that I view this most recent post of my good friend. Though I, myself, am united in this failure to this blog, I was surprised to see what he had to say when I opened it today, especially when I was about to recommend that we get more engaged in it. Of course, our viewers our few, and that was another thing that I had hoped to finish.
With sincerity, I would welcome and request you in this endeavor, as the potential is still great, as with all things, and we can achieve great things.
And with this in mind, I can't help but think of all people who involve themselves in an endeavor and let it fall to waste, or dispose of all their energy manifested from their passions in things that aren't conducive to those passions.
I speak of the poltical artists who create their art and don't talk to the viewer and incite their passions toward greater things.
I speak of the punk rockers who go to concerts, sew their clothes, steal what they don't make themselves, and waste their energies in mosh pits and petty theft when they could apply it to direct action and organized theft.
I speak of the "emo kid" who cuts themself, listens to angry or sad music, and focuses on aesthetics and superficiality when they could be acting to amend their situation, aiming their discontent toward removing the objects of their discontent.
I speak of the activist who goes out and protests the war yet never thinks to go out and physically stop those who go out and kill (by nonviolent means, mind you. What is more counterproductive than violently ending violence?).
I speak of the blogger and writer who says what should be done, points out the injustices, or even holds their tongue, without going out and directly promoting those things that they research and write about so passionately.
And I speak of those who try and unite one group to create our glorious disaster without appealing to those other groups: the anarchists that don't appeal to the democrats, the communists who don't appeal to the socialists, the democrats that don't appeal to community organizers, the charity workers who don't appeal to the anarchists, the punks who alienate the emos, the hippies who alienate the industrious, the do-ers who alienate the thinkers...
So let us first pick up the yoke of our duty to ourselves and others, that obscure duty that nobody seems to agree upon what it entails or where it came from, and then go out with the weight of the world on our shoulders and begin our glorious disaster. Not on one persons shoulders, but on the shoulders of every benevolent and caring individual, so that the weight itself does not crush us entirely.
Come friends, unite in this decaying world to utterly decimate it! Long live the disaster!
3.10.07
This is my last post.
I am sorry to say that I have failed this blog. It had the potential to be great and I let it go. My only hope is that my friend who I leave this with can one day make this a seedy spot where collaborators of all walks of life to come together to tear down what is evil.
I will leave you with these words:
We do not want a revolution. For a revolution implies that we end up in the same place when it is all over. What we want, my comrades, is disaster.
I will leave you with these words:
We do not want a revolution. For a revolution implies that we end up in the same place when it is all over. What we want, my comrades, is disaster.
30.9.07
Brothers, revive the Black Guard!
Quite a while ago, when the glorious Revolution was happening in Russia, the Anarchists found in the communists staunch comrades. But they also foolishly believed that, once power had been seized, it would be immediately dissolved, and their wishes were betrayed. Soon after, the Bolsheviks killed, injured, and arrested Anarchists in Moscow. They were again betrayed by the Russians when they formed a peace treaty with Germany, and argued against the treaty, saying that it was an "obscene peace" and betrayed the world-wide revolution, calling for guerrilla warfare against invasions to be carried out by "relentless partisan warfare." Basically, the people must protect themselves by resisting everywhere, at all times, constantly, relentlessly against any who would try and destroy liberty.
They then began to form "Black Guards" under the emblem of the black flag, arming local people with pistols, rifles, and grenades.
We need to be prepared, because we will soon come under attack by our ruthless, oppressive government. We must protect ourselves, our friends, our families, our communities, and all who are oppressed by these authoritarian bastards who would kill, torture, and imprison us. Look around you, look at what is happening, and you will see that they are moving pieces into place to kill us, quiet us, oppress us, imprison us simply for our beliefs.
Therefore, arm yourselves, and organize, organize, organize!
Long live the Black Guard.
They then began to form "Black Guards" under the emblem of the black flag, arming local people with pistols, rifles, and grenades.
We need to be prepared, because we will soon come under attack by our ruthless, oppressive government. We must protect ourselves, our friends, our families, our communities, and all who are oppressed by these authoritarian bastards who would kill, torture, and imprison us. Look around you, look at what is happening, and you will see that they are moving pieces into place to kill us, quiet us, oppress us, imprison us simply for our beliefs.
Therefore, arm yourselves, and organize, organize, organize!
Long live the Black Guard.
25.9.07
Far too long
Since we've posted. There's another blog (much more frequently updated) at mycellar-door.blogspot.com
Other than that, here's a few updates.
-Trying to organize a conference of organizers over the internet due to transportation issues.
-Thinking about a convergence or two.
-Loving college... Yeah, bite me. I'll use it to teach at Anarchist U in Toronto one day, mark my words.
-Hoping that you, the reader, are interested in acting or organizing. Let us know.
I'll post a more substantial blog when I get the time and feel up to the task.
Until then, enjoy life.
Oh, and you might want to check this site out. http://www.freewebs.com/crimethincwestcoast/
It's freakin' awesome.
Other than that, here's a few updates.
-Trying to organize a conference of organizers over the internet due to transportation issues.
-Thinking about a convergence or two.
-Loving college... Yeah, bite me. I'll use it to teach at Anarchist U in Toronto one day, mark my words.
-Hoping that you, the reader, are interested in acting or organizing. Let us know.
I'll post a more substantial blog when I get the time and feel up to the task.
Until then, enjoy life.
Oh, and you might want to check this site out. http://www.freewebs.com/crimethincwestcoast/
It's freakin' awesome.
2.5.07
A New (old) Holiday
May Day!!!!
Mayday, mayday, the system is going down!!! And, it's about FUCKING time!!!
May 1st, from now on! Spread the word!!!!!
Celebrate your humanity, and your fellow beautiful human beings, in their newfound freedom, their newfound life, a life of Anarchy!
The following is a list of suggestions that can be rearranged to suit you, added to, or completely ignore for your May Day celebrations.
1) Start at midnight. Better yet, start preparations the day before! Make sure that you can be an uninhibited, benevolent, and absolutely free human being for at least 24 hours: think of it as a respite from slavery. :)
2) Begin the night by stealing a flag. Yes: steal it. It wouldn't be a very decent thing to contribute time and resources to somebody so you can lawfully obtain a flag, would it? Steal a flag of your former nationality. Each liberated being should be represented. Now steal a bunchload of fabric dye: black... Pitch. Fucking. Black. If you can make it yourself, even better!!!!! Get a large enough container to dye your flag in, and usurp the future of your nation symbolically, as will one day happen when humanity is liberated from its tools. It takes a long time to dye things, so you may want to take turns. Make it an activity for the group, not a chore, and enjoy the process.
3) Find a place in nature, or created by your own hands, to celebrate the day. Wage-slave labor and blood, corporate industrial facilities, or government institutions are no fun, and their existence is an affront to man. Enjoy life in the midst of life. Or go somewhere you're not supposed to be, and claim the territory for your own, liberating the place made from sweat and tears from the slavemasters themselves.
4) Ditch the radios and televisions! Sing songs made by people you know and love; watch life play itself out not through a screen, but right next to you! Sing, dance, play music, etc. Even better: take the time to create a masterpiece with your friends right there! Get rid of the feelings of embarassment that society and religion have caused you to feel: you fucking rock! I'm telling you!
5) Use this time to get to know everybody: this is the anarchist community, or if somebody hasn't joined the free yet, they hopefully soon will. This is a great time to network. Better still, this is a great time to sit everybody down, plan an impromtu low-medium risk guerilla direct action and execute it! Yay for more group activities!
6) Food. What is a 24+ hour festival without food? It's probably a malnourished, fatigued, hunger-pang ridden festival, that's what! Provide food for your festival: potluck style!!! Of course, since any good anarchist refuses to promote the subjugation of any form of sentient life, vegan/vegetarian all the way! Respect your life and the life of other creatures. Of course, respect plant life to, but take them for what they are.
7) Fire. Lots of fire. Get a fire going all day long. Burn remnants of a once-enslaved you, burn the bounty of nature that has come to a natural end, burn the safe-to-breath things that the fires of industry created. Recycle what you can, burn what deserves to be burnt, but realize that heat needs to be obtained somehow. If you are very environmentally conscious, make sure that if you have a fire, you are okay with how you've created it.
8) Make some art. For the kiddies, maybe have a workshop or arts-and-crafts area? Give them a bunch of "these can't hurt you" supplies of any and every sort and see what comes up! Kids can be amazingly creative sometimes.
9) Make some art of your own too! Find a wall and let some spraypaint and stencil artists work their magic, bring some frames and canvas for your painters, bring everything you might need and then some: you never know! Make it into another group project! Human interaction is amazing.
10) Post a couple of voluntary lookouts, maintain a perimeter, deter surveillance. People don't like freedom lovers for some reason....
Have any other suggestions or ideas? Let me know: I'd love to post them.
Mayday, mayday, the system is going down!!! And, it's about FUCKING time!!!
May 1st, from now on! Spread the word!!!!!
Celebrate your humanity, and your fellow beautiful human beings, in their newfound freedom, their newfound life, a life of Anarchy!
The following is a list of suggestions that can be rearranged to suit you, added to, or completely ignore for your May Day celebrations.
1) Start at midnight. Better yet, start preparations the day before! Make sure that you can be an uninhibited, benevolent, and absolutely free human being for at least 24 hours: think of it as a respite from slavery. :)
2) Begin the night by stealing a flag. Yes: steal it. It wouldn't be a very decent thing to contribute time and resources to somebody so you can lawfully obtain a flag, would it? Steal a flag of your former nationality. Each liberated being should be represented. Now steal a bunchload of fabric dye: black... Pitch. Fucking. Black. If you can make it yourself, even better!!!!! Get a large enough container to dye your flag in, and usurp the future of your nation symbolically, as will one day happen when humanity is liberated from its tools. It takes a long time to dye things, so you may want to take turns. Make it an activity for the group, not a chore, and enjoy the process.
3) Find a place in nature, or created by your own hands, to celebrate the day. Wage-slave labor and blood, corporate industrial facilities, or government institutions are no fun, and their existence is an affront to man. Enjoy life in the midst of life. Or go somewhere you're not supposed to be, and claim the territory for your own, liberating the place made from sweat and tears from the slavemasters themselves.
4) Ditch the radios and televisions! Sing songs made by people you know and love; watch life play itself out not through a screen, but right next to you! Sing, dance, play music, etc. Even better: take the time to create a masterpiece with your friends right there! Get rid of the feelings of embarassment that society and religion have caused you to feel: you fucking rock! I'm telling you!
5) Use this time to get to know everybody: this is the anarchist community, or if somebody hasn't joined the free yet, they hopefully soon will. This is a great time to network. Better still, this is a great time to sit everybody down, plan an impromtu low-medium risk guerilla direct action and execute it! Yay for more group activities!
6) Food. What is a 24+ hour festival without food? It's probably a malnourished, fatigued, hunger-pang ridden festival, that's what! Provide food for your festival: potluck style!!! Of course, since any good anarchist refuses to promote the subjugation of any form of sentient life, vegan/vegetarian all the way! Respect your life and the life of other creatures. Of course, respect plant life to, but take them for what they are.
7) Fire. Lots of fire. Get a fire going all day long. Burn remnants of a once-enslaved you, burn the bounty of nature that has come to a natural end, burn the safe-to-breath things that the fires of industry created. Recycle what you can, burn what deserves to be burnt, but realize that heat needs to be obtained somehow. If you are very environmentally conscious, make sure that if you have a fire, you are okay with how you've created it.
8) Make some art. For the kiddies, maybe have a workshop or arts-and-crafts area? Give them a bunch of "these can't hurt you" supplies of any and every sort and see what comes up! Kids can be amazingly creative sometimes.
9) Make some art of your own too! Find a wall and let some spraypaint and stencil artists work their magic, bring some frames and canvas for your painters, bring everything you might need and then some: you never know! Make it into another group project! Human interaction is amazing.
10) Post a couple of voluntary lookouts, maintain a perimeter, deter surveillance. People don't like freedom lovers for some reason....
Have any other suggestions or ideas? Let me know: I'd love to post them.
A homework assignment...
Give yourself no more than 2 weeks to do this.
So you want to go out and participate in revolutionary, or at the very least radical, actions. But there are good ways to do this, and bad ways. Seeing as how revolution is illegal for the most part, you may want to take precautions.
One of the most brilliant precautions developed so far is the black bloc. This is where everybody dresses up the exact same and participates in an action: no leaders, no followers. If you have a leader, they will be targeted, and your movement will die. However, if you have no leader, and everybody works together, then you can't be stopped until everybody is stopped, and that won't be easy.
If you want more detail, ask for it in a comment.
Here's what you'll need:
1) Something to keep the tear gas, etc., from searing your lungs. Optimally, you would want a military gas mask with a tube that attaches to a canteen so you can still drink and breathe safely. If you can't get one, seeing as how they are expensive and all, then you can do this... Get a bandanna (preferrably a black one) and a small bottle of apple-cider vinegar or lime juice. If you fear a gas attack, then (hopefully you already had it on...) put your juice of choice on the bandanna and breathe through it. This will save you a lot of pain.
2) A black hoodie. A simple, solid, blacker than the night, unmarked hoodie. This gives you the ability to cover most of your head and all of you hair. This is important to make sure that they can't give a description, can't easily distinguish your gender (if you are a well-endowed woman... well, at least they can't describe your hair style or facial features! That, and what if you're a guy with long hair!! :P ), and it will protect you from some of the harsh chemicals they tend to douse you with...
3) Black jeans. I'd tell you to go out and get black military fatigues made out of canvas, but I don't know how easy that would be, and everybody would need the same ones! Jeans are easier, and still provide some protection from the elements and chemicals.
4) Boots. www.budkww.com has some good military combat boots for twenty-five bucks. Any black boots will suffice, but I really recommend those (or some military boots that are similar). They are made for wading through the elements. Doc Martin has some good boots. Try to make sure they are similar though, still! The reason the budk boots are good is their soles. Those things lasted me two years with heavy wear. They have a small piece of steel to give them some semblance of support (called a "shank". Look it up.), the soles are semi-hard rubber that doesn't let much through, the nylon is pretty sturdy (the army has some now with more leather, and if you can get solid-leather ones that are waterproof, those are ideal, especially since they look similar to other military boots!), and they'll serve you well.
And for the love of GOD, no flip-flops or sandals please!?
4)A really good backpack. If you can obtain them, the best you can get is called and A.L.I.C.E. They were once the bags of choice used by the military, and you may have seen a homeless person with one. The acronym stands for: Aluminum Lightweight Infantry Carrying Equipment. It has an aluminum frame that spares your back, and a strap that goes behind your waist that spares your shoulders and lower back quite a bit of strife. It has a waterproof main pouch, and places to attach your own gear. Attachments you can obtain include: a first-aid kit, a canteen, a sleeping-bag, a rifle-cleaning kit (though why would you want a rifle?), and a mess-kit (a little thing that is and contains a pot/pan or more, bowls, spoons, forks, and cups, all compacted together). If everybody could get this, a group could effectively go out for weeks in the wilderness. It will house your supplies. Otherwise, get yourself a good backpack. If worst comes to worst, you'll be ditching it anyways.
5) The aformentioned First-aid kit. Make sure it's something you know how to use. The ones for A.L.I.C.E. packs are awesome and strap right onto the bag!
6) A change of clothes that will fit over your black bloc clothing without looking too conspicuous. That means you might want to make sure your gear was thin (ghetto-bagging probably isn't the best idea). You want to make sure it will fit in your bag, too.
7) A comfortable sized piece of Lexan with a comfortable and impact friendly handle. This is what will save you. Preferably rig a way to get the shields to lock together too, and you can have a shield wall or shield charge. Lexan is kinda heavy, but I'm pretty sure it's stronger than the crap riot-pigs use and it is clear. Lexan is 50 times stronger than steel.
8) Goggles. If your gas mask has it, great. If it doesn't, you will need some. Chemical weapons are nasty. If you get ANY chemical substance on you, don't touch anything, anybody, and get to a cold shower (NOT hot: it'll just open your pores...) to get it off of you, wash your clothes several times... Be careful.
These are just a few things for a nearly-all-riot-situation type kit. If you're planning something special, make sure everybody is outfitted and you know how to work together as a unified whole.
Hopefully in the future, I'll be able to give you some tips and tricks for training yourself. Until then, may you confront danger and return unscathed so we can meet your beautiful face under the stars once more.
So you want to go out and participate in revolutionary, or at the very least radical, actions. But there are good ways to do this, and bad ways. Seeing as how revolution is illegal for the most part, you may want to take precautions.
One of the most brilliant precautions developed so far is the black bloc. This is where everybody dresses up the exact same and participates in an action: no leaders, no followers. If you have a leader, they will be targeted, and your movement will die. However, if you have no leader, and everybody works together, then you can't be stopped until everybody is stopped, and that won't be easy.
If you want more detail, ask for it in a comment.
Here's what you'll need:
1) Something to keep the tear gas, etc., from searing your lungs. Optimally, you would want a military gas mask with a tube that attaches to a canteen so you can still drink and breathe safely. If you can't get one, seeing as how they are expensive and all, then you can do this... Get a bandanna (preferrably a black one) and a small bottle of apple-cider vinegar or lime juice. If you fear a gas attack, then (hopefully you already had it on...) put your juice of choice on the bandanna and breathe through it. This will save you a lot of pain.
2) A black hoodie. A simple, solid, blacker than the night, unmarked hoodie. This gives you the ability to cover most of your head and all of you hair. This is important to make sure that they can't give a description, can't easily distinguish your gender (if you are a well-endowed woman... well, at least they can't describe your hair style or facial features! That, and what if you're a guy with long hair!! :P ), and it will protect you from some of the harsh chemicals they tend to douse you with...
3) Black jeans. I'd tell you to go out and get black military fatigues made out of canvas, but I don't know how easy that would be, and everybody would need the same ones! Jeans are easier, and still provide some protection from the elements and chemicals.
4) Boots. www.budkww.com has some good military combat boots for twenty-five bucks. Any black boots will suffice, but I really recommend those (or some military boots that are similar). They are made for wading through the elements. Doc Martin has some good boots. Try to make sure they are similar though, still! The reason the budk boots are good is their soles. Those things lasted me two years with heavy wear. They have a small piece of steel to give them some semblance of support (called a "shank". Look it up.), the soles are semi-hard rubber that doesn't let much through, the nylon is pretty sturdy (the army has some now with more leather, and if you can get solid-leather ones that are waterproof, those are ideal, especially since they look similar to other military boots!), and they'll serve you well.
And for the love of GOD, no flip-flops or sandals please!?
4)A really good backpack. If you can obtain them, the best you can get is called and A.L.I.C.E. They were once the bags of choice used by the military, and you may have seen a homeless person with one. The acronym stands for: Aluminum Lightweight Infantry Carrying Equipment. It has an aluminum frame that spares your back, and a strap that goes behind your waist that spares your shoulders and lower back quite a bit of strife. It has a waterproof main pouch, and places to attach your own gear. Attachments you can obtain include: a first-aid kit, a canteen, a sleeping-bag, a rifle-cleaning kit (though why would you want a rifle?), and a mess-kit (a little thing that is and contains a pot/pan or more, bowls, spoons, forks, and cups, all compacted together). If everybody could get this, a group could effectively go out for weeks in the wilderness. It will house your supplies. Otherwise, get yourself a good backpack. If worst comes to worst, you'll be ditching it anyways.
5) The aformentioned First-aid kit. Make sure it's something you know how to use. The ones for A.L.I.C.E. packs are awesome and strap right onto the bag!
6) A change of clothes that will fit over your black bloc clothing without looking too conspicuous. That means you might want to make sure your gear was thin (ghetto-bagging probably isn't the best idea). You want to make sure it will fit in your bag, too.
7) A comfortable sized piece of Lexan with a comfortable and impact friendly handle. This is what will save you. Preferably rig a way to get the shields to lock together too, and you can have a shield wall or shield charge. Lexan is kinda heavy, but I'm pretty sure it's stronger than the crap riot-pigs use and it is clear. Lexan is 50 times stronger than steel.
8) Goggles. If your gas mask has it, great. If it doesn't, you will need some. Chemical weapons are nasty. If you get ANY chemical substance on you, don't touch anything, anybody, and get to a cold shower (NOT hot: it'll just open your pores...) to get it off of you, wash your clothes several times... Be careful.
These are just a few things for a nearly-all-riot-situation type kit. If you're planning something special, make sure everybody is outfitted and you know how to work together as a unified whole.
Hopefully in the future, I'll be able to give you some tips and tricks for training yourself. Until then, may you confront danger and return unscathed so we can meet your beautiful face under the stars once more.
8.4.07
Lending a hand... Read through to the end please!!!
A couple thursdays ago, I attended the "Exploited" concert at the University Theater.
It was an amazing show. A couple bands I've seen before attended (So Unloved especially), and I got to listen to some local psychobilly as well. As the show wore on, the crowd became more and more involved, things heated up, and the room got warmer, and warmer, and warmer...
A couple of interesting facts about the University Theater. It is sponsored by the Xpose Coalition. For those that aren't familiar with this organization: it is an organization targeted toward removing business and therefore profits from big tobacco. What was REALLY interesting was the fact that a lot of people stepped outside for a smoke between bands. Even MORE interesting: a smokeshop just opened next door. Irony at it's best.
An interesting event took place also. You know when fights break out, people crowd around it? Well, I think fighting is retarded, so I ignore it. This was the case this time around. Turns out, I actually knew the chick that got jumped. I had just met her, and she's dating my friend Scooch. She was set upon by a girl with a grudge and 3 other girls took a couple cheap kicks at her. It was after I found this out that I realized I was being apathetic. Now, understand, apathy is my greatest enemy. I didn't care about the event. But now I think about it... Every fight involves somebodies friend. Every murder involves somebodies child. Every war involves the death of a rational human being. So, I will make an effort from now on to attempt and break up fights, regardless of how much bodily harm I may receive... It may be advisable for me to also get a group of friends to dedicate themselves to this purpose, now that I think about it. Oh well... Think about it.
So, as I was saying, the show wore on and the crowd wound up. When "The Exploited" came onstage I had my first taste of live British punk rock. It was amazing. The song "Sex and Violence" got the biggest crowd involvement, excepting what happened after the show.
At the designated time, the house lights came on: it was time for people to leave. But nobody left. Nobody so much as moved to leave. So "The Exploited" played another song. Then, one more song, after which some people went on stage and told the band that they weren't to play anymore. Still, nobody left. The singers microphone was unplugged, and nobody left. A chant started: "One more song!!! One more song!!!" A voice came over the house speakers, informing people that they should leave peacefully and now. The chant faded and then rose again, this time stronger. I was near the sound booth at this time, so I looked inside and saw the ominous house voice, and heard them cursing the stupidity of the people. I watched as one of the people inside flicked a switch, at which point my gaze went up to the stage where the band was still standing and a guy was holding a camera to catch a glimpse of the enthused crowd. They finally gave in. The microphone was plugged back in, and the band started up their last song.
The ENTIRE room became a pit, and a good one too. For those not familiar with Mosh Pits, I'll explain it to you, and then tell you why it isn't just a bunch of stupidity. At punk shows especially, and at metal shows sometimes, a circle forms. In the center of this circle is a crowd of people moving in a sort-of rhythm with the music, crashing into each other and pushing in any direction. It's painful and violent, but if you fall then everybody near pulls you back up, often so fast you actually are in the air for a second. If you need out, you are often pulled out if people can recognize that that is your intention. Sometimes you get real assholes in or around the pit that ignore you on the ground or push you back in when you're trying to get out. I ran into a guy that tried to push me in again sometime during the show, and I'm pretty sure he's the one I broke a (sharpened :) ) nail on: he pushed, I grabbed his arm and pulled myself out using his body.... Asshole.... So, anyways, that is the gist of the circle pit. Sometimes it doesn't move in a circle at all, but usually that's the case. During a good song, you actually get to a slow run with everybody. (There are different types of pits. At a psychobilly show, the buff guys get into what looks like a "punch-in-the-stomach-war" until somebody gives up. At hardcore shows, people aim to do damage and swing their arms, fists, elbows, knees, feet, legs, etc., in circles trying to hit something sharp and hard. In metal shows you normally get a circle pit, but I've heard of all out melees too. Scary!). People lose stuff all the time, too, but you usually see it being held above the crowd waiting for somebody to reclaim it. :) How courteous!
Why on earth would anybody do this? Well, first of all, you throw yourself into an environment of pure emotion: you feel the music, you feel the crowd, you feel passion... You feel. It feels amazing. You have a place to put the energy the music raises within you. You also put yourself into a purely chaotic environment where you gain the respect and comradery with those in there with you. After each song you'll shake hands, pat on the back, and link arms with people you've only seen blurred, jarred glances of. Then the next song starts, and you find yourself arm-over-shoulder with some guy you just met, creating twice the chaos and having a generally good time. Friendship, comradery, and a cluster of emotion and motion...
The negative impacts of this go beyond the obvious. The obvious negative impacts are: bruises, cuts, broken clothes, rivalries, animosities, etc. The not so obvious impact is that you are keeping the emotion created in the concert in the concert!!! That same energy could be used for a march or riot, a protest or firebombing, a demonstration or "reclaim the streets." Instead, it's all conveniently contained in the venue, and not reachin the masses as it should!
But I should get to the real reason for the post. After the show the entire area was surrounded by police. There were more police at the house concert that got busted, but this was almost as bad. There were 2 police by each store entrance, and many more by the entrance to the venue. After a while, the place cleared out, and all that was left were those of us waiting for a ride. I saw a lady outside with a latex glove and a trashbag picking up the broken glass and empty cans from the sidewalk and parking lot. This is when I finally, intentionally followed Inascent's recommendation to offer somebody some help. "Would you like any help?" "That would be wonderful, if you didn't mind..." And so I walked with her, pulled the latex glove Inascent had given me for painting, and proceeded to help clean up. Drinking is a disgusting practice.... It felt nice to help. During these rounds, a guy (clearly drunk) rode by and fell next to us. I helped him up, and he attempted to get back on his bike. I recommended against... What was really nice was that he said, "If I wasn't so wasted, I'd offer to give you guys a hand..." It's the thought that counts, but I'll write later as to why one should avoid mind-altering substances.
It really does pay off to lend a hand. Turns out, this woman was the owner. I talked with her about past and upcoming shows (how I wished I could have and plan to attend shows), the venue, the evenings events, the craziness of it all. It was fun. I think I might apply to work there until school gets out.
Well, that's enough from me tonight.
Enjoy life... Go out and make something of it.
It was an amazing show. A couple bands I've seen before attended (So Unloved especially), and I got to listen to some local psychobilly as well. As the show wore on, the crowd became more and more involved, things heated up, and the room got warmer, and warmer, and warmer...
A couple of interesting facts about the University Theater. It is sponsored by the Xpose Coalition. For those that aren't familiar with this organization: it is an organization targeted toward removing business and therefore profits from big tobacco. What was REALLY interesting was the fact that a lot of people stepped outside for a smoke between bands. Even MORE interesting: a smokeshop just opened next door. Irony at it's best.
An interesting event took place also. You know when fights break out, people crowd around it? Well, I think fighting is retarded, so I ignore it. This was the case this time around. Turns out, I actually knew the chick that got jumped. I had just met her, and she's dating my friend Scooch. She was set upon by a girl with a grudge and 3 other girls took a couple cheap kicks at her. It was after I found this out that I realized I was being apathetic. Now, understand, apathy is my greatest enemy. I didn't care about the event. But now I think about it... Every fight involves somebodies friend. Every murder involves somebodies child. Every war involves the death of a rational human being. So, I will make an effort from now on to attempt and break up fights, regardless of how much bodily harm I may receive... It may be advisable for me to also get a group of friends to dedicate themselves to this purpose, now that I think about it. Oh well... Think about it.
So, as I was saying, the show wore on and the crowd wound up. When "The Exploited" came onstage I had my first taste of live British punk rock. It was amazing. The song "Sex and Violence" got the biggest crowd involvement, excepting what happened after the show.
At the designated time, the house lights came on: it was time for people to leave. But nobody left. Nobody so much as moved to leave. So "The Exploited" played another song. Then, one more song, after which some people went on stage and told the band that they weren't to play anymore. Still, nobody left. The singers microphone was unplugged, and nobody left. A chant started: "One more song!!! One more song!!!" A voice came over the house speakers, informing people that they should leave peacefully and now. The chant faded and then rose again, this time stronger. I was near the sound booth at this time, so I looked inside and saw the ominous house voice, and heard them cursing the stupidity of the people. I watched as one of the people inside flicked a switch, at which point my gaze went up to the stage where the band was still standing and a guy was holding a camera to catch a glimpse of the enthused crowd. They finally gave in. The microphone was plugged back in, and the band started up their last song.
The ENTIRE room became a pit, and a good one too. For those not familiar with Mosh Pits, I'll explain it to you, and then tell you why it isn't just a bunch of stupidity. At punk shows especially, and at metal shows sometimes, a circle forms. In the center of this circle is a crowd of people moving in a sort-of rhythm with the music, crashing into each other and pushing in any direction. It's painful and violent, but if you fall then everybody near pulls you back up, often so fast you actually are in the air for a second. If you need out, you are often pulled out if people can recognize that that is your intention. Sometimes you get real assholes in or around the pit that ignore you on the ground or push you back in when you're trying to get out. I ran into a guy that tried to push me in again sometime during the show, and I'm pretty sure he's the one I broke a (sharpened :) ) nail on: he pushed, I grabbed his arm and pulled myself out using his body.... Asshole.... So, anyways, that is the gist of the circle pit. Sometimes it doesn't move in a circle at all, but usually that's the case. During a good song, you actually get to a slow run with everybody. (There are different types of pits. At a psychobilly show, the buff guys get into what looks like a "punch-in-the-stomach-war" until somebody gives up. At hardcore shows, people aim to do damage and swing their arms, fists, elbows, knees, feet, legs, etc., in circles trying to hit something sharp and hard. In metal shows you normally get a circle pit, but I've heard of all out melees too. Scary!). People lose stuff all the time, too, but you usually see it being held above the crowd waiting for somebody to reclaim it. :) How courteous!
Why on earth would anybody do this? Well, first of all, you throw yourself into an environment of pure emotion: you feel the music, you feel the crowd, you feel passion... You feel. It feels amazing. You have a place to put the energy the music raises within you. You also put yourself into a purely chaotic environment where you gain the respect and comradery with those in there with you. After each song you'll shake hands, pat on the back, and link arms with people you've only seen blurred, jarred glances of. Then the next song starts, and you find yourself arm-over-shoulder with some guy you just met, creating twice the chaos and having a generally good time. Friendship, comradery, and a cluster of emotion and motion...
The negative impacts of this go beyond the obvious. The obvious negative impacts are: bruises, cuts, broken clothes, rivalries, animosities, etc. The not so obvious impact is that you are keeping the emotion created in the concert in the concert!!! That same energy could be used for a march or riot, a protest or firebombing, a demonstration or "reclaim the streets." Instead, it's all conveniently contained in the venue, and not reachin the masses as it should!
But I should get to the real reason for the post. After the show the entire area was surrounded by police. There were more police at the house concert that got busted, but this was almost as bad. There were 2 police by each store entrance, and many more by the entrance to the venue. After a while, the place cleared out, and all that was left were those of us waiting for a ride. I saw a lady outside with a latex glove and a trashbag picking up the broken glass and empty cans from the sidewalk and parking lot. This is when I finally, intentionally followed Inascent's recommendation to offer somebody some help. "Would you like any help?" "That would be wonderful, if you didn't mind..." And so I walked with her, pulled the latex glove Inascent had given me for painting, and proceeded to help clean up. Drinking is a disgusting practice.... It felt nice to help. During these rounds, a guy (clearly drunk) rode by and fell next to us. I helped him up, and he attempted to get back on his bike. I recommended against... What was really nice was that he said, "If I wasn't so wasted, I'd offer to give you guys a hand..." It's the thought that counts, but I'll write later as to why one should avoid mind-altering substances.
It really does pay off to lend a hand. Turns out, this woman was the owner. I talked with her about past and upcoming shows (how I wished I could have and plan to attend shows), the venue, the evenings events, the craziness of it all. It was fun. I think I might apply to work there until school gets out.
Well, that's enough from me tonight.
Enjoy life... Go out and make something of it.
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