DIGNITY VS WELFARE

I don't want to disappoint you
I'm not here to anoint you
I would lick your feet but is that the sickest move?
I wear my own crown of sadness and sorrow
Never thought tomorrow
Would be so strange

"E BOW THE LETTER"      (R.E.M.)



Philosophically, welfare comes and goes. Once it's gone, it may come back again.
But, on the other hand, dignity.....


At this point in time, there is nothing that would give me more pleasure than to slap (not sexually)
Madame Lagarde.
I mean, her predecessor used to jump on anything on two legs that walked in front of him. The Madame can't  get any whether on two or four legs...
As for Frau Merkel, I'm afraid I'll have to throw three leggeds in the equation...
And Mr Schauble (however the hell it is spelled), there is nothing to fear but fear, and maybe staircases...


No jobs I guess they're like wild geese
They all went flying overseas
I'm standing in the rain
Smoking my last cigarette
It's morning in Europe*
And it's cold+dark+wet

"COLD+DARK+WET"       (Greg Brown)
*Poetic License/Justice



Democratic Capitalism has been replaced by Corporatism and its voracious appettite is spreading like
a prairie fire. It could be the final act, the last stretch of the mile, when Corporatism and Government
are tangled in a deadly tango. If you believe in God, you should start praying. If you are smarter start finding ways to exist outside the system...


We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold
It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over
We oohed and aahed
We drove our racing cars
We ate our last few jars of caviar...


"AMUSED TO DEATH"          (Roger Waters)

ELECTION DAY BLUES

So, one deluded big shot politico said :"Today is the pinnacle of the glory that Democracy is (or something to that effect), as he walked out of the polling station.
Translation : Election Day is the most important act/expression of the (beleaguered) Democratic system. So say, the people who are trying to boss our everyday lives.
Because, for them, it's about percentages.
Because, for them, it's about 50.01%.
Because, for them, it's about my 35% plus your 16%.

But the REAL Boss understands Democracy as :
"One for all and all for one.
 Because if it's not one for all and all for one,
 then it's all for NOTHING."



"Boy, is my thumb NOT on the pulse of this nation"
                                                         (BILL HICKS)








Way back when I returned to this dryland after an absence of many years, I went out for a drink only to find the bars and establishments closed. It was a saturday night. The reason?. Sunday was election day. Now I'm using cold hard logic to get to grips with this. Someone told me : "They don't want people getting drunk and starting fights over politics."
Silly me, I thought the bars were closed because once you saw who was elected to office you definitely needed a drink (or two).
This medieval mentality exists today, too. The same people who preach that football is not politicized on this dryland are postponing matches on election day out of fear of trouble outbreaks between fans of clubs.

Is it true that the jargon used in political campaigns can cause serious health damage?
Prosperity, Safety and Dignity are still elusive...

So! Come on ye childhood heroes!
Won't you rise up from the pages
Of your comic books, your super crooks
And show us all the way.
Well! make your will and testament
Won't you? Join your local government
We'll have Superman for president
Let Robin save the day...

So you ride yourselves over the hills
And you make all your animal deals
And your wise men don't know how it feels
To be thick as a brick

"Thick As A Brick"             (JETHRO TULL)

BEST MUSIC OF 2012

MONO - "For My Parents"

Dynamics is the secret to make exciting, stirring music. Pink Floyd understood this and was the first to reintroduce dynamics to popular music since the days of classical music.
This japanese combo have been perfecting their post progressive epic soundtrack(ish) music to soul stirring effect with powerfully sweeping melodies and a timelessness that is as deep as the ocean.
Probably the best album of 2012.




                                                        

GODSPEED YOU BLACK EMPEROR - "'Allelujah! Don't Bend!             

                                                                         Ascend!"

Nobody saw this one coming. The giants of post rock released this album out of the blue. Another legendary and triumphant chapter in the history of this groundbreaking band.

EXTRA CLASSIC - "Your Light Like White Lightning, Your Light

                                     Like A Laser Beam"

One of the freshest releases of 2012 instilled with soulful 70s psychedelia and reggae. Wonderful to see and hear Dri Verhoeven again. She deserves recognition and hopefully this is the vehicle with which she'll achieve it although I must stress out of respect to the excellent musicians playing with her, this is a band project, not just about Dri.

BILL FAY - "Life Is People"

Kudos to producer Joshua Henry for resurrecting this most vital and important English voice. The wonderful musicians embrace these songs with sublety, never overshadowing Fay's voice, letting the message be heard loud and clear. After watching his rare early albums sell for hundreds on the internet, he may be able to retire comfortably. Let's hope there will be more records before he does...

NE OBLIVISCARIS - "Portal Of I"

The australian underground band have conspired to produce a stunning progressive concoction of extreme music. This exciting, complex progressive extreme metal pays no respect to formula and is so organic, it sometimes smells of the earth after the rain. Essential!

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX - "(Mankind) The Crafty Ape"

This band has been a work in progress and maybe, finally, they are settling into a stable lineup. The influence of post rock is giving progressive rock a more organic sound that will help it stand the test of time. The trained ear may detect a Pink Floyd influence but this will always be a pro rather than a con.

AMANDA PALMER - "Theater Is Evil"

& Grand Theft Orchestra

She asked for a hundred thousand and raised 1.2 million on Kickstarter. Despite the controversy following the "local musicians paid with beer and merch" announcement, the whole affair is nothing less than staggering. Controversy always followed Palmer. It follows every daring, free spirit that takes chances.
The music is brimming with inventive arrangements and sometimes she wears her 80s influences on her sleeve. She is fast becoming one of the most amazing stories in rock music.

IN MOURNING - "The Weight Of Oceans"

The Swedes have created another masterpiece of progressive death metal. Passionate, powerful and atmospheric.

AMERICAN HOLLOW - "Screaming Into The Void"

Quite silly to categorize them as a prog metal band. There is much more to American Hollow who probably got their name from the documentary with the same title. They are more organic and atmospheric than your run-of-the-mill prog metal band and explore ambient sounds. A most promising band. Check out their wonderful EP, too.

PASSENGER - "All The Little Lights"

Oh, well. Sometimes you're in the mood something sweet and this fits the bill perfectly. Very smooth and very sweet. It has been building up slowly and now they are playing to sold out venues.

WILLIAM BASINSKI - "The Disintegration Loops"

Temporary Residence has released a comprehensive box including vinyl (for the first time), cds and DVDs documenting this fascinating and poignant music. The story behind the Disintegration Loops is as fascinating as the music which was assisted by bad storage and time degeneration of the original tapes. What has eluded critics who don't have recording engineering knowledge, it is not only the effect of the ferrite breaking off from the tape that adds to the sublime effect, but also, a significant amount of "crosstalk". Thanking my good friend Stavros P. for bringing this wonderful work to my attention.

RODRIGUEZ  -  "Searching For Sugarman"

Just when you thought you heard every single astonishing story ever to have come out of rock n' roll, comes the amazing, heartwarming documentary that unearths a talented singer/songwriter, virtually unknown to 99.9% of the world. Of course, the documentary would not have been as fascinating had his songs been forgettable. A must see and a must hear (vinyl).

JONI MITCHELL -  "The Studio Albums 1968-1979"

Lest you forgot how essential Joni is...

THE PENTAKOMO CAMEL

A presidential election debate on TV where,
a) The journos are not self disciplined enough to construct a question within the agreed time frame. So      
    self righteous, obviously, that they are enamoured by their own voice.
b) The 3 presidential hopefuls bob-and-weave at the questions avoiding to answer to the point and
     sell hope while the debt of the country has not been, yet, agreed upon.
and where,
a) and b) both are much more part of a star system than their respective professions.

But let's see who are fueling the careers of these people...
a) Special interests
b) Grovelers
c) Dimwits


They are all IRRELEVANT to me...

Well we're heading for a past that you leave not defend
Where the downtowns hold the sadness of you can't go back again
It's there you'll find all the debtors
Motel signs with broken letters

And we can be the super shoppers
We can say we're really smart
We can say our town is doing fine without a beating heart
We can even say the money saved is all our own
It's bought and sold, it's bought and sold
"Bought And Sold"                 (DAR WILLIAMS)


Of course, 11 people are running for the Presidents office but this democratic system will choose only the 3 that are affiliated to political parties to appear on TV. Talk about equal opportunity...
Of course, we never had real politicians, on this island. Spin doctors, yes, but, politicians...it's not funny. Our politicians will answer anything but the question, bringing to mind that exquisite old Cypriot saying : "Camel farts at Pentakomon". And while we are at the subject of farts...

These people are IRRELEVANT to me...


And you can say they're out to hunt you
You can say they are out to fish you
You can join a gang of restless youth
Or start your own militia
You can even say your violence is all your own
It's bought and sold, it's bought and sold

"Bought And Sold"        (DAR WILLIAMS)






To Vote Or Not To Vote is the argument in a (not so) parallel universe.
If you think the problem lies with the faces, then vote.
If you think the problem lies with the system, then don't.
Now, even the last dimwit half-brain can understand that this mutation of democracy is the problem.
Faces come and go and still every year we are worse off.
The system is decaying fast and only when the pool they fish their votes from becomes smaller and smaller maybe, just maybe, they will realize the need for change. Until then, let the TV shows on offer
make you numb(er)...

-"Hey mister. You MUST vote. If you don't like any of them, then cast a blank vote... That's the protest
   vote. The blank vote..."
-"No, mate. The only blank thing is on the page of your IQ test results..."
-"Hey mister. What you're saying is wrong. The right to vote is sacred..."
-"Sacred? Well, while you choose to introduce religion into the conversation be prepared to turn the
   other cheek..."



Well I look up to the people who are less bought than I
You can show them what you're selling and they'll only ask you why
Their paychecks don't have lots of zeros
They're my friends, they're my heroes
And the TV sets are angry 'cause they can't make them pay
But I like the way these people read the signs and walk away

And we can call ourselves the makers and the keepers of our time
We can spend our sand dollars and sand nickels and sand dimes
We can even say prosperity is all our own, it's bought & sold
We can even say our loneliness is all our own, it's bought & sold
"Bought And Sold"                        (DAR WILLIAMS)

THE HALLOUMI THIEF

The story goes like this. A jobless, hungry man steals a couple of halloumi cheese and one lountza (trad smoked pork) from a supermarket which is part of a massive chain.

The man is dragged to court and fined 700.00 euros.

The supermarket chain has been defaulting on payments to the banks and its suppliers for ages and has suspended operations.

Now, should this hapless poor  man had a good lawyer, maybe he could argue in court that the stolen goods did not actually belong to the supermarket since it hasn't paid its suppliers for months, maybe years...

But of course justice doesn't work this way. The "have not" will pay while the "have" will retire comfortably leaving suppliers and banks helpless in trying to recoup tens of millions of euros.

Such is the state of Corporatism. It will protect its rotten businessmen just like Democracy will protect its rotten politicians...

I think guilt and innocense
They are a matter of degree
What might be justice to you
Might not be justice to me
You may be the wrong colour
You might be too poor
Justice isn't something that anyone can afford

"Crime For Crime"        (ANI DI FRANCO)




Oh, and by the way, if you've located 3 wise men and a virgin, you can celebrate Xmas,
 all you good Christians....

SELLING MY SOUL (TO ANY FOOL WHO'LL BUY IT)

The Danse Macabre is finally upon us as the Troikans feast on a cocktail of foolishness, incompetence, greed and vanity. It takes two to tango but the philosopher will argue that if there is no audience to witness it, the tango never really happened. Nothing sexy about this tango and the dancers are not sexy either. The Danse Macabre stars...

a) La Troika

You forget your rights and I'll forget your name
You're gonna keep prayin' cause you're all the same
This is the master's voice don't you dare defy it
What's it gonna take to make you riot?
Swing to the right, baby all the way
I'll be dancing with the devil on Judgement Day
I sold my soul to any fool who'd buy it
What's it gonna take to make you riot?
"Riot"                                               (RIOT)



b) The Politicos

Round here we talk like lions
But we sacrifice like lambs



"Round Here"                            (COUNTING CROWS)








c) The Hapless Primates

Now with hindsight, I admit
I don't admire the human lot
Frail bodies, fragile, ill equipped
Their lives are hard but they are not


"Postacrds From Planet Earth"              (SKYCLAD)

I GOT DAT OL' SINKING BANK BLUES AGAIN, MAMA...

In this age of oligarchic corporate Democracy, one part of hopelessness/one part of rage/one part of injustice constitute a potent, volatile and lethal cocktail.
It is strangely weird (to say the least) how the woes of the Banking sector are being loaded on the shoulders of the hapless primates. And how the guilty, stretch only as far as the CEOs and their boards
are concerned.
The Major Shareholders who are mainly responsible for voting these incompetents into their position and are handing them the orders for the (catastrophic) economic and investment policy they should and
have followed, are never mentioned in the half-assed press. Alarmingly, they are never investigated in
any probe. By law, they are untouchable.
In this tremendously flawed and mutated Democracy, these people stand only to make profit but, when it comes to loss, the primates are asked to pay...

Some people say they are lucky in their birth
And their nationality bequeaths them pride
But those who own the earth are still tethering the serfs
With Company allegiance fully tied

Mr Company Man, on the Company land
Stand every street and building in the town
Every park, every green, every home and dream
The Company owns every piece of ground
And everybody in the Company town

"COMPANY TOWN"        (The Men They Couldn't Hang)


So...isn't it fair and LOGICAL that the Major Shareholders of a sinking banking institution cough up
the funds instead of the taxpayers? Isn't it just? It's their company after all...
In most cases Major Shareholders do not have enough to cover the losses, but it's not like they are
homeless, living in cardboard boxes. Shouldn't they be asked to relinquish a (vast) amount of their
wealth to save THEIR company? And, when it's on track again, they can continue to to enjoy the profits...or f**k it up again (whatever- it's a free world, I'm told).
But no...the taxpayers must endure cutbacks and in many cases, enter the unemployment corps.

And it seems that the Corporate Eyes, they are watching
She fears for her job and the moments are passing
I stare at her nametag and think to myself
Both you and I we never asked for any of this


"225"                          (NEW MODEL ARMY)






Is the world getting any better since the inception of Democracy or is it moving towards a regime where
oligarchs under the protective cover of the Democratic system, are sharpening their knives...

Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense
Expressed in Dollars and Cents, Pounds, Shillings and Pence
Can't you see
It all makes perfect sense


"Perfect Sense"                           (ROGER WATERS)





And a hungry and desperate primate in a dim-lit room smashes the TV, grabs a baseball bat and heads to the nearest fast food store to trash it up...

Be nice to people. They outnumber you 5.5 billion to one!



"Principia Discordia"                           (5th Edition)