I do my damnedest to avoid international news – it’s just too dismal. Madmen – evil, stupid, nefarious, hubristic, narcissistic, joyless, charmless blights on the face of humanity – somehow in positions of power. In some cases, we’ve only ourselves (en masse) to blame for them being there.
The one good thing about vile madmen (fill in the names of your choice yourself) is they won’t last forever – nobody will. All these Ozymandias characters consumed with their own importance will soon be dust in a tomb. And let’s hope we dance on those graves.
I went into a studio last month with my pal Ali Mackenzie (burbling bass behemoth) and put a few opaque thoughts down to a toe-tapping beat. We need these futile gestures – they prove if nothing else that the b******ds haven’t yet become thought police. Studio engineer Matt McIvor put down a splendidly deranged Neil Young solo and programmed drums.
I Believe the Evil Will Come to an End…
I assumed this was going to be more specifically about Musk. I have long assumed that he thinks of himself as a version of Ozymandias in the Watchmen comic/graphic novel. Having reread it during a recent hospital stay, it was so reflective of many aspects of the world today but Elon strikes me as the kind of megalomaniac who might unironically see himself as the megarich polymath who follows a perceived greater purpose to its morally questionable end. Has anyone seen the new animated versions yet?
*Having listened to the song, he’s obviously in there. I applaud the sentiment. Where are the protest songs from the mainstream?
Regarding your last question, I’ve no idea. I’m well aware I’m just a nonentity with no platform. If the U2s of the world want to perform the above, they’re welcome to. I suspect large touring entities whose performances have hitherto been known to include finger-pointing and the proselytising of values are going to be (shamefully) loath to poke any lunatic power-wielding bears in the lucrative countries in which they tour. They’ll bring their three chords and leave the truth at home. But I might be wrong.
This is actually a recurring topic of conversation among my friends and I particularly looking at the ongoing horrors of Gaza and Ukraine on the news every day. A few years back I had the idea that, if I was a famous musician, I’d start a movement to get high profile artists to re-record the Talking Heads song Life During Wartime but using localised placenames to get the public to consider, albeit on a superficial level, what it might be like if their own country was at war. I couldn’t think of anywhere I could take this Idea and I don’t have Bono’s phone number so it never went anywhere. I still think it would be an effective way to raise consciousness.
Musk might see himself as a polymath, but my understanding is that he was a gifted programmer who, granted, exploited his breakout hit to the maximum cash yield.
On the evidence presented, I would guess even his success with the ladies is somewhat contingent upon his notional wealth, although I concede that is very much not my area of expertise..
To paraphrase Mrs Merton, “What exactly did you see in billionaire Elon Musk?“
Someone once said ‘Elon Musk’s face resembles someone wearing a Halloween mask of Elon Musk’s face’.
He has a turnip for a head.
That’s a catchy chorus, Colin – I predict that I will have it stuck in my mind all day now. Thankfully it’s an earworm that I won’t mind having!
And if I hear that optimistic message enough times, perhaps I’ll believe it too…right now I’m a bit pessimistic about it.
Thank you Loki. 🙂 It only occurred to me last week that I might have accidentally reinvented (in the refrain) the chords to The Maytals ‘Funky Kingston’ – completely accidental, if so! Though when we were recording it, it did occur to me that Ali’s bass was hinting at the feel of Desmond Dekker’s ‘Israelites’. I’m inadvertently slipping into ska!
I’m pessimistic by natuire – but I thought the world (or that miniscule part of it that will ever hear my song) needed to hear something positive. The only positive thing I could think of is that these vile people will one day die – I sincerely hope sooner rather than later, because they’re a danger to the planet.
One man dies…someone else comes along. Thankfully we seem to get a few years of relative peace before the next cycle of doom. 😉
BTW, when I watched the video YouTube had the autogenerated lyrics on, and I kept them on because they were very funny in parts… 😀
I don’t know what “heat heat” means, but at least it tells us to applaud!
I’d encourage you to watch it with subtitles all the way through – you’ll get a few laughs, which we all need right now!
“yeah heat”
It’s certainly packing a lot of heat!
Nicely done, Colin and chums. It fairly rocks along. Also, even though I don’t burble or play the bass, and I’m not quite a behemoth (just big boned, thank you very much), I’d love to have “burbling bass behemoth” as my job description.
Re the subject: I see the occasional post online saying “One day we’ll wake up to his obituary” – this is usually in the context of Trump, but insert whichever leader you particularly dislike. I have an awful feeling that DJT will somehow live forever, but I suppose we can at least hold on to a shred of hope at the idea that eventually he will not be President and we will not be faced with his gurning orange features and stream-of-consciousness drivel. Every. Single. Day.
I concur. Unfortunately, there are several appalling power-wielders on every continent in the world today (Antarctica possibly excepted – unless anyone can point to any particularly megalomaniacal Penguin) doing active damage. I might have had a couple of particularly grotesque examples in mind in the song, but the ethos of the refrain applies to all of these guys the world over. Futile gestures, small victories…
Touché!
Luckily you’re not a fish @colin-h
That’s a great song – I love it. I hope you don’t mind me saying, but I can imagine the B52s covering it. Fred Schneider singing the verses and Kate & Cindy singing the chorus.
Trump is primarily motivated by money and a lot of his policy announcements have the effect of spooking the markets and once he then dials back, the markets recover. If you have that kind of power, the money you can make is eye-watering because you know what is going to happen. He is therefore behaving exactly like the bully Biff in Back to the Future 2, who finds the book that details the results of future football games. Trump will tell his buddies that he’s going to say something that will spook the markets tomorrow. He gives them a day to do what they have to do. He makes the announcement. Kerching!
Very happy listening to that Colin, excellent.
Toe-tapping excellence, Colin. Would not be out of place on London Calling. Love it!
It won’t be a hit, then. Um…
Have a heart FS… acts with minor chart placings have their place too.
You’re better than that.
Re: Trump. Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one or two of the above comments seem to assume that there will be a U.S. election in four years time.
Well… erm… maybe, and I’m sure we’d all like to think so, but why exactly would Trump leave the White House?
I’m sure he wouldn’t consider it compulsory, and who exactly is going to stop him remaining in power?
There are more checks and balances at our local Church Fete Raffle than in U.S. politics c. 2025.