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Archive of "music" Category
New Sceptic Anthem?
I have heard it said among sceptics and humanists that, lyrically inspiring as it may be, John Lennon’s Imagine is just wearing a little thin. Surely it’s not the only explicitly secular song out there!
Well, I was thinking about this recently, and at least one possible alternative sprang to mind – Queen’s Innuendo. Hardly one of their better-known tracks, written and released very much toward the end of Freddie Mercury’s life (and therefore never performed live), it is nevertheless one of my favourites. Musically, I would argue it is one of their darkest offerings; lyrically, it certainly raises the right questions…While we live according to race, colour, or creed…
While we rule by blind madness and pure greed…
Our lives dictated by tradition, superstition, forced religion…
For eons, and on, and on…[cut]
If there’s a god or any kind of justice under the sky,
If there’s a point, if there’s a reason to live or die,
If there’s an answer to questions we feel bound to ask,
Show yourself, destroy our fears, release your mask!You can listen to the full track here, on Last.fm.
Like Imagine, it’s not what might be called “militant” in its questioning of religion (and believe me there are plenty of examples of that, particularly in the extreme metal fringes). Instead, it is more of a cross between statement/interpretation of fact (in the earlier verse) and a challenge which is likely to simply provoke thoughts in its audience.
What it lacks, of course, is Lennon’s optimistic utopianism. Perhaps this is what people look for in a humanist anthem, which is why they come up short when looking for alternatives. What do you think? Is there a viable alternative to Imagine somewhere out there, just waiting for the masses to discover it and fall in love?
Mythology
If you know me (whether personally or simply through my posts here), you’ll probably know I have a fascination with mythology. This extends beyond a mere enjoyment of the stories, into what they can tell us about the human condition, and our cultural history. But recently, I heard a wonderful quote which I’d like to share with you, as best as I can remember it:
“Mythology is a vital part of our history, and must be kept alive. But to claim that one mythology is more valid, or holds more truth than another, is arrogant and dangerous. (pause) Basically what I’m saying is that religion is bullshit.”
An elegant summary if ever there was one. The speaker in this case was a man I’m coming to admire more and more – Heri Joensen, vocalist of the very excellent Faeroese folk metal band Tyr. They’ve always had strong pagan overtones in their music, and he is becoming less subtle and more outspoken about his distaste for religion – particularly Christianity purely due to the history of persecution in Northern Europe around the turn of the second millennium.Thinking about this recently, I recalled a teacher I had at A-Level, in Religious Studies. A creationist (and a bloody nice bloke by the way), he objected to the term “Christian mythology”, because he felt it somehow denigrated the religion. I disagreed silently at the time, unsure of my ability to marshal arguments against his position. But on reflection now, it’s not a difficult case to demolish. The real question is, why on earth would Christianity not count as mythology?
Perhaps on first glance it’s a little more subtle (or perhaps dull and boring would be a more honest appraisal) than most mythologies, with highlights being a rather tame collection of stories that would seem unremarkable indeed amongst the vibrant madness that one encounters in those of Egypt, Greece, India, and Scandinavia (to name but a few). But a lack of imagination does not exempt it from being mythological.It is still, after all, a collection of stories, with symbolism and morals and magic and impossible events. There is no objective reason to place it above any other set of mythologies, and of course the impulse to do so comes simply for one’s own biased regard for that one belief system. Which is why I think it is sad (however inevitable it may be) when one set of mythologies manages to all but wipe out a competing one, and I think that Christianity’s triumph in Europe is one of the great cultural tragedies of history. But why did it succeed? Why did people choose to follow the teachings of the Bible over their own cultural stories?
Well of course, to get the answer to that question we need to look predominantly to the ruling class; it was they who converted first, and passed on that conversion to their people, through force, persuasion, or simply a kind of peer pressure. So the question becomes one of why those in power adopted the new faith from the south. Was it a resonance of truth and goodness they felt? Possibly, I’ll not deny that. But looking at it realistically, I’d say it was more likely that the majority of them simply found it more useful, more expedient.
I don’t think it is too controversial to suggest that most of those in power are there because they sought it. It is hardly a leap to also suggest that those who seek power and attain it do not cease to seek it. Is it any wonder that they chose to adopt a religion which preaches meekness, obedience, unquestioning devotion, and enforces it with fear? I’m afraid I have another quote for you, this time from a novel I read fairly recently. It’s Viking: King’s Man, book three of a wonderful trilogy by Tim Severin:“…the worship of the White Christ suits men who seek to dominate others. It is not the belief of the humble, but of despots and tyrants. When a man claims he is specially selected by the White Christ, then all those who follow that religion must treat him as if they are revering the God himself… This is a contradiction of all that the God is meant to stand for, yet I have witnessed how, among rulers of men, it is the truly ruthless and the ambitious who adopt the Christian faith, then use it to suppress the dignity of their fellows.”
Simply, Christianity succeeded where other mythologies failed because it was a useful tool by which men might gain and maintain power. Politics has, once again, shown itself to be a (if not the) driving force behind major cultural change. However innocent, bland and otherwise fluffy and inoffensive* a belief system might be, there will always be someone there to exploit it. That’s human nature.
* Though I might note here that, despite the commendable and generally positive attitude of many of its adherents, Christianity isn’t the nicest of religions once you examine the literature. No, sir.
Fuck (aspects of) the mainstream
Sorry if this entry is a little incoherent. I’m feeling somewhat crap and yet felt the need to blog.
It’s something I see a lot, particularly among the friends I have in what is bafflingly and tediously known as the “alternative” community: a shunning of the mainstream. A friend told me today that she liked a TV series before it arrived on the BBC, but as soon as it did, she went off it because it went “too mainstream”. I share the irrational urge to shun things which are being hyped and which are becoming popular; perhaps it’s just a result of the questioning of authority, or not wanting to appear conformist. Whatever the reason, it’s clear to me at least that it can be an irrational urge: if the TV show didn’t change at all simply by becoming popular, then there is no reason to dislike it if you liked it before.
Of course, this is not always the case. Sometimes, when something becomes popular it changes in order to remain so, or become more so. This is often the case in music, and one of the reasons the “mainstream” is so reviled by fans of so-called alternative music: it means that a band will sometimes compromise its style etc. in order to increase appeal.
So, on the one hand, I sympathise with those who sport t-shirts with the amusingly widespread “Fuck the mainstream” slogan. But, as usual, I think you’ll find it’s more complicated than that. I’m tempted to put the title of this post on a t-shirt too, now.
For instance, as a band becomes more popular, they are more likely to be able to continue making music and touring – and their fans will have greater access to that band. If they make no compromise in their sound, then as far as I can see it’s win-win; the only thing they gain that can be seen as negative is popularity, which is not terribly rational to view in that light. Even if they do change their sound, do them the courtesy of seriously considering the change from an aesthetic point of view before dismissing it. Dimmu Borgir undeniably changed their sound as they became more popular, and this has proven less than popular with their original fanbase. But you know what? I like the music they’re making these days.
The trend is even more pronounced for a television series: the more people watch it, the less likely it is that
Foxthe network will cancel it. In a roundabout way, I suppose it makes some kind of sense to curse the mainstream for being so heavily relied upon in this regard – the mere fact that something is not embraced by a lot of people should not condemn it to oblivion and obscurity. But at the same time, the way it is is the way it is – mainstream acceptance allows our favourite shows to continue on and entertain us.There is a more important message here, for sceptics, rationalists, freethinkers and all the other categories of the sane: the mainstream is to be shunned at your own risk. There is a reason why entire organisations are set up to promote the public understanding of science: if more people understand its value – its necessity – then progress becomes easier. More young people will choose science as a career path; more will consider it an important issue in politics; more funding becomes available to scientific projects.
As much as the state of the mainstream media pains me at present, simply saying “fuck it” helps nobody. What is needed is improvement in standards, and more general promotion of just how useful, important, and cool science can be. We need to work with the mainstream, get rationality out of the shadows, and being freely discussed by the majority of people.
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