This Is England

Just finished watching the movie "This Is England" written and directed by Shane Meadows.

I don't usually enjoy movies about skinheads and violence, and suppose I prejudged that this would be another 'oh what a waste of young men' kinda movies, like all those football violence films that were produced in the UK over the past few years.

But I was wrong about this one; set in 1983 to a depressed thatcherite Britain outlook, the film captures the irony of Skinhead culture, as it borrows so much from Black cultures, such as Ska and Reggae music.

The film follows 12yo Shaun as he tries to fit into his life after his father was killed in the pointless Falklands war. He befriends some skinheads who are drawn to the image and culture, but not the racist element that the National Front bring to your stereotypical Skinhead image. Things go awry and young Shaun chooses to align with the psychpathic 'Combo', who is just released from prison.

Although the film can be violent at times, and contains very racist language, the sheer pointlessness of racism is clear. It made me think of all those angry young men who have no aim in life, all that energy and how the choose to outpour their tensions.

Sad in a way, I just thought if people really explored their social positions, they would look to see how we 'are' managed and contained by governments, who do not care in the slightest how the people are.

Give the people enemys to drain their energy (via fake pointless wars such as Vietnam, Falklands, Iraq etc.... Hell ALL WARS...) and let them kill each other while the real enemy sits in Ivory Towers grinning at the sheeple's pointless battles...

The Flaming Lips at the Indian Summer Festival

I'm back after a two week holiday... and I really needed it!!

Went pike fishing in Loch Awe (Scotland) and caught absolutely nothing at all except midgey bites (Scotland's infamous insects that love human blood more than vampires.....)

Loved the scenery around Inverary and met some cool Irish travellers who can drink more than fish :-)

BUT the highlight was the Indian Summer Festival in Victoria Park. What an amazing gig. The real difference between The Indian Summer festival and other outdoor music festivals is easy to spot, and appreciate. For a start it's very small, only around 2000 people compared to say Glastonbury or T in the Park. I met some of the same folk on the Sunday that I sat with on the Saturday, which is like bumping into the same guy in New York the nexy day... just doesn't happen!

The live music, cider (Brothers Pear all the way from Glastonbury.... Yumm!!), atmosphere, and the vibe of the people there was .... awesome. Not a spot of trouble and the police were also seen enjoying the vibe with lots of smiles all round.. (again this is Glasgow remember!!??) - Good post they had that day.

The highlight of the Sunday was The Flaming Lips, a band I had previously only heard in passing and I certainly wasn't a fan.

One song in particular that really moved the crowd was the Yeah Yeah Yeah song. Frontman Wayne Coyne really knows how to put on a show, complete with surfing the crowd inside a giant balloon (u gotta watch this!) , singing santa's and elves!! - But it was the Yeah Yeah Yeah song that actually made so many people think with it's jaw dropping anti-psychopathic lyrics. Wayne really knows that George Bush and Co are about to take us all the edge of oblivion, and asks us all to use our power to stop these pathocratic psycho's before they kill us all -

If you could blow up the world With the flick of a switch

Would you do it?

If you could make everybody poor

Just so you could be rich

Would you do it?

If you could watch everybody work

While you just lay on your back

Would you do it?

If you could take all the laughs

Without giving any back

Would you do it?

And so we cannot know ourselves

Or what we'd really do...

With all your power....

What would you do?

If you could make your own money

And then give it to everybody

Would you do it? (No no no no, no no no no)

If you knew all the answers

And could give to the masses

Would you do it?

Are you crazy?

It's a very dangerous thing to do

Exactly what you want

Because you cannot know yourself, Or what you'd really do