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Zombie: Harpsichords for Revolution!

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And you thought Comrade Otis's Soviet Socialist Marching Harmonica Army was overdoing it!

But here's a real event reported by our friend Zombie from the baroque fantasyland known as California - an unedited cut-and-paste actual listing for something happening this Sunday in Oakland:

La Revolution!
August 21st at 7p.m
510-451-5818
Humanist Hall
390 27th St.
OAKLAND-DOWNTOWN

La Revolution is a harpsichord recital and lecture that works to inspire the audience to take immediate action in dealing with our economic crisis and global disasters. Early music performer and political activist, Vibeka Lyman, has probed the concept of what it takes for people to act politically and after spending a year in France, she has returned with some convincing ideas. Experiencing the culture, where strikes are a regular occurrence, she came to realize that freedom to express ones emotions, including anger, is needed for people to hit the streets.

We live in an American culture of emotional repression where anger and other emotions are not allowed to be used freely.

In the Paris general strike of 1968, a single unrelated event sparked the revolt; men were not allowed to bring home women to their dorm rooms, and out of this small protest, a larger strike unfolded. President, Charles de Gaulle eventually went into exile and several social changes were reached.

Ms. Lyman believes the theory that events that unleash emotion in society such as the grocer, Mohammed Bouazizi, in Tunisia who set himself on fire, that brought on the Egyptian revolution, are what it takes for a strike to take place. She hopes that her concert, a dynamic performance of composers: Couperin, Chambonnieres, Scarlatti, Froberger, and Johann Sebastian Bach, will create such an experience in her listeners. Vibeka has performed on the keyboard for over 30 years and has experience with learning with some of the best teachers in the Bay Area and in Paris.Baroque music has been scientifically proven to heighten creative thought in the brain, and this concert is an effort to enhance people's thinking as well as their enjoyment.

* * *
"Reality out-crazies satire once again!" Zombie writes, but we all know that it's only life imitating the People's Cube!

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Oh my emotional repression.... I'll be there, revolutionary harpsichord rocks!


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I wonder if she could use a lead guitarist... my main guitar IS red, after all :)

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"[highlight=#ffff99]after spending a year in France, she has returned with some convincing ideas[/highlight]"

Wow...A year in France? That is so totally cool! I'm, like, sooooooo impressed.

Have something to top that though. I read this morning that Comrade Michael Moore believes useful idiot, Matt (don't let Palin near the button) Damon should challenge the Obama for the Presidency. Comrade Moore said that after the Administration ignored Comrade Mikey's call for the immediate arrest and execution of Standard & Poor's CEO.

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Oh my, look at all those verbs!

La Revolution is a harpsichord recital and lecture that [highlight=#ffff00]works[/highlight] to [highlight=#ffff00]inspire[/highlight] the
audience to [highlight=#ffff00]take[/highlight] immediate action in [highlight=#ffff00]dealing[/highlight] with our economic crisis and global
disasters.

Comrades, how many times have I said it before? (Just type "verbs" in the illegal search box at the top of this page and you'll see how many times I've said it.)

More verbs -> more bullshit

More bullshit -> more shoveling

More shoveling -> more shovel ready jobs

More shovel ready jobs -> MORE FUNDING! Shit, shovel, fund and repeat!

Because verbs are like the cars in a train—a gravy train, if you will. The more cars you attach to it, the longer the train, the slower the journey to its intended destination, and that means you'll always need more money to keep the train going, and in some cases, to build more track.

That's the Progressive way to run a railroad!

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Why yes... that's it C. Pinkie!

This "Progressive Railroad" you propose... it is what engineers have been searching for, like Alchemists seeking to turn lead into gold!

This is literally an economic self-licking ice cream cone "perpetual motion machine!!"

Pure, unadulterated bullshit GENIUS!!


-KAM

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Ms. Lyman believes the theory that events that unleash emotion in society such as the grocer, Mohammed Bouazizi, in Tunisia who [highlight=#ffff00]set himself on fire[/highlight], that brought on the Egyptian revolution, are what it takes for a strike to take place.

This is SO inspiring! Such inspiration should be reflected in Mz. Lyman's recital, in order to truly reflect the fiery passion and emotion necessary to project an authentic revolutionary spirit.

If a simple Egyptian grocer can inspire a revolution by lighting himself on fire, how much more for a self-proclaimed keyboard artiste who spent a year in Paris and studied piano with a handful of Bay-area teachers can inspire by lighting herself on fire for a fiery finalé?

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Trust a bear with a shovel to come up with that one. Not to say I don't like it, though....

Pinkie, would this be the Transcendental Railroad you are describing?

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I can't hear you, Betinov. I'm listening to Bach full blast in hopes it'll get me in the mood to go firebomb some banks.

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"[highlight=#ffff99]Shit, shovel, fund and repeat![/highlight]"
I think our Commissarka has come up with a new dance. 1...2...3 and 4, sort of like a 2011 version of the Minuet. Perfect for the harpsichord.

Random thought:
I think Comrade Vibeka has a guillotine fetish. At least that's the "vibe" I'm picking up. Maybe Princess Nookie could verify that.

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More verbs, more weird verbs, more redundancy....we'll find a lot of excrement here:

"take immediate action in dealing with our economic crisis and global disasters".

I've always wondered about this phrase. If someone is telling you to "take action", don't they presumably want you to do it as soon as possible? Notice how no one says "Take procrastinated action" or "Take leisurely action."


"Early music performer and political activist, Vibeka Lyman"

Is she a performer of early music, or is she just always early? Arrest her for being a Swiss spy and send her to the Gulag if the latter; if the former, why not just write "music performer" since the composers you list later make it clear that she is going to be playing "early" music?

."... has probed the concept..."



Please! Please! Get that image out of my head RIGHT NOW!!!!! Stop probing concepts!!!!


".....of what it takes for people to act politically and after spending a year in France, she has returned with some convincing ideas."


Somewhere in that long, meandering python of a sentence, there is (together with Ms. Lyman's concept-probing shenanigans) a concept of some sort. Surely, there must be.

But how does someone "act politically"? Does that mean doing impersonations of Barney Frank? Starring opposite Angela Frankel as Warren G. Harding in an Obama (pbuh) production of "The Teapot Dome Scandal" (make a note of that, friends; sounds like we might be able to use that against the teabaggers somehow)?

Why not just "for people to act"? or maybe "to act on their convictions"? Or even "She knows how to motivate people"? Did you have a word count in your assignment?

Experiencing the culture, where strikes are a regular occurrence, she came to realize that freedom to express ones emotions, including anger, is needed for people to hit the streets.

Um, do strikes occur in a culture? It's certainly true that "In France strikes are a regular occurence", and that France has a culture. But France is NOT a culture, it's a nation.

We live in an American culture of emotional repression where anger and other emotions are not allowed to be used freely.

Which is why that guy cut me off on the freeway today, right?

In the Paris general strike of 1968, a single unrelated event sparked the revolt; men were not allowed to bring home women to their dorm rooms, and out of this small protest, a larger strike unfolded. President, Charles de Gaulle eventually went into exile and several social changes were reached.

OK, this is really goofy. Does this mean people revolted because men were not allowed to bring women to their dorm rooms, or that during the revolt men were not allowed to bring women to their dorm rooms?


And this may have nothing to do with the writer OR the performer, but how the heck does a "small protest" about campus rules turn into a larger strike (and an unfolded one!) so great it forces the president of the republic into exile? Does this mean there were lawyers, engineers and charwomen marching up and down the Champs Elysees with big signs saying "More nookie now!" and "Keep sex in the university"? Throwing molotov cocktails at the bridges over the Seine so that philosophy and math majors could score? (I can see a striker interviewed by a TR3 reporter : "Heaven knows they have a hard enough time convincing the girl to come to their rooms....")[hide=]

I'm kind of thinking that there are several steps between "protest against campus rules" and "chaos in the streets", perhaps something having to do with the French government's stand on the Vietnam war....


Ms. Lyman believes the theory that events that unleash emotion in society such as the grocer, Mohammed Bouazizi, in Tunisia who set himself on fire, that brought on the Egyptian revolution, are what it takes for a strike to take place.

In the first place, how do you "unleash" an "emotion"? This reminds me of "probing concepts".Especially since the acting object is "events".


TR3 reporter again, translated for your enjoyment: "It is chaos in the streets here! Events are unleashing emotion all over the place! So if you come down here, be sure to avoid Anger and Ecstacy; you may want to take a detour north of melancholy until this is all cleared up."

Secondly, I don't think these people are going to draw a lot of fans....if the fans reading get this far...by using poor Mr. Bouazizi as an example. It's sort of like they're saying, "Don't you want to set yourself on fire TOO??"

Oh, and presumably Mr. Bouazzi wasn't an emotion, as suggested in "Ms. Lyman believes the theory that events that unleash emotion in society such as the grocer, Mohammed Bouazizi, in Tunisia who set himself on fire, that brought on the Egyptian revolution, are what it takes for a strike to take place.'

Now that I think of it, there are a couple of subjects per phrase in that sentence.....



Baroque music has been scientifically proven to heighten creative thought in the brain

As opposed to creative thought, say, in the uvula?[/hide=]

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Excellent teardown, Nookie! Now let's see if you can make heads or tails out of this gobbledygook I found while shoveling for more crap on this subject.

https://humanisthall.net/wp/2011/08/02/la-revolution/


This evening will be a treat for those who love classical music — AND revolution! Vibeka Lyman is a classical musician who will perform classical pieces on harpsichord AND inspire us all to join her in revolution against the status quo, the mind set of business as usual, in America. She is a rare individual who can combine progressive political activism with classical, harpsichord music! The influence of France will shine through her music and her lecture. Her recent trips to France have given her the impetus to let Americans know that progressive voices should be loud and clear and never let up here in America until justice is served.

She will speak to the way that the contemplative music she plays can be a time for reflection on personal pain and the enormity of the suffering brought to bear on humanity by the oppression of mega corporations combined with the forces of the misguided U.S. government. And the music can also give us a space for refreshment and renewal of our own peace of mind, giving us momentum for handling the hardships of our own lives and going forward in actions of resistance to the status quo, revolution against the machine. Come and enjoy a classical concert performed by [highlight=#ffff00]someone who understands how painful and perplexing our lives are today[/highlight] and will speak to our deepest concerns!
After her concert, Vibeka will serve a scrumptious dinner for all guests! This will be another treat since Vibeka is an accomplished French and Thai cook! Come to the Hall this evening and enjoy a palette of primary colors for the mind and the senses!
All I understand is how painful and perplexing that writing is.

She accepts $15.00 donations, but I wouldn't be surprised if she has a grant for this. It's right up there with cowboy poetry.

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Princess Nookie wrote: But how does someone "act politically"?
Maybe what is meant here is that she walks around the streets of Paris, in blackface, wielding a sign that says, "I'M NOT A RACIST".
Um, do strikes occur in a culture? It's certainly true that "In France strikes are a regular occurence", and that France has a culture. But France is NOT a culture, it's a nation.
I suppose in France they have to do something that could be argued as "work".
We live in an American culture of emotional repression where anger and other emotions are not allowed to be used freely.

Which is why that guy cut me off on the freeway today, right?
And why all the "civil" people are progressive democrats.
In the first place, how do you "unleash" an "emotion"? This reminds me of "probing concepts".Especially since the acting object is "events".
It's the same as releasing a "chokra" Emotion... "chokra"... it's all the same thing.

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Average college student, upon reading this flier:
Out loud: "I want to go so I can do my part to Change the World For The Better."
Inwardly: "What the f*ck is a harpsichord???"

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The ever so industrious Commissarka Pinkie wrote:[highlight=#f8f8f8]Comrades, how many times have I said it before? (Just type "verbs" in the illegal search box at the top of this page and you'll see how many times I've said it.) [/highlight][highlight=#f8f8f8]
More verbs -> more bullshit

More bullshit -> more shoveling

More shoveling -> more shovel ready jobs

[/highlight]
[highlight=#f8f8f8]More shovel ready jobs -> MORE FUNDING! Shit, shovel, fund and repeat! [/highlight]

Shit, shovel, and repeat? Shit, shovel, and repeat!
Shit, shit, shit, shit,
Shit, shovel, and repeat.
Shit, shovel, and repeat! Shit, shovel, and repeat!
Shit! Shovel! and Repeat!

We're off to see the President, The Wonderful President of Stimulus.
You'll find he is a shiz of a Shit! If ever a Shit! there was.
If ever oh ever a Shit! there was The President of Stimulus is one because,
Because, because, because, because, because.
Because of the shoveling of shit he does.
We're off to see the President. The Wonderful President of Stimulus!

Obama/Biden '12!

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"[highlight=#ffff99]an accomplished French and Thai cook![/highlight]"

and she cooks too? I would think our single Comrades would be all over this morsel of Progatude.

What's not to love:
PRELUDE IN A MAJOR J.S.Bach performed by Vibeka (Becky) LYman


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Well, that's all fine and dandy, Grigori, but where's the lecture? We're supposed to get a lecture, too!

Though after hearing about thirty seconds of her playing, I must confess I was ready to do like the Tunisian grocer and set myself--or something--on fire.

Aren't harpsichord strings made out of catgut? It sounded as if the cat was still alive.

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Aren't harpsichord strings made out of catgut? It sounded as if the cat was still alive.

No, Pinkie, they don't sound like the cat is still alive. Don't ask me how I know this, but I do.

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She's looking to create such an "experience" in her listeners. After two hours or so of her harpsichord performance, her listeners won't need a lecture, they'll be rampaging the streets in a harpsichord induced psychosis. For Becky, it will be mission accomplished.


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Isn't "early music" supposed to be rather monotonous? Bach came much later, when the patriarchal white male culture discovered more than a single note employed by earlier, more authentic, multicultural, and emotionally unrestrained musicians.

Early_Music_Monotone_Orches.jpg
France is probably the last place where Vibeka Lyman should be looking for such musical expression.

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Grigori E.R. wrote:I think Comrade Vibeka has a guillotine fetish. At least that's the "vibe" I'm picking up.
I just can't post this picture often enough.

Image

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Ms. Lyman believes the theory that events that unleash emotion in society such as the grocer, Mohammed Bouazizi, in Tunisia who set himself on fire, that brought on the Egyptian revolution, are what it takes for a strike to take place.
So it was Ms. Lyman who played that mean harpsichord in Come on Baby Light My Fire...

That YouTube video was still open on Mr. Mohammed Bouazizi's laptop as the paramedics treated his third-degree burns caused by a hookah malfunction.


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I've been thinking about the young woman at the center of the picture, fist raised high in exultation. Clearly, a young woman, free from any indentured servitude, astride the shoulders of a man who is undeniably subservient to her (since she has his head in a thigh-lock ala Xenia Onatopp. Or perhaps he enjoys that sort of thing.) Her hair, compexion, her clothing, even the stylish scarf, seem almost purposefully flawless, as though she were posing for this picture. One might understand her revolutionary passion, were she batterd, bruised, starving, or all of the above. But I'm left curious as to what exactly she has been denied, so as to raise her fist in demand. Food? Shelter? Money, Opportunity? A college education? I doubt she has ever been forced to wear a hijab. Yet. I guess I simply don't understand how someone, who appears to have it all, can honestly be persuaded that they have nothing, because someone else has taken it from them, and that only a complete and total overthrowing of society can right this eternal wrong; that by destroying other's happiness, I can find my own in denying happiness to all. (I know, I know... I suck as a prog.)

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Red Square wrote:after spending a year in France, she has returned with some convincing ideas.

Storm the Bastille! Man the Canons! Get the Queen! Sharpen the National Razor! Ah wait... I wax nostalgic. The characters change, but the play remains the same.

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After reading this thread I am no longer emotionally repressed. Can I get two tickets to next years harpsichord concert?

Does anybody know when the Fall Collective Personals are coming out?

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Czar Czar, where to begin?

Yes, she appears to have led a life of privilege and plenty, a child of Western society. But that is an illusion. She is every bit as repressed and denigrated as any sans cullotte in the original revolution. She is staggereing under the chains of repression, dominated by the dead white male patriarchy, ground into the mud by capitalist oppression.

She lives in a society where a government grant to support her art is in peril. There are even some who would go as far as to suggest that she should earn, (EARN!) her food, shelter and clothing by producing a good or service that people would voluntarily consume and pay for. Surely you can see how this is EXACTLY like living under a tinpot third world dictatorship?

I just wish we had more party members like her, willing to encourage others to set themselves on fire to defend her right to suckle the government teat.

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[img]images/clipart/Prog_Off.gif[/img]

Umm...de Gaulle in exile? Indeed, 1940-44.

1968? She's full of crap.

He went to Baden-Baden in then West Germany to meet secretly with his military leaders then came back, assured of their support. He met with the students and agreed with some of their reforms, then dissolved the government, held elections, and when the French people were given the choice between anarchy/socialism versus stability/conservatism...guess which side the French people chose in June 1968?

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Since I can't make it to Oakland this weekend to hear Ms. Lyman's concert, I spent the day listening to four of Bach's six Brandenburg concertos. So far it's worked to inspire me, but not enough to take immediate action. I suppose I'll have to listen to the other two for that.

After that, if I'm inspired to take immediate action but still not dealing with our economic crisis and global disasters, then I may have to roll out the big guns and put on a little St. Matthew's Mass. Surely that'll drive me out to the streets to set fire to myself or better yet, some innocent bystanders.

And if that doesn't work, we'll just have to do like the Mime and Jodin Morey and implement Plan B: We'll storm the steps of the State Capitol and demand they pass an immediate resolution calling for--for . . . oh, I forget, what sort of justice are we calling for, or calling it this week?

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Grigori E.R. wrote:She's looking to create such an "experience" in her listeners. After two hours or so of her harpsichord performance, her listeners won't need a lecture, they'll be rampaging the streets in a harpsichord induced psychosis. For Becky, it will be mission accomplished.
Oh, I get it!! Like Epic Theatre! Bertolt Brecht and other Communist writers of plays created works designed to provoke response, not just entertain. I take everything back! She is doing the party a favor. And she plays very, very equally.

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Commissarka Pinkie wrote:Excellent teardown, Nookie! Now let's see if you can make heads or tails out of this gobbledygook I found while shoveling for more crap on this subject.

https://humanisthall.net/wp/2011/08/02/la-revolution/


This evening will be a treat for those who love classical music — AND revolution! Vibeka Lyman is a classical musician who will perform classical pieces on harpsichord AND inspire us all to join her in revolution against the status quo, the mind set of business as usual, in America. She is a rare individual who can combine progressive political activism with classical, harpsichord music! The influence of France will shine through her music and her lecture. Her recent trips to France have given her the impetus to let Americans know that progressive voices should be loud and clear and never let up here in America until justice is served.

She will speak to the way that the contemplative music she plays can be a time for reflection on personal pain and the enormity of the suffering brought to bear on humanity by the oppression of mega corporations combined with the forces of the misguided U.S. government. And the music can also give us a space for refreshment and renewal of our own peace of mind, giving us momentum for handling the hardships of our own lives and going forward in actions of resistance to the status quo, revolution against the machine. Come and enjoy a classical concert performed by [highlight=#ffff00]someone who understands how painful and perplexing our lives are today[/highlight] and will speak to our deepest concerns!
After her concert, Vibeka will serve a scrumptious dinner for all guests! This will be another treat since Vibeka is an accomplished French and Thai cook! Come to the Hall this evening and enjoy a palette of primary colors for the mind and the senses!
All I understand is how painful and perplexing that writing is.

She accepts $15.00 donations, but I wouldn't be surprised if she has a grant for this. It's right up there with cowboy poetry.
Ms. Lyman, you are under arrest for redundant and possibly inaccurate use of the word "classical", and unauthorized use of exclamation points over and above your Party approved ration. You have a right to remain silent. Please remain silent. Please stop playing the harpsichord.
Last edited by Kelly Ivanovna/келя ивановна on 8/23/2011, 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason for editing this post: unauthorized use of a comma


 
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