Stratos 67 - After the tragic events in Florida, the leaders of a number of so-called “intelligent” extraterrestrial species have called for officially breaking ranks with the human race.
“I expect other intelligent species to strongly dissociate with the human race to show their disapproval of such acts” claimed Juppos34 on his social media profile. Right now, already campaigning for the upcoming stellar elections with his anti-Zarmianr dimensional wall project, Juzoth II expressed horror at what he called yet another example that humans should not expand to the rest of the galaxy, hence record-keeping should be implemented as a preventive measure.
On the other hand, several other dignitaries sought not to stigmatise the whole human race, considering it to be isolated acts of individuals calling themselves humans but contradicting what an intelligent species is. “Humans should not be accountable for these people. Remember that humans are the foremost victims of such tragedy.”
For better or for worse, here we are at the gates of the Summer Solstice as the shortest night of the year will be unfolding under the powerful gaze of the full moon. A rare occurrence: the sun will enter the sign of Cancer on the 20th and not on the 21st as usual (at 10:34 pm UK time) in the context of a planetary Grand Square. As if the climate wasn't tense enough! These clashing energies should put a strain on our minds (Mercury), causing confusion (Neptune square), outbursts (Jupiter square), and utmost frustration (Saturn opposition). In other words, the sky is about to fall! In facing this flow of darkness, it is essential for our own salvation to place a high priority on maintaining our precarious inner balance so we won't get swayed by outside influences all focused on discouraging and destabilising us.
A melancholic song from the Reckoning album which had introduced me to R.E.M. back in the 1980's, relating perfectly to the current weather situation. As guitarist Peter Buck recalls “'So. Central Rain' is a million and a half years old. I remember when Michael wrote the lyrics to that. We were actually travelling, and we were watching the news and there was a storm front through the South [the band is from Georgia], and he tried to call home and the phone lines were down. And, if memory serves, it said 'south central rain' on the TV — or maybe Michael made it up; I can't remember.”
Ey@el
Did you never call? I waited for your call. These rivers of suggestion are driving me away. The trees will bend, The cities washed away. In the city on the river, There is a girl without a dream. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
Eastern to Mountain third party call: The lines are down The wise man built his words upon the rocks, But I'm not bound to follow suit. The trees will bend, The conversation's dimmed. Go build yourself another home, This choice isn't mine. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
Did you never call? I waited for your call. These rivers of suggestion are driving me away. The ocean sang, The conversation's dimmed. Go build yourself another dream, This choice isn't mine. I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...
Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts – artworks, expressing the author's imaginative or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.
Who never pondered about real art seeing other people or even the media go into raptures over some piece of art while they remained totally unimpressed and nonplussed? I think there's much more to it than a simple matter of taste or education. Try as we might to figure it out, define it or fit it into well-defined boxes as we do with about everything, art will always remain purely subjective and constantly changing. Anyone claiming to fully grasp the whole concept of art would be more of a smug and an hypocrite. That said, you may sometimes wonder what's wrong with you. Like when you studied and spent hours gazing at the paintings of the Impressionists at the Louvre and then took a look at some coloured dot on a blank canvas stamped “work of art” at the National Gallery in London (with a shocking price tag), it certainly does make one wonder. As pointed out with great humour and derision by French comedian threesome les Inconnus in the above popular 1980's parody (sorry no subtitles available). Not in order to disparage some sort of extreme “provocative art” form, but in my humble opinion, to remind us that it's mostly the commercial considerations deliberately attached to it that makes it both “elitist” and difficult to grasp for the average man. Shouldn't art rather be an intuitive thing and assessed as such? I would very much to hear your views in the comment section below.
Ey@el
Art has taken many forms over the course of our history, and our definitions of it have changed dramatically, too. Plato believed it to be an imitation of nature, and we held on to that notion for many years, but by the 19th century, photography had largely filled this role.
In the 20th century, abstract art presented the idea that art was far more than simply representation. Art is a mysterious beast, and its interpretation remains incredibly subjective, yet, as a society, we still find boundaries within studio walls that keep our brains from bursting over the question: What is art?
The art world says that anything can be art, so long as an artist says it is. Just think of the artist Marcel Duchamp and his infamous white porcelain urinal that challenged our notion of art to its core. It was the “loo that shook the world,” signed “R.Mutt” and titled Fountain. And that was back in 1917. So should we really be surprised that some people call splashing a bunch of paint on a wall art? Or someone sitting for700 consecutive hours?
Released in 1979, Rust Never Sleeps by Neil Young & Crazy Horse was my very first LP bought on the same year (I know some would have rather thought of the Beatles or the Who, but they would have been all wrong). And to this day I still enjoy it as much. Oddly enough, I was reminded of this song recently after a nasty fit of the blues I thought I'd never overcome. You would think my guardian angel is a musician.
My My, Hey Hey
My my, hey hey Rock and roll is here to stay It's better to burn out than to fade away My my, hey hey
Out of the blue and into the black They give you this, but you pay for that And once you're gone, you can never come back When you're out of the blue and into the black
The king is gone but he's not forgotten Is this the story of a Johnny Rotten? It's better to burn out than it is to rust The king is gone but he's not forgotten
Hey hey, my my Rock and roll can never die There's more to the picture than meets the eye Hey hey, my my
Neil Young, 1979
About this song
Featured on the above-mentioned album that kind of resurrected Neil Young's career right up in the midst of punk rock explosion — that old has-been hippie who had completely lost touch with his generation — this track exists both as an acoustic version (the one I chose) and one electric entitled "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)".
Most notably, the line “It's better to burn out than to fade away” had a great impact on the grunge movement, specially after Kurt Cobain quoted it in his suicide letter which earned Young the unexpected status of “grunge mentor”. Oasis, intentionally — or simply as a proof of good taste as fortunately the legendary bullshit of the Gallagher brothers only affects their personalities — covered this song during their 2000 tour and so did Big Country.
Although not cryptic, some lines of the lyrics have multiple related meanings. Neil Young does express himself both literally and figuratively referring to those previously unknown stars that came “out of the blue” and ultimately left the limelight to go “into the black”. Obviously another possible interpretation would be the transition from depression to suicide as was the case for the late singer of Nirvana.
FR
