How much longer must we tolerate mass culture?

For the Dedicated

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:05:14 -0700

Continueing with short reviews:

This is what it says: some live performances by the Clash. If you're a hardcore Clash fan(as I am) this'll be worth your 15 bucks, no problem. If you're just curious, i'd start with Westway to the world. Still, The Clash were primarily a band, not a production, and not an Art project. You can just listen to records of productions and Art projects, bands should be seen, and heard, preferably live and in person, but if that's unavailable (as is the case with the Clash, then a Live DVD is necessary.

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Dharma Crash

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Sun, 11 May 2008 20:51:39 -0700

Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs

So, this might seem a bit too insular for a blog post, but bear with me.

This book is an "Oral Biography" of the punk rock singer Darby Crash, who died at 22, in the early 1980's. I happen to know some of the same people as Darby did, and met Jan Paul Beahm (the real person behind the persona) a few times. That's why I read this book. Just to see what some people i knew had to say.

First universal truth: EVERYONE has an agenda. Even if they don't know it. We all have some angle, some desire to see'our way' triumph, and because of this:

second universal truth: We all have faulty memories. We'll remember slights against us as more important than they are, and we'll remember our triumphs as bigger than they were.

So, i wasn't looking for accuracy. But, I got insight, and it was unexpected.

See, I said I knew these people, I didn't say they were friends to me. No, many of the people I knew that appear in these pages out-and-out hated me, and I can't say I was too fond of them. But the insight came from facts: almost universally, these people were fresh out of the ISP program at University High in Beverly Hills, California. At that program, in that school, the majority of the curriculum was based upon Scientology and E.S.T. I never bought into either of those, and think both are shams. Now that's just what I think, so don't get all offended if you really, really believe in that stuff. But, the reason why I don't like either one is that they seem to me to be a system of control. Brainwashing, perhaps, though I don't truly believe in such a thing. But, hearing that these kids were upper middle class kids raised in these philosophies goes a long way towards explaining why they and I never got along.

Another insight is how above the rest of us these people still hold themselves to be. See, that was their beef with people like me, and with me: they viewed us as lumpen proles. In their eyes we're capable oflittle more than animal functions. More than once they describe us as subhumans whostink and cannot be reasoned with, and ruin things for no better reason than it's "our nature'. It's all because of which neighborhood we were raised in, and our fashion choices. So, here's a little insight in return: if you view yourself as oh-so-above other people, and you mock them, don't be surprised when they rise up and strike back! If you say "Oh, I hate all redheads because they're stupid and violent", don't be too shocked when a redhead backhands you, and laughs. You want to know why your precious little club got torn down? It's because you built too many walls, and not enough doors.

Some of these people even espoused fascism, and still do! That included Darby Crash.But, here's the problem with that: just like the rabble strung Mussolini up, just like Ceauşescu had his followers turn rabid on him, in the end they'll turn on you. It's one of the things i like about humanity: eventually we'll turn on any cultof personality. Eventually the mob will have its way. Now, Darby committed suicide, but that was just a final attempt to assert control. That was him saying that he could still define his own life. He didn't realize what the rest of us rabble knew all along: either you find a place, or one will be assigned to you.

So, while this started as just some personal research, it did end up relaying another universal truth: Like it or not, we're ALL just another one of us.

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Perspective on the highway

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Sat, 10 May 2008 04:50:12 -0700

Vanishing Point

I've heard people call this movie an "Art Film for Motorheads". I don't know if I completely agree.

See, it's a very well done movie with a plot so simple I can describe it in a sentence: A man, delivering a 1970 Challenger to San francisco evades the police for mysterious reasons. For the most part, the movie is a car chase. However, that's not all it is. It's also a road movie, much like Easy Rider, where our herohas a chance to both show us the scenery, and we might get some insight into life's rich tapestry, and what not. But, really, there's relatively little dialog. There's some Monologues from a blind DJ who serves as a kind of guide, but mostly this is a movie that is almost purely visual. In fact, I think you could turn the sound off and have a satisfying experience.

But, my first real hint as to what this film really is struck me when I discovered that Viggo Mortenson played the lead in the remake of this film. Because who is more manly than Viggo? That's what this film really is: a man's movie. Like a man, it's about action, not words. Details are given as necessary to complete the job at hand. The story, such as it is, is existential. The mansimply wants to live his life as he sees fit, and everything else is just a problem to be solved.

So, an Art film? Well, only if you think of life as Art. A film for Motorheads? Well, it helps if you truly enjoy cars and motorcycles, and other big machines, but that's not fully necessary. You just have to be willing to see life as a highway.

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Surrealnatural

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:51:51 -0700

Cemetery Man

What to say about Cemetary Man? First, in all caps: THIS IS THE MOST SURREAL MOVIE I CAN STAND TO WATCH. Why in all caps? Because i want you to remember that above all else.

It's a zombie movie about a undertaker who's not too happy with his job.It's also about Death and love. Basically, the hard part is figuring out what the heck is going on. Is this an exceptionally naive town with an undertaker stretched to the breaking point with death? Is this real? Supernatural? Or is it Art?

Basically, imagine if Luis Bunuel made a zombie/gore film. You're not so far off. Hence, it's a surrealnatural tale of love, and the things we do for it, and how powerful that desire is.

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Helpful Hints

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Wed, 07 May 2008 16:04:40 -0700

Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan

Lisa Katayama

That's what this book is. It's a japanese book of helpful hints, written in English. Why go to the japanese for helpful hints? Because I've heard what us westerners do. I'd like some insights from somewhere else. Besides which, life is too complicated to not accept some helpful hints, wherever they come from.

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And the Reviews start

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:54:41 -0700

Reside

The Effigies

Here you go. An excellent new (ish) CD from a classic Chicago band. The Effigies always made smart, aggressive rock music, but always different from what you might expect. They're not exactly punk, they're not exactly metal, they're not exactly New Wave, but you can hear bits of all of that. They're not liberal, they're not typically conservative, but they clearly have a worldview, equally informed by tradition and progress.

Maybe iit's better if you hear them say it.

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Presents

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:37:28 -0700

Stuff I got:

Naked Raygun: What Poor Gods We Do Make: the Story & Music Behin

The Future Is Unwritten

Joe Strummer

All Rise

Naked Raygun

Feasting on Asphalt: The Complete First Season

(Actually i got season two, but i couldn't find a photo of it on Amazon)

El Mariachi (Special Edition)

Rage - 20 Years of Punk Rock, West Coast Style

Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey

Chuck Palahniuk

There's more to come. This is just a start....

And more->

Live Revolution Rock

Lexicon Devil: The Fast Times and Short Life of Darby Crash and the Germs

(Hey, it's not often that they write biographies of people I know. Even less often do they interview other friends of mine)

And still more:

Vanishing Point

Cemetery Man

Urawaza: Secret Everyday Tips and Tricks from Japan

Lisa Katayama

Reside

The Effigies

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I totally understand why you might not finish reading this.

nobody@vox.com(Maxvan) — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:27:31 -0700

From yesterday:

So, I’m warning you now, this entry will be a mess. I’m just tired of not putting anything up because I’ve got too much going on. I reckon this was meant first and foremost as a kind of diary, so I might as well show everybody just how disorganized I am.
Anyway, so, today’s my birthday. It’s been a harsh day, and it’s not over, yet. Well, a harsh day by my life’s standards. I am fully cognizant that by many, many standards, my life is superb. I’m not trying to claim any victim status, by a long shot.
Basically, I just got called to do a lot of extra work so my bosses could go play. That might sound like a bitter exaggeration. It’s honestly just a recounting. My entire management team decided to go off and play golf today and tomorrow, and left me with their responsibilities. While I suppose I could celebrate my importance in being given such accountability, I know that it will not translate into benefits. This is because they have expressed many times that they are aware that they are above the rest of us, and therefore deserve more prestige and perks. If they happen to take vacation days en masse, and on the same day as they introduce two new major programs, and it just so happens to be my birthday, well, that’s what I’m here for. So, while I don’t mean this as simply a complaint, my issue is this: that this kind of a relationship is the natural expression of our business system. We are encouraged to view those whom we pay for services as less than ourselves. Whether you’re talking about a prostitute, or a doctor, you are encouraged to think of yourself above them. It’s related to what Marx called the alienation of labor. In that idea, Marx is saying that we view ourselves as separate and distinct from virtually everything we do because we are paid for our labor. But, what does that leave for us? Do we become simply our paycheck? Do we become the things we buy with that paycheck? Am I a different person from my Boss because I drive a Kia and he drives a Lexus? Am I a different person because his house has 5000 square feet more than mine? It’s this sort of thinking that led him inexorably to communism. The idea was, inevitably, humans search for identity and meaning. If capitalism, and its system of buying and selling things, including people’s time and labor, leads to inadequate answers about who and what we are, then, we will seek out alternatives. He thought we’d seek out a more equitable solution, hence, he came to communism. I’m more cynical than Karl Marx. Then, again, I’ve got over a century’s worth of additional history to count, as well. I don’t think we’re looking for something more humane, and equitable. I think we’re just looking for something that seems about right. So, we stubbornly cling to notions that we are both what we do, and what we have, depending upon the scenario, but the bottom line, is money. We crunch the numbers. So, if you’ve got more than your doctor, your doctor is a schlub, to you. If you’ve got more than your employees, well, then, you’ve got every right to view them as subordinate to you, in every way, because you’re more of a person than them. All is right with your world, and you don’t even think enough of the next guy’s world to not care about it.
Well, I’m trying to be a little better about that, in myself. To realize and recognize that I’ve got a heck of a lot more going for me, in my life than many have in theirs. Beyond the cliché starving kids in Africa, I have a lot more than even my Bosses, because one of the things I have is the good graces of people and powers much greater than myself. To give you a really simple explanation, let’s look at my wife. She is kind and good to me, and yet, she is more patient, more rational, and more noble than I ever have been. She also earns more money than me, and probably counts for more in this world than me. That such a person is good and kind to me counts more in my favor than any paycheck or car. So, again, I’m not complaining that my day has been made harsh by the indifference and disregard of my Bosses. I’m commenting on an inadequacy of the system they believe in. I still think that there is an answer in all this, but I don’t believe that many will take up that answer. If I were to have a complaint, it would be about that. That so few of us (me, included) are willing to lift our heads up and try to discover something better.
This kind of thinking extends beyond economics, though. I really do try to always recognize the humanity of everyone. I don’t mean in some kind of sappy “Everyone is Beautiful” kind of way. What I mean is that I try to recognize that there are things we do, as people, that are fairly constant. Most people, for example, like to feel important. At least, important enough to warrant some deference, some basic social niceties. So, I try to maintain some decorum. Another example; very, very few people think of themselves as “Evil”. At most, they’ll think they are “bad” in the sense of being incompetent, or weak, in the sense that an alcoholic thinks of themselves as susceptible to drink. So, no matter how wicked the act, I look for where the rationalization lies. Even Charlie Manson finds some excuse for his own acts. Most people think they are reasonable, fair minded and sinning less than they are sinned against. So, I try to disregard that in myself. After all, when even George Bush can look at himself and say “I’m a good man”, doesn’t that discount the merits of such self-analysis? Instead, I try to look at things in terms of how the “other guy” might see it. I’m not looking for approval, though, either. I’m looking for the closest I can come to objectivity. I also recognize that we live our lives in a certain state of benign neglect: most folks don’t think about us twice, if they think of us at all. So, I try to not be too self-important. I don’t know if this is clear at all, but what I am saying is that I try to recognize that we’re all schlubs, down here. We’re neither angels nor demons. Only Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, and my wife are saints. I guess you could call it the tangent to the golden rule: understand others as they might understand you.
Another way this kind of thinking drives me is that I am trying to give over my little bit towards creating that world that only exists in my head. You know, that world that’s in ecological balance, where people live in dignity, honor, and peace, and where such values matter more. I don’t believe I’ll ever see that world, but I do what little I can to help nurture such hopes.

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