When (and where) would you go in a time machine?

[Mark]

Suspend reality for a few moments and ask yourself when and where you'd travel to if you had a time machine. You're welcome to suggest times and places in the future, but I think it would be more interesting to see which part(s) of the past you'd explore.

For me, I'd go back to early Edwardian Britain. The Golden Age of the detective novel. The roaring '20s and stylish (if depressed) '30s. The time of Jeeves and Wooster, tea at the Ritz and jolly jaunts in the old jalopy down to Sussex for a spot of strawberries and cream. And, of course, for the chance to hear the music of that time being performed by those for whom it was contemporary. I'd probably dress like Poirot, be really eccentric and use phrases like, 'What ho!' and 'Rum idea'.

What about you lot?

[Mozart]

June 22, 1818

[Mark]

June 22, 1818

Random date? Or specific occurrence?

[Mozart]

It seems like it would have been a jolly day no? Id rather go far into the future and be considered a primitive ape. Anytime but now and anywhere but here. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Then again would a time machine send you into your own past? Its too contradictory. Maybe someone can invent a parallel universe machine to go into other dimensions, but not into your own. What if you killed a butterfly?

Haha reminds of that episode of the simpson:
H:Marge dear, would you give me a donut?
M:Whats a donut?
H:NOOOO!!!!!
(He runs back into the time machine.)
M: oh look its raining (donuts fall from the sky)
ahahaha

[Kullervo]

Vienna, 1900

[Mark]

Vienna, 1900

Why?

[Mark G. Simon]

I'd go to Ainola, Sibelius' house, in 1945 on the day he gathered up all his manuscripts, and I'd stand in front of the fireplace.

[Mark]

I'd go to Ainola, Sibelius' house, in 1945 on the day he gathered up all his manuscripts, and I'd stand in front of the fireplace.

Great answer.

[Kullervo]

Why?

It just seems like such a heady time. This was the Vienna of Klimt, Mahler, the Ringstrasse, café concerts, etc etc. Art was flourishing, new things were happening all the time. It was a time when people actually cared about art.

[lukeottevanger]

I'd go to Ainola, Sibelius' house, in 1945 on the day he gathered up all his manuscripts, and I'd stand in front of the fireplace.

I'd join you there, but only after I'd zipped back to the autumn of 1935 and followed Berg around with a fly swat; and that only after I'd hung around Hukvaldy in the summer of 1928 looking out for runaway children...[wash your minds out!]

[AnthonyAthletic]

Bannockburn Field, 1314.

Take back 400 Uzi's & Destroy Robert the Bruce & the Mike Knight Clan 

Its still a bitter point you know!!

More likely than not, 1890 till 1911 and become a Mahler groupie.  Try and put a few concerts on for him in the UK...but would that change the course of history?

Of course I could go back to 1666 Pudding Lane and stop the Great Fire of London, as I got out of the timeship, it was I who knocked over the oil lamp!!!  If I hadn't gone back to 1666 there would have been no FIRE?  Hey, if I don't go back and knock that oil lamp over, London will be hit by the plague and it will wipe 'em all out...  THIS IS SOME SORT OF PARADOX...I FORGET WHICH ONE LoL

[Drasko]

How about this:

Being born (filthy rich) at 1880 somewhere with nice climate, lets say Barcelona. Being raised there watching along the rise of Gaudi. At the turn of the century moving to Vienna (where else), eating Sachertorte at Demel's, watching Klimt and Schiele at work and of course having a box at the State Opera watching Mahler conduct, at nights being rather naughty which would then make the morning visits to Dr. Freud a necessity. Occasional visits to Paris for the exhibitions (and Moulin Rouge) go without saying. In 1914 at the outbrake of WWI moving to Russia, let's say St.Petersburg, spending next few years there during pre-revolutionary turmoil attending for instance the opening of The Last Futurist Exhibition (30.12.'15) with Malevich in major role. Wisely avoiding Rasputin's evil eye and Tatlin's futile ideas about silly looking towers move out in let's say 1917, for a few years round trip through the middle east for instance (but stopping shortly in Paris to attend opening of the Modigliani's Nudes before the police close it down due to unacceptable amount of pubic hair shown to blushing Parisian public). After several years smoking funny pipes in Damascus and Baghdad return to Europe in the 20s. Where else but in Berlin. Spending the next decade there, days sleeping, evenings at the Kroll Oper watching premieres of Die Dreigroschen and Oedipus Rex under the baton of Klemperer, and nights of course at the Cabarets (some of the days would actually be spent at some hospital or other, treating clap, but well, some minor unpleasanteries can't really be avoided). With the rise of the austrian aquarellist it's time for another round trip, this time let's say South America in company of Erich Kleiber. After some time in Buenos Aires, listening to Gardel (before the tragic plane crash in 1935), dancing tango and coversing with Borges (not mentioning quilombos) move north toward Mexico, admiring Rivera painting murals and drinking large amounts of tequila with Silvestre Revueltas, much less with Lev Bronstein (just evoking some Petersburg days), when both poor guys bite the dust in 1940 (of too much tequila and much less lead) it's time to move again. Spending 1940s and 50s alternating between New York and pre-Castro Havana. I'd say spending more time in Havana (nicer climate, if you know what I mean) but not having season tickets for Mitropoulos era Philharmonic is unimaginable. 1960 time for the final move, across the US to Los Angeles to spend the rest of ones days sipping tea with Stravinsky and warming ones rheumatism (and other stuff picked along the way) at warm Californian sun..........       

[Mark]

How about this:

Being born (filthy rich) at 1880 somewhere with nice climate, lets say Barcelona. Being raised there watching along the rise of Gaudi. At the turn of the century moving to Vienna (where else), eating Sachertorte at Demel's, watching Klimt and Schiele at work and of course having a box at the State Opera watching Mahler conduct, at nights being rather naughty which would then make the morning visits to Dr. Freud a necessity. Occasional visits to Paris for the exhibitions (and Moulin Rouge) go without saying. In 1914 at the outbrake of WWI moving to Russia, let's say St.Petersburg, spending next few years there during pre-revolutionary turmoil attending for instance the opening of The Last Futurist Exhibition (30.12.'15) with Malevich in major role. Wisely avoiding Rasputin's evil eye and Tatlin's futile ideas about silly looking towers move out in let's say 1917, for a few years round trip through the middle east for instance (but stopping shortly in Paris to attend opening of the Modigliani's Nudes before the police close it down due to unacceptable amount of pubic hair shown to blushing Parisian public). After several years smoking funny pipes in Damascus and Baghdad return to Europe in the 20s. Where else but in Berlin. Spending the next decade there, days sleeping, evenings at the Kroll Oper watching premieres of Die Dreigroschen and Oedipus Rex under the baton of Klemperer, and nights of course at the Cabarets (some of the days would actually be spent at some hospital or other, treating clap, but well, some minor unpleasanteries can't really be avoided). With the rise of the austrian aquarellist it's time for another round trip, this time let's say South America in company of Erich Kleiber. After some time in Buenos Aires, listening to Gardel (before the tragic plane crash in 1935), dancing tango and coversing with Borges (not mentioning quilombos) move north toward Mexico, admiring Rivera painting murals and drinking large amounts of tequila with Silvestre Revueltas, much less with Lev Bronstein (just evoking some Petersburg days), when both poor guys bite the dust in 1940 (of too much tequila and much less lead) it's time to move again. Spending 1940s and 50s alternating between New York and pre-Castro Havana. I'd say spending more time in Havana (nicer climate, if you know what I mean) but not having season tickets for Mitropoulos era Philharmonic is unimaginable. 1960 time for the final move, across the US to Los Angeles to spend the rest of ones days sipping tea with Stravinsky and warming ones rheumatism (and other stuff picked along the way) at warm Californian sun..........      

A brilliant post. I applaud your effort!

[Haffner]

I would have found Austria in 1910 to have been fascinating...Arnold Schoenberg had by then made his cojones quite apparent, and everything must have been so exciting! I could have also been one of the primary espousers of Mahler as a composer, as opposed to "just" a magnificent conductor.

[Greta]

When is easy, c. 1890. What an exciting time. You come up on Mahler and Strauss coming into their own, as well as Sibelius.

Where? I'll go with Britain, because of Elgar, Holst, and later Vaughan Williams.

[SimonGodders]

Bannockburn Field, 1314.

Take back 400 Uzi's & Destroy Robert the Bruce & the Mike Knight Clan 

Its still a bitter point you know!!

LOL!

I have a similar fantasy about 1066, turning up with modern weaponry and denying the Norman bastard the throne of England...

[mahlertitan]

the day before the time machine was first invented, and kill the inventor guy, why? I just want to see whether or not i will disappear because of that.

[Tancata]

I suppose being an independently-wealthy dilletante at any time in the last few hundred years would have been excellent from a musical point of view. So I might go back to Leipzig in the 1720s/30s, or perhaps travel around Europe in the last decade of that century. Either way, I'd bring a supply of modern medicine and perhaps an eye doctor or two.

But TBH, if I had a time machine I'd go foward. We already know what happened in the past, but we'll never see the future without one. IF we don't die out in the next little while, there are certainly very interesting times ahead. Probably the best times we've ever had.

[Hollywood]

Heiligenstadt (Vienna) in May 1802.

I have been living in Vienna now for almost 14 years and the last 8 of those years here in Heiligenstadt. If there was such a thing as a time machine my first trip was always going to be to Heiligenstadt in 1802 to hopefully make the acquaintance of my favorite composer, Ludwig van Beethoven. He was living in Heiligenstadt from April to October 1802 at #13 Herrengasse (now #6 Probusgasse) where he composed his symphony #2 and also wrote his emotional "Heiligenstadt Testament". I love Heiligenstadt and to be able to actually meet Beethoven would be very interesting to say the least. Maybe we could take long walks together through the Vienna Woods up to Kahlenberg where you can see the city of Vienna and the Danube River  below. I still take walks like this myself nowadays but I think it would be much more interesting to have Beethoven along for company.


My favorite portrait of Beethoven at this time:


The Heiligenstadt Testament Haus:

[Mozart]

How about into your own past? That seems more interesant.