 Facing
the music
Thanks to 2003: a year filled with terror
and moral decadence
By Mandana Beigi
November 26, 2003
The Iranian
Sitting in my car in the traffic on Wilshire Blvd., I think to myself, how appropriate
to hear William S. Burroughs "A Thanksgiving Prayer" in these days.
A song released in 1990 makes more sense now that it ever did before (PolyGram
1990). It makes me feel this strange sense of appreciation, anger, hopefulness
and hopelessness at the same time. Burroughs' murky monotonous voice with
the background music that is just as dark and twisted intensifies the cynicism
of his words. He talks sincerely and sarcastically and that's what makes
this track perfect for a gloomy November afternoon in a time saturated with feelings
of uncertainty and insecurity.
Dead Radio City was recorded in 1988, produced by
Hal Willner and backed by John Cale (from the Velvet Undergrounds),
Sonic Youth and the early 60s NBC symphony
orchestra. The album (mainly readings from previously unread pieces) puts Burrough's
acerbic tone to its finest and "A Thanksgiving Prayer" is, perhaps,
the zenith of the album subverting the solemn tradition of thanksgiving, thanks
the land of the free for bombs, AIDS, homophobia, domination over Native Americans
and the KKK: a sinister mockery of the American democracy.
" ... Thanks for a continent to despoil and poison...Thanks
for Indians to provide a modicum of challenge and danger... Thanks
for vast herds
of bison to kill and skin leaving the carcasses to rot...Thanks for bounties
on wolves and coyotes...Thanks for the American dream, to vulgarize and to
falsify until the bare lies shine through...Thanks for the KKK..." reads
Burroughs.
The words drill into my mind and I feel like I am
more aware of my surroundings as I stop in traffic again on the
corner of Wilshire
and Westwood Blvd. where
hundreds of protestors frequently take up the space in front of the Federal
building to display their thoughts and expectations on the current socio-political
events.
From the anti-war, pro-war and the California gubernatorial re-call protests
to the "Support the democratic student movement in Iran" and "Stop
police brutality against Latinos" protests. I've seen it all.
I pass
the Federal building twice everyday; once in the morning on my way to work
and once in the evening going back home and I keep a good mental image
of all the
gatherings that I see throughout the year. Sometimes I hunk my horn and
light up my headlights for them, sometimes I drive away pretending
that I didn't
see them, sometimes I smile and waive at them, and in a couple of occasions,
I've given them the middle finger! In a cheap yet convenient way, that
has become my way of expressing my thoughts.
I drive pass the Federal building and, in this case,
I pretend as if I didn't see the protestors. At the very next traffic
light a police car
pulls up
next to me and the officer looks over and gives me the typical everything-is-fine-and-I-am-here-to-protect-you
smile and I, in return, do the thank-you-officer-for-protecting-us-against-all-evil
smile. The light turns green. The officer takes off and I can not help
but notice his "D.A.R.E. to fight drugs" bumper sticker and repeat Burroughs'
words...
"Thanks
for prohibition and the war on drugs"!
A few weeks ago, at the same time that President
Bush shook Schwarzenegger's hand as the new governor of California
and a number of anti-American
suicide bombers killed a number of American soldiers in Iraq, Travis
(the Scottish
rock band) released their fourth album "12 Memories" worldwide (Epic
2003). Travis's "12 Memories" is similar to their previous three albums
in that they all share the same sentimental lyrics and the melodic
rock and roll
that had been missing from our lives for a long time but, different
in its approach to portray the time that we live in now. The sweet
love
tunes
of
"The Invisible
Band" (Sony 2001) have been replaced by the poignant melodies reflecting
the violence and the hope for peace in a post-September 11th world,
in "12 Memories".
Travis' "Beautiful Occupation" is a bittersweet
statement demonstrating an indifferent and media-obsessed America
and the political choices
of its administration. The band delivered a provocative performance
of this
song
at this year's MTV
Awards, where they appeared on stage alongside 130 naked protesters.
The power of visual images has always been a vital element in the
delivery of a message;
after all, isn't that what MTV is all about? Travis used the center
stage of the American pop-culture to critique the war, the media,
the political
censorship and an ignorant public.
Another song on Travis' new album
"Peace
The Fuck Out", obvious in its title, puts the British foreign policy
on the spot and criticizes Blair's decisions in supporting the
U.S. in the
war on Iraq and Afghanistan. In the words of Fran Healy (the lead
singer of
Travis), "[this song] is an open letter to Tony Blair and a plea
to the people, saying:
...You
have a voice, don't lose it...You have a choice, so choose it...You
have a brain, so use it." The song ends with a live recording of
thousands of Travis fans shouting repeatedly: 'Peace The
Fuck Out'.
I've been playing "12 Memories" constantly both
at home and
in my car. Travis' music has this amazing way of drawing me in
like a magnet and making me stick to it until something else
pulls me
apart and today
that 'something
else' just happens to be Burroughs' "A Thanksgiving Prayer",
which takes me far from Travis' romantic and sentimental way of
dealing with the world's problems and into the blunt and sarcastic
words of a Beat
generation man.
I wonder if Burroughs would have added a few more
lines to his thanksgiving prayer, had he lived to see the year
2003; a year filled with terror
and moral decadence. Regardless of our political views and personal
opinions, the truth is that our world has become a fragile place
and we all, in one way
or another, contributed to what has become the year 2003. Some
have lost their lives, some have lost their loved ones, some
have lost their courage, some have
lost their dignity, some have lost their dreams and some have
lost nothing but time.
William S. Burroughs finishes his thanksgiving prayers
by offering "Thanks for a country where nobody's allowed to mind
their own
business...Thanks for a nation of finks...Thanks for the last
and greatest betrayal
of the last and greatest of human dreams"; a hopeless disgruntled
statement
to
everything that's been destroyed. Yet, there's a staggering notion
of hopefulness in Travis's words: "Oh please don't give up...You
have a voice, don't lose it...You have a choice, so choose it...You
have
a brain, so use it...The time has come to peace the fuck out".
I'd like to think that I can trust Travis and believe
that somehow with
all the frustrations and ugliness that's going on, there's
still hope for
better days.
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