from Inspector Gadgets blog:
Metcountymounty-
...Even with force mobilisation we would have had a problem clearing it, it would have been brilliant but messy, and no good news would come out of it. Back to the days of mass raves now, they’ve tried and won, and we’re now screwed....
This was his response to being present at the Scumoween Rave over the weekend reported in the paper.
Rave hordes in 18-hour spree of destruction at former Royal Mail depot in central London
Illegal Holborn Rave Was A Smokers’ Revolution And Against State Control
I used to read Metcountymounty's blog and I must admit I was disappointed when he stopped blogging. I am very much in favour of Police blogs. It is a sort of accountability which is more realistic than press releases or "on high" officers with no direct experience of what they are talking about making measured statements which mean fuck all.
What's not been mentioned-
This was the third time this building has been partied, there may have been more. The idea that anyone could do any more damage to it isn't very credible.
I've heard various stories of what happened. The ITN piece about raves "coming back" was hilarious.
I think this was the fifth scumtek over the last couple of years, with over thirty rigs at each. Not really my scene. Obviously this one was reported cos it was in the West End and because there was trouble for a while. My band were playing at a fairly large squat party in a slightly more secluded place elsewhere in London.
I make no comment on what I didn't personally witness but I will say-
The sort of squat parties we get booked at charge a fair bit of money and attract a different crowd. They also put a load more money into decor and sound equipment but they are about the same size as skumtek. They are basically everything you could ask for from a professional nightclub (except for bloody toilets) with security who can look after security rather than having to steal peoples drugs from them to give to the council. They never ever have any problem with the Police because they talk to them in a polite and professional manner.
I used to do some of the more hairier Hackney parties where I used to specialise in talking to the cops to convince them not to bust us. I think I might have written about them somewhere. It was just such a damn interesting cultural barrier to cross at whatever level of inebriation I was on at the time.
(Just found one- see POLICE OFFICER NO GIVE ME PRODUCER)
There are loads of comments about the Police throughout this blog.
...Back to the days of mass raves now, they’ve tried and won, and we’re now screwed....
I am sorry Metcountymounty feels this way. For one thing, what is "back to the days"? When have mass raved ever stopped? We have been playing at raves of between 2 and 4 thousand people for years now with no trouble from or given to the Police. How are they screwed? They make the same decisions every weekend all over London. If they get to a party which is setting up they can bust it and stop it. If the building already has thousands of people out of their heads inside, its better to leave it and do what needs doing on Saturday night surely.
See ITS THE SMOKE- the last one a couple of weeks back including a picture of a lone Policeman being taken for a tour of the venue as everything was winding down. I sat eating chips with the TSG in Camden one time when they inexplicably bust the trance party next door and left ours alone.
I am sorry Metcountymounty is so enthusiastic to fight with people. He sounds just like some squatters I used to know.
More interesting comments from Metcountymounty
...What pisses me off is the fact that they had the gall to do it in central london, in the middle of a high residential population KNOWING that our spineless as fuck bosses would ultimately let them. They KNOW that the media hate us and will slate us no matter what, they KNOW that most of the population who will speak up are left wing pussies who will take any opportunity to have a go at us and they KNOW that ultimately they will get away with it....
Obviously I am hoping Scumtek hasn't Castle Mortoned our ventures in London. I am not in favour of rubbing "their" nose in it just because you can. That's how the CJB came about. Wake up. We are a minority. They don't understand us. I don't buy any of this shit about "parties should be free" either. in my experience the people who used to shout this the loudest used to make shit loads from selling drugs.
another retired officer-
..All sounds like a return to the 90′s when I was on the TSG, spent innumerable lare turn commissioner’s reserves dealing with raves and pay parties. Must say though, that the illegal S&M rave in an archway under the railway bridge in Brick La...ne in Bethnal Green was more than compensation for all the aggro. I’ve never seen so many females in leather and rubber in one place in my life…..
The Policeman is right. I was at this party and it was amazing. I forget who the people who organised it were but it's a real shame they don't do stuff any more as they were seriously forward thinking people.
Reality check for anyone who is interested- Why am I against parties in legal venues? A certain huge South London venue which was recently closed down used to have to pass the council a box full of drugs to the value of x pounds every month to keep their license. Do you think they collected this amount of drugs on hardcore drum and bass nights or fluffy trance nights? I got totally sick of getting into a frame of mind where I was enjoying myself and causing no harm to anyone and then suddenly seeing the person next to me assaulted by wankers wearing black. I voted with my feet along with everyone else.
I take a very dim view of causing the Police problems on Saturday night when they have serious stuff to attend to, the law is not their fault and I have no influence on how they enforce it. We just do what we do. My interest is in understanding why we do it.
More on the spot footage from Skum'oween break in
UPDATE: Police bust party as it is setting up. Cheers Scum'oween! Nice one guys! Any more bright ideas?
..
Showing posts with label squatting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label squatting. Show all posts
November 02, 2010
October 09, 2009
September 22, 2009
September 21, 2009
MAYFAIR SQUATTING
I have been unable to visit an exhibition by some more Mayfair squatters, the Art Collective Oubillete but it sounds like they have been having fun. Lucky Jim blogs about their art show here and appears on Talk Radio Europe talking about squatting here.
He also links to a very interesting article about Paul Palmer, Westminster City Council's empty-property officer.
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He also links to a very interesting article about Paul Palmer, Westminster City Council's empty-property officer.
..
March 12, 2009
February 28, 2009
STIMULUS PACKAGE
With foreclosures skyrocketing and U.S. families sinking deeper into poverty, a number of organisations are turning to a new strategy to end homelessness: moving families into vacant, foreclosed houses that are currently owned by banks or the government...
...One advocacy group in Miami, Florida, Take Back the Land, has already moved seven families into foreclosed properties.
So far, city officials in Miami have declined to get involved, telling local newspapers that it is up to the property's owners - usually, the banks - to initiate any actions.
Four of the Miami families have already moved on to better situations, having been able to save up money during their months of squatting. Only once have police forced a family out of an abandoned property, but activists simply moved them to another one of thousands of vacant properties...
..
...One advocacy group in Miami, Florida, Take Back the Land, has already moved seven families into foreclosed properties.
So far, city officials in Miami have declined to get involved, telling local newspapers that it is up to the property's owners - usually, the banks - to initiate any actions.
Four of the Miami families have already moved on to better situations, having been able to save up money during their months of squatting. Only once have police forced a family out of an abandoned property, but activists simply moved them to another one of thousands of vacant properties...
..
February 12, 2009
SPIKE
The Spike got evicted today. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved there over the years. I have had some seriously good times in that place. As a band we have recorded there a few times and I have been to some legendary Halloween parties. The Spike is a South London community whether the council like it or not.
The auction will be in about a month, we have been working around the idea of getting a bid together as some sort of cooperative. The Spike were turned down, first time by Triodos, we think with some self build housing which retains the community aspects of the space maybe another stab?
The ballifs said they would give the guys two weeks notice. In the event they came in with a few Police at 7 AM. I would imagine the Police did a quick risk assesment, saw the big gate and that the space is pretty much inaccesible from anywhere else. They imagined what opportunty two weeks notice might give the sorts of people they see around here and thought surprise was the less man power option. I spoke to the Cops through the gate and they gave me a number at the council to ring to get our stuff out.
We were very lucky to do one of the final shows in the building. We heard of the eviction during rehersals and were lining up potential stand in venues, in the end the show was fantastic. I fucking love drunk shakespeare. Watching a group of nervous friends having the balls to voodoo their understanding of Lear just knocks the bollocks off of anything I have seen from people who have been to acting school.
Other reviews from friends of mine-
Its Shakespeare. I couldn't understand a fucking word etc etc.
I particularly love what the foreign accent does to Shakespeare. True, you often can't understand the words, but you have a different slant on the colour of the characters and the meaning. We practiced the eye pulling scene a few times, but having built the actual chair days before the production we had never had a run through where we haven't had to stop, check that the poor guy was comfortable, high enough on the chair, leaned far enough back that he could shout his lines into the air for all to hear etc..
In the event I was punching the air in front of me at the way a little slight of hand, some rustled up fake blood and a couple of lychees could provoke an audience. We were lucky that our original idea of using pigs eyes fell foul of the venues vegan rules. That cosmic conspiracy, and the line "If you see vengance" spoken to the eye as it looks into the teeth that will consume it- what can I say?
Top banana to all involved. It was definatley the biggest struggle so far for the actors. I really felt for them, but now we have Lear, as part of a repertoire.
We had some camera at the back but until I get the tapes I will just put this up.
.
The auction will be in about a month, we have been working around the idea of getting a bid together as some sort of cooperative. The Spike were turned down, first time by Triodos, we think with some self build housing which retains the community aspects of the space maybe another stab?
The ballifs said they would give the guys two weeks notice. In the event they came in with a few Police at 7 AM. I would imagine the Police did a quick risk assesment, saw the big gate and that the space is pretty much inaccesible from anywhere else. They imagined what opportunty two weeks notice might give the sorts of people they see around here and thought surprise was the less man power option. I spoke to the Cops through the gate and they gave me a number at the council to ring to get our stuff out.
We were very lucky to do one of the final shows in the building. We heard of the eviction during rehersals and were lining up potential stand in venues, in the end the show was fantastic. I fucking love drunk shakespeare. Watching a group of nervous friends having the balls to voodoo their understanding of Lear just knocks the bollocks off of anything I have seen from people who have been to acting school.
Other reviews from friends of mine-
Its Shakespeare. I couldn't understand a fucking word etc etc.
I particularly love what the foreign accent does to Shakespeare. True, you often can't understand the words, but you have a different slant on the colour of the characters and the meaning. We practiced the eye pulling scene a few times, but having built the actual chair days before the production we had never had a run through where we haven't had to stop, check that the poor guy was comfortable, high enough on the chair, leaned far enough back that he could shout his lines into the air for all to hear etc..
In the event I was punching the air in front of me at the way a little slight of hand, some rustled up fake blood and a couple of lychees could provoke an audience. We were lucky that our original idea of using pigs eyes fell foul of the venues vegan rules. That cosmic conspiracy, and the line "If you see vengance" spoken to the eye as it looks into the teeth that will consume it- what can I say?
Top banana to all involved. It was definatley the biggest struggle so far for the actors. I really felt for them, but now we have Lear, as part of a repertoire.
We had some camera at the back but until I get the tapes I will just put this up.
.
January 22, 2009
MORE WEST END SQUATTERS
According to The Sun, around 20 "hippies" have set up home in the seven-storey properties in London's Park Lane, famous for its super-rich residents, luxury car dealers and hotels.
The group told the paper they spent their time strumming guitars, creating artworks and taking their dogs for walks in Hyde Park opposite.
One of the squatters, called Martin, said: "The view at sunset over Hyde Park is just magic - especially from the penthouse. I really love it here."
..
The group told the paper they spent their time strumming guitars, creating artworks and taking their dogs for walks in Hyde Park opposite.
One of the squatters, called Martin, said: "The view at sunset over Hyde Park is just magic - especially from the penthouse. I really love it here."
..
January 12, 2009
THINKING AND JOURNALISM
The Temporary School of Thought lives on for another two weeks in Mayfair!
Talking with a few of them they are shy of pubicity which is fair enough. Squat multi million pound properties and you are going to get this aren't you. I think "Posh squatting" is really good for stunt journalism and mainstream media infiltration as long as people enjoy it. When I used to do this sort of thing, at the start of this blog for instance I enjoyed riding the tail and blazing the trail of papers and TV with some good results but it did drive me quite nutty.
The journalists who made stuff about us wanted a positive story and were prepared to overlook negative things which could have been written about us- like the fact that we had moved most of the posse round the corner into an empty building on the site of one of the poshest schools in North London where TS Elliot and Sir Clive Sinclair had spent their youth. The school governers shit themselves, thinking we must have done it on purpose for some sort of "protest". They didn't think anyone could have been stupid enough to do such a thing by accident. We were. I have film of Brazilians happily tattooing each other in the basement, I will have to dig it out.
When the BBC and ITV London pieces about us went out on TV I was expecting a Sun headline the next day "Nice neighbour squatters squat school building in term time" but thankfully the School governers didn't want this sort of publicity. In court they were lined up looking very worried. We made no defence and apoligized profusely saying what a beautiful building it was. They waived the court costs we were liable for and I thanked them. Their posession order was immediate, we just about had enough time to break somewhere else and get everyone out.
When the caretaker turned up to secure the building he was laughing. I was mortified that some people had fucking scratched their names on oak doors. he didn't give a shit saying the building was having a 6 million pound refit anyway.
Over the years I have found the Evening Standard (a rightwing paper) to be invariably positive about squatters who use squats in a positive manner and negative about squatters who trash places. Because they are London based, where space is a premium I think they appreciate basic enterprise and the criminality of buildings left empty.
What is totally missing from The Temporary School of Thought is all the huge amount of internal madness, agro and drug consumtion connected to my experiences of this sort of thing. A lot of this is because these are all young students who wouldn't be homeless without the place like the bogus assylum seekers and crazies we lived with would have been. Missing also are all the moany, arsey old "activists" going on about "the Movement" and falling out with each other. I have never met such a positve bunch of squatters on a mission.
Here's a fairly positive article in The Evening Standard plus loads of links from Hexayurts Twitter page including audio from Vinnay Gupta's excellent talk about infrastructure I was blogging about the other day. Listen to this, it makes total sense! I just noticed I have appeared in the corner of a photo.
Personally I like all journalism about squatting and squatters, even bad stuff is just funny. Simply it is really good to document these things.
..
Talking with a few of them they are shy of pubicity which is fair enough. Squat multi million pound properties and you are going to get this aren't you. I think "Posh squatting" is really good for stunt journalism and mainstream media infiltration as long as people enjoy it. When I used to do this sort of thing, at the start of this blog for instance I enjoyed riding the tail and blazing the trail of papers and TV with some good results but it did drive me quite nutty.
The journalists who made stuff about us wanted a positive story and were prepared to overlook negative things which could have been written about us- like the fact that we had moved most of the posse round the corner into an empty building on the site of one of the poshest schools in North London where TS Elliot and Sir Clive Sinclair had spent their youth. The school governers shit themselves, thinking we must have done it on purpose for some sort of "protest". They didn't think anyone could have been stupid enough to do such a thing by accident. We were. I have film of Brazilians happily tattooing each other in the basement, I will have to dig it out.
When the BBC and ITV London pieces about us went out on TV I was expecting a Sun headline the next day "Nice neighbour squatters squat school building in term time" but thankfully the School governers didn't want this sort of publicity. In court they were lined up looking very worried. We made no defence and apoligized profusely saying what a beautiful building it was. They waived the court costs we were liable for and I thanked them. Their posession order was immediate, we just about had enough time to break somewhere else and get everyone out.
When the caretaker turned up to secure the building he was laughing. I was mortified that some people had fucking scratched their names on oak doors. he didn't give a shit saying the building was having a 6 million pound refit anyway.
Over the years I have found the Evening Standard (a rightwing paper) to be invariably positive about squatters who use squats in a positive manner and negative about squatters who trash places. Because they are London based, where space is a premium I think they appreciate basic enterprise and the criminality of buildings left empty.
What is totally missing from The Temporary School of Thought is all the huge amount of internal madness, agro and drug consumtion connected to my experiences of this sort of thing. A lot of this is because these are all young students who wouldn't be homeless without the place like the bogus assylum seekers and crazies we lived with would have been. Missing also are all the moany, arsey old "activists" going on about "the Movement" and falling out with each other. I have never met such a positve bunch of squatters on a mission.
Here's a fairly positive article in The Evening Standard plus loads of links from Hexayurts Twitter page including audio from Vinnay Gupta's excellent talk about infrastructure I was blogging about the other day. Listen to this, it makes total sense! I just noticed I have appeared in the corner of a photo.
Personally I like all journalism about squatting and squatters, even bad stuff is just funny. Simply it is really good to document these things.
..
November 27, 2008
April 13, 2007
BLAME TAA
[T]emporary [A]utonomous [A]rt [LONDON]
Wed 16th – Sat 19th MAY 2007 FREE entry
Opening hours: Weds–Fri: 2pm – midnight. Sat: midday – midnight
www.taaexhibitions.org / www.randomartists.org
4 days of gallery, performance, music, film and workshops in a reclaimed central London venue. More information and full programme as it comes in: www.taaexhibitions.org All contributions welcome. email: info@randomartists.org ….these details are just for the London event.
You can also check out the group to blame for the London TAAs: www.randomartists.org
Wed 16th – Sat 19th MAY 2007 FREE entry
Opening hours: Weds–Fri: 2pm – midnight. Sat: midday – midnight
www.taaexhibitions.org / www.randomartists.org
4 days of gallery, performance, music, film and workshops in a reclaimed central London venue. More information and full programme as it comes in: www.taaexhibitions.org All contributions welcome. email: info@randomartists.org ….these details are just for the London event.
You can also check out the group to blame for the London TAAs: www.randomartists.org
February 26, 2007
June 04, 2006
I boned er innit.
Squatting has been a way of life for the past five years. "I feel freer than if I was renting. I can write on the walls if I want. Every time I try to settle down, I get claustrophobic and have to run. Squatting is the only time I've felt at home." She is part of a community who move round the country, seeking out empty buildings. "They have to have been derelict for a long time, otherwise it wouldn't be morally justifiable." They change the locks, set up home, restore the building, host free parties, get evicted, and move on. Despite the chaotic homelife, she finds the peace to write. "I try to have my own separate space, writing on my laptop. I've killed three so far."
Writing has been interspersed with a cycle of trance parties, squatting, moving on and getting married.
Writing has been interspersed with a cycle of trance parties, squatting, moving on and getting married.
September 19, 2005
TAG ME UP
Fuckin hate taggers. Don't know what they are where you come from but here "taggers" are neandertal fuck-heads who have to write their fucking name everywhere with spray cans in a "dogpiss-to-mark-its-fuckin-territory" styley.
Nothing wrong with Graffiti artists, nothing wrong with Graffer's signing their work, but fucking tagging shits used to ruin my environment frequently. A dark art-less art.
That said, apparently I have now been tagged from Texas by the lovely Tequilita which means I have to answer some questions, so here goes:
10 years ago: Living in a squat in Dalston, East London. Partying Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My backdrops were new. I thought I had discovered a new way of painting where I shone a bright light at a huge white canvas and after doing a two litre bucket bong I would fill in the shapes I saw with a black marker. I watched my paintings paint themselves in this way. I proceeded to get ripped off for them by every psychedelic trance promoter in London. I took acid most days and believed a psychedelic human awakening was going on. When I came down I really came down which I couldn't handle so I went back up again. My favourite moments were when people on acid used to come up to me and say
"Your paintings really fucked my head up."
I thought that was job done. I found it wierd that they all looked sort of "dragon like" and thought that some "dragon energy" was trying to access this world through them.
Most memorable nights..erm...Juno Reactor live in Tysen st and Linford Studios, Parallel Youniversity at Bagleys on Wednesdays, a Flying Rhino party when Mass opened in Brixton.. I think this was in 95 anyway.Indescribable screaming heavily sexual crazy dancefloor vibe. Superhuman dancing.
5 Years ago: Doing Ketamine, Pushkar, India. Travelling with a ladel with burn marks from the candle I cooked the K in and some stone balls I was carving (Trust me to take up stone carving whilst backpaking) Did Vipassna for the first time which cured me from depression for 2 months at least. It was great doing K at Hindu festivals because no one seemed to notice in the frenzy. Seriously wierd things happened by that strange lake and on the crystal mountain which overlooks the town.
1 Year ago: Getting evicted from some squat it looks like, can't quite tell from my archive which one. I think I was arguing with Abu Abdullah. Not sure. My IWC Media doc pitch focusing on Abdullah fucked up too. Abu Hamza was not long arrested.
Yesterday: On my mates boat drinking wine in civilized company.
5 songs I know all the words to: I know all the words to so many songs it is untrue. Easy ones to mention here would be the whole of AC/DC's Back in Black album, Most of Black Sabbath's stuff, but I remember all the words to stupid pop songs I don't even know I know. All of them. I don't know why.
5 snacks: Boring. I eat nougat, plantain crisps, flapjacks, cereals, dates, crystsalised ginger...
5 things I'd do with $100 million: Pay for the summer of love in a major city somewhere. Start a revolution in London. Something outrageous involving debauchery and drugs and me probably. Buy a ticket anywhere and start walking, keep walking buying tickets and going round and round the world completely at random on random forms of transport for the rest of my life. Build an earthship somewhere and an amazing eco-village to make parites in, probably in India or Cambodia or anywhere tropical. I'd swap the whole $100 million if I could have J-Lo's butt in front of me forever.
5 places I'd run away to: Anywhere tropical where the women are dark and lovely. Mozambique, Thailand (again) Ghana, That huge waterfall in Venezuela, India (again)
5 things I'd never wear: New clothes unless I know where they have been made. I don't wear shirts with collars very much. Shalwar Kamieze and me didn't get on in Pakistan, cant think of anything. No problem with dresses and make-up...Oh, I'd never wear those hip-hop/skater trousers which hang off your ass to look like you have turd in them. Nothing against them, they don't suit me.
5 joys: Trailriding, dancing on acid, sound of waves, bongs, talking to people whos views I don't share with a camera running.
5 toys: I'd like? Trailbike. Hard-tail jap engined chopper. Old Biodiesel bus to live in, something ecentric and high-up like an old Alvis or something. Lancaster bomber. Always wanted one. Gypsy moth bi-plane.
5 people to tag: Bill X Nillson rarely blogs about himself and has intrigued me recently. Right and Blond has also touched briefly in conversation on a life I'd like to know more about. Goldenballs for the same reason. I've e-known the Scrutinator for a long time without knowing much about him. I don't know. I suppose Mike likes blogging about himself although answering questions like this might not be abstract enough for him and I know most of the answers...Du Monde doesn't have a blog but leaves comments in very strange language on Sparkles blog...Oh and Bold as Love called me a United Kingdom fuck and a motherfucker. Hes got an interesting blog, maybe he'd have a go at this. Thats 7.
Nothing wrong with Graffiti artists, nothing wrong with Graffer's signing their work, but fucking tagging shits used to ruin my environment frequently. A dark art-less art.
That said, apparently I have now been tagged from Texas by the lovely Tequilita which means I have to answer some questions, so here goes:
10 years ago: Living in a squat in Dalston, East London. Partying Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. My backdrops were new. I thought I had discovered a new way of painting where I shone a bright light at a huge white canvas and after doing a two litre bucket bong I would fill in the shapes I saw with a black marker. I watched my paintings paint themselves in this way. I proceeded to get ripped off for them by every psychedelic trance promoter in London. I took acid most days and believed a psychedelic human awakening was going on. When I came down I really came down which I couldn't handle so I went back up again. My favourite moments were when people on acid used to come up to me and say
"Your paintings really fucked my head up."
I thought that was job done. I found it wierd that they all looked sort of "dragon like" and thought that some "dragon energy" was trying to access this world through them.
Most memorable nights..erm...Juno Reactor live in Tysen st and Linford Studios, Parallel Youniversity at Bagleys on Wednesdays, a Flying Rhino party when Mass opened in Brixton.. I think this was in 95 anyway.Indescribable screaming heavily sexual crazy dancefloor vibe. Superhuman dancing.
5 Years ago: Doing Ketamine, Pushkar, India. Travelling with a ladel with burn marks from the candle I cooked the K in and some stone balls I was carving (Trust me to take up stone carving whilst backpaking) Did Vipassna for the first time which cured me from depression for 2 months at least. It was great doing K at Hindu festivals because no one seemed to notice in the frenzy. Seriously wierd things happened by that strange lake and on the crystal mountain which overlooks the town.
1 Year ago: Getting evicted from some squat it looks like, can't quite tell from my archive which one. I think I was arguing with Abu Abdullah. Not sure. My IWC Media doc pitch focusing on Abdullah fucked up too. Abu Hamza was not long arrested.
Yesterday: On my mates boat drinking wine in civilized company.
5 songs I know all the words to: I know all the words to so many songs it is untrue. Easy ones to mention here would be the whole of AC/DC's Back in Black album, Most of Black Sabbath's stuff, but I remember all the words to stupid pop songs I don't even know I know. All of them. I don't know why.
5 snacks: Boring. I eat nougat, plantain crisps, flapjacks, cereals, dates, crystsalised ginger...
5 things I'd do with $100 million: Pay for the summer of love in a major city somewhere. Start a revolution in London. Something outrageous involving debauchery and drugs and me probably. Buy a ticket anywhere and start walking, keep walking buying tickets and going round and round the world completely at random on random forms of transport for the rest of my life. Build an earthship somewhere and an amazing eco-village to make parites in, probably in India or Cambodia or anywhere tropical. I'd swap the whole $100 million if I could have J-Lo's butt in front of me forever.
5 places I'd run away to: Anywhere tropical where the women are dark and lovely. Mozambique, Thailand (again) Ghana, That huge waterfall in Venezuela, India (again)
5 things I'd never wear: New clothes unless I know where they have been made. I don't wear shirts with collars very much. Shalwar Kamieze and me didn't get on in Pakistan, cant think of anything. No problem with dresses and make-up...Oh, I'd never wear those hip-hop/skater trousers which hang off your ass to look like you have turd in them. Nothing against them, they don't suit me.
5 joys: Trailriding, dancing on acid, sound of waves, bongs, talking to people whos views I don't share with a camera running.
5 toys: I'd like? Trailbike. Hard-tail jap engined chopper. Old Biodiesel bus to live in, something ecentric and high-up like an old Alvis or something. Lancaster bomber. Always wanted one. Gypsy moth bi-plane.
5 people to tag: Bill X Nillson rarely blogs about himself and has intrigued me recently. Right and Blond has also touched briefly in conversation on a life I'd like to know more about. Goldenballs for the same reason. I've e-known the Scrutinator for a long time without knowing much about him. I don't know. I suppose Mike likes blogging about himself although answering questions like this might not be abstract enough for him and I know most of the answers...Du Monde doesn't have a blog but leaves comments in very strange language on Sparkles blog...Oh and Bold as Love called me a United Kingdom fuck and a motherfucker. Hes got an interesting blog, maybe he'd have a go at this. Thats 7.
July 08, 2005
ENLIGHTENMENT
Name and shame all the bastards who profited from terror yesterday! Fucking hotels doubling their prices. Wankers. Should be ashamed of themselves. I found it understandably difficult to get anyone to look after my bag outside the Old Bailey today.
The fucking Injuns in the Spar (small uk supermarket) wanted £5. I went back to the Italians for £2 but was honestly suprised anyone would take it in the circumstances. So happens a friend of mine walked past who works in nearby leather lane so I am sorted for next week.
I've found another link. La Stampa. Is that like, the La Stampa? As in the Italian national newspaper?
And what does
Qualcuno saputo delle accuse ad Al Qaeda parla di Abu Hamza.
mean?
Is it another person calling me a fucking terrorist lover?
I'm afraid I still can't tell you what is happening in court today. I've considered sending my notes to Republican bloggers to publish in America. Would that still be illegal? Don't want to piss the judge off. I've actually heard a couple of cases quoted which might be helpful to my squatting buddies.
I am a bit frustrated being a blogger who would like to scoop the big boys. (sorry I AM NOT A BLOGGER am I Matt drudge?) Suffice to say that if you know anything about this case the "legal arguments" taking place are BLEEDIN' OBVIOUS ones.
I wish I could post a picture of all the journalists on the press bench secretly reading their newspapers. Hamza's not interested, journalists not interested, that leaves me, the judge and two barristers! Fuck it, I'm going to blog about celebrities or reality TV instead.
Anyway, on to the title of this post-
If ever you get a chance to watch a film called What the bleep do we know? watch it. It is ENLIGHTENMENT IN A MOVIE. Fucking amazing. When I first saw fractals, and how for the first time a computer could really rival man as an artist I thought- Yes. That is the answer and the question rolled into one. Fractals are a huge influence on my own artwork.
I've heard of particle physicists and quantum mechanics (mechanicals?) getting excited about their shit in a "spiritual way" but this film is the first to explain to me how and why. Watch it, and when you do, stick a little comment up here if you have the time! I would be interested to know what you think, regardless what you think of me.
When it comes to religion I am a strange one. Those who read this blog may be surprised that I have never been tempted by Islam. I lost a very deeply held Christian faith at the age of 16 mainly because of sex drugs and rock and roll (although they came to me reverse order).
I certainly am not "anti-god concept" at all, and am wondering why I still have group membership to the quality control alliance. I am beginning to think that I am a pantheist, but that is probably only because a friend of mine who is an RE teacher left a book on pantheism around the house.
As a general rule when people ask me what I believe I always say that I don't believe in belief. There either is a God or there isn't one. What I believe makes no difference to that fact. Being a malung, Hinduism isn't far from my "pantheon". It is also to my knowledge, the only religion in recent times to have a genuine miracle reported internationally on television.
The fucking Injuns in the Spar (small uk supermarket) wanted £5. I went back to the Italians for £2 but was honestly suprised anyone would take it in the circumstances. So happens a friend of mine walked past who works in nearby leather lane so I am sorted for next week.
I've found another link. La Stampa. Is that like, the La Stampa? As in the Italian national newspaper?
And what does
Qualcuno saputo delle accuse ad Al Qaeda parla di Abu Hamza.
mean?
Is it another person calling me a fucking terrorist lover?
I'm afraid I still can't tell you what is happening in court today. I've considered sending my notes to Republican bloggers to publish in America. Would that still be illegal? Don't want to piss the judge off. I've actually heard a couple of cases quoted which might be helpful to my squatting buddies.
I am a bit frustrated being a blogger who would like to scoop the big boys. (sorry I AM NOT A BLOGGER am I Matt drudge?) Suffice to say that if you know anything about this case the "legal arguments" taking place are BLEEDIN' OBVIOUS ones.
I wish I could post a picture of all the journalists on the press bench secretly reading their newspapers. Hamza's not interested, journalists not interested, that leaves me, the judge and two barristers! Fuck it, I'm going to blog about celebrities or reality TV instead.
Anyway, on to the title of this post-
If ever you get a chance to watch a film called What the bleep do we know? watch it. It is ENLIGHTENMENT IN A MOVIE. Fucking amazing. When I first saw fractals, and how for the first time a computer could really rival man as an artist I thought- Yes. That is the answer and the question rolled into one. Fractals are a huge influence on my own artwork.
I've heard of particle physicists and quantum mechanics (mechanicals?) getting excited about their shit in a "spiritual way" but this film is the first to explain to me how and why. Watch it, and when you do, stick a little comment up here if you have the time! I would be interested to know what you think, regardless what you think of me.
When it comes to religion I am a strange one. Those who read this blog may be surprised that I have never been tempted by Islam. I lost a very deeply held Christian faith at the age of 16 mainly because of sex drugs and rock and roll (although they came to me reverse order).
I certainly am not "anti-god concept" at all, and am wondering why I still have group membership to the quality control alliance. I am beginning to think that I am a pantheist, but that is probably only because a friend of mine who is an RE teacher left a book on pantheism around the house.
As a general rule when people ask me what I believe I always say that I don't believe in belief. There either is a God or there isn't one. What I believe makes no difference to that fact. Being a malung, Hinduism isn't far from my "pantheon". It is also to my knowledge, the only religion in recent times to have a genuine miracle reported internationally on television.
June 24, 2005
DOWNPOUR
We've all been sniggering at the Glastonbury festival downpour which, from the pictures looks a lot worse than the previous two famous ones I remember. Glastonbury used to be fairly much a free festival, in that if you were in the general vicinity of Pilton, you usually got in. The first place I ever took acid (a strawberry if I remember rightly in about 1988) It was a truly fantastic experience, with people arriving from all over the world.
Now it has a huge fence and is run by the Mean Fiddler organisation I don't bother going anymore. In some ways I could see it was getting out of hand, with hordes of scouser theives trawling the tents, but amazing things happened as drugs and heightened awareness took over. When the good vibes hit, a smile jumped from stranger to stranger throughout the site.
The usual "Fuck Glastonbury" illegal rave is going ahead now in Wales this year. The Devon Police, who were preparing for it will be disappointed.
Now it has a huge fence and is run by the Mean Fiddler organisation I don't bother going anymore. In some ways I could see it was getting out of hand, with hordes of scouser theives trawling the tents, but amazing things happened as drugs and heightened awareness took over. When the good vibes hit, a smile jumped from stranger to stranger throughout the site.
The usual "Fuck Glastonbury" illegal rave is going ahead now in Wales this year. The Devon Police, who were preparing for it will be disappointed.
June 06, 2005
BEWARE THE VOICES
Over on Omegaprojektet just now I read a great piece about EVP.
Now I haven't had many supernatural things happen to me off of drugs.
Once, when I was a Christian knocking on doors telling complete strangers that they needed Jesus every Sunday I had a "word of prophesy" in my prayer time that "one person would come to know the lord" as a result of our mission the coming weekend. To cut a long story short, it happened exactly as I had prophesied and I believe the guy is still a christian now.
Once Mike H and I took part in the filming of a ouji board experiment with Jud Charlton and another friend which became part of his excellent stage show.
I entered into the spirit of the occasion with an open mind, and was really suprised to find the glass enthusiastically traveling around the letters, camera running.
Of course it was spelling complete gobbledygook, but I didn't care as I had never seen a glass moving round a table apparently of its own accord with four peoples fingers on it ever before in my life.
I got the impression that we had come across a spirit who couldn't spell. Maybe a kid. (the building we were squatting was originally built as a shelter for ex-child prostitutes) Jud and I encouraged the spirit to take the glass wherever it wanted. It started moving noticeably faster.
Mike H got impatient and shouted at whatever was doing it to make sense. The glass stopped, then slowly moved to the edge of the board, wiping all the letters off the table.
Maybe we are surrounded by the spirits of the dead.
Now I haven't had many supernatural things happen to me off of drugs.
Once, when I was a Christian knocking on doors telling complete strangers that they needed Jesus every Sunday I had a "word of prophesy" in my prayer time that "one person would come to know the lord" as a result of our mission the coming weekend. To cut a long story short, it happened exactly as I had prophesied and I believe the guy is still a christian now.
Once Mike H and I took part in the filming of a ouji board experiment with Jud Charlton and another friend which became part of his excellent stage show.
I entered into the spirit of the occasion with an open mind, and was really suprised to find the glass enthusiastically traveling around the letters, camera running.
Of course it was spelling complete gobbledygook, but I didn't care as I had never seen a glass moving round a table apparently of its own accord with four peoples fingers on it ever before in my life.
I got the impression that we had come across a spirit who couldn't spell. Maybe a kid. (the building we were squatting was originally built as a shelter for ex-child prostitutes) Jud and I encouraged the spirit to take the glass wherever it wanted. It started moving noticeably faster.
Mike H got impatient and shouted at whatever was doing it to make sense. The glass stopped, then slowly moved to the edge of the board, wiping all the letters off the table.
Maybe we are surrounded by the spirits of the dead.
June 05, 2005
MEANWHILE BACK IN SQUATSVILLE....
Briefly passed through Mike H world yesterday.
"We're in court on Tuesday. There are squatters over there, and squatters over there. The squatters in that place had a four day party. They played the same record over and over again for four fucking days."
Even though squatting for 10 years drove me mad i still miss it some times. Its nice to see so many fresh faced (and low slung-trousered) Bulgars, Czechs and Poles enthusiastically mixing with the more familiar Italians and Spanish.
I am sure all the anti-immigration people would be overjoyed.
"We're in court on Tuesday. There are squatters over there, and squatters over there. The squatters in that place had a four day party. They played the same record over and over again for four fucking days."
Even though squatting for 10 years drove me mad i still miss it some times. Its nice to see so many fresh faced (and low slung-trousered) Bulgars, Czechs and Poles enthusiastically mixing with the more familiar Italians and Spanish.
I am sure all the anti-immigration people would be overjoyed.
April 29, 2005
ANARCHIST MISSION CONTROL
Mayday is on again this year. As Republicans often point out, many soldiers have died for my right to protest so I had better take it seriously.
I sometimes circulate among these people. Our lot used to run an excellent squatted cafe in Kentish Town. They had an anti-copyright cinema, where they used to show cracked div-x's of movies they downloaded from the internet for free. I found them to be by and large, highly principled people. They had great press in the local papers for what they were doing and the building they were evicted from is still lying empty now.
A lot of them, for their own reasons, have a pathalogical hatred of the Police which I really can't get into anymore. Since Maggie the Thatch has dissapeared I really cant take it all that seriously. I didn't feel justified in making myself a Police problem, even when most of my life was illegal. I wrote a fuller explanation of the views I hold about our uniformed brothers and sisters in London here
In Finsbury Park, I thought the way Police and Muslims treated each other over the two years said a lot about the British people which I hope I will be able to get across in my documentary.
This article contains Islington Borough Commander Barry Norman's views on the subject.
Another difference I have with my anarchist brothers and sisters is their choice of target. Last christmas they protested Band aid. They had their reasons but I thought
"Don't raise money for starving people! You evil people! We protest!" was the likely message which would come across.
I got hold of a pre-Mayday flyer and who do they want to protest? Jamie Oliver of course!
"Don't go on a mission to change the diet of school-children throughout this country! You evil person! We protest!"
I was incredulous. I looked on their website to find Jamie Oliver had been removed from the list. I am sure we can all imagine the conversations which went on behind the scenes there.
February 21, 2005
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