Answered Prayers

Again, it's almost a year since I wrote anything.
I'm always writing on Facebook, but since I feel writing opinions there often causes too much controversy and tends to get lost in the timeline, I decided to dedicate political and likewise opions to my blog which can be read anytime, and discovered long after Facebook postings disappear. Also a blog post has room to go in further in depth whereas a status update is truly more of a short "hello world, look what I'm doing" kind of statement rather than a major discussion even though the comments do go on just as long.

I still find Blogs rather odd, and hard to manage, but I have been motivated by the fact that sometimes people are looking for answers, or just wanting to see if anyone out there feels the way they do about certain things in life, and therefore it may be worthwhile to fill some space with personal thought.

So this entry is about religion. I have provocatively entitled my piece "answered prayers" in order to set up my opinion. I have a fairly neutral feeling about "believers" so long as they leave me alone, and don't cause mental or physical harm to others, I'm fine with people who worship a deity, but how many religious people out there truly keep their prayers to themselves?

I ask this because recently the Church Of England decided to make an advertisement with "The Lord's Prayer", that has so far been banned by the Digital Cinema Media UK as they felt it was inappropriate to be shown in film theaters, and I agree wholeheartedly.

Here's the video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgN0s2xmCuM

and one of the articles about the ban: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/12012233/Cameron-adds-to-pressure-over-ridiculous-Lords-Prayer-advert-ban.html

Amazingly Richard Dawkins (he of Atheist fame, and controversial tweets) has defended the use of such an advert in cinemas, on the grounds that we need not find it offensive. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/22/richard-dawkins-says-uk-cinemas-should-screen-the-lords-prayer

After watching the video, I wholeheartedly disagree.

Strangely, the prayer in the ad is not the wording that I learned in Sunday School, but I find either version of this "prayer" offensive, as it makes an assumption of a chosen doctrine, and is akin to having someone yelling "Jesus Saves" at a public train station, but in this case would actually be advertised in a cinema where you go to watch fantasy. One could perhaps see the whole thing with a sense of irony, as after all the ad was meant to be played before Star Wars, famous for it's " I am your father", and "use the force, Luke" coupled with ...

Luke Skywalker: "You don't believe in the Force, do you?"
Han Solo: "Kid, I've flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I've seen a lot of strange stuff, but I've never seen *anything* to make me believe that there's one all-powerful Force controlling everything.'Cause no mystical energy field controls *my* destiny. It's all a lot of simple tricks and nonsense."

The Lord's Prayer, as I remember it goes like this.
UK ad alterations in (parenthesis)

Our Father which art in heaven, (UK ad says, Our Father in heaven)
Hallowed be thy name. ("your name")
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us. ("who sin against us")
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.

It's nice little bit of poetry to read, and all, but kind of makes me think, so what? However, in its the visceral presentation of people doing everyday things, and saying these words in attempt to convince people that somehow this prayer and subsequently "The Church" should be within their daily lives at all times, I am irritated and can't imagine having this on a big screen amongst the equally annoying ads because it represents a philosophy in an insidious manner.

There are already religious "faith" based movies out there. What is the necessity for this short advertisement?

Both Kinds Of Music

Already another year (or two!) has gone by, but finally.. Maybe now, I've decided to take this blog more seriously, and turn it into a random space for my musings on life, entertainment, and being just a digit in another space. Digit is probably an acronym for idgit, don't you think? Urban Dictionary: idgit

This post is not particularly about Country & Western, but rather those "both kinds of music" as I define them to be "Sugar Pop", and "Long Lasting Pop".



Taking off from the opinion that regardless of all the categories for music from Rockabilly to Heavy Metal, Reggae, or Electronic Dance Music, there really is only two kinds of music in the world of Pop.

There is the hard to get into right away, and maybe longer lasting impression made by the music of such artists as Pink Floyd, The Doors, or avantgardists such as Laurie Anderson, and then there is the Sugar Pop of such people as Katy Perry, Shakira, or most boybands of the 90s and now, that make music that is either instantly appealing, or annoying depending on your taste, but certainly will be forgotten within the next 20 years, and after it's sold millions will be cleared out of stock when it's no longer in fashion.

The real geniuses are those who have managed a hybrid of both, the at once, "Sugar Rush" inducing tune, that has enough musical artistry or forward thinking inherent that it remains a "classic" or becomes a popular cover version for years to come.

"Fade To Grey" by Visage
"Heart Of Glass" by Blondie
"Light My Fire" by The Doors
"Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd
"Sweet Dreams" and "Here Comes The Rain Again" by the Eurythmics
are just a few small examples. Of course there are thousands, and no I don't believe Depeche Mode has created one of those standards, no matter how many people cover "Photographic", it's been Sugar Pop since "New Life" and not really setting a sound or melody that remains fresh 20 years later unless you are already a fan. IMHO.

What I'm trying to say here is that, I always found Sugar Candy Pop Music rather less worthwhile, and even many of my "contemporaries" in the music scene, no matter how alternative they claim to be are creating something more on the equivalent of Katy Perry, than something of longer lasting value.

Nothing wrong with it, mind you, but I tend rather towards the "misunderstood until years later" kind of music, and I guess with the global village being marketed to ever faster disposable satisfaction, it is rather daunting.

I felt it time to express this little thought to the world, so that you might "get me".
I've made compromises with Psyche, of which with "Sanctuary" I got lucky, but now you know what I'm truly striving for ever since Psyche came up with "The Brain Collapses".

After nearly 30 years since it's release I think maybe some of my music is proving that the road less travelled by may have been the best road to take after all. My advice to new struggling artists is to decide whether you want to get rich quick or build up something that will pay off dividends later in life. Very few people can manage both, without ending up in an early grave, so that's my food for thought for anyone reading, and it's of course, sugar free!


Darrin Huss
Feb. 25, 2014

PS: Last word, I leave to Siouxsie And The Banshees....

Got to give up life in this netherworld
Got to (gonna) go up to where the air is stale
And live a life of pleasantries
(and) mingle in the modern families
Overground-from abnormality
Overboard-for identity
Overground-for normality
Overboard-on identity

This limbo is no place
To be a digit (in)-another space
In another crowd
Im nameless bound

Overground-from abnormality
Overboard-for identity
Overground-for normality
Overboard-on (for) identity

Overground-Ill be worse than me
Overground-its clear to me
Ill be worse than me

Nearly 3 years later

I randomly came across the fact that I have a Blog while commenting on a post from http://www.classicalgasemissions.com So I figured maybe I should maybe finally make something out of this pretty much zombie site, and start giving my AdSense Graveyard a chance to build up some bus money in the future. Most people know that I regularly post my status updates on Facebook, and between running my personal site, Psyche Page, Psyche Website, and YouTube Sites the concept of blogging seems a bit over indulgent. Let's see if I manage to come back here again soon enough to make a record posting of my two times a month instead of once every 2 and a half years. I was going to join Tumblr instead, but I'll give this hear a shot at revival for deeper thoughts, and therewith enjoy the lost world of humanity already all over the net. To quote from a great episode of The Big Bang Theory involving Goths "Not that anyone cares..." Read this, that's the way it is, but hey everybody is a somebody who'd like to be appreciated, so here I am again, Darrin

Back again next year

and here I am a year later. Guess my blog ain't happening after all.

I'm mainly only seen on Facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/darrin.huss

one year later

finally getting into this. As if I don't already have enough websites to manage!

here we go, rants are coming soon