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June 26, 2009: Winston Smith in Tehran
"Nokia Siemens Network has confirmed it supplied Iran with the technology needed to monitor, control, and read local telephone calls.
It told the BBC that it sold a product called the Monitoring Centre to Iran Telecom in the second half of 2008." - BBC
The Wall Street Journel further reports (and Nokia-Siemens denies) that
" The monitoring capability was provided, at least in part, by a joint venture of Siemens AG, the German conglomerate, and Nokia Corp., the Finnish cellphone company, in the second half of 2008, Ben Roome, a spokesman for the joint venture, confirmed."
If one ever believes that corporations, in essence, somehow have a soul, or "have the interest of the public good" in mind...well then, we have the perfect nail in the coffin for that beguiling notion, eh?
Nokia and Siemens, common household names across the world, provide the tools not only for our beloved communication systems, but also for their deterrence and oversight. And now, in Iran, we see that if the price is right, censorship can be sold as well. A revolution swelling with idealistic notions of democracy in a region thirsty for expression and free speech, is suffocated at the start by an oppressive government, whose oil wealth gladly paid these companies, thus not only fattening profits, but also enacting the tools of suppression that would choke the life out of any nascent revolutionary spirit. ("Nokia, Connecting People," ...right.)
So while we look into the dying eyes of Neda Agha-Soltan, or dozens of others, we can know that so long as business is good, and profits are flowing, the employees at Nokia and Siemens can be comfortable with their jobs, and the dictators and oppressors of the planet can find comfortable solutions to their problems, all the while keeping millions of citizens in the dark...further evidence that slogans like "corporate responsibility" are little more than cosmetic, prosaic misnomers, designed to inhabit the corners of bland company websites.
From Gizmodo:
"Here's how it happened: In 2008, the Iranian government contracted Nokia Siemens Networks, among others, to help update its communications infrastructure, predictably requesting power to monitor and control internet traffic. With the government's full monopoly on the industry and poor human rights record in full view, Nokia Siemens Networks obliged, installing a cutting-edge "monitoring center", which the WSJ calls one of the "most sophisticated" in the world. "
"Obviously Nokia and Siemens couldn't have foreseen this exact outcome, but honestly, what did they expect? For a government to use powers like this for good?" [WSJ]
How do you say "Big Brother" in Farsi?
EIther way, in good corporate news (a dubious distinction if there ever was one), Google and Facebook have set up Farsi language versions this week (about time!) and perhaps that's an example of using the tech for some benevolent fucntions ...at least in the near term....
June 23, 2009. Home Again/ Iran.
Back home for a bit, and another time-zome leaping tour under wraps. The hectic schedule left us doing little more than just trying to soak it all in, as we went from Holland to Poland, to Japan to Germany, and Portugal to France, all in a 3 week span. Home again, time to reflect, convalesce, and turn the sights back on the headlines, among other critical activities....
First, on Iran, while on tour I was only able to digest bits and pieces of what was occurring there. However, upon further review, there is an uprising unfolding in far more than just the political sense: As we see people taking to the streets by the hundreds of thousands in an exercise of spontaneous and unbridled democratic rapture (hmm, how often do we see that in our own heralded "democracies"?!), and challenging their government's admitted failure to provide fair elections, there is a feeling this one is somehow different, as if the technology involved has modernized how such revolutions unfold, and how they are perceived globally.
In Iran, where a generation of millions have grown up with the internet and its related devices, communicate openly (and sometimes secretly) with the world, and have little patience for the misogyny and cruelty of their government's theocratic order, a young vanguard of modernity has tapped the veins of the globe's electronic pulse in an attempt to internationalize their uprising. Furthermore, the failure of the Guardian Council yesterday to denounce the admitted fraud only reinforces the fact that this radicalized opposition is confronting little more than an anachronistic cadre of theocratic thugs who only seek to prop up Mr. Ahmadinejad and his platform of oppression.
As such, it has been widely observed and noted that the use of new forms of media and communication by the protesters has made this "local" revolution a decidedly global phenomena, and as the Iranian government failed to put the proverbial lid back on the bottle, we have videos, pictures, and real-times updates disseminating across the world to electrify the rebellion further.
Primarily, the widespread, graphic video of Neda Agha-Soltan's death at the hand's of a government bullet has hammered home the emotional nail, humanizing the conflict. (And to me, a pivotal moment, spiritually similar to Tiananmen Square, China in 1989, when an unknown protester defiantly stood in front of an oncoming tank -speaking of which, lets hope this uprising actually ushers in change). As she lays on the ground, dying, I wonder if Mr. Ahmadinejad might see that on his computer, and think to himself "ahh, job well done boys, good work, as that young girl certainly represented a dire threat to the integrity of the Iranian social order!"
The cold hands which grip defiantly upon state power only give up that power through force, and as revolutions in history have shown, the birth pangs are seldom bloodless. Even as those of us who stand in the West, with so much work to do to improve our own flagging "democracies," we should offer whatever support we can (even though Obama understandably is wary of allowing this protest to be perceived as an American backed/supported revolt), and there are available channels to do so through both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International....more to come, indeed.
June 4, 2009. Stettin, Poland
Writing from sort of a youth hostel/hotel here in Stettin, Poland, on the northern border with Germany, on the Oder River. Its a sunny day, kinda chilly, but nice. Its our first time in this part of Europe, and we continue along today with a show in Rostock, a northern port city in Germany on the Baltic sea. Needless to say, its been very hectic, Canada finished up with long drives and we turned right around and jumped on a plane for Europe after the (very amazing) MDF fest last month, and here we are are doing DIY dates interspersed with open air festivals. On Sunday we fly to Japan, where we have 3 shows next week, before flying back to Europe to close out with fests til June 20....SOOOOOO I hope to be back up then with regular updates and commentary on all the wonderful shit thats going on in our collective social reality....til then...
April 27th, 2009. Sydney, Nova Scotia
Started an East Canada tour last weekend with a bomb drive to Saint John's, Newfoundland, all the way from Baltimore over a 48 hour period that had us pass up through Maine, through the Maritimes, over the Atlantic on an 8 hour Ferry, then over the 500 miles of pure, unspoiled, Canadian wilderness that is the island of Newfoundland (with 1 moose sighting along way). We played two packed out shows there, one all ages, and one a bar show, and then busted right back over the water for our show here in Sydney last night. Limited time to write now, but tour diary updates will follow in the coming weeks, as we will be going all over East Canada, then to Europe, then to Japan, then BACK to Europe and finally home in late June. Oh, and one more thing- I did not get the SWINE FLU in Mexico! It was just good old fashioned diarrhea friends! Ok, more when an internet connection is found...
April, 22, 2009: Report From Yucatan, Mexico
We (Misery Index) got offered a pair of gigs south of the border in Mexico earlier this year. Specifically, we were to play in the Yucatan region of eastern Mexico, located at the top of that ragged peninsula that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico. The cities were Cancun (well known across US college campuses as the decadent land of spring-break sacrificial regret), and the second show was in Merida, a more sleepy city about three hours west of Cancun. We rolled down looking to make it something more than just the gigs, as we had been doing a lot of unfulfilling by-the-books touring lately, so we added 4 sightseeing days on top of the 2 shows, just to hit the beach, the ruins, and the bar (among other things). As I write now from my northern homestead, I am fully bloated with a special souvienier I brought back...its not something you can buy, and it snuck its way onto the plane...its a tiny bug, or something, and its got me shuttling between the couch and the toilet every 20 minutes! This gringo indeed got the full wrath of Montezuma, resisting with strength the Immodium AD carpet bombing I unleash every few hours. Where o where on this journey did I pick up my new, wonderdul souviner? Lets reflect, and perhaps we can narrow it down....
The fun started when we arrived at our host's parent's house outside Cancun, in a local neighborhood tucked back off some boulevard full of restaurants like "Hooters" (good to soak up the local culture right?!) But aside from that we were warmly welcomed and taken into town by Jaleel and his band of brothers (of which we were now seemingly a part of). So, we ended up at the only metal bar in Cancun, on a rocking local strip that was dotted with food vendors and cars rolling by pumping everything from Rush to Reggaeton. We enjoyed the night, and even went for a quick drive to get some tacos at "a really good place" Jaleel knew about, which was down the road next to some dance bars (on a corner where she-male prostitutes were apparently congregating openly). The tacos however, were amazing, and all soft shell (that hard shell taco shit is virtually unknown here, some Tex-Mex concoction marketed by Old El Paso perhaps?) Upon returning back to the "metal: bar, we commenced to laughing and dancing the night away with our new friends....mission accomplished.
SO dubious, sanitary outdoor food stands? We ate at them all the time (as Ron Burgundy would say "When in Rome..."), even having breakfast tacos at one fine, dusty, establishment on our way out of Cancun, taking the long, scenic road across the Yucatan to Merida. Along the way, the shows themselves were in ok, smallish venues, kind of like rented out art-spaces, made of o-so-good sounding concrete all over (Uggh!). The soundguy was a German expat named Chris, he did the best he could with the limited resources, but alas, a Scorpions "World Wide Live" we did not make. The crowds were drunk and enthusiastic, some a little too much of both, but hell, if they are into it, and I'm 3000 miles from home, I am not complaining. Cancun was as expected, a long strip of beach packed and cemented over each available inch with hotel property and Margarititavilles, with American and European tourists billowing out along the causeways and sidewalks in all their crabby sunburned glory. We took it in for one day, then bolted out into the jungle for some real adventure...well, meaning, we took the backroads to Merida THROUGH the jungle rather then take the highway...in hopes of getting more flavor and culture in the perhaps less-tainted-with tourists areas. Certainly this was the highlight...
Even as we stopped in at the ruins of Chitzen Itcha, or jumped the cliffs at a huge underground aquifer, or spent the evening walking the streets of old Merida's culture festival, we cut through what is perhaps the REAL Mexico, small town after tiny village, with Mayan children laughing in the midday heat, oblivious to whatever perceived needs modernity might prescribe for them. One can not help but see the joy in there eyes, and its a timeless reminder that no matter where we are in life, we need to keep on fueling our imagination and sprit: The cold machinery of our modern world is quick to mutilate and subjugate the human heart, so hold on to what you have, jump off the cliff, for the ride down into those cool waters is unforgettable...
Why LOST is the Only Show that Matters on the Zombie Tube
Yes, I was skeptical upon first viewings, partly because TV has sucked forever and I hate those shows and everything that sitting in front of a TV passively watching them represents. However, LOST grabbed me. After overcoming the initial absurdity of the first few episodes (like a plane crashing on a tiny Pacific island from 30,000 feet and almost everyone lives - yeah right?!), I became interested in the way the plot unfolded in such a multi-layered, intricate and questioning method. The evolution of the story that came about was one that actually had some complexity and demanded critical and attentive viewing to understand and follow, so I recognized that it was something new and fresh, that actually challenged the viewer to think in multiple frames of reference and time, and to make the connections as the story unfolded week to week. It was like a show that allowed (or forced) you tap into the fun of being a kid again, so that was intriguing, it reminded me of the imagination I had when I was younger...and somehow forgot, and it has only gotten better (the show) in recent years, further challenging the viewer to balance numerous, complex and competing story lines. In other words, it does not assume the viewer is stupid, which is 95% of Television, so that's a breath of fresh air and some much needed fun in these uncertain modern times.
Amnesty International on Helping Iranian Prisoner/Journalist Roxana Saberi
First off, the argument of the cultural relativist (in this case) is noble, but unstable. Of course, the Islamic world needs to forge its own path to modernity and Western values/morals should not be forced upon an unwilling populace. However, there is such a thing called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (heavy version) (light version), which is an amazing document, embodying a set of core values that (purportedly) transcend culture and other notions of exclusivity, to encapsulate a body of basic values that are essential to all human beings, no matter where on earth we walk. So, we have Pakistan, giving way to the same misogynistic Islamic laws that have kept Afghanistan in the human-rights stone age in recent decades...and, speaking of Afghanistan, US puppet and "only hope" Hamid Karzai looks on approvingly as Marital rape is legalized in the country...further proof that tolerance of the organized myths of other countries (thats RELIGION folks) needs to reel in its cumbaya-cool assertions and bes' recognize that injustice is injustice, and oppression is oppression, no matter what bullshit relativist face you paint on it...so getting back to Saberi- go here to sign the Amnesty International Petition.
March 31, 2009.
87 days, 68 shows,17 countries + Coldest, Longest Winter in the Northern Hemisphere = FUN?
Yes, it was fun. We headed out westward along I-70 last Thanksgiving (waaaay back in 2008, remember that?), winding our way up into the Appalachians of Western Maryland, still brimming with pre-tour anticipation and unbridled enthusiasm (shown primarily by sleeping away the miles with our i-pods attached to our heads). Vancouver, our westernmost destination, still lay only 2800 miles ahead. Reflecting back now, after the tour, and after a much needed 2 week decompression and vegetation period over the month of March, the engines are churning again and memories of miserable times collide with beautiful vistas, laughter, and stress, to fully embody what a touring life really is: seizing each day for yourself and watching the sun rise and set over the miles as they get carried away in the dust beneath the van, with the wind in your face and the smells changing around every bend (and various stenches changing in the van as well) . I am going to romanticize the hell out of, cause thats what it is ( and as a certain special someone said of me a few years ago), thats what I do: I romanticize shit! Why? Cause it is the Tabasco sauce of life.
There is a difference between painting an illusory portrait of passion (verbal, artistic, or otherwise), and living passion itself....most of us do what we love, some do not, some are on the way, and others already did it. It is something that needs no justification....but since we are now on the course of not-holding-shit-back, lets say it was a horrible trip too, but it balanced out, and like all good journeys both the chutes and the ladders contributed to the emancipation of the whole....
Touring life aint for everyone, and it is not even for a few people all of the time...and I am not talking about some platinum tour-bus Kid Rock 5 star shit with 10 semis and a 100 person crew, I mean the van, like Rollins said, get in the fucking van. As far as the nuts and bolts of the tour, most are outlined below (at least the first half...it was only downhill from there!), but just want to capture the general spirit in this reprise. One might notice the drop off in updates from January, but that is about the time my frozen paws just got fed up with struggling to find internet connections and such, and opted to enjoy the moment rather than vomit it out into cyberspace for an unknown cadre of cybersurfers to peruse momentarily prior to hitting the 'back' button and leaving this lonely corner for good....
In others news...while I was away...
So, it seems that Bush's rationale for water boarding aka Torture did not work?! Wow, how do you say "I'm sorry I tortured you..." .....this shit has got to go, and looks like it is under Obama. I like having an articulate and thoughtful president. He sounds presidential. He sounds hopeful...but with the lack of hope in the >UK< I am still not expecting some 'cool America' to dawn anytime soon...as Capitalism rears its ugly face once more, and reminds the masses that the world in which we tread is a dangerous and uncertain one (at least for the majority), we rightly vent our anger at the AIG's and the cadres in government who were gladly going to hand over more taxpayer money prior to the populist outrage. Yes the old "meltdown' will lay down its bumps and detours, perhaps dethroning Obama before his time. But with the mess, some are saying its time for such a crisis to be used as a way to clamp down on the excessive consumption habits of the world's most gluttonous and uncaring nation? Perhaps it takes a crisis to get people to stop eating up and shitty on everything they see, if only to put our feet back on the earth and realize we are killing it with our gluttony...on that note , the US is apparently on board again for rekindling some new Kyoto-type environmental agreements...and Russia wants to be friends again?! Whats the world coming to!?
Ok more to come...first we are off to Mexico tomorrow, to play 2 shows over 6 days in Cancun and Merida....expect a full report in a little over a week.
LISTENING TO: Propagandhi - Supporting Caste (album of the decade!) , Kylesa - Static Tensions, Early Graves, and Avgrund....also: reading Wired magazine on the toilet, 3 Pileated Woodpecker sightings in 1 week (!), and eating meatless in the meantime....
January 22, 2009.
Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. - The tour is about half way done. We have run all the routines and races of the Euro metal tour circuit in mid winter, including the bus sickness, the bus breakdowns, and bus doldrums (which we will NEVER go with again), to the fun times and the great shows (Vienna was an exceptional highlight). So here we are, SYNT, Aeon, and Hate Eternal, chilling in this gorgeous upper armpit of the Iberian Pennisula, basking in the zippity-doo-da of metal road life. So hopefully tonight we will wake some of those "Ghosts" and find ourselves a bit of the spirit of '36...
As we cross the continent, we watch online as the glee and unbridled hope spills out of DC like wine on the carpet (something not seen emanating from DC in quite some time). I can enjoy the euphoria for what it is, tempered as always, with the knowledge that there are many systemic obstacles in place. Pres. Obama's good intentions face a tsunami of structural barriers, and the fuel of 'hope' can only take you so far down the highway....
Just watched "Burn After Reading" The Coen Brothers return to their tragicomedy formula (after the dark "No Country for Old Men) and it is a funny beast. The film captures all the superficial human relations and idiocy that define a city whose denizens seemingly only care about WHO other people know, and WHAT other people do. John Malkovich is insanely funny as a rabid (fired) CIA analyst, using the word 'fuck' with such unending creativity that we were rocking the bus with laughter.
Next- France.
January 13, 2009.
New Year, New Tour, More Israeli Massacres
Greetings from Hamburg, Germany. At the ol' club Marx tonight, situated right next to the massive central train station here, and as usual, its cloudy, chilly, gray and overcast. Typical for northern Germany this time of year. Its kind of nice to be over here and out of DC for the month, as the place is about to be overrun with millions of inauguration visitors, and visiting Europe in the post-Bush era now means friendly faces again and no more "we are from Canada" lines (never were anyway). The tour has started off great (except for some bus issues), and the bands we are out with (Hate Eternal and SYNT from the US, and Sweden's Aeon) are all class act dudes....updates/pics will follow as we traverse the continent. Meanwhile as we caravan as modern troubadours, the world keeps turning.
Most notably the David vs Goliath subject, o so touchy as always, of Israel and Palestine. The refugees in Palestine have very long memories, and the Israelis have very big sticks, which yield not even to women and children. It sickens me to see the violence of the state trampling human life in ANY context, no matter who is involved. Any human being who consciously injures and kills unarmed civilians - no matter for what cause or for what purpose- automatically forfeits his or her own humanity....damn you all to hell.
December 25. Happy Pagan Pine Tree Day! (....off to Florida)
After three weeks awash in the arctic onslaught, and still facing another four weeks of frozen fun traversing northern Europe in January and February, its time to head to Florida for some rehabilitation- camping in the Keys to be exact. More adventures to come in the new year, so taking some time off to reflect on the experiential rewards of 2008...and I hope you all are with friends and family this holiday season! Until then, some notes....
A cautionary tale indeed. With all the hope that a new Obama administration brings to Washington, and the desire for change that we are all yearning for overflowing into unchecked reality, its time to keep the microscope on Obama and ensure that promises are realized, and then some. He talks much about helping the Middle Class, as he must, they elected him after all. But to speak only of the Middle Class implies a false sense of egalitarian order to our economy, as if one could be Middle Class, if one wanted to simply join the ride. Well, as I speak about often here, the class of the working poor of this country are 30 million and growing, and you can not usher in change by baiting the hopes and fears of the comfortable middle-class majority alone. To even use the word "class" with such matter-of-fact simplicity, sanctions and reinforces the class system we have, and the seemingly necessary inequalities it codifies in economic law. Capitalism, with great fanfare, creates and champions its winners, and haughtily scoffs at the "inefficiency" of its losers. And here, as we see in 2008, when the unchecked greed of the winners disrupts the delicate order of things, the casino-crazes that result imply that Monopoly and its antics are far from just a board game. They destroy actual lives and families.
Looking forward to seeing the new film "Waltz with Bashir" -an animated documentary dealing with Israeli soldiers attempting to come to terms with the 1982 Lebanese war, and in particular their de facto sanctioning of a Christian militia's massacre of some 3000 unarmed people, mostly women and children, at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps (mentioned among the massacres in the MI track "Unmarked Graves").
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen...."
December 24, The Last Five Shows....
Dec 18th- The drive to Toronto was peaceful, which was a nice change. Tonight it was the Opera House, a massive, historic venue which we last visited when we hopped on the Sacrifice reunion show in late 2006. Got to love Toronto's energy, bustling despite the freezing cold, and for a large city I find people are exceptionally cool. The gig was a blast from point A to point B- probably the second largest show of the tour, I would say about 600 to 700 in attendance, including some old and familiar friends who stopped by to see us. Since this was the last night of the tour (well the last BIG show), Adam decided to strip down to his underwear and put on a viking hat and do a Jagermeister-fueled, pelvic thrust dance across the stage during BDM's set. Look for the You Tube video here, it was hopefully (seemingly?) a way to lighten up the tension after BDM's accident the day before. Later, after rounds of mayhem ensued in the backstage, we trolled over a few blocks to our old friend Denise's house (whom we first met on the 2004 Napalm Death tour), where she graciously offered her abode for us to lay our beaten heads to rest.
The morning of the 19th we got up YET AGAIN to a blizzard, and just as we are pulling out of Toronto on this fine Friday morning, we find traffic at a standstill -all the way out the 125 mile trip down the 401 to London, Ontario. So, we trudge through the snow to the van, and onto the snow-caked highway. If we have not learned our lesson about the brutality of the Canadian winter yet, we are given one more day of it, driving through a real-life Christmas snow-shaker coupled with a full smackdown from Mother Earth. Nearly 7 hours later, we roll into London about 7:30 PM, and load in to that legendary depot on Dundas Street known as The Embassy Hotel. I first played here in the Dying Fetus days when our 1998 summer tour with Deeds of Flesh rolled through here and a local brutal death metal band with the misleading moniker Summertime Daises treated us to a summer afternoon BBQ. However, this time, a freezing cold cloaked the backstage of the venue, and we were greeted with the stench of iceberg turds sticking out of the men's toilet. The show itself was well attended, and good for London, which is another sort of mid-size city that is a good stopping point between Toronto and Detroit. We managed to conjur up enough energy to "fuckin give 'er" with force, and had a sort of anti-climactic goodbye ceremony with the other bands, as Soilent Green were driving straight back to New Orleans, and BDM were shooting right back over to Michigan to their home in Detroit, a mere 130 miles to the west. We, however, were going to play shows in Buffalo and Philadelphia to break up our homeward bound journey...
The 20th we drove to Buffalo, and along the way we experienced one of the smoothest border crossings ever. The uber-serious border guard dude we encountered said literally nothing but "passports....How many people?," and "Welcome back." A half hour later we were in the icebox known as downtown Buffalo preparing to play a headlining show at Club Diablo. We killed some time with a nice dinner (compared to the previous weeks outings) at TGI Fridays' two blocks away, and then ran back to the club before the icicles could start to form from our nose, and jumped inside and ordered a round Maudites' to shun the frostbite away. The show was late but fun, and as after we played YET another blizzard rolled up the coast and off the lake, to dump even more snow around us. So we tried to get out of town about 3 AM, but this time, like never before, it was a complete white-out. We made it about 75 miles East going about 30 miles per hour, where we stopped at Ian of Sickdrummer Magazine's house outside of Rochester. He literally saved our collective asses, as the storm did not stop raining whiteness until the following afternoon.
We awoke about noon on the 21st, and Ian's wife graciously made us all BLTs and omelets. It was a winter wonderland outside, and after one more cup of coffee we said our thanks and goodbyes, and shot down to Philadelphia for the last show of our so-called Ice Road Truckers tour, which we handily (and most thankfully) survived while witnessing some spectacular displays of Mother Nature's Canadian beauty. Philadelphia was rocking as always, and we played a new venue there called the M Room. It was a great way to close out the tour, and some Relapse peeps were in attendance as well as some friends new and old. Being so close to home, we packed up and made the hour and half shot back to Baltimore, dropped off Adam and Mark at their house in Towson, and then Spark and I unloaded the van at about 5 AM. I eventually made it home about 7AM and crawled into bed for a nice long sleep, tour done, mission accomplished.
December 17, Montreal- This Week's Recap
Its been a hectic week. After rolling through Bampf and winding down the eastern portion of the Rockies, we had to bust a quick 200 miles up to Edmonton. It was the only show on the tour so far where we showed up late. Crawling up to the Starlight Room, there were people in line out front standing in 7 degree weather, and we piled out of the van haggard and grumpy from the endless drive. We went inside (and of course its a load in UP STAIRS!) tossed our equipment and merch up as quickly as possible, and prepared to blast out the tunes. Since we entered the city in darkness, we did not get to take in the surroundings at all, yet despite the winter wonderland that subsumed the town around us, we warmed fast to the venue and crowd. By far the biggest show of the tour, I would estimate at least 700 to 800 people were in attendance and it was devastating show for all bands. Afterwards we went back to the apartment of our friend Rob, who so kindly offered his abode for our tired heads.
The next day (the 10th) we cruised down to Calgary, (finally) the shortest drive of the tour to date (aside from Seattle to Vancouver), so we took the opportunity to get an oil change for the van in the town of Red Deer. After that, we completed the drive to Cal-gary (like the name, as some say here) and pulled into the venue, called the Wharehouse. More of a medium-sized venue, it was another ripping night of good times and good laughs. We stayed at the Super 8 that evening, where some gargantuan dude with a greasy face and severe attitude problem checked us into the dump, which was the worst experience yet with the damn chain. We avoid hotels when possible, but with the temperature hovering around 0 degrees outside, the van was not an option.
The morning of the 11th we rolled out to Regina, Saskatchewan. The drive across was flat and boring, just like in the American west, and after yet another long 10 hour jaunt we arrived at "the Venue" (yet another original name) in Regina- incidentally the same place we played a few years ago with Neuraxis. The situation was similar as in Calgary, but the crowd was sparse (relative to the other shows), and it was here I celebrated my birthday uneventfully, sharing some vodka with the BDM guys, and going online to all the requisite social networking sites to thank my friends across the globe for the digital birthday greetings, thanks again!
On the 12th, I hopped in the driver's seat and steered us out to Winnipeg with great anticipation. Although Winnipeg is also situated on the flat, miserable plains of nothingness that is Western Manitoba, it is also the home to some great bands and friends, not limited to but notably Propagandhi, a band whose lyrics and riffage are incredibly inspirational to me...and as a fan, I always look forward to chatting up some music and hockey with maestro Chris Hannah (This time I got photo evidence -ha ha!) As expected, the show went well in the historic Royal Albert Hotel, a veritable punk rock palace made for having beers with friends. We ended up crashing later that night with Jean-Louis ( from the mighty Putrescence , Winnipeg's finest gore grind with a dash of humor), whose tiny apartment barely fit us all on the floor.
The 13th we stumbled out very early at 8:30 (early for us) into sub-sub freezing temperatures (the kind that freezes the snot in your nose). It was a long and sometimes scenic drive down from Manitoba into Ontario, and we began to see more and more potential bad weather the closer we got to Thunder Bay. A desolate and more forested area of Canada, northern Ontario is amazingly tranquil, and probably an awesome visit in the summer, Arriving at the venue known as "Kilroy's" in Thunder Bay (situated on the north shore of Lake Superior), we can see just why the hell Letterman's music man Paul Shaffer got the hell out of this place (Again, I am sure its nice in summer). The show was the somewhat unorganized with the sound system and the local bands all sort of getting thrown together on stage, even as the show should have already started. It was the weakest attended show of the tour (at perhaps 100 people, if that's weak), but for a city of only 109,000 people its to be expected. Ultimately however, shows like this are only meant to bridge the drive between weastern and eastern Canada, so you take what you can get. So, after the show we rolled out an Econo Lodge, and overnight as we slept, a massive blizzard rolled in off the lake.
The 14th was the day-off drive to Ottawa, we battled snow, ice and sleet, and after sitting in line for hours on the desolate Trans-Canadian highway waiting for accidents to be cleared and semis to be pulled out of snow banks, we made it was far as Sudbury. It was there we slept for a few hours and then continued on to Ottawa. Ultimately the journey took us 32 hours and it was by far the most harrowing portion of the tour, but little did we know, we were to face even more treacherous drives and blizzards ahead.
The 15th we arrived in Ottawa, pulling in sort of late as always, about an hour before the doors open. We rolled into club Babylon (where we played in 2004 with Napalm Death) and enjoyed a brief respite over a much needed beer before we were to play. That night the guys from Fuck the Facts stopped by, so later that evening we ended up staying with them (our buddies Topon and Melanie) just over the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec. It was still early after the show, so we went to a Kareoke bar near their house and had some nice laughs before bedtime...actually...A LOT OF LAUGHS before bedtime (and notably, I saw some brilliant Aurora Borealis scintillating across the clear night sky on the walk home).
The 16th we had a 5 hour trip over to Quebec City, the farthest east we would be on this journey. The venue was a no-alcohol, all ages joint on the edge of the old city, where we crawled our perpetually weary asses over the ice everywhere around the club, to get ready for the show. It was nice to see the entire crowd break out into a huge frenzy the second we started, I guess all the years of trolling across Quebec have paid off after all. That night, we stomped over to our friend Felix's house, where he made some homemade Poutine and crashed out.
Today, the morning of the 17th, we woke up to a super shitty mess outside, as yet another blizzard stampeded across the northeast overnight into Quebec. We rolled out on highway 20 South to Montreal, barely seeing the road as we passed over the St. Lawrence river south of the city, where we saw dozens of cars wrecked or flipped over everywhere, and trucks were racing by in the left lane spraying us with blinding slush. We thought it was rough before, but this was the worst drive to date. We hovered around 35 miles per hour, but even that seemed too fast. We later found out when we got to the venue in Montreal, that Black Dahlia Murder had wrecked and their trailer flipped over, destroying equipment and ruining merch. They ended up arriving at the venue (Le National) late in a rental truck, and using a combination of equipment from both Soilent Green's and us. The BDM guys were all visibly shaken, but performed as hard as ever, and thankfully everyone was safe. After the show we only had to walk a mere 50 feet to Tommy's house (the drummer for Neuraxis), where he held an smashing afterparty, which went to the early morning in full Quebecois fashion. We never leave Montreal without saying "damn we need to relocate here..."
December 9, 2008. Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada
Tonight we arrived in this small resort town known as Revelstoke, tucked away in the Canadian Rockies in "beautiful" BC. Since we last spoke (in the afterglow of the Boise mediocrity), we have moved on into the deeper northwest and the welcoming arms of Seattle. The drive was made by guitarist/beardface Mark, who was stellar in his overnight navigational clarity, I must say.
We arrived early in Seattle, about 10:30 AM, and stopped in for a visit to the Space Needle, and... I was unimpressed. We always see the mighty Seattle Skyline in movies and such, and there it was- the iconic Space Needle, BUT -its NOT that tall, and it has nothing on the CN TOWER in Toronto, now thats a TOWER. Anyways, walked around Seattle, passing more coffee shops than are humanly necessary for the population, soaking up a beautiful, yet mildly chilly day, in stark contrast to the winter misery we went through to get here.
The show itself was held at a place called El Corazon, where we had been before back in 2004 with Kataklysm, and also with Dying Fetus when it was called Graceland. The venue has a great setup, just a whack rule (not their fault, its local law) that keeps the actual bar in another room, well away from where the bands are playing. Not that big a deal, but what was cool was that locals Book of Black Earth opened the show, and they rock. After the show, their drummer Joe took us to a bar nearby where he works called "Cha Cha's," and after that things got sort of hazy....to say the least...when the tsunami subsided, we ultimately ended up back at his fine abode to sleep for the evening, and then we headed out early to visit the border for our impending venture north to Vancouver.
AHH Das Border: It was quite possibly the smoothest crossing we have ever had. The border guards were all in an unusually affable mood (in stark contrast to the agonizing Quebec crossings we are normally used to from years past), and the fellow who was collecting our merch tax money seemed more interested in quizzing me about hockey, Rush, and Gordon Lightfoot. So, with the border a slam-dunk, we soon found ourselves rolling into Vancouver on a sunny afternoon, awestruck by a brilliant skyline that kinda reminded us of Tokyo (as far as the architecture of the high rise apartments, which dominated). After soundcheck, I walked around the area of the Venue, "Richards on Richards" - to find a vibrant downtown area, where I got myself a fine falafel from a chill little spot that had the Canucks- Avalanche game on the TV.
The show itself was about 400 people give or take, and we gave a cathartic beast of a performance fueled on our first taste of Canadian beer (some fine lagers and pale ales from Vancouver Island Brewery)...yet tempered significantly by hangovers from the previous evenings festivities. So, with the show completed, and the night growing late, we decided to get a bit of a head start towards the mountains (which hover over and around Vancouver from many perspectives), and eventually to Edmonton far beyond. We then split out to make some ground, into the incredible words-do-no-justice scenery that surrounds highways 1 and 5 east of Vancouver - breathtaking shit I must say- where at one point we pulled off aside the river near the town of Hope, finding dozens of Bald Eagles perched and soaring all around us, as fog enshrouded mountains peered through way beyond in misty majesty.
Seeing as we have two days to get over to Edmonton, we decided not to risk any night-time, icy drives... so we stopped here in Revelstoke. In the meantime, Adam is feeling sick, and we are all getting slightly beaten up by a combination of cold weather and long drives, -but, that is what we signed up for, and as we sit here in the shadow of the mountains, deep in the Rockies, we are loving every minute of it, and feel at one with our passion. Eastward ho!
<IN OTHER NEWS> Obviously, I have been on the road since good ole' Black Friday last month...however, this deserves a special mention, as shopping can apparently KILL us much quicker than we assumed. What the hell did Jdimytai Damour do for fucking Wal-Mart to deserve his death at the hands of this blind, mindless horde? He was assigned to the front door of the much maligned establishment, perhaps to keep the throngs at bay until zero hour, yet he was trampled to death as the gates were opened, and the running of the human bulls were unleashed, salivating in their quest to obtain cheap imports, and let nothing get in their way (even a human life). TO what depths does cold, capitalist relations bury our humanity, when objects so possess the mind of men they would crush another in pure, blind, lust to buy shit? Lets do the math: BUYING SHIT>HUMAN LIFE=DOWNFALL OF MAN.
Trampling on Black Friday reflects the broader darkness of our times
What happened on the day after Thanksgiving at a Long Island Wal-Mart pretty much sums up the wretched pursuit of a deal and a buck that has become the American way.
On Black Friday, when stores lure customers before dawn by promising deep discounts on stuff they most likely don't need, a mob stomped Jdimytai Damour to death. Damour was a healthy 34-year-old man working temporarily for Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer. He was killed when a crowd of shoppers estimated at 2,000 stormed through the doors he was manning.
What happened after that man died says even more about our culture and corporate greed.
Even after hearing that the worker was trampled, some shoppers complained that they were forced to leave the store while the incident was being investigated.
What that says to me: Even tragedy can't stop bargain hunters...MORE
Finally, RIP Adrian Bromley, we will miss you brother.
/
December 6, 2008, 12:14 AM- Boise, Idaho
We had a brutal drive out of Colorado Springs yesterday morning- a wasting snowstorm rolled in over night while we were at the club called the Black Sheep, and although we drove a bit north of Denver, we managed to get hit even worse the following morning.
(However- one cool note from the bowels of the Wichita show the day before- we were going for some post-show grub at the IHOP in town, and a random group of class act dudes who were at the show and sat across from our table, ended up paying our tab without telling us before they rolled out- that was very kind, and nice to see some 'pay it forward' good karma coming around- go Kansas!)
Anyways, back to the journey, it was a 600 mile trek mostly on the horrid I-80 corridor west of Laramie, until we finally weathered out the snowy roads, and ended up crashing at a Motel 6 in Ogden, Utah. By the way- Motel 6's are such dumps, there is a reason why they are the cheapest 'chain' in town...broken shower heads? wtf...
We arrived here in Boise about 4:30 PM, and just finished playing....and well Shane Embury was correct- the third show in (fourth for us) is the charm, we got everything rolling like clockwork, and had a blast here at the "Venue" in town (the all ages place is just called the "THE Venue"- nice!) ...and now I sit here contemplating this fine Friday evening from backstage while BDM tear it up. We drive to Seattle next, and then its to the BORDER for our long awaited entry into Canada...(where hopefully some more interesting shit will go down)...drive drive drive...
December 2, 2008. 10:20PM - Wichita, Kansas,
Drove all day across the Iowan prairie, then Missouri and then Kansas. Last night we played the first show of the tour at the Picador in Iowa City, it was packed, face rippin, and back flippin. We got the bugs out after driving through snow-swept Illinois, and although freezin outside we got the sweat flowing indoors (and upstairs) at the joint with BDM, Soilent Green and the mighty Weekend Nachos. It was a great show to a diverse crowd. More in a minute....
So we just got off stage here in Wichita. The venue apparently used to host Magic: The Gathering tournaments, and the posters remain everywhere, along with cards and action figures for various sci-fi and fantasy gaming shit. Provides a nice aura...(!) The audio system was whack, however the crowd was cool, minus a few music police zombies up front. It seems they do not get a lot of grind/death bands through here, but we had fun doing the acrobatics despite the gawks. Its all for the love of the tunes, eh? More extended hours of flatness tomorrow with a 9 hour drive to Colorado Springs. Ack!
November 30, 2008. 11:15 PM- TROY, ILLINOIS, OUTSIDE ST. LOUIS:
Lounging away this lazy Sunday in the township of Troy, preparing to depart northward into winter's wrath. Its already near freezing, sleeting, and miserably windy. This area of suburban St Louis, in the far-flung, southern corner of Illinois, is the cornfield-laden hometown of our drummer Adam (THERE IS A BAR HERE CALLED "THE DEW-DROP INN" - YES!). We got into town Friday, and we performed across the river last night, on the south side of Saint Louis, at a fine venue known as "Just Bills." The place has a great PA, but there are nicer toilets in Siberian labor camps (I've seen pictures). So a snow storm is blazing across the area tonight- and we are leaving at 9 AM to drive northwards to Iowa City, where we meet up with the guys in Black Dahlia Murder of Michigan, and Soilent Green, of Louisiana.
On a side note, I was just online and I read that one of Black Dahlia Murder's guitarists quit yesterday, but it was followed by a statement that the band will still do the tour as a 4-piece. So, looks good to go, but as mentioned before, the tour will take us across Canada through most of December, and we face many obvious problems with the elements along the way, especially crossing the Rockies in British Columbia. So with that, I will keep a running online tour diary here along the way, just for fun. So, here we go, TOURDATES ARE POSTED. Come out and say hello...
Also, on a side note, we are going to be out of the Washington DC area for the Presidential Inauguration next January, I think in Euroland somewhere, but my drummer buddy Kevin T. just told me he sublet his apartment in DC for $3400.00 for 4 days, to a news crew from Atlanta. Apparently there is just not enough lodging space to accomodate the historic attendence level they are expecting in DC, and everyone is opening there doors for a quick buck. Perhaps the cities homeless shelters here should also open their doors for a few days to the "needy" vistors, cause at the going rate they could keep the shelters going for months. Capitalism works in mysterious ways.
Also, thanks to J Bennett for the Decibal inteview. Great magazine, with the most consistenly fun and brilliant writing in metal today.
November 13, 2008. 2:27 PM:
"Children are all foreigners" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Winding into deep autumn's colorful, overcast arms, 2008 is drawing soon to a close. The dark ages seemingly over, yet yielding much work to do, and much to repair. We can start over here, and enjoy our innocence and naive perceptions for what they are, even as our good intentions inevitably run up against systemic barriers. But that is even more reason to fight, so onward we tread...
...until then, just preparing for our upcoming "Ice Road Truckers" tour in December, named as such because it is across Canada in winter (yay!). Just bought some chains for the tires, I hope the Canadian Rockies will be forgiving on our journey from Vancouver to Edmonton. Got some good reading for the road lined up as well...Dave Eggers "What is the What?," and as always the trusty binoculars will be gazing for avian specimens previously unseen (by me at least) from the realms north of the 49th parallel....
Now a few notes on that bastion of democratic fecundity - The Middle East (no, not North Dakota, Brick Tamland). Many years ago a wise man named Billy Milano screamed on SOD's debut album "Speak English or Die," the very succinct yet highly misdirected line "Fuck the Middle East!" Well, not much has changed from 1985, except imperial America has its feet ever more stuck in the proverbial sands there, and we are still fighting unchecked violence with (our own) unchecked violence.
UN Bore-ums
From Reuters: This week, Saudi Arabia was a chief sponsor of the Forum called the "UN Conference on Interfaith Dialogue to Promote Tolerance blah blah blah" (or something like that). According to the article, Saudi King Abdullah, called for a greater understanding of cultural and religious differences in the region, denouncing intolerance, war, and bloodshed. O really? This is coming from a nation ruled by a monarchal, billionaire family, that regularly practices torture, decapitation and other assorted medieval activities, as well as where discrimination against women, religious minorities, immigrants and homosexuals is codified in law, and where freedom of speech and association is a joke. Why does the UN waste their money with these bullshit forums? everyone knows the reality, please spare us the charades.
Iran to Obama: Ok, now we DONT want to talk!
From the Post: TEHRAN, Nov. 12 -- "Since 2006, Iran's leaders have called for direct, unconditional talks with the United States to resolve international concerns over their nuclear program. But as an American administration open to such negotiations prepares to take power, Iran's political and military leaders are sounding suddenly wary of President-elect Barack Obama."
Why? Because the zealots in power there have for years built an entire political platform out of hating the United States (perhaps with some justification -the US played a large role in disrupting Iran for decades). However, this exhibits the limited, shallow depths to which one can take a policy of hate, for when you define who you are as ONLY something in opposition to a perceived external threat, real or otherwise (the same goes for Bush and his ole' Axis of Evil rhetoric), you soon find the bottom falls out of your argument quite quickly when the other guy wants to make amends. Granted, hundreds of thousands of American troops are based around their borders (you know that can kind of make you a bit wary, eh?) However, nothing ever gets done unless the talks begin, so now that we have an American President who will finally use diplomacy and the State department as something more than symbolic artifacts, its not time to start posturing Mr. Ahmadinejad! But in a nation as un-free as Iran, I suppose the politics of fear are as necessary and normal as eating breakfast ("God" knows, we had enough of that here in the last eight years)
November 7, 2008. 10:43 AM:
Obama, Yo-mama
Admittedly, one can not help but be grateful that the Bush era is winding to close, and that despite all the criticisms, the transition of power to President elect Obama is one example of America 'getting it right'- meaning, lets sit back and relax and admire the nation's move to the left, but oh sweet Jesus, there is much work to be done. Pressure needs to be applied and kept on Mr. Obama to live up to his promises, and to assist the poor and downtrodden as our current crises deepen. Bailouts for Wall Street banks have been made, but homeowners await relief, and as our beloved capitalist system implodes, millions face unemployment. It must not be forgotten that in a true, humanist, democratic order it is the responsibility of the State to take care of its citizens, that is the primary role if nothing else- to protect us from the injustices and arrogance of the free market beast run rampant. So Mr, Obama, good luck, you will need it!
On the McCain/Palin failed front, where we saw the politics of fear soundly trampled on Tuesday, some final hilarity has ensued, as in the post-campain dust cloud we have McCain aides coming out with some classic Palin snipes, showing that her not-ready-for-primetime 'everywoman' persona was simply a bad choice, that only got worse...2012 Presidential run? Odin save us! from the Associated Press, here are some highlights:
"Sarah Palin wasn't aware that Africa was a continent and she and her brood behaved like a band of "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," aides to Republican John McCain are telling prominent news organizations."
she was "unaware that Africa was a continent, arguing that South Africa was simply a region of the larger country of Africa."
"She also didn't know the three countries that are in the North American Free Trade Agreement, namely Canada, the U.S. and Mexico."
October 30, 2008. 10:00 PM:
Election Time/State of the Dis-Union/Forging Ahead
Ahh...less than a week...winding down now on the elections, and as mentioned, of course a Democrat is always favorable to another Republican and the Bush-era bullshit, but we all know the liberal "left" (embodied in the mainstream by Obama/Democrats) here is a joke, and while they mean well, they are ultimately just bourgeois puppets that talk a lot about helping the poor, but still end up chained to the systemic gridlock that defines DC politics. Here, they reinforce the status quo and serve the wealthy just the same -and that is what so-called "democratic" politics apparently represents- more of the same class divisions...so in essence, it might be a "friendlier" Clinton-type situation, especially for the world, but nothing will change about our class system, where 37.3 million people wallow in poverty in America, mostly out of the view of the public eye, in the most prosperous country in the world.
But, hey, I am not cynical! And when looking at reality, I just think of the possibilities, and what we can do (and have accomplished) in the last 200 years in this country (it's just the timeline is so damn long). Why hopeful about possibilities? I guess I met some great people who were very inspiring, and I guess its just about fueling and feeding our curiosity and imagination. These are two attributes that fundamentally make us human and they need to be actively fed from a young age, getting out into the world and "living," as we are supposed to (not just in the school-work-death way), is all a sort of 'natural' education, that can not be taught in schools, and once you tap into that, you question things, you read and get the critical scalpel slicing, and try and have fun in the process.
On this page (Demockery, that is), over the last 9 years, I have disgorged the ills of global society, culture, and economy, called attention to injustices, inhumanities and suffering, and attacked the institutionalized servility that is our global economy, detesting the reduction of human social relations to things, objects and money. I have damned the fact that we have erased our most basic human connections, and commodified them under unrestricted capitalism, thus turning so many of our most fundamental human relations into cold, economic relations, resulting in a culture of the absurd- where for example we don't give health care to dying people unless they can "pay" for it! This is simply insane, and the fact that its "normal" here is what makes it even more surreal.
But the goal is to surpass this system (we are not at the end of history, or at the end of anything), and despite how impossible it seems- to just 'know' we can do better. Beauty, real beauty is everywhere around us, it's a connection with nature and those we care about, and anytime you look up at the stars, the sunset, the birds, the smile of a child - there is real and substantial harmony with and among men and nature (when we are not ravaging it), and it's the reason we go through each day, and even when you have the worst day and life is seemingly horrible, there is always another day to balance it out (sometimes you have to fight for it)...its natural to be miserable as it is natural to be joyful, they come in strange cycles, but its the balance of the spiritual order. So therefore, its very disconcerting and frustrating when you see the dark side of man come out and take over so often in the media, where the human spirit and its potential are suffocated with such cold calculation. So, in response to the elite legions of the negative approach, lets keep standing in defiance of "their story," and lets champion our own story of what is good in man- and likewise, and with equal measure, continue to destroy the the forces that enslave man (and laugh along the way!).
Also, just saw Bill Maher's RELIGULOUS. Out now in theaters...fucking genius.
October 23, 2008. 1:06 PM:
If you donated your hard-earned cash to the Republican Party, Sarah Palin says "you betcha" did a good thing for her- to the tune of a 150,000.00 makeover! Wow, money well spent, or what? Maybe Joe-Six pack can relate to East coast designer luxury clothing?! From Politico.com:
Stylists: Palin's fashion buys worth it:
Jane the Plumber probably canÕt afford a $150,000 shopping spree at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Barneys and BloomingdaleÕs, but professional stylists and image consultants say itÕs money well spent for Sarah Palin.
Politico reported Tuesday that the Republican National Committee has popped for more than $150,000 worth of clothes and accessories for Palin and her family since John McCain tapped her as his VP pick in late August. MORE...
October 21, 2008. 9:58 am:
So we have roughly two weeks to the election and it seems from all angles, the press are virtually anointing Obama as the next President. I will believe it when it happens, the way 'elections' have gone in recent years, you can not get too ahead of yourself, even after the election is over (right Mr. Gore?!) As one who feels that Senator Obama most likely has very good intentions and is very hopeful he can change things, I also realize that he and his party inevitably swing back into the comfortable 'middle' ground once elected. I want to be surprised, I want to believe...but we have seen it all before. As America's favorite rabble rousing granny, Emma Goldman, once said, "If voting changed anything they'd make it illegal!" But I am not a cynic, I am hopeful realist at least, and while I know an Obama win will not change much, and there is still much work to be done, I at least look forward to getting away from the Bush years...
October 20, 2008. 9:58 am:
I was never a big Drowning Pool fan until I saw this. Wow I think this country is in worse shape then ever previously envisioned....I guess you won't see any of these people at a Richard Dawkins book signing! Thanks to Zac from Cephalic for forwarding....
September 22, 2008. 12:32 PM:
"And the Walls, Come Tumblin' Down..."
Last week, via the US Treasury, leaks were plugged and the band-aids hastily applied to prop up America's central casino on Wall Street. Surely the financial alchemists that inhabit the corridors of power in New York can find solutions to our ills?! Our mortgage malfunctions and our credit crunches? Perhaps they will, but as always, in cahoots with the Politicos down here in DC, it will only benefit themselves and save their own asses from their greed driven gambling losses that destroy families and foreclose homes, yet preserve their lifestyle and reward their misbehavior.
So, we have a tax-payer funded bailout of the high rollers on Wall Street, to the tune of what some estimate to be 1 Trillion dollars, to benefit the system that has failed so many working class and working poor Americans (not to mention this time, the much-worshipped middle class) and we are told its for the 'betterment and the integrity of the system to carry on through these crises'?
The biggest problem is not just the clever ways in which the average, working taxpayer gets screwed here, but the fact that these back-room, old boy business-economist fucks are running, have been running, and continue to run a cloaked, mystified order, above and beyond the understanding of the majority of Americans, yet they intimately affect, and by default, rule many aspects of our lives. So the solutions arrived at by Sec. Paulson, go a bit like this: The government buys billions in worthless bonds from Wall Street, with taxpayer money, bailing out irresponsible gamblers and giving them a new life, while no relief goes to those who are losing their homes?!
Over the weekend some of the best articles of note popped up in The Nation, and didn't just call blame, but came up with some great ideas to start with, especially William Greider who in the article "Paulson Bailout Plan a Historic Swindle" suggests that:
"More important, if the taxpayers are compelled to refinance the villains in this drama, then Americans at large are entitled to equivalent treatment in their crisis. That means the suspension of home foreclosures and personal bankruptcies for debt-soaked families during the duration of this crisis. The debtors will not escape injury and loss--their situation is too dire--but they deserve equal protection from government, the chance to work out things gradually over some years on reasonable terms."
...and Von Hoffman, who in the "Mother of All Bailouts" notably calls out Washington's incestuous relationship with Wall Street:
"Regardless, the men and women who are designing the bailout to end all bailouts have economic interests in how it is done. Paulson is a former head of Goldman Sachs, which is under the gun; Democrats, too, have more than a buck at stake. Nancy Pelosi has a quarter-of-a-million-dollars' worth of AIG stock. John Kerry's wife has more than $2 million."
Another suggestion being taken up by democrats is to stipulate limits on executive payouts as a part of the "relief plan" for Wall Street (something the Republicans are staunchly against, naturally), but judging from this years Executive Payout report from the nice folks at United for a Fair Economy, they might still be able to keep that 7th or 8th house and live comfortably, right?
.....Amid all this, Galveston, Texas lies devastated and thousands again in need of help...!? (Sorry, no headlines for you guys! Wall Street is melting- so see you on page 10, at the bottom - under the underwear ad....) It seems Hurricane Ike is the catastrophe the media forgot!
In the "Aint That America" Dept...
We have the Aryan Outfitters! Good to know that artisan crafting and textile work is alive and well in the heart of the land of love, tolerance and liberty!
Lastly...just finished reading "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah. Astounding, horrific and real...just get it, a story of inhumanity conquered by compassion.
September 9, 2008. 9:06 PM:
Afghan Atrocities Unveiled
First, on last months civilian massacre in Afghanistan (see below), a recent UN report complete with video evidence has apparently stirred up enough concern for another review. The Washington Post today reported that the US military will "investigate" the claims once more...and as with most tragedies of this sort, they get analyzed, debated, and evaluated- eventually disappearing into the fog of war and statistics. But thankfully for the voiceless victims, this event hasn't fallen of the radar completely...maybe the US military's PR team just didn't sell their side of the story properly? (I was surprised to see this covered at the bottom of the front page of the Post) But then again, the US public is obviously more concerned with Sarah Palin's beauty pageant record, as the (seeming) majority of us fail to care what unpronounceable Borat-land we are blowing up on the other side of the world on any given day...
American Duopoly
With the hype now subsiding from convention hyperbole, and both political parties now settling into their predictable "cutting taxes for the middle class" rhetoric, its time to sit back, yawn, and soak up the spectacle. Another election year of two-party banality, this or that - one or the other. Talk about the irony of having no POLITICAL choice here in the land where endless free market choice abounds!? When it comes to the very democratic soul of the country, we have only two pathetic choices (only a step away from a Soviet-style one party state, or modern China for that matter)
And how did we get to this duopoly- this two-party nation, this apparent dearth of democratic choice where we have settled for such a diluted, watered down facade of political options? Much credit to Jeff Fox in the newest issue of the zine Razorcake #45 ("Lets Wreck the Party") for dusting off this analysis and calling attention yet again to the absence of real political choice in America. Perhaps de Tocqueville or Paine would be vomiting (or laughing) today if they sat down and watched the political pantomime that is the modern US election process, riddled with farce, paid for by corporations and special interests, and further widening the chasm between our ailing system and true representation.
By necessity, our multitude of opinions and cultures demand accommodation, and we settle this by filtering down our collective biases into those bloated, national incarnations known as Democrats and Republicans. Left or right, red or blue, this or that...how can anyone be ultimately happy? Compromise is essential, but why should the heartfelt beliefs of tens of millions who are not banal 'centrists' not even be allowed to enter the debate? Third parties are of course the joke of the mainstream media, and their omission only reinforces the stranglehold that the Two Party Twins have on the process....There are ways more effective, but before jumping off this boat and into that unsettling sea of purported 'radicalization,' we have to first realize and admit that the political duopoly of these dominating political parties do not offer a 'choice' at all. Can we please stop choking ourselves on this charade -this carnival that comes to town every four years to feed us its bitter hopes, only to disappear into the night?!
PLease: Stay Home, Don't Ask Questions, Consume, Work and Reproduce...OR...
A few weeks ago we had this concerned citizen take a beating from the cops in Denver at the Democratic National Convention, not sure what she did to provoke them...hmm must of been that whole First Amendment Freedom of Speech thing...sometimes it gets you clocked in the head and taken away! And when the media frames you as a 'radical' for actually speaking your mind, no one out here in Soma-land apparently gives a shit...
McCainiacs on the Loose!
This guy John Rich is awesome. He wrote a song for John McCain, cleverly titled "Raisin' McCain' ... "get on the train or get out of the way" he says ...I will ignore the ridiculous video itself (that features horrid lip synching, a faux-country music dude bastardizing the very metal Flying-V guitar, and a dwarf inexplicably dancing on the drum riser) to simply peruse the lyrics of this masterpiece of American cultural songwriting (Here is where Woody Guthrie rolls over in his grave) .....(Anyway, the song has more hooks than Eurythmics mainman Dave Stewart's dedication to Obama, whose track "American Prayer" is filled with sappy emo-celebrity cameos and dripping with somber urgency -sure to please lefty-yuppies on both coasts as they sip their Lattes and "talk" about change)
Raising McCain
Lyrics & Song by John Rich
And weÕre all just raisinÕ McCain
Everywhere across the USA
You can get on the train or get out of the way
WeÕre all just raisinÕ McCain
(so we have the "for us or against us" attitude, rounded out by a biblical reference wherein one notorious brother (Cain) "rises" up and kills brother (Abel) out of jealousy...hmm, yeah that sounds about right for the Republican agenda)
Well he got shot down in a Vietnam town
Fighting for the red, white and blue
And they locked him up in the Hanoi Hilton
Thinking they could break him in two
("He got shot down in a Vietnam town" - must have took hours to come up with that clever verse of lyrical prose- ahh Vietnam, damn commies! Bomb em!!!! Save our freedom from those damn evil rice farmers!!!)
He stayed strong, stayed extra long
ÔTil they let all the other boys out
Now weÕve got a real man with an American plan
WeÕre going to put him in the big White House
(So what is the "American plan?" Perhaps he should've said " with and American Plan to invade Iran!"?
August 28, 2008. 12:55 PM : The Science of Winning Hearts and Minds, Episode 37:
As reported in the New York Times yesterday: the "U.S. Killed 90, Including 60 Children, in Afghan Village, U.N. Finds"...yet another incident of "collateral damage"? As the War on Terror contiues to claim more lives than it purports to save...thats 60 children whose entire extended family no doubt has very ill feelings towards the military that wiped out their beloved children (oops, sorry!), and that antipathy no doubt extends to American citizens, whose taxes funded the massacre, and whose elected representatives supervise and oversee the operations in Afghanistan... Goliath continues to trample around the world, making friends...
August 26, 2008. 7:38 PM : Summer Dying Fast...
Maybe some people actually care about the party conventions, those aggrandizing events which amount to little more than million dollar dog-and-pony shows (for the media hacks to pick apart and analyze into the wee hours of the morning and beyond)...while it seems the true progressive voices are always shut outside...no four star hotels, no celebrity dinners, and no champagne.
No matter the speeches and pomp, there is hope, after nearly 8 years of the Bush Reich we have a chance for someone new to bitch and moan about, and why not Obama? If so, he has a long road ahead, cause there are a lot of working class NASCAR dudes and dudettes between the coasts who just don't buy his rhetoric, and never will. He just does not speak to them and their interests, simply put (whether they know it or not). Fox news attests to that, naturally, but perhaps this clip of one of their reporters run amok in the protest outside the convention in Denver can show also just what the "other half" of America thinks about Fox, and their "fair and balanced" right wing vomitfest masquerading as news....(funny how he wants to "talk" to the mysterious "leftist" protesters....and when they react with O'Reilly-esque shouts back at him, he is baffled...sensationalized pantomime at its worst).
Additionally, sorry for the lack of updates, we had a burst of tourdates that culminated in a festival in Switzerland last weekend, and with that out of the way its back to business...the new album "Traitors" is out on Sept 30th and its nice to finally be nearly 100% happy with the way an album came out...
Flying back on my very miserable and extremely uncomfortable flight on US AIR (from Zurich to Baltimore, via Philadelphia), complete with screaming kids, mysterious farts, and a "super extra special" check by US Customs, I got home VERY late to find the airline "lost" my guitar...but in the meantime, you can not help but be very entertained by the good old SKY MALL Magazine...leafing through the multitude of objects and shit for sale, one is left stunned and awestruck by the sheer amount of useless garbage that has been invented for the airborne masses to peruse and consume! So I came up with this wordy title:
Top Ten Things in the SKY MALL Magazine that are indicative of Capitalism' s ongoing crises of accumulation! (Or: The genius of inventing shit for you to buy, you never even knew you needed!)
Ok so the Clapper was kind of handy- good move there, and the "Soft Rock of the 80s" Collection is always a winner at parties or on late night drives, no problem. But these objects take the cake- it makes you wonder "what does the 11 year old girl in China think she is making when she puts this shit together for our bloated populace to drop their disposable income upon?," doesn't it?:
10. The Dough-Nu-Matic - $129.99 (automatically forms, fries and delivers delectable donuts in just 50 seconds- Holy shit this would have beaten the Commies on its own. If we only invented it sooner!) 129.99
9. Thinning hair? Try the X-5 Hair Laser! - $299.00 (The cool laser light is the ultimate answer to thinning hair!? OK! here is $300.00 - genius!)
8. The Da Vinci Code Cryptex - $195.00 (No self respecting man should be without one- it screams "educated gentleman" across the room!)
7. The Pet Observation Dome - $29.95 (Fido can see me coming down the driveway! Yes - there is a God!)
6. The Marshmellow Shooter - $24.95 (Satisfy that insatiable desire to shoot a marshmellow at that person across the room, up to 30 feet! And for Ahhnold- YES it has LASER SIGHTING)
5. Embossed Denim Jackets - "USA Eagle" or "Guitar" -$69.98? for a denim jacket that screams "I am a fucking idiot" ...sure! Lets get it for Uncle Freddy!
4. Fling AMA String Cat Toy- $29.95 (For those people who are too lazy to play with their cats- a battery powered flippy string for kitty- hallalujah we have achieved cultural nirvana).
3. Don Knotts Signed Photograph - $179.95 (For the die hard Barney Fife fan...all 3 of them still alive (and Mr. Furley was better anyway).
2. Indiana Jones Machete! $219.00 (Just what little bobby needs for X-Mass - send him out with the neighbor's kids and tell him to start chopping!)
1. The Big Foot "Garden Yeti" Sculpture - $98.95 (Because nothing screams a classy front yard like a big fucking Yeti!)
July 13, 2008. 11:41 pm: Back from the Dead - part 11- THE RETURN FROM OBLIVION
Its done. Its in the can. Its over Johnny! (as Richard Crenna screamed at Rambo in the thrilling and shocking ending of that Hollywood masterpiece known as First Blood)...NO NOT MY life (yet), and no not Demockery-aka-this poor excuse of a website... known primarily as me periodically vomiting into cyberspace (interestingly enough - cyberspace was the word given to us by William Gibson to describe "a consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions.")....well then, imagine, this website as the hallucinatory (is that a word?) vomit from yours truly- my attempt to support the "Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge Among Men" (thats the motto from the Smithsonian - soon coming to a theater near you!
Ok, enough senselessness (love that word- so many S'ssss)
I am referring to Misery Index's magnum Opus, our 9th Symphony- the ...ok enough hyperbole , the new album "Traitors" is complete, and due out on September 30th in the US and October 6 elsewhere (meaning those nether regions of the world most Americans can't find on the map, cause, well, those regions just don't matter! -unless they buy the exported shit of the great USofA, or want to make shit for us for slave wages! Amen!). So, needless to say, I am elated, excited and ecstatic- all wrapped into one big burrito with extra cheese.
In the meantime, starting the Contamination tour in a few days, so this might (yet again) be the only update for a while, so look forward to a tour diary and more political diatribes here soon as this election year rolls on...
As for record, hmm....why not read excerpts of forthcoming Resound interview reprinted here for your literary advancement- please note the eloquent use of language to convey meaning and substance!
Question: What kind of subject matter do you explore on the new record? Are there any underlying themes or concepts (or a title) that you could shed some light on?
J: The album title is "TRAITORS.Ó ItÕs sort of a diatribe directed at the permanent state of 'for us or against us' fear mongering, primarily in American culture and society, whereby any dissent against or questioning of the dominant Òwar on terrorÓ narrative apparently gets one labeled as un-American (woo hoo!), or more specifically, a traitor. This is broadly defined to include all aspects of politicized media, so-called ÒnewsÓ (and the nonsense that masquerades as such), that are in essence de facto tools in the preservation of defining what is or is not acceptable to discuss about the open-ended War on Terror (essentially a war on an idea, meaning: no endÉyou know, like theÕ War on PovertyÕ and the ÔWar on Drugs?Õ Glad we won those, eh?!) Furthermore, the idea here is that the much-ballyhooed history of this nation is one built on dissent and rebellion (or so we are told), and the so-called founding fathers of these U-nited States would be branded the ultimate terrorists using today's definitions. A few of the other tracks, like the near instrumental intro "WE NEVER COME IN PEACE" "is dedicated to the memory of all indigenous peoples across the globe, overrun and choked out of free lands by occupiers and colonial beasts of prey... ÒGHOSTS OF CATALONIAÓ is dedicated to the spirit of the anarchist society in Barcelona and elsewhere in Spain from 1936 to 1939, as described in OrwellÕs ÒHomage to Catalonia," and the last track "BLACK SITES" deals with extraordinary rendition and the scary overreach that governments have to come in and whisk you away...as if you never existed.
What do you feel is the single most pressing issue facing the Unites States and its people today?
J: Probably the onset of a sort terminal cynicism - a collective defeatist attitude that screams "we are each helpless and unable to do anything to change things, and that it is pointless to try and do so, so fuck it." A national malaise seems in place, derived from and watched over through our news, information and media structures- whereby whenever the icons of the moneyed interests here are not trying to sell us something, or making us feel inadequate in some way, or telling us we should fear our neighbors and others in general, they are trying to saturate us in illusions...they like to keep us always dreaming and wanting, so that we might never actually find what is already attainable within us - and thatÕs the real tragedy.
Are you following the Presidential race at all, and if so, who would you consider to be the best candidate?
J: I worked for Ralph Nader's third party bid in 2000, and after being (somewhat) on the inside, and seeing how American big money "democracy" effectively sidelines the outsiders (in direct collaboration with the media), by keeping guys like Nader out of the debates and off the national stage, you canÕt help but get a little bit fed up with the masquerade that is the American election (as the Florida debacle further demonstrated in November of that year). So, while I remain hopeful, I am not excited or invigorated in anyway about the 2 party system and what lays before us this autumn, and on that note I will vote, but most likely for a third party or Green candidate, which is in essence a protest vote anyway (however.... choosing a Democrat is of course, choosing the lesser of two evils)...ultimately, there are many other ways to work for change than .
just voting ever