The man/women who loved swastikas

Man/Women is a fascinating body artist and sacred symbol advocate who has covered his entire body with swastikas, as you do. You gotta love the swastika don’t you? Its such a cool symbol. Man/women is no mad Neo Nazi, though. He is interested, in the resurrection of the swastika as image and symbol from the legacy of Nazi Germany. If you don’t know, the swastika is thousands of years old, and is a symbol associated with many religious movements, images of gods and God. It is a universal symbol of deep significance, and it is indeed unfair to let the Nazi’s completely appropriate its use in perpetuity. Man/women believes we need to start seeing swastika’s everywhere, and in different forms of usage. And we at Idea Fix agree with his rehabilitation project.

Man/women is like Ray Bradbury’s The Illustrated Man, with every swastika telling a different story.

Man/women website is here and here is his friends of the swastika site. Rock out man/women, all  ‘heil’ the swastika!

His book ‘Gentle Swastika’ is also a must have coffee table adornment to be left lying around for your next dinner party.

Here, too, is a cool video with m/w rapping about his love of swastikas.

The wisdom of Philip Brophy

Australian filmmaker, digital and multi media artist Philip Brophy (Body Melt) has added an important contribution to the Australian Film Industry crisis debate. Like Mark Savage he is one of the more interesting Australian filmmakers of the past 20 years. Brophy takes a radical post modern mutant approach to cinema, filtered through his obsession with post apocalypse scenarios, sound, gore and Japanese pop culture. I always find his work very interesting. His visual art is usually aggressive and transgressive, and always stands out in a gallery filled with the usual contemporary art emptiness.

His personally run web site is here.

The full article below, a pomo wry and funny review of Baz Luhrmann’s Australia, published in the new issue of Real Time magazine, is here.

Here is some of Brophy’s wisdom on the Australian Film Industry crisis. Once again a case is made for genre and exploitation movies to be made more often down under. I love some of his plot line idea suggestions:

To align oneself with the Australian film industry as a ‘content provider’, a mortgage-paying ‘technician’, or a pithy ‘movie reviewer’ and remain uncritical of the cultural implications of the medium’s multiple crafts is unacceptable. If Australia has a ‘film industry’ – then let it be a ruthless industry. Make pornography with girls who look like your first-year-uni daughter. Tell stories about footballers on drugs; bogans killing their kids; dungeon-and-dragons nerds massacring tourists. Cast wildly and inappropriately and tabloid the hell out of the production’s sensationalist drive. Write scathing comedies about law students who become topical panellists on national TV and wear chambray shirts; bourgeois ABC journalists who become bourgeois politicians; arthouse distributors claiming to know about cinema. Forget the international market because they care as much about you as you do about Finnish historical drama. Find any niche no matter how unsavoury and exploitatively hammer it to death. Do all this and damn everything that Rudd and his Creative Australia (gag!) think-tank proposed, and Australia will have a real industry – one that would dare its practitioners to stand up for the contentiousness of their work rather than allow them to hide behind the giant phantasmal puff-ball of proud ignorance that spawns gaudy carnivales of patriotism like Australia.

Each year, there’s a polite round-up in the mediascape about ‘Australia’s performance at the box office’ during that year. A successful film receives a disingenuous slap on the back. It sounds like a fly-swatter hitting soggy Weetbix. The ‘worthy’ films that didn’t make a dent in the box office excite a plethora of reasons for their criminal neglect. No-one mentions the possibility that the film’s were simply not interesting as concepts in the first place. The upcoming year’s roster will be optimistic, and articles like the one you’re reading will be posed as ‘part of the problem not the solution’. Yet those upcoming films will smack of the same insular ‘Aussifying’ themes which smell like MTC/STC ‘finger-on-the-pulse’ productions or social studies curricula foisted on Year 11/12 inmates.

This may seem completely off-topic. Wrong. The context which creates then evaluates the likes of Australia is the problem. If all the other forms of alternative non-nationalistic exploitation were allowed in the industry, then Australia would simply be another option for entertaining an audience. And at such a chosen task, the film completely succeeds. What’s missing is all those other films.

Double look out! Mark Savage is blogging!

Aussie (currently expat) filmmaker and bon vivant Mark Savage (Marauders, Defenceless) has created a blog called Phantom Of Pulp. It is now officially one of my favourite blogs. Mark’s unique personality, and view on life, is a world unto itself. A truly perverted world, but a world all the same. Its somehow a crystalisation of every sex and horror movie or novel, seedy porn rag or pulp tittie book – all tied up with a strange form of curious innocence. Knowing Mark, and having happily collaborated with him, and been friends with him since my teens, I have heard many of his remarkable ideas on horror, sexuality and violence. The experience is something I thought you would simply have to know Mark in person to understand. But through the miracle of blogging, and through Mark’s talents as a writer, he is bringing his inner world to life in his cool, and disturbing blog – Phantom Of Pulp. Inside the head of Mr. Savage is a very strange place indeed. And coming from me, you can be assured, it really is out there!

Here’s some of what to expect: incest, necrophilia, Forry Ackerman, Coffin Joe, Guy N. Smith, slasher films, arcane cinema knowledge to rival Tarantino and Scorsese, giant rats and crabs, torture porn, Garbage pail kids, mutants and freaks, rare horror novels and cool cover art, glorification and appreciation of rape and murder, Asian movies with titles like “White Rose Campus: Then, everybody gets raped”, ultra rare old movie ads, depravity, serial killers, skeletons, vampires, and oh, every form of sexual excess and deviance known to man and beast. Yes, in other words it’s the shit. Pure. Uncut Mark Savage is now on display. A world of pure horror, just like the one we all live in every day, examined with a phenomenological eye for detail and nuance. See it here bitches, “And piss your pants…piss them”.

If you haven’t seen his films get the cool box set “Savage Cinema From Down Under” from Subversive Cinema. See here. You might even spot a teenage Richard Wolstencroft, as a helpful Mr. John Smith in Marauders. John Smith likes to help…Mark knows the rest of this joke…

Here are some of the book titles Mark likes to submit to his own theory of deconstruction and critical analysis at his site. These all display a certain theme, one to rival Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past, I dare say:

Pauline Hanson cleaning flags

Here is a portrait of Pauline Hanson cleaning Australian flags. While its meant to be ironic, one can’t help but feel a little patriotic fervour from the photo…

Did Islamic extremists start the Australian bushfires?

The internet is muttering in hushed tones about the possibility of Islamic fundamentalists being behind the recent Australian bush fire tragedy.

There was a warning about just such an eventuality back in September 2008. See here. Here is an excerpt from the Age article:

AUSTRALIA has been singled out as a target for “forest jihad” by a group of Islamic extremists urging Muslims to deliberately light bushfires as a weapon of terror.

US intelligence channels earlier this year identified a website calling on Muslims in Australia, the US, Europe and Russia to “start forest fires”, claiming “scholars have justified chopping down and burning the infidels’ forests when they do the same to our lands”.

The website, posted by a group called the Al-Ikhlas Islamic Network, argues in Arabic that lighting fires is an effective form of terrorism justified in Islamic law under the “eye for an eye” doctrine.

The posting – which instructs jihadis to remember “forest jihad” in summer months – says fires cause economic damage and pollution, tie up security agencies and can take months to extinguish so that “this terror will haunt them for an extended period of time”.

“Imagine if, after all the losses caused by such an event, a jihadist organisation were to claim responsibility for the forest fires,” the website says. “You can hardly begin to imagine the level of fear that would take hold of people in the United States, in Europe, in Russia and in Australia.”

With the nation heading into another hot, dry summer, Australian intelligence agencies are treating the possibility that bushfires could be used as a weapon of terrorism as a serious concern.

There is also hushed whispers that word of Islamic involvement has received a media black out, hence no mention of it through mainstream media channels. I have this on the QT from a pal in the media. Considering the magnitude of the tragedy – and the huge back lash that would follow from such a confirmation of events, this is not surprising.

My opinion? While I would say its unlikely, it is a possibility.  Obviously, if you are a terrorist the hottest days of summer with high winds provide a devastating opportunity to the enemies of our country to hit us hard. It only takes a rogue terrorist with a box of matches and a car. Now that some of these barbarians are inside our gates, why would they not take this chance? If you are naive enough to think there are none willing to take such action, or that they wouldn’t do such a thing, think again..

For laughs here’s an article from some neo-Nazi site, obviously written by friends of Mel Gibson, who said that Zionists are to blame for the bush fires! See here. Now that is drawing a long bow…

But, the Islamic connection is purely speculation. Whatever the cause, it was a terrible tragedy for this country. Idea Fix sends its condolences out to families and friends of the lost. Vale Byran Naylor and Reg Evans.

Bret Easton Ellis prophesying terrorist chic

Check out this interview with Bret Easton Ellis on Charlie Rose. You want to see ahead of the game zeitgeist thinking? Then listen to Ellis talk about terrorism, and fashion, the two major themes of his, then, new novel Glamorama, two years before September 11.

I love Glamorama by the way. Its a distorted, fragmented, relentless mind fuck of a book.

The interview with Ellis is in the second half of the show, around 30 minute mark. Its a fascinating interview for other reasons, also…

The Video Can be found here.

A second dose of Underbelly excellence

The second series of Underbelly begun tonight in Melbourne. Looks to be as good as the last series, just 70’s Original Gangsters are the subject.

Mathew Newton, Dustin Clare and Roy Billing are good in the leads. Billing’s Trimbole is pretty good. Newton is suave and menacing. Don’t know about the narration/voice over and the direction is still average. But for Oz TV, its OK.

Retro gangster mayhem awaits us over the coming weeks…

See the previews.

Overseas readers hunt down season one.

The Wave early 80’s tele movie

Here is the 44 minute 1981 television version of The Wave, in two parts.

As mentioned below The Wave is a school experiment in fascism first devised by teacher Ron Jones at a Palo Alto High School in the late 60’s. Jones in answer to a question about Nazi Germany’s collectivism decided to teach the kids fascist values, as you do, like those of unity, strength, community, discipline, will and power. The experiment was a huge success, growing organically beyond the class room. Nothing bad happened though, except that the students motivation and attitude was exemplary.  Jones cancelled the experiment after about a week after poisoning it in the students minds, linking it to the excesses of Nazism. See details here.

This early 80’s TV movie gives you a rough Hollywood idea of what happened. It stars the excellent Bruce Davidson, as the fascist experimenting teacher, and also has fun dialogue about the 10 million that died in the holocaust!

While the mini film attempts to make a sentient point about the dangers of fascism, it falls to have much intellectual depth, cohesion or nuance on the issue. Sure, fascism can descend into Hitlerism or out and out Tyranny. So too Communism. Joe Stalin is a figure in history even scarier than Hitler in many respects. But can fascism, now in the 21st century, be a force for good, once we acknowledge and avoid the pitfalls of the past?

It must be remembered that Fascism was repressed by WW2. It was never allowed to play out. So much of its post revolutionary terror aspects, or the good it might have achieved in the long run, has never seen the light of day. And fascism of all political philosophies is a long term political dream for the planet. Its vision is often millenarian. One classic example is Hitler’s desire to ban smoking. What would a post ww2 smoking ban have achieved in the West? How many millions of lives in the Western World would that have saved if post WW2 a world wide ban on smoking had gone into place? 100 million – 200 million? More I would say. See the book – The Nazi War On Cancer,  to find out details. Liberal Western Capitalism knew about the dangers of cigarette’s in around the 30’s, and it still hasn’t banned them today. And the West let people smoke into the 70’s until the serious health issues where even broadcast properly. Nazi Germany broadcast health warnings in the 30’s to the German public. An interesting example in comparative ethics I assure you…

But I digress. The main thesis here, can a reborn non-racist fascism be a force for good in the 21st century, acknowledging as it must past historical and ideological errors? Most people with their head in the 20th century would say, “No”. But, fascism is only 90 years old as a political philosophy. Its still young and is once again fertilizing the minds of new generations who can’t wait for something strong, powerful and direct to come along. Much like early socialism and communism there are pitfalls and massive areas of error that history has shown us, that need to be avoided and detoured around, in any future enterprise. What about the danger The Wave tries to warn us about? Sure its dangerous. But as Heidegger said where the danger is, also lies the saving power. And Nietzsche, also, who said build your houses on the slopes of Vesuvius. Danger is part of being and should not be avoided, it should be embraced, and overcome through struggle.

The study, involvement and advocacy of Left wing ideology is a right of passage, and a given at all modern Universities. But the discussion of Fascist ideas and ideology, though close in many ways to Left wing revolutionary ideas, is often considered forbidden. Things are changing as the Left begins to see a fascistic style of leadership might be its last chance of over coming capitalism. So, the Left too is now merging with fascism. But why this censorship of fascist ideas and ideology from most contemporary intellectual discourse? Why would this be?

Its simple. Fascism works. It motivates. It inspires. It organisers. It creates. It controls. It holds sway. More importantly it can win. Its power in the hands of the people, acting through dynamic individuals, and new elites, can pose the only real threat from within to the plutocratic liberal West. And in a time of the economic collapse of the West, its message could not be more prescient. It is a force of such political potency that its ideology is hidden away in the margins of Western societies intellectual history, and over demonized through constant Nazi film and media bogeymen. Why is it so repressed? Because it presents a true path to Liberation and Emancipation for humanity as a whole. It is the only force that could rid us of Capitalism, let’s be honest. Some say it is even the end result of Capitalism, and we are headed that way, anyway…

Everything therefor is gravitating our way. Like a vortex of ideas ending in only in one all consuming political Universal/Absolute.

These are all fascinating issues and questions. And we must discuss them openly. Here at Idea Fix we discuss Fascist ideology, and welcome discussion and debate on the issues. You have entered an anti-fascism free zone, a space much needed to discuss the pressing questions that threaten not only Western Civilisation itself, but Dasein as a whole. Don’t let people tell you how to think about fascism, past or present. After all that would be the type of bad fascism that people supposedly protest against, would it not? Think for yourself. Study the world picture. You might be surprised by the results that can be drawn.

The Actor as Dictator/Tyrant

I’m sure you have heard Christian Bale’s rant on the set of the new Terminator film by now. If not, go here.

Taking the notion of a temper tantrum and sissy fit to a new level, Christian Bale rants and raves at the DOP for getting in his line of vision. It sounds like parody of Bale but it isn’t. Its real.

Bale is a cool and hip actor suffering from the ‘please, protect me from what I want’ syndrome. When he got the cherry role of Patrick Bateman in Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho, beating out Leonardo Di Caprio, it was clear Bale had arrived and would be huge this decade. He was an edgy actor who wanted to be a big, big star. He got his wish as the new Batman. Has it made him happy? I’m sure it has in many ways, but not so on the odd occasion. Indeed, it may make him quite unhappy at times. Unhappy… and very angry.

As heard on the rant tape. Working with McG on a Terminator movie seems like a bad decision. Also listen to McG who sounds no more than a sheepish 1st AD during the rant, its clear Bale is the power on set. The actor as on set dictator/tyrant is a tradition still alive and well in the inflated higher echelons of the new Hollywood.

For now, here is a dance remix of the Bale freak out that is rather funny. As a contemporary paean to intolerance its already entered classic pop culture status.

Miley Cyrus and the PC police

Up and coming actress and Disney wunderkind Miley Cyrus has posed for photos pulling her eyes in a slanty style, to take the piss out of Asian pals. Just like any other non Asian teenager has done, at one stage or another, as a joke.

This of course rates attention from the PC media police. I mean she is sitting there with an Asian friend for fucks sake.What’s the big deal?

You have it to laugh, though. It brings back memories of Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

She also posed for Vanity, recently.