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As promised, here's the rundown of tracks from my entry in the CDP's CDP Worldwide Mix-Tape Trade 8. The title of my mix CD is "For Malachi Ritscher." You can read more about Ritscher here and you can read about the history and theme of the mix here.
1. "Ban the Game" by Men Without Hats (from the album Rhythm of Youth) Not many people would use the word "poignant" when referring to Men Without Hats. For most folks, the band's name evokes images of midgets at a Renaissance fair. But "Ban the Game," the first track on their 1982 debut album, is quite the poignant tune and I thought this was a good way to introduce the program.
2. "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath (from the soundtrack to the film Heavy Metal) Although Ozzy-era Sabbath is laden with political themes, this was seldom the case with their Dio-era material. "The Mob Rules" is something of an exception. The idea that "when you listen to fools, the mob rules" is a reminder that mass hysteria generally yields the worst of what the world has to offer. In the wake of 9/11, this kind of polarized groupthink brought our worst prejudices to light and ultimately led us to the invasion and occupation of two countries. (I used the Heavy Metal edit because on Mob Rules, there's about half a second of the song "E150" that bleeds into the beginning of "The Mob Rules" and it's pretty much impossible to edit out. I wish the sound quality of this particular track was a little better.)
Allen Ginsberg
3. "The Sunflower Sutra" by Allen Ginsberg (from the album Howl and Other Poems) Both for his own time and well beyond, few voices of protest and activism are as thought-provoking and insightful as that of Allen Ginsberg. Laden with vivid imagery and ethereal symbolism, "The Sunflower Sutra" is a work that evaluates and celebrates self-awareness while chronicling his personal struggle to make the world a better place. (Had I not been going for the whole "three word title" pattern, I might've included "America," which is one of my favorite Ginsberg works.)
4. "No Fucking War" by 7 Year Bitch (from the album Sick 'Em) 7 Year Bitch was one of the most underrated punk bands of the 1990's. They were heavy as hell and something of a standout from the "riot grrrl" and grunge ensembles of their time. Selene Vigil belted out songs with the bulldozer-like ferocity of a female Cronos (and that, friends, is the highest of compliments from yours truly)."No Fucking War" was 7 Year Bitch's song of protest against Operation Desert Storm, but the lyrics became even more relevant during America's second foray into the Persian Gulf. With George W. Bush leading the new charge, the line "Bush, pull out like your father should have" (originally aimed at George HW Bush) turned a simple double entendre into an irony that was profoundly unfortunate.
5. "Two-Sided Politics" by Suicidal Tendencies (from the album Suicidal Tendencies) Some Cold War-era musings on alienation and injustice going on here: I'm not anti-Reagan, Reagan's anti-me /And I'm not anti-government, government's anti-me/And I'm not anti-politics, politics is anti-me/And I'm not anti-anything, I just wanna be free. Well…It still rings true, doesn't it?
6. "Pen Cap Chew" by Nirvana (from the box set With the Lights Out or possibly from the Pay to Play bootleg) It's not so much of a pacifist's anthem, but there's definitely some political awareness in the line "Kill a politician and then wear his clothes." Part Robin Hood, part Bolshevik revolutionary….all Cobain. The spoken word lead-in is an outtake I pulled from side four of the LP version of From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. It's not really relevant to the song, but it's funny because Bob Larson is a yutz. I originally spliced these tracks together for another mix CD many years ago.
7 Year Bitch
7. "Levi Stubbs' Tears" by Billy Bragg (from the album Talking with the Taxman About Poetry) So beautiful and so sad, all at the same time. This song is about trudging through life despite the worst kinds of trouble and tragedy: "When the world falls apart, some things stay in place."
8. "The Call Up" by The Clash (from the album Sandanista!) Sandanista! should make each and every list of the greatest rock albums of all time, now and forever. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that this album is still woefully underappreciated despite innovation, musicianship and content (both artistic and political content) of the highest caliber. Think of "The Call Up" as something like the punk equivalent of Phil Ochs' much-celebrated draft evasion anthem "Draft Dodger Rag."
9. "Canons of Christianity" by Phil Ochs (from the album Phil Ochs in Concert) Phil Ochs is not just one of my favorite artists; he is one of my favorite human beings. I think a lot of people believe Phil ultimately took his own life because he lost his sanity. I prefer to think that Phil stayed sane while the rest of the world went crazy. "Canons of Christianity" nicely sums up the problems wrought by religion's best of intentions.
10. "Over the Edge" by The Wipers (from the album Over the Edge) If you've never heard any stuff by The Wipers, do yourself a favor and buy the 3 CD box set that includes is This Real?, Youth of America, and Over the Edge. This is a great song for those days when you feel like everyone is pushing your damn buttons. (I had hoped to include the song "Youth of America" in this mix and then use the Hole cover of "over the Edge" but with "Youth" clocking in at almost 10 minutes, I wouldn't have been able to contain this collection in a single disc.)
11. "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour (from the album Vivid) My head almost exploded when I first saw Living Color perform on Saturday Night Live back in 1989. I still remember seeing how annoyed my mom was with the performance and pretty much deciding right then to go buy their album. She was less than thrilled when I brought it home. I think I missed the whole point of the song "Cult of Personality" back then but as I've grown older, I can appreciate it in a different context. Any way you look at it, this song is tremendous.
12. "Worried Man Blues" by Woody Guthrie (from the album Muleskinner Blues: The Asch Recordings Vol. 2) The quintessential poet and songwriter of the American Left, Woody fought for a better world and shared his vision far and wide. His voice and music remain the heart and soul of the continuing struggle against corruption and injustice. it was one of my favorite moments as a parent thus far when I heard baby Z. -- at about the age of 2 years old -- singling along with Woody's "Muleskinner Blues."
13. " Ένα το χελιδόνι" ("Ena to helidoni" or "A Solitary Swallow") by Mikis Theodorakis (from the YouTube video "ΝΟΕΜΒΡΗΣ 1973-ΠΟΛΥΤΕΧΝΕΙΟ") The YouTube video collage "November 1973 – Polytechnic" chronicles the 1973 uprising by students of the Athens Polytechnic in opposition to the fascist dictatorship of Greece's military junta. "Ena to Helidoni" was originally written during the Greek Civil War of 1946-1949 but it became symbolic of the struggle against the junta during the years of the dictatorship. The voice at the beginning of this track is Maria Damanaki, who was a leading voice of the students during the uprising (Damanaki has long since given up radical politics in favor of a career with ruling-class organizations and institutions). In the excerpt included in this track, Damanaki proclaims, "Everyone united in the struggle for democracy and national independence; Long live the people's struggle!" The gunshots immediately following the song are taken from audio of the junta's brutal suppression of the students on 17 November. My friend Anthony once described the juxtaposition of the song with the sound of gunfire as "chilling" (or words to that effect." I edited the audio a bit to bring these elements closer together. Thanks to Anthony for the translation help.
14. "Commerce of Grief," an excerpt from a presentation by Arundhati Roy In her September 18, 2002 talk "Come September, writer and activist Arundhati Roy commented on the dangers of jingoism and militarism that flourished in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In this particular excerpt, she explores the hypocrisy of killing innocent people to avenge the deaths of other innocent people.
15. "Search and Destroy" by The Stooges (this version from the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) I wish I had a coherent explanation for including this song, but I have to settle on the explanation that it just felt right. All of this talk of death and destruction probably brought this tune to my mind.
16. "Gimme Some Truth" by John Lennon (taken from the soundtrack to The U.S. vs. John Lennon) John Lennon, much like the rest of us, wanted the one thing that's the hardest to get.
The great Phil
Ochs
17. "Ringing of Revolution" by The Weakerthans (from the album Return of the Read Menace) Somebody gave me a compilation of stuff by the Weakerthans some years ago and to be totally honest, I never got past this song, which was the first track. This is a dynamite cover of the epic tune by Phil Ochs (without Phil's cinematic, spoken-word prologue, mind you) and after hearing this, I figured the bar was set too high and that I wouldn't appreciate anything else by Yhe Weakerthans on the level that I loved this particular performance.
18. "Black Wind Blowing" by Billy Bragg and Wilco (from the album Mermaid Avenue, Volume 2) The Mermaid Avenue albums, collections of Woody Guthrie's heretofore unpublished lyrics, contain some of the best music ever recorded. The song "Black Wind Blowing" reminds me of something that I often say about the state of the world today: "Things have to get a whole lot worse before they ever get better."
19. "Power to the People" by Huey P. Newton (excerpted from a public address) Brother Huey, much like Paul Robeson, Phil Ochs and so many others like him, had a brilliant vision of a better world that was compromised and marginalized through sustained campaigns of repression and harassment from elitists and their proverbial "running dogs." He was the epitome of the doctrine of revolutionary suicide: "I, we, all of us are the one and the multitude."
20. "Until the End" by The Nightwatchman (from the album One Man Revolution) I used to refer to Phil Ochs as the last great songwriter of the American Left… Then I heard Tom Morello's material from his "The Nightwatchman" project.
21. "for Malachi Ritscher" (original composition) This is an original "sound collage," created using my Epiphone Les Paul, Karera bass guitar and the keyboard simulator from Apple GarageBand. The spoken content was performed by K. and Z. (Z.'s line took about 37 takes.)
It was complete serendipity that I ran across a fabulous blog while surfing the 'net a week or so ago. I am not sure what I was looking for the day that I happened on The Communist Dance Party (probably looking to get some more commie tchotchkes for my burgeoning collection, I'm sure), but the style and humor of The CDP really struck that proverbial chord for me. It's in a similar vein with Cold Bacon, which has been a favorite of mine for several years now. CDP features a great mix of pop culture and personal reflection, making it interesting, funny and insightful all at the same time. Really. Plus, there are mix tapes. I've said it here before, folks: I love mix tapes.
The CDP Worldwide Mix-Tape Trade is an opportunity for CDP readers (I think we're officially called "CDPeons") to exchange mixes (on cassette or CD) via mail. Ryan Zeinert, the brains and the brawn behind the whole CDP endeavor, matches up participants and sets the guidelines and deadlines for the event. Although I missed the first seven trades, I was able to get in on Worldwide Mix-Tape Trade 8. Life is good.
Of course, given the magnitude of a global initiative such as this, there's no way that it would be so easy as to just create a simple mix and send it on its way. Each trade event involves a theme of some sort and this time around, it's "Three Little Words." So, the overall theme of the mix tape needs to be a three word phrase. I took the guidelines a little further and made sure that every song in my mix has a three-word title. I know that may seem kind of obsessive but I really want to make a big splash instead of just coming across like a CDP greenhorn.
Malachi Ritscher (1954 - 2006)
It took me a day or so to come up with my three-word theme. I think I was just trying too hard at first. At some point, something led me to recall the story of Malachi Ritscher, the artist and activist who committed suicide in 2006 by self-immolation. Ritscher killed himself as a protest to the war in Iraq, choosing to exit life in the same manner as the Buddhist monks who died while protesting the conditions in South Vietnam during the war. Ritscher explained his actions through a note published shortly after his death. His epitaph stated in part: "if I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world." Recalling this story a week or so ago, I thought to myself, "I really hope people don't forget about this man." Somewhere along the way, I got the idea to make my CDP mix tape into a commemoration of Ritscher's life and death. So, the working title for my mix is "For Malachi Ritscher."
The mix is almost complete and at present it's somewhere around 20 tracks of music and spoken word. I am waiting on a CD that I acquired from eBay just the other day (bought for the very purpose of adding one specific track to this very collection, mind you). I am also thinking about including an original composition to the mix and I have already started laying down a basic track for that particular song. I'm not the greatest of musicians, so it'll likely be more of a sentimental effort than anything to crow about.
When it's all done, I'll post my track listing, notes and artwork (yes, artwork) here on greeklish.org. Expect stuff from the likes of 7 Year Bitch, Allen Ginsberg, Woody Guthrie, Mikis Theodorakis, Billy Bragg and others. I'm hoping that the subject matter isn't too heavy for those who will receive the mix because I feel like Ritscher's legacy merits contemplation and celebration. Related stuff Mixtape Mixdown: 25 Favorites
Would you believe that a simple item on our dinner menu could lead to an impromptu history lesson about a relatively obscure phase of China's Cultural Revolution? If you spent just a little time hanging around our house, well folks, you'd buy it.
A few weeks ago, Thomai prepared some fresh mangoes for dessert. She's always doing her best to make sure that the girls and I get as much healthy stuff as possible. On the night in question, I sat there at the table with the girls watching Thomai peel and cut the mangoes when a thought popped into my brain:
"Have I ever told you about China's 'Mango Worship' period?" I asked.
"Yes," Thomai groaned.
Then from across the table came the voice of our older daughter, K. "I haven't heard it!" she exclaimed. Our younger daughter Z followed up with a resounding, "Me neither!" Intelligent, inquisitive and enthusiastic; Yeah…those are my kids, for sure.
From that point on, I had the pleasure of recounting the story for our girls – now ages 10 and 6 – as we ate the mangoes together. I was working from memory only, so I started in the middle of the tale, explaining that Mao had sent a number of mangoes to factories and schools around China as a gesture of something or other. In turn the folks who received the mangoes, treated the fruits as venerated objects, preserving them and – in some cases – constructing intricately detailed replicas of the mangoes to commemorate the occasion on which they were received.
I was fortunate to have my BlackBerry nearby, so I used the web browser to visit Stefan Landsberger's outstanding online archive of Chinese Propaganda Posters to check my facts. I was happy to find a rather detailed summary of the entire "Mango Worship" period which allowed me to correct a few inaccuracies in my off-the-cuff version of the story. In addition to the narrative, a picture of one of the celebrated fruits is included on his "Chairman Mao's Mangoes" page. Additionally, Dr. Landsberger's page features a link to another site which has pictures of one of the handcrafted replica mangoes.
After listening to an updated version of the story (courtesy of the information from Dr. Landsberger's site), the girls gathered 'round to look at the pictures of the mangoes with me and I couldn't help feeling like they were just a little bit impressed with some of the stuff that their dad comes up with from time to time.
When it comes to sharing information, garnering awareness, and organizing campaigns there are few forms of media that can compete with the accessibility and reach of Internet-based "social networking" sites. For every "MySpace," "Twitter," and "LinkedIn," there are many dozens of smaller sites that are scraping and clawing for their own share of this burgeoning market.
In only 6 years, Facebook has evolved from a quaint and entertaining novelty to a bona fide brand unto itself, now boasting over 500 million users worldwide. It's become a billion-dollar enterprise, enjoying a far-reaching and profound influence upon social networking, the Internet and upon popular culture itself.
Of course, as individuals and groups see the power and appeal of Facebook, it is understandable and expected that such a user-friendly service might be harnessed to further all sorts of objectives and causes. Such was the vision shared by supporters of Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera when they created a Facebook page aimed at publicizing the rather unusual twists and turns of Palmera's battles in the American legal system.
The Facebook group "Free Ricardo Palmera!" was created by three members of The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. In its relatively short existence on the web, the group's membership grew to nearly 700 members before Facebook administrators deleted the page on June 30, acting without any sort of advance notice or legitimate justification. Josh Sykes, one of the co-founders of the "Free Ricardo Palmera!" Facebook group explained the situation in an interview with Fight Back! News:
Facebook's reason was that it violated the 'terms of use' so they shut it down on June 30. They said that it was obscene, that it attacked people, or was hateful. Nothing could be further from the truth. They also threatened the administrators of the group with having their profiles disabled if we continued to "abuse" facebook features - which we never did.
On July 7, the personal Facebook account of Josh Sykes and those of the group's co-founders, Angela Denio and Tom Burke, were also locked by Facebook, ostensibly as a penalty for organizing support for Palmera. A groundswell of support for Sykes, Denio and Burke followed on the web and beyond. Under pressure from individual users and sympathetic organizations and media groups, Facebook eventually reinstated the accounts of Sykes and Denio while still attempting to justify the deletion of the Palmera group with vague and disingenuous terminology:
After reviewing your situation, we have determined that your group violated our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. One of Facebook's main priorities is the comfort and safety of our users. We do not allow credible threats to harm others, support for violent organizations, or exceedingly graphic content. Your violation of Facebook's standards has resulted in the permanent loss of your group. We will not be able to reactivate this group for any reason. This decision is final.
The Palmera group remains a virtual "third rail" along with a number of other causes that are unwelcome on Facebook. In the weeks and months leading up to the sacking of the Palmera group, Facebook also disabled a group calling for a boycott of BP as well as a page condemning Israeli oppression of Palestinians. The glaring inconsistency in Facebook's allegedly egalitarian motivations lies in the fact that plenty of other Facebook pages – including those created by groups who openly espouse racism, fascism, misogyny and even murder – remain unchallenged and unmolested despite a flagrant disregard for Facebook's terms of use. Some might view this as simple irony in that Facebook purports to support free speech, information sharing and democracy around the world. The sad reality is that their actions with regard to the Palmera group and other causes are demonstrative of calculated and intentional censorship; In a word, we're talking about hypocrisy.
It's not necessarily a matter of expecting wealthy, propertied interests to uphold apparently elusive concepts like "free speech" because for progressives who see the inherent repression in bourgeois society, we must surely have reasonable expectations based on what we see and experience from day to day and from year to year. There was a time when people might have legitimately expected Facebook to stand for something radically different. These expectations are now little more than illusions. In retrospect, perhaps it's not so surprising that Facebook—a business entity that has effectively redefined the elite ranks of global mass media—has slowly become yet another arm of ruling elites and the military-industrial-media complex. Facebook has indeed descended into the bowels of the corporate sewer and, to quote Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, "If you live in the toilet, you get used to shit and the smell no longer bothers you."
Tom Burke, co-founder of the "Free Ricardo Palmera!" group on Facebook remains in social networking limbo as Facebook administrators ponder his virtual fate. Meanwhile, individuals and groups continue to struggle against censorship on Facebook, mounting campaigns to reinstate Burke's account while creating new pages to shed light on the struggle of Ricardo Palmera.
Read more about the situation through Fight Back! News here and watch an interview with Josh Sykes and Angela Denio on YouTube.
I wrote an earlier draft of this short piece a couple of years ago for someone else’s blog. This conversation really happened and the memory of it makes me smile to this day.
One might accurately say I've always been something of an "enthusiast" when it comes to bugs and spiders. If I see something flying or crawling by, I might easily put any current business on hold to see what kind of excitement and intrigue the insect world has to offer. Such was the case one evening as I was enjoying some time in the back yard with our girls. I can't remember what exactly we were doing but at some point I became distracted by the site of a large group of anthills.
As I crouched down to inspect the teeming insect metropolis, our younger daughter (who was four years old at the time) walked over and joined me for a look. For a minute or so, we watched in silence as the ants scurried here and there. Eventually, my daughter asked in her soft, inquisitive kid voice: “Daddy, are those good ants?”
I was at something of a loss for a few seconds but after thinking on it, I eventually replied, "Well, they’re not Disney ants." Yeah...That was simply the best I could do at that particular moment. As luck would have it, she was relatively happy with my answer.
It was something of a coincidence that I began reading Paul Feldman’sUnmasking the State: A Rough Guide to Real Democracy (Lupus Books, 2008) exactly two days after David Cameron became the new British Prime Minister. I say this because Feldman explicitly mentions Cameron’s budding political future just a few sentences into the book’s Introduction:
Is David Cameron ready to become prime minister? Who knows and, frankly, who cares because this is politics as a trivial pursuit. (p. 5)
This very tone and sentiment sets the stage for an extensive and frank analysis of the nature of capitalism and its manifestation through the British state. Indeed, Feldman – Communications Editor for the UK-based organization A World to Win – does not mince any words or pull any punches in his assessment of the current state of affairs in the United Kingdom. Unmasking the State is contemporary Marxist critique at its finest, combining the best attributes of a sourcebook and primer as a means to prepare the rank-and-file, street level activists for a battle that is as much cerebral as it is concrete.
The strength of the text is its tendency to provide historical precedents as context for the situations and crises of today. Consider Feldman’s chapter “The Struggle for Democracy” in which he expounds upon the inherent contradictions between real democracy and capitalism. This section presents and overview of the struggles of groups like the Chartists and the Suffragettes as evidence that democratic social movements, which foster organization and mass action, are most effective in their opposition of the oppression and institutionalized stratification wrought by capitalism. Feldman also provides a methodical account of the lessons of Britain’s most recent history in the epoch of corporate-driven globalization, examining the continual efforts of the ruling class to maintain the status quo of the “proxy state.” It is, in a manner of speaking, reminiscent of the very conclusions reached by V.I. Lenin his major work The State and Revolution in which he described the bourgeois concept of democracy as “democracy that is curtailed, wretched, false, a democracy only for the rich, for the minority.” Such is the present state of affairs in the allegedly “democratic” societies of the West.
Feldman concludes Unmasking the State with his effort to answer the longstanding question: “What is to be done?” In the chapter “A Way Forward,” the author argues that the ultimate defeat of capitalism is contingent upon radical changes in the form and functionality of “the state”. Proposing a broad and bold list of proposals on fundamental democratic, economic and social rights, Feldman – on behalf of A World to Win – elucidates the fundamental tenets of a bold vision for revolutionary change:
A World to Win is confident that by making information technology available to everyone, by bringing the economy under the control of communities, workers and consumers, and by discouraging bureaucratic trends wherever possible, the state as a separate body can eventually be dispensed with. (p. 86)
Because the book is largely written from a British perspective and predominantly in the context of the British experience, Unmasking the State will undoubtedly find its largest and most appreciative audience to the working people and students of the United Kingdom. That is not necessarily to say that Americans would not find the work captivating and inspirational at a number of levels. It would be most advantageous to organizers and proponents of mass action worldwide if they follow the lessons of Feldman’s text by developing comparable “action guides” which spur revolutionary changes at local and regional levels. The strategy, in its most basic form is typified in the maxim, “Think globally, act locally.” The ultimate goal – now as always – remains common: We have a world to win.
Preface: I wrote this in early 2010 for a different (now defunct) website. Rather than letting the piece vanish into the ether, I decided to re-post it here for posterity.
The one and only Ox Baker.
If there was ever a man who constitutes the "total package" of a wrestling heel, it's the legendary Ox Baker. In his prime, Baker was a giant among the wrestling world's coterie of ne'er-do-wells, combining an intimidating physical appearance with earth-shaking mic skills. To be sure, it was Ox's look that went a long way towards establishing him as a man to be feared. Sure, he didn't have that Muscle & Fitness physique but in Ox's heyday there was more to a wrestler's physical appearance than pulsating pecs and washerboard-style abs.
In a way, one might well imagine that if The Devil himself was a pro wrestler, he'd look and sound a lot like Ox: a giant of a man covered in body hair and sporting a shaved head, pointed eyebrows and an overgrown horseshoe mustache. Standing almost six and a half feet tall and weighing in at over 300 pounds, he towered over many of his opponents, his demonic countenance wrenched in a perpetual sneer. All that was missing was a set of cloven hooves, really. His promo work was pure hellfire and brimstone, broadcast with a voice that sounded something like a blender full of gravel and glass.
Ox was a big wheel in the WWA, AWA and NWA promotions, wrestling in singles matches as well with tag team partners were themselves future legends, such as Ole Anderson and Billy Graham. As early as 1969, he sported NWA championship gold but his career-defining moment would come a few years later.
Baker was cut from the "big man" cloth for sure and while that was something of a novelty, it wasn't really a sustainable gimmick in and of itself. It was something of a twist of fate that lent Ox the ultimate gimmick.
See, Ox Baker killed a guy. Two guys, all told.
Really? Well...
The story goes that in 1970, after suffering the wrath of Ox's infamous "heart punch" during an AWA Midwest Tag-Team Title match in Omaha, Nebraska, wrestler Alberto Torres collapsed in the ring. He was rushed to a hospital where he died, ostensibly due to injuries sustained in the match. Kind of.
In reality, Torres had a pre-existing medical condition -- a ruptured pancreas -- and he failed to disclose this to the promoters or his opponents prior to the match. Whatever the case,"kayfabe" ruled the day back in the early 1970's and the fans were absolutely convinced that Torres had fallen to Baker's heart punch and nothing else. For better or worse, Baker and the rest of the wrestling world ran with the angle and the incident established Ox as a formidable force within the squared circle and beyond.
In 1975, reality and kayfabe collided again when wrestler and Georgia Championship Wresling co-owner Ray Gunkel perished after sustaining a heart punch from Ox Baker. Baker's official web site claims that Gunkel died in the ring "before he hit the floor" but other accounts indicate Gunkel won the "Texas Death Match" and died later that night. Gunkel reportedly suffered from arteriosclerosis and in this instance, it is possible that the rigors of the match -- including the heart punch -- might have been a factor in his demise.
Baker used the hype and hysteria around the wrestling-related deaths to his advantage, crafting his fearsome reputation with his smack-talking skills and menacing physical appearance into a heel identity like none other. He continued to work the heart punch as the most dangerous weapon in his arsenal throughout a number of promotions and territories including Angelo Poffo's "outlaw" International Championship Wrestling promotion in the early 1980s. In typical over-the-top-heel form, Bake gave a ringside interview to ICW's Tim Tyler about the fury of his heart punch, including a reference to a St. Louis meeting with Ernie Lad who himself fell victim to the power of the heart punch:
You know, a lot of times when a new man comes into an area...people go, "Oh yeah, it's another big loudmouth, he's gonna tell how tough he is, how many people that he's beat up." Well, Ox Baker has never had to do that because when I go to an area, people know that there's a tough human being there. Three hundred and eighteen pounds. Here's a man over here getting himself into shape because sooner or later he knows he’s gotta get into the squared circle with Ox Baker. At the bus station, there's wrestlers takin' bus tickets out of town. There's a lot of wrestlers you won't see around here any more because they know that they'll have to wrestle Ox Baker. Now I have a reputation, I've beat men up from coast to coast, all over the world. I do not brag to tell you how tough I am, I do not tell you I’m the world’s greatest wrestler. I have one weapon, one thing that puts me above everybody else: I have a fist here that knows that if you’re not in fantastic shape, that if you haven’t worked out -- even a couple of guys have joined a spa around here -- because they know they’d better be in shape because if I see 'em huffin’ and puffin’ in that ring because when I raise that heart punch up in all the fury in my body, if I don’t like you, I drive it into your...
(Video of Ox fighting Ernie Ladd rolls while Ox continues to talk...)
Here! Here’s a man who had a great reputation, the great Ernie Ladd! He could beat a lot of guys up. I got in the ring with him, I pounded him in the heart, he said "Please Mr. Ox, don’t hit me again” but he’d called me a lot of names..."Walrus face," things like that...See the punishment? He’s down on one knee, he doesn’t want to give up, he wished he’d worked out, he wished he had stayed home. Now he’s on the ground. You know, it takes...Anybody can kick somebody when they’re standing up, but it takes a great wrestler like me to punch somebody when they’re laying flat on their back. Ernie Ladd, I don’t think that people will see you around here any more. I don’t think after the punishment that I...Look at that...I am there pounding on that heart because this man did not deserve to be in the same class -- he’s not in the same class -- as Ox Baker! ...Look at that, layin’ there...The people are getting mad and getting worked up because people can see he’s not moving. Blood is coming out of his mouth, he’s hurt and hurt bad. That’s the reason. If you lip off to Ox Baker, if you say he’s not a great wrestler...I don’t care if you don’t like me. Don’t bring your mother up in a wheelchair and ask for an autograph. Don’t bring your son around and try to say hello to me. I’m not here to talk to people! I’m not here to be a nice guy! There’s a lot of nice guys...Go out and meet them! Don’t try to come up to Ox Baker and tell me anything!
Ratamyas, Ox's creepiest of cronies, eats fire for an eerie promo video.
True to form, defiant, irreverent and controversial; Ox Baker was all those things and more during the course of his wild career. His appearances with the ICW promotion may have been among the less remarkable times of his career, but there were certainly some gems in his time there. He knew how to make his promo spots personal, not just by tearing down his rivals but also by hyping his own exploits and misadventures, whether they were personal or professional. Teasing a rivalry with a young, up-and-coming ICW Heavyweight Champion Randy Savage, he snarled:
Now Randy Savage, I want that belt. It’s just like when I was a kid and the kids in the neighborhood had bubblegum and candy, I used to smack them in the mouths and take it away from them! (studio audience gasps) That’s the way I’ve always done things. If you’ve got something that Ox Baker wants, I’m going to take it away from you. Now Randy Savage, don’t hide at home with your mother doing the dishes. Don’t go somewhere and say that you don’t want to wrestle Ox Baker. Somewhere, some time, whether you are a man or a coward Randy Savage, you have to get in there with the wrestling machine -- this deadly heart punch that’s beat so many people up -- you will have to put your World Heavyweight belt up against Ox Baker.
That particular angle never came to pass as Baker ultimately swerved into a barn-burning feud with Ronnie Garvin. Baker’s clashes with Garvin were epic in their own right including a memorable incident in which Ronnie smashed Baker’s dentures in the middle of a ring after they had become dislodged during a fight. Baker also used his “star power” to introduce another monster heel in the mysteriously terrifying freak known as Ratamyas. Ratamyas ate fire, vomited a corrosive green fluid into the eyes of his rivals and carved up the faces of his opponents with a mysterious “foreign object.” Ox Baker and Ratamyas were truly a match made in Hell.
Ox saw much of his success while wrestling for the NWA, feuding with The Sheik, Harley Race and Bruiser Brody. Baker worked in AWA in the 1970s and again in the 1980s, teaming with the likes of The Russian Brute to again take aim at his old ICW nemesis Ronnie Garvin. The Russian Brute was personally trained by Ox at Ox’s own wrestling school (Watch a vintage promo with Ox and The Russian Brute here.).
Baker never managed to hit the big time in WWE or any of its older incarnations (WWF and WWWF). But his offbeat physical appearance and unique charisma took him many places including an appearance on TV’s The Price Is Right in 1981 and a role in John Carpenter’s science fiction cult-classic “Escape from New York” the same year.
Ox retired from wrestling in 1988 and took advantage of his hard-earned down time to produce a number of projects including a children’s coloring book and a wrestling-themed cook book. He makes occasional public appearances to share reminiscences and insight regarding the world of pro wrestling and he’s also worked short gigs with the Combat Zone (CZW) and Ring of Honor promotions.
There are few wrestlers who have enjoyed the spotlight in the way that Ox Baker has. His reputation as a monster heel amounted to an uncanny level of infamy that followed him at every turn for the better part of his career. It would be tempting for an aspiring wrestler to emulate him but virtually impossible to do so with the results that Ox found through his decades of work in the industry. There are few like him to be sure, and there are probably a lot of babyfaces who are grateful for that very fact.
It's a nice idea to think that I can add some material of substance to this site more than twice per month but as of late, I've been busy with a host of additional projects and it's proven difficult to write much of anything in the way of new material for greeklish.org.
Last month (or maybe it was the month before), I completed an overhaul of the Erythrós Press and Media site, re-launching our online store with a new look and improved product listings. Some renewed interest in my Banner of Victory replicas allowed me to fund a new run of them from the flag maker in Australia. The newest batch of flags are made from knitted polyester which is more durable and better looking. We're now selling the new flags on eBay and on our site.
I've also printed a new book using lulu.com. Essential Texts of Marxism-Leninism contains the most important and influential works by Marx and Engels, Lenin, Stalin and Mao in one small volume. We'll likely be adding this to the Erythrós Press catalog in the near future. It is a very simple, "no-frills" presentation of the texts and the book does not include any introductory texts or commentary. I had hoped to use an original photo for the book cover but lulu.com is not entirely intuitive or user-friendly in some respects. At some point, I'll write a little more regarding my experiences with lulu.com.
From time to time, I am contributing work to wrestling and entertainment sites. I've created a couple of new "Action Figure Theater" comic strips for hittheropes.com. One installment features a look at the mythical super powers of John Cena and the other offers a candid look at wrestlers' views on political issues, including the recent changes to Arizona's immigration law. I've also started a series called "Hidden Gems" for the sci-fi and comics blog primaryignition.com. In this series, I'm reviewing obscure back issues that comics enthusiasts might not otherwise have heard about. Thus far, I've profiled issues 1 through 5 of the Eclipse run of Airboy (Eclipse Comics, 1986) as well as Superman #245 (DC Comics, 1971).
Whenever possible, I'm still adding material to the Marxists Internet Archive and my recent focus has been on new transcriptions of speeches and articles by Enver Hoxha. I am also doing some work on the August Bebel Internet Archive.
Somewhere along the way, I've managed to resurrect the archives of a long-absent political website (more on that some other time) and I am also preparing a review of Paul Feldman's new book Unmasking the State: A Rough Guide to Real Democracy at the request of the folks at A World to Win. That review will be posted here at greeklish.org within the next few weeks.
As if all that wasn't enough, I finally seem to have mad a bit of progress on some major personal goals and this certainly is shaping up to be a very exciting time.
Re-presented below is the very first installment of "Kanebert". I made it some months ago after getting the idea from a dream. I actually bought the "Masked Kane" figure from eBay just so I could make this comic strip. The comic was originally posted in early 2010 on another website and since that particular site is now defunct, I figured greeklish.org was a good permanent home for it. Cherish it, folks.
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.
In observance of this important
anniversary, we're presenting two items:
First, a new photo (see right) has been added to our Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya Archive. This is a close-up/detail view of Zoya from her June 1941 class portrait. This photo was provided to us by our friend Nina Lebed. View this and many, many other pictures in our extensive image galleries.
Also, we're presenting the full annotated text of J.V. Stalin's Victory Address to the Soviet People from May 9, 1945. This text -- as well as a number of other annotated works -- is included in the book Red Youth: Young Heroes of the Great Patriotic War which is available through out publishing venture, Erythrós Press and Media.
May 9 graphic by Clara Esse.
STALIN’S VICTORY ADDRESS TO THE SOVIET PEOPLE by J.V. Stalin (May 9, 1945)
After four years of savage fighting and the death of over 20,000,000 Soviet soldiers and civilians, German fascism suffered its final defeat with the Fall of Berlin. The Red Army and partisan fighters of the Soviet Union had beaten back the Nazi invaders all the way to the gates of Germany’s capital city where Hitler and the remnants of his fascist hordes mounted a desperate – and ultimately futile – attempt to escape complete annihilation.
Following two weeks of intense combat in and around of the heart of Berlin, the Red Army finally stormed the Reichstag on April 30, 1945. On May 1, 1945, the Red Army captured the building, occupying the very seat of Germany’s fascist government. On the roof of the Reichstag, Soviet soldiers Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton Kantariya hoisted the Victory Banner in triumph. Documented on film by Yevgeny Khaldei, this moment would become an iconic symbol of the Soviet victory over fascism.
On May 8, 1945 in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst, Marshal Georgy Zhukov received a written notice of Germany’s surrender, signed by representatives of the defeated German army.
At 2000 hours on May 9, 1945, Marshal Joseph V. Stalin addressed the Soviet people by radio to share news of the Nazi defeat.
* * *
Comrades! Fellow countrymen and countrywomen!
The great day of victory over Germany has arrived. Fascist Germany, forced to her knees by the Red Army and the troops of our Allies, has admitted defeat and has announced her unconditional surrender.
On May 7 a preliminary act of surrender was signed in Rheims.(1) On May 8, in Berlin, representatives of the German High Command, in the presence of representatives of the Supreme Command of the Allied troops and of the Supreme Command of the Soviet troops, signed the final act of surrender, which came into effect at 24 hours on May 8.
Knowing the wolfish habits of the German rulers who regard treaties and agreements as scraps of paper, we have no grounds for accepting their word. However, this morning, the German troops, in conformity with the act of surrender, began en masse to lay down their arms and surrender to our troops. This is not a scrap of paper. It is the actual capitulation of the armed forces of Germany. True, one group of German troops in the region of Czechoslovakia(2) still refuses to surrender, but I hope the Red Army will succeed in bringing it to its senses. We now have full grounds for saying that the historic day of the final defeat of Germany, the day of our people's great victory over German imperialism, has arrived. The great sacrifices we have made for the freedom and independence of our country, the incalculable privation and suffering our people have endured during the war, our intense labors in the rear and at the front, laid at the altar of our motherland, have not been in vain; they have been crowned by complete victory over the enemy. The age-long struggle of the Slavonic peoples(3) for their existence and independence has ended in victory over the German aggressors and German tyranny. Henceforth, the great banner of the freedom of the peoples and peace between the peoples will fly over Europe. Three years ago Hitler publicly stated that his task included the dismemberment of the Soviet Union and the severance from it of the Caucasus, the Ukraine, Byelorussia, the Baltic and other regions. He definitely said: "We shall destroy Russia so that she shall never be able to rise again." This was three years ago. But Hitler's insane ideas were fated to remain unrealized – the course of the war scattered them to the winds like dust. Actually, the very opposite of what the Hitlerites dreamed of in their delirium occurred. Germany is utterly defeated. The German troops are surrendering. The Soviet Union is triumphant, although it has no intention of either dismembering or destroying Germany. Comrades! Our Great Patriotic War has terminated in our complete victory. The period of war in Europe has closed. A period of peaceful development has been ushered in. Congratulations on our victory, my dear fellow countrymen and countrywomen! Glory to our heroic Red Army, which upheld the independence of our country and achieved victory over the enemy! Glory to our great people, the victor people! Eternal glory to the heroes who fell fighting the enemy and who gave their lives for the freedom and happiness of our people!
1. A city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of northern France. General Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969), Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, formally received the complete and unconditional surrender of the German army at a schoolhouse in Rheims on May 8, 1945 at 0241 hours Central European Time (CET). The surrender took effect at effect at 2301 hours CET on May 8, 1945. 2. The Red Army defeated all resistance in Czechoslovakia by May 13, 1945. 3. Slavs.
Gregory Zinoviev (Jerzy Kosinski) seriously gets his chow on
Last week, I was finishing up some steaks on our charcoal grill when it occurred to me that it would be nice to supplement them with something. I have a small metal pot that’s designed for use on grills (almost like camping gear) and I usually use it to heat barbecue sauce or baked beans. But I didn’t have either of those things that night, so I thought maybe it would be a good idea to heat up some onions in the pan. While I was in the kitchen cutting them up, I figured I’d get creative and season the slices up a bit.
As I looked for ingredients to add to the pot, my mind turned to the scene in the film Reds in which Gregory Zinoviev is eating a mixture of onions and lemons as he explains to John Reed that the mixture fends off scurvy:
Zinoviev: Speak English. Have a lemon. You won’t see one for a long time. Reed: Thank you. I just want to know if you think that I was clear in what I said about… Zinoviev: Eminently clear. Salt? Reed: Salt? Zinoviev: For the lemon. Reed: Uh, thank you…I see you eat the peel with the lemon. Zinoviev: Fights the scurvy. So does the onion. Together, they fight better.
(Yeah, this is exactly
the kind of thing that runs through my mind all day and all night, no
lie...)
I’ve been using lemon as a stir-fry ingredient ever since I got the idea from reading a pseudo-biography about Mao Zedong some years ago and seeing as how onions are a standard when it comes to steak toppings (and the treatment of scurvy, apparently), it seemed fitting to combine them for this experiment.
I grabbed my pot and tossed the onions and steak into it but I figured that there needed to be some other "medium" in the mix so that I wasn’t simply heating the ingredients. Margarine seemed like a good enough idea but instead of going easy with it, I ended up heaping a healthy dose into the pot so that I’d end up with something of a sauté. I also added a few spices for an extra zip and heated the pot out on the grill for a while before serving it with dinner. (The next time I do this, I’ll probably use a little less margarine and more spice, salt and pepper but I won’t corrupt the flavor of the onions and lemons by adding any kind of sauce or herbs.)
I think Thomai (who has a passionate dislike for Zinoviev based solely on how he is depicted in Reds) was as pleasantly surprised with the results as I was. Rather than covering the steak with the topping, we covered each individual bite with a little onion and a little lemon and it all was quite tasty. At one point I commented that it didn’t seem healthy to cover steak with margarine but Thomai said it wasn’t the worst thing you could eat. Hey, at least we’ll be scurvy free!
Gregory Zinoviev's Scurvy-Free Steak Topping
Ingredients: 1 small to medium onion 1 lemon 2 heaping tablespoons margarine ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper salt pepper
Directions: Skin and chop 1 onion. Slice 1 lemon. Combine ingredients in a pot with butter, cayenne pepper and salt & pepper (to taste). Place over high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. For best results, serve in pot to retain heat. Use as topping for cooked steak or pork, combining lemon (pulp and/or peel) and onion with meat in each and every bite. More stuff Chairman Mao's little red cookbook greeklish.org Gregory Zinoviev Internet Archive marxists.org
A few weeks ago, Thomai prepared some fresh mangoes for dessert. She's always doing her best to make sure that the girls and I get as much healthy stuff as possible. On the night in question, I sat there at the table with the girls watching Thomai peel and cut the mangoes when a thought popped into my brain:
I was fortunate to have my BlackBerry nearby, so I used the web browser to visit Stefan Landsberger's outstanding online archive of 
When it comes to sharing information, garnering awareness, and organizing campaigns there are few forms of media that can compete with the accessibility and reach of Internet-based "social networking" sites. For every "MySpace," "Twitter," and "LinkedIn," there are many dozens of smaller sites that are scraping and clawing for their own share of this burgeoning market.
