When the Two 8’s Clash – Appendix 1

Goody Goody

This came out in about 1993 and is based around a HUGE reworking of “Peter Gunn”. Which is obviously anthemic in so many ways – my Dad was/is a huge Duane Eddy fan and I think the only times we have bonded musically were when we both went out to buy the Art of Noise’s relick of Peter Gunn, plus the time when he came into my bedroom while I was playing “This Nations Saving Grace” by The Fall and had a great chat about how cool all the twangy guitars were.

The riddim is reminiscent of Shaggy’s “Oh Carolina” and it’s all top party stuff – Bugs Bunny samples, lyrics about girls and the rest. But just towards then end, Mr Sylva throws the following into the mix:

“Charlie says: ‘I love that goody goody’
Charlie says: ‘It really makes me [something I can’t remember!]'”

In obvious reference to the 93 hit by The Prodigy. That freaked me right out when I first heard it, because I assumed it was a JA release, which would mean ‘the massive’ getting into pop-hardcore down Kingston way. Which perhaps they did anyway, but Signet are actually based in New York. Interesting nonetheless.

In fact, seeing The Prodigy at Brixton Academy in the early to mid 90s was my first real exposure to drum ‘n’ bass iirc. I think they had Grooverider DJ-ing as support, and there was much confusion and sitting down from most of the audience, with a few loners half-stepping gleefully to the breaks. I got really into it but the rest of the crew I was with really hated the experience. Just as I was standing up to make a dramatic break with the past and to launch myself publically into a new era of junglism, the Rider came off and the Prodge came on. Isn’t that always the way?

This in turn reminds me of another anecdote, ripped straight from the Rough Guide to Reggae (an essential purchase which is about to come out in a new edition). Fashion were one of the dancehall reggae labels to embrace early jungle big time (indeed, they had previously been the home of people like General Levy and released his seminal “Heat”).

Alongside that, they also released “Jungle Bungle” by Starkey Banton in which he dismisses it all as:

“One bag a noise and a whole heap a sample
That’s something my earholes can’t handle”

bargain

The “Very Best of Pure Dancehall” double CD going for 3 quid downstairs in WH Smiths on Fleet Street. I mean, you can’t beat that, can you?

Obviously we are all hardcore JA sevens hoarders and shun the utter commercialism and mainstream-ness of the [spit] compilation CD (ites! Babylonian sell-out! and, uh… “ting”!).

But y’know, it’s nice to have a load of Sean Paul, Beenie Man and Tenor Saw smasheroos to play in the kitchen when you’re doing the washing up on a Sunny Day, or to dance around the room whilst doing the ironing…

Anyway, they’ve got about a dozen of them left.

crumbling loaf

Do you belong to a union? I do. Unison they’re called. I pay about 10 quid a month subs. Does anyone know what they do? Because all they ever send me are leaflets about credit cards and insurance.

Old loaf, he knows the koo. I’m in Amicus myself and have had the same experience. Tho I got my fees down by opting out of the political levy. Frankly, the prospect of paying cash out to Tony Blair on some vague off-chance that he will listen to the frankly not as radical as they used to be by a country mile TUC is somewhat deadening.

So good news that some unions are disaffiliating from New Labour.

But really, I’m only in a union in case my work try to shaft me (i.e. over and above the, ah, extraction of surplus thingummy which goes with the territory) – it pays to have some kind of legal protection and to put money into a fund which provides that service for others.

Most places I’ve worked haven’t been unionised, although I was instrumental in putting the wind up da management in my first job by getting people to sign up and getting the union to look over the new contracts which were being proposed etc. That only worked because it was a charity where people are supposed to be nice – lots of places get really heavy with people who try to get organised.

On a day to day level, union activity doesn’t seem to count for much unless you are a postal worker, or fireman or whatever. I assume that this is the result of (and intention behind) the fragmentation of workplaces – smaller internationalised units make it harder for mass action.

So it seems to me that discussions about whether or not trade unions are revolutionary is missing the point for most people. The criticism in the 80s was that unions merely manage workers’ discontent to ensure the smooth running of capitalism.

These days they don’t even do that, really. They just try to flog you insurance.

But people still give their bosses a hard time and stand up for each other. And its out of that sort of solidarity which the next world will grow, innit.

reading

The Whinger issue 4

The Whinger – Irregular Journal of Hysterical Madterialism issue 4, May 2004

I picked this up while I was at the Use Your Loaf occupied social centre for Neil’s pamphlet launch. It’s by Paul Petard, whose cartoons I ripped off in this entry about community politics and suchlike.

Anyway, it’s great – not least because it has more artwork in it. But also because Paul is someone who seems to have digested an inordinate amount of hard ultra-left political theory. but retained a sense of humour and balance.

Some good stuff on the war, the ongoing “downturn”, and an interesting review article on the Chronos pamphlet critiquing John Zerzan. That last bit may not mean much to many, but it includes some good insights into primitivism and its loony adherents in Green Anarchist.

I also like this bit:

Who says commodity relations are everywhere and have taken over everything? Who says the entire life of societies in which modern conditions of production reign announces itself as an immense accumulation of commodities? One of the things I have learnt recently by helping out one day a week in a left-wing bookshop is that we are not surrounded all the time by commodities. To the contrary, half the time we are surrounded by a big pile of junk that nobody wants to buy, and we have no chance of selling.

You can get probably get hold of copies from Use Your Loaf, or by getting in touch direct via ppetard at hotmail dot com

I’ve also been reading:

Paul Morley – Nothing (Faber & Faber)

I enjoyed this much more than Words and Music (which it’s good to see Dubversion mentioning). I think this is essentially because it’s still ‘clever-clever’ in that “I once wrote a book called ” and on page 73 of it…” way, but it’s rooted in more human stuff because it’s autobiographical. Certainly the stuff on adolescent sexuality, and school, had me remembering the sheer emotional intensity and fear of those years in my own life. It’s deeply personal (not least because the book’s main theme is Paul coming to terms with his father’s suicide) and involving, and funny, and thought provoking, and maddening.

Some time (but not soon) I will have to do something on all those ZTT records Paul Morley did the liner notes for.

I’ve got a silver spambot-killing machine

I spotted another invasion of spambots in my comments boxes this lunchtime. This necessitates laboriously going back through all the old posts and deleting huge great entries about finance for people who by accident of birth happen to live in the US.

It’s not all bad, though, because I do sometimes see comments on old posts for the first time. Today, I am chuffed to announce, I spotted a lengthy comment by none other than Alistair L on Coil, Zoskia and Hawkwind.

It’s probably not giving too much away to mention that Alistair was one of the people involved with Kill Your Pet Puppy zine – a seriously idiosyncractic magick/punk/psychedelia mag from the late 70s/early 80s. He writes really well and hasa habit of sending me old school newsletters and manifestos and stuff.

I keep meaning to write back as well, but they have a habit of disappearing. Not in the sense that I lose them or someone throws them away, or I send them all out to mates and forget to keep them. They just… go…

Now that I’ve mentioned them, they’ll probably all turn up again tonight when I get home.