The Antisocial Socialist

Ganked from corwin77

How many songs: 5636, though not entirely representative of my musical taste.

( cut for IMS )

I see we're posting love songs. I'm not good with the squishy feelings, but we'll see.

( under here )

I am addicted to the IMS posts on Pandagon. I'm heading back to the non-silent world in less than two hours, so you get a post about music. Go figure.

(For the linkphobic: Billboard reports that 25% of the year's 100 top songs are about partying. I'm surprised it's that small a percentage, actually. Amanda rather hilariously analyzes her own Most Played list by genre and subject matter.)

My Most Played list is heavily biased towards a few playlists that I made and listen to constantly, so it does not reflect the full awesomeness and superiority of my musical taste. I am pleased to say, though, that none of these songs are about partying.

( My top ten, by genre and subject matter )

Go on, play along.

Meme time! snarkitysnarks asked me to explain the following LJ interests:

billboard improvement (I don't believe I ever asked about this)
making baby jesus cry (hee)
maoist kitsch (?)
phil ochs (are there more songs of his I should know about?)
‽ (what is...what? this is your last interest)

billboard improvement

Okay, so there is no such thing as free speech.

Maybe you have an abstract right to free speech. You will, in most places, not be arrested for tacking up a poster. But it will be taken down. You can shout on a street corner, or send a letter to the editor, but no on actually listens to you. Even in this age of democratized media, you can make the most rational, sensible statements and be utterly ignored.

Meanwhile, a large corporation can hire psychologists, marketing experts, and graphic designers to create something perfectly eye-catching and spend millions of dollars to put up a massive billboard that will violate your mental and physical space. You have no say in this whatsoever. You cannot simply choose to ignore it. Your visual environment is consistently under assault from all directions. A large corporation can buy speech; you cannot afford it.

So, of course, I find it tremendously cathartic when some punk gets up on a billboard late at night and improves it.



True story: When I first moved to Toronto, Sauza was running a series of subway ads. One of them was this:

( cut for transphobia )

making baby jesus cry

I don’t know how this got started. I think zingerella and I started saying it all the time for some reason. And then we started saying “sad panda” and the result was “you make baby Jesus a sad panda.” Oh, and at one point I made this Flash animation that was Leila Khaled chasing Ann Coulter around with an axe, and Eva Braun showed up, or something. I don’t think there’s much more of a story than that.

maoist kitsch

Hmm. Some people think I’m a Maoist because of my conditional support for the Naxalites or whatever but I’m not. Mostly I collect Maoist kitsch because it’s funny as hell. It doesn’t matter what bizarre object exists, Maoists manage to slap a piece of socialist realist art on it. Like I have a Mao alarm clock and a Mao hat and a poster on my wall that roughly translates to: “Unite and drive out the imperialists and the ass-kissers.”

I genuinely like the aesthetic of socialist realism, by the way. I shouldn’t. The art critic in me shudders. But I think it’s pretty.

phil ochs

I grew up listening to Phil Ochs and knowing the words to “Draft Dodger Rag” and “Love Me, I’m a Liberal,” but I didn’t know they were by the same guy or anything about him. And then years later, I was searching for good songs about anarchism and found “Spanish Civil War Song.” It struck me, despite the reference to “25 years ago,” as sounding quite contemporary, so I looked around for information on this Phil Ochs guy so that I could maybe attend a show.

Oh. He killed himself. Also he was the Tupac to Bob Dylan’s Biggie. And if you read anything about his life you will totally hate Dylan. Shitgoddamnit.

Really, all of his songs are fantastic. He can be a bit didactic in his political songs, but he makes up for it with scathing wit. In terms of songs you should hear, besides the ones I mentioned:

“Changes”—Pretty much everyone agrees this is his best song. Also it was written in Toronto.
“I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore”—The song that political people think is his best song.
”When I’m Gone”—That’s another one of his best songs. Hahaha.
“Cops of the World”—One of those songs that you think is contemporary. I made a video about the Iraq War to this song and it totally fit.
“White Boots Marching In a Yellow Land”—Along the same lines.
“I’ll Be There”—I don’t think there is a decent recording of this anywhere, but it’s great.
“Here’s to the State of Mississippi”—More historically specific except not really.
“The Iron Lady”—I actually prefer Diamanda Galas’ cover, but not by much.
“Remember Me”—snarkitysnarks, remind me to put that on the next mixtape. For Molly. You’ll see why.

Someone is going to inevitably jump in the comments and say that “Outside of a Small Circle of Friends” is actually Phil Ochs’ best song, but this is not true.

Despite the fact that he was a blatant pinko commie, Phil Ochs’ estate and record company are capitalist asshats and thus it is hard to find his music online. I have bunches; I’m happy to share. He would have approved.

‽

That’s an interrobang. It is a Real Actual Punctuation mark. It is the grammatical equivalent of saying:

WHAT

Except louder.

I need to use it more frequently than you might think.

Never let it be said that, even under the threat of a police state, Hogtowners don't have a sense of humour. I was pleased to see that, for example, Scary Cop Lady now has a Facebook fan page and has become somewhat of a local meme. Toronto Tourism Board is also pretty fun.

Also, someone posted G20-related demotivational posters.

( cut for big )

In other news, the LARPer guy has stepped forward to condemn police for displaying his fake weapons as if they were real weapons seized from protesters. Police have apparently admitted to targeting Québecers.

Here's a music meme from curgoth. I'll have to do it from memory since all I can here are the soccer yobs outside.

1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List 5 songs that start with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

Anyway, curgoth gave me N.

1. "No More Songs," Phil Ochs. This is one of Phil Ochs' less-covered songs, but it's one of my favourites. More poetic and less earnest than much of his other stuff. Plus it's the unofficial theme song to The Comic. Anyway, Phil Ochs' record company is full of fail so there are no YouTube links to the original, but an abbreviated version (and the trailer for The Comic) may be found here.

2. "November," Tom Waits. Oh, is that why I get so depressed when the seasons turn? Anyway, this is one of the songs from "The Black Rider," a brilliant musical by Waits and William S. Burroughs. Wrap your head around the awesomeness of that concept before moving on to the next song.

3. "Naxalite," Asian Dub Foundation. The Naxalites are a Maoist insurgent group in India. They split from the Communist Party of India in 1967, and their strongest base is in rural, impoverished areas. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has declared them the biggest threat to India's national security.

Also, it's got a good beat and you can dance to it.

4. "Never Went to Church," The Streets. I've had this song on my iTunes for awhile, and get a little shiver every time I hear it. Now, when I listen to it, it's like a kick to the gut combined with a weepfest. I think it's too soon. "I panic and pace when I can't see the right thing to do / You'd be scratching your head through the best advice you knew / And I feel sad I can't hear you reciting it through..." Too soon.

5. "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen," Paul Robeson was goth before you were born, son. So goth he was born black.

And a bonus awesome track just for you!

Stolen from caudelac in a poker game with the Devil:

If I were a summonable monster, how would you summon me? (Include items to lure monster-me and method for said fell ritual.)

Leave me a comment saying "Resistance is Futile."
• I'll respond by asking you five questions so I can satisfy my curiosity.
• Update your journal with the answers to the questions.
• Include this explanation in the post and offer to ask other people questions. No more, you guys! I'm going to start asking people what their favourite shade of sea monkey is or something.

1. Would you teach a unit on goth music if you could get away with it?

I probably could get away with it. But given that discussions of music with the Sablets typically end with me shaking my cane and muttering "kids these days" while they search for Miley Cyrus videos on YouTube, I doubt I would willingly put myself through that.

Also, a public high school is not the proper environment to be introduced to goth music, even if I do teach in a lightless concrete bunker. You ought to sneak into goth clubs when you're underage and befriend the DJ, or else stay up late listening to "Beyond the Gates of Hell" on CIUT. God I'm old; neither of those are options now. But I guess there's the internet.

2. would you rather have an aerovelocipede, a zeppelin or a robot-drawn carriage?

Good question, old chap! There are several issues to be considered in the choosing of a new Vehicle, including practicality, fuel efficiency, parking, and Pure Awesome, and each Mode of Transport must be considered both for its Merits and Downfalls.

As the point of such Devices is to avoid becoming Stuck in Traffic with the Common Rabble on the Thoroughfares, the robot-drawn carriage, regardless of how Badass it might be, must be excluded from our options, unless it is a Flying Robot Carriage. As well, parking would be a right bother.

An aerovelocipede provides excellent maneuverability, and a certain panache, but provides no shelter from the harsh winters of our uncivilized North, and thus would be Most Impractical for commuting to Scarborough. Besides which, one can only transport oneself and perhaps one's Exceptionally Large feline Acquaintance, and that won't do.

This leaves us with the zeppelin as the most desirable option. Of course, there is always the possibility of Dying in a Spectacular Conflagration, but I believe, good sir, that the Awesomeness is well worth it.

3. What is the worst movie you've seen lately?

I haven't seen an entire movie in forever. The last deeply awful movie I sat through was Battle in Seattle; the most recent excerpts from a bad movie I've seen were bits of Paranormal Activity that my kids showed me. I look forward greatly to watching New Moon, however.

4. What is the best comic you've read lately?

The Pros Arch flashback scenes that snarkitysnarks made. Not that I'm biased in any way.

In terms of published comics, Lackadaisy Cats. It's brilliant and hilarious, and you should check it out if you haven't already.

5. What would you get with a sudden unlimited clothing budget?

Besides more closets and someone to do my laundry? Lots of long, flapping coats, and various period clothes in which to play dress-up. Also more boots. I'd commission Fluevog to design some tall boots without heels.

My public entries: Music memes, interrupted by the odd political rant, and not nearly enough cat photos. I will endeavour to do better in the future.

In the meantime, have some GAWTH. The person with the most correct answers gets the You Probably Had Black Nailpolish and Smoked Clove Cigarettes in High School Award.

( half of you probably still do )

curgoth sez: Ten most depressing songs. Post your own ten here or in your own LJ.

Ah, but I'll make you guess at it. These aren't as hard to guess as the ones in the last round. Also, it's really hard for me to come up with the ten most depressing songs, given that I grew up on a steady diet of black nailpolish and the Cure, so I've tried to include as many non-goth woeful dirges as possible.

1. "When the world is sick, can't no one be well. But I dreamt we was all beautiful and strong." "God Bless Our Dead Marines," Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra and Tra-La-La Band. Guessed by lovableatheist.

2. "I'd had the wind at my back, now I felt it cold in my face. And for an awful long time now you were the only one who ever called me late at night and I really never noticed till after you stopped calling and the emptiness, silence got so heavy." "Wasteland," Dan Bern. Guessed by thegiantkiller.

3. "Remember me, but ah, forget my fate." "When I am laid in earth..." from Henry Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas." Guessed by faithhopetricks.

4. "And if I seem to be afraid to live the life that I have made in song, it's just that I've been losing for so long." "These Days." Guessed by thegiantkiller. My favourite version is Nico's, though.

5. "I can't remember the sound that you found for me." "Virtue the Cat Explains Her Departure," Weakerthans, a.k.a. "I am going to go slit my wrists now why would they write a song like that WTF?!" Guessed by threeliesforone.

6. "The shallow drowned lose less than we." "The Same Deep Water As You," the Cure. Guessed by orpheus42.

7. "We are ugly, but we have the music." "Chelsea Hotel #2," Leonard Cohen. Guessed by trollwedding.

8. "I'm an innocent victim of a blinded alley and I'm tired of all these soldiers here." "Tom Traubert's Blues (Waltzing Matilda)," Tom Waits. Guessed by rohmie.

9. "And in the darkened underpass, I thought, oh God, my chance has come at last." "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out," the Smiths. Guessed by trollwedding.

10. "Oh, I've walked on water, run through fire, can't seem to feel it anymore." "New Dawn Fades," Joy Division. Guessed by terry_terrible.

Confession: I love depressing music. #5, however, is so depressing that I deleted it from my iTunes because I couldn't deal with it.