A lot of music watchers have argued that Jaz Coleman, the frontman of Killing Joke, is over the deepend in paranoia and conspiracy, but when he shouts stuff like 'Fuck the bankers' and 'take back your country' at a concert in Greece, he seems pretty sane to me.
He uses the mass rock concert platform to provoke and antagonize. But I would bet it was music like Killing Joke the kids in the UK were listening to when they tried to do something about the government. And The Blood on Your Hands video will never make it to US TV. Over on Marxmail, they were having a discussion about metal and Rammstein and politics and it seems to me that Killing Joke largely invented the sort of artistic spaces Rage Against the Machine and Rammstein would inhabit. It might seem ironic that Killing Joke had to go towards a metal sound to find a new audience, but in a way that takes them back to their beginnings 30 years ago, when they sounded like they were from another planet. The conclusion on Marxmail about Rammstein seems to be that because they are ambiguous, they are not real left. But I think ambiguously is the only way using popular forms of music to provoke political thinking work. It starts with the reaction like: what the f- do they actually mean with those lyrics, with that music, with those images in their video or at their concert? http://thequietus.com/articles/04796-jaz-coleman-on-killing-joke-and-absolute-dissent Jaz: "I'm more concerned with food supply. Yes, there must be change. But staples are going up so fast. Food prices are predicted to go up 40% in the next couple of years. People's wages are being slashed. Where is it leading to? You don't have to be Einstein to work it out. It mustn't be allowed to get to that. What is required is a sweeping green communism." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T869Obl03oE&feature=related Killing Joke 'In Excelsis' In Excelsis lyrics Liberty is ours to protect The glorious pursuit of happiness The rights of free speech by consent The right to express discontent The glory of freedom, simple liberties In excelsis The rights of man to eat and drink and breathe In excelsis The glory of freedom The glory of freedom In excelsis In excelsis The glorious pursuit of happiness In excelsis In excelsis In excelsis In excelsis Liberty our common goal Smash the cabals that control This world is ours We won't be sold No profit, interest or loans The glory of freedom, simple liberties In excelsis The rights of man to eat and drink and breathe In excelsis The glory of freedom The glory of freedom In excelsis In excelsis The glorious pursuit of happiness In excelsis In excelsis In excelsis In excelsis The glory of freedom, simple liberties In excelsis The rights of man to eat and drink and breathe In excelsis The glory of freedom The glory of freedom In excelsis In excelsis The glorious pursuit of happiness In excelsis In excelsis In excelsis In excelsis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc-YDG7GG0s&feature=related Killing Joke 'Here Comes the Singularity' Here Comes The Singularity lyrics World population mass has reached the critical Humanity shall function as a single cell Machines design and clone a different race of man Who is the architect, who is the hidden hand? Kneel down and freedom’s gone Speak out – something’s wrong So when society breaks down in screaming insanity And when the sky cracks open Here comes the singularity Military industrial complex on the rise Let new Pearl Harbours take no-one by surprise One million people marched against a traitor’s war No weapons found and no-one heard their call Kneel down and freedom’s gone Speak out – something’s wrong So when society breaks down in screaming insanity And when the sky cracks open Here comes the singularity Foundations and shareholders identified on lists Big corporations dismantled brick by brick Investment bankers crushed like lilies under feet Let Baboeuf and Saint-Just pass judgement from the street Kneel down and freedom’s gone Speak out – something’s wrong So when society breaks down in screaming insanity And when the sky cracks open Here comes the singularity Kneel down and freedom’s gone http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62cbc_EDQxk Killing Joke (live in Greece) 'Absolute Dissent' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4v66x7nXCs&feature=related Killing Joke 'Blood on Your Hands' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXQbgqRTvI4&feature=related Killing Joke 'Total Invasion' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naUAuptzUb4&feature=related Killing Joke 'European Super State' _______________________________________________ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
