Wednesday, 5 October 2011

System

Three Babies, Four Dogs, Two Breasts, and No Radiohead: A Dispatch From Occupy Wall Street

The class war began at the corner of Broadway and Cedar St., as Wall Street’s bankers waited for a bus and Wall Street’s occupiers, for a revolution. What had begun two weeks ago as an unfocused rabble of ragtag discontents had become a still-unfocused rabble of ragtag discontents—but way bigger. The culprit: Radiohead. Rumors of a surprise solidarity concert had brought the huddled masses streaming in from Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick. The crowd in Zuccotti Park, occupation-central, bulged outwards, spilling into the bus stop, tivas scuffing shined loafers and graphic tees dueling paisley ties.
“Hey, you’re communists!” taunted Barry, sporting the latter. “You should move to a communist country.” A quick rejoinder: “Well you’re an asshole!” Barry fired back—“You call me an asshole, asshole? Get out of this park, jerkoff!”—and the defender sank back into the square. “These guys have beef with our country, they’re Marxists,” Barry told me triumphantly, before another interruption. “No,” butted in a bearded occupier. “There are no Marxists here.” “Yeah, whatever, get out of here!” Barry scorned. The occupier laughed and blew him a kiss, “Love you sir!” “Yeah?” responded the beleaguered Barry. “Well I hate you.” “Love you!” “Hate you!”
But Barry had backup. A few yards down, a short, bald accountant began screaming at the sign-wavers: “The gulag is waiting for you! Siberia!” A guy in a fedora shouted back: “Fuck you, Nosferatu!” Nosferatu is actually named Michael; he grew up in the Soviet Union and arrived on Wall Street in 1989. “I know what these kids don’t know,” he told me. “Communism and socialism don’t work.” The cops around us were looking eager. “The more chaos the better,” I overhead one officer say. A day later, the police would have their way, arresting some 700 protesters for blocking traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge. But today, twelve days into the occupation and still burning from a Saturday pepper spraying, the makeshift malcontents were testing boundaries.
“Get in there or stay out the way!” an officer yelled, pushing us toward the park. The ranks pressed in and I took an elbow to the sternum. Suddenly, an aggressively tattooed woman in blonde dreadlocks, a Guns-and-Roses tank top, and a plaid bandana strolled confidently into the scrum. She was going where I was going, and I ducked in behind. It was time to occupy.
On September 16, 1920, Italian anarchists detonated a horse-and-carriage bomb 300 yards from Zuccotti Square. Passersby saw tens of bodies, piles of glass, and blood on the stone steps of J.P. Morgan. Wall Street survived. In the course of my Friday afternoon occupation, I saw two drum circles, four dogs, two saxophones, three babies, zero Thom Yorkes, and two breasts. Again, Wall Street survived.
Not that many people were even talking about the American financial sector. Everyone had a different story, grievance, tattoo, or pithy placard. There were some signs calling for “violent revolution” and others insisting “we figure this shit out together.” The simplest one, soothing and all-encompassing: “SHIT IS FUCKED UP AND BULLSHIT...”

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Alex Klein @'The New Republic'

ggreenwald Glenn Greenwald

Amazing how rapidly #OccupyWallStreet narrative transformed from "childish-worthless-losers" to "something-important-is-happening-here"

Tuesday, 4 October 2011

#OccupyWallStreet

NYC bus drivers don't want buses used in protest

Why Occupy Wall Street Should Be Permanent

Tea party leaders grapple with ‘Occupy Wall Street’

HA!

(Thanx Erik!)

David Bedford RIP

David Bedford
1937-2011

blakehounshell Blake Hounshell

Obama on Americans: "I don't think that they're better off than they were four years ago." Killer quote for GOP ads. theatlanticwire.com/politics/2011/…

Wilco - Live September 22/23 2011 Central Park Summerstage

[photo courtesy of wagz2it]

If there’s a band we hope that people associate with what nyctaper stands for, its Wilco. They have appeared so many times on this site that its often difficult to invent new superlatives to describe the Wilco concert experience. Last night at Summerstage, the band again delivered to its fans another epic NYC show, on par with the legendary Irving Plaza or Hammerstein or McCarren Pool shows of previous years. On tour in support of their latest release, The Whole Love (due on September 27), the band again delivered a two-plus hour high-energy set that dug deep into their catalog (an A.M. cut streaming below) while it also featured eight songs from the new album. The title track has already earned encore status, and we’re streaming it below. Of special note was Jeff Tweedy’s remembrance of the Wilco sets at Town Hall almost exactly ten years to the day, when a still-shocked NYC found some comfort in superbly delivered and heartfelt two nights of music. Ten years later, Wilco is still providing the City with the same gifts.
The entire NYCTaper crew was on hand to record this set. While we feared the worst of the elements, fortunately the rain held off and the winds were minimal. We set up near the back of the floor because our original advantageous position was actually an obstruction to the lighting projections. The crew ran 3 separate rigs, featuring twelve high-end microphones. This particular recording is my standard Neumann + DPA 4021 rig, and its a surprisingly excellent recording, all things considered. We will likely feature some of the other captures in the coming weeks. Enjoy!
September 22, 2011
Whereas the previous evening we saw the damp weather held at bay, for Wilco’s second night at Central Park’s Summerstage the band and attendees weren’t quite as lucky. All parties took it in stride and the crowd, despite the rain or maybe because of it, seemed particularly enthusiastic. Once again pulling a lion’s share of tracks from the new album, The Whole Love (which has its official release today), we were also treated to crowd-pleasers “Passenger Side”, “Impossible Germany” and “Heavy Metal Drummer”, and wonderful takes on live staples “Bull Black Nova”, “Misunderstood” and “Jesus, Etc.”, which Jeff Tweedy dedicated to us. With all the good stuff going on stage, Wilco made it pretty easy to forget about the drizzle on our heads.
As with the night before, the entire NYCtaper crew made it out for the concert. Paring down our rig considerably due to the inclement weather, we were still able to get an excellent recording and hope you like what you hear as much as we did. Enjoy!
September 23, 2011
@'NYCtaper'

Wilco live on All Songs Considered, 2011

9/11 Terrorists Debunk 9/11 Conspiracies

Muslims Against Crusades protests outside the American Embassy in London's Grosvenor Square on the tenth anniversary of 9/11. Credit: Corbis

In a surprising twist, terrorist group al-Qaeda recently issued a statement ridiculing 9/11 conspiracy theories claiming U.S. involvement in the attacks.
The victims and the perpetrator of the terrorism are both saying that Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda acted alone and without any knowledge or support from the American government. The statement came in response to a speech that the Iranian President gave at the U.N. General Assembly in which he repeated his claim that the U.S. masterminded the terrorism. As ABC News reported last week,

The terror group al-Qaeda has found itself curiously in agreement with the "Great Satan"--which it calls the U.S. -- in issuing a stern message to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: stop spreading 9/11 conspiracy theories. In the latest issue of the al Qaeda English-language magazine Inspire, an author appears to take offense to the "ridiculous" theory repeatedly spread by Ahmadinejad that the 9/11 terror attacks were actually carried out by the U.S. government in order to provide a pretext to invade the Middle East. "The Iranian government has professed on the tongue of its president Ahmadinejad that it does not believe that al Qaeda was behind 9/11 but rather, the U.S. government," an article reads. "So we may ask the question: why would Iran ascribe to such a ridiculous belief that stands in the face of all logic and evidence?"

PHOTOS: CONFRONTING TERROR ON 9/11
If anyone in the world would have hard evidence of American collusion in carrying out the September 11, 2001, attacks (and strong motivation for making it public), it would be al-Qaeda. If the conspiracy claims are true, al-Qaeda would have no reason to deny that America helped organize and carry out the attacks. It would call into question the American government’s credibility in a way that various ad hoc conspiracy theorists could never hope to, and forever tarnish America’s political and moral legitimacy.
Of course terrorism has fueled many conspiracy theories. Earlier this year, conspiracies circulated that Osama bin Laden had not actually been killed by American commandos. I wrote a column about it, pointing out that the best proof that bin Laden is dead is that he hasn’t been seen since his death was announced by President Obama. If bin Laden is alive, what better way to embarrass and discredit the United States than to make a smiling public appearance? In fact, not only has bin Laden not emerged from hiding since his (alleged) killing in May, but al-Qaeda itself publicly acknowledged that bin Laden was killed.
The fact that al-Qaeda has denied that America had any role in the attacks strikes a heavy blow to the already shaky credibility of the “Truther” movement and other 9/11 conspiracy theorists. They must not only explain the stark lack of evidence implicating the American government in the attacks, but also explain why America’s longtime sworn enemy would deny U.S. involvement if it were true.
PHOTOS: LESSER-SEEN PHOTOS OF 9/11
When investigation after investigation finds no American involvement in the attacks, conspiracy-minded folks can dismiss the findings by saying that it’s all part of the cover up. But when a group of ruthless terrorists like al-Qaeda (who everyone acknowledges actually committed the attacks regardless of who gave the orders) questions the logic and evidence behind the conspiracy claims, that’s a sign that your conspiracy arguments and theories are in deep trouble.
Part of the reason that conspiracy theories linger is that any contradictory evidence -- no matter how conclusive or compelling—can just be dismissed by claiming that it’s part of the cover-up. There is ultimately no evidence that would satisfy most conspiracy theorists. Those who distrust the government will use any excuse to support their beliefs, logical or not. Conspiracy theorists prefer complex mysteries over simple truths, and find mystery where none exists.
Benjamin Radford @'DiscoveryNews'

Two Steps Back and Three Steps Forward: How to Master 1960s French Utopianism in Two Weeks

UP#15 Future Shock mixed by Philip Sherburne

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This is one of the more schizophrenic mixes I've ever recorded, but that's appropriate, I suppose, given the subject matter. The introduction comes from the 1972 film adaptation of Alvin Toffler's book Future Shock, narrated by Orson Welles. I actually watched the film when I was still in grade school—just 12 or 13 years
old, as I recall. I suppose some well-meaning teacher wanted to teach us to think critically about media and technology, but at that age, I remember feeling only baffled. Today, the film (which you can watch on YouTube, appropriately enough) feels both comically dated and woefully prescient. That collision of sensations dictated the overall shape of the mix, which leans heavily on broken-down techno and tangled retro-futurism. Instead of the streamlined designs and elegant circuitry that electronic music has supposedly promised, this mix is all about shuddering gears and time out of joint.
The majority of it was mixed with vinyl, using two Technics 1210s and an Allen & Heath mixer; the final two tracks, along with additional passages taken from the film, were added in Ableton at the end.
Ironically, as difficult as mixing some of the tracks proved, figuring out how to close it all out was infinitely harder. Just like the film says, "Every day we're bombarded by choices, we need to make instant decisions, we're in endless combat with our own environment with all its pace and variety, its choice and over-choice."
1. Intro – Future Shock (1972, narrated by Orson Welles)
2. The Hafler Trio, "Suppressed Noise" [Doublevision 1972/1984]
3. Vibert/Simmonds, "Submarine" [Rephlex 1993]
4. Roswell Return, "A Goldbach Vibe (Clean Cut Remix)" [SD Records
2009]
5. Caribou, "Bowls (Holden Remix)" [City Slang 2010]
6. P. Eladan, "Monochordium II" [Muting The Noise 2010]
7. Juju & Jordash, "Chelm Is Dubbing" [Golf Channel Recordings 2011]
8. Morphosis, "Dirty Matter (NWAQ's Via Mezzacapo Dub)" [Delsin
2011]
9. Redshape, "Kracken's Game" [Present 2011]
10. Terekke, "Damn" [L.I.E.S. 2011]
11. Grackle, "Jungle (Original Mix)" [Discos Capablanca 2008]
12. About Group, "You're No Good (A Theo Parrish Translation)"
[Domino 2011]
13. Daphni, "NPE" [Resista 2011]
14. Tilt (Trouble Funk), "Arkade Funk" [D.E.T.T. Records 1983]
15. Autechre, "Lost" [Warp 1994]
16. Laurel Halo, "Strength In Free Space" [Hippos In Tanks 2011]