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May 9 marks the anniversary of the victory of the Red Army of the USSR over the forces of German Fascism. Over 20 million Soviet soldiers and citizens died in the fight to liberate the world from Nazi oppression.
The Marxists Internet Archive now features a Great Patriotic War History Archive featuring important documents related to the struggle against fascism, from the origins of the war and Operation Barbarossa to the Fall of Berlin and beyond. The archive is currently under construction.
The following document is from the new Great Patriotic War Archive which was officially launched May 9, 2008 in observance of this important anniversary.
Germany Surrenders! Reported by Lieutenant-Colonel L. Vysokoöstrovsky and Lieutenant-Colonel P. Troyanovsky (in Krasnaya Zvezda, 9th May 1945)
Source: Episodes of the Great Patriotic War (Booklet), 74-76. Originally published in the USSR, 1947. Transcription/HTML: Mike B. for MIA, 2008 Public Domain: Marxists Internet Archive (2008). You may freely copy, distribute, display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet Archive” as your source.
Before the 8th May 1945 the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst was not in any way famous. It gained historical fame on that day when representatives of the allied powers gathered in a building to dictate the terms of the unconditional surrender to Germany.
Let us follow the events of the day. We will begin at the big Berlin aerodrome of Tempelhof. The centre of the aerodrome has been cleared of wreckage and put in order. Around the edges of the field there are still large numbers of burnt and battered German aircraft that have been piled up there.
The flags of the U.S.S.R., the U.S.A. and Great Britain are flying over the aerodrome. A military band is playing and its music drowns the noise of the fighter aircraft ready to take off from the aerodrome.
A number of cars drive up to the aerodrome bringing generals and other officers of the Soviet Army representing the units that captured Berlin. They are the High Command of the Soviet Army who have come to meet the High Command of the allied armies.
A few minutes later a huge aircraft with white stars on its wings appears over the aerodrome. This is the American Military Mission that has flown from Moscow to take part in the historic proceedings.
At 12:43 p. m. the engines of the Soviet fighters roar more loudly. At 12:45 p. m. they take off in twos and fly away to the south-west. In nineteen and a half minutes they will reach
the allied aerodrome on the Elbe to meet the allied aircraft bringing the other generals to Berlin.
An hour and five minutes pass, and the sky is again filled with the roar of engines. Three transport planes, one British and two American, have arrived. The British plane lands first and British Air Marshall Tedder, American General Spaats, Admiral Barrow and others alight.
While Soviet Army General Sokolovsky. Colonel-General Berzarin, Commandant of Berlin, and Lieutenant-General Bokov are greeting the newcomers, somebody notices that a German aircraft has arrived on the other side of the aerodrome. Keitel, Friedenburg and Stumpf.
Representatives of defeated Germany, tread warily on the field where they once strutted at the head of military parades.
Then the French delegation arrived. All the allied officers took their places in the waiting cars and were taken to Karlshorst.
The Soviet, British and American delegations arrived at the building where the Act of Surrender was to be signed. A little later the French delegation, headed by General Delatre de Tassigny took their places in the conference hall.
The building where this historic act was to take place was quite a simple one. In the hall there were three rows of tables covered with soft cloth and a long table for the heads of the allied delegations. At the end of the hall stood a small palm. On the wall were the flags of the four allied powers. the Soviet Union, Great Britain, the United States of America and France.
The heads of the allied delegations enter the room. Soon the room is filled with secretaries, reporters and cinema cameramen. Marshal Zhukov, head of the Soviet delegation, suggests that they begin work and then orders the German delegation to be brought in. In a few minutes the Germans enter. "Have you the proper authority to sign the Act of Surrender?" Zhukov asks Keitel.
Keitel hands him a document signed by Admiral Doenitz.
Then begins the ceremony of signing the act of Germany's complete and unconditional surrender to the allied powers.
The faces of the allied generals are stern but triumphant. Keitel and the other Germans are gloomy, they stand staring down at the floor. Only a short time before this they were shouting to tell the whole world of their victories.
The allied leaders sign the act of surrender, and then Keitel signs. The lips of his adjutant, standing behind him, tremble as he puts his pen to the paper.
Germany has surrendered. How much pride and joy is included in these simple words!
Many thanks to our dear friend Clara Statello for the "Victory over Fascism" logo! Viva la Libertà e la Giustizia!!!
We have received word from Hooman K. of the site "Nothing Can Stop Us!" that Peyman Piran was released on bail on May 1. Again, this is some relatively good news. However, we should remember that Ali Kantouri remains in jail and many DAB members await trial on very serious charges.
We will provide more information as it becomes available.
May 1st is May Day, which is also known as International Workers Day. This holiday is observed in many countries and locales, in recognition of the achievements of the working people of the world.
May 1st also marks the anniversary of the beginning of the 1886 nation-wide strike in support of the eight-hour workday. In Chicago, a mass meeting in support of the workers' movement ended tragically with the "Haymarket Massacre" on May 4.
Written: 1894, First published in Polish in Sprawa Robotnicza; Published: From Selected Political Writings of Rosa Luxemburg, tr. Dick Howard, Monthly Review Press, 1971, pp. 315-16; Online Version: marxists.org April, 2002;
The incomparable Rosa Luxemburg
The happy idea of using a proletarian holiday celebration as a means to attain the eight-hour day was first born in Australia. The workers there decided in 1856 to organize a day of complete stoppage together with meetings and entertainment as a demonstration in favor of the eight-hour day. The day of this celebration was to be April 21. At first, the Australian workers intended this only for the year 1856. But this first celebration had such a strong effect on the proletarian masses of Australia, enlivening them and leading to new agitation, that it was decided to repeat the celebration every year.
In fact, what could give the workers greater courage and faith in their own strength than a mass work stoppage which they had decided themselves? What could give more courage to the eternal slaves of the factories and the workshops than the mustering of their own troops? Thus, the idea of a proletarian celebration was quickly accepted and, from Australia, began to spread to other countries until finally it had conquered the whole proletarian world.
The first to follow the example of the Australian workers were the Americans. In 1886 they decided that May 1 should be the day of universal work stoppage. On this day 200,000 of them left their work and demanded the eight-hour day. Later, police and legal harassment prevented the workers for many years from repeating this [size] demonstration. However in 1888 they renewed their decision and decided that the next celebration would be May 1, 1890.
In the meanwhile, the workers' movement in Europe had grown strong and animated. The most powerful expression of this movement occurred at the International Workers' Congress in 1889. At this Congress, attended by four hundred delegates, it was decided that the eight-hour day must be the first demand. Whereupon the delegate of the French unions, the worker Lavigne from Bordeaux, moved that this demand be expressed in all countries through a universal work stoppage. The delegate of the American workers called attention to the decision of his comrades to strike on May 1, 1890, and the Congress decided on this date for the universal proletarian celebration.
In this case, as thirty years before in Australia, the workers really thought only of a one-time demonstration. The Congress decided that the workers of all lands would demonstrate together for the eight-hour day on May 1, 1890. No one spoke of a repetition of the holiday for the next years. Naturally no one could predict the lightninglike way in which this idea would succeed and how quickly it would be adopted by the working classes. However, it was enough to celebrate the May Day simply one time in order that everyone understand and feel that May Day must be a yearly and continuing institution [. . .].
The first of May demanded the introduction of the eight-hour day. But even after this goal was reached, May Day was not given up. As long as the struggle of the workers against the bourgeoisie and the ruling class continues, as long as all demands are not met, May Day will be the yearly expression of these demands. And, when better days dawn, when the working class of the world has won its deliverance then too humanity will probably celebrate May Day in honor of the bitter struggles and the many sufferings of the past.
We have received word that Equality and Freedom Seeking Students (DAB) Behrouz Karimizadeh and Majid Majedi are now out of jail, which is a very positive development. They were apparently released in mid-April. Of course, "freedom" in today's Iran is a very relative term and it is important to remember that our friends continue to suffer from the physical and mental consequences of their detention and torture. Further, they are awaiting trial on very serious charges and these charges carry significant penalties in the event that convictions are returned. Moreover, as of this date, some DAB students remain imprisoned under harsh conditions.
Our friends need our support now more than ever!
We say "NO" to repressive theocracy AND to U.S. Imperialism!
Tonight I finally got to see Billy Joel live. Finally...after all these years of being a closet Billy Joel fan. He was at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Thomai bought me the tickets as an early birthday present. It was pretty terrific. One of the highlights of he show was when he threw a serious bone to all of the "Buckeyes" in the crowd. Now, you know I am not a big Ohio State fan, but it was pretty awesome that Billy broke into "Hang on Sloopy" right in the middle of the song "River of Dreams." The place went absolutely crazy and everybody was doing that O-H-I-O thing. When it was all over and the band went back into "River of Dreams," I screamed like a girl because it was just so awesome. A little freaking girl, Nate.
There is no shame in this despite the fact that I am still very much a metalhead. You see, halfway through the show, Billy turned the mic over to a guitar roadie they call "Chainsaw" and he led the band in a HUGE performance of AC/DC's "Highway to Hell." Man, it was tremendous. Seriously. My throat totally hurts from screaming "WHOOOO!" Thomai said the woman next to me was giving me crappy looks because of how much I was freaking out. I think I accidentally stepped on that woman's foot a couple of times, though. Whatever.
It was just awesome. Well worth the wait, I must say.
It's been a busy week or so as I've been balancing quite a bit in my "down time." I have been writing a bit on theIranian studentsfor some other sites and at the same time, I have been building a web archive of material related to theGreat Patriotic War(more on that project soon), plus I've devoted a bit of time todefending a blog articleI wrote for our site way back in April 2006. Now, it does tend bother me when I go too long without posting new material and I know we don't have a vast readership here, but now and again folks drop me a line to check on things if I'm too quiet. So, while I don't have anything terribly important to add to greeklish.org tonight, I will take a break from my other projects to post a few pictures...
Here's old Domino, fast asleep:
If you've never had the pleasure of meeting Domino, I will point out here that she is a big dog. She currently weighs about 65 pounds. You might notice that she has crammed her entire body into a dog bed that is actually intended for a 10 to 15 pound dog. The small bed belongs to Stupsi who weighs about 12 pounds or so. Domino's rather large bed is on the floor right next to Stupsi's bed. You can see it in the picture. It is completely empty. Sure, Domino could get up and plant herself on her own bed, which is probably much more comfortable because it is designed for a dog her size. But this is clearly a matter of principle. Stupsi is out of the picture, fast asleep on the cold, hard floor. Domino is still very much in charge of things around here.
Here's my desk after several nights of writing about the Iranian students, the Great Patriotic War and Dr. R.'s lecture:
1. The Teaching Company's Legacies of Great Economists lecture series on audiocassette 2. Marxism: Philosophy and Economics by Thomas Sowell 3. A History of the USSR, Part Three (Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1948) 4. History of the USSR, Part III (Progress Publishers, 1982) 5. Herr Vogt: A Spy in the Workers' Movement by Karl Marx (New Park, 1982) 6. Smokin' Banana Peels CD by The Dead Milkmen 7. Post card featuring the famous quote by Dom Helder Camara: "When I gave food to the poor, they called me a saint. When I asked why the poor were hungry, they called me a communist." 8. Soviet-era museum placard featuring the slogan "Death to the fascist hordes!" (underneath are the books What is Dialectical Materialism? by O. Yakhot and Peace and Greece, Speeches by Dr. Ales Bebler) 9. Bumper sticker: "I'd rather be smashing imperialism" 10. Soviet Calendar: Thirty Years of the Soviet State (Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1948) 11. Rey Mysterio: The Biggest Little Man DVD set
Sunday, April 6 was the annual Gem City Comic Con at Wright State University. Because of some changes in my priorities and in my cash flow, I haven’t been buying as many comics as usual for a while now and I was really looking forward to this event. And because the convention is sponsored by Fearless Readers, I knew it would be a good one.
I didn’t have quite the wad of spending money this time around, but I had enough to land a few nice books as well as an impulse buy or two. I brought my short “want list” along like I usually do for stuff like this, but this time around, I also printed out my entire inventory...or at least the 1/3 or my collection that I have been able to catalog thus far. Turns out it was a big help to have all that extra information when it came time to look for material to fill gaps some of my favorite titles like Power Man and Iron Fist. I also had the foresight to pack both volumes of History of the DC Universe in hopes that I might get the chance to get an autograph or two from Marv Wolfman, who was a special guest at the con.
Airboy Comics vol. 8, number 1; Feb. 1951
As usual, I was a bit over-stimulated when I hit the door, so I had to take a minute to look at my list and get focused. I even keep a “Most Wanted” page on the front of my inventory list binder that includes scans of the covers from some of my most sought-after books (although most of these – like Human Torch #37 (Timely) and Racket Squad #1 – will be financially out of my reach for a while). Right off the bat, I found a guy who was really looking to deal. He offered my a nice copy of Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #17 and Tales to Astonish #38 (Egghead’s first appearance) for combined total that was an absolute steal (no dollar amounts here, but I will say that I wanted both books very much and that the price he quoted me was 50% off his total sticker price). But this was only 5 minutes into my time at the con and I couldn’t drop any cash without scouting the whole room.
I did run across some pricey copies of Airboy and Air Fighters (including the first and second appearances of Valkyrie, which commanded hundreds of dollars a piece) at several booths and I usually look to land at least 1 or 2 Hillman books when I go to a convention. I was a little surprised that I didn’t run across any Real Clue or Headline Comics issues as I browsed around, but I really wasn’t looking that hard for them this time around.
A little while later, my pal Bill from Fearless Readers grabbed me and walked me over to a booth where the seller had a nice handful of “reader” copies of Airboy from the late 1940’s and early 1950’s. This is the stuff I like. So long as the issues are complete and the covers are largely intact with little writing and no big ink stamps, I am always interested in stuff like this. I ended up working out a deal with the seller for two of the Airboy books and I returned later for a third issue.
Along the way, I picked up about 8 issues of Power Man and Iron Fist as I hope to assemble the full run of this title for my collection someday. I was also on the lookout for issues from the short lived Iron Fist solo title and I was surprised to see individual issues commanding some high price tags. I did end up snagging a nice copy of Iron Fist #4.
I took a break from browsing and stopped by Marv Wolfman’s table. I was kind of surprised that there wasn’t a large line or a throng of folks around him. Wolfman is one of my all-time favorite comic writers and I wanted to ask him a few questions, but he didn’t seem like he was too interested in chatting. I tried to ask him a little about a GI Joe episode that he had scripted in the late 1980’s and the conversation didn’t go anywhere. He just kind of said that he had scripted a handful of episodes and that was that. But I was happy that he signed my copies of History of the DC Universe.
I was surprised to see one booth full of pro wrestling stuff, including huge boxes of vintage wrestling magazines like Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Inside Wrestling. There were a ton of issues from the 1980’s – the good old days of independent promotions and territories – and all the magazines were just $1 a piece. I couldn’t resist grabbing 10 of these and I picked the ones with some of the best covers some of which included pictures of greats like Ric Flair and Jerry Lawler. I can’t say I went into the con looking for these, but I was so glad to find them!
Songs of the Pogo 1968
My big purchase for this year’s comic con ended up being a pure impulse buy...something I didn’t know I wanted until I laid eyes on it. I am something of a Walt Kelly & Pogo fan, but I don’t have a huge amount of this kind of stuff in my collection. From time to time, I will pick up some paperback anthologies of Pogo strips, but I don’t actively seek this material out. Sometimes, the stuff manages to “find” me, though. Shortly after I had bought my third Airboy issue of the day, I was browsing an adjacent booth when I noticed a huge Pogo book called Songs of the Pogo on the wall. I asked the vendor how much the book was and he didn’t remember what he had written on the tag, so he got it down for a look. It was a first printing of the paperback edition. He told me the sticker price and then he offered it to me for $10 less. I was interested, but I also remembered the Hero for Hire and Tales to Astonish issues I had seen early on. I thanked him and went back to the other guy to see if the Marvel books were still there. They were indeed still up for grabs, but the longer I thought about it, I figured that it wasn’t every day that I got to pick up such a nice Pogo volume and I ultimately made up my mind to return and purchase it. The seller got it down for me again and took it out of the bag so I could have a look. It was really an irresistible piece, full of music, lyrics, drawings and stories. The seller and I traded a few stories about our fondness for Walt Kelly’s work and I was on my way. I have done little research since Sunday and I’ve learned that the book was a companion to an album of songs performed by Walt Kelly. Moreover, the album is now available on CD so I need to pick up a copy of it soon.
I left WSU feeling pretty good about some of my great finds...I even got a few things for the girls, including a pack of Hannah Montanta trading cards. I am sure the guy at that booth knew I was somebody’s dad. All in all, it was another great comic con and I’ll have some great reading material to keep me busy for a while.
March 30 was a pretty good day for wrestling fans – unless, of course, you are one of those unlucky folks who got hit by fireworks at the end of the show that night. I can't let Wrestlemania XXIV go by without writing just a bit on the production and its aftermath. There were some not-so-good moments in the show, but thankfully the Mayweather vs. Big Show match was not as bad as I had expected. My favorite matches of the night were (in ascending order): the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, Ric Flair vs. Shawn Michaels and Undertaker vs. Edge.
I had kind of figured that CM Punk would win MITB and I had hoped that would happen because he is one of my favorites. But to read the online gossip rags, one might be led to believe that Punk is kind of on the outs with some important folks in WWE. The fact that he is now "Mr. Money in the Bank" means he will probably get some really good promos and matches coming his way for at least a few months. Punk had a teriffic match with Jericho last night that seemed to indicate there is some infinished business between the two.
Flair's final match with Michaels really did steal the show, just like everyone expected. My favorite spot was when Michaels attempted a huge moonsault off the ring apron and ropes and missed Flair, obliterating a ringside announcers' table. In the end, it was all very well done and Flair's retirement ceremony on last night's Raw capped things nicely.
Now truth be told, I am not really a big fan of the Undertaker. It was fairly predictable that his Wrestlemania streak would not be broken, but the match was so exciting and well-done that I can't complain too much. I really don't get these folks to complain about Edge and say things like they're "sick of his character," et cetera. Like I said before...Sorry guys, but we can't all be Cena fans, eh?
Love him or hate him...he'll be the champ again someday, people!
It is just a few days after the arrival of Nowruz, the new year in Iran, and some of the Equality and Freedom Seeking University Students still remain locked in the notorious Evin prison, located in the Iranian capital of Tehran. They remain in jail due mostly to the incredibly high bails placed on the students -- in some cases as high as US$400,000. Families of some students have attempted to post percentages of these bail amounts, but even one-tenth of the bail amounts to a significant sum.
Visit the blog "Nothing Can Stop Us" for more information. (Note: The link may prompt an "Content Warning," likely due to the political content of the site. Click "I UNDERSTAND AND I WISH TO CONTINUE" to view the official site of the Iranian Students.)
It is important to maintain solidarity with these students. They need as much support as possible throughout the course of their struggles.
"I'd like to say that people . . . people can change anything they want to. And that means everything in the world. Show me any country . . . and there'll be people in it just trying to take their humanity back into the center of the ring . . . And follow that for a time. Y'know, think on that. Without people you're nothing." -- Joe Strummer 10: "Why I Don't Believe in God" by Everclear from the 1997 album (So Much for the Afterglow) lyrics
Despite all the awards and accolades while they were at their peak, I still think of Everclear is still one of the great underrated rock bands of the last couple of decades. After Sparkle and Fade, a lot of media-types were basically writing off Art Alexakis and Co. As something of a one-hit wonder. I even remember one time when I was listening to an Everclear song on the radio and at the end of the song, the DJ said something like, "That was Everclear from their album Sparkle and Fade, which is exactly what that band did." Well, not quite. So Much for the Afterglow was a brilliant follow-up to Sparkle and Fade, ultimately going double-platinum after a string of successful singles. Alexakis (that's a Greek name, mind you) has a Springsteen-like knack for writing about common everyday struggles and deeply personal issues in a way that is uniquely eloquent and touching . "Why I Don't Believe in God" was never released as a single, but it is far and away my favorite Everclear song of all time. For a long time, I never understood when people would say that art or music "spoke" to them, but this particularly dark and sad song speaks to me in a way that is difficult to explain.
9: "Anarchy in the U.K." by Sex Pistols (from the 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols)lyrics I think I still remember where I was the first time I heard – and I mean really heard – the Sex Pistols for the first time. I think I was a junior in high school and a friend was driving me back to my folks' house. I asked what was playing on the car's tape deck and somebody else in the car told me we were listening to the Sex Pistols. I was kind of like, "Oh...Really?" I had heard of the Pistols, but I had never really listened to them before and I liked what I was hearing. Although I usually have a pretty good memory for these kinds of times in my life, it's really kind of a blur from there. 1970's punk was a something of a revelation for me, as I had been listening to a steady diet of 80's metal and "classic" rock for about a decade. I really don't know how long it took me to buy my first Pistols album, but I know I went kind of crazy there for a while. I was watching Sid and Nancy at least once or twice a week and buying just about every Sex Pistols tape at the mall's Camelot store...and there were a lot of compilations floating around back then. And the Pistols opened all kinds of other musical doors for me, paving the way for my later interests in bands like The Clash. I think one of the things that I still love about "Anarchy in the U.K." is that the first lines of the song are probably still the most blatantly and purposefully offensive song lyrics in the history of music. "Holidays in the Sun" would be a runner-up for my favorite Pistols song ever.
My favorite picture of Joe Strummer Taken from the booklet of the Clash on Broadway box set
8: "Gangsterville" by Joe Strummer (from the 1989 album Earthquake Weather)lyrics I was pretty much in the thick of my obsession with the Sex Pistols by 1990 or so, and I was working a part-time job at the local library. One of my coworkers was a girl whose brother was pretty big in Dayton's indie/alternative music scene and she seemed to know quite a bit about the vintage punk bands that had influenced our generation's budding college-rock scene. She loaned me some well-played cassettes of the Clash's eponymous first album as well as the masterpiece London Calling and it wasn't too long before I was really taken with them. I have loved The Clash ever since then, but I have always preferred Joe Strummer's vocals and song-writing to that of Mick Jones . This might be in some small part due to the fact that Joe had also performed the theme song to Sid and Nancy, which was probably my favorite film back then. But Joe's style has always been much different from Mick's and this is most apparent when you compare their respective post-Clash work.
Joe Strummer's musical evolution is something of a fascinating path. In his early days, he started out playing the ukelele for a band called the 101'ers. The Wikipedia article on the 101'ers has them pegged as a "pub rock" band, but I remember seeing them referred to as a ska or reggae-like act some years ago. A few years after joining the 101'ers, Joe would rise to prominence as a punk icon as the front-man and guitarist for The Clash. In and of itself, The Clash would go through an incredible musical evolution during their decade together. During his time with The Clash, Joe Strummer would experiment with the Latin American sound, rockabilly, reggae and dubbing. These sounds would ultimately shape his post-Clash work with the Latino Rockabilly War and the Mescaleros. This incredible blend of musical genres, along with Joe's distinctive "gravelly" singing voice and his documented contempt for enunciation made him one of the most incredibly unique performers in rock history.
Joe Strummer's Earthquake Weather was released a few years after he left The Clash for good. I think I bought my first copy of this album on cassette in 1990 or 1991. I actually remember the day quite well, but in retrospect, I must say it wasn't really a day worth remembering when I think about it. I had heard just about all of the major releases by The Clash and I happened to have a little extra cash in my pocket the day I discovered the album at the record store. I bought it without having heard a single track on the album, so I wasn't really sure what I was getting. "Gangsterville" is the opening track of the album and while I love every song on the album, this particular track has been my favorite since the day I bought the album. One of the most favorite things about the song is the way it begins, with the Joe yelling, "Let's rock again!" before the first verse kicks in. The song features some classic Strummer lyrics, including some historical references and even a few lines that required footnotes when the lyrics were printed on the album's sleeve. "Gangsterville" has some great guitar work by Zander Schloss, including a terrific, multi-part solo . There's also a hint of calypso music in there if you listen closely. Leave it to Joe to build a masterpiece out of such an uncanny blend of different elements.
7: "Heart-Shaped Box" by Nirvana (from the 1993 album In Utero)lyrics 1993 was a big turning point for me, as I was finally able to really come into my own. I was starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel with my undergraduate studies and an impending career path. I had also made some new friends and some important new relationships were on the horizon. I bought In Utero very soon after its release and I will always associate the album with memories of an important transitional period in my life.
I had initially resisted Nirvana when Nevermind exploded into popularity because I was pretty fixated on the notion that grunge was killing heavy metal (although, I think that pop-sounding sappy metal had as much to do with the temporary demise of heavy metal as grunge did, really). But sometime in the summer of 1992 or so, I heard "Territorial Pissings" and "Drain You" and I was pretty impressed, so I borrowed a cassette tape of Nevermind from a friend to give Nirvana a closer listen. The quality of the recording was pretty bad, so I ended up buying the album on CD shortly thereafter and I really enjoyed it. A lot of the singles had been played to death on MTV and I found myself enjoying the less popular songs on what was basically the second side of the LP/cassette release. I picked up Incesticide right after it came out and blew a lot of cash on Nirvana singles and bootlegs in the months that followed, so by the time In Utero was released, I was pretty excited about the chance to hear some new material. In Utero certainly didn't let me down. "Heart-Shaped Box" was the first single from In Utero and I remember being completely captivated by the video the first time I saw it. To me, the song is just so perfect with its enigmatic lyrics and a sound that is raw and bleeding with emotion and energy.
I first heard about the Billy Bragg & Wilco Mermaid Avenue collaboration in 2000 or 2001 while I was having lunch with a couple of friends. I didn't know much about Bragg or Wilco, so I didn't really pay much attention. Some time later, I picked up Billy Bragg's EP The Internationale and I was so impressed with his collection of working-class anthems, that I sought out more of his stuff, eventually discovering the Mermaid Avenue albums for myself. When I finally understood the whole concept of the project (which was to put a selection of Woody Guthrie's previously unpublished lyrics to music), I was pretty interested in hearing the results for myself. A friend loaned me Vol. I first and it was that album which would eventually yield one of my favorite songs of all time...but more on that song later. I borrowed Vol. II a few weeks later and enjoyed it as well, but I was more partial to the shorter, "catchier" songs on the album, like "My Flying Saucer," "Against th' Law," and "Secrets of the Sea."
It was quite a while after I had purchased my own copies of the Mermaid Avenue albums on CD that I discovered "Remember the Mountain Bed" on Vol II. I had a lengthy commute to work at the time, and I would try to listen to albums all the way through instead of skipping around and just listening to my favorite songs. That way, I'd stretch my material out instead of running out of stuff once I had heard all of my favorites. So one morning while listening to Vol. II, I came to to "Remember the Mountain Bed" and I finally gave it a good listen. I will never forget the moment I heard the lyrics "You smiled when I said the leaves were just the color of your eyes" because I immediately thought of Thomai. As I listened to the song, it reminded me of the life Thomai and I were building; who we were, where we had been and where we were going. As soon as I got to work that morning, I pulled the lyrics up on the Internet and sent them to Thomai in an e-mail. To this day, I still feel like there is so much about this song that really captures the essence of our relationship and how great we are together.
May 9 marks the anniversary of the victory of the Red Army of the USSR over the forces of German Fascism. Over 20 million Soviet soldiers and citizens died in the fight to liberate the world from Nazi oppression.
Before the 8th May 1945 the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst was not in any way famous. It gained historical fame on that day when representatives of the allied powers gathered in a building to dictate the terms of the unconditional surrender to Germany.
