Amsterdam the Essence

8/6/2019 Amsterdam the Essence

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DAVIDBECKETT

DAVID BECKETTDJB PUBS

AMSTERDAM...THEESSENCE

A unique view of a great European city, inof the people who shape it

I fell in love with the Amsterdam ability to communicate.- Henk Schiffmacher

Twenty-fve Amsterdammers, amous and up-and-coming, share their

personal views o aninspiring city.

Comedian Youpvan t Hek, Hollywoodactress Halina Reijn, Mr. Ajax

Sjaak Swart and tattoo-king Henk Schiffmacher... Anonymous street

artist Laser 3.14, ashion superstars Bas Kosters and Shirley Hart,

entrepreneur Mariette HoitinkandrapperDefP...These arejust some o

the locals tellingtheirown tales o Hollands capital,sharing their opinions

and experiences olie inthis character-shapingcity. Illustrated with over

150 portrait photographs and classic city landscapes, their stories will

providea deeper insight intoAmsterdam lie.

Whether yourea visitor, expat orresident,Amsterdam... The Essencebrings

you exactly that: the true essence o Amsterdam.

With asuperb palette o characterswho make the capital what it is, Beckett ta

kesan

outstandingandsuccessulshotatunravellingthe magicoAmsterdam.

- Richard van deCrommert,DeTelegraa

A statementorealaectionorAmsterdam, more thanmatchingthe citysstatu

re.

-Nathan Vos,HetParool

Thisbookshowshowindividualsrom alldierentwalksolie can beneftrom th

evibe

andree spirit o Amsterdam, to getinspiredandachieve theirgoals. Justembrace th

e city!

- Anne-FleurPel,Metro

Amsterdamisandalwayswillbe createdbythe peo

ple who liveandworkinthe cityand

by thosewho visit or leisureor business. This book containsa ascinating selection o

amiliarandlesserknown Amsterdammerswho match the citysDNA:the combinatio

n o

creativityandspiritocommerce.

-GeerteUdo, Iamsterdam

Marketsulloscents, peopleoa thousandcolours, raggededges andbeautiulcana

ls.

-Youp van t Hek(romThe LastWord,written exclusivelyor TheEssence)

AMSTERDAM... THE

THEMOST ENIGMATICCITYINTHE WORLD


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FOR MOVIES, INFO & PLACES TOBUY THE 156pp BOOK, GO TOWWW.THEESSENCEONLINE.COM


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CONTENTS

Amsterdam is perhaps the most enigmatic city in the world: you can live here or years and still no

Its a small place with an enormous reputation. Mention to anyone around the globe that you live inHow cool, that must be a great place to live! Yet despite being recognised as one o the worlds gre

London or Paris. Theres no Big Ben or Eiel Tower here. When Amsterdams ve million yearly visitoFor the atmosphere. Yes, most visit the abulous Van Gogh Museum and take a boat ride along thin the special surroundings and the eel o the city.

In the 60s, Amsterdam was named The Magic Centre. For me that sums up the special quality o throm around the world.

I rst moved to Amsterdam to work or Canon in 1998 and quickly ell in love with living here. Whwithout hesitation I resolved to remain in my avourite city - and not long ater, decided to write ahome-town. Yet, despite my long association with Amsterdam, I couldnt honestly say I understood chance occurrence led me in the direction o telling the citys story in the words o the people whoas she played acoustic guitar out o a rst-foor Prinsengracht window on Queens Day set me on aplanned. Then again, in the words o Paul Spies [p. 36], Nothing in Amsterdam is planned every

The development o this book matches one aspect o the true spirit o the city. I began with enthusiasm or a rough concept called The Essence, and that concept took rm shape through antAmsterdammers. Every time I contacted possible interviewees, they showed the straightorward aHes trying to do something new, lets be part of it. It is exactly this spirit that has helped me bring A

What ollowed was a year-long experience o encounters with ascinating characters while discoentrepreneur meet-up groups. I came ace to ace with an anonymous street artist, protested ag

District window or an evening, and conducted two interviews in the Dutch houses o parliameeveryone involved generously oered their time and wished me the best o luck. Each time I met witnew about our city.

There are countless travel guides about Amsterdam, and they do a great job o telling you where to gobrings you closer to answering the most intriguing question o all: why is the city like it is?

Enjoy discovering the essence o Amsterdam.

INTRODUCTION1 IntroductionINTERVIEWS

150 Last Word (Youp van t Hek)

151 Credits

4 Lake Montgomery 66Bas Kosters &Shirley Hart

126 Job Cohen

20 Halina Reijn 82 Mariska Majoor

138 Danil Dekker

36 Paul Spies 98 Mark de Kruijk

101 Larae Malooly

148 Egbert van Hees44 Mariette Hoitink

110 Fya Hopelezz

144 Pim Kops

1 2 Henk Schiffmac her 74 Jan Jansen

134 Nina Siegal

28 Laser 3.14 90 Youp van t Hek

140 Peter van der Meulen

38 Ahmed Marcouch

104 Sjaak Swart

149The makers ofAmsterdam... The Essence52 Def P

116 Marcel Ozymantra60 Siobhan Wall

122 Suzanne Raes


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A new city appears in winter. A place that can be cold, yet also cosy and welcoming. Itwhen Lake Montgomery rst came to Amsterdam and still she ell i n love w


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THE ATMOSPHERE OF FREEDOMIN AMSTERDAM MADE ME

BOLD AS A PERFORMER

LAKEMONTGOMERY

AMSTERdAMMER SINCE 2002

SINgER/SONgWRITER

FAvOURITE AMSTERdAM LOCATION Wg-PLEIN

As I ambled along the canals on 30 April 2010, my mind was partly on the development o this book, and partly on the act that my Heinekenwas getting warm and needed replacing.

That date is Queens Day, a yearly celebration o the monarchs birthday. It starts with a huge open market involving everyone emptying theircupboards and cellars, piling everything they can nd onto the pavements and selling it or whatever they can get. A distinctive aspect o theexperience is also the music. As the day progresses, revellers set up speakers outside their windows, play drums in the street and load discogear onto boats. Seeing a cool, tiny woman in her mid-20s playing acoustic guitar in a window on Prinsengracht caught my attention thatday. I listened or a ew minutes and was especially taken with the song Amsterdam. A riend o hers enthusiastically waved a CD or saleunder my nose, bearing the singers name.

Who wouldnt be intrigued by a musician called Lake Montgomery?

A day later, CD in hand, I checked her Myspace site and it became clear that Lakes Amsterdam story is very dierent to mine. Maybe she couldtell me something new about this city? Perhaps she might have an insight into the real essence o Amsterdam.This sparked an idea and I wrote an email requesting an interview. Whilewaiting or her reply, I began to realise this might just be the approachor my book that Id been looking or: talking to people who represent thecrossroads o diversity that is Amsterdam, in order to tell the story o the cityrom as many dierent points o view as possible.

Lake replied a ew days later and we met at WG Ca on a sunny,Amsterdam spring day.

And so the journey began.


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I was living happily in New Orleans, butwhen the food happened, it broke myheart. I got the chance to go to Orlansin France Old Orleans when the cityoered a git to 20 students to cometo France and study ree tickets, reeapartment. I took up the chance andthis brought me to Europe.

Lake rst came to Amsterdam in asimilar way to many others Ive met randomly, but destined to end up here.

My rst visit to Amsterdam was in 2002 to see a riend and, whilein Orlans, I came back many times. The intention was to stay

in Amsterdam or a month only, because my ticket back to NewOrleans was due to expire. It turned out dierently ater I met anartist through some modelling work, and he asked me to stay or ayear as his model.

He lived in a small town in the very north o the Netherlands calledUithuizen, and thats where I learned Dutch. Many o the villagershad been Amsterdammers in the 60s, but had moved to cheaperhouses in the countryside during the 70s and 80s.

I used to come to Amsterdam with my guitar and or the rst timeI elt like playing in public. That was a barrier back home, but therewas something about Amsterdam that helped me become bold asa perormer.

Many musicians develop their skills through school or being pushedby parents. In Lakes case, her pets were her rst audience.

The rst time I picked up the guitar was at the age o 16. It wasodd because I was more ocused on writing poetry at the time andbelieved I was going to be a writer. To begin with, I just played ormysel and my cats, and that progressed to taking my guitar alongto parties. Id play a couple o tunes and received some positiveresponses, but I kept it very small.

In America theres something that really blocks me rom perorming.I you want to play, it means you must want to be a superstar;youre supposed to want to be a rockstar. That really kept me romtrying to pursue getting gigs and a career as a musician.

What was dierent when I came to Amsterdam? I just elt morecondent. I was a bit exotic being a black American, bluesy perormer,and it elt like this was the right place or me. The reedom, thediversity, being able to speak English yet not live in America theseaorded some kind o comort. I was really inspired to play andthats when I started perorming, just busking on the streets.

Things ell into place in Amsterdam. There are so many venues toplay at here, where it doesnt matter i nobody knows you. They justwant to hear some music.

People rom outside think Amsterdam is a huge city theyre otensurprised to hear it has only three quarters o a million inhabitants.

That smaller, manageable size meant I ell into the music scenepretty quickly. Rapid-re connections happen all the time and that

makes the music scene here very accessible or a newcomer.

The Amsterdam Songwriters Guild [ASG] helps a lot. Its a group otalented musicians who support each other, do gigs together, makebookings or each other man, thats one big reason why I live here!

One example: last year I did a street music tour with a couple oASG musicians and we played 26 streets in the city in three days we called it Amsterdam A-Z and got a lot o newspaper coverage.Thats the kind o stu that still goes on here. It makes me proud. Idont know where else I could be doing my musical thing.

Its certainly a typical spring day or this city hal an hour ater westart, the clouds come over and cold rain sends us scurrying insidethe ca. As we warm up, she explains how shes reached a goodlevel o Dutch in just a ew years.

Its dicult to improve your Dutch speaking skills here because othe high level o English that almost everyone seems to have. Forme, language is all about touching a native eeling; its a must iyou really want to get into the people and the society. I dont thinkI would eel so inside without speaking Dutch.

We all want clarity in communication and youre oered this bridgeo perect English, but then you swim and scramble around in thecold waters o Dutch language while youre learning and it can bereally hard. But i you manage to speak your way through that,there is a secret world o local culture that opens up to you.

Nevertheless, my songs are in English and I tell stories in them. Its abig advantage that, although Im in a oreign country, the audiencecan understand these stories.

When I ask Lake about her avourite venues to perorm at, I realisethat, even ater many years o living here, theres still so much tolearn. I have never been to most o the places she mentions.

Its great to play at the Dwazezaken, a ca with beautiul, high,red mosaic ceilings and an excellent sound system. OCCII onAmstelveenseweg is un too it used to be a squat but its a culturalcentre now. OT301 is another ormer squat with lots o creativehappenings and theres a antastic organic/vegetarian restaurantinside. You need to reserve, and they serve you a two-course mealpriced at a donation o between 510 euros, depending on yourincome. Thats the kind o stu I like, you know, the surprises thatyou wont see in the guidebooks.

Also t Blijvertje is a really sweet place to play. Its another squat butnot a legalised one, so you dont know when it might just disappear.

My link to Amsterdam has been all about music. Most o mynetwork here is built rom those who have seen me perorm, andI sing wherever I possibly can to get to know more people. WhenIm onstage, Im just being mysel and the audience eel they learnabout me through the music sometimes when I come o, I gethugs rom strangers! But they eel they already know somethingabout me because o the songs and lyrics. Im just trusting in my

crat to open everything up or me, and its worked so ar.Amsterdam seems to have touched a nerve and sparked Lakes

THER

MANY

PEOPL

TO AMFORS

DIFFE

EVERY

NEW,

STORY

creativity. Theres something truly inspiring about her story coming out here, a long way rom home, and getting started byplaying on the streets. And her jail story is also impressive!

While I was living in Orlans, I think I developed a little crushon Amsterdam through visiting so oten. I was still an outsiderin Europe and visiting was like therapy. I do eel like a oreignerhere, but comortably so. I like the curiosity that being a oreignerprovokes in others theres not much o a negative side to it here.Maybe thats part o who I am; I like to be dierent.

Amsterdam becomes really sweet in winter, even though it gets sodark in the long nights. I was captured by how beautiul it is andthat whole combination inspired me to play music on the streets.This was a great step because I got to see how the people were

living their lives; I had a lot o chance conversations with locals whoresponded to the music. It was a kind o training, getting pieceso lie rom passers-by and developing the music through theirappreciation, rather than trying to making a living immediately.

This all led me to write a song called Amsterdam about my rstexperiences here it was a love song to my crush-city. But Ive alsohad a less positive experience o being a oreigner in Europe. Likea Timebomb is a number thats all about being put in jail because Ididnt have my passport on me


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I was coming into France rom Spain and the customs ocialsthought I was Arican. I didnt realise I had lost my American

passport until I got to the border. As a result I was rst put in jail ortwo days, then transported to an immigrant retention centre witha lot o Aricans and Mexicans. It was prison they kept saying itwasnt, but there were iron bars over the windows and cops withguns; I couldnt even touch my guitar in case I used it as a deadlyweapon! They kept me there or a week until the case was heard.

It was kind o unny when the translator in the courtroom said tome, Youre Nigerian, right? No try again. Senegalese? Nope.When I told him I was rom Texas, no one believed it! As soon asit was established that I was a ne upstanding American, they justlet me go.

That night, I had nowhere to go and so I asked to stay an extra 12hours in jail. They treated me so dierently as soon as they realisedI was American. I got my guitar back, it was all handshakes and

joking around just because the judges signature said I was okay.

The CD I bought on Queens Day is Lake Montgomery: Live inAmsterdam. She explains how Dutch lm director Suzanne Raes

[see her interview on page 122] helped her to stage a live concertin a canal house.

I met Suzanne through an artists project that she managed and westayed in contact. I talked with her about how much I wanted to

make a CD but how I just didnt enjoy playing in a recording studio.Thats something I denitely have to and will develop, but atthat stage I elt at my best when perorming live.

Suzanne said, No problem we can do a concert in my ront room.I could hardly believe it, but that is typical o her and, I guess, typicalo this city. There have been so many people who have given allkinds o support to help me survive here.

We cleared her living room, created a little stage, and she arrangedor a sound engineer to capture everything. I elt great with anaudience o around 30 riends and we made the CD on a very lowbudget. I can hardly thank Suzanne enough.

Lake is one o many, on some kind o a journey, who pass throughAmsterdam and nd it holds them or a period. Something tells meshe might just be somewhere else this time next year.

Serendipity guides my lie. Im not big on plans; I just end up where Iend up. The need to keep moving eels almost genetic and being thetraveller is part o me, so leaving is maybe inevitable at some stage.

I do get that itch, but theres something about Amsterdam thatsuits my character as it is right now. Its hard to imagine another

OUTSIDERS THINK

AMSTERDAM IS

AHUGECITY.

THEYREALWAYS

SURPRISED TO HEARITSONLYTHREE

QUARTERS OF A

MILLION PEOPLE

city where I could have started playing music as a proessional socomortably and once you get a good start, you dont want to ace

starting all over again. It takes time to be trusted, and Ive managedto build up a good an base here, with some shows planned over thenext ew months. I always say Im gonna stay here till my last gig.

A riend described me as the kind o person who would just leaveone day, maybe not even saying goodbye, and call later to say thatId moved to Bangladesh or South America. I do understand that iyou keep moving, people are not so willing to trust you. I like whatIve started here and Ill stay to make the connections stronger andenjoy the eeling I have about the city.

www.lakemontgomery.com,

www.myspace.com/lakemontgomery


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WILHELMINA STATUE ON THE ROKINThe Dutch attitude to monarchy is a little dierent to that o most countries. Simple tributes like this gure o ormer Queen Wilhelmina arein keeping with how Amsterdam views its royals. Henk Schimacher also has some interesting opinions on this and many other subjects.


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I FELL IN LOVE WITH THEAMSTERDAMABILITYTO

COMMUNICATE

HENKSCHIFFMACHER-AKAHANKYPANKY


TATTOO ARTIST ANd WRITER

FAvOURITE AMSTERdAM LOCATION AMSTELdIjK, ALONg THE AMSTEL RIvER

I you write a book about Amsterdam, you have to include Hanky Panky.

Who?

I checked out my riends recommendation and ound this to be the nickname o Henk Schimacher a true Amsterdam character andtattooist to the stars.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kurt Cobain, Dutch artist and singer Herman Brood and Robbie Williams are amongst his many amous clients. When Icalled his shop to make an appointment, they misheard my name and said, David Beckham? It was as almost i they were expecting him.

Henk is a burly guy who looks like a cross between a Hells Angel and a yeti. And man, can he talk!Golden teeth glinting, he boomed out his opinions and stories in the middle o his tattoo parlour at Ceintuurbaan 416, surrounded by his workand a bunch o buzzing young artists hanging on his every word.

Id expected to be led to an oce, but Henk is inormal, to say the least. A poster showing his involvement in an Aids Foundation campaignpoints to his ame in the Netherlands he was one o our aces eatured to promote the cause. Yet the poster adorns the toilet door, a signo the straightorward Amsterdammer that he is.

We sit and talk (well, he talks) and I have to admit to being a little in awe o all the ramed records and mementos on the wall rom singer

Anouk, the Chilis, Van Halen and many others.

He also surrounds himsel with numerous books abouthis art including a ew hes written himsel. Henkmight appear a little rough, but appearances shouldcertainly not deceive. Hes a highly knowledgeable manwith heartelt views on Amsterdam and tattooing.


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This city is incredible; we live in anopen-air museum. They should justtake all the cars out o the city andmake it accessible or pedestrians. Itsthe shop owners who prevented that,but I think theyre wrong. As soon asyou empty the streets o cars, you canuse the canal to get everyone in andout o the city.

Henk launches into his story beore Iveeven asked a question. Hes a man omany opinions and always ascinating

to listen to, especially when he reminisces about his early days inthe Dutch capital.

I had a very bad start at school. They didnt recognise dyslexia inthose days, and my ather helped me learn with a piece o wood.Write it down wrong boom!Then he would hit me again until Ilearned it. I had to get a job as young as possible, just to get away.

When I was 14, I was working in a sandwich shop in my hometowno Harderwijk, oten till one or two in the morning. The guys Iworked with would take me to Amsterdam in an old Pontiac Firebirdand get me drunk, and then shove me into the whorehouses. I washaving a hell o a time!

They used to take me to this one ca called Jan Heuvel. It had around table that was always ull o characters rom all kinds obackgrounds art dealers, pimps, tax-men, musicians. They werestorytellers and they knew how to tell it right. They wouldnt hesitateto stand on the table or stick their head in a sink o water, just tomake sure their story was good. I was ascinated with all that; I ellin love with the Amsterdam ability to communicate. Where I camerom, it was not at all done to stand up and make yoursel noticed. Ielt Id ound my home, a place where my character belonged.

O course, booze was a big part o those early experiences. In myvillage, alcohol was very hidden liquor stores had blinds in ronto the window and you came out with an anonymous brown bag.As or sex, well, it didnt exist in my time! The 60s changed a lothere, thank God

As he talks, a cool Japanese guy with samurai-style ponytail anda body covered in colourul tattoos is advising a young customer.This is the art I can do or you, he says.

The citys creative spirit clearly drew out a side o Henks characterwhen he arrived.

When youre young, Amsterdam completely shapes you. I wantedto be a ucking artistic person, thats why I came to the city. For me,it was a development, an escape rom Harderwijk, and I worked onanything that was even a little bit creative window design, signpainting, anything I could nd.

Later I worked at department store, de Bijenkor, where I learned my

photography and graphic design skills. I was doing ashion shootswith a studio ull o beautiul Dutch models that was a great job!

I had to go to Ibiza with seven or eight o them tough, huh? Theyeven took me to Japan as their toy boy.

I came back and picked up my tattooing hobby. I was able to use abasement owned by the ormer president o the Hells Angels, Willem.Once, 12,000 G.I.s came to Amsterdam and I can tell you, I did a loto tattoos that weekend. It made me think I should go ahead andmake a real business out o it. I did pretty much everything in lielike this, with no real plan things just sort o happened.

Luck played its part. Firstly, I set up in a world-amous city, and myold shop was in the Red Light District. No matter who you are, everyvisitor ends up having a look there, doing a little window-shopping.My big break came when I tattooed the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I ithad been any other band, no matter how big, the tattoos wouldnt

have been on display, but the Chilis used the tattoos as part o theirimage building and it helped that they were doing every videobutt-naked! Mine were the rock and roll tattoos with the most TVcoverage ever.

The Chilis would tell their riends, You gotta go see Henk inAmsterdam, and thats what they did. The shop looked like thedressing room o the Paradiso, one o Amsterdams most amousmusic venues; and to be honest, I didnt know hal o them I hadno idea who the uck Kurt Cobain was when he came in.

Once Henk had established himsel, he wanted to share some o hisknowledge and passion or his proession. This extended to writingbooks and ounding his wonderul museum.

When I started out as a photographer, taking pictures o people whoare tattooed, I wanted to make a book immediately. But I realised Ishouldnt be too quick. Make a decent book, I thought, Never hurtwhat you love dont be in too much of a hurry. So I started to lookmore deeply into the why, where and how o tattooing as an art.There is no end to this thing and Ive chronicled that development

in my books.

Searching around the history o tattooing is like discovering theworld its related to the migration o tribes, to religion, has a socialaspect, a criminology aspect Its a very exciting art orm to beinvolved in. Im trying to educate others about this stu; thats whyIve written histories and a book called The Encyclopedia for the Artand History of Tattooing.

I got the keys to the building o my new museum today. I had a smallone beore, but at a certain point I decided to split the collection.I was thinking about sharing it with dierent museums, but all othem came back to me and said, Hold on to the character o thiscollection, keep it together.

The new museum will be in a great area, in the east o the city.There you have the Hermitage, the Jewish History Museum, thenthe Hortus Botanicus, the Hollandsche Schouwburg, ResistanceMuseum, Artis, the Zoological Museum, and our tattoo museumnext to the Tropen. Im gonna ght to get the Museum Quarterrelocated!

I had somehow expected Henk to be a man o strong political views

and maybe once that wasome o the citys changview o the consequence

I lost my trust in politic70s you know, when buildings so the metro coand we thought we werhappen. I never had muchave kept it to the Ten C

Our citys beautiul and sis made rom a table inplanning should be doneisthe people. Right at th

line theyre building thronish it now. I you wanahead so sometimes yoat that moment, and stic

I ask Henk about the bacthe bathroom door.

I donated a bunch o good contact with themorganisation called Ora

THE SHOP LOOKED

LIKED THE

DRESSING ROOM

OF THE PARADISO.

IDIDNTKNOW

HALF OF THEM -

I HAD NO IDEA

WHO THE F**K

KURT COBAIN

WAS WHEN HE

CAME IN


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hospitals in Arica and support HIV-aected mothers there. I yourace gets a bit known, you get asked to be involved in dierentcharities. Ive been a bad boy in many situations during my lie so Ithink to mysel, Why not be the nice guy for a while? Best to polishup my karma a little bit and you never know, the Queen might stillgive me a ucking medal!

Nowadays I go to these unctions and the Queen sits on oneside, Prince Willem-Alexander on the other. Think o it Im therenext to the goddamn Queen, arms covered in tattoos. That wasimpossible 30 years ago. We took this art somewhere, you know;its not only or criminals, prostitutes and sailors although I lovetattooing criminals, prostitutes and sailors! Theyre some o the bestcustomers.

By the end o our talk, my overwhelming impression o Henk is o abold and creative man who goes around inspiring and challenging,no matter what situation he nds himsel in. I imagine, though, thatin royal company he might tone himsel down a little.

Am I quiet with the Queen? Sorry, I really dont know any other wayto be! Im just me, like me or hate me. As ar as Im concerned, theQueen has the same value as my mother has or any other womanor that matter. I called her maam, and I was told I shouldnt have.Well, sorry, but Your Majesty is not in my vocabulary!

www.henkschiffmacher.nl

WHEN I TATTOOED

THE RED HOT CHILI

PEPPERS,THEY

WEREDOINGEVERY

VIDEO BUTT-NAKED


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AMSTERdAM, 3AM

Everyone rides a bike in this city, oten one pedalling while a riend sits on theback. Even a Hollywood actress like Halina Reijn gets around on two wheels.


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THAT COMBINATION OF FEELINGLIKEYOUREINAVILLAGEYETBEING IN A WORLD-RENOWNED

CITYISUNIQUE

One evening in early 2009, my plans to go to the glorious old Tuschinski cinema, near Rembrandtplein, were thwarted. As I approached thenearby Muntplein, I saw that the streets were cordoned o.

The next day, I learned that Hollywood movie Valkyrie had premiered there; its star, Tom Cruise, appeared with Amsterdam co-stars HalinaReijn and Carice van Houten. As I read the newspaper, and looked at the pictures o the event, it all seemed so incredibly glamorous and araway rom my lie.

Fast-orward 20 months and I nd mysel sitting with Halina at the EYE Film Institute, in the centre o Vondelpark. The magic o introducinga renowned star into this book is highlighted or me when we walk through the ront doors together: an elderly lady gazes at her and speaksher name with genuine wonder, giving the word Halina a special aura.

However, as is typical o Amsterdam, Halina turns out to be straightorward and unaected by the adoration and red carpet treatment.

We meet on a cold, snowbound day. Id expected her to arrive by taxi, but instead she makes her way across the icy city by bike just as60 percent o the population travels in Amsterdam. Id arranged the shoot with a proessional photographer and riend o mine, Joost vanManen, and wed wondered i she would also preer to have a make-up artist on hand. To our surprise, Halina is quite happy to be capturedwith her natural looks. All very impressive.

HALINA REIJN


STAR OF OvER 30 PLAyS ANd 15 FILMS

FAvOURITE AMSTERdAM LOCATION LEIdSEPLEIN

Halina is a true communicator, perorming on stage and inlm, as well as being regularly seen on a popular primetimeDutch TV show. She has also written a novel called PrinsesjeNooitgenoeg and is now working on a new lm script. Beoretelling her story o coming rom the northern city o Groningento the capital, she gives a glimpse into the world o theAmsterdam paparazzi.


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Thats the great thing about Amsterdam.Its like New York even i youve beenon TV or in movies, you can just walkaround, ignored, like anyone else. I lovethat element o the Dutch mentality;we dont treat others with too muchreverence.

While I was promoting Valkyrie withTom Cruise, I saw what happens tohim in places like London peoplescreaming and crowding around himall the time. Carice [van Houten] and I

loved being part o that or a while we were like little kids, becauseit was a novelty or us but it got to be too much very quickly. Our

car was constantly chased, and i we took one step out o our hotelwe were almost raped by the photographers! I would never want tolive that lie permanently. Amsterdam is so much easier.

You do see paparazzi here sometimes, but you have to laughbecause its on a really small scale. On one occasion, a riend andI were being bothered while having lunch in Amsterdam Zuid[South], so we rode o on our bikes and they chased ater us. Whenwe reached the border o that area, they stopped! Why didnt theyollow us to our house? Because they think to themselves, This isour neighbourhood, and we cant be bothered to go any urther.

Were sitting at the spacious mezzanine o the EYE and Halinas

voice rings through the building, her animated limbs accentuatingher words. This continual movement rom an accomplished actressshouldnt surprise me, but her rereshing openness certainly does.Its great to hear her very normal stories o being araid o the bigcity when rst arriving.

I was born in Amsterdam, but moved just a couple o months later.My parents were living in a tiny apartment and they decided tomove out a typical Amsterdam story o the 70s, having too littlespace costing too much money. Also they had that kind o hippiewish to raise their kids closer to nature, so we moved to Groningen.

When I started in youth theatre at 17, some casting directorsnoticed me, and beore I knew it, I was whisked o to Amsterdamor auditions. I got a role in a TV show and the production companyput me in this beautiul apartment near Sarphatipark but I was

so alone and rightened o the city! I elt it was my enemy. Youknow my biggest ear? Cycling. Id been told, Look out or the tramlines. Dont get your wheel stuck in them. Well Im pretty clumsy,so I was all over the place and constantly trapping mysel in thosetram tracks.

Then my second biggest ear came true mice! It was the rsttime I had lived away rom home, so I didnt really clean anythingproperly. Suddenly there were mice all over the apartment, and Iwas so ashamed that I didnt tell anyone about it.

The city was such a contrast to the smaller world o Groningen,especially as I had been studying at a Steiner school very protected

and new age so the real world had just passed me by. Suddenly Iound mysel in this world o TV celebrities, being dragged to a lot ocelebrity parties where I didnt know anybody. I there was no party,I just sat at home, reading.

When I did go out, I kept losing my way. Well, Im very bad atdirections anyway; even now I can get disoriented in Amsterdam,but at that time I was almost permanently lost!

Its unny to look back on that period, because now I see the city justas a large village. Back then it was so scary or me that ater twoyears I decided to go to theatre school in Maastricht, just to avoidstaying here. There were oers to work in Amsterdam, so I couldhave chosen not to go to theatre school and immediately ocus onmovies and TV, but I didnt eel at home here.

In a way, Halinas initial ear o Amsterdam led her to developurther her theatrical talents. Its a surprise to hear o her discomortbecause onstage she seems so much in control.

Certainly, as I became better known, I noticed that some have thisidea that Im very powerul and raarrggh! [Halina growls a kind ofbig-cat roar, her arms splayed wide in mock, fearless attack.] Theyresurprised when I tell them I am rightened about something simple.

Acting in movies and TV is a tough way to start your career, so Imvery grateul my worries about Amsterdam pushed me to theatreschool. When I did nally come back here, it was easier becausemy boyriend moved here too, meaning we had a kind o securityin each other. I was still rightened, but I gave it a shot. Ater threeweeks o playing the role o Ophelia in a production o Hamlet, Iseemed to wake up suddenly and started to love it here. I began todiscover the city, because nally I had colleagues and riends, whicho course makes a big dierence.

Over the years, Ive met some people who come to Amsterdam andleave ater a short period, seeming not to get the city. You have tosearch under the surace o this town; otherwise you miss it. Halinaound it easier in America.

I lived in LA or a year. Many think its a horrible city, but I lovedit because the people are very welcoming to a stranger. Okay, youcan see it as ake, but they did what nobody in Holland will do. Younever invite a stranger to your house here, and my LA riends ndthat really weird. You have to make riends beore you can enjoybeing in Amsterdam. Maybe most cities are like that, but Americansare more open and easily invite you into their lives Come overand Ill show you around whereas we stick to our own circle oriends here.

Language is an issue and i you want to get to know realAmsterdammers, learning Dutch will speed things up. Then again,more than 40 percent o those living in this city are not Dutch.Recently our theatre company started perormances with Englishsurtitles [like subtitles, but above the stage] twice a week. Yesterdayit was great the audience was much more international.

Amsterdam has a lot o contradictions. On the one hand you live ina supposedly major world city, with a big image and inhabitants o


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MYBIGGESTFEAR

WASCYCLINGIN

AMSTERDAM.

IDBEENTOLD,

LOOK OUT FOR

THE TRAM LINES,

DONTGETYOUR

WHEEL STUCK

IN THEM!

A prominent reviewer at the Volkskrantnewspaper once wrote thatI should quit the TV programme that I appear in and stop with themovies; I should just prove my talent within the our walls o thetheatre and end all this red carpet stu. Thats how it can be inHolland Stay where you are, dont become amous althoughthat can also be a good thing, in contrast to other countries. InTokyo, youre almost revered as a goddess! The Americans are alwayscrying and shouting, Oh my God, your shows so unbelievable! TheGermans are very intellectual; they want to discuss the theme othe play, and theyre very well educated about the arts.

O all the cities Ive seen, though, I preer to live here; not justbecause o my riends, but because its healthier or me. Theattitudes here keep you connected, grounded. Maybe I will liveelsewhere or a year, and I do go away or months when I makea movie, but I will always return. I suppose i I have any children

dont know i I will, but i I do Ill need a lot more money tosurvive here, because I wouldnt like my child to grow up in a tiny

all kinds o nationalities; and on the other hand, its a tiny place. Youcan ride around on your bicycle between small neighbourhoods,and get anywhere in 10 minutes. I like that unique contrast. I travela lot with my work, but Ive never seen this combination o being ina village like, really in a village, where you can meet your riendsby accident and yet having all the shops and everything you want.Amsterdam has the benets o a big city, but stays small.

I Im in New York or a while, I miss those qualities. Amsterdam isnot so fashy or glamorous and most o the time I love that aboutthis city, but ater a while I get sick o it! You eel like the wholeplace is on your head, and then you really have to get away.

The press-ocer o the Film Institute brings us coee and Halina ispolite and sincere in her thanks. The Amsterdam attitude is capturedin the phrase Doe maar gewoon, dan doe je al gek genoeg[Just benormal, thats weird enough], and that keeps everyone grounded even Hollywood stars. Still, Halina has some rustrations with theconcept rom a creative point o view.

All that doe maar gewoonstu it can eel like Dont be unusualor out o the ordinary. In other countries, they are much more opento admiring something extraordinary, whereas here, its a case oplaying everything down. That does have a positive infuence aswell; you could say there is a built-in barrier to acceptance herethat orces you to think about everything youre doing and ensuresgood quality.

Nevertheless, I ound it was great to be in the USA or a while, justso I could re-invent mysel. A scholarship was oered to me oracting lessons in another country, and a movie I appeared in hadan Oscar nomination, so it made sense or me to take the classes inLA. I had a lot o meetings with directors or a couple o weeks, andvery quickly became really depressed, because I had to humiliatemysel and start all over again; I had no existing network. Therewere some odd experiences, like meeting a casting director andoering to shake his hand, and him responding with a shriek: Nohands please, no hands! Just crazy. Finally I called my manager andtold him I couldnt do it any more.

A ew weeks later, I started to write both a book and a movie script;things I would never have done here because Id think, Im anactress, I cant write a book! But over there, everybodys so insanelysupportive. I I said, Im starting a cows milk actory, theyd say,Great, do it!

Here, people would tell you every reason why its dumb. Obviously,you need a middle ground, but the American attitude is quiteliberating i youre creative. Everyones writing something in LA even the dentist will tell you hes writing a novel! Nobody everseems to be working theyre all typing uriously in cas and onterraces. So I just joined in and got started, living the Americandream, writing my book. It was the rst time I had the guts to try.

When I returned ater a year, I threw the manuscript into the bin,but a riend o mine shed it out, showed a publisher and they liked

it. I would never have done that, because the minute I got back, myAmsterdam-sel started saying, What on earth were you thinking?

apartment. There is a high premium or living in this city, but we paythe premium because we love the place.

I hesitated about buying a home here, because I was travelling allover the place. Now that Ive bought it, I eel much more peaceulin mysel. Even ater being here or so many years, I still havemoments when I walk through the streets at night and think, Wow,its so beautiful here!The old houses across my street look like amuseum and I love that. Friends o mine have an apartment nearthe Anne Frank House, and some tourists think theyre extras in themuseum, acting out that they are living there!

Halina has perormed in most venues in Amsterdam. Every membero the public has his or her avourite, but I think its interesting toask which locations the actors enjoy most.

When I was just 11 years old, my Groningen theatre group came toAmsterdam to play at a beautiul theatre called De Brakke Grond.We went on to have a look at the Stadsschouwburg [one o thecitys main theatres] on Leidseplein and it all made such a massiveimpression on me. I looked up at the building and dreamed, One dayI will be on stage here Ater I arrived in Amsterdam, I joined a groupcalled De Trust, and they were based on the Kloveniersburgwal. Thattheatre was special, because it was so small and intimate, with onlyaround 400 seats its still there.

Even so, I must admit that Im still in love with the Stadsschouwburg.We have two theatres there: the beautiul old-ashioned hall, anda more modern one called the Rabozaal thats completely dierent.The windows are huge, so we oten have a crowd outside on theMelkweg side, looking in and watching us rehearse. We like that;we want to be involved with the city, to be in contact with thepublic o Amsterdam, whatever their nationality thats why weshow surtitles in English now, so that we attract visitors and expats,as well as locals.

The theatre company I belong to, Toneelgroep Amsterdam, is areally important part o my lie. It might have been possible to havea bigger movie career i Id ocused solely on lms, but I made aconscious decision to develop mysel within this group, becauseI love it. The 22 actors and the director are at the highest levelpossible.

We move rom the mezzanine into the lovely old lm theatre,with its plush red seats and classic dcor. Halina is in her elementbecause Joost is shooting portrait photographs o her and oronce shes not obliged to talk about her latest project.

Its enjoyable to talk about the city. I mean, you work on somethingor a long time and ater its nished, you have to talk about it orages. Many interviews switch very quickly to the same old stories:Do you have a boyriend, and are you going to have any children?

Bret Easton Ellis was here a couple o weeks ago or a book tourand a group o us went out or dinner with him. He was verydepressed about the tour, saying, Im so over this book, I cant talkabout it any more. He was amazing though. As soon as he was

being interviewed, he did it so well, telling jokes, making the showinteresting. You have to do it, but it can be tiring.

A big moment comes oor a shot while holdingperson rom The Essencesomething new and reswould change about Am

I would change the shogood or me. The anctotally infuenced by oocountries. I you want to unless youre a soccer pthink again

Leidseplein could be diand buses around that a

kept or people to walk ato the theatre and sittingplace in the city.


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SPIEgELSTRAAT

Spiegelis the Dutch word or mirror. Someone who asks Amsterdam to lookinto the mirror and question itsel is anonymous street artist Laser 3.14.


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YOUCANTEMULATEANAMSTERDAM STREETINAGALLERY

Renovation is a recurring sight around Amsterdams streets. A combination o natural renewal, a new metro line and a (successul) bid tobe placed on UNESCOs World Heritage list are all actors in this. And where theres renovation, invariably theres a message rom Laser 3.14.

For a ew years now his tags have appealed to my ascination or wordplay; always a sentence in his amiliar sprayed script, always a thoughtor emotion provoked. Grati can be an annoyance when its on your ront door, but Laser addsto the environment, rather than taking awayrom it.

In act, its almost as i a renovation isnt complete without a Laser 3.14 signature piece. His work has become a part o the architecture andlandscape o Amsterdam.

I read a book about him and discovered that he keeps his identity hidden. More intrigue. I wanted to talk with him about his view oAmsterdam, but how do you get in contact with an anonymous street artist? Hang around a construction site long enough to nd him at work,interrupt and ask, Sorry to bother you, Laser do I call you Laser? but would you be interested in a chat?

Even a secretive artist wants to showcase his work and sure enough, he has a website with a contact email address.

I send him my introduction message and a 10-line summary o this book. In response, I receive the ollowing:

Right. On the one hand, success. On the other what happens next? And whats with the callisto green address?

Ater more, similarly cryptic correspondence, we agree to meet at a ca on a Saturday at lunchtime. However, I still dont know what he lookslike. I wait outside and imagine each passer-by to be him. Is he the colourul, junkie-like hippie? No. The rapper hoody? Think again. The cutegirl in the yellow T-shirt with Fuck Wilders on it? Denitely not.

Finally, a very cool looking gure locks his bike on the corner o the street, strolls towards me and raises his eyebrows (unbeknownst to me,hes seen me beore). With the slightest nod o the head, he indicates that I should go inside. We sit at the back o the ca, and Im ace-to-ace with my anonymous Amsterdam hero.

LASER 3.14

ANONyMOUS STREET ANd gRAPHIC ARTIST

NO FURTHER INFO


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THISCITYISMYCANVAS!

Amsterdam is really my city. I do wantto taste the essence o other cities andmaybe live in London or a year, NewYork or a ew months, but my homebase will always be Amsterdam.

O course, when youre young, youget a bit discontented and thinkabout leaving, but now I eel rootedhere. Its the careree style and theopenness; I really like the reedom wehave. Compare it with any city in theworld and its unique. The best part is

that there are lots o dierent cultures living together seeminglywithout problems. Well, that is changing a bit, but when I grew upthere was hardly any racism. My riends were Italian, Surinamese,Yugoslavian, and we werent concerned about this colour or thatcolour, this country or that country we were just names andpeople, nothing beyond that.

Id expected a hardened, cynical kind o guy because some o Lasers

tags are very conrontational, yet in the rst seconds o our talk,its clear that hes a personable, calmly spoken and sensitive guy. Hetalks avidly about both his graphic and street art.

Its a conscious decision to keep the two separate. When my streetwork began to be noticed, I tried to use the two styles but theydidnt connect. Thats still something Im trying to gure out and itsascinating to try to nd a way.

Plenty o street artists use graphics, but I decided to keep the word-art out in the open and show the graphic art in galleries. Street workbelongs in the street. There are so many elements around you whileyoure looking at it; light, wind, sound, temperature, passers-by. Allthe senses are involved and you cant replicate that in a gallery,which is quiet and static. Street art is universal, because anyone cansee it as they walk around Amsterdam. They dont have to go to agallery; they can see my work on their way to the oce or shops.

Im a big an o Jean Giraud, who has a second persona as the artistMoebius. The two identities create completely separate strands o art

and or years I didnt know it was the same guy. Once I ound out,it made me realise its possible to develop two very dierent artistic

orms and not have them interere with each other.

Ill continue with both these tracks o art as long as I can work withthe same creative re. The moment that diminishes, its time to stop.Otherwise the art becomes lame and the quality declines. For now,Im still having so much un and have many ideas to work with.Sometimes the two art orms infuence each other I might come toa small block with the graphic art, and the word-art will help reemy mind up to fow again.

The tags always come as one complete piece and I dont try to adjustor edit them in case I change the original emotion o the writing.Its very important or me that the emotions are pure and the workexactly refects how I eel at that very moment. I have this huge pileo notes that has developed over time, because when I get an idea,

I need to scribble it down beore its gone. Sometimes an idea lies inthe pile or years and now and again I go through the notes to see ianything has become relevant.

Cycling to the interview, Id seen a tag on a sheet o material wrappedaround some scaolding, at a renovation on Spuistraat. His wordswere at ourth foor level, upside down. How on earth did he do that?

I saw that! It wasnt planned to be so high-up. I wrote it at groundlevel, but I guess the material got re-used or another renovationand suddenly I nd the work in a dierent place. That kind othing happens a lot. Sometimes I might tag across two pieces obuilders board blocking over a window and later the builders willput the pieces in dierent places, leaving my words mixed up, ora hal-sentence behind. I love that because the message becomeseven more surprising, almost by accident. It turns into somethingdynamic, just like the city.

Most o my riends are a bit rustrated with all the renovation aroundAmsterdam, but or Laser, its perect.

This city is my canvas! Every day I develop new ideas or pieces andnd new locations or my work we live in a renovation city.

Part o the appeal o whyour way to work and wa and the next day it couquickly, but I preer the o the ever-changing, evo the art. Its nice to kperiod could be a day, twa corner and nd somethcool! Its still around. I knto dierent renovations winters, but the art has l

Some o Lasers tags are that is as an approach. Imthe current status o Am

My work has become incthe case when I started, very political as a person street art to share a mesyou can provoke the pub

Its hard notto be politicaterrorised by political cohave serious consequencindividuals in power who[RLD] and the coee shbut the original reasonswere about bringing thesenabling a certain amoun

Lets say you close someinto trouble because theinstead will end up in sorights or protection. The

criminal aspect o that aralways better than a rep


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you simply move the problem back into the shadows.

Amsterdams authorities have taken too much notice o a ewwhining complaints rom new inhabitants who came or a quiet lie,rather than embracing the living spirit o the city. The danger is thatit becomes really dicult to compete with other world cities. Theyreputting too many rules onto a place that used to have hardly anyrules and hardly any problems!

Theres a religious aspect too. People whose undamental valuesare not about reedom o lie and speech are coming to live in theNetherlands. I know it takes time or cultures to adapt and integrate,but there is a danger o us being too tolerant o intolerance. Those

who come to live here have to respect the core values o toleranceand we shouldnt accept it i they dont.

New directives are coming or the coee shops, and this seemspointless to me. You can easily argue that marijuana is much lessdangerous than alcohol. Take the number o accidents and violenceas a result o alcohol and compare it with marijuana, and anyonecan see that alcohol is a hundred times more dangerous! I thinkmarijuana should be legalised, with a sensible age limit, maybe 20years old. Amsterdam makes money rom it, as well as rom theRLD closing coee shops and prostitute windows down in order toappear politically correct is negative or the citys economy.

I love the city and eel I have to make a statement when I see things

going in a direction against our history. Rembrandt is uckingburied here, Spinoza was really important or Amsterdam doesntthat tell us something about honouring a legacy o creativity andreethinking?

A mint tea arrives or Laser, a large hot chocolate brimming withcream or me. The contrast is a touch embarrassing. I cant tell youmuch about Laser as I have agreed to keep his identity secret but Ican at least say he seems a healthy guy who works out.

Inevitably we begin talking about his anonymity and whether itsa practical decision or related to his intentions as an artist. Withsome hesitation, I raise the possibility that Laser was infuenced intoanonymity by the success o English street artist Banksy.

O course I know o him, but its just coincidence. While he wasbecoming amous, I was developing my graphic work and had noreal connection to the street art world. When I started doing thesentences, I made the decision to take the identity o Laser 3.14. Twoor three years later, a riend showed me some o Banksys stu

I thought it was interesting! Nevertheless, my work and decision tobe anonymous are unrelated to him.

ITSPARTOFTHE

EVER-CHANGING,

EVER-EVOLVING

CITY

What I do is technically illegal, because you cant apply paint on anysurace in the city even though I try to add to the environment bydoing my work where there is some chaos already. But my anonymityis basically because o the art. I want to stay in the background andlet my work speak or itsel.

Ive seen some artists sitting next to their pieces, being photographedwhile talking about them. For me, that takes the power away, becauseoten they over-explain. They can look like used-car salesmen!Ive decided to avoid my discontent with that. Some artists can bebrilliant at explanation and are characters in themselves, but I dont

see mysel that way.Mystery has always been special or me. Growing up, my kid brotherand I used to listen to pirate radio a lot, and we loved the new rapmusic that was developing in the 80s. We didnt know anythingabout how these guys looked and that made it even more powerul.You start imagining, These guys in New York, where are they from?How old are they? What do they wear? I nd the eect much strongeri your own imagination is brought into play and thats why I decidedto include that into my own approach to art.

The 3.14 part o my pseudonym is a reerence to a 45-inch singleI bought years ago by the band Public Image Limited - the B-sidewas simply called Public Image. I took the mathematical idea thatthe initials o that song make up as the concept behind my persona.

At this stage I admit to Laser that Id expected him to be much morehard-nosed.

Well, sometimes you do have to grab the audience by the balls. I likesubtlety, but at times you have to be clear and direct. Some will like

it and some wont, and you cant ocus on those who dont like it.At some stage in the development o my work, I decided: I will not

compromise on anythi

your real sel. Im humlovey-dovey phase som

Not compromising is artists doing what theyat some stage about ngood job at the end owell but I hated it! Awas totally non-artistic

I let the job and got couple o years, but I wdoing my tags. I said tto do, make my art. Na

came round to the idea

These days I get commlike De Laatste Dichterswanted some grati ior the set and or promo my street art.

Another Amsterdam Lasers book Are You Re

Ater a couple o yeaphotographs and thougdummy and sent it to ame or I never heard aLightstone rom the Atold me, I know a lot ostreet art, so I dont kno

We agreed to put a dum

on it. Ater displaying Monday to tell me that through, and many wahead, ound a publishup looking totally diepage with a poem on owas very stylish, but wuse poetry because it cpoetry or street art boo

Finally we reached the about Amsterdam and and environment, the aresult.

Whats the essence o Awant to be here. I donor i they do, I dont hbut it is myessence.


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