A Little Revolution

A model of Revolution:

1. Individuals carry out random acts of sensational violence (terrorism).

2. These acts inspire like-minded groups to form - who in turn carry out more sophisticated attacks.

3. The government reacts by squeezing civil liberties and cracking down on the suspected minority population from whence the dissidents come.

4. More small groups spring up - now there are several unconnected groups carrying out acts of violence.

5. Criminals and individuals (such as anarchists) begin to mimmick the political violence with their own acts.

6. The government reacts even more strongly - but to little effect.

7. At this point an ideological leader steps in to unify and direct the more serious groups into a larger force.

8. The ideological leader creates a legitimate political party (as a peaceful voice of dissent) and several clandestine Combat Groups.

9. The political party appears to represent the grievances of the minority while publicly condemning violence. (However the Party continues to secretly direct the violence through its Combat Groups).

10. Leading up to parlimentary or congressional elections, the Party orders the Combat Groups to carry out a wave of unprecedented violence.

11. An election is held in which the Political Party wins representation in the government. (Through a combination of votes by sympathizers, intimidation of opposition voters, and votes from former Government sympathizers who feel the government can no longer manage the Terrorist threat).

12. The legitimate representatives of the Party "negotiate" with the radical militant group and demonstrate their ability to prevent violence when the government can not.

13. The Party builds a coalition with other political parties who are against the current regime. This coalition runs on the platform of "peaceful change over terrorist violence".

14. The coalition government is voted into parliment or congress in a majority. The original 'revolutionary' party directs its Combat Groups against their coalition allies and the former ruling party.

15. The Combat Groups are ordered to carry out a simultaneous wave of political violence across the nation - to make it appear Civil War has begun.

16. During the manufactured crisis the 'revolutionary' party carries out a coup de' tat in which the current government leader is executed and coalition rivals are imprisoned.

17. The 'revolutionary' party appoints its ideological leader as the new head of state.

18. The Combat Groups are appointed to head the military, secret police, and a para-military, state-terror force.

19. The 'revolutionary' party is effectively in control and the revolution is complete.

20. A purge of rivals within the 'revolutionary' party after success is an optional step.

Originally posted on October 25, 2006 on Myspace.

Musical Chairs

So Andy Taylor (guitarist) quit Duran Duran right in the middle of their tour. I don't know about you guys - but Duran Duran without Andy Taylor just isn't the same band. I'm serious. They might as well have a CBS game show to determine his replacement.

In other radically different music news - I'm going to see Ennio Morricone at Radio City Music Hall in February! One of my all time favorite movie score composers in a rare stateside performance - I am very, very excited!

I can't wait to go to this. Ennio's music has always had an otherworldly quality to it that baffles my imagination in that 'humans can't make this, it must be made by angels' -way. Nobody mixes chorus and orchestra like Morricone!

Originally posted on October 26, 2006 on Myspace.

"Little Miss" by: MHD

Crying in the rain on a cement stoop, a little lost girl can't see the wolves through all the tears. A living 'Little 15' far from all that's familiar. Men walk by, shoulders hunched against the rain, shooting glances. A band of her skin catches hungry eyes in the night. Some looks are hidden, others obvious and rude.

What thoughts in the minds of men, alone and desperate? Will any try to help her? Or will she fall victim to unanimous imagination?

Originally posted on October 24, 2006 on Myspace.

"Two Taps" by: MHD

Two taps and bodies fall, flicked over by a bored, invisible god. A crowded Chinatown street at mid-day. Bullets shouldn't fly here but they do. Tires squeal like schoolkids as a gun-filled sedan disappears behind a bus. Heads turn as shots echo, delayed reactions out of self-absorbed lives. Two men are dead and there are no witnesses.

Death hides in plain sight, as usual, ignored.

Originally posted on October 18, 2006 on Myspace.

"Dharma for Darfur - A Rant" by: MHD

Restraint, constraint, straight-jacketed hollow-point pops into your brain through a fore-head dot India ink style while kiddies finger paint snot smears where mommy can't see and an old man strains to pea-brained scheme up a flag-pole, standing at attention with one hand on his heart and the other chokes life from a gold ingot being stolen Auric style - "No Mr. Bond I expect you to -

Dye your hair again it'll make you look younger generation weened on Dr. Phil meth-lab pseudo-science cooked up in a kitchen out of anti-depressants and ritalin riddling his brain pan fried and delicious can't find a fucking job in this townies messing with cadets school shooting bullshit train our kids to kill Ender's Game gone haywire to hotwire the General Lee for a joyride through movie remake mania as long as it's a high-def fifty-two inch ramrod up the ass like you're at Lexington and Concorde killing Redcoats for representative democracy and Republican Federalism and low-cost dvd's with special extra 2-disc bonus features that'll blow your mind and your dick...

...on this commentary track just keeps talking on and on about the fucking 3rd Best Boy and the Grip and that time they helped the Darfur refugees for twelve whole fucking hours so they could get the perfect shot at sunrise and how great it made them feel to hold that starved child's hand when the sounds of the blanks going off in Leo's AK scared her into thinking the fucking warlords were coming back to finish the job that killed her fucking mother and sister, grandfather and cousin.

But hey, that was one long day on location and this lame-ass fucking story on a 3rd Commentary audio option on the fucking Little Shop Of Horrors' 35th anniversary deluxxe dvd is more important to most of us than kiddie raping Congressmen and legal torture and the double-standard of female sex predators getting a slap on the wrist when they diddle a student driver run him off the fucking road I'm in a hurry here and now trying to breath life back into the comatosed consciousness that has a Ted Nugent stranglehold on this Desperate Housewives agenda item for our next meeting -

We need a show to make fat girls feel like they belong in this confusing culture of mixed message plane crash out your anger at the government shoot up a school little house on the prairie magic-time.

Gotta get the Laura Ingalls Wilder flowing, gotta get the Mork and Mindy going, gotta bring back Barney Miller, gotta make everyone feel warm inside, like they aren't the only ones who hate their lives, who work hard all day just to get shit from the kids and suicide bombs and stingrays jumping out of the water to over-throw the topsy-turvy world of man ruling stingray - they're taking it back like we should be - cover your heart and open your eyes.

Originally posted on October 20, 2006 on Myspace.

"Heroes"

Best new show of the season. Bar none. Y'all better be watching. (Marc, I am talking specifically to you!)

Watch the episodes you missed for free on NBC.com. Tonight's ending kicked unholy ass - but only if you've watched the episodes in order.

Originally posted on October 16, 2006 on Myspace.

I will always consider Season One a classic. The show totally imploded after that though. Similar thing happened to "Friday Night Lights". Good thing both first seasons tell stand alone stories with a beginning, middle, and end.

"Edmond" (2006)

So this came straight to video and I bought it for cheap.

"Edmond" is for serious Mamet fanatics and fans of the "Falling Down/Taxi Driver"-type films only. Anyone else will hate this movie and probably be disgusted by it. "Edmond" is a vile-bile-hate-filled rant done Mamet style and then goes into some bizarre territory in the last 20 minutes.

Macy is great, Mamet's writing is out-of-control in this one. It almost detracts from the film when Mamet really let's the words fly. But in a good way if you're into that kind of thing. The movie is about racism, violence, pent-up rage, the "white man's burden", sexual frustration, and madness - all from the perspective of a naive middle-aged zombie gone Travis Bickle without the street-smarts - told with the eloquent language only Mamet can express.

I thought this movie (while seriously flawed) was great. It made me extremely depressed and pissed-off but I loved it. The first half is very relatable to most married, adult men - then Edmond goes bat-shit crazy and you're sitting there hoping against hope "gee I hope I never end up there!" - then the third act goes somewhere even worse (but which could also be interpreted as better).

Very odd ending to this movie but in all an enjoyable experience for fans of the genres I described above.

Originally posted on October 12, 2006 on Myspace.