Don't forget to read the small print!

GlaSTUNGbury 2007

Wish I'd gone to Glastonbury this year. I've been watching it on the telly, and maaan there's been some good shit on, and I mean shit! I should have made more of an effort to register and get my photo ID and pay a couple of hundred pounds for a ticket to spend 3 days in a cow field with the rain and the mud, living along side hundreds of middle class indie hippies who feel that it is the only time they feel truly free and able to be themselves, while giving the powers that be another excuse to bring in some sort of ID scheme, you suckers. WHAT PRICE FREEDOM?

anarchoSPACE

Thanx to the hard work of a couple of former anarchoscenesters; Penguin and Chris.L, there are now a couple of really good myspace pages documenting two of the most important bands of the 80's; THE MOB and THE APOSTLES, without these bands and the clash and crass I very much doubt you'd be reading this now. The links are over to the left just scroll down and click to take a trip back 26 years to a time of hope and positivity, while you're there check out the KILL YOUR PET PUPPY and ALL THE MADMEN RECORDS pages as well. It'll be a great way for yer to spend some of the weekend. Trust me, you know it makes sense.

A Post About No Post

Just been going through my 'blog books' where I keep thoughts and scribblings for rants and ravings, thinking right what shall I post today. The audit culture of New Labour, the cheap Chinese imports that are threatening our climate, the up and coming ban on smoking in public places. Then I took a look in the folder where I keep stuff for collages. Images of riot police and demonstrations, dead bodies in Iraq pictures of Blair, Bush and Brown, torn out words and a load of other visual delights. Cracked open a can of lager and then thought fuck it I just can't be bothered to think about anything tonight, sometimes it just gets too depressing writing about the shit that is

going down in the world these days. I'm sure it wasn't like this when I was younger then I thought no it was; fear of nuclear destruction, Thatcher and Regan economics, unemployment police oppression. Different times different sorts of issues/problems. Then again when I was younger didn't have work and family commitments, time didn't seem so scarce, still age is just a state of mind and I'm still an angry 16 year old, well probably more angry than when I was 16 and didn't have the worry of what sort of a world my daughter would be growing up in............shit lost my train of thought, bollocks....... I'm sure I could drink more than one can of lager then as well without turning into a jibbering idiot. Where was I, oh yeah, that's right, wasn't gonna post anything tonight................................

The Adverts ( Live In Germany 1979 )

THE ADVERTS - The Wonders Don't Care

Can't believe it's taken me this long to post some Adverts stuff, love this band TV Smith was one of punks best songwriters second only to Strummer and Knox.

This collection of favourites is made up of radio sessions recorded for the BBC by the band between 77-79. These versions are less polished than the original recordings, and in the words of TV, it's a chance to "hear a band get born, grow up, get old and die, all in less than an hour" I cant think of a better way to spend an hour, so if you've time to spare, click here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/1dgkct

If not make time, cos Televisions Over.

What exactly did Salman Rushdie do to get a knighthood? wrote some books, big fucking deal.

So, Bernard Manning is dead. My sympathies go out to his family; for puting up with him for all these years. That's one less sexist, racist bigot the world has to put up with. What will the Greater Manchester Police force do for entertainment at this years Christmas party? suppose they could book Roy Chubby Brown or Jim Davidson.

Their HEALTH AND Their SAFETY

What sort of a society have we become were our children are not allowed to be children? caring and protection has become suffocation by cotton wool. Schools enforce rules about what games can be played in the playground. No conkers if you're not wearing goggles. Health and Safety guidelines came into place to stop unscrupulous employers putting their workers in danger, now they are used to protect employers, organisations and businesses from being taken to court; the concern is not for the safety of anyone but for the health of the bank balances. 'Had an accident at work or play? ring.....no win no fee....' The growth of these Lionel Hutz type solicitors is in part due to cheap US legal dramas and copy cat Brit ones along with the increase in 'rights' for consumers. Anyway I always thought that with rights come responsibilities. Therefore surely if it is a persons right to seek compensation it is also their responsibility to take precautions against an accident 'at play' happening and not to try and pass the responsibility to a third party rather than accepting that sometimes shit happens. I'm not advocating that there should be no standards of Health and Safety, organisations such as local councils should be responsible for their standards, but if it is a persons right to sue for injuring themselves because they tripped over a paving slab then it is also their responsibility to look were they're fucking going. If your child slips up because of bubbles blown by a clown at a kids party, so what it was an accident. In this so called risk society the compensation culture has become a way to make money out of misfortune. We have become a society were the freedom to play is dictated by 'guidelines' from bureaucrats who think they can run our lives for us because some people can't take any responsibility for their own actions or inaction's.

Mr Benn, where are you now?

ORDINARY LIFE IS EXTRAORDINARILY SPECIAL, CHERISH IT/SEARCH TO EXPRESS YOUR INDIVIDUALITY/MACHINES SHOULD SERVE US, NOT CHANGE US/PRESERVE YOUR VALUES/LEAD BY INCLUSION, DON'T RULE BY FEAR/REAL FREEDOM IS LIBERTY AT NO ONES EXPENSE/OPEN YOUR MIND TO A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES//

These slogans/statements come not from a Situationist text or a Manic Street Preachers record, but from a children's TV program broadcast by the BBC during the late 60's and early 70's called Mr Benn; a conventional chap in his bowler hat and suit. He'd visit a costume shop try on a costume and have an adventure in a different place each week, what ever world he went to he would change for the better. Injustice and selfishness did not exist in Mr Benns world. Society was all of us and we must take care of everyone. Naive fucking liberal lefty I hear some people cry, well maybe or maybe not, at least he cared about the future. I have distant memories of watching Mr Benn as a kid, but obviously at a young age you don't consciously understand the message, but now in reflection and with the knowledge of how powerful a tool television is for giving out messages to the subconscious I believe that Mr Benn was as much an influence on my teenage and adult years as The Clash,Crass and Herbert Marcuse.

This is TV Clash!

The Clash always refused to appear on Top Of The Pops, the price they paid was the bizarre sight of Pans People dancing to Bankrobber dressed in skimpy black and white hooped skirts and tops. We won't dwell on that, it's probably on youtube if you really wanna see it. Moving swiftly on...This audio download is a compilation of TV shows they did appear on: SO IT GOES(granada 1977), SOMETHING ELSE(bbb 1978), ALRIGHT NOW(tyne tees 1979), FRIDAYS(abc tv 1980), MIXER TV(italian tv 1980) SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE(nbc 1982) 22 tracks of high octane rock'n'roll and reactionary chat. From Capital Radio to Should I Stay or Should I Go. A career spanning set of monochrome moments. Enjoy. It's just a click way: http://www.sendspace.com/file/55ixho

Ooops nearly forgot to thank every one on The Clash forum who made available the stuff from which I compiled this.

BLOG COMMUNIQUE #2

I make no apologies for lack of posts over the last couple of days, times have been busy, also been experiencing a few PC problems that may or may not have been resolved. Time will tell, if not PC may need a trip to rehab, so if there's a break in communication that'll be why. Anyway whats been going on? Vets, prey on the feelings of pet owners and are a fucking rip off, but what price for the love of your pet. What does it mean to be British?, dunno been giving that some thought for a few months haven't come up with an answer yet. Political Correctness, has it gone mad? How many people will be made homeless because of the Olympics? and what the fuck is going on in the Middle East apart from more killings. All this and more will be addressed over the coming days/weeks/months. Anyway there's gonna be some more muzik at some point today. So don't go away, and thanks to each and everyone of yer who's hit this site, checked it out and commented. TOGETHER WE ARE ONE, APART WE ARE NONE!

BLAH, BLAH, BLAIR!

Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blair…. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah….
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah, Blair, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah….
Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blair…. Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah, Blah…. Blah….Blah….Blah….Blah….BLAH!

WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!

From the G8 summit to the crap on the streets of the council estates across this green and unpleasant land. We are having the piss taken out of us. We pay and they profit. From the packaging of the product that could be sold without all the cardboard and plastic wrapping to the removal of all the rubbish. Council taxes keep rising but the services keep falling, fortnightly refuse collections and talk of paying for rubbish collection to encourage re-cycling. Re-packaging the packaging, I never asked for this. What was wrong with glass milk bottles? or the cardboard containers? why have we now got plastic ones? Ketchup bottles do we really need a choice of plastic squeezey ones or glass ones?, veg in plastic wrapping, why not use paper?, at least cardboard and paper are from natural renewable sources unlike plastic which is man made from oil, so surely in the long term it would be more environmental friendly not to use plastics for packaging and stick to paper, cardboard, glass, (or anything that is more biodegradable or easier to recycle) after all that was what was used in the past before 'manufacturing progress.' Talking of progress or to be more precise capitalist progress countries like China with their developing economies are pumping the atmosphere full of shit so that we in the west can enjoy the benefits of their cheap products. The G8 can have as many treaties and make as many promises as they like but it's all a load of shit if there is no real change. While some profit others perish, just look at the effect climate change is having on some of the poorest nations in the world. From the producer to the retailer to the consumer, we are all responsible we all need to act and do what ever we can to preserve the planet. From Molotov's in Rostock to dumping your unwanted packaging outside ASDA, Tescos or Salisbury's, it's time to act. But please recycle what you can before it's too late, if it aint already. I'm gonna end this rant in a minute, just a couple of things to add where I live we've got recycling bins for cans, paper and glass which get filled up regularly, well all except the glass one. It would make more sense to have one for plastics rather than glass, as that is one of the most used packing's and the only recycling place for plastic is a car drive away.(more shit going into the atmosphere) Like I said before; Producer, Retailer and consumer we are all responsible and long term we are all gonna pay, but in the short term who is really gonna be paying? well it wont be the producers 'cos the G8 will see that they're all right.

ALTERNATIVE TV - Live 1978

What makes Mark Perry one of the most important figures in 'Punk Rock'? Well right from the start with Sniffin' Glue he embraced the ethos of DIY, i.e don't wait for something to happen.... do it yourself. Regardless of fashion it was all about pushing the boundaries and breaking down barriers. He was critical of The Clash signing to CBS records, the day punk sold out. At the height of it's success Perry folded Sniffin' Glue and got a band together; Alternative TV, this was to be no ordinary 'punk' band rehashing the same three chords these guys experimented with dub and avante garde rhythms and tested their audience with each performance. Ironically they became the last 'punk' band to play the 100 club in April 78, and then in the same year they toured with hardcore hippies; Here and Now, performing at various free festivals and gigs, bridging the gap between flares and bondage trousers. Now that's punk rock. Anyway grab some ATV from 1978 here, it's just a click away: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ax0nkk

"YOU GAY NIGGER"

In reference to the comment left on the post it note. It's all about context. When Crass referred to us all being "niggers to the rulers of this land" and The Mob had a song called White Niggers, and because Johnny Thunders was white and didn't want to be treated like a nigger, they were all referring to the oppression of blacks and using it to relate to their own oppression and continuing with the theme of white alienation that Norman Mailer started with his essay 'The Last White Negro' Crass gigs may have been quite violent and intimidating but I don't remember Penny Rimbaud, Steve Ignorant or Mark Mob getting lynched from a tree in the Bayou, and Dial House was no slave plantation. So I don't think there's much of a comparison. White people have a choice about their oppression, it's not based on colour of skin, and like The Clash said "Black man gotta lotta problems, but he don't mind throwing a brick. White people go to school where they teach you how to be thick." (not that Crass, The Mob or Thunders were thick, but that blond from Big Brother is a different case.) Another oppressed group in society who have no control over their oppression is the 'gay community', who have tried to reclaim the word gay and use it as a positive, as Tom Robinson said, "Sing if you're glad to be gay" the normalisation of such terms can have a negative effect were now in the English language the word gay has become a derogatory term among young people for something that isn't very good, so my eleven year old daughter told me when she kept referring to things being gay. Language is a funny old thing. Just as we look back at the 70's and see the attitude towards blacks and gays in TV sitcoms of the time, what attitudes will future generations be looking back on during the 00's. Times change and ignorance can be overcome by education and political struggle. What becomes acceptable is a reflection of society at the time. What sort of society will we have become if the word nigger is allowed to be come common place in the English language just like gay has for people to drop into conversation. It could be argued that the normalisation of such offensive terms takes power away from right wing extremists, but I'm not so sure. Like I said at the beginning its all about the context. This article has been written from a white perspective, so I'm gonna end it from a different perspective, I was recently speaking to a couple of people from the Indian community. One had worked along side someone who was "Proud to be a Paki" and they kept referring to themselves in that context all the time, the person I was speaking to told me they felt this was not right and found it offensive. Words are a powerfull weapon and there's enough weaponary being discharged across the world at the moment without adding to it.

DON'T BELIEVE THE TYPE!

'White Kids Talking Like Their Black' THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT

Another Big Brother controversy, while the G8 summit and protests continue, while Russia and the US rattle their sabres and £400,000 is wasted on an Olympics logo a contestant on the show drops the 'N-Word' and is evicted for her stupidity, good that's what I say. There can be no excuse for the ignorance of a white middle class fake blond bimbo trying to talk street with a black contestant, the way the word nigger rolled from her tongue suggested it wasn't the first time she had used the word in a way she felt was socially acceptable. If any one is to blame for the normalisation of such language it is artists like 50 Pence and their gratuitous use of it in their raps. In an effort to reclaim the word and use it as a positive they have now shot themselves in the foot with their 9mm's, when idiot white trash feel that it is OK, for them to use it.

A HOLY GRAIL (of mine)

Had been after these MANIC STREET PREACHERS tracks for ages, was it worth the wait? I dunno, not really if compared to Send Away The Tigers, but yes if you love the Manics. Here's some background on it's release:

The EP was created as a gift to fans who went to the final concert of their "Past/Present/Future Tour" at the Hammersmith Apollo in London on April 19th 2005.
There were problems with the promotion, however, as staff at the Hammersmith Apollo left boxes full of the EPs by the entrance doors, with none actually handed out. Many fans were confused as to whether the 3000 copies of available EPs would be given before or after the gig, whereas some simply stole armfuls. To make up for the Apollo staff's mistake, the band posted the EP on their website as a free download for those who were not able to receive a copy.
Copies of the CD were also available for free on a first come, first serve basis to fans on the band's mailing list who sent in a SAE to an address supplied in an email newsletter.

1)A Secret Society 2)Firefight 3)Picturesque. Get em here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/eb88yp

BUY THIS NOW! Available on 7", 4 Track CD and Digital Download.

The News - Carbon/Silicon

People started caring about what they eat/And people started smiling at everyone they meet/And people started looking for good instead of bad/Realize what they could lose in what they always had// People started growing, instead of being crushed/And people started slowing down instead of being rushed/And people started looking with very different eyes/And this information now comes as a surprise// Good morning here's the news and all of it is good/Good evening here's the news and all of it is good/And the weather's good! People started calling those in power to account/And people started saying, "I want my voice to count"/And people started learning that they don't need to fight/And they control their future and try to make it right// And people started feeling that better's on the way/And people started feeling some peace and calm today/And people started liking the way that good life feels/And every precious moment becoming what is real// Good morning here's the news and all of it is good/Good evening here's the news and all of it is good/And the weather's good! People started caring about what they eat/And people started smiling at everyone they meet/And people started looking for good instead of bad/Realize what they could lose in what they always had// People started growing, instead of being crushed/And people started slowing down instead of being rushed/And people started looking with very different eyes/And this information now comes as a surprise// Good morning here's the news and all of it is good/Good evening here's the news and all of it is good/And the weather's good! Good morning here's the news and all of it is good/Good evening here's the news and all of it is good/And the weather's good!