Anarchism in the USA

Current mood: annoyed
Category: Movies, TV, Celebrities

Went to check out my old pal Nick Cooper's film about anarchy the other night.

The film, entitled "Soma", is about anarchism, Wilhelm Reich, somatherapy, and capoeira.

It had footage with an old man named Robert Friere, who started somatherapy.

There was a Q'n'A after the 50-minute film. One attendee, an American woman in her 50s, noted that the people in the film who advocated somatherapy, along with the capoeira component, were homogenous-looking - young, slender, etc. I think she felt left out...I don't blame her. I wonder what people do when they get older...where do they disappear to?

Anyway, for me the film was thought-provoking. It mentioned a tie between fascism and hierarchical societies, i.e. how schools and the workplace train you to take a lot of orders. The film pointed out how a study was done on the sex life of the German worker and it was horrible. Nazi society promoted work and obedience, not pleasure. However, you cannot motivate a worker to work harder when there is no pleasure in their life. And it pointed out the benefits of psychoanalysis to capitalism. Focusing inward on the individual's problems instead of the problems with the system, a.k.a. society. Fascinating, all this...

Tying into this is an article in the most recent VenusZine, in which Yoko Ono is interviewed. She talks about how there are two parties of people - war party and peace party. She noted the war party has it together; they understand each other without speaking. They just go and bomb. However, the peace party is not coordinated, is not as one with itself. And in the documentary, I think there was some talk of how political activists are not close with each other. They don't build relationships with each other. This is what I experienced when I was more politically active. It's like "I'm going to this rally where I have a direct relationship with the speaker. A uni-directional relationship. I listen to them speak and then I leave, untouched by anyone else." It should be more of an outward relationship/experience for it to stick. People have to feel more invested with each other. Or perhaps I am just projecting because I sense a tremendous amount of isolation around me. I do not feel alone per se, but I sense isolations around me. Friends are all here and around, though. Sarah and Juliet dropped by the other night and brought me heavenly brisket and chocolate mousse pie from Seder. We had a lovely sohbet by a lavendar candle while a Spanish harpsichord CD played in the background. And Dorian returned from India. We had our first coffee date yesterday. She brought me a lovely silk scarf. I can't wait to check out her harmonium. Says she's gonna lead bhajans with it soon.

My piano/harpsichord teacher is ill again. This time it's uterine cancer. She says it's very contained and she'd having a laparascopic hysterectomy in a few weeks. She's tough.

Tony and I watched a documentary on Joy Division. They use a lot of footage from 24 Hour Party People - a film I thoroughly enjoyed. Except, the folks interviewed for real all seem to hate Tony Wilson.

Tidbits:
Before he committed suicide, Ian Curtis apparently watched Stroszek by Werner Herzog, and listened to The Idiot by Iggy Pop.

Iggy's playing here in Boston on Saturday, but I'm not going...I think I might check out Xiu Xiu and Shearwater instead. I saw Iggy for free in Austin at SXSW about 10 years ago, and I don't particularly feel the need to pay $70 (cheap according to my landlord!) to see him now in 2007. Though I do wanna hear the new album The Weirdness 'cause I am just so curious about what it sounds like when he and The Stooges collaborate with Steve Albini...

Ian Curtis was influenced by JG Ballard, and I've never read any so I ordered The Atrocity Exhibition from my fave bookstore.