You’re all feeling ok? (Yes)
You’re not just saying that because we’re live on the radio are you? (No)
The girls won't touch me cos I've got a misdirection
Living at night isn't helping my complexion
The signs all saying it's a social infection
A little bit of fun is never been an insurrection
My mam threw me out ‘till I get some pants that fit
She just won't approve of my strange kind of wit
I get so excited, I always gotta lose
Man that send me off
Let them take the cure
I don't need a cure
Don't need a cure
Don’t need a cure
I need a final solution
Don’t need a cure
I don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I need a final solution
Buy me a ticket to a sonic reduction
Guitars gonna sound like a nuclear destruction
Seems I'm a victim of natural selection
Meet me on the other side, another direction
Don't need a cure
Don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I need a final solution
Don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I need a final, final, final, final, final, final, final, final, final, solution
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
0
Options
g under p
Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,125
I took another look back at this classic song, it's classic riff and what it really truly could mean...
At first glance the song Cult of Personality by the band Living Color seems like a wonderful addition to lessons for Black History Month or a Civil Rights unit. The song begins with quotation from Malcom X…..a snippet from his Message to the Grass Roots….a speech that was given to unify African Americans on November 10, 1963. The quotation inserted in the lyrics is: “and during the few moments we have left…we want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand.” The quotation is a little altered from the actual speech, but it’s easy to see how Malcom X was trying to point out the differences in Black culture and how unification was needed to move civil rights along.
But is this song really speaking in a language we can all understand or is there more to the message?
Take a look at the lyrics:
Look into my eyes, what do you see?
Cult of Personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I've been everything you want to be
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Neon lights, A Nobel Price
The mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face on your T.V.
I'm the Cult of Personality
I exploit you still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi
I'm the Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Neon lights a Nobel Prize
A leader speaks, that leader dies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set you free
You gave me fortune
You gave me fame
You me power in your God's name
I'm every person you need to be
I'm the Cult of Personality
Hmmmm…..doesn’t it appear to you that there is much more going on here than a reference to the Black community?
You have the quotations from John F. Kennedy at the beginning…..Ask not what your country can do for you…..and ends with a quotation from Franklin D Roosevelt….The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. There are also references to Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Mohandas Gandhi. Notice the pairings….Gandhi with Stalin and Mussolini with Kennedy…..leaders that are traditionally good paired with leaders that are traditionally bad.
Another reason to go hmmmm…….
Perhaps the next step is to take a look at the group that performs the song. Living Color is a band that formed in 1983 and, is often lumped into the Hard Rock music category. Their music can also be termed as American Funk . Their songs often attack Eurocentrism and racism in American which is understandable since every member is black.
But I’m still troubled by the references to various world leaders.
What do the actions of world leaders have to do with Black History?
Clue in on this particular section of the lyrics.
Only you can set me free
I see the things you need me to be
I’m the smiling face on your T.V.
I’m the Cult of Personality
I exploit you still you love me.
Cult of Personality…I exploit you still you love me. Slavery, of course, was exploitation in the worst possible way. While there were some very extraordinary relationships between slaves and their owners, I’m not sure the song’s lyrics are taking us in that direction.
Instead, I turn to the terrible things Stalin and Mussolini did….terrible things… yet they were able to obtain and maintain solid power. Their followers were a cult of sorts.
When we examine the media machine that propelled Kennedy and Roosevelt into the White House we see a process of publicity that was so successful both former presidents maintain larger than life personas despite various flaws in their personal and political lives.
Cults of personality actually exist.
A cult of personality occurs when a leader uses mass media to create an idealized or heroic public image using flattery and praise without a balanced viewpoint.
Cults of personality are often associated with dictatorships such as Stalin’s. The hero worship surrounding him resulted in grandiose titles such as “Brilliant Genius of Humanity”, “Coryphaeus (the leader of the chorus in an ancient Greek dram) of Science”, and “Gardner of Human Happiness”. The title of murderer would be more appropriate. Like other dictators who found themselves the proud recipient of a cult of personality Stalin was fond of having cities and towns named after him and was notorious for rewriting the history books to follow his version of events., and hang the truth.
Cults of Personality are also associated with regimes or administrations that want to radically change society utilizing revolutionary ideas. That can certainly be said to a point regarding Kennedy and Roosevelt….even Gandhi, of course.
But what does the band have to say about their song? In a recent Billboard interview lead singer Corey Glover spoke about the song with a reference to the Age of Obama. He said, “We were talking about the cult of personality around Ronald Reagan, so it’s always weird when people talk about the Age of Obama and ‘Cult of Personality’ around Barack Obama. You could look at it in so many different perspectives that it loses it’s meaning after awhile. And for us, when we play it, we’re not thinking about the Age of Obama. We’re thinking about us.”
Makes sense to me…..rock bands do have cult followings.
Ronald Reagan? Obama? Most certainly.
For that matter a cult of personality can be identified surrounding our very first president, George Washington.
Yes, George Washington.
The cult of personality surrounding our first president began soon after his death as he became the subject of mythmaking via the stories Parson Weems.spun. Remember that cherry tree yarn? Washington loaned his name to various monuments and buildings. One of the best examples of the deification of Washington is seen by thousands every year as they gaze up into the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. The picture I began this post with is the central section of the Apotheosis of Washington by Constantine Brumidi (1865). The section portrays Washington rising to the heavens in glory. The word apotheosis refers to the rising of a person to the rank of a god – the glorification of a person.
So, could I use the song Cult of Personality for a Black History activity. Perhaps…..but, I think I could get much more mileage out of it to head off down the path regarding the song’s title, it’s meaning, the various ways a cult of personality exists, and how we can avoid them.
I think the discussion would benefit any classroom across the country.
Just take a look at any gossip or political website.....we'll admire and fawn over anything.
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
0
Options
hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
g, my guy turned me on to Living Color awhile ago. I think they kick ass and am going to come back shortly and re-read and listen to that link in full with him. He will dig this, big time. Thank you!
Over here (and speaking of he who will dig it), this is where I am on this quiet gray Sunday morning with the person I love. If it gets any better than this, I'll consider myself more blessed than I already am.
Come on come on
I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal to brothers.
Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.
"It's time to fight back", that's what Huey said.
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead.
I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.
Learn to see me as a brother 'stead of 2 distant strangers.
And that's how it's supposed to be.
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
but things changed, and that's the way it is
Come on come on
That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is
aww yeah
I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races we under.
I wonder what it takes to make this one better place...
let's erase the wasted.
Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right.
'Cause both black and white are smokin' crack tonight.
And only time we chill is when we kill each other.
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.
And although it seems heaven sent,
we ain't ready to see a black President, uhh.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact...
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.
But some things will never change.
Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game.
Now tell me what's a mother to do?
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you.
You gotta operate the easy way.
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way.
Sellin' crack to the kids. "I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is.
We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
and let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
what we gotta do, to survive.
And still I see no changes. Can't a brother get a little peace?
There's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East.
Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.
But now I'm back with the facts givin' 'em back to you.
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up.
You gotta learn to hold ya own.
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone.
But tell the cops they can't touch this.
I don't trust this, when they try to rush I bust this.
That's the sound of my tune. You say it ain't cool, but mama didn't raise no fool.
And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped & I never get to lay back.
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs.
Some buck that I roughed up way back... comin' back after all these years.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat. That's the way it is. uhh
Some things will never change
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
They say that Bush could be my president,
but really InI don't care.
They say Cheney makes my decisions,
but he don't, so I'm just not there.
and I'm gonna see the same lies
coming in the next 4 years,
so pardon me if I don't cry when
your election goes the way it did.
Chorus
I need some peace in a time of war,
some peace in a time of political war.
They say that we elect our leaders
to lead forward and make decision.
but i never heard their policy on war
discussed during an election.
and it seem that war is something over which
people have no prevention.
but the people want it anyway and
so they elect some destruction.
Chorus
Land of the free, and
foreign bullets never touch our pavement.
it seem to me, people know not
the extent of their involvement.
things are not as they seem,
underneath the beast is not clean.
but we support the leaders who use
media to make them seem so clean
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
0
Options
g under p
Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,125
"Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Me and Danny Lord and Steve
Were fuckin' drunk on New Year's Eve
Singin,' drinkin,' playin' guitars
Layin' 'round
We pulled the shotgun out the shed and
Fired it towards the heavens
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Back of an Ace uncovered truck
The captain laughed and said, "Good luck"
As we rolled on through
Our first Iraqi town
From the rooftop we got blasted
Danny Lord's spine came unfastened
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What was is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Fifteen months lost in Iraq
We got stop-lossed, they sent us back
Why the fuck we're even here I'll never know
Me and Steve, we went out walkin'
A few of us have started talkin'
And now we've got a mission of our own
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What was is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
'Cuz now were comin' for the captain
To reap the seeds he's sewn
Everybody hit the deck
'Cuz his tent's about to blow
Tell the general when we find him
He'll be the next to go
We're coming for the captain
And then we're going home
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What was is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down."
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
0
Options
hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
A Perfect Circle - PET
Don't fret precious, I'm here
Step away from the window
Go back to sleep...........
Lay your head down, child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Count the bodies like sheep
to the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down, go to sleep
to the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind what other voices say
They don't care about you
Lke I do
Safe from pain
and truth
and choice
and other poison devils
See, they don't give a fuck about you
like I do
Just stay with me
Safe and ignorant
Go back to sleep
Go back to sleep
Lay your head down, child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Count the bodies like sheep
to the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down,
go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums
I'll be the one to protect you from
your enemies
and all your demons
I'll be the one to protect you from
a will to survive
and a voice of reason
I'll be the one to protect you from
your enemies
and your choices, son
They're one in the same
I must isolate you
Isolate and save you from yourself
Swayin to the rhythm of the new world order
and
counting bodies like sheep
to the rhythm of the war drums
The boogeymen are coming
The boogeymen are coming
Stay with me.
Safe and ignorant
Just stay with me
Hold you and protect you from the other ones
The evil ones...don't love you, son
Go back to sleep
0
Options
hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
g under p
Surfing The far side of THE Sombrero Galaxy Posts: 18,125
"I'm Afraid of Americans" is a song and single by David Bowie from the 1997 album Earthling. The song, co-written by Bowie and Brian Eno, originally appeared as a rough mix on the soundtrack to the film Showgirls and was subsequently remade for Earthling.
A Taxi Driver-influenced music video was produced for the "I'm Afraid of Americans (V1)" remix, starring David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Directed by Dom and Nic, it features Bowie being stalked through New York City by Jonny, a hostile American, played by Reznor. As Bowie continues to be harassed and becomes more and more paranoid, he witnesses (or imagines he witnesses) random acts of violence perpetrated by citizens on one another — but their hands are empty, as if holding invisible guns. The video ends with Bowie ducking behind a taxi while Reznor fires an imaginary assault rifle that inflicts severe damage on a vehicle. Bowie awakens later, only to witness Reznor carrying a crucifix in a parade reminiscent of Day of the Dead celebrations or the movie Something Wicked This Way Comes. The music video premiered on MTV Live, and later received a MTV Video Music Award nomination in 1998 for Best Male Video.
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America
no tax at the wheel
Ah-ah-ah-ah ah-ah ah-ah-ah
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
Ah-ah-ah-ah ah-ah ah-ah-ah
Jonny's in America
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
Jonny's in America
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny wants a brain
Jonny wants to suck on a Coke
Jonny wants a woman
Jonny wants to think of a joke
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America
Jonny looks up at the stars
Jonny combs his hair
And Jonny wants pussy and cars
Johnny's in America, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
God is an American
God is an American
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
Yeah, I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the words
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
God is an American
God is an American
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Peace
*We CAN bomb the World to pieces, but we CAN'T bomb it into PEACE*...Michael Franti
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
0
Options
hedonist
standing on the edge of forever Posts: 24,524
g under p, I do love that song - those men too, individually and together.
This one (46 & 2 by my beloved TOOL) is brought to mind by this afternoon.
We've had this badass chandelier in our dining room for a couple years now - wrought-iron, low-slung, muted "candles" part of it. But since we got rid of the dining table below it (too big for our little space), we kept bumping our head into it and resorted to some odd version of the Grouch Marx walk when in its vicinity.
So today, we switched it out with one now flush with the ceiling, higher-up.
What happens?
I keep ducking under what I THINK is still there and that I'll smack my forehead again.
Comments
"Enter!"
And boom, you're in.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKSInoRXHew
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT-SFgkV ... re=related
there were flowers, pressed in my face.
and in time, you will forget me.
and i'll try and do the same...
don't let me know as it's happenin',
don't let me know what you said.
it's been years, since i saw you.
but each day i see your face.
and in time you will remind me,
that i wish we was the same..
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
And the trees are sweetly bloomin'
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
lassie
go?
And we'll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
lassie
go?
I will build my love a bower
By yon cool crystal fountain
And round it I will pile
All the wild flowers o' the mountain
Will ye go
lassie
go?
I will range through the wilds
And the deep glen sae dreamy
And return wi' their spoils
Tae the bower o' my dearie
Will ye go
lassie
go?
If my true love she'll not come
Then I'll surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go
lassie
go?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On9VqQsUA4U
Not I. Lessons to be learned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s5r2spPJ8g
Not just musically, not just in viewpoints, and not just on this particular machine.
You’re all feeling ok? (Yes)
You’re not just saying that because we’re live on the radio are you? (No)
The girls won't touch me cos I've got a misdirection
Living at night isn't helping my complexion
The signs all saying it's a social infection
A little bit of fun is never been an insurrection
My mam threw me out ‘till I get some pants that fit
She just won't approve of my strange kind of wit
I get so excited, I always gotta lose
Man that send me off
Let them take the cure
I don't need a cure
Don't need a cure
Don’t need a cure
I need a final solution
Don’t need a cure
I don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I need a final solution
Buy me a ticket to a sonic reduction
Guitars gonna sound like a nuclear destruction
Seems I'm a victim of natural selection
Meet me on the other side, another direction
Don't need a cure
Don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I need a final solution
Don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I don't need a cure
I need a final, final, final, final, final, final, final, final, final, solution
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
http://historyiselementary.blogspot.com ... ality.html
At first glance the song Cult of Personality by the band Living Color seems like a wonderful addition to lessons for Black History Month or a Civil Rights unit. The song begins with quotation from Malcom X…..a snippet from his Message to the Grass Roots….a speech that was given to unify African Americans on November 10, 1963. The quotation inserted in the lyrics is: “and during the few moments we have left…we want to talk right down to earth in a language that everybody here can easily understand.” The quotation is a little altered from the actual speech, but it’s easy to see how Malcom X was trying to point out the differences in Black culture and how unification was needed to move civil rights along.
But is this song really speaking in a language we can all understand or is there more to the message?
Take a look at the lyrics:
Look into my eyes, what do you see?
Cult of Personality
I know your anger, I know your dreams
I've been everything you want to be
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Mussolini and Kennedy
I'm the Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Neon lights, A Nobel Price
The mirror speaks, the reflection lies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set me free
I sell the things you need to be
I'm the smiling face on your T.V.
I'm the Cult of Personality
I exploit you still you love me
I tell you one and one makes three
I'm the Cult of Personality
Like Joseph Stalin and Gandhi
I'm the Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Cult of Personality
Neon lights a Nobel Prize
A leader speaks, that leader dies
You don't have to follow me
Only you can set you free
You gave me fortune
You gave me fame
You me power in your God's name
I'm every person you need to be
I'm the Cult of Personality
Hmmmm…..doesn’t it appear to you that there is much more going on here than a reference to the Black community?
You have the quotations from John F. Kennedy at the beginning…..Ask not what your country can do for you…..and ends with a quotation from Franklin D Roosevelt….The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. There are also references to Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Mohandas Gandhi. Notice the pairings….Gandhi with Stalin and Mussolini with Kennedy…..leaders that are traditionally good paired with leaders that are traditionally bad.
Another reason to go hmmmm…….
Perhaps the next step is to take a look at the group that performs the song. Living Color is a band that formed in 1983 and, is often lumped into the Hard Rock music category. Their music can also be termed as American Funk . Their songs often attack Eurocentrism and racism in American which is understandable since every member is black.
Watch them here perform the song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxgRUyz ... eBijsBhYrn
But I’m still troubled by the references to various world leaders.
What do the actions of world leaders have to do with Black History?
Clue in on this particular section of the lyrics.
Only you can set me free
I see the things you need me to be
I’m the smiling face on your T.V.
I’m the Cult of Personality
I exploit you still you love me.
Cult of Personality…I exploit you still you love me. Slavery, of course, was exploitation in the worst possible way. While there were some very extraordinary relationships between slaves and their owners, I’m not sure the song’s lyrics are taking us in that direction.
Instead, I turn to the terrible things Stalin and Mussolini did….terrible things… yet they were able to obtain and maintain solid power. Their followers were a cult of sorts.
When we examine the media machine that propelled Kennedy and Roosevelt into the White House we see a process of publicity that was so successful both former presidents maintain larger than life personas despite various flaws in their personal and political lives.
Cults of personality actually exist.
A cult of personality occurs when a leader uses mass media to create an idealized or heroic public image using flattery and praise without a balanced viewpoint.
Cults of personality are often associated with dictatorships such as Stalin’s. The hero worship surrounding him resulted in grandiose titles such as “Brilliant Genius of Humanity”, “Coryphaeus (the leader of the chorus in an ancient Greek dram) of Science”, and “Gardner of Human Happiness”. The title of murderer would be more appropriate. Like other dictators who found themselves the proud recipient of a cult of personality Stalin was fond of having cities and towns named after him and was notorious for rewriting the history books to follow his version of events., and hang the truth.
Cults of Personality are also associated with regimes or administrations that want to radically change society utilizing revolutionary ideas. That can certainly be said to a point regarding Kennedy and Roosevelt….even Gandhi, of course.
But what does the band have to say about their song? In a recent Billboard interview lead singer Corey Glover spoke about the song with a reference to the Age of Obama. He said, “We were talking about the cult of personality around Ronald Reagan, so it’s always weird when people talk about the Age of Obama and ‘Cult of Personality’ around Barack Obama. You could look at it in so many different perspectives that it loses it’s meaning after awhile. And for us, when we play it, we’re not thinking about the Age of Obama. We’re thinking about us.”
Makes sense to me…..rock bands do have cult followings.
Ronald Reagan? Obama? Most certainly.
For that matter a cult of personality can be identified surrounding our very first president, George Washington.
Yes, George Washington.
The cult of personality surrounding our first president began soon after his death as he became the subject of mythmaking via the stories Parson Weems.spun. Remember that cherry tree yarn? Washington loaned his name to various monuments and buildings. One of the best examples of the deification of Washington is seen by thousands every year as they gaze up into the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. The picture I began this post with is the central section of the Apotheosis of Washington by Constantine Brumidi (1865). The section portrays Washington rising to the heavens in glory. The word apotheosis refers to the rising of a person to the rank of a god – the glorification of a person.
So, could I use the song Cult of Personality for a Black History activity. Perhaps…..but, I think I could get much more mileage out of it to head off down the path regarding the song’s title, it’s meaning, the various ways a cult of personality exists, and how we can avoid them.
I think the discussion would benefit any classroom across the country.
Just take a look at any gossip or political website.....we'll admire and fawn over anything.
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Over here (and speaking of he who will dig it), this is where I am on this quiet gray Sunday morning with the person I love. If it gets any better than this, I'll consider myself more blessed than I already am.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngEw3y4n ... re=related
Sweet, sweet irony.
It's like you can smell the salt and sea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4W0B-1iF6S4
How can ya NOT?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WERRddB ... re=related
(I hope Carly is doing her bigass toothy smile for this one ... just like this
>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U552ABc4PQM
Nice cover! Marilyn... :thumbup:
Lovin these dudes!
(Manson looks a bit like something out of "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane", no?)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhN-_Vkd ... re=related
I love how they love what they do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=en ... 0xZBRsLNiM
2Pac (feat. Michael Franti) - Changes
Come on come on
I see no changes. Wake up in the morning and I ask myself,
"Is life worth living? Should I blast myself?"
I'm tired of bein' poor and even worse I'm black.
My stomach hurts, so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch.
Cops give a damn about a negro? Pull the trigger, kill a nigga, he's a hero.
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares? One less hungry mouth on the welfare.
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal to brothers.
Give 'em guns, step back, and watch 'em kill each other.
"It's time to fight back", that's what Huey said.
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead.
I got love for my brother, but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other. We gotta start makin' changes.
Learn to see me as a brother 'stead of 2 distant strangers.
And that's how it's supposed to be.
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
but things changed, and that's the way it is
Come on come on
That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is
aww yeah
I see no changes. All I see is racist faces.
Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races we under.
I wonder what it takes to make this one better place...
let's erase the wasted.
Take the evil out the people, they'll be acting right.
'Cause both black and white are smokin' crack tonight.
And only time we chill is when we kill each other.
It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other.
And although it seems heaven sent,
we ain't ready to see a black President, uhh.
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact...
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks.
But some things will never change.
Try to show another way, but they stayin' in the dope game.
Now tell me what's a mother to do?
Bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you.
You gotta operate the easy way.
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way.
Sellin' crack to the kids. "I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is.
We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
and let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
what we gotta do, to survive.
And still I see no changes. Can't a brother get a little peace?
There's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East.
Instead of war on poverty,
they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do.
But now I'm back with the facts givin' 'em back to you.
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up, crack you up and pimp smack you up.
You gotta learn to hold ya own.
They get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone.
But tell the cops they can't touch this.
I don't trust this, when they try to rush I bust this.
That's the sound of my tune. You say it ain't cool, but mama didn't raise no fool.
And as long as I stay black, I gotta stay strapped & I never get to lay back.
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs.
Some buck that I roughed up way back... comin' back after all these years.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat. That's the way it is. uhh
Some things will never change
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Got some work to do around the house today, so I just smoked a bowl and put on my 2112 vinyl.
RUSH RULES!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm9GbGoz ... re=related
They say that Bush could be my president,
but really InI don't care.
They say Cheney makes my decisions,
but he don't, so I'm just not there.
and I'm gonna see the same lies
coming in the next 4 years,
so pardon me if I don't cry when
your election goes the way it did.
Chorus
I need some peace in a time of war,
some peace in a time of political war.
They say that we elect our leaders
to lead forward and make decision.
but i never heard their policy on war
discussed during an election.
and it seem that war is something over which
people have no prevention.
but the people want it anyway and
so they elect some destruction.
Chorus
Land of the free, and
foreign bullets never touch our pavement.
it seem to me, people know not
the extent of their involvement.
things are not as they seem,
underneath the beast is not clean.
but we support the leaders who use
media to make them seem so clean
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
"Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Me and Danny Lord and Steve
Were fuckin' drunk on New Year's Eve
Singin,' drinkin,' playin' guitars
Layin' 'round
We pulled the shotgun out the shed and
Fired it towards the heavens
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Back of an Ace uncovered truck
The captain laughed and said, "Good luck"
As we rolled on through
Our first Iraqi town
From the rooftop we got blasted
Danny Lord's spine came unfastened
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What was is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
Fifteen months lost in Iraq
We got stop-lossed, they sent us back
Why the fuck we're even here I'll never know
Me and Steve, we went out walkin'
A few of us have started talkin'
And now we've got a mission of our own
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What was is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down
'Cuz now were comin' for the captain
To reap the seeds he's sewn
Everybody hit the deck
'Cuz his tent's about to blow
Tell the general when we find him
He'll be the next to go
We're coming for the captain
And then we're going home
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
I I I sail away
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
Slide on down
Wooah oh oh
Ayy ee yay
What was is lost
You gave away
Stray bullets rainin' on
Down, down, down
Stray bullets rainin' on down."
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
Don't fret precious, I'm here
Step away from the window
Go back to sleep...........
Lay your head down, child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Count the bodies like sheep
to the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down, go to sleep
to the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind what other voices say
They don't care about you
Lke I do
Safe from pain
and truth
and choice
and other poison devils
See, they don't give a fuck about you
like I do
Just stay with me
Safe and ignorant
Go back to sleep
Go back to sleep
Lay your head down, child
I won't let the boogeyman come
Count the bodies like sheep
to the rhythm of the war drums
Pay no mind to the rabble
Pay no mind to the rabble
Head down,
go to sleep to the rhythm of the war drums
I'll be the one to protect you from
your enemies
and all your demons
I'll be the one to protect you from
a will to survive
and a voice of reason
I'll be the one to protect you from
your enemies
and your choices, son
They're one in the same
I must isolate you
Isolate and save you from yourself
Swayin to the rhythm of the new world order
and
counting bodies like sheep
to the rhythm of the war drums
The boogeymen are coming
The boogeymen are coming
Stay with me.
Safe and ignorant
Just stay with me
Hold you and protect you from the other ones
The evil ones...don't love you, son
Go back to sleep
...on a train
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAt0hF3hruU
A Taxi Driver-influenced music video was produced for the "I'm Afraid of Americans (V1)" remix, starring David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor. Directed by Dom and Nic, it features Bowie being stalked through New York City by Jonny, a hostile American, played by Reznor. As Bowie continues to be harassed and becomes more and more paranoid, he witnesses (or imagines he witnesses) random acts of violence perpetrated by citizens on one another — but their hands are empty, as if holding invisible guns. The video ends with Bowie ducking behind a taxi while Reznor fires an imaginary assault rifle that inflicts severe damage on a vehicle. Bowie awakens later, only to witness Reznor carrying a crucifix in a parade reminiscent of Day of the Dead celebrations or the movie Something Wicked This Way Comes. The music video premiered on MTV Live, and later received a MTV Video Music Award nomination in 1998 for Best Male Video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdhmLUnexuc
Done here live on his 50th birthday in NYC MSG
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piu7OKkqjMA
Songwriters..David Bowie, Brian Eno
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America
no tax at the wheel
Ah-ah-ah-ah ah-ah ah-ah-ah
Nobody needs anyone
They don't even just pretend
Ah-ah-ah-ah ah-ah ah-ah-ah
Jonny's in America
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
Jonny's in America
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny wants a brain
Jonny wants to suck on a Coke
Jonny wants a woman
Jonny wants to think of a joke
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America
Jonny looks up at the stars
Jonny combs his hair
And Jonny wants pussy and cars
Johnny's in America, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Jonny's in America, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
God is an American
God is an American
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
Yeah, I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the words
I'm afraid I can't help it
I'm afraid I can't
I'm afraid of Americans
God is an American
God is an American
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
God is an American, Nah-nah-nah-nah nah-nah nah-nah-nah
Peace
*MUSIC IS the expression of EMOTION.....and that POLITICS IS merely the DECOY of PERCEPTION*
.....song_Music & Politics....Michael Franti
*The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite INSANE*....Nikola Tesla(a man who shaped our world of electricity with his futuristic inventions)
This one (46 & 2 by my beloved TOOL) is brought to mind by this afternoon.
We've had this badass chandelier in our dining room for a couple years now - wrought-iron, low-slung, muted "candles" part of it. But since we got rid of the dining table below it (too big for our little space), we kept bumping our head into it and resorted to some odd version of the Grouch Marx walk when in its vicinity.
So today, we switched it out with one now flush with the ceiling, higher-up.
What happens?
I keep ducking under what I THINK is still there and that I'll smack my forehead again.
Listen to my muscle memory!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vDOc_ce ... re=related
Yoriyos - The Pied Piper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKuaEMmGfR8
Yoriyos - Endoscopises
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lKYehUNhhs&feature=related
Yoriyos - Wounded Knee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXO7JTREFvQ&feature=related
-Wisdom doesn’t come with age, it comes with an open mind
:ugeek:
This one not so much Memorial Day-ish, but fits in my own way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylNKvcDjEbE