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Too much work's avatar

I replied to the email that directed me here, it has much more to do with your previous post concerning Fireflies and? Her name is Karen Gordo at <karengordo@substack.com> Anyway, we're all aware of some megalomaniacs wanting to take a stab at starting a WW3; whereas I'm trying to get out the message of; why are you so concerned about pennies and nickels, when the larger universe that holds an infinite number of these types of universes are ours to have if they'd just chill for a moment and hear me out? Otherwise, if need be; we (guess who) can just remove you all to a tiny little black hole in some other universe where nobody will ever be able to find you. More importantly though, since it's your behaviors that are the problem, the probability of you ever finding your way out, and finding the rest of humanity, which obviously, you don't belong to anyway; would be between nill and zilch. Think about it; is that what you want? I can make happen.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

If that's your belief, then why bother with Substack?

Karen's terrific. If I give one of her news summaries an hour, I get a sense of what's happening without having to find a hundred posts myself - https://karengordo.substack.com/

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Paul Black's avatar

The The - in the 80s - sang that the UK is another state of the USA. Not quite right. Pilgrims Society and Privy Council pull the strings for The Crown Corporation.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

One of their best, and the first I heard. It's a live version on https://musicmp3.ru/artist_new-model-army__album_the-ghost-of-cain.html

Our star-spangled Union Jack flutters so proud

Over the dancin' heads of the merry patriotic crowd

Yeah, tip your hat to the Yankee conquerors

We got no reds under the bed with guns under our pillows

We're the 51st state of America

Yeah we're the 51st state of America

Here in the land of opportunities

Hah!

I watch us revel in our liberty

Well, you can say what you like but it doesn't change anything

'Cause the corridors of power they're an ocean away

We're the 51st state of America

Yeah we're the 51st state of America

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Paul Black's avatar

I got the 12" vinyl single. Great band

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Mike Hampton's avatar

My youth was spent in the alternate scene, so Sisters of Mercy, The Cure, Violent Femmes, Depeche Mode etc will always be dear to me.

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Mike Hampton's avatar

They're in their 60s now, so great that their new music can be listened to at https://thethe.bandcamp.com/

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Constantine Markides's avatar

First few stanzas remind me of James McMurty's "We Can't Make it Here Anymore"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0Eqt2v1uYU&t=56s

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Mike Hampton's avatar

I'll add that to the few country tinged songs I enjoy. I'm veering off topic, but that reminded me of Mark Lanegan. He died 2 years ago, age 57. Do you remember him?

He recorded an unreleased album of Lead Belly covers with Kurt Cobain. Later, Nirvana went massive with the cover of 'Where Did You Sleep last Night'.

Lanegan's band Screaming Trees was at the start of the grunge movement - https://youtu.be/1lfd7zeHRRs.

He was singer with Queens of the Stone Age for their biggest albums.

He then went in soft and astounding direction, collaborating with Isobel Campbell for two albums. Listen to the first two tracks at https://youtu.be/vNCB-wQYILU?list=PL95CE79B8AB544E07).

He was also in Gutter Twins. He collaborated with many artists but one project you will know is the theme song for Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown (that show will always be one of TV's highlights).

Let me close with one his solo efforts - https://youtu.be/6OC5KfkO5sY

I'll be offline for weeks. Keep well.

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Constantine Markides's avatar

Thanks, Mike, for that deep dive into Mark Lanegan. I had no idea he did that cover of Where Did you Sleep Last Night. I thought it was Cobain and Nirvana that had come up with that Leadbelly cover. I remember that epic MTV Unplugged performance. Every time I think I know something I discover that I was badly misinformed.

Speaking of unplugged, enjoy the offline time!

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Mike Hampton's avatar

The record label rejected the collaboration, and that was the only song to survive, released in 1990 by Lanegan. You can hear that Cobain essentially covered that version, and to Lanegans credit, he said Cobains was the definitive version - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eujkWXfSl0

I just popped in for an hour to grab emails and read comments. I am appreciating the ‘offtime’. It feels good to work on backlog. Helps clear my head. Lot to go so will return to my cave. My scheduled posts will eventually run out but maybe I do one article before year is out, and then catch up on all my favourite writers.

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Constantine Markides's avatar

I've been more or less doing the same. Enjoy the cave. If Plato were around he'd be rewriting his parables to make the cave the place to be and the outside the place to flee...

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Mike Hampton's avatar

If Markides and Hampton were around, they’d say the same…

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