Friday, 30 April 2010

Born Free

This may shock you but I, Rhys Laverty, am about to write a blog praising a rap video for being violent.

MIA is best known for her alternative hip-hop hit "Paper Planes" in 2008, and the Diplo Street Remix featuring Bun B and Rich Boy. I thought it was a fantastic piece of hip-hop. However, I kept my distance from MIA. I was never quite sure of her, never quite willing to really fall in love with her, or understand why she was always rated as one of the most influential and innovative artists around.

Then, last week, "Born Free" was released.

Her latest single is a 9 minute piece of abrasive alternative rap which samples the song "Ghost Rider" by cult post-punk favourites Suicide. Eclectic and alternatively cultured as that may sound, the fuss about it comes from the video:

http://vimeo.com/11219730

It's a 9 minute short film. And it is incredibly graphic. It was dropped on us without warning and we realised suddenly that it was NSFW (Not Safe For Work). It shows a group of US soldiers violently rounding up a load of gingers, driving them out to the desert, shooting a child in the head, making the gingers run across a mine field, beating an escapee to death and ends with one of the gingers being incredibly and graphically blown to bloody smithereens.

It was removed from YouTube. It sent shockwaves and ripples throughout the indie music world. Why?

It's because it is genuinely shocking. It is genuinely unexpected. Genuinely unpredictable. And that is why I think it's brilliant. I don't think it's violence for violence's sake. It's not like Saw: The Musical. It's so hard in the indie music world to be to be shocking nowadays. All forms of media are utilised to supplement an artists music, every conceivable issue is being covered and the lines between genres are crumbling constantly.Innovation is everywhere, and that is awesome, but it's hard to be shocking and to make your innovation stand out against everyone else's. Also, I think its explicit and "excessive" (is it really?) content are a mockery and subversion of most rap videos nowadays- overtly sexual and gun toting but meaning absolutely nothing.

MIA has managed to do something totally attention grabbing. She's made a bold a clear statement about discrimination, oppression, US supremacy, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Northern Ireland and countless other racial conflicts. Those issues are talked about so much nowadays, in the media and in music, that we grow numb to them. And yet, paradoxically, we really have no clue of the atrocities Western Nations, the ones presented as "the good guys" and guilty of. MIA has thrown those ideas back into the frame, through her art. Sonically, the song reflects the graphic nature of the issues presented, and I genuinely enjoy listening to it. The lyrics are simple yet brilliant too, a defiant protest about every person's inherent right to be free.

I've seen today that an anti-bullying charity has slammed MIA for promoting discrimination against gingers:

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Showbiz-News/MIA-Ginger-Genocide-Music-Video-Born-Free-Slammed-By-Bullying-Charity-Defended-By-Actor/Article/201005115623553?f=rss

But they are totally wrong. This video is showing us in a raw and graphic way that discrimination, violence and torture still exist in our world. On a grand scale- like the US invasion of Iraq- and on smallar scales- like bullying. Born Free, both video and song, is a brilliant piece of 21st century political protest art.

But perhaps you disagree. Watch the video and feed back to me.

Is it just violence for violence's sake? Is showing a twelve year old being shot in the head really an honest form of political protest?

Thursday, 29 April 2010

My response to Brown's "bigot" gaffe

Discussion across the nation yesterday was dominated by Gordon Brown's latest blunder. Unaware that his mic was still active, he branded Gillian Duffy, an elederly working class Northerner "a bigoted woman". He bowled both the media and his opposition a six with that one.

Some are saying this will cost Brown the election. Others are saying that's a pretty hefty prediction. I think that the gaffe in and of itself won't cost Brown. It's what the comments reveal about Brown and New Labour that will cost him.

1) People have long thought that David Cameron, whilst charismatic and personable on screen, becomes snobbish and prejudiced against the lower classes when the cameras stop rolling. Just Wednesday morning, Labour branded this the Tories' "camera on, camera off" tactic. But now we've seen this is true of Gordon Brown. Not his Etonian rival.

2) Gordon Brown dismissed an elderly, working class, Northern woman who has voted Labour all her life. Gillian Duffy is a typical, core Labour voter. She represents everything Labour is meant to stand for, everything it was founded on. She represents who the party is made up of and who it used to be led by. Brown's comments have shown that Labour is no longer "the people's party". It's not the party it once was, nor the party it is desperately trying to convince us it is. Brown and Labour don't care about people. They only care about staying in power.

The issues Mrs Duffy raised were clearly not ones that Gordon Brown has close to his heart. But they are ones that the Liberal Democrats hold close to their hearts:

IMMIGRATION: Lib Dems want to make sure immigrants go where their services are needed, and don't make it difficult for locals to get jobs. Lib Dems want a UK Border Force to make it harder for illegal immigrants to get in, and want to round up illegal immigrants who are committing crimes or scrounging. Lib Dems want to deal practically with the mass amount of immigrants Labour and the Tories have let in by having an amnesty by those who have been here for 10 years working, speak good English and want to be part of the system.

TUITION FEES: One of the Lib Dems most dearly held policies is the total scrapping of university tuition fees in 6 years, and we have a clear plan for this.

BENEFIT SCROUNGERS: Lib Dems want to make sure people never spend more than 90 days out of work, a better pledge than Labour's 6 months; and want to make sure people aren't getting benefits they don't deserve.

This incident has shown that the Liberal Democrats are the only party who stand for and with the people. The Conservatives, despite my earlier comments about Cameron, still favour the rich. And it's clear from this incident that Labour no longer favour the common man. Only the Liberal Democrats really care about the average person in the UK today.

Monday, 19 April 2010

Get Out of My Own Face...

The world is full of stuff.

Tentatively, I label that a fair assessment. Heck, the world IS stuff. And maybe that stuff is stuff (I got an A in Physics GCSE but a sub-molecular whizz I am not sadly, so I'll stop here) But the world is full of stuff.
Beautiful and ugly stuff.
Old and new stuff.
Interesting stuff and boring stuff.
Common stuff and uncommon stuff.
Ancient stuff and modern stuff.
Planned stuff and spontaneous stuff.
Sinful stuff and virtuous stuff.
Material stuff and immaterial stuff.
Big stuff and little stuff.
Stuff I've mentioned and stuff I haven't.
And it's all there, it's all happening. It's being written down, filmed, sung about, reported on, lived. It's wonderful, I just LOVE it!

And so little of it is happening on Facebook.

Facebook is an incredible social and communication revolution, but I spend far too much time on it. I only have myself to blame really. I'm not an addict, you probably aren't either. I just feel like it's robbing me of time and experience. Much as I love all of my friends, communicating and bantering with them online, it's just not enough. Lots of us teenagers talk about how it's going to result in us failing our exams (maybe...) and lots of people talk about how it's "disintegrating the fabric of society" or "distancing us from reality", but for me at least it's more than that.

There are some people whom I truly admire as creative minds. The one that springs to mind right now is Christian blogger Jon Acuff (he's a true legend, check out his blog- Stuff Christians Like) I've heard him and other creative minds say that the more you read, watch, listen, talk and live your life then the more ideas you will have, the more creativity will be stimulated.

Creativity is one of the most wonderful gifts God has given us humans. It's part of being "made in His image". Is it a sin to stifle that? I don't know. But you're certainly not living life as fully as God wants you too.

And spending regular amounts of time on Facebook- waiting for status updates, joining pointless groups, stalking- robs you of creative input. There's so much else going on. You don't necessarily even have to leave the computer right away! Sometimes, I have the feeling Facebook is slowly dying. Do you know what I mean? Any real excitement or love for it has faded away. I don't feel that way about Twitter or Tumblr and some other social media sites. A lot of the time, they're abuzz with creativity, ideas, suggestions, interesting links and other stuff.

So I want to read more books. Pursue more fascinatinglinks, web pages and articles. Listen to more music on a deeper level. Have more phone calls. Go outside more. Doodle more. Watch more exciting and interesting TV. Have some constructive dialogue and debate with people. Come across new ideas. Mull over challenging theology. Learn to cook more than pasta. Read my Bible more. Pray more. So from now on, I AM CUTTING DOWN! Not by a specific, rigorous amount. But I am. And if you want to monitor me, or tell me to get off when I am on, please do!

You're probably not addicted to Facebook- but how much time DO you spend on it? Forgetting about failing your exams or whatever, is it robbing you of having a creative mind? From appreciating the world around you? Why don't you give it a go too? Let the creative juices flow! Flex your brain muscles! Work up a sweat of appreciation!

More Meditations on Weirdness

If you're gonna read this post then read my previous post first (http://folkpunkgazesblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/weird-bad.html)

Something else that bugs me but also intrigues me is when people describe themselves as "weird". Or "random". It just doesn't sit well with me. I can't get my head around:
a) the act of calling yourself "weird/random"
b) why it exactly bugs me

Sometimes that sort of thinking just seems to have a tinge of arrogance about it. It seems like they think their habits or quirks are somehow beyond the grasp of everyone else. They're a particularly fascinating kind of individual(I hope you're with me still!) And that just seems a little self aggrandising and self involved. I would say to that person:
Why do you think you're "random"? Everyone is different, and wonderfully individual, but what is it that raises you to "randomness"? Aren't we all equally "random"?

Don't we measure "randomness" or "weirdness" against our own experience? So how can we ourselves be weird, or christen ourselves random, when the normality we're measuring against is ourselves?

Everyone should strive to be DIFFERENT, to be INDIVIDUAL, but the attitude or person I'm hoping I've presented often seems to simply chase randomness/weirdness for the sake of it. Yeah sure, there's mindless, frolicking fun and spontaneity, that is WONDERFUL- but weirdness for weirdness sake? Or thinking of yourself as "random" and never letting that thought run any further? It would seem to suggest that person isn't really comfortable or aware of who they are. Rather than discover an identity and stand out from the crowd, they latch on to some vague concept of "randomness" that has entered the tweenage and teenage consciousness in the past several years, and they're content with a mainstream idea of being different (woah, paradoxical oxymoronic contradiction there! I know right!) I guess it's sort of like the stereotypical goth kids who think they're really non-conformist, but end up looking all the same.

You can recognise when you're DIFFERENT. And you should try to be DIFFERENT. And INDIVIDUAL. I'm a Christian and strive to be different from the world around me, and can acknowledge things that are different about me, and I try to use them to talk to people about Jesus. But I wouldn't call myself random. Not in religious differences or any other field- music, habit, vocal inflections, hairstyle, hobbies, the posters in my room.
I just am what I am, and that can't be weird or random, it just IS. And you are what you are. Falling in line with the crowd and being the same is a danger lots of us hear about all the time- but I think prescribing to a mainstream idea of being "random" and not trying to really be DIFFERENT is an equal danger.

I don't want to seem like I'm attacking or criticising anyone. I don't mean or want to. This idea is half formulated in my head and I reckon I'll spend my whole life experiencing it and thinking about it in new ways. Let me end on this though.

You are you. You are FAR from perfect. But you are meant to be different from everyone else! Don't prescribe to some ridiculous, shallow idea of "weirdness" or "randomness". I think you'd be arrogant to do so and, and selling yourself short of being an individual. Be different. Love difference, hate crowd conformity. Whether it's the crowd who are oblivious that they're conforming or the crowd who think they aren't conforming but are.

Don't let your identity be totally grounded in yourself though. Or any earthly thing. It will let you down. Undeniably. And probably big time. Only God is a reliable foundation to build yourself up on- and living His way in the world we live in, is the ultimate way to be different.

Sunday, 18 April 2010

Weird = Bad?

Something that bugs me more and more as I grow up is when people call something as "weird". A piece of music. A painting. A photo. A book. A story. A person. A hobby. It really catches in my ear and my brain like a little hook and I'm often on the verge of cutting into the aforementioned freaked out/confused individual.

When people say "oh that's weird"- e.g. about the album track "Lion in a Coma" by the band Animal Collective:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_42Sighttk

Or "Minus Zero" by harsh noise producer Merzbow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGzrL8J0t-c

Or artwork like this:

http://declubz.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/weird-art-300x286.jpg

or they call the reclusive, speccy kid at school weird, or you call someone you don't know very well who clearly has radically different tastes weird, when people use the word "weird" like that, it carries a tone and weight that seem to indicate what that person really means, on some level, is "bad". They mean "this is bad". Bad because it's "weird".

You know what I mean. I've most certainly done it. You've done it. Maybe you know others who've done it. And that use of the word "weird" just seems so wrong to me. Why is it weird? To you, to me, to them?

1. Maybe You Just Don't Know Everything
It's an insult a lot of us would instantly deny- "oh you think you know everything". But we often live like we do. Like our particular view of reality and life is THE view. But it's not. I know so little. You know so little. Together, we know so little. And that which we don't know isn't "weird". It's just undiscovered- and is waiting to BE discovered! So discover it! Embark upon a wonderful journey of finding things that are NEW.

2. Maybe You're Lazy
Nowadays, we're bombarded with so much, so fast. Media, gossip, all that jazz. And so much of it is so shallow that we just eat it all up, gorging ourselves , snacking, taking a few gratuitous bites from one thing as it passes and leaping on the next. When something out of the ordinary comes along, we're so dulled and fat that we don't investigate, or appreciate real creative food.
We need to SEE- not just LOOK.
We need to LISTEN- not just HEAR.
We need t DO- not just watch.

Things can be UNCOMMON. Or EXTRAORDINARY. Or UNLIKELY. Or NEW. But weird? Weird can also mean, if we were to get a collective description "something that doesn't make sense". But make sense to who? Maybe something can only be weird when we've exhausted every possible avenue of "sense" relating to it- and is that even possible? Maybe not. Everyone has different experiences, so nothing can really be weird. Only un-experienced. It's a totally a posteriori matter.

This is different from discerning what is morally right and wrong. That isn't relative to the person. That's a priori, really. But back to the "weirdness".

Few things are weird. Is a lonely 46 year old man who's lived alone all his life and wears his dead mother's dresses whilst making sweet love to a freshly caught tuna weird? Probably. I'm guessing as it would only really make sense to him. But even then who knows.

But as for music. Art. Literature. Ideas. I don't think they can really be weird. Whatever the case, don't CALL them weird just because it's not what you normally listen to, or because you haven't read anything like it before. That's often masking narrow mindedness. Maybe you don't know you're narrow minded. If you think that stuff that's not in the charts is weird, you probably are narrow minded. No wait. You are.

Sorry for the rambling nature of this post. Feedback me? I'd quite like to get a discussion going on this with anyone if possible- a real dialogue.
God Bless.