May 2007 Archives

Today we are going to learn about the Bohemian Grove. Bohemian Grove is a 2700-acre campground located at 20601 Bohemian Avenue, in Monte Rio, California belonging to a private San Francisco-based men's art club known as the Bohemian Club. Uh-oh, sounds dark and mysterious - it is.

In mid-July each year, Bohemian Grove hosts a two-week encampment of some of the most powerful men in the world. The club's membership includes many artists, particularly musicians, as well as many high-ranking business leaders, government officials (including some US Presidents) and senior media executives. Since the founding of the club, the Bohemian Grove's symbol has been the owl. A forty-foot concrete owl stands at the head of the lake in the Grove and, since 1929,As a measure of the Club's exclusivity, it is reported the waiting list for membership is from 15 to 20 years. Seems to be a strange mix, but if you learn of the Club's creed, you'll understand.

The Grove motto is "Weaving Spiders Come Not Here", which implies that outside concerns and business deals are to be left outside. However, there is evidence of political and business deals having been developed at the Grove. The Grove is particularly famous for a Manhattan Project planning meeting that took place there in September of 1942, which subsequently led to the atomic bomb.

The Grove itself consists of redwood trees over 1,500 years old. It is a spectacular nature preserve, untouched by logging, and containing many elevated walkways. The secret society in Eyes Wide Shut is thought to be a depiction of what potentially goes on at the Bohemian Grove. So, I guess that means it's a bunch of Richie-Rich's frolicking in the woods and having orgies. Nice.

Know what else is nice? Music. Free new, unreleased music from great bands? Here is an early peek at the White Stripes, a single called the "Icky Thump" and a nice listener from Amos Lee called "Colors".

I am pleased as punch with our exchange this week. Thank yous especially to Linwood and Thunder. And based on Linwood's comments, I would like to ask those that have the time to learn about JT Leroy. You can read about the poseurs of poseurs here. This is truly a fascinating article and provides the shocking tale of Leroy's steps to dupe everyone.

But as you all know, we can't stay that serious here for long, as Dale clearly pointed out. So, why don't we go to Planet Unicorn where things are pink and the unicorns are named Tom Cruise.

And that brings us to music, how about a strummy number? Here's Chet Atkins "Happy Again" and Wings with "Arrow Through Me" there are few bands that remind me of the lovely '70's more than Paul McCartney and Co.

Today I want to write about a topic that is near and dear. Copying. Yeah, plagiarism. For all of us that grew up before the Internet was a blip - think of those book reports and the encyclopedia's that made a fifth grader sound a little too knowledgeable about the life and times of Jim Thorpe, this is for you.

John Donne, who is a slightly better writer than I, says it best about plagiarism...

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated..."

Jonathan Lethem makes the same point in his excellent article in the February Harper's. I know, February, but it hasn't left my brain simply because examples keep popping up. Lethem brilliantly illustrates that plagiarism can be found everywhere and despite our attempts to regulate - copyright laws - plagiarism in all its glorious forms makes us better. Without Jamaicans King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry taking the break beats from songs they liked, would we have hip-hop? Recently departed William S. Burroughs, who was one of the most original authors ever, used a "cut-up method" borrowing from American science fiction of the Forties and Fifties. You see kids, imitation is not only one hell of a form flattery, it's necessary.

But, even as the law becomes more restrictive, technology (the lovely Internets) is exposing those restrictions as bizarre and arbitrary. Here, I'll give you an example - download A-Ko's "Soul 69" FOR FREE. He took something old and put his own spin on it - and that's what it is all about. Let's rok Finley Quaye's "Ultra Stimulation" as well, if not for any other reason than because it's great.

I hope those of you that read my little corner of the Internet also have cable. If you do, I hope you pay a little extra for Showtime and HBO. With HBO, you get the Sopranos, which in my humble opinion is the best show ever to grace TV. But, we are not here today to talk about Tony's downfall (it's coming).

No, instead, fair reader, I want to talk about Showtime's wonderful "This American Life." For a long time, This American Life was only a radio show (from Chicago no less) then, after more than a decade on the radio it is a television show and I am better because of it.

The radio and TV shows follow the same format. There's a theme to each episode, and a variety of stories on that theme. It's mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always. It is abundantly clear that the people behind the show realize that any good story tends to zigzag and the fun is following those detours - certain stories can begin happily only to end on a dour note and vice-versa. Sheer genius in my humble opinion.

Want to know what else is sheer genius? The Athens Freaky Mix Exchange. I continually find new favorites. Here is Swearing at Motorists "Calgon Take Me Away" from VS and Apollo Sunshine "Phone Sex" from J-Bone.