Brian Ritchie, MONA FOMA curator and bassist with Violent Femmes
ROME, ITALY
The Eternal City is particularly enticing when it's not eternal. I lived briefly in Rome in an apartment just outside St Peter's Square. I was compelled to walk through the square every day to get to the subway. Rome is full of art, architecture, parks, ruins, obelisks, and statuary, not to mention ristoranti, trattorie and bars. I learned that every day could be filled with beauty and my stomach and liver could be filled with pleasure. That has been a philosophy that has carried on regardless of location.
RESOLUTE BAY, CANADA
In 1996 Violent Femmes played the northernmost gig in rock history at the magnetic North Pole. According to the local press (circulation 100) we blew the Red Hot Chili Peppers off the stage. We insisted upon inviting the Inuit locals to the show. Originally this was not planned because the sponsor of the gig was a beer company and they planned to make it a private party to circumvent the dry laws. We ended up partying with the locals, sans alcohol. Things learned on this gig: 1.If you stick with music long enough it may take you anywhere on the planet. 2. People are the same everywhere.
KYOTO, JAPAN
I was practicing Buddhism when work took me to Kyoto. The wabi-sabi aesthetic of Kyoto temples and gardens made a big impact upon my frame of mind. Ryoanji, from the 15th century, is the oldest of the dry rock gardens. There are 15 rocks, and you can't see all of them from any angle of the viewing platform. Staring at that for some hours, I resolved to seek a pathway into Japanese culture. I started studying shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) eventually reaching the rank of Shihan.
KATARAGAMA, SRI LANKA
This temple complex, in southern Sri Lanka, is remarkable for being shared by Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim worshippers. Only the pesky Christians refuse to get in on the syncretic fun. Murugan Kovil, the Hindu temple, has a daily ceremony where the public enters a room filled with thousands of bells. For a set period of time, everyone bangs on the bells. This is said to drive away evil spirits. This is the loudest music I've ever heard, and I am a punk musician. It rewired my brain. Loud is good.
TASMANIA
I had a job at the Milwaukee Public Library sorting books. Several books by and about Errol Flynn crossed my desk. I became fascinated with the actor and resolved to visit his birthplace of Tasmania someday. I played music there a few times. Then my wife Varuni was sent to collect insects at the behest of the American Museum of Natural History. We decided to move to Tasmania, where many wondrous experiences awaited us.
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