You can be in my dream, if I can be in yours...

I enjoyed the Scorcese films of Dylan for the last two nights...not just Bob but social history for those too young to remember it - and if you don't remember the impact of Martin Luther King saying "I have a dream" try this speech from Etan Thomas at an anti-war demo in Washington:

'Giving all honor, thanks and praises to God for
courage and wisdom, this is a very important rally. I'd
like to thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts,
feelings and concerns regarding a tremendous problem
that we are currently facing. This problem is
universal, transcending race, economic background,
religion, and culture, and this problem is none other
than the current administration which has set up shop
in the White House.

In fact, I'd like to take some of these cats on a field
trip. I want to get big yellow buses with no air
conditioner and no seatbelts and round up Bill
O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Trent Lott, Sean Hannity, Dick
Cheney, Jeb Bush, Bush Jr. and Bush Sr., John Ashcroft,
Giuliani, Ed Gillespie, Katherine Harris, that little
bow-tied Tucker Carlson and any other right-wing
conservative Republicans I can think of, and take them
all on a trip to the hood. Not to do no 30-minute
documentary. I mean, I want to drop them off and leave
them there, let them become one with the other side of
the tracks, get them four mouths to feed and no
welfare, have scare tactics run through them like a
laxative, criticizing them for needing assistance.

I'd show them working families that make too much to
receive welfare but not enough to make ends meet. I'd
employ them with jobs with little security, let them
know how it feels to be an employee at will, able to be
fired at the drop of a hat. I'd take away their
opportunities, then try their children as adults,
sending their 13-year-old babies to life in prison. I'd
sell them dreams of hopelessness while spoon-feeding
their young with a daily dose of inferior education.
I'd tell them no child shall be left behind, then take
more money out of their schools, tell them to show and
prove themselves on standardized exams testing their
knowledge on things that they haven't been taught, and
then I'd call them inferior.

I'd soak into their interior notions of endless
possibilities. I'd paint pictures of assisted
productivity if they only agreed to be all they can be,
dress them up with fatigues and boots with promises of
pots of gold at the end of rainbows, free education to
waste terrain on those who finish their bid. Then I'd
close the lid on that barrel of fool's gold by starting
a war, sending their children into the midst of a
hostile situation, and while they're worried about
their babies being murdered and slain in foreign lands,
I'd grace them with the pain of being sick and unable
to get medicine.

Give them health benefits that barely cover the common
cold. John Q. would become their reality as HMOs
introduce them to the world of inferior care, filling
their lungs with inadequate air, penny pinching at the
expense of patients, doctors practicing medicine in an
intricate web of rationing and regulations. Patients
wander the maze of managed bureaucracy, costs rise and
quality quickly deteriorates, but they say that managed
care is cheaper. They'll say that free choice in
medicine will defeat the overall productivity, and as
co-payments are steadily rising, I'll make their
grandparents have to choose between buying their
medicine and paying their rent.

Then I'd feed them hypocritical lines of being pro-life
as the only Christian way to be. Then very
contradictingly, I'd fight for the spread of the death
penalty, as if thou shall not kill applies to babies
but not to criminals.

Then I'd introduce them to those sworn to protect and
serve, creating a curb in their trust in the law. I'd
show them the nightsticks and plungers, the pepper
spray and stun guns, the mace and magnums that they'd
soon become acquainted with, the shakedowns and illegal
search and seizures, the planted evidence, being
stopped for no reason. Harassment ain't even the half
of it. Forty-one shots to two raised hands, cell phones
and wallets that are confused with illegal contrabands.
I'd introduce them to pigs who love making their guns
click like wine glasses. Everlasting targets surrounded
by bullets, making them a walking bull's eye, a living
pinata, held at the mercy of police brutality, and then
we'll see if they finally weren't aware of the truth,
if their eyes weren't finally open like a box of
Pandora.

I'd show them how the other side of the tracks carries
the weight of the world on our shoulders and how
society seems to be holding us down with the force of a
boulder. The bird of democracy flew the coop back in
Florida. See, for some, and justice comes in packs like
wolves in sheep's clothing. T.K.O.d by the right hooks
of life, many are left staggering under the weight of
the day, leaning against the ropes of hope. When your
dreams have fallen on barren ground, it becomes
difficult to keep pushing yourself forward like a
train, administering pain like a doctor with a needle,
their sequels continue more lethal than injections.

They keep telling us all is equal. I'd tell them that
instead of giving tax breaks to the rich, financing
corporate mergers and leading us into unnecessary wars
and under-table dealings with Enron and Halliburton,
maybe they can work on making society more peaceful.
Instead, they take more and more money out of inner
city schools, give up on the idea of rehabilitation and
build more prisons for poor people. With unemployment
continuing to rise like a deficit, it's no wonder why
so many think that crime pays.

Maybe this trip will make them see the error of their
ways. Or maybe next time, we'll just all get out and
vote. And as far as their stay in the White House, tell
them that numbered are their days.'

I don't feel alone any more

For all the traumas and expense and angst of the last few weeks (mostly involving computers) I have slowly rebuilt my life (OK internet access) and at least have a glimmer of hope of recovering the data that I didn't have backed up (on a five year old computer, quite a lot!)

I didn't have internet to research on, so I have swung wildly around, so finding that someone else had similar symptoms, and that even the Expert's Exchange couldn't come to a conclusion about cause or cure, made me feel less alone. You have to join to see the solutions, but you can take my word for it...

Anyway. Autumn arrived. Dylan / Scorcese on the box last night, and more tonight. I enjoyed last night - as much a social history document as flashbacks of just one man's life. Excellent stuff. I pre-ordered the DVD sight unseen because I figured it would have stuff I might want to see again.

Greetings to regular visitors, sorry so little updated on the website this year, but I intend to rectify that. I have gone back to studying and books, and online socialising with an interesting gang over at the Maybe Logic Academy (I could brag that I was one of the first dozen to join). I just wrote them a piece on Time, which
could have done with a proof-read before getting posted, but the combination of computer AND internet problems (different problems, as it happens - the cable modem died at the same time my hard drive died, so I couldn't even use J's Mac or my little old laptop) caught me out, when packing for the trip to Barcelona. You can't do it all.

Happy Equinox!

I know this traditionally gets labelled a time of storms - well, will you look at that - maybe Nancy Reagan and the astrologers know something - all the sailors can tell you it has nothing to do with astrology, just extra high tides...(astrology just links to calendars of all kinds).

Anyway - the anarchists brought Maybe Quarterly in on time - and it reflects the gang better than ever. We do this thing. You have to act in a creative way if you despair of the 'official channels'. You can always visit the Only Maybe (OM) blog for a rolling report...

We did it. Enjoy the Equinox, and come visit for the Solstice edition...

What is he like!

Well we got to Barcelona only to go through two days of storms and pouring rain...so when the sun came out yesterday we sat in a square and drank far too many beers...Julie seemed to be outdrinking me, which doesn´t often happen...so by the time we got to our evening restaurant I should have maybe stuck to beer, or just had the one glass of wine. Unfortunately, we got chatting to a couple who shared a bottle of wine with me, and I decided to buy one back. After that I created havoc apparently, knocking wine over, etc, and when we left the restaurant I found I hadn´t got my glasses on (I keep switching glasses and sunglasses here, so got used to pairs hanging off shirt pockets etc.)

So, in full Fear and Loathing mode I turned to lunge back into the restaurant, but the glass door had been closed so I walked straight into it, head butted it actually, rather startling the people still inside! When I found the glasses (with a little help) under the table they had been trampled, and seem unrepairable...(sigh)

Will I ever learn? Perhaps just keeping up the NoFit State reputation...speaking of which, I don´t think we will make it to Tarrega tonight to see the show, as it seems too hard to get back from there late at night...and Julie (quite rightly) doesn´t fancy sleeping on the ground. We assume we couldn´t rent a room, and it all got too complicated, so I guess we´ll give up. Hey ho - it was only a fun plan to try for...

I don't go off and do crazy solo adventures so much any more, I feel more committed to doing stuff together...which doesn't mean we don't occasionally do crazy adventures! We just have to agree on them.

yeeeurgh

I brought some sort of flu thing home from Slovenia, so I was under the cosh from the moment I got back. Yuck. Did a few days work, and then packed to go to Signatopia in Rotherham. They had done so much work setting it up, that it was sad when nobody came. (sigh).

Still, I got to see some old friends again, so I didn't waste my weekend entirely. Came home to find that ntl had gone down. Blamed myself, blamed my router, etc. When I rang their server status line it didn't admit any faults, and when I rang technical support they said they were shut for the Bank Holiday, but why didn't I visit their website (!) [expletive deleted] would if I could!

Generally feeling sorry for myself, and my friend Jules, too. (Hi Jules!)

Back to work today...

Home again, naturally

I just got back from Slovenia after an extraordinary week. 3,500 jugglers in a field full of big tops and little tents. Blazing hot on day one, then three days of rain that tried to turn the site into Glastonbury Fields Forever, but failed, so the sun came out for three good days - then one final hit of rain sent us on our way.

More later.

Online Interview

Just a quick post to say that I have done another online interview about my fim puppet work, which you can find at the LightSabre site.

Maybe you don't know about this...

I realise that most of my energy drained away from the website, and this blog, into online course work and general forum posts at the Maybe logic Academy.

I don't choose to take time to explain right now, but found this Press Release, which gives a pretty good idea. I hope Lance won't mind if I quote in full, for those who don't click on links.

AUTHOR ROBERT ANTON WILSON INSPIRES ONLINE ACADEMY

Innovative online school and cyber community hosts courses by celebrated authors.

Capitola, CA, June 9th, 2005. Located on the shores of the Monterey Bay, the Maybe Logic Academy is running servers at full capacity day and night. Initially inspired by the writings of best-selling local author Robert Anton Wilson, this provocative online school has bridged the celebrity void by ushering cult status authors into the lives of devoted fans. Course subjects include quantum psychology, conspiracy theory, occult magick, history of counterculture, Buddhist philosophy and meditation. With a dedicated audience of over 200 active global members the Academy recently produced a member driven online publication and rapidly expanded its faculty since going online one year ago.

Current MLA faculty includes legendary author and former Playboy editor Robert Anton Wilson, Mondo 2000 magazine founder RU Sirius, world-renowned Dice Life author Luke Rhinehart, Goddess movement pioneer and author Patricia Monaghan, author and cybergnostic Erik Davis, former Buddhist monk and performer Alan Clements, media theorist author/producer Douglas Rushkoff and occult magick icon/author Peter Carroll.

With a surge of popularity in fringe topics via The DaVinci Code and films like National Treasure, the Maybe Logic Academy is educating people directly through contact with experts in the field. Courses feature group teleconference lectures, online discussion forums, audio/video downloads and group chats. The community prides itself on a steadfast adherence to courtesy and intelligent, cutting-edge discourse. The Maybe Logic Academy is blazing a trail in the online education community by providing direct access to some of the world's most innovative minds.

For additional information please see: www.maybelogic.org
All MLA faculty members available for either telephone or email interviews.

New classes throughout the Summer and Fall and enrollment is open to the public.

Deepleaf Productions Inc is a rapidly expanding independent production house dedicated to intelligent content and is responsible for the award-winning feature documentary Maybe Logic - The Lives and Ideas of Robert Anton Wilson.

If you want to know more about the courses (say, Ray, if you wanted to take the Goddess course) you can find links at Only Maybe, our online zine (link also on the right hand side of this blog...) to the Maybe Logic Academy and more...

And I like this recent interview with Bob, covers most of the territory.

Temporary Post

Hi to Franki and Franz

As you can see I started using the new picture update option in blogger - but only to amuse myself. Perhaps the Only Maybe blog set up for the Academy gives you a better idea, as I have published 'articles' there (in the guise of 'bogusmagus') which I lay out rather more carefully.

That blog works as a group publishing effort, where we all retain editorial control of our own contributions, and can pass around Admin control/responsibility, so we don't need an editor.

What the...?

I do quite a lot of image browsing now (you can get sick of words) and recently
I found this at Jetsam Cove. Yet another amusing website full of amusing and unrelated images.

This particular one found in their Index under "What the HELL people" - or you can just run through them all in sequence...

And why not?

Listed as an Interesting Autobiography

I have been listed at as an interesting site that collects attempts at a multimedia biography or autobiography, but today I don't want to brag, just point to another item at that same site, a short Dadaist book called "What a Life" from 1911.

Enjoy!

Experimenting with my images

As Blogger has just improved their image posting, I thought I'd give it a try...
This poster comes from the autobiography of Ormond McGill that I have really enjoyed reading over the last few weeks.


It seems to drop any new image in at the top of the post, rather than in place, here you see one of my real heroes (terribly out of fashion right now, and never much liked by women, I gather (as a comedian). The Great Man Himself.



Please don't try to read anything into this - these experiments in blog images relate to my contributions to the Maybe Logic Academy blog - where I like to add images to break up areas of text for screen reading

So it Finally Happened...

...not the rain at Glastonbury - which doesn't seem so very unusual - but the silent concert. Many years ago, when Walkmen first came out, complete with radio, I said we could do a concert in the park without disturbing the neighbours, by transmitting from the stage, although the thought of 50,000 tinny "tss tss tssd tddtat asst" noises leaking out could perhaps drive someone without headphones quite mad!

This year at Glasters?

Some of the biggest names in the dance scene will be performing and there will be a "silent disco" in an effort to sidestep a noise curfew.

Instead of DJs blasting their sounds through speakers, thousands of revellers partying past midnight will be given wire-free headphones with volume controls that directly tune in to a stereo system.

Enjoy the Solstice

Longest day of the year up here in the Northern Hemisphere...and I find myself in work, rather than in a field. Hey ho.

I never really tuned into the Stonehenge thing...the only time I went to Stonehenge the man said they had closed at 6pm. "Closed!" I think we all have our own places, and countries, and seasons, etc. Everyone assumes that I'll link to Stonehenge, and I always say nah - maybe Glastonbury (or rather Pilton Festival, not the twee little occult-for-the-rich town) or Avebury will do fine. This picture comes from Avebury...

Only Maybe

Although you have to pay good money to join the Maybe Logic Academy forum (and how would you know if this bunch of crazies could turn out as like-minded friends?) - and the Maybe Quarterly magazine may not give you a real idea of what we get up to in real time - a few of us decided a blog might fit the bill. (We found ourselves chatting in the virtual bar at Vico's)

Just today I decided to kickstart one called Only Maybe and invite a few people over, to see what we can come up with.

Watch this space. (or that space).

NoFit State doing Immortal2

I just came back from seeing the new show - it really has gone several gears up from last year's show - which seemed pretty good. This year it excels. Catch it if it comes near you..

24th June - 3rd July Bradford Fest
8th -17th July Cambridge Fest
21st - 31st July Manchester
5th Aug - 29Th Aug Edinburgh
9th, 10th, 11th Sept Tarrega Festival, Spain
17th Sept - 2nd Oct London Thames Fest

I have had a little to do with this magical 'circus' group over the years, and it grew and grew.

Now we have the new generation of about 40 pierced and tatooed, partying but disciplined people doing a three-dimensional show (the audience move around inside it). And this year they have surpassed themselves. I feel so pleased they will go to Tarrega to showcase it (near Barcelona) after the Edinburgh Festival. In Tarrega all the bookers from Europe will arrive to see the unique and magical UFO tent, and a totally trippy 3-D interactive live show. These kids honed their skills doing stilt-walking aliens in clubland, and fire-juggling and black-light juggling, with wild costumes using modern materials, and hair-styles to die for.

I just wish I could fly you all in for a night in the tent. Damn, I found myself overselling it again.
(maybe I just fell in love with my new NoFit State sweatshirt).

These sort of shows have happened since Meyerhold and Mayakovsky in the 20s, the Dadaists and Surrealists, all the way up to happenings and 60s lightshows, and theatre getting rid of the boundaries between performer and audience (or patient and therapist). I don't know if this falls into the classification of art or magic, circus or theatre or performance art. (Nor does the Arts Council who spend all their money on opera, and Shakespeare)

I loved it. More soon. G'night.

Memo

This gets a lot less coverage in The States - the Downing Street Memo

The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbours, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea or Iran. We should work up a plan for an ultimatum to Saddam to allow back in the UN weapons inspectors. This would also help with the legal justification for the use of force.
The Attorney-General said that the desire for regime change was not a legal base for military action.

Jabba Palace Reunion

I keep finding new bits from C3 - you can see the Jabba Palace crew acting out where we were, and what we were doing on the set - for one of the forums. I was told it was very amusing and informative.
As I am sitting (behind Warwick Davis) Dave B had to kneel - in real life he stood next to me. Sean behind us, Femi to our right, Tim smiling in the front (doing Salacious) Simon and Gerald behind him. Full story here. The only glaring error in that story - I didn't do the sock puppet with Dave Barclay - Tim Rose did - when Warwick approached unexpectedly, with the white socks, in front of a thousand people ( with my hangover) I swayed back and let the real puppeteers take over.

Sorry Tim! I don't know who to contact to get that corrected...

Click pic to see larger

New Welsh Review on NoFit State

The latest edition of New Welsh Review has an excellent article on NofitState and New Circus.

As this edition has just come out, I don't want to mess with online copyright issues, so will just plug it. If anyone lives too far away, or just wants to know the story (and this article covers the whole context of New Circus, from Cirque du Soleil - the "Macdonalds of circus", according to Pierre Bidon of Archaos - to NoFit State) then let me know - I can always send you a photocopy). It gives a great assessment of NoFit State and their place in the field, and even gives me a name check (relating to this review of their first warehouse show).

UFO Contactee

I very rarely mention updates to the website, as it has become such a labyrinth of connections.

Still, having been teasing the Prophet Yahweh for doing his Las Vegas UFO schtick recently (in the Maybe Logic forum, not here) I remembered the time I played a UFO contactee, and decided to add a page about The X Factor (Close Encounters of a Different Kind).
Click pic to see larger