"....we're going down the pub."

Imagine the call to the local police….”Violent disorder at the Axe and Cleaver….someone’s been stabbed.” Not very likely as the afore mentioned pub is in the small village of Huttoft in Lincolnshire, England, near where I went camping a while back, and the pub is also closed and up for sale.
I did think perhaps some one could buy it and turn it into a Fight Club themed pub. First rule of Fight Club….Every night is fight club night at the Axe and Cleaver.

More "Rantings of a Madman"

We’ve gone from one baying mob fired up by greed, envy and alienation, to another fuelled on retribution and example making, presided over by a justice system that has no consistency, one where a sex offender receives less of a sentence than someone who tried to start a riot on Facebook, it should be mentioned that no one actually turned up to the planned riot, but someone was actually raped! This seems a strange sort of justice.
Tough on crime and tough on the causes of crime, but what are they gonna do when the cells are all full. These knee jerk appeasing the public sentences are politically motivated and have nothing to do with any form of rehabilitation. Will those jailed for their offences learn a lesson? Or will they look at it as some badge of honour, that they’ve served time.
Do they care that a criminal record will affect their future? No because their very actions where those of people who don’t feel they have a future. If we as a society feel we need some extreme form of punishment, how about bring in the chain gang and get the offenders cleaning up the streets and doing work in the community while dressed in pink and purple spotted boiler suits with a hood to hide their shame.
Someone once said something about how ‘good’ a society is by the way it treats its young and old. Well….both the young and the old are being treated like shit in Britain today. The young don’t respect the old, and the old don’t respect the young. If respect has to be earned then we are in a state of both moral and economic recession.
The morals and economics are different sides of the same spinning coin, that we have allowed politicians to gamble with, and it looks like they have lost the game by letting the money makers and trouble shakers both run riot. While the majority remain the losers, that’ll teach ‘em for trusting the politicians and their policies for a fair and just ‘good society’ that will never happen if the pursuit of private property and power is its major driving force.
One thing to remember; Situations like the collapse of the economy and what happened on the streets of London, Birmingham and Manchester this month are what keep the politicians in their positions of power, without these ‘conflicts’ there would be no need for parliament to intervene with its prescriptions. They are the disease, We are the cure, so long as we know what we are fighting for!

"Society Makes Me Sad"

I’ve OD’d on this ‘Riot England Sick Society’ story. Politicians could have cured ‘the disease’ years ago. They’re the ones that have infected our society! It’s le grande illusion, either a massive distraction for the masses from something bigger, or a massive deceptive of the masses; a means to justify a prescription of hard-line Right wing medicine for the perps and proles.

JOHNNY THUNDERS - Live in Rotterdam 22/9/84

Right then here we have one of the godfathers of the whole Rock’n’Roll bands go unplugged thang*, its Mr Johnny Thunders, who was giving acoustic renditions of his normally electric electric numbers back in the early 80‘s. On some Thunders acoustic shows it’s touch and go as to whether he makes it through the song he starts, this one from Sept 22nd 1984 at the Pandora’s Musicbox festival in Rotterdam, The Netherlands finds Johnny in fine coherent form starting as he means to go on and finishing what he started. It’s a short FM Broadcast 5 song set, (The Wizard, Play With Fire, Ask Me No Questions, She’s So Strange and It’s Not Enough.) Due to the small size of the files, in an NPW first and probably last I can offer this recording as a FLAC file or standard MP3, take your pick. Born To Lossless or Born To Lossy the choice is yours, either way enjoy! Thanx to the original uploader, and also credit to Pandora’s Music Box Blog for the picture of Johnny on stage at the festival.
*In 1979 Pete Townsend preformed Pinball Wizard and Won’t Get Fooled Again acoustically, at The Secret Policeman’s Ball a benefit for Amnesty International, in 1981 the less godfatherly Sting, Phil Collins and Bob Geldof did similar performances at The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball. (File under interesting but useless pop facts.)

More shit about 'the riots'

So Blair’s Baby’s have had their tantrum, all was quiet on the streets of London last night, but not in other parts of the country where they followed the latest trend from the capital, and threw their toys out of the pram and through shop windows.
During the day in a Big Society, spirit of the blitz stay calm and keep on moment, people took to the streets of London armed with brooms and black bin bags to clear up the mess the babies had left behind. In the evening Police were given the powers to use rubber bullets against any rioters. Groups of residents also took to the streets ready to protect their communities.
So in economic hard times and cuts to budgets what’s their answer to protecting the people and their property gonna be?
The Community Accredited Safety Scheme. It was set up a few years ago by the then New Labour Government. Basically it’s were security firms are granted a licence to operate, and their guards are given some of the powers that police officers have, like stopping groups of people, confiscating alcohol from young people and taking names and addresses. Currently there are 127 of these CAS schemes set up, I expect this number will rise after these recent events.
This is the future they’d like; people doing things for themselves and working together as a community, and the private sector providing services that the state would normally have provided, and everyone lives happily ever after.

TELEVISION PERSONALITIES - Andy Kershaw Session 1986.

After the craziness of the last few days lets chill out with some music, and here’s some premier psychedelic post punk pop from the Television Personalities, with a 4 track session they recorded for Andy Kershaw’s BBC Radio show way back in 1986. I’ve waxed lyrical about the genius and delights of Dan Treacy’s music in previous TVP’s posts, so I wont bore you with that again , instead lets look at how in a strange case of synchronicity both Dan and Andy have had a shared experience of serving time in prison at Her Majesties Pleasure. Dan was imprisoned for various drug related crimes in 2004, while Andy served time in 2008 for breaking restraining orders that stopped him from seeing his wife. Anyway back to 1986 here’s the Television Personalities on the Andy Kershaw show, when the only thing they shared were the airwaves. Enjoy.

It's about the stuff!

The Prime Minister returned to Britain today, to give a telling off to the trouble makers and to reassure everyone else.
Lets look at a few things….In the early 80’s similar events happened in Brixton, London Toxteth, Liverpool, St Paul’s in Bristol, just to name a few places. There were no Blackberry’s or Twitter then. If people wanna do it they’re gonna do it. The events of the 80’s were put down to social deprivation, unemployment, racial tensions and police harassment. Communities were re-built and funding made available to improve the lives of those areas, Job schemes were created and changes made in the way the police operated. Thirty years later in 2011 what’s changed? New technology has made communication easier, its also enabled generations to grow up playing violent computer games, watching violent videos and produced a whole market of consumer goods that people desire. MTV gangsta rap soundtracks young peoples lives. Free market economics has continued to create poverty as well as wealth, the media has created a whole celebrity lifestyle for people to aspire to, one that’s filled with designer labels and luxury goods. Some may say that children are taught in schools were the teachers have no control were there’s no discipline anymore, they return to homes with only one parent and no family structures and that softly softly Police tactics have seen law and order breaking down. This maybe true, but it’s one that politicians have created. They are responsible for the state that the country has found itself in.
Disadvantaged and disenfranchised young people are growing up in a world full of contradictions and confusion, one that offers everything, but gives nothing, one that gives them no real future other than living out a life that is a totally fantasy where greed, envy and violence are the only real feelings that some young people have. The politicians New Society has failed these young people, but more importantly it has failed those people who’s homes and business have been destroyed over the last few days and it will continue to fail everyone. Their capitalist system is responsible for the whole fucking mess, and people can’t see it, or they choose not to and bury their heads in the sand and blame everything else, and rely on the politicians for solutions. I haven’t seen or heard members of the community have been uniting on the streets and protecting themselves and their business’s from the rioting mobs, no they’d rather watch it on the TV, or film it on their mobile phones and post it on YouTube. If we’re gonna have anarchy, lets have total anarchy! One final thing, we need to remember is that it is only a small minority of people that have been involved, but the minorities actions will shape the majorities future, by politicians who will never accept any blame that their actions have any bearing on the present.

“Come on everybody come gather round friends
this is the day civilization ends
lets get together and do the next task
and go loot the supermarket while we got the chance .” - Mick Farren (The Deviants)

“White riot - I wanna riot White riot - a riot of my own White riot - I wanna riot White riot - a riot of my own” - Joe Strummer. (The Clash)

“With anxiety Babylon is burning Babylon is burning With anxiety Babylon is burning Babylon is burning” - Malcom Owen. (The Ruts)

Riot here, Right now!

Another butterfly flaps it’s wings….A man is shot dead by police in Tottenham, London on Thursday and a neighbourhood explodes with rioting and looting on Saturday night. The family had been ill informed by the police about the circumstances of his death, and held a peaceful demonstration, that hours later turned to violence, which the police appeared ill prepared for. It would appear that lessons of history are ignored. (Tottenham exploded in 1985, that also was the result of a death at the hands of the police.) Perhapes if the police had been more open with the family of the man shot by officers as to what happened, they would not have felt the need to hold the initial demonstration, or perhaps the police daren’t have told the truth, because there was something dodgy about it, and they knew people would react by…. Rioting and Looting! Big chain stores were legitimate targets, but the local shops run by local people were not.
On Sunday night ‘copy cat’ disorder and destruction took place in numerous London boroughs.
These events are further evidence that their system is failing. Those that can’t compete are resorted to ‘cheating’ and getting what they want by any means necessary. The police are under resourced to deal with situations because of cut backs.
Some are calling for the Prime Minister to return from his holiday. Quite what good that’s gonna do I don’t know, it’s the politicians policies that help cause the problems, and that’s not an excuse….That’s a fact. From the breakdown of the family and the community to a country of have and have nots. Its easy for those to look, and see what’s wrong with the smaller picture rather than the big one. If what happened this weekend in London is reported as 'mindless violence' does that make the Student Protests earlier this year 'intelligent violence'? No because in their eyes all violence committed by the people is mindless, but state violence; wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lybia is justified violence, as is the shooting of people by the police.
London’s burning….What a great advert for their Olympic Games in 2012. How about some new events; The 100 metres dash while carrying a 40" flat screen TV or who can throw a petrol bomb the furthest.

FLESH FOR LULU - Blue Sisters Swing.

A butterfly flaps its wings.... I came across a live recording of The Vaynes, over at a blog called Dark Circle Room, there was also a Flesh For Lulu one, from Hamburg in 1985, I didn’t see ‘em live in Germany, but caught them many times in London town between 1984 - 86, a great band, very underrated. I’ve posted The Vaynes ages ago, but nothing from Flesh For Lulu. So…. Here you are. This aint gonna be nothing new to anyone that’s heard Flesh For Lulu, but if you haven’t and yer a lover of sleazy Rock’n’Roll in the vein of The New York Dolls and The Velvet Underground, cut with a bit of The Only Ones, then I think you’ll enjoy this 5 track mini album from 1985.
Some records take you back…. Blue Sisters Swing is one of those for me. I hadn’t played this for ages, and then bam! There I was….The smell of sensemillia spiffs and the taste of sulphate, a room in a house on Lewisham Way, New Cross. Walking the streets of London’s West End, through Soho to Charing Cross station or to Trafalgar Square for the night bus. Good times? Bad times? A time!
I’ve saved you the pain of my scratched and crackly vinyl copy and gone for a digital Rip for yer. Enjoy, and if yer into any gothic stuff from the 80’s, then go visit the Dark Circle Room, not that I’d say The Vaynes or Flesh For Lulu were ‘goth’ bands, but hey ho….It’s all Rock’n’Roll.

Sum notes.

Hit the rich profiteers where it hurts; their wallets, their bank accounts. Their greed has left the world a poorer place. Their ‘great idea’ is an illusion, the majority of people will never attain their dreams, the best they can do is hope they don’t start living their nightmares,

Credit taken from the rich to buy the lifestyle is paid back twice by the poor; First in interest and then the profits others make from the must have purchase.

Human development is becoming underdeveloped. A generation of retards ignorant to other ideas and beliefs. A people reared on a diet of junk food, junk TV, junk newspapers.

Their future is a fashionable culture of fake celebrity, an instant one click disposable world where nothing is built to last. The old is sold as the new, innovation makes products to solutions that were solved years ago. They call this progress, I say it’s just a waste of resources, just because it can be done does it have to be done? How much quicker, smaller, bigger and cleaner do things have to be.

People haven’t lost sight of the big picture, they never saw it in the first place, they’ve just been blinded by what they’ve been shown, visions and images of another world they can inhabit if they work hard enough, they’re just doing what they’ve been CONditioned into doing. Mass media proliferation, commodity objectification has moulded a generation.

How do we break the cycle? Or is the cycle breaking? The wheels only keep turning so long as people keep peddling, the brakes need to be applied, or a spanner thrown into the spokes. The US economic crisis shows their great idea, isn’t actually that great. The poor will continue to suffer, but lets hope the rich start to suffer as well, it only seems fair, which seems a good building block for a new idea.

VIVE LE ROCK - Down On The Street (A Compilation)

Here’s a bit of music for yer, the free CD with issue three of Vive Le Rock Magazine. It’s a case of something old, new, borrowed and blue, and in some cases the good the bad and the ugly on this compilation, which kicks off with IGGY POP delivering a blistering live version of I Wanna Be Your Dog, with added beef from ex Sex Pistol Steve Jones. WATTS rock out from the garage, while THE BERMONDSEY JOY RIDERS turn in their R’n’B soaked ode to The New York Dolls, Part Of My Problem. FACE TO FACE sound like Busted, or do Busted sound like Face To Face? MOTORPSYCHO provide a hard and heavy cover of Patrik Fitzgerald’s Punch, featuring guest vocalist Jello Biafra’s distinct delivery. HOOK-LINE RIOT sound like Green Day meeting The Gaslight Anthem at the skate park. The Damned’s RAT SCABIES and BRIAN JAMES re-unite for a high speed chase through The Pink Fairies Teenage Rebel. Time for another Patrik Fitzgerald cover, this time MILK KAN update Ragged Generation for the hip hop/rap generation. THE DESTRUCTORS, one of my favourites from the ’class of 1980’s Punk Rock’ deliver a brilliant knockabout slice of punk entitled Who Gives a Toss (About Jonathon Ross). SILVERY sound a lot like Punishment Of Luxury. THE SKUZZIES supply Hungry as a Hand, a track from their debut album out on Easy Action Records. THE ADJUSTERS, have a Dead Boys/Heartbreakers swagger and swing to their stride, I can't stop playing their track; Wrong Place, Wrong Time. BC give us a techno take on Ghost Riders In The Sky. The compilation comes to a close with the street punk of NOISE AGENTS, and some female fronted Punk Metal Pop from DRAGSTER. All in all this is well worth a click of yer mouse, and the new issue of Vive Le Rock is out in September, which is well worth the price of admission.

The Yankee Dollar Isn't Working.

So then, the USA is about to default on trillions of pounds of debt. Well that’s what happens when you waste billions of pounds on a futile and illegal war against terror, ironically they may not have enough money to pay their soldiers. I wonder how Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the US is gonna hold out during these times of financial crisis? After all money worries/problems are the cause of many relationship breakdowns between people, as a result of splitting up certain things that couples have accumulated get divided between them. If this is the case can the US please take back their McDonalds, Halloween and Prom Celebrations, we never asked for them anyway, but Britain can keep all the great music, literature and films that have come from across the Atlantic.

Nasty Norwegien Nazi Nutter!

A bit lost for words about what happened in Norway last week end, well not so much lost as I’ve said what I’ve said about Nazi’s over and over on this blog over the years. What happened was a shocking example of how far Right Wing extremism can go, just as 9/11 showed how far fundamentalist Islam can go. Both ideologies are based on fear and hatred; fear of what they don’t understand, and hatred of what they don’t understand. What people need to understand is that neither of these miss-guided ideologies should be tolerated in a multi-cultural world, and neither should reactionary articles in the press that stir up feelings of fear and hatred and fuel the fires of Racism and turn citizen against citizen while our leaders the biggest fascists of them all do nothing except create and cultivate a climate of fear and hatred for its citizens to live in, while at the same time never listening to their fears. It comes as no surprise then that once in a while there’s some ‘lone loon’ or ‘crazy cell’ ready to commit an act of ‘pure evil’ because they feel no one is listening to them, but why would anyone want to listen to their words of hate anyway? Unfortunately in democratic countries with their political pluralism and freedom of speech, far right parties are able to engage in the political process, paradoxically if the far right ever came to power it would take away this freedom. It’s whether people choose to listen that matters, without free speech we’d be living in a world run by fascists, but wait up….I just claimed that our democratic leaders are the biggest fascists of them all, how does that work then? Well....lets look at their so called war on terror, which to all intent and purposes is a war against Islam and a means to create a global dictatorship by stamping their jackboot of liberal democracy and capitalism all over the world, with immigration and economic migrants being a big factor in the expansion of this so called free trade. The war had been going on for years before 9/11, why do you think 9/11 happened? The extremist islamists were defending their way of life against the ’evils of capitalism’ by attacking the centres of World Trade. The cause and effect has left the world a more insecure place where fear and hatred are fostered and then fester in the minds of misguided individuals ready to declare their own wars where their actions say more than words. As citizens of this so called free-world it’s our duty to confront racism whenever/wherever we can, or else we will become even more unfree than we already are. Lest We Forget!

"I don't think your ability to fight has anything to do with how big you are. It's to do with how much anger is in you." - Amy Winehouse (R.I.P)

ROSCOE VACANT & THE GANTIN' SCREICHS - Reckurdt - *A Review*

I was reading this weeks NME on the bus to work the other day (Journey time ½ Hour, reading time 10 minutes) I buy it each week, fuck knows why, it aint what it used to be, and it seems to be getting worse, more adverts, uninteresting writing and new bands every week, saying nothing, doing nothing and going nowhere, just trying to kiss the arse of the music biz, and I thought….this is shite, I need something to excite me musically. I got home from work and found the postman had delivered a package….A promo copy of Roscoe Vacant and The Gantin’ Screichs debut album Reckurdt. Available in August on Newtown Products on CD and Digital Download. If the name Roscoe Vacant sounds familiar, it may be because I posted a couple of his earlier recordings a while back, several which have been reworked for this album. It would appear that these were/are just tasters for the main course….A rich and tasty plate full of…. for want of some better words Alternative-Punk. Reckurdt is a brutal, beautiful and brilliant record by West Scotland’s finest.
The guitars are spikier than a hedgehog on heat, and more scratchy than scabies, vocals are delivered with a feral howl of Scottish passion. This is fast, frantic and furious stuff. Twelve tracks that range from the skiffle folk-punk of Non Repentant, to the Punkabilly of Dehydration Blues, via the Bass Punk Funk of Pins and Needles, to the anthem for the barricades Nothings Gonna Change, then there’s the almost Pop Punk of Shortbread Tins and Tartan Hats.
The songs and sounds on Rekurdt tear into yer brain, then rip out yer spine before giving you the kiss of life. Painting by numbers, but using the wrong colours, tunes that tick all the boxes, before jumping on the box and flattening it. A great album that kicks arse rather than kissing it, and keeps the flames of insurrection burning bright. People should be listening to this, not those bastard Mumford and Sons.
Roscoe Vacant is a songwriter, that shouldn’t be housed in some Alt- Punk ghetto, because this stuff is diverse enough for people that like Bloc Party and The Gaslight Anthem, and those that remember the sounds of 80’s Post Punk bands like Scars and Gang of Four. This is some New Music that’s got me Excited. Highly and hugely recommenced!

What's the Story? Scandal or Saga?

"Well the people must have something good to read, on a Sunday" - The Clash

THE ALARM - Live in Liverpool 2000

Right then, it's been a while since there's been any music on this here blog, haven't got the caperbilities on the laptop to zip it up and upload it, and with my pending Windows re-install I'm currently transferring stuff to an external hard drive. but I did check out my MediaFire page and found a couple of things that I hadn't got round to posting, so here's a little something for yer.

The Alarm were one of those bands often maligned by the critics as a Welsh Clash, when by rights they were The Alarm, “the Sex Pistols taught ‘em how to play, and the Clash how to dress.“ They were one of those bands that as they matured some of their songs started sounding a bit pompous and overblown and went of into extended guitar solo rock histronics territory, those ones like Moments In Time, Rain In The Summertime for example sent me running to the hills. Their earlier tunes Marching On, Majority and The Stand were of a far better short sharp shock quality. The Alarm re-formed in 2000, I say reformed, but it was really just Mike Peters resurrecting the name and reigniting the old songs with a fresh spark, helped out by James Stevenson from Chelsea, Gen X and Gene Loves Jezebel on Guitar, Craig Adams from The Mission on bass and Steve Grantley from Stiff Little Fingers on Drums. This two disc download captures the band in Liverpool, blasting through a mighty fine and powerfull greatest hits set, with some songs sounding better than the originals. If yer an Alarm fan I'm sure you'll enjoy this, if not....I'm sorry but that's all there is....All cards have been delt. Disc 1 / Disc 2

Can't read all about it....

So then, some peoples sacred cow The News Of The World has been sacrificed on the alter of bullshit, in a bid by Rupert Murdoch to keep his dream of global media domination alive. In true dictatorial fashion, the innocent are paying for the crimes of the guilty, with journalists who weren't working for the paper at the time of the crime losing their jobs. This man is evil and rotten, so it's no wonder that some of those who worked for News Of The World, behaved in the way they did. If truth is the sword, then Murdoch, his son James and the ghastly Rebbecca Brookes need their heads chopping off! as does every politician that's kissed their arses, in a bid to keep their popularity alive, their actions over the years have just increased the power of News International, to the point when it's unelected profiteers like Rupert Murdoch that actually run the country and dictate Government policies by shaping public opinion, and as we have seen their methods are just as deplorable as the politicians. So what can people do if they aint happy with someone like Murdoch? He might not have been voted into power, but the consumers have elected him through their purchase power, so they can vote by canceling their SKY TV Subscriptions, stop buying The Sun and The Times and having anything to do with his organisation, other than decrease its profits.

On the subject of money, with the news that energy prices are gonna be rising, perhaps people should burn all the useless shit that they bought but didn't need, the new kitchen, the new sofa etc, etc, or cut down on their use of their electrical gadgets, it's no wonder peoples energy consumption has risen in the Wee-Fi Play Box 360 flat screen world they are living in. Failing that, stock up on copies of the last edition of The News Of The World, and burn them to keep warm this winter. The truth is that just like Murdoch's organisation, the energy providers need to be held to account, when they're putting the price up on supplies they bought at a cheaper price two years ago. Can't pay? Don't pay! or at least spread the payments at a price you can afford, not at the price they tell you you can afford!

Hacked Off.

My computer's back, it had more viruses than an NHS Hospital ward, they've all been erased, but it still aint running right so it looks like I'm gonna have to re-install windows at some point very soon, so the sporadic nature of the recent weeks postings; lack of music and visuals will be continuing for the foreseeable future.

On the subject of viruses and unwanted infections....It looks like the News Of The World really is The Scum, with all the phone hacking furore that's going on, these latest revelations about families of murder victims and war dead really are unbelievable, on one level, yet totally believable on another and it's more ammunition to use against Rupert Murdoch in his bid to take control of the mass media market. The Police and The Politicians are no better, the former accepting money from the paper for information and the later sucking up to the paper. Then there's the public, who didn't give a shit about phone tapping/hacking when it was The Celebrities or Politicians who were the targets, now it's 'real people' well all, of a sudden everyones got an opinion, and they're the fuckers who've been buying the papers and in part justifying the journalists actions in obtaining 'the story' because the public like gossip and scandal and living other peoples lives, rather than their own. Just one final thought....What if these latest allegations against Murdoch's foot soldiers aren't true? and it turns out that News International are just carrying on the pretence in order to show just how much people believe what they are told by the media! Highly unlikely I know, but like I said it's just a thought and who knows who or what to believe in their world of double speak.

Don't Rattle My Cage.

Fucking arseholes everywhere. Left, Right and Centre, all full of shit. Self obsessed and self absorbed with their own self rightousness and self importance....Fuck 'em all!

I'M STILL HERE....

....but my computer aint,

The Olympic Games tickets. Tax payers fund the games to the tune of £10million, and then have to enter a lottery which sounded like a whole game in itself to apply for tickets. Millions are disappointed and get no tickets, when all the 'cheap seats' are gone, others end up spending more for the must have events, which leaves people with tickets to the events that no one wants to see. A fucking con if you ask me.

The whole London Olympics is a case of the emperors new clothes, we are being sold some great big historic spectacle, that we must take part in at any cost. I dread to see what the media coverage is gonna be like....Olympics this, Olympics that when the reality is it's just a bunch of people running, jumping and throwing things, in order to prove they are the best, and their Country's the best, just like a World War without all the killing, well apart from the killing that's gonna be made through the sale of cheap made in China merchandising.

Talking of China, they've been in town recently with their offers of a Billion pounds worth of economic investments, but shush! don't mention Tibet or other Human Rights abuses the regime are guilty of. The former Communists seem to have taken to Capitalism like (Peking) ducks to water.

I didn't see the 'highly visible' protest against U2 during the BBC's state sanitised coverage of the event, perhaps you had to actually be there in the mud rather than in the comfort of your arm chair. I did however see a clip on The BBC's Politics Show of security getting a bit heavy handed deflating the giant 80ft balloon with the slogan U PAY TAX 2 written on it.

So U2 haven't done anything illegal and broken the law. No, but what they have done is broken an unwritten moral law. 'Gross Hypocrisy' . Making Global Poverty History while increasing their own wealth, at the expense of their own country. U2 are guilty as charged, and just how do they deal with these accusations? like an African or Arab dictator, by silencing their critics through force.

The BBC's coverage....well I've never seen or heard such a bunch of bland boring middle of the road dross, not that I did hear or see much, cos as soon as it was announced what was in store over the weekend, you just knew....U2, Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes, Jessie J, Large Tantrum and Colonel Ghadaffi favourite Beyonce. Time to hit the remote....with a hammer!

Anyone who thinks Glastonbury is some alternative needs to think again, there is no alternative, everything has been sucked from the streets and spat back to the people, whose purchasing power has propelled the good, the bad and the ugly all into the mainstream. Aaah! The beauty of capitalism.
I'm sure there were some good bands playing, but like I said earlier, you probably had to be there, but at £190 a ticket? Fuck That! perhaps if I paid less tax I might have been able to afford it.
As I'm typing this up, there's some Breaking News coming through on the BBC's 24 Hour News Channel. It appears that a man has been found dead in the backstage VIP area. YES! there is a god....BONO'S DEAD!....no wait up it looks like it's someone called Christopher Shale....shouldn't laugh, but apparently he's the chairman of David Camerons Conservative Constituency Party. Like I said.... "So mainstream." I wonder if he died of boredom?

A week since my last post. PC still not done, it's gone to someone who knows more than me. Cheers Keithy, whose gonna hopefully get it fixed up. Haven't been able to use the laptop until now, and all I can think to write about at the moment is the shit fest that is Glastonbury, and those shit fucks U2 and that fuckin' holier than thou Bono cunt....Yeah save the planet fight poverty across the world and don't pay any tax in your home country, Ireland, one of those EU countries struggling with the Euro. I'm sure they'd appreciate some of your hard earned penny's, but no, you've taken it offshore. Well here's hoping that those at Glastonbury shower U2 with bottles of piss and lumps of mud, or better still it chucks it down with rain and Bono and co get electrocuted. These wankers need telling just like the politicians and profiteers. FIGHT THE CUNTS!

Right then, still no PC, but on one level I'm finding it quite liberating not being sucked into the monitor and glued to the keyboard, gives me time to do things I've neglected since the advent of the internet, like reading....just finished Nick Kent's 1970's memoirs Apathy For The Devil, a great no holds barred read of his adventures with Iggy Pop, The Rolling Stones and The Sex Pistols amongst others and his descent into drug dependency. On another level, it feels like I'm missing something by not being able to access the means to rant and rave on a regular basis, and visit other blogs, forums and sites. Have I/we become slaves to the machine?

June 30th, a day of action. Strikes, The Summer of Discontent, or whatever the media label it as. It looks like the Unions haven't felt threatened by the government and it's We'll change the Law if there are any strikes in the public sector ultimatum a few weeks ago. So what's it all about? Pensions it would seem, and having to work till you're older, pay more and receive less when you retire. Well I wish I had enough income left at the end of the month to be able to pay into a pension plan, not that I would anyway. Let's face it, the government only want our money so they can spend it, or invest it to make themselves money. I wonder if the public sector workers are those who are earning £25,000 a year and consider themselves? and what about those who work in the private sector, where pension payouts are and always have been less generous.

Hats off and fists in the air to the Greek people for taking a stand against their governments actions. Don't believe the bullshit that the protesters actions are gonna put the whole world financial stability at risk. The only people putting anything at risk are the politicians across the world with their lust for power and their greed while claiming to represent the people when all they represent are themselves and their capitalist values, that divide and rule nations,create poverty and war, and generally make the world a poorer place. We don't need the shit they sell us, they just make us think we do!

Right then, got access to a laptop for a short while, tried getting mine sorted, but just started getting stressed with it, so I'm gonna enlist the help of a mate at work who knows more about it than me, so until the Wolf Station's up and running, It's gonna be short posts whenever I can access another PC/Laptop about whatever....not spoilt for choice, but not enough time to do justice to things like why our government is increasing it's involvement in Libya, yet ignores the increased violence by the Syrian government against it's own people. Then there's the drought warnings, why do they always announce them when the weather turns cooler and gets wetter? Once again nature strikes....the lack of April showers and long period of warm weather during spring has resulted in problems with production of crops etc, leading to increased prices in wheat....Knock on effect....food prices may rise. We are not in control. There is a greater force than humankind which appears to be going through a change. Not enough time to mass debate about the cash cow that is 'climate change' other than to say that the seasons are changing, and the answer might not be blowing in the wind.

I have just got time....that's if I can concentrate, as I keep getting distracted by the CD I'm listening to while typing this...it was given to me by a chap called Mark Astronaut, a musician who's been plying his trade for the past 30 years in bands like The Astronauts, Restricted Hours, The Otters, and it's of some of his more recent work; 8 tracks of Dub/Punk/Folk magic with lyrics that are shear poetry. Anyway where was I?....that's it....Letchworth Garden City in Herts at their Street Festival yesterday (Sat 11th June) I went over to check out THE TRAILER TRASH ORCHESTRA, who were playing on a stage in the street, outside a pub that wouldn't serve people who were wearing a hat, I kept my hat on and went elsewhere for a beer (don't let anyone tell you that just because Britain is a democracy, it's a free country!) before going back to check out the Trailer Trash Chaps, which is when I bumped into Mark, haven't seen him for a couple of years chatted about his musical ventures, then he gave me the CD, which is causing me so much distraction. This was a Knox less factor performance from the Trailer Trash Orchestra, they were also one Guitarist down, so their set was slightly less electric, but still a stomping slamming foot tapping blast of Cow Punk Rock'n'Roll. These reprobates should really be playing to festival crowds, not to the drinkers and curious onlookers on the damp concrete out side a pub, yep, it started raining half way through their set, not that this dampened the bands enthusiasm or humour, and those that stuck out the shower had a good time, what more can you ask from a band....They're playing again on Thursday 16th June at The Farmers Boy in St Albans, free entry, and I believe Knox will be joining them, If yer in the area I strongly and highly reccomend you go and check 'em out, they'll put a smile on yer face and a song in yer heart. Which is just what's needed in this fucked up world. Anyway, gotta go now, or as the Buzzcocks said...."Times up"

The people are struggling with the cost of living, while their government has no difficulty with the price of killing!

IMPOTENT NOTICE, yep that's right, not important, but impotent. I'm powerless to carry on posting as my PC is fucked! First it was raped by some pisshing cunts trying to sell viagra and other shit to everyone in my email address book. Then yesterday after I logged on a pop up appeared informing me that my security subscription had unsubscribed itself, either that or I forgot to renew it, but I don't remember forgetting. In the time it took me to read the pop up my PC was penetrated by some unwanted software that is now squatting on the hard drive refusing to be removed. Stress levels are rising, so I'm gonna sort it out when I sort it out, but I can't be fucked at the moment. Fuck this technology! It's fucking great when it works, but when it fucks up, or you fuck up then you're fucked....BOLLOCKS! Fortunately I've managed to post this using someone elses laptop that's in better health than my PC.

TV SMITH'S CHEAP - Live In Uxbridge 1990

I found this on my hard drive t‘other day, forgot I had it, dunno where I got it from, might have been from MrMagoos sadly defunct Running Riot in 2000 whatever blogspot. It was originally one long MP3, but I’ve separated the tracks. The photo I used came from someone over at the mighty fine TV Smith Forum, their name however escapes me, I’ve just messed about with the colour of it, and added some lettering. Right then now that’s all done with, lets get on with the rest of it. After The Adverts and The Explorers both split up TV Smiths next venture was gonna be done….“Just For Fun! A few mates travelling around the country in a couple of estate cars, with all the equipment piled in the back: mobile compact, above all CHEAP.” After five years of no one noticing them Cheap called it a day
Ironically their only album RIP Everything Must Go was released after the band had broken up and TV had released his March Of The Giants album. Anyway now it’s time to take a trip back to Dec 1990 when Cheap played in Uxbridge, dunno where in Uxbridge this recording is from, but a mighty fine one it is, amongst others you get their brilliant Margaret Thatcher baiting single Third Term, and it’s b-side Buried By The Machine, there’s also a track that maybe familiar to lovers of The Lords of The New Church, The Lords Prayer. Here’s a bit of useless Rock’n’Roll trivia for yer….What connects TV Smith to Bruce Springsteen? Well….When The Lords Of The New Church recorded The Lords Prayer, a TV Smith track, that I believe, or though I maybe wrong he wrote for the band, it was produced by Little Steven, Guitarist in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band. Anyway here’s a blast of vintage TV Smith; Rough, Raw and Ready. It’s No Time to be 21, 31, 41, or 51.

Swearing in The Streets.

No Swearing in public! What a load of fucking bollocks! Yeah it’s not big and it’s not clever, but there are other things some people do in public that offend me more….like breathing!! Apparently in one town, the business leaders reckon swearing ’yobs’ are putting off the shoppers, funny when I ever I have to go into my Town Centre, it’s the shoppers that not only put me off, but piss me off! Bags full of shit they don’t need, not looking where they’re going bumping into you because they’re to busy talking or texting on their mobile phones, and then look at you like it was your fault. It’s enough to make you fucking swear.

DR MARTINS and NME Promo Download.

This was available last year through NME.Com to mark the 50th Anniversary of Dr Martins shoes/boots. A promotional thang uniting footwear with Rock’n’Roll, for those readers/listeners “aspiring to be the brand”. Readers of this blog should approach this download with extreme caution, cos what you get are ten tracks of cover versions. A definite case of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Noisettes should be put on trial for crimes against music for what they’ve done to The Buzzcocks classic Ever Fallen In Love, the same goes for Verbal and Yoon for their treatment of The Runaways Cherry Bomb. The jury’s out on what the Duke Spirit have done to Sham 69’s If The Kids are United, which is to turn it into a synth/guitar drone akin to Suicide if they were fronted by Siouxsie Sioux on downers. Not that it’s all criminal. Black Rebel Motor Cycle Club put in a haunting version of The Pogues Dirty Old Town, but the highlight of it all, and the only reason I posted this is Michael Davis from the MC5 taking Canadian politico-punkers DOA’s Something Is Not Right With Me and giving it even more balls than it had before, if that’s possible. There’s also a bunch of wannabees, mightbees and will neverbees covering tunes by Human League, Jeff Buckley, Stone Roses and Max Romeo, but I’ve no idea who they are, nor do I want to know. Life’s full of enough shit without adding to it! But hey don’t just take my word for it. Here have a blast for yerself.

So after 16 year of being ‘in hiding’ (he lasted longer than Bin Laden) Ratko Miladic The Beast/Butcher of Bosnia has either been captured or Serbia have given him up to be tried for war crimes. It seems a coincidence that Serbia are looking at joining the EU. Whatever….at least another inhuman being is gonna face justice, Miladic was responsible for the genocide of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica in 1995 when Yugoslavia was at war with itself, it was as if the holocaust had never happened. The biggest atrocity is that this ethnic cleansing took place as hapless and hopeless UN Peace keepers looked on. I wonder if this historic UN failure to ‘protect innocent citizens’ explains its gung ho actions in trying to ousted Ghadaffi, and what about Osama Bin Laden, who was ‘brought to justice’ for less. Yet Ratko Miladic is gonna be able to drag his case through the War Crimes Court that no doubt he will refuse to recognise, in a length trial. Perhapes he should have his brains burnt out instead!

Last week we had those crazy Christians, saying the world was gonna end. It didn’t….I think people knew it wouldn’t, but how many people think it could? This week I’ve seen the religious vultures hovering overhead ready to pick at the flesh of the weak and wounded. I’ve been accosted by someone trying to put the Book of Krishna in my hand. I’ve seen groups of Jehovah Witnesses gathering in my neighbourhood with pamphlets in their hands. They’re all trying to sell people a ticket for their slow train trips to salvation when the world ends. Well….the train I’m aboard is out of control, but its destination is FREEDOM!

TV SMITH - Coming In To Land. (A Review)

This album is vital. Musically and lyrically brilliant. TV has surpassed himself with the twelve tracks that make up Coming In To Land. In my opinion TV’s never released a duff record, but…. He’s also never released one that sounds so relevant since The Adverts, Cast Of Thousands. The ugly face of 21st Century Society is confronted…. “The throw away values will hold you then have you.".... This is full on frantic stuff in some places, brooding and mournful in others. Catchy and tuneful all the way through. Uplifting and positive. Respect to TV and the band: Vom Ritchie (Die Toten Hosen), BB Quattro (Suzy & Los Quattro, Bored Teenagers), Tim Cross (Adverts) For releasing possibly my favourite album of the year so far.
Given the right push in the right places, Coming In To Land could turn on and tune in a whole new bunch of listeners to the only TV that doesn’t lie.

GAGA GAGGINGS. (Some notes/thoughts)

A non story becomes the story. ‘Glamour Model has affair with footballer’

One of the major talking points in the media recently, has been about people not being able to talk, due to super injunctions that celebrities have been taking out in order to keep their private indiscretions from the publics eye. Name and shame the fuckers that’s what I say. Or alternatively let them waste their money and buy their anonymity, because all these ‘kiss and tell’ stories do is feed the tabloids and the media moguls profits.

How ironic that one of the law firms benefiting from the injunctions is called Schilling, cos that’s what it’s all about….money, money, money

Freedom of speech becomes a commodity that can be sold to the lawyers and judges if the price is right.

Judges have criticised parliamentary privilege, which allows MP’s to defy court ‘gagging orders’ by naming figures trying to hide behind injunctions.

So called ‘gagging orders’ have done nothing but create disorder in the media, Parliament and The Courts. It was left to internet democracy to speak the truth and name the name.

Is it in the ‘public interest’ to hear about the sex romps of football players? No probably not but….the Jeremy Kyle generation love a bit of it, and the vicarious car crash tabloids rely on the sex and scandal, celebrities are happy to court the media when they are in control of the story, they just don’t like being found out doing anything that will tarnish their public image.

Public figures in positions of power, what they get up to is definitely in the public interest
Fred Goodwin former boss of Royal Bank of Scotland’s mind wasn’t on the job when his bank went bust, he was thinking of a different kind of on the job, and now the tax payer’s picking up the tab for his fuck up.

The old adage that all publicity is good publicity obviously doesn’t apply when squeaky clean images turns out to have dirty secrets.

The tabloid media have created the culture of celebrity and gossip, and the public have bought into it. Supply and demand. Gagging orders limit the supply. So would it be a bad thing If the Celebes wasted their money on injunctions. Without the media there’d be no celebrity.

Essential Ephemera #12

Over there is an article on The Adverts/TV Smith from January 1989’s Record Collector, Here’s a link to a recording of The Adverts in Manchester at The Electric Circus on 26th June 1977. Quality is a bit rough, but…. it is what it is, as they say. The link’s not mine, it comes from a fella called moodychops over at Bob Juice Forum.

New Day Rising

Well the world didn’t end yesterday. I woke this morning to find everything just the same. I did think that perhaps the world ended thousands of years ago, and that history has been lying to us and we’ve been living in some sort of hell created for us ever since. The way to make things not the same is to think differently. If people stopped reading the lies they believe, and watching less of the lies that shape their reality and buying stuff they were lied to about and didn’t really need, then their world would really end! and a new one would begin. Welcome to my world!

Don't Fear The Reaper.

This could be my very last post ever, as the world is due to end today, or so some American Christian group believe, some how I doubt it, apparently they said the same thing in 1994, and here we still are, as I’m sure we will be tomorrow, when maybe I’ll have something more to say about something else. Until then, see ya. If I’m wrong and those crazy Christians were right, well I dunno what to say, and it won’t really matter cos there’ll be no one to read it any way.

REVOLUTION ROCK - A Compilation CD

Today’s musical offering is a CD which was given away with issue two of Vive Le Rock magazine, which is a brilliant read, and the compilation is a great listen. If you didn’t get hold of a copy, I cant provide the words, but here’s the music. The UK SUBS need no introduction. Creation is one of the standout tracks of their new stand out album Work In Progress. THE SENDERS serve up a hefty, hearty slice of New Yawk Rhythm and Blues. MICHAEL MONROE disappeared from my radar after Hanoi Rocks called it a day, and he’s only re-surfaced on it after listening to the track on this CD. THE DUEL are chilling, sultry and haunting, like Penetration and Manufactured Romance. BRIJITTE WEST’S DESPERATE HOPEFULS travel a similar road. THE WOLFMEN feature Adam Ant’s former partner Marco Pironni, and turn out a Lou Reed/Roxy Music row. Then there’s some Punk’n’Roll from THE LOYALTIES, and a dose of Garage Pop Punk from THE SHOTGUN KILLERS. THE HUMPERS are definitely unsafe at any speed with their MC5, Heartbreakers infused Rock’n’Roll. THE EXPOSED and RANDOM HOLD both deliver some old skool melodic Punk Rock, then there’s the full blown Ska/Reggae dub street punk of ROGER MIRET AND THE DISASTERS. So many labels…. when it’s only Rock’n’Roll. The new issue of Vive Le Rock is out on the 24th of this month.

ROSCOE VACANT

Roscoe Vacant is a Scottish writer and performer, whose music ranges from electronic punk to piano dirges and all things in-between. He works as both a solo artist, and occasionally as part of a band. Roscoe Vacant and the Kamikazes. Nothings Going To Change is his 6-Track acoustic EP released in 2009, the Escape from Doom Valley EP was Roscoe Vacant and The Kamikazes first live performance. Recorded on April 22, 2008 for Generate Ayr FM. This is stripped to the bone acoustic Punk Rock Blues, frantic, wired, powerful, passionate and totally electric. Imagine Billy Bragg scrapping in the street with Gang of Four and Wire. If you fancy a blast here ya go, two for the price of (n)one. There’s several more downloads available at Roscoe’s website, Including three tracks he recorded with legendary Scots punk band The Zips, and kicking back against corporate Rock’n’Roll, they’re all available free to download, and well worthy of yer ears and time.

THANX TOPPLers!

Imagine my surprise and delight to find the package pictured opposite had unexpectedly popped through my letter box the other day: A glossy 10 page A5 magazine and 16 Track CD. Those good people at Topplers Records, Scotland’s premier micro DIY label have released another compilation See Dee, their fourth. Once again featuring and show caseing some of the artists on their roster. This is late 70’s early 80’s post punk for the modern age. I mean where else are you gonna find former Swell Maps, Jowe Head and Phones Sportsman, with their twisted pop songs and seventies scenester Steve Treatment, then from over the English Channel there’s The Existentialists with their pop art blues, or how about some fuzzed out garage rock poetry from Dan Melchior. The Armedalite Rifles from New Jersey are Indeed Shambolic. What about some instrumental Rock’n’Roll from The Knockouts? The fucked up folk of Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, the electronic pop throb of Gang, and the more extreme electro of Drowned UFO or the twiddly tweeks by The Skirlin’ Bursters. Take a trip with Scotish JapRockKrautrockers The No Men, and float away with the blissed out ambient sounds capes of Noveller. This is a brilliant collection of , off the wall Rock’n’Roll experimental and shambolic electronical musical pop madness, or what ever you want to call it and it’s all available here for a bargain bustin’ recession fuckin’ price of £1.20, and that’s just for the postage. CLICK, CLICK and wait for the postman.

Osama Bin Who?/ The Royal What? / It’s all been forgot / New distractions, New reactions / Celebrity shaggings, media gaggings / No privacy for the Facebook nation and Twitter generation / Stabbed teens, Missing children / Where are we going? / A Train drivers ransom demand / Pay offs protect the Olympic image / Corruption / A World Cup bid shrouded in dodgy dealings / Round and round it goes / Nothing is really new / From scandal to scandal / crisis to crisis / from one outrage to another / Day to day / month to month and year to year / An endless cycle / Past, Present and Future / Its all in front of our eyes, people just need to open them!

KNOX and THE TRAILER TRASH ORCHESTRA - *A Gig Review*

I don’t get my sorry arse to many gigs these days on account of the price of getting to ‘em and then the cost of the ticket, plus there’s not that many bands I want to go and see. So when I found out Knox and The Trailer Trash Orchestra were playing a pub a few miles up the road, and not only was it free entry, but there was an offer of a lift. (Cheers Chris and Haddy) my arse was ready to go.
Mind you I’d have gone on the train and paid to get in for this one. I mentioned a while back about The Vibrators gig on April 23rd, what I didn’t say was that it was to be Knox’s last gig with the band, as he wanted to work on some solo projects, like what he’s done with The Trailer Trash Orchestra, so last night (Sat 7th May) was one not to be missed, unlike The Vibrators one, when I couldn’t afford the train fare.
The venue; The Victoria Pub, well lets just say It’s a good job my cat didn’t want to go, cos the place was so small there wouldn’t have been room to swing it, and it’s a good job the audience wasn’t in the mood for a ho-down, co it would have been like dancing on a postage stamp.
The two sets The Trailer Trash chaps played were a nice mix of their own numbers, cover versions and ones that Knox got up and sang. I thought their reworking of Magazines Song From Under The Floorboards was genius, that’s until I heard what they did to Lords Of The New Church's Russian Roulette, truly inspired, shame they didn’t get Knox up to sing it with them, like he did on I Wanna Be Your Dog.
If the Trailer Trash Orchestra roll into a town near yours take a trip and go see ‘em, if they bring Knox along for the ride yer in for a special treat, if they don’t yer still in for a top night of toe tapping barnstorming Hill Billy Punk Rawk with a steel guitar, violin, mandolin and stand up bass. The Trailer Trash folk have got it all the look the sound, the attitude and the missing teeth. Nothing is taken too seriously this shit is real and it’s about having some fun in the darkness.

Osama BORED Laden.

The Americans have released some video footage from tapes they found when they raided Bin Laden’s house; they show someone that may or may not be Bin Laden, watching someone who may or may not be himself on the TV. What does this prove? He watched himself on TV in his house, not that he was executed and then thrown in the sea! Will the real Bin Laden please float to the surface?
Jubilant, nationalist triuphalism makes us no better than the Islamic Extremists. Now that ‘justice has been served’ and the victims of 9/11 have been avenged, how about something radical like….talking to the terrorists? Because if the leaders of the ‘free world’ are gonna continue fighting fire with fire, the fire will only get bigger and the 9/11’s and 7/7’s will be the first of more dates in the diaries of remembrance for the West.
The war on terror has been one whole CONspiracy from the moment the planes hit the twin towers and the pentagon, and not forgetting the one that ‘crashed’ in a field, to when Sadham was pulled from out of his hole, and now the killing of Bin Laden.
The last ten years has been one whole terror spectacle. The Conspiracy Theorists aren’t ’nuts’ it’s just that they can imagine beyond the spectacle and know that there’s a different truth out there, not just the one they’re told by the real nuts, who create and control this chaos, because remember without it, there’d be no need for them to preside, rule or govern over us.

The Obama Bin Laden Aftermath.

The picture opposite shows the moment when US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton saw it was former Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger leading the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden………
I mean you couldn’t make some of this shit up….wait up….they are making this shit up, or at least ‘revising’ previous news reports, and the circumstances of where Bin Laden was living/hiding
First Bin Ladens wife was a ‘human shield’ and was killed, then she ran at a commando and was shot in the leg.
Did Pakistan security forces/government know he was living yards from a military base? They say…No! Britain and the US say Yes! What does the rest of the world make/think of it all? I haven’t heard much of their reaction.
President Obama’s rating has soared in opinion polls, I’m bet he’s glad he didn’t shut down Guantanamo Bay like he promised, and what about the ’inhumane’ water boarding, that helped loosen tongues and provide info.
The way the flag waving patriots are acting is gonna radicalise and antagonise any ready to go Jihad extremists. Throwing the body in the sea prevented a martyrs grave, but was it 100% in keeping with the Islamic faith? And now people don’t believe he’s dead, I mean Obama and his crew got to watch it live and direct, any images we see will be highly censored, that’s if the US release any, apparently they are too ‘gruesome” You don’t say….I didn’t think they used water pistols!
Oh the irony if a picture is released to satisfy the public it’s gonna create an iconic image extremists will use for propaganda purposes. Paranoia Paradise, Fear City, they’ve already arrested some people outside Selefield Nuclear power station.
It aint gonna be Britain or the US that gets it first, it’s gonna be somewhere like Somalia, Yemen or the Phillipeans, somewhere not at war with terror. We are gonna be living with the threat of attack for many years, whether it is real or not, the leaders of the free world will make sure of that, it keeps us under control and gives them ammunition for their mission.

KILLED BY THE U.S.A!

So the people of the Western world can sleep easy in their beds. I wake this morning to hear the news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed in Pakistan by American forces. Funny that, I was only reading in one of Saturdays papers (a rare story that wasn’t about the Royal Wedding) about how the US had messed up capturing him in the hills of Tora Bora years ago.
The operation that killed Bin Laden was a result of intelligence received by the US in August.
It’s all in the timing; Obama trumps the Republicans allegations that he’s not American by bringing them the head of Osama Bin Laden, should be worth a few votes come re-election time.
There’s people on the radio saying today is “A great day for civilised people.” while celebrations and mass hysteria breaks out in the “USA, USA, USA, USA!” were they’ve swapped their Royal Wedding Day Union Jacks for The Stars and Stripes.
Expect the Hollywood block buster The Killing Of Bin Laden to be released by the end of the month.
Will the world be a safer place now the wicked witch is dead? Or will the yellow brick road turn red with the blood of more victims as the West battles against the East, and Good against Evil.
Where’s he gonna be buried? The West doesn’t want to create a Martyrs Grave! What about the manner of his death/assasination? American troops operating in another country!
What about the context of this and all the uprisings and discontent within the Arab world at the moment?
More mass coverage for the masses in the mass media, more bad news being buried, and other real news being pushed aside by patriotic propaganda for the people.

Something else that was also in the news.

Hats off to the good people from a Bristol community who objected to the tax dodging supermarket chain Tescos opening another shop in their city. They took their fight to the streets and met with the usual opposition from the Police and hostile media. Apparently it all started off peacefully until there was some ’trouble’ with anarchists in a squat in the area. If this government really want the people to feel part of their community then they need to start listening to the people, not antagonising them. It’s not just their big society it’s ours. The multi nationals have already killed off local shops up and down the country with their out of town retail parks and supermarkets., now Tescos, Sainsburys etc want to take over the empty run down shops, as they’re the only people that can afford the Rents, and I would say business Tax, but…. we know what some big companies think about paying tax don‘t we.

The Day After The Day After The Day....

Now they’re showing the highlights of the highlights of the wedding. For Fucks sake! Talk about media brainwashing. Souvenir on Souvenir edition of the newspapers with the same fucking pictures! “Rule Britannia…Britannia waves the rules, the British people, what a bunch of fools.“ Bring forth the guillotine, well that was the idea until the police pissed on any potential protestors parade, by arresting them the day before the wedding. They were planning some street theatre in Soho square. The wooden gallows had already been impounded by the Police, then they arrested the actors. No crime had taken place, talk about the thought police state. While Willy and Kate were downing their crack baby cocktails, her Majesties Armed Forces were carrying on their role of bringing democracy to Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya. I might have had a knats cock of respect for the whole event if someone from the Royal Family had come out and said the reason Tony Blair and Gordon Brown weren’t invited to the wedding was because of their involvement in an illegal war, the cost of which is economic as well as human. That would have made me think perhaps this is the face of a new monarchy, but no….they will still be a dying institution with nothing to say, no matter how many flags the people fly.

SWERVEDRIVER - Last Train To Satansville. (Promo CD)

Right, lets take a trip back to the early 1990’s. Time to park up the Mustang Ford and ride the steel rails with Swervedriver. What a band; they were head and shoulders above the rest of those bands in the Melody Maker/NME Shoe Gazing Scene, that they found themselves lumped in with. These guys didn’t just drone on, they rocked and rolled as well. Songs which draw you in and take you on a journey to some place else with yer feet taping all the way. Enjoy the six tracks on this A&M Records promo.
This post is in memory of a mate of mine who did a brave, desperate and selfish thing on 1st May 1993, when sadly he took his own life. Gone but never forgotten!