Russell Brand "I remain uncharmed by the incessant rationalism that requires the spirit’s capitulations.”
Weekend reads: Russell Brand's Revolution and Joy Division's Ian Curtis gets lyrical
El Reg bookworm Mark Diston peruses the pick of publishing this week and finds he prefers Russell Brand when he's on the page rather than on the telly, as the media messiah offers more words of wisdom on society's ills. The work of Joy Division's vocalist and lyricist is presented as never before and Daniel Handler, known to …
COMMENTS
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Monday 27th October 2014 11:57 GMT Just Enough
It's like most of Brand's observations, from the following cook-book;
- Take one banal observation.
- Sprinkle a few big words to replace otherwise perfectly serviceable small words.
- Give self a big pat on back for being clever.
- Serve half-baked, with side serving of really earnest exasperation.
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Sunday 26th October 2014 06:31 GMT Teiwaz
"“All desire is the inappropriate substitute for the desire to be at one with God.”"
A perfectly sensible sentiment, and not scary at all, replace 'God' with any other focus of belief, or 'Universe' for those not brought up with monotheism ground into their character to some degree.
As a spiritual lesson, its one of the clearer ones, and certainly better phrased for the modern world than the bibles 'thou shalt not covet thy neighbours ass' (or somesuch). My neighbor has a big ass, and I certainly wouldn't want an ass that big...
Words and thoughts tend not to be scary, what is scary is how some nutters twist them to say what they want them to say, then go out and enforce that interpretation on others as 'the true word of God'.
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Sunday 26th October 2014 12:31 GMT Vociferous
Re: "“All desire is the inappropriate substitute for the desire to be at one with God.”"
What's scary about it... Let me break it down:
1) The statement is on the face of it absurd. For instance, your desire to not be attacked by a swarm of bees isn't an inappropriate substitute for the desire to be at one with God.
2) The statement suggests that your life, the lives of those around you, and this world, are all irrelevant: only God matters. That way ISIS lies.
3) The statement suggests you should feel guilty for, for instance, wanting to own a house, instead of donating the money to <insert church>. Your desire to own the house is inappropriate.
4) The statement implies that individuality, i.e. having any goals except those imposed by your church, is inappropriate. That way Jonestown lies.
Basically the statement is the linchpin of the very thing you agree is scary: religious authoritarianism.
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Wednesday 29th October 2014 08:58 GMT Vociferous
Re: "“All desire is the inappropriate substitute for the desire to be at one with God.”"
> I didn't see the word or even concept of "church" mentioned at all.
Insert gatekeeper to divinity of your choice, then. You can't give your money to God directly, so you give it to the gatekeeper, the guy who told you it is inappropriate to care about anything (e.g. money or family) than god.
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Wednesday 29th October 2014 22:31 GMT dogged
Re: "“All desire is the inappropriate substitute for the desire to be at one with God.”"
> Insert gatekeeper to divinity of your choice, then. You can't give your money to God directly, so you give it to the gatekeeper, the guy who told you it is inappropriate to care about anything (e.g. money or family) than god.
Neither was money mentioned. And although I'm not a believer, I have read the NT and Jesus had a low opinion of money.
I'm still confused at your need to invent a gatekeeper - JC didn't. Neither do zen buddhists.
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Tuesday 28th October 2014 12:02 GMT Anonymous Coward
I interpreted the word 'desire' (in the context of what I understood the book to be about) not to mean things like 'desire to not be attacked' but 'desire for new smartphones, iPads, nice cars, new suits, power to sack people I don't like' and so on. From my understanding of this, I don't think you need to believe in God or a god to have an intellectual ascent to the idea that some people use these things to find meaning in their lives, even if you don't believe it.
But if you don't believe me, go onto any forum (including, to some extent, this one) and say something nasty about Apple.
No, I don't like Russell Brand. I particularly dislike the way he refuses to answer a question when being interviewed, doing so in a way that always makes the interviewer look like he doesn't understand the question (s)he has asked.... If you have any doubt as to his 'humility', see how he responded when he thought Evan Davis suggested Mr. Brand didn't have an imagination.
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Wednesday 29th October 2014 09:08 GMT Vociferous
> "I interpreted the word 'desire' (in the context of what I understood the book to be about) not to mean things like 'desire to not be attacked' but 'desire for new smartphones, iPads, nice cars"
I have no doubt whoever said that meant earthly love and consumerism. It is very popular among cults to demand that members give all their money and all their love to god (the cult), because that's after all the only way to truly be one with God, right? To avoid distractions, amirite? How can you truly love God if your loyalty is divided to your family and friends? How can you ever become one with god if you spend time and money on toys?
That is clearly inappropriate. You must focus on what matters, you must focus on God. Give all your money to the cult, and it will make sure it is used wisely. And cut off your friends and family, it hurts, I know, but all your love must be focused on God. Nothing is more important than being at one with God. All other desire is inappropriate.
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Saturday 25th October 2014 11:51 GMT The Axe
Crap
Mark Diston's review is just about the only review of Revolution that has any hint of positive about it. Every other review of it, even from fellow lefties, is totally negative about it. At least Mark says that the book is woolly and confused.
I would say that the book is total crap and not even worth using as toilet paper.
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Sunday 26th October 2014 05:54 GMT Teiwaz
Re: Crap
At £20 a 'roll' that would be damned expensive toilet paper.
I'm sure all Reg readers would have some off the wall views they could spin into a suitable manuscript for publication in book form. However since most of us are not TV personalities, no one would be interested in coughing up any cash to read them (or even hang in the bathroom).
I guess his agent put this idea in his head, to realise another revenue stream or somesuch.
We all know modern society is deeply flawed, and other models exist, but such models are also flawed and too many are too deeply invested in the current status quo to consider advocating change (even when things go completely tits-up and the flaws become blindingly obvious to everyone), and those who are not have not the influence or the insight to imagine another way.
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Saturday 25th October 2014 14:10 GMT Anonymous Coward
Book Reviews
Just a general comment that I'm really enjoying this series of reviews and long may it continue.
I really appreciate the mix of genres / interests without the snobbish bias towards "literature", or against technical subjects / pop culture / teen & children's books.
I look forward to reading We Are Pirates.
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Saturday 25th October 2014 16:28 GMT Khaptain
Atmosphere
Joy Division were very unique and masters in their genre, hell they invented the genre.
Ian Curtis was extremely talented even though he veered towards the darker side of life...
I always associate Ian Curtis and Elizabeth Fraser from the Cocteau Twins, both were capable of creating very powerfull ambiances...
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Sunday 26th October 2014 16:07 GMT johndrake7
Re: Atmosphere
Huge fan of Ian Curtis' lyrics: dark, brilliant, and discerning/discernable.
Slightly huger fan of Elizabeth Fraser: opaque lyrics/imagery, blurred/imagined vocabulary, and soaring vox. Plus one for the mention.
Hard to imagine a book transcribing her lyrics ever happening ... but what a glorious thing a legitimate and annotated compilation of them would be!
If you haven't already, track down and listen to the Jeff Buckley/Elizabeth Fraser collaboration "All Flowers in Time", makes you wonder what an Ian/Liz joint would have been like.
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Saturday 25th October 2014 22:03 GMT SineWave242
Russell Brand is just a bit ahead of the social turmoil. It happens a lot. Marx was criticised a lot in his time. I'm not speaking as a RB fan, as I'm not, but I find him a really good speaker to implant the new ideas in people's minds of a society of equality and tolerance as opposed to this competitive and war waging based society we now have. Why would anyone be against stopping wars and poverty? Are you mad? Words can speak far more than any gun or violence. That's how this utterly lost society has been built, after all, and we just have a thing for great words, although they are usually deceitful. I'm alright with Russell Brand for as long as his words jive with mine.
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Sunday 26th October 2014 17:31 GMT Chris Miller
A lot of people at the time thought Marx had found the answer. Today we've had experience of various attempts to implement his ideas - all have ended badly, most of them catastrophically badly. So anyone who still thinks Marxism is the answer hasn't really grasped the question.
And just because some famous people were criticised initially and later proved to be correct doesn't mean that anyone who is criticised today must be right - most of them won't be, and are simply being criticised because they're spouting rubbish. As Carl Sagan put it:
The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton*, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
* Robert Fulton - designer of the first practical steamboat and submarine
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Sunday 26th October 2014 11:00 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Independent Thought
It's the easy buck. Why try to work hard and earn some cash when you can act like a rich eccentric, and hope to win the easy "rich eccentric" pound/dollar.
A bit like the Nigerian and similar scam emails. Set the bar really low, and you hit that untapped market no one else is stupid enough to aim for. :P
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Tuesday 28th October 2014 12:11 GMT Anonymous Coward
Re: Independent Thought
I think there may be too many Free Thinkers here to give any time to his ideas, they're busy freely thinking what they're told to think about by mainstream media.
Unless one can hear something someone says without instantly shutting them off because they're not the person one wants them to be, sorry, but the process of dumbing down has truly set in.... And this is what we're being conditioned to do; Look at a person's image and if it's not what you've been told is acceptable, don't think about anything they say.
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