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Soundtracks of Our Lives week ending 23 June 2013 CE
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Hunter T Wolfe
Hunter T Wolfe
1710 posts

Re: Soundtracks of Our Lives week ending 23 June 2013 CE
Jun 24, 2013, 21:50
riverman wrote:
Hunter T Wolfe wrote:
Julian Cope- Revolutionary Suicide. Bought from a proper, "high street" record shop, I might add. And... I like it. Musically at least, and yes, it grows on you with subsequent plays. Melodic, catchy, tender, melancholy, uplifting etc.

But- I still feel uneasy to say the least about the ongoing anti-Muslim theme in Julian's lyrics. I know that yes, he's against all religions (even though, in 'The Armenian Genocide' "the Christians" are "us"), and that his reasons are decently humanitarian and feminist informed. But it's lines like "fell all the mosques" that jump out at me; sentiments about rejecting foreign religions from desert countries, and comparing religious tolerance and multiculturalism in the UK to Neville Chamberlain appeasing Hitler, FFS. And yes, I know his constant hymning of Odin is nothing to do with all the far-right Odinist groups active all over Europe, with their notions of Nordic racial purity, but there it all is, all wrapped up in one handy package which in the current climate of fear and xenophobia seems either a little dangerous and insensitive or maybe he's just stating his position loud and clear and we just don't want to hear it? This should really have gone in the discussion thread for the album I know.



The Christians are 'Us' because the narrator is an Armenian christian - it's place on the album is an example of religious genocide. I'm sure it's a metaphorical felling etc, and yes he's probably stating his position loud and clear - the position being a utopian (righteous) vision of a society with no patriarchal religion. Note in the Khaledonian poem in the booklet "Let the priests drop down dead. Unless all that they said was for women, for peace", so he'd spare a few! I'm not sure his art would work with a fully balanced, nuanced, PC set of lyrics - he seems to want to get important points across as provocatively as he can - and it doesn't get much more provocative than guns on the artwork. That said mind, he clearly puts more people off with his current approach so in that respect it doesn't work!



Yes- I'm not going to disagree because I really want you to be right. And it is true that it's provocative, in a positive way- for me at least as a listener it's forced me to look at my own thoughts and opinions on religion, religious tolerance etc and seriously consider where I stand, as a non-religious but open-minded liberal white Englishman. Tolerance of course can be just as automatic and unthinking as intolerance. And I still haven't definitely worked out what I think, let alone what I think Julian thinks.
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