Our impending doom (not so close)

Well, looks like my computer here at work is do for yet another stint in the shop. Lot of stuff not working. So, while I wait for the men in the white coats to arrive and whisk my little lappy away, I've been cruising CNN and came across this. Sounds like I definitely need to acquire a copy of Harold Schechter's "Savage Pastimes: A Cultural History of Violent Entertainment."

Seems to me we spend entirely too much time whinging on about how moral corrupt our society is becoming and how we must "protect our children" (a catch phrase that drives me up the fucking wall) from the evils of sex, rock and roll, homosexuality, and all that other wickedness which pervade our disintegrating Eden.

Wake up and smell the bullshit, people.

From CNN: "Humans are innately violent, Schechter argues, though we have evolved elaborate social structures to keep us from acting on our darker urges."

Ain't it the truth. We can express in music, film and print media all the rage and hate and lust and greed we want without actually following through on it. There are, of course, exceptions. Some examples in the Norwegian black metal scene comes to mind, where the evils portrayed in the art are mirrored by the artist's actions in real life. Likewise, certain instances in gangsta rap are true to life.

Also, I suspect the general lameness that is country-western music paints a fairly accurate picture of life in dumb-fuck land.

Sorry, that was Northeastern Intellectual Elitist of me.

So we focus so much on keeping the airwaves free of filth like Howard Stern (not a fan, but what happened to him was ridiculous). Meanwhile, we wage war across the globe, continue to oppress our citizens here at home (not exactly warlord-dictator style, but our freedoms are shrinking), and are basically pricks to the rest of the world.

But thank God the FCC keeps us safe from Janet Jackson’s tits.

Phil and the boys know (R.I.P. Dime)


Keeping me from killing you (thanks, Maynard):

Johan Sharp / Bill Laswell - Visitation
(epic, sweeping bleep dub from Spacetime Continuum and the god of bass)

Godflesh - Songs Of Love And Hate
(JKFlesh crushes you like a bug and you like it)

Deep Forest - Deep Forest
(listen while the pygmies do Enigma)

The Clash - Combat Rock
(Let me tell you 'bout your blood bamboo kid.
It ain't Coca-Cola. It's rice)