Bill’s dancehall in Bilbao, Bilbao, Bilbao
Was the most beautiful on the whole continent
There for one dollar you could get noise and pleasure,
noise and pleasure, noise and pleasure
And what the world calls its own.
But if you would have walked in there
I’m not sure whether you care for that sort of thing:
There was brandy and laughter wherever you sat
And the grass grew through the dance floor
And the green moon shone through the roof.
The music there - they really gave you your money’s
worth!

Joe, play that old music
That old BIlbao moon
There love was worthwhile!
That old Bilbao moon
He was used to Brazilian cigars
That old Bilbao moon
I’ve said it often
That old Bilbao moon
He never held me down
I’m not so sure you would have liked it - still
It was the most beautiful!
It was the most beautiful!
It was the most beautiful!
In the world!

Bill’s dancehall in Bilbao, Bilbao, Bilbao
On a day in May in ‘08
There came from Frisco four guys with gold bags,
gold bags, gold bags,
And they did something with us then!
If you would have been there
I’m not sure at all whether you would have cared for that
sort of thing.
Oh, there was brandy and laughter wherever you sat
And the grass grew through the dance floor
And the green moon shone through the roof.
And you could hear the four guys popping off their pistols.
Are you a hero?
Well, try do the same!
That old Bilbao moon
There where love was worthwhile!

That old Bilbao moon
He was used to Brazilian cigars
That old Bilbao moon
I’ve said it often
That old Bilbao moon
He never held me down
I’m not so sure you would have liked it - still
It was the most beautiful!
It was the most beautiful!
It was the most beautiful!
In the world!

Bill’s dancehall in Bilbao, Bilbao, Bilbao
Now it’s renovated and very phony
With palms and ice cream - very ordinary,
very ordinary, very ordinary.
Just like any other establishment.
If you would sail in this very moment
It’s quite possible you would like it
Unfortunately I have no fun with that
No grass is growing through the dance floor
And the green moon has been cancelled.
The kind of music they play there now
- you’d be ashamed of it

Joe, play that old-time music
That old Bilbao moon
Oh, how did it go?
He used to smoke Brazilian cigars
Oh, I’ve forgotten the words.
There where love still dwells
It’s been so long ago
I’m not so sure you would have liked it - still
It was the most beautiful!
It was the most beautiful!
It was the most beautiful!
In the world!

Lotte Lenya sang denne. Tror den hører hjemme i Brechts De sju dødssynder. Storbyen som synd er jo et topos hos de fleste forfattere og tenkere, men hos Brecht får industribyen Bilbao tvert i mot en aura av ekte liv. Det er hva jeg tidligere har kalt "the tough city". "Frisco" som det assosieres til, hvor pistolmennene kommer fra, er det samme San Frantzisco som jeg bor i nå. Akkurat som for 99 år siden, da det var en typisk arbeidsinnvandringsbydel, er det per i dag det mest kriminelle området sentralt i byen, med opsjon på dopomsetning, horetrafikk og annen kriminell aktivitet. Jeg har vært i nærheten av "the tough city", men tross alt brukt mest tid på det nye Bilbao. Som Brecht skrev om den nye byen i sin "Bilbao Song" fra 1908: It’s renovated and very phony. Men likevel tror jeg Bilbao må være en av de viktigste byene i verden å studere nærmere i dag. For byen har vanskelig for å gi slipp på sin tøffe side samtidig som den gjerne vil åpne opp seg opp for turister. Og i baklomma har byen en baskisk kulturtradisjon, den eldste i Europa, og en kollektiv demokrati- og identitetshistorie som Bilbao både åpner opp og truer med sin kulturelle nysatsing. Bilbao har vært utklekkingsanstalt ikke bare for baskisk nasjonalisme, men også for spansk sosialisme. De ekstreme nasjonalistene i ETA ville for sin del sprenge Jeff Koons Puppy i lufta under åpningen av Guggenheim-museet for 8 år siden, men attentatet ble avslørt, en politimann dessverre drept. Det er riktig å si at både intelligentsiaen, fagforeningene og akademisk elite har vært skeptisk til byrenoveringen og signalbyggsatsingen med arkitektstjerner, men i dag synes de fleste å ha et mer positivt syn på den nye vendingen i byens historie. Det skal bli en sentral del av mitt kommende bokprosjekt å åpne opp Bilbao-prosessen for en norsk allmennhet, og diskutere vendingens innhold, retning og potensiale.