32: The Blackholes of Texus

What do you want to talk about. I want to talk about the Large Haydron Collider. Sadly neither of us is professor Brian Cox. Unless, like, through some weird quirk of fate Brian Cox is reading this. In which case... Hello Brian,  welcome to the Erotic Toast Project...  this must be pretty weird for you. Thanks for tuning in.

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I'm not going to talk about the large Haydron Collider... Apparently I'm just going to go off on a massive rant about post-modernism that ultimately does little but expand upon the lyrics to Earth Song by the late Michael Jackson.

TRACK LISTINGS


'I Want So Hard' by The Eagles of Deathmetal
One of the well publicised but totally unattempted problems of post modernity is Drama school culture.  The view that we have been brainwashed into believing that Wanting and Working are synonymous that if we want it hard enough we can have it. I don't think that people actually think this. I think we all work really hard.  There is just a lot of people who want to be entertainment superstars.

'It Don't Move Me' by Peter,  Bjorn and John.
The reason is this... we used to have progress we could believe in. We did things for the greater good, to work towards 'an end to war/poverty/disease'. We believed that these were both achievable and desirable goals and people were happy to be part of that. We made predictions of what was to come like Star Trek and all those adverts for the future with the assured sounding Mid-Western narrators that told us about flying cars and push button homes. Most of us didn't need or want to be on telly then... we were happy to be a small but vital cog in the benevolent machine of progress. Sadly we lost faith in this machine.


'Palo Alto' by Radiohead
Here's part of the reason why: progress was too successful for it's own good. Like a particle gaining mass as it approaches the speed of light, as we got closer and closer to achieving the goals we set ourselves, we found that our partial success had caused yet more complex and dangerous problems. Victory over disease leads to massive global overpopulation, progress of science leads to nuclear weapons, the war on poverty and 'inconvenience' leads to horrifying environmental consequences...

Casimir Pulaski Day by Sufjan Stevens
Here's another reason why: In order for us to make 'Progress' we had to abandon what we had before, which was knowledge passed down from the past. Where we had faith in our elders, our traditions and ultimately an immortal god that had been there since the very beginning, in its place we had empirical scientific analysis in all areas of human life and faith in new knowledge and a brighter future. People miss the things they have had to give up along the way, the morality, authority and sense of community. They feel that they are missing something from there lives... disrespecting those that went before. Dancing on their grandparent graves if you will.


'Pantera Fans in Love' by Nerf Herder
 As faith in the great machine of progress collapses, people are not only not content that they are living worthwhile lives just by taking part, but actively feel bad about taking part at all. In to the world comes the creeping feeling that by working for, or investing in, big oil or some other massively corporate entity you are similar to a pre-second world war German, passively collaborating in some horrific and evil crime against nature.

DANN'S SIXTH FORM SONG
'1979' By Smashing Pumpkins
Some rage against the system that pays either their wages or their dole cheque. They fight for any cause that will have them,  Some give up on the whole thing, disaffected they waste their lives on recreational drug use, world of war craft and DJ hero.  The rich seek validation in expensive and dangerous hobbies, mountain climbing and extreme sports. They conquer peaks and put the pictures on their bedroom walls.

'When Life Gives You Lemons' by Atmosphere
What they all have in common is that they are now defining themselves by what they do in their free time. People no longer wish to define themselves though the work that they do. They want to feel as separate from it as possible. They look for things to do in their free time that will give them a long missing sense of achievement.


'Ready for Anything' by Patrick Alexander
Everyone likes to sing and dance in one form or another, it's easy and it's free.  I think where I am going with this, the ultimate truth I am going for...  is that I want to be Ghengis Kahn. I am interested in meeting anyone that will at least pretend that I am Ghengis Kahn and I will pay good money for them to do so.

Ghengis Kahn  was the biggest super star of them all...