johnny9fingers | (no subject)

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Now here's a surprise:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/mar/26/barackobama.hillaryclinton?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront

And I was sure Barack was related to the Saxe-Coburg-de-Gothas: just goes to show how wrong I can be.
But it is comforting to know he is related to Churchill.

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The question remains: If all men are brothers, would you let one marry your sister?

That's incest, that is.....

When it comes to miscegenation....I'm a Bastard Mongrel Englishman: exogamy is almost a requirement, and my family has all sorts of weirdness to it.

My old bridge partner, who will be an English Lord, is descended from Genghis Khan amongst others. I have Indian and Portugeuse blood, as well as Irish.

As long as he's a Gentleman he can marry my sister/daughter/mother whatever. The Glam Ex married a Senegalese chap half her age: and she could have had any chap she wanted in England, just by batting an eyelash.

I've stepped out with black girlfriends, much to the envy of some of my chums.

We're not quite that concerned about such things over here, in general. Well some small minority of folk are, but more fool them.

Wait, so you went black and then went back?

Ah, the unutterable perversity of the Englishman....either that or like most blokes, whatever falls into ones lap, so to speak.

Folk are folk. As individuals they appear more interesting than as a group. And what's with these myths of one group of folk having some special abilities. I'm a musician: I know you only get really good at anything through lots and lots of practise, no matter what your 'natural' gifts.

But I do know of two women who will only step out with trumpet players.

The tone-deaf can practice all they want. They will never be able to navigate their way through "Blue in Green."

I wonder even about that: Bob Fripp was tone-deaf when he started out....some might say that explains everything, but I'd disagree. In fact, look at Ludwig....total auditory impotence didn't stop him composing the 9th. Perhaps I'm stretching the somewhat extended metaphor out of its natural place: but I put that down to my personal characteristics (faults, for the uninitiated).

Hehe. OK. You're providing exceptions that to me prove the rule. But there has to be a reason that monarchies produce better bands than rebellious colonists.

Ah the reason for that is we have embraced our Bastard, Mongrel, and Piratical natures. How else do you get a Keef? Or for that matter a Led Zeppelin or a Who. And the Irish lads are all rebellious, and they produce damn fine bands. And for that matter, wasn't Miles an American? And Bird? And if we're confining ourselves to Pop music, what about Brian Wilson. Jimi, anyone?

Folk like the Cure and Radiohead are a different side of it: I doubt that they rage in quite the same ways.

We had a cultural explosion because of size, the English speaking world, and the swagger accruing from having beggared ourselves winning what seems to have been a just war. Piratical and dandyish fits well with pop music.
Also until the 80's, we educated our able children better than just about any nation, but in the 80's we decided we didn't like paying the taxes for that, so....

I was referring to the unique phenomenon of the rock band. Rutles, Stones, Cream, Zep, Sabbath, Pistols. Jimi's band was British. I think the best we can do is the Dead -- whatever they were.

I'm not overly dogmatic about it. Just saying. It's intriguing.

Co-operation. Collusion. The 'Gang' nature of a band. Collective composition, collective ideals. Teamwork. All for one and one for all, and all that (and the chap who wrote that was French).
Small scale Anarcho-Syndicalism, if you like.

Many great bands have been together since school or university and are more like families. Zep are unusual in that respect, but they spent so much time together in such proximity that they might as well be considered to be a family-like unit: I mean, look at the divorce....Be that as it may, those bands that weren't all at school together still had the same ideals. U2 are Irish, but they do things according to the same principles.

When we started to get all indivdual at the expense of the collective, which is much more the American way, we started to lose the notion that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. Stupid really. You can't crew a Pirate ship by yourself.

This is exactly what Jesus told me. :)

Well if I'd known he'd got there first....I might have quoted chapter and verse.
He always struck me as having good Anarcho-Syndicalist credentials: he had a good band about him too.

For that matter, I seem to remember that Her Majesty the Queen is a descendent of the Prophet Mohammed.
To Gitmo with her....

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