HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------
This just shows how WSM are another oufit that ALWAYS get it wrong! John Lennon was considered sufficiently dangerous for the Dark Side to go out and assassinate him. Ever read the book? --- Barry Stoller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------- > > > > Maybe it's because George Harrison recently died or > maybe it's that > Christmas time always reminds me of the Beatles -- > because, as a kid, a > Beatles (or post-Beatles) record was my favorite > Christmas present. > Either way, I surprised myself by pulling out some > Beatles records and, > at least momentarily, enjoying them. Against my > better judgment, I > should add. > > I really cannot stand the Beatles. > > And it's not just that I've heard it all to death, > although I have. If > you think the 1960s was bad, let me assure you the > 1970s was worse. At > least in the 60s, you didn't have to hear EVERY > Beatles album all the > time: some of those albums didn't yet exist. In the > 70s, though, every > last song was incessantly churning out of the radio > or the stereo > nearest you. All the time, year after year, the 70s > was one long dull > elegy for the 60s. > > And, of all the Beatles, it is John Lennon that > offends me the most. > > Probably it's a parent love-hate thing. Back in my > stupid teenybopper > days, I wanted to BE friggin' John Lennon. The hair, > the glasses, the > whole deal. > > And: I struggled in semi-pro bands for some 15 > years. > > The 'radical' Beatle, the 'revolutionary' Beatle. A > rebel hero for a > rebel wannabe. A middle class hero is something to > be (the working class > dudes who went off to Vietnam, they didn't like John > Lennon -- today, > the media airbrushes that out of the story). > > What sort of rebellion was it, though? A few > putdowns of Christianity > here and there. Dope. 'Protest' music, most of it > simple liberalism, > anarchism at the most daring -- plus an especially > infamous > anti-communist song. Naked on an album cover. > > I wonder what his kid, Julian, thought of that nude > album cover. Dad > with his new girlfriend. Julian was about 8 at the > time. Go to any store > and you'll find a copy of John Lennon's 'Drawings > for Sean.' There's no > 'Drawings for Julian,' though. > > 'And if ya go around with pictures of Chairman Mao, > you'll never make it > with anyone anyhow.' A few years later, John Lennon > was on the Dick > Cavett show, sporting a Mao pin. When Cavett pointed > out the obvious > contradiction, Lennon shrugged his shoulders and > said: 'Chairman Mao is > where its at right now.' Yoko grunted 'right on' or > something equally > profound. > > How 'revolutionary' was John Lennon? In the big > Rolling Stone interview, > the 1970 one later released as 'Lennon Remembers' > (jeez, the nerve), he > says 'In Britain, we have socialism, a nice > socialism.' So 'nice' was > that socialism, a couple of years later he went for > the big tax break in > the US. Hey, reminds me, the Beatles did a big > anti-tax song. > > Faux rebellion for faux radicals. Utopian socialism > for those > procapitalist supporters with a bad conscience. > 'Sure, I'm for socialism > ... er, as long as it's heaven on earth.' Funny > stance for a guy who > said 'imagine there's no heaven.' > > Yes, it's a parent thing. Angry at the father figure > for not earning his > pedestal. Angry at the hero for bullshitting me. > > Angry at the whole ideology of pop music, too. Smoke > pot, play guitar, > and you, too, can shine on. Pop stars are always so > happy to point that > they never bothered with college or anything like > that. Who needs skills > when biological determinism and lottery luck will > do? > > And here I am: on the other side of the equation. > > The Marxist is the complete reversal of the pop > star. While the pop > star, invariably coming up from 'humble origins,' is > the working class > class traitor, the prole who goes to shill for the > capitalist ideology, > the Marxist is invariably the middle class class > traitor, the educated > guy who turns his wits against the very ideology > that educated him. > > No one who 'believes' in the class ascension of pop > stardom can really > penetrate the Marxist perspective. Like the man > said, communism is for > people with nothing to lose but their chains. The > pop star, the whole > hero worship of pop stars, is, by contrast, one of > the chains. > > The whole 'star system' is a glamorized > reinforcement for wealth > stratification and social hierarchy. No said it > better than movie critic > Libby Gelman in Newsweek magazine: 'Gorgeous movie > stars prove that > there is no justice -- and that this is a good > thing.' A psychedelic > Rolls Royce is still a Rolls. > > So now I understand why V.I. Lenin once said that he > had no patience for > music or the arts. All of that stuff is great -- but > it's for after the > work is done. Anyone living in a world dominated by > capital who thinks > that the work is done is a rube. Go to work for > Wal-Mart in the Third > World for a few years and tell me to 'imagine no > possessions.' > > When I first discovered Marxism and, soon after, > Lenin, my friends, who > were getting nervous about my new-found convictions, > said to me: 'But > communism is terrible for artists and the arts.' > They intuitively saw > the choice I had to make. > > Lenin said: 'I can't listen to music too often. It > affects your nerves, > makes you want to say nice stupid things and stroke > the heads of people > who could create such beauty while living in this > vile hell' (Payne, > Life and Death of Lenin, Simon & Schuster 1964, p. > 249). > > We all know the story about how 'communism' > supposedly killed music and > literature in the Soviet Union. To the proponents of > that view, I ask: > now that Russia has been blessed with ten glorious > years of capitalism, > where is that great literature, where are all those > hot bands? > > Yes, Lenin suggested that the communist party should > 'combat patently > bourgeois deviations' in the arts (Collected Works > volume 42, Progress > 1969, p. 226). And why not? Returning to the subject > under review, why > should you trust anyone who tells you to 'turn off > your mind'? > > I read an article in the New York Times recently > about Mein Kampf going > on sale in Bulgaria after being prohibited by the > Soviets for half a > century. It's been a best-seller. And the guy who > published it was > venomous towards the communists for their > censorship. > > 'Under socialism, we couldn't get to hear bands like > Grand === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send your FREE holiday greetings online! http://greetings.yahoo.com ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
