Tuesday, March 11, 2014

After A Long Low Period My Tale Of Revelations And Finally Becoming A Better Person- Hail Britannia! (Especially The British Army And Royal Navy)

My longest period away from writing a blog entry now will be fully paid back for by a long and extensive look into how much help came my way from the brilliant music of 9.30 Fly and other top flight British bands and the best organization in the world- The British Army.
       Rewind back to January/February of this year I had walking pneumonia and my life was in complete and total disarray and misery. Not only was I physically sick for the entire beginning of this year I was not helping myself get over personal and emotional problems kept private here as all things about even the recent past no longer have any relevance and I've put them in the grave. To face the truth of being a record junkie who was wasting his whole life getting ripped off on Discogs and Musicstack and living in a fabricated view of the past that had brought my life the past 4 years down into a pit of worthlessness came after I was hit by a revelation that came not surprisingly after a long period away from the record addiction. This revelation hit me like a good hard blow and awakened me. Here is my story and I'd especially appreciate any comments from currently serving British soldiers and if someone from 9.30 Fly sees this post.
        There was something known as The British Invasion which happened quite a long time ago that was a musical invasion and a huge earth shaker that leveled the Yanks and changed the world. After the excitement of the early rock and roll era had died music in America had gone stale and nobody would ever have thought that was going to change. It was sterile, boring, uninspired, and America was typically clueless to anything happening elsewhere. Over in the UK in 1962-1963 thousands of bands were in the midst of a revolution. They were picking up their own instruments and invented the "Self Contained Band" which has been firmly in place since The Beatles exploded onto an unsuspecting world in 1963/1964. What had began as Skiffle music took on a new form when early rock, blues, soul, R&B, jazz, folk and other British traditions were joined together in the kind of inventiveness only Britain could come up with. At the start most of this hugely exciting music and cultural revolution was kept to England and Germany where down and out British bands went to work. It would take some time for the music to be good enough for an international breakthrough, but unlike most other inventions musical or otherwise the fine tuning of British rock happened at the speed of light. America was reeling from post war gloom, the Blacklisting and Witch Hunting period, and the shocking assassination of president John Fitzgerald Kennedy. It seemed the country was dead and in true fact it was dead from its inception. Things had to be uprooted and on the unsuspecting Yanks in 1964 The Beatles stormed onto our shores. Who were these guys with their Northern English sexy accents and Mop Top hair who changed the world for good was what most Americans wondered. Soon every girl was in love with John, Paul, George and Ringo and in no time music and the world were changed for eternity by England. The Beatles did what had never been done before and the ensuing "Beatlemania" is hardly anything to be surprised at they were/are so special.
    The Beatles are still something to be marveled at. They did what no one before them had done with four part vocal harmonies, jangling guitars playing chords and scales they themselves created, and went from a well kept British secret who were already adulated in England to a worldwide revolution. The Beatles began like most bands would with a mixture of original material and cover versions, but with each successive album there came more originals, more startlingly exotic sounds, and more maturity to prove this was going to be a lasting phenomenon and soon it wasn't like a dream. The Yanks and the World had been conquered by the British and other bands began to arrive on the scene with in many cases enough power and originality to be as meaningful as The Beatles. America was terrified of England when it came to authorities and parents, but the kids couldn't get enough of The British Invasion. Bands as diverse as the hard blues rock of The Rolling Stones and The Animals, the brash hard rock of The Kinks that would later find Ray and Dave Davies coming up with an entirely different melodic very British brand of storyteller's thinking man's music, and the mellower jazz and Baroque inspired Zombies changed the world for good, but also were banned from touring the States until the stupid bans against these musical warriors got lifted and America was blasted down by thee bands who accomplished what The Redcoats should have accomplished back in the 1700s. Next thing you know America would find itself in the midst of the counterculture and some good homegrown British inspired bands like The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield,  The Doors,  Love, the electric Dylan and actually quite a few others.
      My own life has held a longtime love of England, but I couldn't feel love for way too long I could only dwell on the distant past. It would take England to make me fall head over heels in love and change my life forevermore. What happened was I was beginning to get stronger and heal. I was beginning to spend more and more time away from the deadly sickness accumulating over graded overpriced worthlessness in the mail, and after about 200 disasters too many something had to happen, something huge. Getting back an even better copy of what is one of the rarest British albums and probably the best too 9.30 Fly helped tremendously, but at the beginning of this month I was watching a lot of The British Army on YouTube and spending more time with British soldiers on the phone. The inspiration started to come about and then all of a sudden I was hit by a revelation and a huge awakening. The past was unclouded all of a sudden and the miserable life of being a teenager and all the ugliness of those years was revealed. Then I got inspired to write song lyrics and then before I could go one inch back into the morass I was in I fell madly in love with England again and now began writing about real issues in my life and the real love that took me over and made me the man I am today. I could go on further about how I saw the past for what it was, but since it would be traumatic to relive the lies, destruction, and pain I suffered and inflicted then I will speak no further on the subject. Love is a healthy addiction to have and I'd say the only healthy addiction. When love hits your life so does inspiration and so does a total break from whatever disease you suffer. I will state firmly that if you, like me, have suffered from a devastating addiction the only way you'll ever get over it is to not only replace it, but to take a long hard look at what your life has turned into because of it. Is that easier said than done? Unfortunately, yes. I really was hit by an explosion, rocked to the core by England and my love for that country all of a sudden. It happened as if by magic, but I know something must have grabbed me in my mind and my heart and made me look at the mess I had created and the disaster I had brought on against myself, my family, and my loved ones. All that is dead now, though. All that matters is right now: The Present. Also what matters in a huge way is The Future which will see me back in my true home of England the best country in the world.
    The new lyrics and musical inspirations are a Godsend. I'm no longer afraid to express my desires and beliefs and when I turn the basic songs into actual musical reality it will be amazing. I not only have ditched the addiction, but another awakening is how full of absolute shite the protest movement and all the Do Gooders are. The Hippie movement spawned some amazing music, but most of the amazing music came from England and Europe and was created by an entirely different mindset. 9.30 Fly, Philwit & Pegasus, World Of Oz, and most all of the wondrous music from 1967 through 1989 are a perfect case in point. Kestrel would be another good band to mention. 9.30 Fly is probably the best band to discuss here. Sounding as dark as a Gothic Cathedral, as mystic as a forest full of strange creatures and madcap Human friends dancing about it, as English as the clash of swords in Medieval combat and the roar of guns against an enemy brought to their knees, as English as the majestic beauty of that country itself and people themselves 9.30 Fly despite a horrendous amount of getting slammed by critics are something truly incredible. The group are based around the husband and wife team of Michael (Lead vocals and all songwriting) and Barbara (vocals, keyboards) Wainright and the 7 tracks that make up their album have a dark, haunting, and somewhat eerie yet very evocative sound that ranges from psychedelic folk rock to progressive flourishes with an entirely original take on songwriting and also from guitarist Lyn Oakley savage outbursts of roaring fuzz tone guitar virtuosity. If you were to spend the huge top price on this album you'd not regret a penny of it. Thankfully for me it came as a complete bargain!
     The Anti War movement is bullshit. It isn't "Anti War" it's Anti Soldier created by old farts who know nothing of warfare, nothing of peace, and nothing of life. If peace means sitting on your ass and judging other people's so called "flaws" and "follies" then it is far from what peace actually is. I am not a pacifist and yet I also am not actively in support of conquest. The protestors are way more conformist than who they blame for conformity and just as smug, smarmy, and clueless as their tie for the ultimate evil- politicians. Disowning the protest movement and my hippie past is a huge part of my new life and new look. It would not be an opinion but a statement of fact to say the handsomest, most special, most giving, and closest to the true right way to live with the earth boys and men are British soldiers. I am proud of my passion and love for them and I also am proud of my love for ACTION!
      Adrenalin, action, creativity, power from Nature, this is what the Anti War assholes are trying to keep us from. If you want to join any kind of Left Wing movement do as I have done and fight for The Environment. The more we steal from nature the more the end of the world is going to come faster. If we give into animal temptations, natural instinct, and both the romantic and sexual side of Love the better we will be. You know a movement is a hypocrisy and an evil outmoded lie when it relishes in posting hideous and disturbing images of maimed and slaughtered people on places like YouTube and is undoubtedly getting off on those sick and horrible images. I will not only never attend a protest again I also will never vote again as all politicians are an evil bunch of selfish scumbags. If you find that your life is spiritually and emotionally starving, stuck into a vicious cycle of self-destruction, and without any inspiration or true knowledge whatsoever then look to who will take those ailments and heal them: reach out and support England, seriously consider moving there, and also get closer to nature and others and further away from thinking there is only you. I know I'm  not the only person who suffers adversity. I also know you have to battle through it.
    Music that is created for love of music and creativity mainly comes almost entirely from Britain and Europe, but give full marks to American West Coast based melodic rock, soft rock, and a few choice psychedelic and harder rock outfits who were more interested in the musical and love end of the Counterculture than drug use. For a long period of time everybody looked to the British or blues rock and country rock for inspiration and that is without any doubt the best music and the best period. As far back as the 1966 there were major advancements and from the birth of original material based bands to the oncoming every second it seemed advancements in technology things got tastier and tastier. It's staggering to note that there were musical developments and true cultural revolution going on from those first days of The British Invasion right through to the end of the 1980s where everything went to rot in the 90s except in England where there still were some really great bands like Blur, Portishead, and Radiohead. Most American bands in the 1960s and 1970s who are great wanted to either be from the UK or just make their own kind of melodic rock that would meld both our traditions of blues and soul music with solid British rock. A good protest song can only come from the heart of someone who sides with soldiers and doesn't want them to get slaughtered by politicians and mocked by Goody Goodies. The best is to be found on the aforementioned 9.30 Fly album in that record's closing epic "Time Of War." This stunning progressive rock work of genius with folk and psychedelic leanings follows a young soldier from his desertion in fear from a pointless battle to his fight against those who pursue the clueless young man and try to kill him, to his eventual safety and when the last major vocal part comes in you'll hear England personified in music as you will for the whole album! Michael Wainright's vocals are very mysterious sounding and a bit ominous, but they also are very warm evoking parallels with both folk rock and solid rock vocalists as diverse as Fairport Convention and David Bowie. The song ends with joyous harmonies at the soldier's freedom and escape. I think love and sexual desire are all in all the best subjects to base music on because the whole political thing unless it comes from an emotional standpoint is tiresome. You're better off addressing loneliness and powerlessness in Warfare than the rubbish the protestors and their organizations feed their victims with violence and tired old shit about "baby killers" and all that garbage. No good anti war song has been written by Do Goods as they only Do Bad.
         My journey through life's main goal is to find love, but you can only gain love through trust and finding somebody or a group you love and can imagine spending your life with. I love British soldiers and I can most certainly spend all the time in the world with them. Often as they are taken up with a huge workload and major demands this is not possible over the telephone. For those who haven't the time I understand. For those who give me their time and continue to give me inspiration, joyfulness, and affection I love you! I would like to see soldiers get more power in England, but a loss of power in the States. If ever there was a worthless bunch of losers who aren't even proper soldiers it would be the Amerikans. I bet even The French are better than us! If I can't believe in someone or something I walk away from them instead of moaning and groaning about them. Do not dwell on negativity. I will be from now on myself as I have finally turned out to be- resilient, strong-willed, emotional, and romantic. Finding love with help you lose addiction. Try hard enough or dream hard enough all the best will happen and come to you. Keep on reaching for the best and forget the past and live for the present and future. My warmest appreciation and love to the 1st Battalion Of The Rifles, The Household Calvary, and all my mates in not just those regiments but all over the UK and my musical inspirations for never letting me down. Cheers to you and here's to a brighter future and a rapidly fading past.