Nick Cave in paperback

Equinox will publish a paperback version of my Nick Cave book in June 2013. At $25, it’s a bit more affordable.

 

A book outline, an engagement with my Cave book, and a job

Some stray notes, one concerning an item completed, and two to come:

1. Sacred Economy book outline, over at Political Theology. This is a biggie, offering a whole new model for the economies of the ancient Near East. Due out later this year.

2. A very thoughtful response indeed to my Nick Cave book by Anthony Paul Smith. It deserves a response, especially on the matter of total depravity. And in response to Anthony’s question, a paperback is slated to appear soon.

3. A job: this will be a research associate position, 0.4 ($30,00o per year) at the University of Newcastle. I’m looking for a specialist in Marxist economic theory, ancient societies, and the emergence of capitalism. Full details soon.

 

Karl-Marx Stadt

The year 1980. Communism has taken over the world. Crowds in New York City are happily celebrating May 1. London is breaking the record in scrap metal collection.  South Africans are opening up yet another monument to the leaders of the proletariat. A young man whose heart is full of love is singing a song about the girl with whom he is in love. Together they travel  round the world to experience the utopian kingdom of universal equality.

The creators of the video clip dedicate their work to the unfulfilled dream of their fathers and grandfathers: the ‘bright future’ of communism.

Lyrics (Russian translation):

Heute hab ich dir gebracht
Schöne Blumen in der Nacht
Keine Röslein legt’ ich dir ins Bett
Weiße Pracht, zarter Strauß
Kam mit Maiglöckchen ins Haus
Auf dem Kissen lagen sie so nett.

Karl-Marx-Stadt, Karl-Marx-Stadt,
Du bist die Stadt roter Blumen,
Karl-Marx-Stadt, Karl-Marx-Stadt,
Aber ich mag nur weiß.

Keine Schrillheit in der Blüte
Steigt der Duft uns ins Gemüte
Bringt uns jetzt den Frülingszauber
Als ob ein weißes Lied erklingt
Als dein erster Hochzeitsring
Als ob deine erste Liebe, glaube ich.

Karl-Marx-Stadt, Karl-Marx-Stadt,
Du bist die Stadt roter Blumen,
Karl-Marx-Stadt, Karl-Marx-Stadt,
Aber ich mag nur weiß.

(ht sk)

 

Due out soon – Nick Cave: A Study of Love, Death and Apocalypse

Coming out shortly with Equinox (paperback a few months later). New title; new cover design by Jeff Iffe:

 

Lost in Transylvania

As some of you may know, I have recently spent a week in Transylvania with some of the best hosts in the world. It began in Bucharest, from where I took the ‘express’ to Baia Mare, the second last stop on the route.

‘Express’ meant it stopped at every second station, and in between it rolled along at a very leisurely pace – absolutely the best way to travel. 14 hours it took, for 690km:

Once in Transylvania (Maramureş to be exact) I enjoyed the mating rituals of the locals:

Was intrigued by the burial practices:

Was drawn to diabolically spicy Reformed churches:

And even more alluring Orthodox churches in the villages:

I even went to a rock concert:

But what really intrigued me was the fact that students and professors have different toilets – the professors a type of unisex arrangement:

Throughout this time, I kept being offered clear liquid in plastic bottles, which I naturally thought was water. Ţuică is its name, I was told, although I couldn’t figure out why it was served in small earthenware vessels and had a rather fiery taste. Which is probably why I thought this was the main road home:

By the time I realised I had been swilling the 60% proof plum-brandy, the locals were ready to celebrate my departure with gay abandon:

Can’t wait to return …

 

I read some Marx (and I liked it)

Not sure if Marx was into singing the Communist Manifesto, but why not? I read some Marx (and I liked it) – here

(ht JM)

 

Assholes on Parade

Listening to Timbuk3′s ‘Assholes on Parade’ while finishing off an article on that excitable, if often stoned, Giorgio Agamben. Some great lyrics:

Step aside, good people, it’s the assholes on parade

We’ve got the assholes for freedom,

assholes for fun,

assholes for Jesus,

and the assholes for guns

…

I once heard it said that old assholes never die,

They just lie in bed and multiply.

Assholes in the morning, assholes every night,

Assholes to the left and assholes to the right;

There’s 20,000 assholes on an asshole promenade.

And now for the ‘Tea Party’ version, one version here and one from youtube:

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More News from Newcastle

Well, more soon – concerning James Juniper’s critique of Badiou’s mathematics this coming Tuesday. But for now the theme song for my new page, News from Newcastle. It comes from the incomparable Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – an overlay of the Odyssey and William Morris:

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What a physique (Nick’s, that is)!

 

What do Yuri Gagarin and Jethro Tull have in common?

For some reason, Jethro Tull has reminded me that 12 April was 50 years since good old Yuri Gagarin first broke into space and orbited the earth – in this roomy outfit:

To celebrate, Tull flautist, Ian Anderson, played a duet with Cady Coleman, who is based in the international space station. Ian was in the great city of Perm, Russia, and Cady somewhere in orbit.

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What gets me about this slightly cheesy event is her hair.

For the concert version, click on the second video link in this Russian story.

 

Leninist Song: Show Me Some Discipline

Unknown to most, the Sunnyboys from the early 80s illustrated the possibilities of Leninist music – especially with ‘Show Me Some Discipline’:

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