ABC (Oh! Those Disco Eighties!)

It's funny to see how so many bands and artists who where once pretty famous and succesful have not only stopped playing, but have also disappeared from the public eye. Even the fans of 'the olden days' never play their records anymore; often the listener's musical taste has changed over the years or the listener has grown up and does not listen to music much at all anymore. It is after all not easy to enjoy music while three kids are screaming in the background. Well, not unless you are listening to noisy old stuff by let's say Magma of Gamma or Einsturzende Neubauten.

Also very often the members of the band have gone on to raise some kids and find 'a real job' and reappear years later as mystery guest on some stupid quiz show, in the cause destroying whatever little credibility they still had. I remember a feeling of shock when I saw Mike Lindup as a mystery guest on 'Never Mind The Bollocks'. This was the main writer and keyboard player of Level 42! How on Earth could he be persuaded to annihilate his artistic stature by becoming one of the many people trying to make a quick buck?
Of course those thoughts only meant that I valued his 'image' more than the man himself. It meant that he was living in the present more than I was. It also meant that I was a complete idiot and that I should readjust before I grew really really old. Yet still, the feeling that such an artist could demean himself and his legacy remained, albeit completely unjustified.

Some band have weathered the times quite well; I heard Depeche Mode the other day and they are still pretty damned good. But most of the band from the 80ies and 90ies have disappeared into the abyss of obscurity.

I came across one of those bands again the other day. They were called ABC and they came from England. These guys specialized in writing and playing songs about love. Actually, most of the time, well... as good as always, this love would be unrequited.
The band played a British disco-kind of music that was very much En Vogue in the 80ies yet they had a twist in the music and the lyrics. One the one hand, the music was produced and directed by a very young Trevor Horn of The Buggles who had just scored an immense hit with 'Video Killed The Radio Stars'. Horne had set up a team of three people(An Dudley, J.J. Jeczalic and Trevor Horn) with whom he would work together through the 80ies and score massive hits. The team was behind acts like Frankie Goes To Hollywood. So the next time you hear 'Relax', 'Two Tribes' or anything from 'Welcome to the Pleasure Dome' listen carefully. The similarities in production technique between ABC's 'Lexicon Of Love' and 'Welcome to the Pleasure Dome' are obvious.

What I personally particularly liked in ABC were their lyrics. Not because they were outstanding, poetic, meaningful or in any other way made for Eternity because they were not. What ABC did on 'The Lexicon Of Love' however, was to write a whole album of lyrics solely about unrequited love, affairs going badly, and people leaving each other in bad ways. I remember the inner sleeve of the record(this was the vinyl-era people!); both sides of the sleeve contained some credits and all the lyrics but these lyrics had a twist. Because the band had basically written a concept-album(without attaching too much significance to it) they were able to throw all the lines from all the song in a hat, rummage around a bit, and by probably pulling pieces of paper(i.e. songlines) out again they created a completely new and very long lyric that covered the whole album. It became somewhat of a puzzle that you could solve while listening to the tracks.

The songs themselves were dominated by the use of loads of keyboards, heavy electronic Simmons drums and a very funky brass section. Oh and Lots and Lots and Lots of samplers... Mr. Horne had recently acquired a Fairlight CMI sampler and anyone who knows that instrument also knows that the possibilities were endless. It was basically a mainframe computer with a piano-keyboard attached. Your mind was the limit to what you could do with it. It also cost over 100.000 euros so there weren't so many around and that made the sound quite uniquely recognizable.

Their first album went by quite unnoticed but their second album 'The Lexicon Of Love' contained the hitsongs '(Shoot That) Poison Arrow' and 'The Look Of Love'. Other songs worth noting were '4Ever 2Gether'(with an extremely sub low bass vocoder) and 'Show Me' :

When I'm shaking a hand
I am clenching a fist
If you gave me a pound
for the moments I missed
And I got dancing lessons
for all the lips I should have kissed
I'd be a millionaire
I'd be Fred Astaire

I saw these guys around the time of this album in 1981 and they were absolutely brilliant at what they did on stage. More so because no one believed(including me) that a 'plastic pop band' like ABC would be able to perform all the complex arrangements live. The band(that basically consisted of only four member and did not even have a fixed bass player!) solved their problems by taking to the road with a 12 persons band, including five ladies on violin, a guy on the cello and two keyboard players! All dressed in Tuxedo they took the phrase 'incorrect' to a new level. While the New Wave bands and the post-punk bands were playing around the corner, here were some people in evening dresses playing sophisticated disco-pop while the stage lights went from baby blue to baby pink halfway through the concert. It was so kitch that it sort of pained the eyes. Which in turn of course made it fun to watch.

New Wave it wasn't...

By the time they recorded their third album 'Beauty Stab' ABC had changed their style somewhat. Much more emphasis was put on the guitar parts which really made the album sound a lot more like rock. Even so, the album was absolutely 'ABC', one could hear the style from a mile away. Perhaps this also had something to do with the fact that the guitarist was also the keyboard player...

Love's just the gimmick
a mime or a mimic
That makes sex seem respectable
Make you feel more than a dream holding me
Holding me, holding me, holding me

Lips that seem so kissable
Unpermissible unzippable Unzip!
Why take pleasure in censorship
Unzip! Unzip! Unzip!

I must admit that I lost track of them(as so many people did) after their fourth and most successful album 'Alphabet City'. It's probably because the albums after that one did not contain any real hits so the airplay went down. Also; this was around about the time that bands like U2 and Nirvana stormed the charts and R&B became really big, so it may have a been musical generations thing. Still, 'Alphabet City' was an extremely succesful album that spun the hits 'When Smokey Sings', 'The Night You Murdered Love' and 'King Without A Crown' :

Welcome to the Great Republic
I guess I should show you 'round
Where once I was a King
but now I am a clown

The love that we once had
made a King of me
But now you're gone
and all I face is poverty

ABC still plays live concerts off and on. I have no need or any urge to go and see them because I know I would be disappointed if I did. Some things should be left alone in the dark. But once upon a time they were a great band.

Found somewhere on The Web...

The problem is something 'bout your clothes, she said to me
The red shirt and the stripeless sleeves yell, "I'm Security!"
And when you get down planet-side with Kirk, you'll get to see
There must be fifty ways to kill an ensign

He takes a landing party down to find what's going on
A couple of the bridge crew, and some extras come along
And then before you know it - the `expendables' are gone
There must be fifty ways to kill an ensign
Fifty ways to kill an ensign

Just step on a rock, Jock
Get thorns from some plants, Lance
A Horta can spray, Ray
Just listen to me
Clouds drink up your blood, Bud
Computers can kill, Bill
You could lose all your salt, Walt
Kirk gets away free...

She said it grieves me so to see you with such nerves
Not ev'ryone who goes with Kirk will suffer from this curse
But then of course, you must recall - they sometimes suffer WORSE
There must be fifty ways...

Just tell him, "I'm not stupid and I'm not expendable
I'm not going!" Tell him that he's a Denebian slime devil
And he's overbearing, swaggering, and dictatorial
He'll find a new way to kill an ensign
Fifty-one ways to kill an ensign

The Railroad Barons of the 19th century

I found this article via via via etcetera. Interesting read re. the 14th Amendment and the way it has been/is being abused. The article is from 2002 but this kind of information does not really expire...

...the railroad barons represented the most powerful corporations in America, and they were incredibly tenacious. They mounted challenge after challenge before the Court, claiming the 14th Amendment should grant them human rights under the Bill of Rights (but not grant such rights to unions, churches, small companies, or governments). Finally, in 1886, the Court's reporter defied his own Chief Justice and improperly wrote a headnote that moved corporations out of the privileges category and gave them rights - an equal status with humans.

Link of the week(so far).

Best Page In The Universe

Alaskan Politics - The Quagmire

People who know me also know that I am very interested in the circus that is American Politics. In this respect, last year was obviously a year in Heaven. Now that the US Elections have come and gone, most people are focusing on the economical crisis, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and of course the new Health Insurance System that Obama wants to set up. It seems to me that - especially outside the US - interest for the major players is limited to Obama, Hillary Clinton and one or two former members of the Bush Administration. And all the while there is the enigma that is called Sarah Palin...

Sarah Palin is dividing the US as few others have done before her. It is not so much 'The Woman Palin' who is the cause of this; it is more a matter of Rightwing Christian America having found a poster-girl for bringing religion into politics. Even America's founding fathers knew that this is a recipe for disaster but apparently those wise insights are now lost on a large part of the american population.

I vividly remember the TV Evangelists of the 80ies with their unspeakably absurd 'church services'(remember Genesis spoofing them in 'Jesus He Knows Me'? "And The Lord Said Get Me Eighteen Millon Dollars By The Weekend!!!"). These people, the Jim Bakers, the Pat Robertsons, the Jimmy Falwells etcetera, used to be limited by laws that forbade the mixing of politics and religion. Any religious entity that was found to be mixing the church with politics would by law be prosecuted and their tax-exempt status would be revoked. Clearly this made the religious far right cautious when engaging in politics nevertheless.

What is happening now is - in my opinion - far worse : after 25 years of influencing politicians behind closed doors, the Religious Right is now working in the open more and more, and hardly anyone is screaming murder; Keith Olberman perhaps is, but he suffers from the stigma of being seen as a far left tv commentator and is therefore put in 'The Liberal Corner' with all the consequences that this has. He basically 'criticized' himself out of a general audience in order to win a pretty much left wing fanbase. The only name on tv that comes to mind is Jon Stewart. At the moment he is seen by the audience as the most trusted news achor on tv in the US. But wait a minute! Jon Stewart is a comedian! So the person most people trust to give them proper information is a tv comedian?


Anyway; just like I followed the idiocy around Michael Jackson for some time some years ago, I am now keeping an eye on the backwaters of American Politics. Not so much the new Obama-plan or an attempted republican filibuster, but more about the people behind the current stage, waiting - no dying - for their moment in the spotlights. And one of those people is most definitely Sarah Palin. I found below article in Vanity Fair, a magazine I am starting to appreciate more and more lately. What were they thinking in the McCain Campaign? Well, they probably weren't...


It Came From Wasilla


May Heaven and Earth help us if she ever gets to the real top of american politics. We'll need all the help we can get.

Creepy Palin and the Christian Suicide Bombers

The more I read about that woman the creepier she gets.

Inside Sarah's Church

Behind the Third Wave’s histrionics lies an aggressive brand of Dominionism focused on purging “demon influence” from entire geographic areas through prayer or more forceful means if necessary. Becky Fischer, a Third Wave youth pastor who gained fame as the anti-hero of the award-winning 2006 documentary Jesus Camp, urged pastors to indoctrinate an army of spiritual suicide bombers to seize control of the country.
“I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam,” Fischer said in the documentary during an unguarded moment. “I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places.”

and...

The Third Wave arrived in Alaska through a “spiritual warfare network” founded by an Anchorage-based Haida Indian named Mary Glazier, who claimed to have converted 60 members of her family, including her formerly alcohol-abusing parents. Seeking a “battle strategy” against the rising tide of sin that consumed her son, who committed suicide in 1990,
Glazier tried to gain access to the state’s prison system, a pit of desperation. A young female prison chaplain opposed Glazier’s evangelizing intentions. Glazier responded by branding the woman a witch and began to utter imprecatory prayers. “As we continued to pray against the spirit of witchcraft,” Glazier recalled with glee, “her incense altar caught on fire, her car engine blew up, she went blind in her left eye, and she was diagnosed with cancer.”

Really friendly people with lots of compassion and understanding for others. And people ask me why organized religion makes me sick to my stomach...

Good name for a band #2

"Muck Raker"

IPhoney?

The IPhone is losing acolytes...

I Hate My IPhone


"Now, after reading that several iPhones have exploded, action-flick style, I at last feel free to say it: The iPhone sucks. It makes life miserable. I loathe the iPhone."

Also good for a laugh : The I Hate My IPhone website

One of the milder responses :

"Slower than shit!
Crappy ass GPS
Horrible battery life
Awfully slow internet
Volume not loud enough
to fucking expensive plan
FUCK THIS THING"

Recommended reading in Science Fiction Land

Although it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to pick my favourite Science Fiction books and stories I'm still going to have a go at it. This is by no means a complete list and I have probably forgotten dozens of brilliant stories. Rest assured though : in my opinion these are all landmark books and novellas.

This list is in random order.

Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle - The Mote In God's Eye.

Not to put down Gene 'The Great Bird Of The Galaxy' Roddenberry, but this book is what StarTrek The Original Series would have been if it would have been written by a seasoned science fiction writer. The scope is magnificent, this is absolutely a classic 'Space Opera', written at a time when everybody in SF-land claimed that the time for such books had come and gone. You might think of it in the same way that people tend to think about Albert Einstein and J.S Bach : The Last Of The Great Classics. Of course I'm not a writer but having said that : as an avid SF-reader I would not know how to improve this book.

Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game / Speaker For The Dead.

In a nutshell : Aliens called 'The Buggers'(because they look somewhat like insects) have tried to invade Earth 80 years ago, but were defeated by an absolutely ruthless and brilliant Israeli commander called Mazer Rackham. People and especially the leaders on Earth know however, that the aliens will very likely come back when there is the least distance between the planets again(in about 80 years). They are therefore frantically and desperately searching for a new 'Mazer Rackham' to lead them to victory, or at least to a stalemate. As a result they pick the best and the brightest of their children at an extremely young age, and put them through intensive training to see if the Great Leader will stand up. The book is mostly set on a space station orbiting Earth, that has been designed solely as a training facility. It follows a score of these young and brilliant military minds from the age of five onward.

The catch is : they cannot just pick one and give him orders, as this would destroy the personal initiative of this new military genius and render him or her useless for any great battle.

If you haven't read this book please do: I could tell you what it's about in great further detail but my words would be no match for the book itself. It is by far the best book I have ever read with a young male boy as the leading character. Ender Wiggin is one of those protagonists you immediately start to like and love. Orson Scott Card is well known nowadays for his character development and this was an absolute highlight in his career.

Four books were released in the 'Ender'-series but the first two are the most intense and up-front personal.

Ender's Game is one of those very few books that left me quite emotional. Wich is a true exception in Science Fiction as far as I'm concerned.


The(first) sequel 'Speaker For The Dead' is so ingeniously put together that it basically has hardly any relationship with the first book except for Ender and his sister. The story is set 3.000 year onward and deals with the fear of humanity of ever confronting a new alien race. When Humanity finally encounter an underdeveloped but promising intelligent race that they call 'The Piggies', they are overly cautious and turn the whole planet into a quarantined zone where only a few people are allowed to live and study.

And then something goes wrong...

Kurt Vonnegut - Galapagos

I must by now surely have bored people to tears with my praise for Kurt Vonnegut's work.

Originally a writer of SF('The Players of Titan' comes to mind) Vonnegut quite quickly move out of the SF-field because as he said 'he did not want to get stuck in the ghetto that was SF'. Ironically enough, there is a lot of SF in the books he wrote after that period.

Galapagos is one of his last complete novels and describes the wholly unlikely survival of the human race on the Galapagos Islands. The main characters are all flawed. There is a con man trying to trick a widow out of her inheritance, a captain who really doesn't know how the ship works because he has personnell who do, there are a few native girls who get stranded on the ship(which in the end is itself stranded on one of the remote Galapagos Islands), etcetera etcetara.

Kurt Vonnegut is the only writer I have ever read who could write almost in baby talk and still be completely 'gripping'. The older he got the better I like his work.

The man passed away not too long ago. May he rest in peace. I honestly do miss waiting for the new Vonnegut to come out.


To be continued...

Time Travel Fatigue

An interesting article about what can basically be seen as the erosion of the use of Time Travel in Science Fiction. Indeed : Compared to the way time travel was used to come up with new plotlines and infinite possibilities, it is now becomimg somewhat of a Deus Ex Machina to fix the script every time when the director gets stuck.

Somewhere between watching the first half-hour of the new Star Trek film and, five days later, the season finale of Lost, something happened.

You know how it is when you have that second piece of dessert? It tastes great at the time. The sensory delights linger through the after-dinner drinks and through the evening ... right up to the moment when you step on the scale the next morning.

It can happen with stories, too. There are themes and high concepts you love, then you have one more than the standard adult requirement.

For example, I reached this point with the alien-invasion theme on television four seasons back, when NBC's Surface, ABC's Invasion and CBS's Threshold were all airing at the same time.

It's happening this summer with a pair of Big Rock Hits Earth miniseries. ABC already aired Impact, and NBC is promising Meteor: Path to Destruction. This comes a decade after the dueling Big Rock features Armageddon and Deep Impact, which were two decades after dueling Big Rock novels, Lucifer's Hammer and Shiva Descending.

I was happily watching Star Trek, prepared to love every minute of it—which I did, right up until the time when the Romulan ship appeared from the future.

Let me say this again, possibly saving myself half a dozen comments: I liked this movie. It was a wonderful re-invention of the Star Trek franchise. Long may it wave. Can't wait for the sequel.

But I didn't need the time travel. I didn't need future Spock.

Five days later I was watching "The Incident" on Lost. Jack and Kate and Hurley were trying to work some time-travel-related magic on the Lost island of 30-odd years ago when I realized that two characters—Daniel and Miles—were in the story in different phases of their lives.

I've overdosed on time-travel stories.

Which is painful, because I love them. Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Robert F. Young's charming "When Time Was New." Heinlein's "By His Bootstraps." Lewis Padgett's "Mimsy Were the Borogoves."

Just last month I read Joe Haldeman's The Accidental Time Machine. Not long before that, I revisited Harry Harrison's The Technicolor® Time Machine—which if nothing else possesses one of the best titles in sci-fi history.

I grew up watching Peabody and Sherman and the Wayback Machine. I liked Time Tunnel. I enjoyed all of the Back to the Future movies.

I love the forms a time-travel story can take. You can leap forward and experience the near future, as in Gregory Benford's Timescape or Algis Budry's "Silent Eyes of Time," or, of course, in H.G. Wells' Time Machine.

I love it when characters go back in time, as in Connie Willis' Doomsday Book or, even further back, as in Robert Silverberg's Hawksbill Station or Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder."

Further reading : Time Travel Fatigue

Note to self

Never(NEVER!) post a blog-entry when you are pissed off.


And that is why this is not a blog-entry...

The Last Word...

Been checking my older entries. I think this one was obvious but also spot-on.

The Great Groinshaker

Groundbreaking Synthesizer Players

As someone who has been playing synthesizers since 1977 I am of course interested in what other musicians do with that instrument. So recently I started work on a list of my favourite synthesizer-musicians/bands. As I don't want to get into the impossible job of grading keyboard players themselves, this is a list of musicians and bands that actually published records under the same name. So you will not see sole bandmembers in this list, only 'acts'. That is why names such as Rick Wright(Pink Floyd) and Roger Powell(Utopia, Todd Rundgren, etcetera) are not on this list. I think these guys were brilliant, but not so much in their solo efforts.

The musicians/bands are listed in random order, this is not a 'Top-10' list. Also: I have not included any Jazz keyboard players in this list because I plan to write a separate entry about those people, including musicians such as Chick Corea, George Duke, etcetera.


Anyway : here's what I came up with :


Tangerine Dream

A German band of legendary stature. They started out as early as 1967 and are still performing. In it's best days the nucleus of the band consisted of Chris Franke, Chris Froese and Peter Baumann. Tangerine Dream(TD) became famous for it's atmospheric, yes almost ambient music. Most of the albums they released in the 70ies were actually complete live-recordings. The band would jam most of the music(based on a pattern of course) and release the recordings if the jam-results sounded good. I realized years later, that my co-musicians and I used exactly the same method when we had our DrumNBass band a few years ago...

Recommended listening :

Phaedra
Rubycon
Ricochet
Force Majeure
Cyclone


Vangelis

There are millions and millions of people out there who got to know Vangelis after he recorded his best albums. No disrespect to any of his later records such as 'Chariots Of Fire' etcetera, but the 70-ies era was the time that he really shone. Albums like 'Beaubourgh' and especially 'China' are of an unsurpassable beauty. The latter album('China') was one of the first synthesizer albums that incorporated various other instruments, such as the Koto, Violin, Chinese Drums, and so on. This made the album sound distinctly 'chinese', although one can hear the man is Greek if one listens carefully.

Recommended listening :

China
Beaubourg
Heaven and Hell


Brian Eno

Technically speaking Eno only started to use synthesizers later on in his career. He started out as the keyboard player for Roxy Music and used 'traditional' instruments like the Hammond Organ. After his stint with Roxy Music he started to experiment with sound effects, tapes played backwards, etcetera, and came up with the all-time classic 'Music For Films', followed by 'Music For Airports'. To describe these albums is really hard, as the records contain not so much 'music' in the classic way. The records consist of sound-scapes that have been made by producing sound with every object he thought sounded good. These sounds were frequently re-recorded to give them more 'grainy' characteristics.

If this sounds familiar that's understandable. Twenty years later a band called 'Portishead' did exactly the same thing and became world famous for it as well.

Recommended listening :

Music For Films
Music For Airports


Kate Bush

Ri-i-i-ght! you may say. Kate Bush is well known for playing beautiful keyboard arrangements but one might not expect her in this list. So why is Kate in this list? I'll begin with two words : "The Dreaming".

At the start of her career, Kate Bush mainly played traditional keyboards, especially the piano. However: after recording three LPs, she got fed up with the limitations of those instruments. Fortunately for her there was this guy Peter Gabriel who invited her to sing background vocals on one of his records. The rest, one may safely say, is history. Gabriel showed her his new Fairlight CMI synthesizer and the next thing he knew was that Kate had bought on for herself. This may sound like nothing special but that synthesizer cost what would now be over 100.000 euros. She still uses the synth for specific jobs because it has really defined her sound since 1983. Whether you hear 'Suspended in Gaffa'(1984), 'And Dream Of Sheep'(1988), or 'King Of The Mountain(2006), you will always hear some part there that is pure Fairlight CMI.

Recommended listening :

The Dreaming
Hounds Of Love
Aerial

and basically everything else she has released...


Mannfred Mann's Earth Band

No list about synthesizer players/bands would be complete without Mannfred Mann. The man was a pioneer. He almost personally introduced the synthesizer - especially the solo-synthesizer - in rock music. He not only made some great albums with his Earth Band, but also played on the early records by Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, and so on and so on.

Recommended listening :

Nightingales And Bombers
The Roaring Silence
Watch


Tony Banks

Under normal circumstances Tony Banks would not be in this list. He is after all the only keyboard player Genesis ever had, but still: he is a band member. Fortunately for me the man recorded quite a list of solo records. Lately his recordings involve grand orchestral pieces which are recorded with the aid of an actual classical orchestra. That's what you get when you have the money to do whatever you want...

In the 70ies however, after Gabriel had left Genesis and the band wanted to move towards a somewhat lighter musical style, Tony Banks found that he had a lot of material on the shelf that sounded like the old Genesis and therefore would not be recorded by the band. This made him record his first solo-record 'A Curious Feeling'. After this album many more have followed : 'The Wicked Lady', 'Still', etcetara. In my opinion however, none of those albums has had the impact of 'A Curious Feeling'.

Tony achieved fame and fortune with Genesis. Because this band became so huge, Tony's innovative approach to keyboards(albeit with a classical twist) has never been as clear as it could have been. To name an example : he was the first keyboard player to experiment with effect pedals instead of a Lesley cabinet(mainly because he got fed up with carrying around the bloody speakers), and also to be noted : he was one of the very first who combined a drumcomputer(the famous Linn Drum) to a synthesizer in order to get the sequences that we know from 'By You'(from 'The Fugitive') and 'Mama' by Genesis.

Recommended listening :

A Curious Feeling
The Fugutive

Setlists

Setlist for tonight@home...

1. Utopia - Alone
2. Utopia - I Just Want To Touch You
3. Utopia - Crystal Ball
4. Utopia - Where Does The World Go To Hide
5. Utopia - Silly Boy
6. Utopia - That's Not Right
7. Utopia - Take It Home
8. Utopia - Hoi Poloi
9. The Tubes - Don't Want To Wait Anymore
10. Tangerine Dream - Mojave Plain(Part I)
11. Tangerine Dream - No Man's Land
12. Tangerine Dream - Kiew Mission
13. Tangerine Dream - Cloudburst Flight
14. Tangerine Dream - Force Majeure
15. Tangerine Dream - Rubycon(The Decision)
16. Razorlight - America
17. James Blunt - Same Mistake
18. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
19. Paul McCartney - Silly Love Songs
20. Paul McCartney - No More Lonely Nights
21. Paul Young - Where ever I Lay My Hat
22. Laurie Anderson - Oh Superman(for Massenet)
23. Prefab Sprout - Desire As
24. The Bangles - Be With You
25. The FixX - Sign Of Fire
26. Radiohead - 15 Steps
27. The Corrs - Old Town

A good name for a band

'Cringeworthy'

Stalkin'

I seem to have an online stalker nowadays. Weird, in some respect it is an honour. If only he wasn't such a grade-A asshole. Oh well, it'll pass eventually. Perhaps someday he'll get a real life instead.

Forgotten Heroes -Klaatu

Listening to 'Routine Day' by Klaatu atm. A proper warning against letting your career get in the way of your life.

Weird; this band never made it really big time. although there is something to say for becoming a cult-band...

I remember being mesmerized by 'Hope', it was like a science fiction story set to music, and I mean a REAL SF-story, not Buck Rogers or whatever.


"It started off a routine day
I got through the morning in the usual way
I caught the bus on time
Good morning, Mr. Driver, drive
As I sat inside my overcoat I clutched my cane
And pressed my nose against the foggy window pane
Ho hum
The life I lead would even make a dead man yawn

Midday comes
I break for lunch
With my sandwich and a beer I go on a hunch
To the park where I hope to find
A little bit of peace of mind
As I sat there on a bench amidst the rodent race
I felt a strange sensation that without a trace appeared
But then as quickly disappeared again

So tell me what's the bloody point of playing the game
With so much to lose yet so little to gain
You sell your life away
Can't you see you're just a cog working like a dog
You trade your future for a dead-end job
That's full of routine days
Routine days

I race the clock to the end of my day
The paycheck in my pocket makes me feel okay
But was it worth the grind
Just to keep from falling behind

I stand here in the queue behind a foul cigar
My face discreetly buried in a book on Mars
Humdrum
And I'm waiting on the pier 'til Charon comes"

The Power of Old Metal - Observation One

Yes, of course, modern metal is usually technically superior, modern metal is made up of exquisite patterns and melodies and blahdieblahdieblah...

But once upon a time there was R.U.S.H. A Canadian band with balls AND feeling. Just listen to Cygnus X-1 part I and part II and be amazed. So long ago yet so brilliant...


"In the constellation of cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The black hole
Of cygnus x-1

Six stars of the northern cross
In mourning for their sisters loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...."

This space is rather dusty, time I re-activate it.

Let's see: the world is still going to pot, life consists of work and more work, but fortunately some interesting stuff is happening in the music scene. Catching up on newer artists like Razorlight, Lily Allen, etcetera. I also found some great Jools Holland records with acts like Muse an King Creosote on them.

A damning report

Read this PDF, you can start at page 10. Jeeeezus...

Voting Machines

Fundamental

A couple of weeks ago I went to see Pet Shop Boys(again). Good show although I think the one before this one had a more adventurous setlist. Still, a good show and a good time was had by all.

I was invited to go to the show the morning of the gig. So the afternoon of the concert I purchased their latest album 'Fundamental' to listen to a taste of what I would hear that night. Some weeks passed and I put the album on again, this time to really listen to it. Now I have been a fan from Day One, always thought these guys did something no one else did. And boy did these guys write some great songs; from 'It's a sin' via 'Miserabilism' to 'Can you forgive her?'. All brilliant in my opinion.

So now I catch myself putting the album on and on and on and on... Fundamental is really what it says: a return to the fundamentals of what makes Pet Shop Boys. There is a song that has the same sound-balance and feel as 'It's a sin'. There is one that sounds almost but not entirely like 'Euroboy', and the list goes on. But mind you; they're all new songs and they are all very good to absolutely brilliant. And for the first time as far as I know, the guys actually put in some criticism of society in their lyrics. Not just in the Blair-Bush-Poodle song 'I'm with Stupid' :

"No one understands me
Where I'm coming from
Why would I be with someone
who's obviously so dumb?"

or :

"Before we ever met
I thought like everybody did
you were just a moron
a billion-dollar kid"

but also(and more so) in the gem that is "Integral" :

"If you've done nothing wrong
You've got nothing to fear
If you've something to hide
You shouldn't even be here

Long live us
The persuaded we
Integral
Collectively
To the whole project
It's brand new
Conceived solely
To protect you

One world
One reason
Unchanging
One season

If you've done nothing wrong
You've got nothing to fear
If you've something to hide
You shouldn't even be here
You've had your chance
Now we've got the mandate
If you've changed your mind
I'm afraid it's too late
We're concerned
You're a threat
You're not integral
To the project

Sterile
Immaculate
Rational
Perfect

Everyone has
Their own number
In the system that
We operate under
We're moving to
A situation
Where your lives exist
As information
One world
One life
One chance
One reason
All under
One sky
Unchanging
One season

If you've done nothing wrong
You've got nothing to fear
If you've something to hide
You shouldn't even be here
You've had your chance
Now we've got the mandate
If you've changed your mind
I'm afraid it's too late
We're concerned
You're a threat
You're not integral
To the project

Sterile
Immaculate
Rational
Perfect"

Oh, and you're right guys: 'I learned a lesson from the 20th century I think that we should not dismiss'. Indeed.

Let me translate. Frank Zappa...

http://www.nu.nl/news/1176477/70/Berlijn_eert_Frank_Zappa_met_straat.html

Berlijn eert Frank Zappa met straat
Uitgegeven: 30 juli 2007 19:27
Laatst gewijzigd: 30 juli 2007 19:28

AMSTERDAM - In Berlijn is een straat vernoemd naar de legendarische rockster Frank Zappa. Straat 13 in het voorheen communistische oosten van Berlijn heet vanaf nu Frank Zappastraat.
ANP

Het initiatief voor de naamsverandering is genomen door de filmorganisatie Orwo Haus, die in de straat gevestigd is. Het gaat de organisatie, die stamt uit de DDR-tijd, naar eigen zeggen om hetgeen Zappa symboliseerde.

"Taboes kende hij niet, hij was muzikaal van alle markten thuis, prikkelend en hij liet zich niet inpalmen door kapitalistische ondernemingen", zegt de organisatie in een verklaring.

Broer

Zappa's broer Bobby heeft Orwo Haus bedankt en gezegd dat de in 1993 overleden Amerikaan trots zou zijn geweest.
(c) ANP

Berlin honours Frank Zappa with street.

Released: 30 juli 2007 19:27
Last updated: 30 juli 2007 19:28


AMSTERDAM - In Berlin a street was named after the legendary rockstar Frank Zappa. Strasse 13(Street 13) is now called Frank Zappa Street.

The initiative for the namechange came from the film organization Orwo Haus, located in the street. The organization, which stems from the DDR-era, aims for what Frank Zappa stood for.

"He did not know any taboos, he was musically extremely eclectic, he pushed the envelope and he was not seduced by capitalist companies", the organization states.


Brother.

Zappa's brother Bobby has thanked Orwo Haus en stated that the artist, who passed away in 1993, would have been proud.

(c) ANP

The most beautiful song of 2007 so far.

Rufus has outgrown his dad


Going To A Town lyrics by Rufus Wainwright.


I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm going to a place that is already been disgraced
I'm gonna see some folks who have already been let down.
I'm so tired of America

I'm gonna make it up for all of the Sunday Times
I'm gonna make it up for all of the nursery rhymes
They never really seem to want to tell the truth
I'm so tired of you America

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead America
I got a life to lead

Tell me do you really think you go to hell for having loved?
Tell me and not for thinking every thing that you've done is good
(I really need to know)
After soaking the body of Jesus Christ in blood
I'm so tired of America
(I really need to know)

I may just never see you again or might as well
You took advantage of a world that loved you well
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down
I'm so tired of you America

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I got a life to lead America
I got a life to lead
I got a soul to feed
I got a dream to heed
And that's all I need

Making my own way home
Ain't gonna be alone
I'm going to a town that has already been burned down

Genesis Pics and Vids

O.K. Here are some links about the Genesis-gig in Amsterdam :

Nice Vids!

Very high quality pictures Pics! from The Splinter Inside

Check out the high-res versions like this one Awesome!

Revived from The Dead!

Not much activity here lately. Too busy living I guess...
Went to Genesis in The Arena in Amsterdam last sunday. Great great show, these guys will still deliver when they're 80 years old(nope, they're not that old yet...).

I'll put up some pictures, video's and reviews later.

Internet addiction

So whom do I sue?

The words of an honest man

I'm the master of low expectations.

--George w. Bush aboard Air Force One
06/04/2003

A small hint. Or not so small.

Doing a little thread in Latin somewhere else. I do it with this http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml of course. My latin sucks, this actually helps me a get the hang a bit... So here it is my friends; the entryticket to that thread if you can't do Latin.

http://www.tranexp.com:2000/Translate/result.shtml

Testing the waters

This is a test. I have just been converted to Google. Don't feel no different though...

Vergane glorie : Cornelis

For all people who use the Babelfish...


De Jantjes Blues.


Jantje was aan 't wandelen op het Leidse Plein
Toen vond ie een rijksdaalder en dat vond ie fijn
Hij kocht er zoute pinda's voor, sigaretten en drop
Kortom in no-time waren al z'n centen op

Maar hij werd geschaduwd door een brigadier
Die zei tegen Jantje "Kom jij maar eens hier"
'Kweenie of je 't weet maar rijksdaalders op straat'
'Zijn verloren goederen en horen aan de Staat'

De rechter zei 'Hee Jantje, weet jij wel wat je bent?'
'Dat noemen wij juridisch een jeugd-delinquent'
'Een schande voor je ouders, je toekomst naar de maan'
'Want als je later groot bent krijg je nooit een goede baan'

'Stik maar' zei Jantje, 'met je kouwe kak'
'Ma die is de hort op en pa zit in de bak'
'Wat die er van zeggen lap ik aan mijn schoen'
'En als ik later groot ben zorg ik zelf wel voor m'n poen'

Men haalde er een heel stel psychologen bij
Die vond hem een gevaar voor de maatschappij
Vandaag een rijksdaalder, morgen een huis
Hopsakee de bajes in en weg met dat gespuis

Op z'n verjaardag zat Jantje in de cel
Er kwam geen visite maar kadootjes krijg hij wel
Ma stuurde een ijzerzaag, pa stuurde een boor
'Daar gaat ie dan' zei Jantje en hij ging er vandoor

Buiten de bajes zag hij een auto staan
'Ik leen hem maar' zei Jantje, zo gezegd en zo gedaan
Maar in een scherpe bocht kreeg die kar een lekke band
Sloeg zeven maar over de kop en vloog toen in de brand

Hiermede eindigt het verhaal van onze held
Een Blues voor Jantje zongen de vogels in het veld
Jezus, zei de dominee, sta zijn zieltje bij
Maar Jantje had er maling aan want Jantje was vrij
Jantje was vrij, Jantje was vrij...


Cornelis Vreeswijk

Ye Olde Banners

"Even if the flag burning amendment does become law, the larger problem will remain of how to respectfully dispose of older, tattered flags. Well, fortunately the U.S. official Flag Code has a suggestion about this.

Quote: 'The flag, when it is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem of display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.'

Owwwwcchh.

In response, the House Republicans are calling for tattered flags to be kept alive via a feeding tube."


Jon Stewart

Jimi

The story of life


The story of Jesus
so easy to explain
After they crucified him,
a woman, she claimed his name
The story of Jesus
the whole bible knows
went all across the desert
and in the middle, he found a rose

There should be no questions
there should be no lies
He was married ever happily after
All the tears we cry
No use in arguing
all the use to the man that moans
When each man falls in battle
his soul it has to roam
Angles of heaven
flying saucers to some,
made Easter Sunday
the name of the rising sun

The story is written
by so many people who dared,
to lay down the truth
to so very many who cared
to carry the cross
of Jesus and beyond
We will guide the light
this time with a woman in our arms
We as men
can't explain the reason why
the woman's always mentioned
at the moment that we die
All we know
is God is by our side,
and he says the word
so easy yet so hard

I wish not to be alone,
so I must respect my other heart
Oh, the story
of Jesus is the story
of you and me
No use in feeling lonely,
I am searching to be free

The story
of life is quicker
than the wink of an eye
The story of love
is hello and goodbye
Until we meet again

The last words on paper of Jimi Hendrix

The Ministry of Truth at work

Found in Athens, Georgia...


I had doubts as to where we're going
but I gotta hand it to the Man upstairs
I've been put on a whole new programme
Don't have to handle my own affairs
Everything I need is on my print-out
I don't need anything anymore
I'n not confused by useless knowledge
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

Rules rule O.K. ask no questions
Welcome to the Age of Consent
Fasten seatbelt, drive with caution
Don't take shots at the President
Robotman's a wonderful creation
Automatically obeys the laws
Laws of Nature, Man and Science
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

What I need is some real emotion
Little love and and a lot of despair
Robotman's got a brandnew problem
Robotman don't know how to care
I paid my dues but the dudes won't let me
I cry out but who the Hell for?
I don't even know what it means to suffer
I don't even know if it's 1984 for sure

Nine-teen-eighty-four..?

Tim Rice/Rick Wakeman

Observations from the sideline - GWB

"George Bush often states that he reads the Bible every day. And I'm thinking: "You're 55 years old, finish the damn book!"

Towelday!

Don't forget the 25th of May is Towelday!.

The making of Superman, an interesting story from behind the scenes

This article reads like an absurdist movie... "Who is this K'Al El' you keep mentioning?"(This coming from the man who was actually heavily involved in the first Superman-movies!!!)

Superman V : The Whole Sordid Saga.

Faith-based disaster planning

"When President Bush was in New Orleans, he said 'We pray there is no hurricane coming this year.' This is what we call faith-based disaster planning."

Jay Leno

Ahhhh, the joys of Bush-bashing... :-)

B5 gives you the finger...

My new wallpaper. A bit too big to publish here, so here's the link...

50 ways to kill an ensign...

A bit of good filk is never a bad idea...

Acoustic acoustics...

Well I finally made the decision to take up the acoustic guitar again. Haven't played it seriously for 7 or 8 years now, too busy and after all; my synthesizers and the band took up most of my time. Now that Solid Air has ceased to be(at least in its last incarnation) I finally have the time to go back to 6 strings, 6 pegs and two hands and a G-string...

In the previous century(I love the way that sounds!) I used to do gigs in small venues. Mixing originals songs and covers, I always tried to find a good mix of songs. Songs that either everybody knew but hadn't heard in years, song that almost nobody knew but which were - in my opinion - absolutely brilliant, and some of my own stuff if it wasn't too bad compared to the covers I played on a night. Songs like 'Don't dream it's over' as well as the works of Loudon Wainwright and Bruce Cockburn are now much better known in my hometown than they were... Possibly because of the way I 'played' them(I ain't going there people! ;-)).

So now I'm back in that saddle, trying to get my fingers flexible enough again to work the songs I want to play. Mind you ; I am definitely not one of those guitar-wizards who can play the intro to 'Oh Well' twice as fast as Peter Green could. I get by and I can support the songs I am singing.

So what's the score Norah? So far I have made a first selection of songs to be played. This is not the definitive set because I always keep tweaking the list until say a week or so before the gig. But this is what I'm thinking of.


Neil Young - Ohio / Southern Man
Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren
Loudon Wainwright - He said, she said
Original song - Somewhere in '06
Queen - '39
Original song - After loving you
Bruce Cockburn - Outside a broken phonebooth with money in my hand
Crowded House - Whispers and moans
Robbie Williams - Better man
Rory Gallagher - For the last time
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Tracey Chapman - Fast Car / Revolution
Todd Rundgren - Love of the common man
Fleetwood Mac - Man of the world
Loudon Wainwright - Career moves
John Lennon - Working Class Hero
Neil Young - (keep on) Rocking in the Free World


Added May 11th :

The Church - Under the Milky Way
Michael Penn - No Myth


And on it goes...

Neil may be back...

Just heard the other day that Neil Young has apparently just finished a new record. That is nothing new of course. However, I heard that the album is one long attack on the current Bush-administration. Coming from the man who has become what Bob Dylan should have been, this is interesting news to me.

I heard that the album was recorded in three days(!) with a drummer, a bassplayer, a trumpettist and a 100-persons mixed choir. And Neil Young of course. ;-)

The only song on the album of which the title was 'leaked' is apparently called 'Let's impeach the President'...

"Tin soldiers and Nixon coming
We're finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio"

"Ohio"

He really is one of those songwriters I have always admired. He never did fit into a box labeled 'Pop' or 'Rock' or 'Country' or or or...

Neil Young = Neil Young...

Tourism down, and nobody saw it coming??

According to MSNBC tourism in the US is down by about 286 billion dollars. And nobody saw it coming? Talk about not thinking things through before you start treating all foreigners like unwanted aliens who have to get retina-scans, special visa, etcetera.

I'd rather go somewhere where I feel welcome.

Source.

A quick Fixx

Privilege


So correct me if I'm wrong,
though a day's twenty four hours long
How come you feel unwired and disconnected
Draw attention to yourself
is your life a living hell?
Change your act, rewrite the script the way you planned it

Radio news reports
Truth and fact distorts
And the world's majority is understated
If the views are on your mind
It's the wavelength you must find
Be prepared to hold your weight
Huh! Hah!

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's always something else to do
There must be one thing you can try
There's always something else to do

When a week has just three days
It's the young that always pay
But who keeps the cold at bay with understanding?
If there's a dying urge inside
To release forgotten pride
Don't rely on words of gloom
Don't be disjointed

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's always something else to do
There must be one thing we can try
There's always something else to do

Heretic the witch was right
She had the frequency
She has the potency
Energy the time is right
To fight for decency

Privilege you have the right
If you're on the frequency
If you're on the frequency
So when you say that

There's never anything to do
There must be one thing you can try
There's always something else to do

How?
How I begin, Tell me how, How?
I tune in, Tell me how, How?
When do I tune in for now?
Draw attention to yourself
Are you tuned into the show?
She had the frequency
She has the potency...

Times 10

Another ten years or so and we can all go to Australia and be back in time for tea and crumpets. The tickets may be a bit expensive but well, you do get a nice ride.

Whitney Houston's Fall

I never really liked Whitney Houston and I couldn't care less about "OOOOOOOWWWWW I Want To DANCE With Somebodeee-ee-eeeeee". But here is one prime example of someone going under, someone cracking up(no pun intended) under the pressure of the business and under the influence of drugs. Smokinig crack in a cigar filled with marijuana. Really...

How the hell can someone who had everything fall so deep?

To paraphrase Liz Taylor : "Whitney and Bobby, sad, sad, sad"...

This is a test using Deepest Sender

Let's see if this works. I just installed Firefox-extension 'Deepest Sender'. This extension allows me to post to my blog straigh from a Mozilla-window.

Testing....testing....

IT Agony Bingo

An exceptionally brillant installment of my favourite online-comic.

Another weblog...

A great weblog from a very intelligent guy : David Byrne.

Song to the Siren

Especially for my friend KidVic, Tim Buckley's 'Song to the Siren' by The Czars.

On the floating, shipless oceans
I did all my best to smile
til your singing eyes and fingers
drew me loving into your eyes.
And you sang "Sail to me, sail to me;
Let me enfold you."
Here I am, here I am waiting to hold you.
Did I dream you dreamed about me?
Were you here when I was full sail?

Now my foolish boat is leaning, broken lovelorn on your rocks.
For you sang, "Touch me not, touch me not, come back tomorrow."
Oh my heart, oh my heart shies from the sorrow.
I'm as puzzled as a newborn child.
I'm as riddled as the tide.
Should I stand amid the breakers?
Or shall I lie with death my bride?
Hear me sing: "Swim to me, swim to me, let me enfold you."
"Here I am. Here I am, waiting to hold you."

Oh, and here you can see Tim Buckley sing the song himself.

And a big thank you to Dertigers, a terrific weblog for the alternative over-aged... ;-)

Donald Fagen

And while I'm at it, you can find the new Donald Fagen here. Also very relaxed and very much Fagen...

Black Sweat... Yeah!

Anyone interested in the new Prince(video) ? I am! That man has more RnB in his little finger then most full bands have together...

Really addictive sand...

Really addictive sand...

Marlee and me

I'm going to buy this book when I can get my hands on a copy. It sounds a bit like the early work of John Irving.

Well I ain't laughing...

Just in the news :

"German sentenced for selling toiletpaper with 'Koran' written on it to mosque.

Today the 61-year old german Manfred von H. was sentenced to a probationary prison-sentence of 1 year by a German court. Manfred von H. created toilet-paper with the word 'Koran' printed on it and tried to sell it to a mosque.

Von H. included a letter with his merchandise, in which he described the Koran as 'a cookbook for terrorists'. According to the German court he is therefor guilty of insulting the Islamic faith and disturbing the peace.

Von H. wanted to use the proceeds(...) of his project to build a monument for 'all victims of Islamic terror'."

So this is funny??? Well I ain't laughing. This has nothing to do with 'Freedom of Speech' or 'Freedom of Expression', this is meant purely and solely as an insulting provocation. Not just printing the word 'Koran' on toilet-paper, but then trying to sell it to a mosque... How insulting can you get?

If this complete asshole would have had both his legs and arms broken by furious muslims I wouldn't lift a fucking finger to help him. Everybody who reads this blog(all two of you out there...) knows that I want nothing to do with organized religion, that I see it as the ancient remains of a time when gods served their purpose in society. But this has nothing to do with the freedom of expression. This is called 'unnecessary insult'.

So it is now time for me to turn the world around for a change :

These kind of western(probably white) idiots give me not only a bad taste in my mouth, they also give me a bad name in this world.

As far as I'm concerned he drops dead right now. Idiots I can do without. Sometimes I wish evolution would breed out the dross a bit faster.

Roe v. Wade

The moment everyone was waiting for since Bush appointed the new judges to the Supreme Court.
South Dakota's first, who's next?

Peasantry

I know I keep going on about this 'Fred-guy'. But he hits it right on the nail again, for me that is... Maybe that's why some people call me an elitist, or arrogant, or a snob, or...WhAtEvAh!

Read it first. And look deep deep into the darker spots in your so pure and democratic soul... and THEN call me an elitist, or arrogant, or a snob, or...

wHaTeVaH!

Truthdig

Today I added Truthdig to the links-list. Nice site, lots of information, lots to read.

DigiLove...or is it...?

This is an interesting article about a couple who gave each other RFID-chips for Valentine's Days. They are implanted in their wrist I assume.

The thing is, in this day of worldchaos and paranoia, that the first thing I thought was 'how many ex-CIA prisoners have been released with one of these things implanted in their bodies?'.

Paranoia spreads...

So long Andreas

"I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that going will very much miss the part of you that is staying." - Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar


G'Kar is dead. What more can I add than this quote?

"The Universe speaks in many languages, but only one voice. The language is not Narn, or Human, or Centauri, or Gaim or Minbari. It speaks in the language of hope; It speaks in the language of trust; It speaks in the language of strength, and the language of compassion. It is the language of the heart and the language of the soul. But always, it is the same voice. It is the voice of our ancestors, speaking through us, And the voice of our inheritors, waiting to be born. It is the small, still voice that says: We are one. No matter the blood; No matter the skin; No matter the world; No matter the star; We are one. No matter the pain; No matter the darkness; No matter the loss; No matter the fear; We are one. Here, gathered together in common cause. we agree to recognise this singular truth, and this singular rule: That we must be kind to one another, because each voice enriches us and ennobles us, and each voice lost diminishes us. We are the voice of the Universe, the soul of creation, the fire that will light the way to a better future. We are one."

Until we meet again Andreas, in a place where no shadows fall.

Anonymous Lawyer

This is a good spoof-site.

"Sunday is help my family spend my paycheck day. Anyone want a pony?"

Phil's legacy

From my all-time favourite rock-poet.
Long may he be remembered


Got To Give It Up

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff

Tell my mama and tell my pa
That their fine young son didn't get far
He made it to the end of a bottle
Sitting in a sleazy bar

He tried hard but his spirit broke
He tried until he nearly choked
In the end he lost his
Bottle drinking alcohol

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff

Tell my brother I tried to write
Put pen to paper but I was frightened
I couldn't seem to get the words out right
Right quite right
Tell my sister I'm sinking slow
Now and again I powder my nose
In the end I lost my bottle
It smashed in a casbah

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up

I've been messing with the heavy stuff
For a time I couldn't get enough
But I'm waking up and it's wearing off
Junk don't take you far

Tell my Mama I'm coming home
In my youth I'm getting older
And I think it's lost control
Mama I'm coming home

I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff
I've got to give it up
I've got to give it up
That stuff


Phil Lynott (1949-1986)

Angels with dirty faces

To allow Iran to have a nucleair arsenal would be to introduce an uncertain unstable factor in an already unstable world. They won't throw that bomb at us once they have it. It could take years. And even if it would never happen, there would be no way to threathen Iran into normal behaviour. That goes straight out the window once the other side has nukes.

And I am not even *talking* about supplying that stuff to rogue groups and then sit back and watch...

Scenario : Iran supplies a nuke to Al Qaida who detonate it in Egypt.
Doomsdays : Israel gets the fall out and decides to act as if they were themselves the target. Who knows they weren't? Put the nuke at the border. It isn't like you can actually *see* the impact. Egypt is no more, thus giving the more militant regimes/countries the chance to take over. After an extensive investigation America finds out where the nuke came from; No More Iran. But will they have hidden two or three nukes outside of Iran? No one knows.

Scenario : Iran invades Iraq after the Americans are gone. America cannot act against a nucleair power(see first scenario). Greater Iran threathens Saoudi Arabia; comply or be destroyed. The Saoudis do not have nukes. And they're muslims anyway...

Now ask yourself : what would happen to the oil-supply?

I can think of 10 of those scenario's. Tom Clancy can come up with a hundred. Yes, I'm worried.


So many democratic countries have decided not to have nukes. And *those* countries, mainly arabic if not muslim, just can't wait. Obviously we may have learned something when we bombed Japan, the Middle East did not have that experience.

Let me ask you this : If Hitler would have had the bomb, a button right there in the bunker in 1945. Do you honestly think Europe would still exist?

Education? Nah, don't need it.

Everybody is complaining about the quality of tuition and education nowadays, both in Europe and in the United States. The forecasts are that young people will finish school allright, but they will also be less educated than earlier generations.

So you would think that the government would invest heavily into educational programs etcetera.

And what does G. W. Bush do? Cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts, cuts...

In his $2.77 billion budget, Bush asks Congress to sharply cut or eliminate 141 government programs. Almost one-third of the targeted programs are in education, including ones that provide money to support the arts, vocational education, parent resource centers and drug-free schools.

But of course there is a reason for squandering the nation's future working capital :

"My administration has focused the nation's resources on our highest priority -- protecting our citizens and our homeland," Bush said in his budget message.

Protecting them? How? With dumb people I guess. It's no wonder that the Bush-administration wants to recruit for the army on the school-campus. There won't be any education left if this goes on, so what else can you do than join the army to kill the boredom?

Bush's spending proposals are for the 2007 budget year that begins October 1. The $2.77 trillion in spending would be up 2.3% from projected spending of $2.71 trillion this year.

The administration in its budget documents said the deficit for this year will soar to an all-time high of $423 billion, reflecting increased outlays for the Iraq war and hurricane relief.

So they're too busy spending money on a war that they misjudged, and on rebuilding dikes they shouldn't have neglected in the first place. Both decisions of THIS government, not the previous one(s).

Way to go George. I think they should name a hurricane especially after you. Make it a category five.

Justified outrage...

Muslims fly commercial airliners into buildings in New York City. No Muslim outrage.

Muslim officials block the exit where school girls are trying to escape a burning building because their faces were exposed. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims cut off the heads of three teenaged girls on their way to school in Indonesia. A Christian school. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder teachers trying to teach Muslim children in Iraq. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder over 80 tourists with car bombs outside cafes and hotels in Egypt. No Muslim outrage.

A Muslim attacks a missionary children's school in India. Kills six. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims slaughter hundreds of children and teachers in Beslan, Russia. Muslims shoot children in the back. No Muslim outrage.

Let's go way back. Muslims kidnap and kill athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims fire rocket-propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and busses. Over 700 are injured. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims massacre dozens of innocents at a Passover Seder. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims murder innocent vacationers in Bali. No Muslim outrage.

Muslim newspapers publish anti-Semitic cartoons. No Muslim outrage

Muslims are involved, on one side or the other, in almost every one of the 125+ shooting wars around the world. No Muslim outrage.

Muslims beat the charred bodies of Western civilians with their shoes, then hang them from a bridge. No Muslim outrage.


Newspapers in Denmark and Norway publish cartoons depicting Mohammed.

Muslims are outraged...

So this is offensive too???

Crusader

"What do I do next?" said the Bishop to the Priest,
"I have spent my whole life waiting, preparing for the Feast,
And now you say Jerusalem has fallen and is lost,
The King of Heathen Saracen has seized the holy cross."

Then the Priest said "Oh my Bishop, we must put them to the sword,
For God in all his mercy will find a just reward,
For the Noblemen and sinners, and Knights of ready hand
Who will be the Lord's Crusader, send word throughout all the land,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost;"

"Tell me what to do", said the King upon his throne,
"but speak to me in whispers for we are not alone,
They tell me that Jerusalem has fallen to the hand
Of some bedevilled Eastern heathen who has seized the Holy land;"

Then the Chamberlain said "Lord, we must call upon our foes
In Spain and France and Germany to end our bitter wars,
All Christian men must be as one and gather for the fight,
You will be their leader, begin the battle cry,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost"...

Ooh, high on a hill, in the town of Jerusalem,
There stood Saladin, the King of the Saracens,
Whoring and drinking and snoring and sinking, around him his army lay,
Secure in the knowledge that they had won the day;

A messenger came, blood on his feet and a wound in his chest,
"The Christians are coming!" he said, "I have seen their Cross in the West,"
In a rage Saladin struck him down with his knife
And he said "I know that this man lies,
They quarrel too much, the Christians could never unite!

I am invincible, I am the King,
I am invincible, and I will win..."

Close they came, the army of Richard the Lionheart,
Marching by day and night, with soldiers from every part,
And when the Crusaders came over the mountain and they saw Jerusalem,
They fell to their knees and prayed for her release;

They started the battle at dawn, taking the city by storm,
With horsemen and bowmen and engines of war,
They broke through the city walls,
The Heathens were flying and screaming and dying,
And the Christian swords were strong,
And Saladin ran when he heard their victory song;

"We are invincible, God is the King,
We are invincible, and we will win!"

"What do I do now?" said the Wiseman to the Fool,
"I have spent my whole life searching, to find the Golden Rule,
Though centuries have disappeared, the memory still remains
Of those enemies together, could it be that way again?"

Then the Fool said "Oh you Wise men, you really make me laugh,
With your talk of vast persuasion and searching through the past,
There is only greed and evil in the men that fight today,
The Song of the Crusader has long since gone away,

Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost,
Jerusalem is lost...
Jerusalem."


Chris De Burgh

Civilization Part XXIII

Nope, nothing to add to this.

Bill seems to be growing...

I've said it before: I am starting to get over my dislike for Bill more and more. Thirty billion dollars in the war-chest of his charity-foundation, and now this...

Lyrics-time - ah, my hero!

A million old soldiers will fade away
But a dream goes on forever
I’m left standing here, I’ve got nothing to say
All is silent within my dream

A thousand true loves will live and die
But a dream lives on forever
The days and the years will go streaking by
But the time has stopped in my dream

We all have our everyday hopes and fears
And you’ll find no exception in me
But that doesn’t get me through a sea of tears
Over life’s biggest tragedy

You’re so long ago and so far away
But my dream lives on forever
I guess I believe that I’ll see you one day
For without it there is no dream

You’re so far away and so long ago
But my dream goes on forever
And how much I loved you you’ll never know
’til you join me within my dream

"A dream goes on forever" by Todd Rundgren

P.S. And especially for my girlfriend here is another one from Todd that I am sure a lot of people can relate to : "I Hate My Friggin' I.S.P."

Trolling trolling trolling, keep those spammers trolling...

This may take you some time to read.

There is this person on a forum(about the work of Joe Michael Straczinsky) that I frequently visit. His nickname is Der Mike. He posts only in one or two threads on the off-topic forum, but when He does He is right. Because He is Der Mike and He is always right. Even when He is not, Der Mike is right. So bow before Der Mike and shower him with gifts. Because He is always right.

Some links to direct postings. Read it and be amazed. This takes trolling to a whole new level for me.


First we use the Qu'ran for loo-paper.

Then, according to Der Mike, the american people don't have to show any compassion or whatever towards non-american citizens and they do not have to apply their own principles to foreigners. But still they do, just because they are such nice people.

Next is the Supreme Court, who have no right to decide if someone has the right to an attorney of not. Oh yeah; and obviously my thoughts aren't worth anything compared to the Words of Wisdom of Der Mike.

If you don't say and believe exactly what your government says you are a radical left-wing commie. George Knows Best!

It just so happens that Kaiser Mike mixes up the names of the people he is responding to. But to a giant such as Der Mike this is of no significance.

In the meantime, The Honoured One has decided to change my nickname. And along the way he states that there was no torture in Iraq, as a matter of fact "I would kill for our soldiers to be treated as humanely as we treated the subhumans opposing us". Well done Sir! Sub-humans, of course! How obvious! May I point out that subhumans translates into German as "untermensch"? It does give it a more fascist overtone doesn't it?

Oh yes: and after Theo van Gogh was murdered the only response from the dutch was to be nice to the muslims. There were no burning churches, there were no death-threats, absolutely not! He should know, for He is Der Mike.

In response to a remark about the dead civilian Iraqis, Our Lord and Saviour states that nothing is true. There are no massacres in Iraq because the Jenin massacre was not true either. I guess that's also why they don't have to count dead Iraqis: there ARE no dead Iraqis. At least none we speak of...

And again, I don't know anything about Van Gogh, Der Mike Knows All though. I take it that Our Mike especially learned dutch so he could check out http://www.degezonderoker.nl

But wait: we were talking about Iraq. And we'd better talk politely, or we are the devil's spawn. Paid by Saddam Hussein.

The brilliant Der Mike of course needs proof. Not, that anybody sees any links from Der Mike himself. They must be too highly classified to divulge to the public...

But on we go: to Iraq to dismantle the Weapon of Mass Distraction. Although, after long deliberation Der Mike decides that only 'some' of the WMD's were not destroyed.

Here is some more denial and the first mention of him 'getting personal'... The fact that he has been hammering away at everyone is of no importance. For He is Der Mike.

Of course everything is a left-wing conspiracy, not to be believed ever...

On to the subject of James Hatfield, the deceased writer of 'Fortunate Son', a book about George W. Bush. And yes, I DO know what Soft Skull Publishing is and I knew all about James Hatfield's criminal record years ago.

"I don't need to read a book before I condemn it..."

"Only people who think like me are right. I really don't give a fuck about what you say, only I am important here." Now let's have a discussion...

Here's a whole new question from DM. Which I'm sure he will also give the answer to soon...

AIDS is of course a left-wing conspiracy. I knew that...

But hold on! It's not just Europe and the Middle East: according to our saviour, Mexico is a corrupt shitheap.

Of course no Der Mike would be a REAL Der Mike if he wouldn't rehash an old posting of mine. Of course Mr. Mike does not publish a reference, supplies no links, quotes out of context, and names no author.

And in comes Mr. Godwin! I wondered where he was.

Ah but Mr. Mike did not publish my nickname and the link to the original article to PROTECT me! Isn't he a dearheart?

Denying denial! Lovely...

And of course meanwhile in Iraq, the Qu'ran is a violent and cruel book(TM: true) as opposed to The Bible...

In the meantime Mike solves global pollution, there IS NO GLOBAL WARMING! Get that through your thick skull! Thank God for this man, this giant, our hero! I'll sleep so much better now.

Oh, did I mention that Mexico is a shitheap?. And yet another fellow-forumposter is affronted. But of course Kaiser Mike would NEVER stoop to personal insults as I would...

Of course it is completely unimportant that the fellow-forumposter may not come from Mexico at all...

The benign Deity lovingly permits another person to speak too.

And for the record : 'We can do without your kind'is NOT a personal insult. And neither is calling a country a shitheap in the face of someone of whom you THINK he lives there. It is only when others do this that it is called 'insulting'. When Kaiser Mike does it it's called 'honesty' and 'frankness'.

Obviously - who could have doubted it? - Der Mike is a trained theologian. So he can explain in fine details why it is that the baptists are a religious sect. On the same note; so is the catholic church. How they ever managed to agree on never ever changing the contents of the Bible is way beyond me though.


I give Der Mike a 9.8 for trolling. He wins the 2005 Troll-Award.

A Los Angeles Times column

Regardless whether this guy is right or wrong, I imagine it takes some nerve to publish a column like this at the moment.

* update : Been reading this guy's columns, he's pretty funny...

And now for a song...

And sometimes it's time for a song...

Sketches of Pain Lyrics

Daylight Saved
Daylight Saved
To spite the dark
In spite of the darkness
There I'll crave
There I'll crave
To get to the heart
In spite of the darkness

Great wide stretches of canvas
Signed by a godless name
Strange bright colours of madness
Only a fool would frame
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain

Some cry shame
Some cry shame
We tore them apart
We failed to imagine
God might claim
God might claim
The works of art
We failed to imagine

Great wide stretches of canvas
Signed by a godless name
Strange bright colours of madness
Only a fool would frame
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain
Sketches of Pain...

Roland Orzabal

What's another million searches...?

Kosh-mode

And so it begins...

/Kosh-mode

Google Suggest - Beta-version

Anybody worked with this yet? What will they think of next at Google...?

Oh, try 'towelmaster'... I'm Number One!!!

George and Jezus

An entirely aserious article with a kernel or two of truth in it.

"Cultural War Christians Rally Against Jesus on Supreme Court"

"Paul Milquetoast Wingnut, the conservative chairman of the Save Congress Foundation, warned White House Political Advisor Karl Rove against nominating Mr. Christ, whose liberal views on the poor and dispossessed are considered too radical and "out of step with America's religious values."

Between Gitmo and Gulag - American Freedom

I really cannot say that I have have a clear idea of what the American public thinks of American politics over the last 25 years. But I do know that on the outside looking in, everybody could have seen it coming and a lot people DID see it coming. The erosion of the constitution by the political elite. Politics is supposed to be a process that helps govern and unite a country. Not divide it. And then this(for instance) : Absolute despotism does not help, I think.

There is no such thing as 'an absolute truth' in politics. But the foundation should be something everybody can agree on.

Links like the one above tend to p*ss off some people, but you tell me : where are the(fundamental) differences between the Soviet State and the current 'measures' the American administration thinks they have to take? What is the difference between Gitmo and the Gulag? And I do not mean practical differences, I do not mean the nitpicking differences(we treat them better, they at least get food from us, etcetera). I am talking about holding people for years (I could understand a few months) without accusing them, without the right to a trial, without the right to appeal to the American Constitution. Well, they do have the right to appeal, if they can get the word out. But as we have seen recently, the Bush-administration threw out the Supreme Court's decision by going back to the senate and congress and have them create an exception to the rule.

You know what ? This posting sounds dangerously left-wing and communist. Thankfully, my opinions are shared quite often with free-thinkers like Fred Reed and the likes. And absolutely no one can be serious when they accuse Fred of being left-wing. The guy worked for Soldier of Fortune for years! He's seen more battlefields than you and I can list. A commie he ain't...

As a dutchman who is on the outside looking in I ask again and again and again : What the H*ll is happening with the beautiful 'house' the Americans built? Where is the uproar because Washington restricts air-travel for 12-year olds because they share a name with someone who is suspected of having been to Afghanistan once? Where is the uproar when the government eavesdrops on THOUSANDS of its own citizen while refusing to request a warrant(that they would get without objection)?

Where are all those free-spirited Americans? Where are the completely american independents who are prepared to defend their compound in Waco, but who do not defend themselves against the most covert and powerful american administration America has ever seen? And why oh why is it now a national(mostly republican) hobby to accuse everyone who does not fully support Bush's war of being 'unpatriotic'? That last one makes the skin of a lot of people over here crawl. It leads to fascism. Nobody can say otherwise. It has been proved over and over again, and not just in Germany 1933. Everywhere except in the United Stated, the 'last beacon of hope'. Until now.

And by the way : there is a reason for Godwin's Law("mention Nazi-Germany or Hitler in a discussion and you automatically lose"). Everything bad we have seen in the last 70 odd years is compared to the Nazi-regime because it was the epitome of evil. It is indeed the end to all discussions. In this case it had better be the start of one...

Keep in mind that as good as no one in Europe gloats over this. Quite the opposite: a lot of people here are very worried. And I say with good reason too. After all, we do have some experience with these situations and so far they have all resulted in chaos.

And in this frame of mind, I am glad I come across the counter-voices, even if only on the web. Like this one :

The Declaration of independence and The Constitution built upon it make it absolutely clear that We the People of America are the only Sovereign Power of America and that any government has authority to make or execute our laws only to the extent that We grant that government our Consent to do so.

This is quite a contrast with what we are seeing from abroad. And it worries us. I am grateful that the web gives everyone the chance to speak his or her mind. You can stifle the media but you cannot shutdown the web.

Yet. For as long as it lasts.

The new Fred

The new Fred is here. "Hitler was a consumer product." Hmmm...

It's HOT! DAMN HOT!!

No worries mate. Let's find us a Billabong! Crikey! it's a bit warm...

Free World: America, Europe, and the Surprising Future of the West

An interesting article about a book about the relationship between Europe and the United States. I might buy the book itself.

Atheism

Why am I an atheist? Well here's a big read to clarify it a bit.

UK in the news

Big Brutha'z cumm'n a git ya...

Christmas presents ideas

Baby Bush Toys! Get them while you can!

The voyage of the Space Beagle

Well it looks like Beagle 2 has been found. Remember when it got lost on Mars?

Tom Fox

Perhaps you have heard by now that another American was beheaded in Iraq. What makes it somewhat more close to home is the fact that the victim kept his own weblog.

Read it, it will make you wonder why this man was targeted, and then you will realize once again that convictions have nothing to do with the killing in Iraq. The killings are stereotypes: "You're American so you bad man." "You Iraqi so you bad by definition". It really doesn't go much beyond that.

This man's blog proves that there may be something to be said for weblogs after all. These are all of his own words remaining and they should lack an expirationdate, they should be protected.


Waiting in the light.