Unito” (aula 2, ore 17.30). Ovviamente parlerò della ricerca fatta nel 2006 nell’ambito del progetto Booster, cioè questa:

Artistic director Donald Shaw and his people at Celtic Connections have called a press conference and gone live with the 2008 website. What a lineup! Flook, Steve Earle, k.d. lang, Liam Clancy, Mercedes Peòn (we crossed path at Folkwoods, in Holland), Solas, old glories Moving Hearts, Eliza Carthy, Peatbog Fairies, Le Vent du Nord, Michelle Shocked, Bill Wyman (BILL WYMAN?), Capercailie, Trilok Gurtu… And yes, we are there too, in the Voices of the world together with theBulgarian Women’s Choir Angelite. No Uncle Earl, though: their place - quite appropriately with the rest of the night’s lineup, I think - has been taken by the Aberfeldy Gaelic Choir, conducted on this occasion by Margaret Bennett, high-ranking vocalist and mother of our much-missed Martyn. Gulp. We really must be super-ready for that.

Royal Concert Hall, Main Auditorium - Festival website

GREAT NEWS! Frusion’s Ian Smith called me to announce that Celtic Connections has booked our show for the 31st of January 2008, with Mondine and all! We are still waiting on the details (press conference is on Wednesday next week), and the same night the website will launch, but it appears they are setting up a “Voices of the world” night with us, the Bulgarian Women’s Choir (not sure which one) and American girls Uncle Earl. The whole thing should take place in the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall… the ladies will be delighted, especially Agnes, the Scottish Rice Weeder, a Glaswegian…

An anonymous photographer Kev Howard sent Roberta these shots of our Solfest 2007 show, in England. Thank you, thank you so much!

Playing Solfest was a lot of fun. British festivals, I had been told, are a totally separate experience. And it’s true: there is a great variety of music and activities, from puppets to raves, from children’s games to an indie music stage. And people are out to have some serious fun: many wear fancy dresses, so that the audience is crowded with superheroes, pirates, vikings, brightly coloured waliking beverage cans and even a dragon; and if the costume requires to stand half (or three quarters) naked in the rain with 12 Celsius, Brits are happy to call their Norman-Viking roots into action and just do it. When we went on (just before Badly Drawn Boy) the sun came out, a lot of people came from the whole area to rally at stage front and started to dance. Great fun! I hope to be back soon. I think we will.
Something funny: Chumbawamba ended their set with… Bella ciao!