Hesse as a Chinaman

“Therefore the music of a well-ordered age is calm and cheerful, and so is its government. The music of a restive age is excited and fierce, and its government is perverted. The music of a decaying state is sentimental and sad, and its government is imperiled.”

— Hermann Hesse, Glass Bead Game

I am often taken aback by the sheer misery expressed in popular music. Even the club jams seem borne of and appealed to an unstable mind. The radios play only longing under the guise of endearment and human interest. Couldn't the art form also express simple joy, much like classical art?

Perhaps it is supposed to be cathartic. But catharsis is unnecessary for a peaceful heart.

Stuff

Stuff is a short documentary of John Frusciante's house. It was made in 1993 by Johnny Depp and the lead singer of the Butthole Surfers, Gibby Haynes. Dr. Timothy Leary is also present in the video. The film's main purpose was to depict the chaos of Frusciante's life. It was once aired in a Dutch TV show called Lola Da Musica, and was released in the '90s as a rare promo VHS. "Untitled #2" from Frusciante's Niandra LaDes and Usually Just a T-Shirt is featured on this film with a poem read over it. Also featured in the film is an otherwise unreleased Frusciante song.

Video: http://vimeo.com/8992318

Nievo

I saw what you were doing.

Elvis Presley - Edge of Reality

Elvis had an obligatory LSD song?

Deepak Ram - A Night in Lenasia

Srsly, d00ds.

What's so funny 'bout peace, love, and understanding?

Ducktails - Landrunner

Jib Kidder - Windowdipper

Multimedia, Schmultimedia

A Visual Album by Danny Perez and Animal Collective.

http://www.oddsac.com/ 

A Visual Album by Danny Perez and Animal Collective

Skontog - VHShaman

Ohhhhhhhhhh yeaaaaahhhhhh, time to lay down some mo' funk. In today's struggling economy, how can you afford NOT to groove on the celestial howl?

Some more psychedelic mash-up stuff I've been doing:

http://phalaris.bluesphereweb.com/skontog/Skontog_-_VHShaman.rar

(This is the new link.)

I used only Cool Edit Pro 2 this time. Feels good. Call it an audiobiography of a schizophrenetic.

Hang On To Your Ego

Holy Mountain Low

Dead Can Dance - The Carnival is Over

A potluck of archetypes...

Prem Joshua

Prem Joshua is a sitar player who is at once sensual and visionary. If there is a musical manifestation of the feeling of "soulfucking" (and I hope you know what I mean), perhaps it is this.

Wiki sez:

Prem Joshua (Hindi: प्रेम जोशुआ) is a German musician, active since 1991.

Born in Germany, Joshua learned the flute at the age of five and played the flute and the saxophone for various local bands. At the age of 18, he traveled overland to India studying the indigenous folk music of countries along the way.

On reaching India, Joshua learned to play the sitar from India’s finest teachers including Ustad Usman Khan and the enlightened mystic, Osho. Osho inspired him and his music. His website states that "In the presence of this man with a long white beard, eyes as deep as the ocean and a strong sense of humor, he came in touch with the art of the “inner music” - Silence. This was really coming home!"

Throughout his career, he has experimented with various forms of music, creating a blend of the East and the West. He has also worked extensively with other producers, making remixes of his own songs and infusing traditional Hindustani acoustic instruments with lounge and trance beats. His music has immensely contributed to the Asian Underground and fusion scene.

Enjoy.

Love,

Rev. MoonPie