50 Ways to Fight Censorship!

This is from David Marsh’s incendiary work, 50 Ways to Fight Censorshoip. It’s  a bit out of date, but nonetheless important to those who love and want to preserve one of our greatest rights: free speech. This is merely an outline of Marsh’s book courtesy of semantikon.com:

1. SPEAK OUT!
2. Register and Vote!
3. Send Your Senators and Congressperson Letters or Mailgrams.
4. Teach Your Children How to Know When Censorship Appears in the Classroom, or Elsewhere.
5. Oppose De Facto Censorship of the News Media by the Wealthy and Powerful.
6. Get Involved With Your Library.
7. Make Art That Fights Censorship.
8. Speak Out About Freedom of Speech at Schools, Churches, and to Youth Groups in Your Town.
9. Write a Letter to Your Local Paper in Defense of Free Speech.
10. Call Your Radio Station Talk Show.
11. Support Those Retailers Who Fight Against Censorship.
12. Read Banned Books. Read Everything About Censorship and First Amendment Issues.
13. Gather Information and News Clippings on Censorship and Send it to a Central Clearinghouse.
14. Buy Banned Records.
15. Write and Perform Songs About Free Speech and the Perils of Censorship.
16. Write Movie Moguls and Tell Them to Eliminate the MPAA Ratings Code.
17. Watch “The Simpsons” and Other Controversial TV Programs.
18. Contact Your Local Cable Outlet to Find Out if It’s Being Pressured to Censor Its Programming.
19. Join the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
20. Join the Freedom to Read Foundation.
21. Stop the Attack on the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA).
22. Join Article 19.
23. Support the American Booksellers Association Foundation for Free Expression.
24. Get to Know the Censorship Groups. Study Their Literature, and Expose Them to Public Scrutiny.
25. Investigate the Tax-Exempt Status of Pro-Censorship Lobbying Groups.
26. Find Out Your State’s Requirements for Purchasing Textbooks.
27. Run for Public Office On a Platform Supporting Freedom of Expression.
28. Write to Your Favorite Artists; Find Out What They’re Doing to Help Preserve Freedom of
Expression.
29. Make an Anti-Censorship Home Video Showing the Various Benefits of Free Speech in Your
Community
30. Write About Your Positive Experiences with Art.
31. Become a Voter Registrar. Organize a Voter Registration Drive.
32. Form a Group That Establishes a First Amendment Litmus Test for Politicians.
33. Start an Anti-Censorship Petition Campaign.
34. Boycott Products Made and Marketed by Companies That Fund the Censors.
35. Start a Grassroots Anti-Censorship Organization.
36. Start an Anti-Censorship Newsletter.
37. Contact Local Arts and Educational Organizations; Persuade Them to Stage a Free Speech
Events.
38. Set a Good Example by Starting a Parents Group to Combat Censorship.
39. Contact Local TV Stations and Propose a “Censored Films Festival.             
40. Use Community Access Cable or Community Radio to Raise Awareness of Free Speech Issues.
41. Stage a Mock Trial on Censorship.
42. Sue the Bastards!
43. Create a Public Service Announcement to Be Aired Over the Radio.
44. Make Sure Local Schools Have a Course on Freedom of Speech.
45. Contact Others Concerned About Censorship–Use the Classifieds!
46. Talk to Teachers About What They’re Doing to Ens ure Free Speech.
47. Picket the Censors.
48. Have a Moment of Silence to Keep Speech Free.
49. Have a Speak Out Day.
50. Make the Real Obscenities the Real Issues.

Chris DeCarlo

Black Lips Fall Tour?!

Apparently, just apparently, the Black Lips will be touring the United States again starting October 28 in North Carolina. Now it would be kind of really cool if they decided to keep going north all the way to Cambridge, Massachusetts to play the Middle East downstairs again in November. But it would be even cooler if they just zipped on over here in early August before embarking on a tour in Europe. It actually makes more sense for them to zip over here than to just peace out from Atlanta.

Boston to Vorarlberg, Austria: 3811.3 mi
Atlanta to Vorarlberg, Austria: 4125.8 mi

That extra 314.5 miles could be a real bitch. So if they just play Monday, August 10 at the Middle East downstairs, they could play an awesome sold out show and make some good dough on top of that selling more t-shirts and 200 Million Thousand CDs.

But, if for whatever reason, the above is not possible…the November thing sounds pretty cool. We Boston die-hard Black Lips fans would much appreciate another show imminently!

Glen Maganzini

New Babyshambles Album!

Pete Doherty has spoken about the next Babyshambles album, which he says is close to being written.

In an interview with French radio station Inter on July 6, Doherty revealed that Babyshambles‘ guitarist Mik Whitnall is writing all of the music for the album, leaving him to focus on the lyrics.

“Even as we speak, at this very moment in London somewhere, Mr Michael Whitnall – my erstwhile guitarist and songwriting partner in Babyshambles – is getting the demos together for our new album,” Doherty explained in the interview…. – NME

That’s very cool, but Babyshambles aren’t quite the Libertines. I’m still hoping for my fifth (previously #1) favorite band of all-time to make a comeback.

Saint Swithun’s Day

Saint Swithun was from Winchester, England and is widely remembered because on St. Switun’s Day, July 15 (my birthday),  if it rains, it will rain for forty days and forty nights!  This from the British weather love proverb:

St Swithun’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St Swithun’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain na mair

Thus far, as I recall, it has yet to rain on my date of birth.  Hopefully, this year will be the same!

Chris DeCarlo

Funny Irony

Sonic Youth’s latest, fantastic, release, The Eternal has earned the band’s highest chart performance, peaking at 18 on the Billboard 200. Previously, the band’s  highest chart placement was 34, with 1994’s Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star. Of course to a band like Sonic Youth, where artistic integrity means everything, I’m sure this is frivolous and as a fan, it is for me. On the other hand, I find it noteworthy, ironic and actually a little humorous that it is this album in particular that has reached the higher ends of the charts. As some of you already know, this album is the band’s first release without the support of a major label in over twenty years. I suppose this proves that the band did not need to be on a major label to reach wider audiences and gain some commercial success. Over the years, the band had built up enough of a fan base to let go of the major (perhaps they were on a contract with Geffen for all of these years?). We, fans, do not need anything else, but the simple notice that a new album is being released, to get off our asses and check it out. Maybe, others will play the SY game of signing to a major and creating a large following, then taking it with them when they return to their independent status. Unfortunately, it should be noted that SY is a rare example of a band that has remained completely true to themselves over the years within the corporate ogre.  All in all, check out the amazing album, The Eternal now!!!

Chris DeCarlo

Chris’ Greatest Concert Experiences (minus one)

Supreme Genius:

1. March 2009 – Black Lips/Gentleman Jesse & His Men/Mean Creek – Grade: A+ at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA

2. May 2009 – King Khan & The Shrines/Mark “BBQ” Sultan/Homosexuals (didn’t like) – Grade: A+ at the Paradise Rock Club

3. April 2009 – No Age/The Beets/Lemonade – Grade: A+ at Wellsley College

Genius:

4. October 2008 – Built to Spill/Dinosaur Jr/Meat Puppets – Grade: A at the Orpheum Theatre

5. May 2009 – Animal Collective/Grouper  (hated)– Grade: A at the House of Blues

6. August 2008 – Radiohead/Grizzly Bear (didn’t see) – Grade: A at the Comcast Center

7. November 2008 – No Age/Soft Circle/Silk Flowers – Grade: A at the Middle East

Continue reading Chris’ Greatest Concert Experiences (minus one)

My Greatest Concert Experiences!

The Best
1. March 2009 – Black Lips/Gentleman Jesse & His Men/Mean Creek – Grade: A+
2. May 2009 – King Khan & The Shrines/Mark Sultan/Homosexuals – Grade: A+
3. April 2009 – No Age/The Beets/Lemonade – Grade: A+
4. September 2009 – Walkmen/Here We Go Magic/The Dig – A+

Amazing
5. August 2008 – Radiohead/Grizzly Bear – Grade: A
5. September 2009 – The Rifles/Mike Fiore – Grade: A
6. August 2009 – Arctic Monkeys/Modey Lemon – Grade: A
7. May 2009 – Animal Collective/Grouper – Grade: A
8. September 2009 – Pains of Being Pure At Heart/Depreciation Guild/Cymbals Eat Guitars – Grade: A
9. July 2009 – Head Automatica/Cubic Zarconia – Great: A
10. July 2009 – Handsome Furs/Dri/Cinnamon Band – Grade: A
11. November 2008 – No Age/Soft Circle/Silk Flowers – Grade: A

Great
12. January 2008 – Editors/Hot Hot Heat/Louis XIV – Grade: A-
13. June 2009 – Sunset Rubdown/Elfin Saddle/Witchies – Grade: A-
14. July 2008 – No Age/High Places/Abe Vigoda/Ppalmm – Grade: A-

Continue reading My Greatest Concert Experiences!

Dell Sucks…A Problem With PM Corps.

This isn’t really a thorough, ground breaking analysis but…profit maximizing corporations suck. There is no excuse and here’s why: Dell, maybe you own a computer made by these guys, utilizes a strategy called 3-7. It’s pretty simple, three out of ten computers are efficiently produced and are expected to be immune from any major problems. The other seven computers will be prone to problems and will require some kind of repair work. This business model works out wonderfully for Dell because people who encounter a computer that requires repair will send it back for service (back to India where the repair will be incredibly cheap) OR buy another computer (Dell hopes it’s one of their “3” models that costs only $500) all together, figuring it’s too much of a hassle to wait for a repair. Dell doesn’t mind repairing computers or assisting people in their difficulties. Their cheaply manufactured products will make them a shit load of money in sales and cost them only slightly in expenses and production. This kind of profiting off of bad things happening is not uncommon. It’s been around for years — the automotive industry has been a consistent example over the years of purposely making shoddily and unsafe parts and accessories. That’s because the cost of repair (paying damages to victims of an “accident” OFTEN subsidized by the government through TAXPAYER monies) is minutely important relative to profit, which will always be there. It can and has been argued that many industries make money off of bad things happening. And honestly I don’t feel like I am in the business to propose a lasting solution to this terrible problem. Social business is a start, perhaps most feasible in an industrial age like ours.

Boston based shows/fests – DIY, punk, noise