Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Monday, January 16, 2006
Wanted: Creative Extremists. Inquire Within.
great stuff. when MLK turned to talking about financial and other social issues apart from civil rights it was then that the authorities saw him as a big threat and then that he was shot.
i think the civil rights campaign put him in a position of being america’s conscience in some ways. as long as it was confined to race issues it was not a major threat to the top people. once he moved onto wider social issues he became a huge threat to the status quo
the promised land speech always raises the hairs on the back of my neck.
have to recommend this wee video as well…
http://tinyurl.com/a8uz9Posted by michael on from scotland 01/16 at 08:19 AMContinuing the “Rage against the machine” theme from yesterdays post:
“Movements come and movements go
Leaders speak, movements cease
When their heads are flown
‘Cause all these punks
Got bullets in their heads
Departments of police, the judges, the feds
Networks at work, keepin’ people calm
You know they went after King
When he spoke out on Vietnam
He turned the power to the have-nots
And then came the shot”(Bloody Amazon still haven’t published my review of 50AR. Bastards.)
Captcha = “race”
Posted by Mew on from London 01/16 at 08:59 AMGood morning.
Thanks for the video, Michael. Good stuff. I also “like” the Biko post on your blog today.
Mew: Good choice for lyrics. I can’t read ‘em without hearing the way Zack says shot at the end. And thanks, in advance, for the Amazon review. I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 09:07 AMWonderful words from MLK, MZ. My thanks - I’m printing those off for school. Some things the kids should just come across.
On a more flippant, but relevant, note, I have a poster of Mark Twain quotes outside my classroom door. One of them I’m especially fond of:
“I never read medical textbooks. You die of a misprint.”
Laaavvveeerrrllleeee. (my poor attempt at a phonetic Cockney accent. Apologies all round!)
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 09:07 AMHey Chris, one Saturday you’ll have to tell us a story about your teaching career, okay?
(Captcha sez: respect)
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 09:12 AMon the subject of Amazon reviews, posted this one for Spins on the Brit version a while back:
Every word well deserved, sir.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 09:16 AMI certainly will post an educational story one day. Captcha says “end” - ooer, better look out.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 09:18 AMThanks, Chris. Much appreciated.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 09:22 AMMy pleasure. Have you tried making contacts in the activist movement in England? Regrettably I know little about it, but a good friend goes to (slight feeling of shame here!) a great many more demos & meetings than I do, & he has seen plenty of small bookstalls. Last time I asked him he hadn’t taken any details, but plenty of receptive ears are waiting, I’m sure of it.
The Brit end of things is often very open minded to new voices, esp. ones detailed & critical. I’m still proud of the fact that Bill Hicks got much of his all too limited adulation during his lifetime over here.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 09:29 AMI’ve been reviewed by British publications and websites. That’s about it.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 09:34 AMThat’s a shame. See if you can get your stuff noticed by some of the activist type people - regret I have no links here - but maybe try some of the comedians?
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 10:19 AMHowdy all, Sunday was avery intense day of getting stuff moved to my brother’s garage and then collapsing at 5pm. Gout’s very bad today, no duh, but since I have to be out on Friday, it’s just gonna have to wait to get pampered. I’ve taken so much colchicine to knock the attack out that I’m in distress from that source too. Oh, whine whine whine! At least I can move, many days I can’t even walk from this stuff.
RMJ, from Saturday: “Mudge, and another thing that has me going today is that the USA is forbidding Venezuela to buy planes from Spain. I don’t much care about the planes but the arrogance of the USA makes me sick.”
Yeup. Stinks. And the self-righteousness is so exemplary of the hideously deformed Murrican self-image.
Cart, from Saturday: I’d like to think I’d be as courageous and helpful as you were to the seizure guy, but I don’t know. I have more impetus to change my selfish ways now, can’t let people in DC beat us Texans out on kindness and courage. >nudge<
Helga: Day four of ignoring you.
Off to read Sunday’s gleanings.
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 01/16 at 10:38 AMMZ/Owen/Keir, from Sunday: I’m in on making The Rebel the next selection! Camus’s subtitle, An Essay on Man in Revolt, makes it far more appealing than a simple title would. Betcha RMJ will be good with this, too!
Say...where IS Joe? And Hawk? And Hawk Sr, who poked his nose in the door a while back? And Helga, whom I am ignoring? And Paul M, Old Glen, Hope from Denmark, a lot of others I’d hoped would be regualr commentators here? Youngfox’s joiing of the chat is a lovely surprise. We’ll have a story one Saturday regarding Indian Guides. Blech.
Empress, Dear Amelopsis, where art thou? And my ikon of probity, RMJ? Come out, come out! CatLady I’ve already had a chat with.... Meditation begins in 45min, and then it’s packpackpack, maybe an evening visit.
Cold...I think I remember what it’s like to be cold...it’s gonna be 75F and it’s humid as a crotch, not a favorite combination of mine. No measurable precipitation since 12/23, and no significant precip since 11/30. Humid is fine if it leads to rain, but the chances are only about 40% today. Not good enough.
Grumpf. Where’re my playmates?
Michael, been meaning to ask you if you know my favorite Scottish band...Hobotalk. They played SXSW (South by Southwest, our big music/film/computer geek festival) last year, and I just loved listening to them.
Chris, whyever on the Cockney accent? Mancunians sound very little like Cockneys to my ears. Is it sorta like Murricans from the Northeast, f/ex, using Southern accents to indicate stupidity or suchlike?
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 01/16 at 11:24 AMMudge - no, not to indicate stupidity. But the Cockney intonation of certain words really emphasises them. A really enthusiastic Cockney saying “lovely” can draw out enough resonance for about eight syllables and it sounds so unarguable!
(IMHO)
Hope the packing & move goes well.
Captcha says “growth.”
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 11:28 AMThe Rebel is great, but I’d prefer if someone could make a recommendation I’ve not read yet. Wouldn’t complain though if Camus gets the nod.
Working in London means I have to put up with a lot of Mockney, as people with bland middle-england accents (like mine) try to sound, I don’t know, earthy or something. Or maybe a self-conscious attempt to sound local. I dunno.
Its bloody horrible over here. Cold, grey, spitting with rain...I quite like January in the country, but down here in the Big City its really miserable.
Posted by Mew on from London 01/16 at 11:47 AMWelcome, Mudge. Your good cheer in the face of adversity is always a real boost for me.
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, re: our next book. Since I sort of imposed Fight Club on the Expendable Nation, I’m happy to back off on choosing book #2. But I do think we should see how our discussion goes first.
Anyone agree or disagree?
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 11:57 AMMew re 15 - I agree, January in the rainy UK is a pisser. Off work today with my eye trouble & the world outside is a dark picture of gloom. Am thinking of sending some hate mail to Arnold Schmalldick to cheer myself up.
MZ r 16 - sounds fine. We should see how many teeth we lose & how many pales of soup we can piddle into to before making any more plans. After all, the next book could be “Leaving Las Vegas” & my liver isn’t up to it.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 12:06 PMSorry, that should be “pails of soup.” Doh!
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 12:07 PMHello everyone including Mudge, just a minute to check the great post and comments, as my MLK day community service will be running off to Queens to help out with housework and stuff at my mom’s house.
Al Gore speaking on CSpan 1 right now. So riveting, might not be able to leave the house. He should grow the beard back.
Posted by James on from Hell's Kitchen 01/16 at 12:47 PMGood afternoon one and all!
Many computers were conspiring to keep me offline but fortunately have given up their struggle for now.
Great reading today MZ - can’t ‘watch & listen’ just now, but will do later.
I do love reading MLK exerpts...so many quotable and poignant thoughts and phrases.
Hrrmph - Eloquent was he, eh? (if Yoda were from Canada??)I’ve never read a single page of Camus and I’d have to admit that non-fiction is something I’ve always found more enjoyable once I’ve finished reading, than it is appealing at the outset.
Hopefully if it’s chosen it’s something that I CAN find at the library since used book stores are in short supply for me, and they are generally closed during hours I can reach them.Mudge I second Mickey’s sentiment about your good cheer in the face of adversity. I hope your physical ailments don’t weigh you down today.
Hmm - warm and humid as a crotch, or cold as a witch’s teat...it’s the latter here today. Mudge you crack me up! (who’s CatLady? I know that’s me when I’m at home but we’ve not been chatting & I’m feeling nosy again)
I’ve finished Fight Club, and was most tempted to start up one of my own yesterday in the grocery store but thankfully for all concerned I did not.
Re other books - back on my Farley Mowat kick...I picked up a paperback of Never Cry Wolf and a hardcover The Boat that wouldn’t Float (MZ that’s the one you said Michele had?) yesterday - used copies in fantastic shape.
Got to check “out” for now - hopefully back soon.
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 01/16 at 01:02 PMMZ - I’d like to see how the discussion of Fight Club goes first too. I was just saying to Youngfox yesterday after completing it, that I’ve never ever ever in my whole life joined in a group read or a book club etc, so I’m rather curious as to how the whole thing will take shape. And excited too.
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 01/16 at 01:05 PMShout outs to all, those posting and not, and JOS of course. Mickey I think you’re right about trying one book out before we settle into another. I’m still working on finding a copy of Fight Club. But damn Camus wrote some good stuff. Damn! Empress: try his fiction if you’re not down for non-fiction. The Plague is one of the great books of the last century.
On MLK day, maybe some of you caught this one from Paul Street over the weekend. Past the lack of editing, it’s a great article!
Posted by Keir on from The Hague 01/16 at 01:29 PMWhat can I say, Mickey? Great post! Martin Luther King speaks and none of it is dated - even if he has been gone nearly 38 years. Especially like what he said about military spending - and the US of A did not even spend 450 billion dollars then ..
And a warm ‘welcome’ to Chris, Mudge (nudge nudge wink wink ..), Michael, Mew, Amelopsis, Keir and James - I hope I have not forgotten anyone on this thread. I head an interesting interview re the Canadian elections yesterday, Empress - you can listen here (no transcript yet): http://www.abc.net.au/rn/talks/brkfast/stories/s1548071.htmIt’s Tuesday 7:00 am in Daylesford, and we have a few hot days ahead - around 86F.
Ciao!Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 01/16 at 03:00 PMMudge #13: Thanks for asking… I took some days off from blogging but am back today (since it beats working, which I’m supposed to be doing right now). Hawk Sr. is busy reading Fight Club, and I need to remind him again to comment here more frequently. He’ll be glad to know you inquired....
Posted by Hawk on from Boulder, CO, USA 01/16 at 03:01 PMAnd you are so right here, Michael:
“when MLK turned to talking about financial and other social issues apart from civil rights it was then that the authorities saw him as a big threat and then that he was shot.”
That’s why his speaking about social issues is so rarely mentioned in the corporate media ..Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 01/16 at 03:04 PMMudge, I hope your gout gets better, i.e. disappears at least for a while! Like your sense of humour in the face of adversity.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 01/16 at 03:17 PMthanks helga.
hello everyone (not staying round today)
never heard of that band mudge but i will look them up
Posted by michael on from scotland 01/16 at 03:29 PMWill someone please tell Helga (ignoring! ignoring!) from #26 that I say, thanks? Thanks.
MZ #16: I’m cheering you up?! Good God from Gulfport, man, how depressed are you?!
As to how the discussion goes, I really hope it goes well, but how will we define “well?” It’s your blog, so you go first...the main page is your chance to opinionize. Then perhaps the rest of us can post some sort of “clean” opinion statement...? As in, not responding to yours or anyone else’s opinion FIRST, then let the simultyping free-for-all begin. That way everybody gets heard before we start discussing stuff about the book.
Well, it’s a suggestion anyway.
James/CatLady #19: yo.
Empress #20: Awww, gee, you’re bein’ nice again an’ you know how I blush.... See salutation above for identity of CatLady.
The real saying down here in the south is “hot as a crotch” or “humid as a crotch.” Inelegant, but expressive and accurate. The witches whose tits I’ve fondled are to a woman not cold, so I don’t really get that one...I’ve always liked “cold as a brass bra,” from those idiot Valkyrie costumes Wagner’s set designer dreamt up.
#21: I was in a book circle for a long, long time in NYC. That same circle might have saved a part of my professional life. More soon. Will Youngfox be joining us on 1/24?
Keir #22: I’m so big a fan of the essays that I can’t see the fiction Camus wrote at all clearly. I did love The Counterfeiters, the Gide novel that I always always read thinking it’s Camus.
Hawk #24: I miss seeing you around here, though I understand the non-blogging vacation from time to time. I talked to a friend of mine from my old job today...he asked me why I don’t do talk radio. Apart from the fact that it gives me the heebiejeebies, I replied, I think there are others more suited: Hawk, MZ, Michael. If I did a podcast or some-such, I’d call it “The New Utopian Imperium” and make Amelopsis be the lead personality. How about I act as talent exec and producer on these?
I’d love to have MZ podcasting a show “Around the Blogosphere” that discusses and comments on the stuff we used to get from PBU. Wouldn’t that be interesting?!
Gout’s really bothering me, so I haven’t made headway re: packing.
Posted by Mudge on from Dear, dead Austin 01/16 at 03:50 PMSalutations Expendable Nation
Every time I read something from MLK, I (cynically) wonder how he stayed alive as long as he did. It seems whenever anybody with a high public profile attempts to alter the control system in America they are murdered, (or commit “suicide”).
A piece of the true American heart was surgically removed the day he was murdered.
I do believe he fulfilled enough of his destiny that long after the talking warts that run our world into the ground have passed like the mortal gas they are, MLK will still be remembered as one of the modern archetypes of a true leader of humans.
He transcended his race and nationality and spoken as a true Earthling.
…….
Empress (I prefer “Panther Princess”, but feel free to worship in your own way) and I go for a walk down to Lake Ontario yesterday and I discover the level of my delusion.Having stood outside of our house in the early afternoon (in the fondling sun) I thinks to myself – self, its gawddamn warm out here! Let’s march to the frigid lake in defiance of this paltry winter!
Of course wearing only my “dad” cardigan and a light fleece the combination of cold breeze off of the lake and standing in the shadow of downtown buildings alerted me to the cruel lies of the sun god.
Talk about jack frost nipping at your nipples! That bastard tunnelled through my arrogant ensemble right quick. I raised the flag of surrender and sheepishly requested that we return home to the warm glow of the cathode campfires and rumbling feline lap warmers.As a Canadian I should be able to run a mile naked roll in the snow (of which there is none), jump in the frigid lake and chew a handful of ice cubes while singing Leonard Cohen songs but alas near middle age has effectively softened me into a stack of quivering man mush.
…….
Reviewing Sunday comments RMJ stated she would print up a reply I made and carry it with her.
I smiled a goofy smile when I read that.
RMJ no matter how rough the ride gets you must remember that your words and deeds are very important and have a rippling effect that goes beyond your borders.
I (and many) see you step into the face of the beast and stand for what is true.
You got guts lady and your actions reinforce the fact that America is far from a lost cause.
You are a positive inspiration - thank you.
.......
Mudge, may I ask the origin of your handle? I seem to recall “mudge” or “the mudge” playing on my memory jukebox. (Maybe in a Lou Reed tune?).later babies…
Posted by Youngfox on from Canada 01/16 at 05:40 PMRe Camus: I really enjoyed reading ‘L’Homme revolte’ (well, I did read the original version, mainly to polish up on my French). I am a Camus person actually - prefer him to Sartre.
And Mudge, have I offended you, or am I just missing something? Can be quite dense at times ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 01/16 at 05:57 PMHoly computers from Hades. Technology has tried my patience today and reminded me how much a foray to the Cool Observer quells the need for ‘real’ and honest chit chat during the days.
I realised upon rereading my #20 that my poor grammar made it seem as though I don’t enjoy reading non fiction when what I intended to say was that I always enjoy it more than I think I’m going to.
I’ve just received official confirmation that Youngfox will be reading Fight Club this week and intends to join in on the discussion.
Mudge a Utopian podcast?! A la Empress? I become horribly shy when any public speaking or performance is involved, so it would have to have a truly Utopian free for all style. Maybe a brass bra would help set the mood.
Shall we discuss it over lunch some day?
And now I shall check out all of the links that I couldn’t listen to earlier.
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 01/16 at 06:12 PMI was just about to type a long reply but Empress went and said she was gonna wear a “brass bra” and now I can’t concentrate.
For now: Hello, James, Keir, Helga, Youngfox, and welcome back, Hawk.
More soon...once I recover.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 06:31 PMI am also wearing a brass bra, and I can’t concentrate either (it bloody bites, I can tell you!)
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 06:39 PMNot to mention that it doesn’t fit very well under a sweater!
Posted by Amelopsis on from Canada 01/16 at 06:57 PMUh-oh: http://tinyurl.com/94uam
(and captcha sez: “next")
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 08:32 PMEmpress, you’re not kidding. I think I quite startled the postman.
Posted by Chris Wood on from Manchester, England 01/16 at 09:05 PMG’night...I wonder “who” will be here tomorrow.
Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 01/16 at 10:29 PMWow - that ‘brass bra’ sounds interesting, Empress!
And please keep us posted re the Canadian elections ..I’m here ‘tomorrow’, Mickey - 16 hours ahead of NYC and 11 hours ahead of Scotland, Michael. You have got a great blog running from Glasgow btw.
Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 01/17 at 02:27 PM
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