Unlocking...

A few weeks back I was having a talk with a friend of mine when we stumbled across the topic of film censorship in Malaysia. Till today I still do not seem to understand the point of censoring a movie when there is already a rating system at play. Why even bother with the rating system if
the movie is still being butchered up by the censorship board?

The argument seems to be that there are still elements which are not in line with cultural normalities. In a country where incest is on the rise, there is abuse of police powers and corruption amongst government officials, I think we need to spend more time sorting out what are cultural normalities. The Malaysian Government is only interested in ensuring its people are blinded from the realities of life instead of educating them of it in the process of preventing such ill acts.

Another notable example is the censoring of material pertaining to the May 13th 1969 Racial Riots from all textbooks. Walk up to any Malaysian student and ask him about it and he will have no knowledge of it. The Government chooses to disregard its explanation of the event by saying "We do not want the same thing to happen again, hence you should not know about it". In my opinion, the only way such an event is not to happen again is if the people are explained the actuality of what happened, the death toll and the heinous acts committed on that day to make them realise that compromise is the only way to achieve stability. Racism still exists in Malaysia no matter what the Government may say, stereotypes still run rampant even in the more developed areas though I must also say that the degree of its prevalence is in no way comparable to that which took place in South Africa during the Apartheid or of that which took place in Bosnia or Kosovo.

In any case, I think it’s about time more of the youths in Malaysia stood up and took interest in their rights and the policies of the government. Kids in KL are more engrossed in clubbing (which incidentally they believe makes them look cool), disregarding the evil empire which lurks before them. This is not about joining a campaign or donating to charity, this is about making yourself aware of the policies of the government and what you personally think of them.

I hope the youths stand up for their rights and realise that they conforming to youth cultures is nothing but a waste of time. 20 years from now, no one gives a crap if you were a skin head, punk, black metal, gothic, hip hopper or Emo. In fact, you'll most likely look back at yourself and think, what a clown you were. Learn to invest that time you spend on grooming your Emo hair-do and putting that black nail color on on more rewarding activities; activities that serve to make you a better person tomorrow. Learn to call the out the government's fallacies and abnegate these unfair policies which only hamper your ability to think and evaluate.

As for me, as soon as this law gig of mine is done for this semester, I shall try and email the censorship board and see what their comments are going to be vis-à-vis my proposition of non-censorship of above 18 movies. I can only hope that the place isn't filled with dull conservative regressed minded pseudo religious lunatics with no awareness of the existence of the 20th century and the years following it.

I wanna...

I despise music videos for the very fact that it is just plain commercial. Nonetheless in certain rare occasions, there comes along a music video that defies all boundaries and perception. A music video so ingenious and creative that it makes all videos in current circulation look like pieces of decomposed thrash (especially some of the recycled Emo crap that circulates on MTV these days). Which by the way reminds me, why is it even called Emo? I would think it refers to the term ‘emotional’. But how in the world can you equate emotionality to your own genre of music.

Emotions arise in a person’s derivation of a piece of music and not in the author’s interpretation. I listen to Mariah Carey and I go “very cool, damn good singing!” but I have a friend who cries each time she listens to Mariah Carey. It truly stirs up her emotions and likewise Vast can sometimes bring tears to my eyes but many aren’t affected by it. So how calling a genre of music Emo still dumbfounds me. Many may argue and say “music is not to be criticized as it offers different perspectives to different people and may take on a different meaning to other people” but when music is being made for the sake of money and commerciality whilst being force fed to people as being the norm then it deserves all caustic ridicule and abhorrence.

Back to my initial thoughts, music videos (as much as I consider it an abomination) can sometimes enlighten and shed new light to visualizations never imagined. Here is a music video which ranks as being my all time favourite. It is grotesque, raw, mysterious, morose, cacophonous and simply animalistic (much like the message behind the song). It is obviously banned in many countries but with the power of the internet we get to see this remarkable piece of art.


Nine Inch Nails - Closer

Hammond/Leslie

When I was 7, my Dad played me Deep Purple’s Flight of The Rat and told me “You sure you want to listen to this? This is really loud music with lots of screaming”, I agreed and that 7 minutes changed my life forever. It was weird mind bending guitar playing with screeching organ tones and wailing vocals atop thumping bass lines and pounding drums.

A few years on I picked up the guitar but I had always been mesmerized by the tones of those old 50’s organs and the rotating speaker that often times it was played through. Those old Hammond B3’s and C3’s had a very happy and funky tone (sometimes percussive) with a lil bass line courtesy of the bass pedals but once loaded into a Leslie 147 it became a monstrous growling machine that swirled around a listener and when played correctly it sounds truly evil.

I soon became transfixed with the Hammond organ and began listening to as much old 70’s hard rock albums as I could trying to appreciate that psychedelic and groovy tones that just defined the 70’s hippie era. Rock groups like Grandfunk Railroad, Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer were massive abusers of the Hammond and on the R&B side of things you had masters like Don Pullen, Jimmy Smith and Chester Thompson creating some fluid and ‘cool’ solo lines.

Here’s a video of John Scofield and Don Pullen in action.

John Scofield/Don Pullen


Notable songs with massive Hammond/Leslie action:-

Tower of Power - Squib Cakes
Steppenwolf - Born To Be Wild
Grandfunk Railroad - Flight of the Phoenix
Deep Purple - Living Wreck
Santana - Black Magic Woman
Pink Floyd - Eclipse

Glasgow Megasnake

I fear Satan...

Holdsworth

When music meets transcendentalism....


Swells

Measure

To devour that of which you despise

To masticate the burden

To consume that of which creates disgust

To ruminate the barrier

To feast on the source of negativity



Abnegation of the self

Prevalence of actuality

Seeking life from yourself