a song about the baddest man on the whole wide world

It was pointed out to me recently that I may like violence. It was in the form of a question though: 'do you like violence?'

My response was the following. I do not like violence. I do appreciate it though an intrinsic feature of our evolutionary journey. How you channel it in modern society and what you do with it, it is a completely different question. Murder is violence; so are certain of Pollock's paintings or Nick Cave's songs. What it disturbs me, however, is the hypocrisy of a society full of abusive patterns - not to say built upon an abusive structure. A society that revolts when the word violence comes on the table but ignores the abuse it takes and it exercises on a daily basis.


 At the National Gallery in London you can visit until the 20th of May (2012) the Inside Art: Creative Responses to the Collection by Young Offenders.

During 2011 National Gallery Education delivered the third annual series of four week-long practical art projects onsite at HM Young Offenders Institution Feltham, a juvenile prison and Young Offenders Institution for young men aged 15-21.
This display features work made by the 37 young men who participated in these projects, which focused on practical techniques including drawing, printmaking, painting and portrait sculpture, and explored themes including portraiture, still-life, abstraction and representing the world.

This is Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds in a song about the baddest man in the whole, wide world, Stagger Lee. There are two versions of this song, both equally interesting; i would say beautiful but people will think that I like violence.

no stamp no country

I am a huge fan of Eddie Izzard. One of my favourite shows is the Dress to Kill and I love the part where he explains the cunning use of flags and the rule of 'no flag no country'. 

I have been trying for some time now to think of another (smaller?) physical object - besides banknotes and coins - that could possibly encapsulate what the national flag signifies. And it hit me today. It is the stamp, the postage stamp.

It is the smallest (?) physical object that equally to the flag carries along a big part of the history of nation state.

• first adhesive postage stamp was invented and issued in the UK (1840). (Why I am not surprised?). Since then stamps have been involved and associated with the history of nation state. No stamp, no country.
• the Postal Service Act was a piece of US legislation establishing the US Post Office Department. It was signed by President George Washington (1972).
• the Palestenian National Authority established its own post offices and issued its stamps following an agreement with Israel.
• postage stamps are almost always government-issued.
• the Universal Postal Union will not recognise stamps issued by authorities or administrations which do not have independence. In other words: no country, no stamp.
• a profoundly effective and quiet way to mainstream your propaganda

 

Cant really think of anyone who would die over or kill for a stamp though the same way he/she would over his/her flag. Oh well, still, the devil is in the details. 

 

Your hand in mine

'Your hand in mine' is a band from Thessaloniki, Greece. Manos and George are 28 years old or something. They go up in the attic and make music. Just like that; i hope it stays like that.

Manos plays the wurlitzer piano, accordion, melodica, ukelele, electric bass, violin, accoustic guitar and pershephone. George plays the mandolin, accoustic and electric guitar, drums, trumpet and synth. 

They became sort of speaking well-known and started establishing their own bonding when they wrote music for a silent film (Every Night Dreams) by Mikio Naruse, a japanese filmaker. The film was screened at the 2007 Thessaloniki International Film Festival and they performed live music during the screening. You can get an idea here, although the video is not of a good quality. 

It is very difficult to describe their music. They do have a thing for Japan though. You can tell from their work, the music they wrote for the japanese film. Also their website and myspace acount is full of japanese cherry trees' blossoms. I suppose one of the reasons I am so fond of them is the fact that we share the same love for japanese cherry trees. 

The most recent work is 'The Garden Novels'. You can order it here.   

This is the Sluggish Postman.