It is estimated that there are 37,200,000,000 cells in the average human body. That means that each one of us when we are healthy house 372,000,000,000 bacteria. Most of these are benign – either commensal or actually symbiotic. Only a small proportion are pathogens and they are constantly being mopped p by our immune system. There is war going on.
When we drove out of Chunking on our tour bus we headed out over this great flat plain. There were hundreds of huge skyscraper structures. Our guide explained that the area used to be paddy fields but these buildings had been erected to house the huge population increase. Each one was home to hundreds of thousands of people. They were autonomous and functioned as a town with their own schools, hospitals, police, fire, shops and facilities. There was no need for anyone to venture out of the complex he boasted.
What if human beings are biological cities constructed by bacteria for bacteria?
What if our consciousness is actually bacterial consciousness? Our history and evolution directed by bacteria?
What if we are really being farmed by bacteria as their cattle?
I feel a Sci-fi novel coming on!!
Phil Ochs – Opher’s World pays tribute to a genius.
Dylan accused Ochs of being a journalist. That was far from the truth. Phil, like Bob, did scout through the newspapers to find stories and causes that would resonate with his ideals. But that isn’t all he did. He chose his words and aimed them at their targets with honesty and craft.
Phil was a part of that early sixties Folk scene in Greenwich Village. He was the most political and outspoken of them all. He was a ‘Protest’ singer. There’s nothing wrong in being a protest singer. There’s a lot that needs protesting about. It got itself a bad name after Dylan popularised ‘Protest’ and made it a commercial success. The media coined the phrase, ridiculed it, pigeon-holed it and every Tom Dick and Harry jumped on the band-wagon. They all wanted a bit of that fame and fortune that Dylan had grabbed. We need our protest singers. We need to protest. If only we had our Och’s and early Dylan’s to high-light the woeful capitalist exploitation, global inequality, war and wanton of destruction of the environment we might be better placed to deal with it. Where are the singers writing songs about the butchery of the elephants, rhinos and apes? When are we going to hear songs about the crazy overpopulation crisis that is destroying the world? Surely the new generations have the talent but do they have the sensibilities, the compassion and idealism that Phil and Bob possessed? Can they create a zeitgeist to carry a whole generation along with them like Bob and Phil did?
Both Dylan and Ochs baled out of ‘Protest’ into more poetic expressions of artistic depths. Phil always seemed to walk in Bob Dylan’s shadow and was consumed with jealousy and destroyed by alcoholism before killing himself.
But should not detract from the work he produced. His early work was full of fervour and idealism. He tirelessly set about writing his songs of hope. He shone a searchlight on the issues going on around us and by highlighting them raised them up into everyone’s consciousness. He brought those issues to life and wakened the consciousness of a generation. We became enlightened to the atrocities going on around us and activated to protest about it.
Phil targeted the civil rights war that was being fought particularly in the Southern States where the Blacks were free but still kept in slavery, where they were denied votes, rights and equality and lived in poverty and fear. Where racism was endemic, the Klu-Klux-Klan ruled and people still got lynched, beaten and tortured for speaking out or stepping out of line, where there was no justice. He sang about the assignation of Medgar Evans, the murder of civil rights campaigners and the way the hierarchy supported the suppression of black rights. People had been killed for less.
Phil targeted the war in Vietnam and American foreign policy where they felt entitled to invade other countries with impunity and sanctimoniously set themselves up as Cops of the World, dishing out their gum, rape, casual violence and disdain.
Phil targeted injustice and fought for a strong union system to protect the rights of workers yet he felt free to criticise the unions in their stance to Blacks and Communists. He had no faith in government, the establishment or the legal system. They all had their snouts in the same trough.
Phil was a man of integrity who followed on in the tradition set by Woody Guthrie. He wasn’t afraid to put his face where his words were. His songs were full of intent yet he deployed humour and produced well-crafted works of art. He was unique and that was probably his downfall. He was a little too quirky and out of step with the times. He did not easily slip into the long-haired freaks of the sixties counter-culture. He was a bit too political, too extreme and too different. He did not adopt the same uniform of freakdom or produce music with the right instrumentation for the times. He did get heavily involved with the YIPPIE political group and all their antics but he was still a little left-field. He did espouse all the right causes but he did it his way and did not quite fit in to the zeitgeist of the time. Where Dylan easily slipped from Protest to an equally incredible stream of consciousness and mercurial new sound that rode the crest of the new consciousness Phil’s created a sound that was not so much of the moment.
In hindsight it is possible to appreciate the later songs and albums. They had depth and intricacy that was just as wonderful as his early protest material. You can sense his desperation and disillusionment seeping through. He deserved much more. If he had not been so ignored and put down he probably would have blossomed even more. Who knows?
Phil left us a legacy of greatness with songs like ‘Cops of the World’, ‘Links on the chain’, ‘Here’s to the State of Mississippi’, ‘Too many martyrs’, ‘I ain’t marching anymore’. ‘There but for fortune’, ‘When I’m gone’, ‘Changes’ and so many more, that still resonate to this day!
Phil was an outspoken genius. We are desperate for more like him. Perhaps he will inspire a new generation who will create a new positive zeitgeist, highlight the wrongs and put us back on the right road.
We miss you Phil.
Anthropocene Apocalypse – the solution
In the past two hundred years human beings have become out of control. We have moved from a species with relatively small numbers, using wind and animal power to do our work and travel, to a accelerating population with technology based of fossil fuels for power, causing immense damage and pollution. We have reached a point where we are destroying the planet at an alarming rate, chopping down natural habitat, decimating the wild-life and causing mass extinction.
Any fool can see that this cannot go on indefinitely. We are sowing the seeds of our own demise. Action needs to be taken.
Here are the things that need to happen:
1. We limit our population through birth control, education, and social support for times of ill-health and old-age.
2. We put aside 50% of the wilderness for wilderness and protect the wild-life in it from poachers and exploiters.
3. We develop efficient green technologies and move away from fossil fuels or polluting energy production.
4. We have global laws regarding pollution and conservation and enforce them stringently.
5. We restrict our fishing, hunting and destruction of forests to sustainable levels.
6. We value all the awesome species we have on this planet and give them a place where they can live without us encroaching.
It does not seem rocket-science to me. It seems sensible. It is time we grew out of this mad dash for growth and expansion into a more caring way of living. It is time we created a fairer, more equal world order. It is time we started caring about the beautiful world we live in. And above-all it is time we stopped breeding like rabbits.
The future will not take care of itself. We are creating it. Our numbers are threatening the climate and ecosystem. I want to live on a planet with room for chimps, gorillas, rhinos and elephants. There is surely room for us all!
We need to act now before it is too late! Help build the zeitgeist!
In moments of crisis your whole life flashes before your eyes.
Well some people report that in a moment of extreme crisis their whole life has flashed before their eyes.
I’d quite like that but I would want it to play back on real time. It would be good to have a remote so that you can slow bits down and really give them the attention they deserve; to savour those special moments and draw them out.
There would be the temptation to skip bits or speed up the boring bits. I considered that. But maybe we need the extremes of fear and pain to give piquancy and make the moments of ecstasy all the sharper.
All I know is that we do not give our lives as much attention as we should. We take it for granted. We live in a beautiful world in a magnificent universe and hardly ever look around us and say WOW!!!
We go through the motions. As James Varda says – ‘Life is one thing after another’.
You only appreciate what you have when you’re in danger of losing it.
We’re in danger of losing this planet. We’re over-running it with people, destroying the wilderness and butchering the wild-life. I hope we put that right soon! I want my grandchildren to open their eyes, look around them and say ‘WOW!!’
Extract from Opher’s new book – Opher’s Art and Outpourings – pt 10
Nuclear War Head – 1977
I’d grown up in the 1960s under the constant threat of mutual annihilation. This was the cold war era – the age of the Cuban Missile crisis. I remember going to school on that day not expecting to return home. The Russian fleet was heading for Cuba with missiles for the Castro. The USA told them that if they crossed a certain point it was an act of war. Kennedy may have been bluffing. We will likely never really know. The Russians steamed straight up to the line. We held our breath. They turned back.
We grew up with the knowledge that tens of nuclear warheads were pointing at us wherever we were in Britain.
America was using us as a forward base for their missiles. They had hopes of a nuclear war being confined to Europe. It would leave America and the bulk of the USSR out. We were the equivalent of a huge aircraft carrier for American planes. We were expendable.
When I taught in Beverley the great US Vulcan bombers took off from Leconfield directly over the school. The whole building shuddered as the giants clawed their way into the air. Each one of those huge planes carried a dozen nuclear bombs.
It was not a question of whether we were going to be consumed in a nuclear holocaust so much as when.
Britain was splattered with nuclear shelters for the politicians and civil servants. Under the House of Commons, far below the underground the politicians put their faith in a hardened shelter fully resistant to direct hits. I put my faith in CND and multilateral disarmament. I put my faith in CND and unilateral disarmament too. I felt it was better not to be a forward base for American whims. Too many of them were evangelical Christians who were looking forward to the end of the world!
I wanted to live!
That probably gives you a flavour of the book. I have put my paintings from the 1970s along with whimsical comment. It is only a small book but I think it works well. It is thought provoking and fun.
Islam – my views
I am an antitheist. I do not believe that there is a god. The more I look at things the more convinced I am that there definitely is not. As an antitheist I believe all that religion and superstition in all its many guises has done more harm to human beings and the planet than good. I do think that there are good things that have come out of religion but they are greatly outweighed by the bad. Over the centuries the torture, stonings, burnings, inquisitions, beheadings, crusades, pogroms, witch-hunts, indoctrination, jihads, wars, holocausts and huge wastes of time and energy devoted to pointless rituals, prayers, fasts, and devotions have clearly spelt out to me that religion is man-made and has held us back from dealing with the problems we face.
As an environmentalist I am appalled by the mindless stupidity of religion in exhorting people to multiply. The seven billion people on this planet are destroying it. We need to reduce our numbers drastically to stand a chance of both surviving as a species and preserving wild-life and wilderness. I particularly would point the finger at Catholicism and islam as the worst offenders.
I have an extremely negative view of Islam. I have thought long and hard about this because I am concerned that my own jaundiced views are not just the result of a negative climate created by the media. So I have applied logic to the case. I would welcome views of Muslims to correct me on these points. These are my objections to Islam:
a. It is an extremely intolerant religion. The forcing of people of other faiths to adopt Islam is an infringement of human rights. I see examples all around the world. Apostasy is threatened with death.
b. It indoctrinates young children with brainwashing techniques in madrassas. I find the process abhorrent. It used to be the case with Christians and Jews and still is to an extent. The idea is that by instilling the dogma into young minds you have them for life. That is psychologically correct. Indoctrination is abominable.
c. It is misogynistic. This is true of all the Abrahamic religions. They stem from a patriarchal Arabic culture. Women are second class citizens, subjugated and subservient. They have an imposed dress code that is draconian, are disenfranchised, segregated, subservient and deprived on rights.
d. It is bigoted. It believes that it alone has the word of god. It is written in the Koran. It has to be obeyed. It has to be imposed on every human being on the planet. We have seen (and still do see) this same evangelical zeal in Christianity with its missionaries and wish to impose itself on other cultures. Islam appears to be the worst example at this present time.
e. It is violent and barbaric. Islam supposedly means peace yet we see the most violent and inhuman practices being carried out in the name of Islam. Seemingly there are sections of Islamic thought that believe it is OK to fly airplanes of innocent people into buildings, to behead aid-workers who are trying to help, to stone to death women for the crime of allowing themselves to be forcibly raped by their relatives, and to use suicide bombers to blow up innocent civilians in mosques, planes, trains, buses and underground. They seem to reserve their worst crimes for their own kind. The senseless war between Shia and Sunni seems to have surpassed anything seen between Catholics and Protestants in its ferocity and callousness. The killing of innocent people with electric drills is too obnoxious to contemplate.
f. It is stultifying. Islam seemingly wishes to freeze time in the era of the prophet. The region, which was the seat of civilisation – giving rise to maths, science and agriculture – is no longer a place for creativity and progressive thought. People are still wearing mediaeval costume and behaving as if it was over a thousand years ago. The culture has been castrated and all new thinking is stifled.
I could go on. I can see that the stupid policies of America and Britain in the Middle East have only served to exacerbate and inflame the situation. But two wrongs do not make a right. I am opposed to a lot of the capitalist philosophy of the West which has created a lot of the difficulties in the world. Islam appears much worse to me than capitalism.
I believe in freedom, tolerance, justice, peace, respect, fairness and love. I do not see either Islam or Capitalism espousing those values.
I believe we have to build a new zeitgeist based on that philosophy of love and freedom. We have to respect each other and save the planet from destruction.
My views are laid out in my books:
I’d like to hear your views. Particularly anyone who is Muslim who would like to explain where I am going wrong.
Nick Harper – Nix review
If there was any justice Nick would be a superstar!! He not only is the best acoustic guitarist I have ever seen but has a great voice and writes incredible songs.
There are many reasons why Nick is not a massive commercial success. The main reason is that he is simply too good for the mindless music business and vacuous audience that supports it. He does not play that game.
This then is Nick’s ninth album aptly titled Nix. (If you haven’t fathomed out the reason for the title then this is probably not the album for you).
If you like your Nick Harper raw and unadorned then this might be just up your street. This is Nick with his guitar and a batch of great new songs. They are, as usual, full of intelligence, insight, lyrical ingenuity and melodic beauty.
The album contains a range of styles but all are adorned with the distinctive crispness of that wonderful guitar-work. Nobody can play a guitar like that! The voice soars. The stories unfold. The melodies unfurl.
The mind becomes engaged on many levels as the appreciation of such talent mesmerises you. This is Nick unencumbered by production. His imagination continues to invent on a level rarely achieved by others.
Nick is one of England’s gems. Support him and buy this great album. you won’t regret it! This is another wonderful album!
If you like this you might be interested in my books:
Woody Guthrie – Opher’s World pays tribute to a genius!
Woody Guthrie was the first singer/songwriter to use music as a vehicle for his social and political stances. He set out to use his music to bring about progressive change and in so doing inspired generations of other singers.
Woody opened up a world of possibility, a lodestone of gems to be mined by all who came after.
Whenever there were singers harnessing poetic honesty with heartfelt convictions one could follow a line that harked back to Woody.
Woody stood for equality and justice and put his body where his mouth was. He lived the life, made the friends, stood on the picket lines and fought for what he believed. He put his heart and soul into supporting the unions, racial harmony and social justice. In so doing he set himself against the capitalist system that produce the small number of winners and large bulk of losers. He was for the oppressed, downtrodden, destitute and disenfranchised.
The hundreds of songs that Woody wrote in the 1940s and 1950s still echo down the decades with undiminished power to inspire.
Without Woody there would have been no Dylan and my mind would have been all the poorer.
Where are the people of Woody’s stature, passion and talent to stand up against the monolithic establishment that is presently destroying the planet?
It is not beyond the wit of man to create a fair system whereby we do not have the terrible deprivation in the third world, the poverty, disease and pollution. We have the Technology, Science and Economic power to create a world of greater equality without such overpopulation, environmental destruction and ravaging of wild-life.
If Woody was alive today his songs would be full of the greed and selfishness that is leading to our demise. He would not have sat quietly by while the bankers, businessmen and politicians sell our future for a quick buck. He would have been singing it from the rooftops!
Help produce a positive zeitgeist! Build on Woody’s legacy and let’s start putting it right!
Bob Dylan – Opher’s World plays tribute to a genius
There has to be more to Rock Music than trite Pop anthems about teenage love. There is. It is because Bob Dylan single-handedly propelled Rock towards a mature phase with intellectual integrity.
In the early years of Rock ‘n’ Roll in the fifties we had a visceral rebellion driven by the raucous swaggering performances of such as Little Richard, Bo Diddley, the Elvis of Sun Records and Chuck Berry. It was fast loud and explosive. It was the sound of a new post-war generation who wanted something different to the bland lives of their parents. Those early Rock ‘n’ Rollers belted out their brash new philosophy to blow the cobwebs out of the establishment.
A knife came down and cut off the connection. A whole generation was adrift from its roots with a new home-grown philosophy summed up by the Lee Marvin line in response to the question:
‘What are you rebelling against?’
‘What you got?’
That post-war generation wanted excitement, fun and adventure. The idea of following their parents into the blandness of suburbia with its neatly trimmed lawns and the American Dream was death by boredom. They wanted life in the fast lane with all its sex, fast cars and violence. The risk gave it an alluring edge. The colours were brighter; the feelings stronger and the pace full of adrenaline.
It was a revolution for a new age and though short-lived provided the basis for the Beatles and Stones to carry it forward.
There it would probably have been incorporated into the capitalist ethos of the Music Industry and decayed into Pop trivia if Bob Dylan hadn’t crashed into the scene with the force of an H-Bomb. The debris was flung into the air to be imbued with his poetic imagery, social and political content and a world of possibility. Bob had taken the song structure by the scruff and shaken it to pieces. The two and a half minute Rock song, with it’s theme of love and standard middle eight, was blown to bits. Anything was possible. You could tell stories. It could be twenty minutes long. You could have real meaning, real passion and something beyond mere teenage love and angst. It could deal with real issues.
Bob Dylan revived and transformed the rebellious impetus of the youth rebellion and provided it with substance.
Rock Music gained complexity, scope and social importance. It was no longer confined to teenage angst and sexuality. Bob had married its energy to a cerebral dimension that was allied to social and political sensibilities. Grown-up issues such as Civil Rights and the anti-war movement were central to the themes of Rock Music. The words were now of greater importance and value. There was a poetic eloquence that demanded to be taken seriously.
The awareness and sensibilities of an entire generation were stimulated and that led to the birth of an idealistic counter-culture that was to dominate the latter part of the sixties and give rise to a wealth of liberalising elements in the Women’s Movement, Peace groups, Environmental groups and Civil Rights Movements.
The establishment called him ‘The Voice of a Generation’. It was a label and pressure that Bob despised. He was not the voice of a generation. He was much more than that. He did not mirror the thoughts and ideals of sixties youth so much as awaken them and propagate their growth. He planted the seeds into the grey fertile soil of the cortex and fed them with the nutrients of wisdom so that they exploded to illuminate the skulls of a receptive generation. He gave them all freedom beyond his own dreams.
A million minds were awakened and imbued with the freedom of all possibility.
I wonder where the world would now be without him? Would we have had those years of protest through which so many of our civil liberties and liberalised society were wrested from the establishment’s reactionary grasp? For Bob not only reinvigorated Rock Music and propelled it to new dimensions he also fundamentally changed the society we all live in.
Thanks Bob – you were always so much more than a ‘Song and Dance’ man. You opened my mind and horizons.
If you enjoyed reading this why not purchase my books on Rock Music – you might enjoy them.
Or check out all my other books on Amazon