Page 37 - TheGoldBug1969-70

THE GOLD BUG NOVEMBER 21.1969 PAGE 5 Revolution in Literature: The Jerry Rubin Primer by Marge Richards On days of Our, there throve arlchand powerful priests, of course, denounced this concept as heretical nation that boasted of being also the most virt- and harassed Its proponents, often taktng special pains uous of states. Indeed, the acts of its theocracy to choose them for sacrifice. The oldculttelt ItseH being attested to Its great religious fervor. Ever y year undermined and knew it could not long withstand the rea- the natl~n sacrificed thousands of Its young men, soned, humane arguments ot the new reltgtcn, The leaders I in addition to the Infidels living outside Its struck out desperately: anyone who re!used to take the old shores, to its war god, whom the people worshipped under vows or who even criticized the cult or Us priests was Mr. Burck also pointed out that there are other groups the name Freedom. The leader-priests cestgnated (to all liable to mental and physical punishment. which "mostly belong more to the old left, and consequent- appearances, by caprice, but actually following a runic The tyranny of the priests served only to unify through ly are much more narrowly consUtuted •.•" These groups code) the candidates for sacrifice, although being merely suffering the new believers. More and more cltlzenswho .nctude the YoungSocialistAllIance: "a Trotskyite group" chosen did not guarantee the prlvUege--or punishment-- had long found the war god's annual exaction appa.Iltng, but --"they say they have a program"; The Progressive Labor of a consecrated death. It did however assure participa- who feared castigation or persecution at the hands of the group which "originated In 1952 as am11ltant, pro-Peking tion in the sacrificial rites, which were always performed clergy, discovered the Ufe-glving powers of dissension. group that broke away from the Commun1stparty;" W.E.B. halfway around the wor ld-vnevar did they occur on The new cult grew In numbers and strength. DuBois Club--"it hardly counts today" and finally the domestic ground. Within their own domain, the chosen Here the single story line diverges. One sad old tale Peace and Freedom Party which "holds Itself out as a young men were instructed by lesser priests in the proper describes the state's refusal to change and the subsequent potential unifying force for new-left radical groups. Parts ceremonial behavior and then were shipped to the years of the religious wars, whlchresultedinthe nation's of Its program of action includes working through the sacrificial arena. On this hallowed soil they were allotted complete desolation. Another equally sad version would regular electoral process, prfmarf ly to get its Views pub- not less than one year to appease the god with the deaths, have it that the state succeeded In subjugating its dis- Uclyalred." or at least the corporealmuHlahon, Ofthe local inhabitants senters and re-established the strength of the old religion, According to the author there are also a horde of small- and of themselves. This state religion of the nation-- which eventually destroyed the life of the nation. Each ends er single-purpose national organizations. death -- permeated the lives of all its citizens. with a warning to the state so enslaved to death that It The Movement has been accompanied by the Issuance However, the beliefs of this ancient cult gave rise to a must forbid life to its citizens. The most ancient source of "small magazines, theoretical journals, newsletters new, opposing religion. Its believers also worshipped the claims that the god Freedom, long passive, intervened to and scholarly periodicals •.•Some 200 papers with a joint god Freedom, but seeinghis reputedwarlike nature to be cleanse {he state of its preoccupation with death and so circulation estimated at better than one million have ac- an invention of the priests (who drew their livelihood from yield it to the invigorating powers ofthe new religion. We companied the Movement." conducting the religious rites) they sought to serve him have no way of knowing the fate, obscured by the opacity of What of the present?Once againaccordingto Mr. Burck, more fittingly. They refused to be inducted into the ser- time, of the nation; we can only hope for the sake of its "MUItant activists within these groups are its most vis- vice of the Ideals of the old cult, in the belief that they inhabitants that their state submitted to the kenotlc- Ible element. But the present mood appears to be moving could best serve Freedom, not by dying, but by living. The plerotic cycle required by the god. away from the strategy of confrontation. Some Movement leaders are convinced that the polarization created by con- frontations, both within the Movement itself and between the Movement and society in general, are no longer deslr- able ... the stress seems to be shifting toward what the Movement rather blandly cans educaUon--organIzlng, writing, and proselytizing." In the last analysis we can see, as Mr. Burck himself points out, a part of his brief thesis centers around the bellef that the prevailing characteristics of this Move- "Refugee from Haight-Asbury--are you kidding me? suspended. He rambled on and on from one song Into an- ment are its "strong Individualism and quest for personal Everybody left there about ten years ago. This Mike Hunt other and another, but finally returned and picked up again freedom." To this he adds that "It doesn't appear likely guy must be the rear guard." Thus spake one wmmsee-ite with the same Bne " ..• through the smoke rings of my that the Movement will be pulled together Into a tightly on the subject of the concert scheduled that night (Nov- mind ... " and finished the ear Her song. The whole exper-. structured, militant revolutionary organization." We can ember 13, 1969). Not five minutes before I had heard an- renee was exhausting as tt was exhausttve ; a happy, ful- see from what he has said that the various elements of other student say, "Sorry, I can't rehearse tonight. Mike filled sort of exhausting that makes you glad you came. "individualism" and "personal freedom" are the forces Hunt concert. He's my man!" Enthusiasm. Skepticism. Unwinding for a few minutes, Mike retired to ANW for that are seeming to prevent a bringing together of the Such was the mixed attitude ofW .M.C. toward the frazzled- some "Red-eye" Kool-Aid and then split for his abode In Movement. "The ruston that Is taking place Is between the looking little man wlth tbe guitar .I'm sorry I didn't see any Baltimore. That's his home base from which he makes political activists and the one-time hippie subculture, and of the skeptics at the concert. I would like to have heard excursions to various schools, colleges, coffee houses that seems likely to create different 'life styles' and ways their opinions after hearing his performance. As It was, where he sings for his living. He sometimes sings for older of thinking in U.S. society, nota rigid political Ideology." the small audience Mike drew radiated a genuine eager- people and straights but prefers communicaUngwlth peo- Whether this Movement shows a continuing degree of ness any artist would treasure, and I didn't hear a single ple his own age (27}and younger. Not that he dlsltke s sing- action and involvement on the Americanscenedependson voice register disappointment In him that night or since. ing for straight people. He enjoys it sometimes, but "us- the nature and future of our society. Dissatisfaction and As the first few listeners drifted in, Mike checked out ually feels that It's a waste or tima.' He spends what spare criticism of our society createdthlsMovementandonly a the sound system; he rapped once on the microphone, time he has writing a column on music events for a new continuance of dissatisfaction and criticism can prolong eliciting an earsplitting crackle-squeal. "That'll be rtoe. underground journal In Baltimore called "Harry." He its efforts. The direction and extent to which we respond Where can I get something to eat?" He vanished into the hopes to make the paper available here at Western Mary- to this Movementwllliargely determlneltsfuture as well. night, and a few minutes later he returned polishing off the land. Anyone Interested in seeing a sample Issue see Karen Individually we are maldngandw1l1 continue to pass judge- last of a sub and carrying two sandwiches. "Anybody want King, McDaniel 403. ment on groups such as the S.D,S., Resist, and others. a bite of this sandwich? It's cheese." A couple of explora- Naturally our political leannlngs will Influence our final tory strums on the guitar, and Mike drifted Into the per- decisions. But praise or condemnation of this Movement formance. After a lead-In rap about how his guitar neck both on the group and national level should be based on the used to be the leg of a mahogany table but didn't like it extent to which they have constructively added to our because "nobodyeverfondlesthelegofamahogany table," society in both social and political concerns. Once again he went into his first song. It was al l about a large brown the task of judging what Is "good for American society," building in the middle of a desert; a building which all Is a highly individualized matter, but possibly this article travelers were glad and grateful to see and visit; "And it will give you a better perspective of what you will event- gave the same relief to rich and poor. Big John." An- ually have to judge. other between-song patter (His talk was almost invariably entertaining) told of Mike & friends planting signs all along a Loutstanna beach the night before an Easter Sunrise Service. The signs read: "Please do not walk on the water." Gradually, the mood changed and the songs be- came more serious, lyrical and gentle. "He knows in his heart/That a light shines in the dark/ For .Jody, and the woman and the dream." Later he nit a nard rock beat and sang, "Come on everybody, smile on your brother/ Get together and love one another/ Right now," butlnterrupt- ed himself to expound on his theory that the music and words must express the same feelings and that In this case you just couldn't scream and shout and stamp and jump up and down and still "smile on your brother." Only one group might be able to accomplish tht s major reat of har- montzatiom The Mamas and the Papas. And he proceeded to do a magnificent one-man Imitation of that revered group, Next came an instrumental medley: including such old favorites as "The MonkeyWrappedHi~ Tall Around the Flagpole," "Stars and Stripes Forever", background music for a melodrama, and a classical piecewhich I didn't recognize, The first set ended wltha bluegrass version of "Suzanne" which he caned "TheIncredlbleShrinldngSuz- anne." Needlesstosay, varietywasthewatchword.No less so In the second when Mike really got carried away doing an Impromptu medley of more songs by more artists than I've got room to even start listing. The device he used to frame the medleywasbeautlfully appropriate: hewas sing- Ing "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man" and when he got to the words "Take me on a journey through the smoke rings of my mind" heworkedlnto another song, leaving those lyrics Mike Hunt turns a dead stage into a live audience.