Jukebox Heart 011: Oh Pity Us Who Still Believe in the Revolution

Oh Pity Us Who Still Believe in the Revolution.
69.8 MB | 74:26

I believe in the Revolution.
We have routed out the old tyrants,
and now we have new tyrants.
But still, I believe in the revolution.
The spoils have been grabbed by businessmen,
middlemen, financiers, salesmen, operators, manipulators…
but the revolution must continue…

Coco Steel and Lovebomb – Harlem
(em:t 0094 – em:t records cd 1994)

Locust – Morning Light/Just Like You
(Morning Light – Apollo CD 1997)

Not Drowning, Waving – John Wayne Visits Port Augusta
– Hibakush
– Once LIke This
(Another Pond – Rampant LP 1984)

Six Twilights – Tonight I’m Letting You Drive
(Six Twilights – Own Records CD 2007)

Liquorice – Drive Around
(Listening Cap – 4AD LP 1995)

Low – I Remember
(Immune – Tugboat 7″ 1999)

Force.Fed – no title
(Various Artists – Infiltrate 6 – Rice and Beans LP 2004)

The Fleetwoods – Care So Much
(45 – Liberty Records 1959)

The Boats – I’m Talking Facts, Not Shit
(Tomorrow Time – Moteer CD 2006)

Helios – A Rising Wind
(Ayres – Type Records LP 2007)

The Last Poets – True Blues
(Jazzoetry – Douglas LP 1975)

Brooklyn Funk Essentials – The Revolution Was Postponed Because of Rain
(Various Artists – Dorado CD 1994)

Golden Palominos – The Ambitions Are
(Dead Inside – Restless CD, 1996)

Ted Milton/Andreas Gerth/Paddy Steer – Oh Pity Us
(Oh Pity Us – Hausmusik LP 2000)

Letters Letters – Dealer Dealer
(Letters Letters – Type Records 2007)

Dog Faced Hermans – Keep Your Laws Off My Body
(These Deep Buds – Alternative Tentacles CD 1994)

März – Blaue Faden
(Wir Sind Hier – Karaoke Kalk LP 2004)

…but the revolution was postponed because of rain.

The underlying immediate, political, socio-economic
and trigger mechanism causes were all in place when
some nee-gro or the other got hungry –
had to stop at the McDonald’s –
had to get on the line
with the new trainee cashier.
“uhh, where’s the button for the fries?”
so we missed the bus…

Then the leader couldn’t find his keys
didn’t want some poor ass moving
his brand new 20″ and VCR
out his living room on the shoulders.
It was too late when the locksmith came.

Then our demo expert Willie Blue got arrested.
came out with his head hanging under his hoody,
“Didn’t know they started doing that
for jumping the turnstiles,” he said.
“How many times must we tell you –
Don’t.. get.. caught.”
We voted against shootin’ him on the spot.

In the winter we were all depressed
so we leaned our guns against the sofas
and listened instead to Tim Tim Tiree
singing about his dysfunctions:
“Sometimes I wonder if ah’ll ever be free
free of the sins of my brutish daddee
Like the cheating, the stealing, the drinking, and the beating”. . .

The weatherman said the 17th would be sunshine
and it wouldn’t be too hot –
Tim Tim Tiree doesn’t like sweatin’
but that night the weatherman came on crying
saying he didn’t control the weather
that God was real
that he’s lucky He, God, didn’t strike him, the weatherman, with lightning
for taking the credit sometimes
and that he, the weatherman, was in no way responsible
for the hurricane coming
and that we, the viewers, should
pray Jesus into our hearts
before it was too late.

Superbowl Sunday was out.
all the women wanted to see the game,
and the men were pissed at their insensitivity.

The 20th was supposed to be a definite.
we looked for some Bastille to storm,
didn’t find any,
settled on the armory instead
before they moved the homeless in…
“We’ll bum-rush it anyway,” I said
“It smells like a collection
of a thousand farts in there,” they said
So we waited for the approval of the city
contract to build a Bastille
which set the revolution back five years.

Peace wanted to start the revolution on Tuesday.
She was in a pissed-off mood;
her tax return didn’t come in time for the rent.
But they showed the We Are the World video
on cable that evening
and we all held hands
and cried to stop from laughing
and our anger subsided.
Looking back, it could’ve been a plot,
but there are more substantive plots to expose
than the We Are the World conspiracy.

Now we wait for the rain to stop.
All forces on the alert,
some in Brooklyn basements
packed in between booming speakers
listening to Shabba Ranks and Arrested Development,
bogling and doing the east coast stomp,
gargling with Bacardi and Brown Cow,
breaking that monotony with slow movements –
slow, hip-grinding movements,
with the men breathing in the women’s ears to
Earth Wind & Fire’s Reasons
and wondering what the weather will be like
next weekend.

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Images after the cut…

Coco Steel and Lovebomb – Harlem -em:t 0094