Passing on a love of Rock Music and Blues!

Posted on by Opher

Over the years I’ve taken all my kids to various gigs with mixed success. From Roy Harper in Hull to Irma Thomas in New Orleans, White Stripes in Bridlington to Stiff Little Fingers and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry in York, I’ve dragged them along. We’ve bopped to The Magic Band, Who and Ian Dury, sat enthralled through Roy Harper and Nick Harper and marveled at Nick Mason.

I want to pass on my love.

Of all my kids it is Henry who is most receptive. He is open to listening whether it’s Roy, Nick, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis or Little Richard.

Here’s an excerpt from my Rock Memoir – In Search Of Captain Beefheart:

I then took Henry to see Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. He was full of good old stories – ‘They don’t call me Ramblin’ cos I travel a lot,’ he said. Jack was another living legend. He’d lived with and travelled round with Woody back in the 1950s. It was capturing a bit of history.

I good a few things signed and had a chat with John Renbourn who was in the audience and had brought an album along for Jack to sign.

I persuaded Henry to go and see Bo Diddley in London. He was well impressed. Henry loved his humour. He was telling me that someone in the audience kept yelling out ‘Fucking Great!!’ Bo told him to watch his language cos he had a picture of his grandmother in his wallet – he brought it out to show everyone. I was going down to London to see Bo Diddley with Henry but the gig was called off because Bo had a stroke. He never played again.

The next venture was to take Henry to see Lazy Lester. Lazy Lester was a Swamp Blues guy from the early 1960s. He’d done this great track ‘I’m a lover not a fighter’ that the Kinks had copied. The gig was great. I actually gate-crashed a photo-session and took some shots while the official photographer was doing a photo session for a Blues magazine. I took some good ones! Back in the 60s I’d bought this great LP of Swamp Blues with Lazy Lester, Slim Harpo, Lonesome Sundown, Lightnin’ Slim and all those great Excello stars from Louisiana produced by J D Miller and all based on the old Jimmy Reed riff. They were fabulous. It was the first time I’d got to see any of them (apart from Slim Harpo’s grave!).

I told Henry to get along to see the Buzzcocks. They were touring again and I’d caught them at the Beverley Folk Festival of all places and thought they were great. There were a number of my old students, now getting middle-aged, who were pogoing and throwing themselves around with abandon. I subsequently saw them in York a couple of times and had a long chat with Pete Shelley who was a really nice quiet guy. Henry went to a gig with the Buzzcocks, Fall and John Cooper Clark. He loved John Cooper Clark and adored the Fall but didn’t take to the Buzzcocks as he found Steve Diggles daft antics a bit disconcerting and the songs a bit cheesy. You can’t win all of them! We all have different likes and dislikes. It wouldn’t do for us all to be the same.

Henry went out to see Hester in Shanghais. He had a birthday coming up and unbeknown to him the Stones were playing on the day he arrived. Hester whisked him straight out of the airport and off to the arena. That must have bee a bit of a surprise! They all said it was a good one!

I did try to get Henry along to see Hubert Sumlin in Leeds but he never made that one. That was a shame because Hubert Sumlin, who had been Howlin’ Wolf’s guitarist, was in top form. Henry would have loved it.

I hope at some distant time in the future He’ll think back to those gigs and remember bopping about at the front with his old man.

I’m sure he will.

I certainly enjoyed it.

Who needs experts?

Posted on by Opher

The Beatles White Album and controversial Revolution No. 9

Posted on by Opher

The Beatles White Album and controversial Revolution No. 9

There is huge controversy over this album among Beatle fans. The sprawling double album with its range of styles, solo efforts, experimental tracks and spontaneous jams, divides opinion, Some rave about it and enjoy the rawness, versatility and daring. For them the variety piques the attention. Others see it as being full of fillers and unhoned numbers and would have preferred a single album of more carefully crafted songs. I’m firmly with the former. For me the album shines precisely because of its range and rawness.

The most controversial number of all was Lennon’s Revolution No.9. Many people wrote this off as a Lennon indulgence, a meaningless pile of junk – and I must admit that I used to feel the same. It was one of a few tracks that I used to skip.

Not anymore. When I came to write the book I had to study each track in detail. Here’s an extract from the book that might help explain:

Revolution 9 (Lennon McCartney)

There is no doubt that Yoko really turned John on. He’d become lost, searching and feeling desperate, as we heard in ‘Yer Blues’. Yoko, with her uncommercial avant garde approach, quirky humour and zany perspective provided a stimulating life-line. It awakened aspects of John that had lain dormant. Suddenly he had a desire to be authentic, say what he thought, and do what he wanted, regardless of the consequences. She’d unshackled him. It was no longer about image and creating commercially successful songs. He wasn’t just a Beatle; he was John.

   The other Beatles, press and public, found this new Lennon hard to understand. He wasn’t following the rules. Yoko unleashed a new burst of creativity and it did not always head off in the direction people wanted. Being accessible and commercial were no longer considerations. Being artistically authentic was all that mattered. Nowhere was this more obvious than on this Beatles track and the three experimental albums he released with Yoko in 1968/69 – Unfinished Music No.1 – Two Virgins, Unfinished Music No.2 – Life With The Lyons and Wedding Album.

   ‘Revolution 9’ and these three albums largely used the same techniques – cut-up, backwards sections, tape loops and spoken word. The two of them were having fun producing soundscapes – painting abstract aural compositions with noise. It might leave the other Beatles, critics and the public bemused but they were enjoying themselves.

   Saxonmotherson summed up the situation perfectly: ‘Sigh…where were YOU in 1968? I was 17. MLK & RFK were assassinated, there were race riots, cities burned, Anti-Vietnam demonstrations, all over Europe, there were student demonstrations. When MLK was killed, there were army tanks (ARMY TANKS!) in the field behind our house. There was a police riot in Chicago. First time I heard R #9, it made perfect sense to me. In retrospect, it still does. It is 1968. It is the aural version of Guernica by Picasso.’- comment on Beatles Bible.

   At the time, 1968, with the French fighting in the streets, and black riots in a number of US cities, there was much talk of revolution. Violent revolution really seemed a possibility. Speaking to Jan Wenner in his 1971 Rolling Stone interview John articulated his thoughts on violent revolution: ‘At 17 I used to wish a fuckin’ earthquake or revolution would happen so that I could go out and steal and do what the blacks are doing now. If I was black, I’d be all for it; if I were 17 I’d be all for it, too. What have you got to lose? Now I’ve got something to lose. I don’t want to die.’ ‘Revolution’ was a really important song for him. He was breaking out of the straitjacket and saying something from the heart. The Vietnam War and Civil Rights issues were exploding and he was determined to have a voice in it. He had been dismayed by the overcautious reaction of the rest of the band and their rejection of it as a single.

How to design a successful Conspiracy!

Posted on by Opher

Always start with a sound, substantiated fact and extrapolate it out into the absurd or focus down on one controversial detail and blow it up out of all proportion; treat supposition or ambiguity as fact. Repeat, repeat repeat.

So –

  1. The Democrats are controlling the weather. Take the instance of seeding clouds to make rain. This is a scientifically sound technique that has been successfully carried out many times. Various particles can be used – silver iodide, potassium iodide, and dry ice or even salt. It has to be used on existing clouds to create rain or snow. You can’t seed thin air.

Then take a long-established conspiracy theory – the RAF seeding clouds in 1952 being responsible for the tragic Lynmouth floods (unconfirmed and controversial) – and run with it.

Then apply the conspiracy to modern day – ‘if they could do that in 1952 just think what they could do now?’ So the recent spate of hurricanes (fueled by global warming) were deliberately created by Biden and the Democrats to disrupt the election in Republican areas (conveniently ignoring the fact that the sparsely populated, rural areas of the Southern States just happen to be where hurricanes strike – due to climate and geography).

We have a viable conspiracy!

2. There was no Moon landing! Take the footage of the moon landings that appear to show the American flag, they stuck into the ground, fluttering. There is no atmosphere on the moon so the whole thing was staged in a Hollywood film studio. Ignore all other explanations. Ignore the much tested moon rocks, film of returning capsule, tracking by Russia etc. Persist with fluttering flag. It’s a hoax.

3. The Holocaust never happened. Focus on statements from holocaust denying historians who claim to have photographic evidence of doors that prove they weren’t ovens. Ignore all witness statements, survivor statements, detailed German Nazi documentation and photographic/film documentation. Claim it is a hoax created by Jews who presently control the world (based on so many Jews being wealthy bankers and businessmen). It feeds into the anti-Semitic story. They are looking to rule the world, already control everything and made it all up in order to gain sympathy.

4. The CIA blew up the Twin Towers. Some of the buildings seemed to go down in a controlled manner like in a planned demolition. Focus on the uncanny way the buildings went down. Highlight any reports concerning the structure of the buildings and how the fire from the planes could not have downe this. Look for an alternative. Obviously it was the CIA planting explosives (not the planes at all). It was all planned. They wanted to go to war with Iraq and needed an excuse.

The earth is flat. Of course it is. You can see it. All the photos are a hoax.

Evolution is nonsense. Obviously god made everything perfectly.

Social Media is great at spreading and magnifying conspiracy. There is always someone, some ‘fact’ that can be brought to bear. We are being hoodwinked. Only stupid, gullible, brainwashed people can’t see it.

MAGA and Trump are masters at spreading and using these conspiracies to undermine science, experts and the opposition. They are up to no good.

The sad thing is that they are up to no good but not in the way being portrayed! The real, underlying, establishment position is long established, firmly grounded and is no conspiracy. The wealthy run the world. Trump and Musk are the biggest culprits. That’s the irony!

Putin’s Promise!

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Musk, Bananas and Evil Psychology

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The Grave Dangers of Conspiracy.

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One Man’s View:

Over the course of time I have been one of the biggest critics of the establishment. We live in a system created by the rich for the benefit of the rich. They run the show. I am in no doubt that they control the politicians either directly or indirectly. They own the media and manipulate. They are even more manipulative through the internet using algorithms to target people. With lobbying and torrents of propaganda, control of the money markets and bribes they direct operations.

We live in their world.

I have no doubt that they affect markets for their own benefit and even control wars. Anything for a profit. This cabal of billionaires and multimillionaires have the power.

I have railed against this all my life but cannot see a way around it. It is no coincidence that our politicians walk straight into lucrative roles in business or the media. They have been bought off.

It is also why we can never manage to elect a government that really has the interests of ordinary people at heart. The propaganda machine prevents it. The money markets would ensure that it would not work.

However, and this is a big however, we must not forget that we (particularly in Europe and the USA) live in a highly organised, complex, civilised society. It is ordered, structured and has a basis in law and order (even if that law and order is heavily skewed in favour of the rich. We cannot underestimate the luxury of a regulated life. We are (relatively) safe and have orderly lives.

Having travelled the world and witnessed first-hand real poverty, deprivation, starvation, lawlessness and discrimination I would not wish to swap.

So, our society is warped. The rich get richer and the poor get by. Everyone knows their place. It used to be a class structure – now it is more an income gulf. The wealthy give just enough to prevent the poor rebelling. We are controlled.

In the USA they dangle the American Dream – an impossible dream but it keeps the ignorant on board.

We are told we are privileged because we are westerners. We could be living in extreme poverty like much of the world. We are meant to feel superior. Patriotism and nationalism are key tools.

Following the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia and the rest, following the rise of Muslim extremism, terrorism and climate change, all leading to mass migrations, there was a mass disillusionment with the system. People felt threatened.

Then we had the internet and social media to spread disinformation and magnify it through their algorithms.

Then came the wave of right-wing popularists – Trump, Johnson, Modi, Bolsonaro, Meloni, Le Penne, Oban and the Whole MAGA movement. They offered black and white solutions, promised to drain the swamp, represent the people, make everything right.

They had a simple series of tactics:

a. Harness discontent

b. Spread fear

c. Undermine experts and science

d. Provide simplistic solutions.

e. Identify scapegoats

It was easy. The war in Ukraine, Covid and the collapse of the money markets had caused prices to rise, energy prices soared, then global warming provided the need to ditch old technologies and develop new technologies (putting people out of work and costing money to change). People were poor, angry and felt threatened. So…

a. Undermine all experts and scientists (they always get it wrong and are in the pay of big business)

b. Declare that all these issues are scams thought up by the controlling elite (Covid is a scam, Global Warming is a scam – they were used to control us). Make an issue out of it – no masks, no vaccination, return of coal, steel, gas and oil – they are lying to us!

c. Spread conspiracy theories via internet so that nobody can believe a single word that comes out of the media or politicians, even history is fabricated (paved the way for Holocaust deniers, flat-earthers, CIA blowing up twin towers, Covid conspirators, Sandy Hook, moon landings and the rest). Sow doubt and confusion. Become the only source of information. All reporting of their own lying and criminal actions is Fake News. The establishment is trying to bring them down!

d. Identify scapegoats – first we had the Muslim terrorists and then the immigrants. They are all terrorists, rapists, murderers, religious extremists, criminals and drug dealers who are raping your women, beating up your men, eating your pets and looking to take over. Immigration is a plot to get votes and take control.

e. Drum up hate with simple slogans (a la Orwell) – lock her up, build a wall, and unify your base.

f. Provide simplistic answers – build a wall, drill drill drill, Putin’s a friend, disband education, enemy within, the opposition are lying, are criminal, are evil – drain the swamp.

To get back to my point:

Once you have completely undermined the tenets of society so that people are confused, conspiracy rules, they no longer know what to believe or who to trust, all they know is that the establishment is corrupt and evil, we have anarchy.

Some people look forward to anarchy. I don’t. Anarchy is when law and order breaks down. That is when the nutcases with the gig guns take over the streets. It’s lawlessness. We see it in places like Libya, Somalia, Haiti and many other countries broken by war, where the establishment was overthrown giving rise to warlords and extreme religious groups. Rape, murder and criminality become the order. Violence rules. It is impossible to lead any normal life.

When the fabric of society crumbles what emerges is not something better; it’s something frightening.

Back before all this, prior to social media, prior to Trump, I knew where I stood. The government was controlled by the establishment. Politicians were corrupt. The rich ran the show. We were shat on but it wasn’t too bad. We could moan but could get by.

Now I fear that we are on the edge of collapse. The basic tenets of our society are coming apart, the social cohesion is dissolving. Conspiracy rules. Profiteering populists are sowing the seeds for their own benefit and they do not care what happens.

If society does crumble it is not going to be at all pleasant and I do not believe we will build something better the other side of it.

Who prospers from this?

John Peel speaking about Captain Beefheart in 1992

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So good to hear John. Still miss him.

Where do you get your Information from?

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Disinformation, propaganda, lies.

Cindy-Lou in Texas has the answers!!

Images

Posted on by Opher

Images

Shadows on a wall,

                Silhouettes,

                                Vaporised people.

Melted faces,

                Crisped carapaces,

                                Cooked meat.

Staggering forward,

                Tranquilised fog,

                                Flayed skin trailing.

Charred,

                Smoking,

                                Rubble,

Vacuous,

                Gaping,

                                Emptiness,

Hiroshima,

                Nagasaki,

                                Moscow,

                                                London

                                                                And New York.

Opher – 20.11.2024

As Putin once again threatens the world with another nuclear holocaust, my mind goes back to previous horrors.

I have certain images indelibly printed on my mind. I read accounts of what happened in Hiroshima.

There were shadows, silhouettes of a family, on a wall. They were instantly vaporised by the heat, burning their shadows onto the wall. That was all that was left.

I saw the photos of survivors with the most horrendous burns. They had been a little further out from ground zero. All exposed skin had melted. Their faces were a plastic sheet, burnt, flesh melted into a formless mass. Fingers on hands fused into shapeless blobs. How people survived was beyond belief.

I saw pictures of people whose backs had burnt into a charcoaled crust resembling the carapace of a beetle.

Flesh was cooked.

An eye witness recounted seeing helplessly dazed people staggering out of the city in a narcotised hazy with their skin trailing behind them in the dust.

The city had gone. All that was left was smoking rubble and huge empty spaces. The odd building, miraculously intact, scattered here and there.

And once again we have war; a war based on fear and power.

Are we going to repeat this outrageous madness?