Bit behind the news here, but hasn't Bryan Ferry made a goose-step of himself. Shilling for Marks and Spencer, a department store founded by Russian Jews, Ferry said to a German newspaper that the Nazis were the business, style-wise. Or words to zat effect.
"My God, the Nazis knew how to put themselves in the limelight... Leni Riefenstahl's movies, Albert Speer's buildings, the mass parades and the flags - just amazing. Really beautiful." Then there were the cool uniforms, sexy tanks and that elbow-roomy utopia just a short train ride away in Poland. Get. On. Board. Six million Jews can't be wrong.
Even if you thought it, would you say it? Would you embrace the extension of Ferry's logic that there's a market for the Nazis' amazing and really beautiful imagery? How about revisiting 1936 to give the Olympic Games opening ceremony a militaristic touch up. Our very own Commonwealth Games could have Leunig's duck high-stepping it around armoured trams at the MCG. And the AFL grand final pre-game entertainment, about as far from amazing and beautiful as you can imagine, has needed work since, well, since ever. The heavies down league headquarters could take a leaf out of Leni's playbook. Out with the balloons, crap pop music and dancing girls; in with the fireworks, Wagner, massed ranks of fit footballers and Luftwaffe RAAF flypasts.
Siren, Country Life, Stranded and Viva Roxy Music are still top albums, but.
Even Avalon goes ok.
Posted by: Tony.T | 25 May 2007 at 09:48
And of course Brian Eno, Roxy Music era anyway, would have been welcomed at all Goering's parties.
Posted by: Mr Z | 25 May 2007 at 12:07
Apt, Zed, considering Eno was the music maestro for another evil empire.
Posted by: Tony.T | 25 May 2007 at 12:27
I agree with Ferry's manager: "To take offence here is to confuse the aesthetic with the ideological," ..."To suggest that a certain appreciation of art and architecture that happens to be associated with the Nazi regime means condoning the actions of that regime is illogical."
I am very much like Ferry in that I too admire some aspects of Nazi Germany. The German military and her weaponry were not only highly efficient and effective but also stylish. And that is the same as my admiration for the Russian T-34 which changed all tank design from that point onward. Does that mean I admire Stalin? Of course not, but I can admire the genius of Russian technology just as much as I can admire German technology and culture. Even as expressed by Nazi controlled Germany.
Whether I would express these sentiments and take the pay as spokesman for a Jewish company is another thing entirely.
Should we admire Roman architecture? Any one with a basic reading of Ancient History will know that the Romans were brutal in warfare. Take the example of the destruction of Carthage after the 3rd Punic War. Should we mark Western culture as coming from that empire which tore down the city stone by stone, raked the soil and sowed it with salt - i.e after slaughtering all her inhabitants?
A modern example is the Palestinians engaging in what the Nazis did - genocide against the Jews. Yet for some reason Palestinians are lauded as a just cause and worthy of emulation. Yet, for all their Nazi like barabarity they don't have a culture that would be 1/100th of Nazi culture. That's the difference. There are admirable things about Nazi Germany and nothing whatsoever about Palestinian culture - in fact there is no such thing as "Palestinian Culture".
Posted by: pat | 25 May 2007 at 14:06
Sorry for not being concise above.
On the same note as above though, I also admire Israeli technology and naturally the mind of the people who have created: Tadiran, RAD Data Communications and NICE Call Loggers just to name a few.
IMO Israeli technology (especially given that the country has a population of approx 7 Million and is eternally under siege) consistently produces some of the best comms equipment in the world. Does this mean I am in lock step with every aspect of Israeli politics and culture? Of course not.
Posted by: pat | 25 May 2007 at 14:28
Woah, it was kind of going OK until we got to the Palestinian bit. No such thing as Palestinian culture? Palestinians engaging in genocide? That's just foolish. Taking a stance that extreme in support of either side in the Palestinian/Israeli conflict shows you don't really understand the situation.
Posted by: Tomla | 25 May 2007 at 20:36
Found this photo of DrShrink on polanimal if anyone cares :P
funny stuff
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z276/Fropod/IMG_3754.jpg
Posted by: Bob Robertson | 25 May 2007 at 21:58
Ferry is an arse. His son is a total twit too.
Posted by: Mark | 25 May 2007 at 22:44
Testing.
Ein, zwei. Ein, zwei.
Posted by: Tony.T | 25 May 2007 at 23:49
Panzer is a cool word. Too cool to be wasted on German tanks.
Tanks for the puns, Tony.
Posted by: Scott Wickstein | 26 May 2007 at 02:09
Don't you mean "tanks for the punzas", Wicky?
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 May 2007 at 09:53
Back! At least I thing we are. Wonder why my "testing" comment appeared and my other one got caught up in TypePad's engine room. Anyhoo, here's what I wrote last night:
For the record, yesterday I bought an art-deco sideboard that would have fit perfectly into Loncraine's Richard III.
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 May 2007 at 10:16
Is it really 2,200 years since the fall of Carthage? My, my, time does pass so quickly these days.
Posted by: Scott Wickstein | 26 May 2007 at 10:33
It only seems like yesterday old Hamilcar was boasting his son would be the best. These days we'd deride him as some sort of crazy tennis-dad. "He's a nutter, that Damir Barca."
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 May 2007 at 11:52
That Hamas' stated doctrine is the extinction of Israel and thereby the Jews is fact. This equates to genocide.
The reason why I chose the Palestinians for my analogy is because what is most repulsive about Nazism was the genocide of the Jews. Which equates to the Palestinian's stated goals.
Yet the Palestinians produce 4/5ths of sweet fa in terms of architecture, fashion, music etc all those things that make Kultcha. Just watch any "car swarm" after some Jihadi dickwad was fumigated by the IDF and you can see the ultimate expression of Palestinian "culture".
Raised fists with body parts held aloft, ululating primitives dressed in the worst exports of American black pimp culture. They have no architecture except for bullet ridden concrete bunkers called apartment blocks. They make nothing, they export nothing. Their weapon of choice is the Russian made AK-47. They can't even produce the weapons they use to bring death to anyone who has half a human sentiment left in them.
Even their latest children's programme "Farfur" is a direct rip-off of Mickey Mouse twisted to match their twisted minds and death-cult-ure.
Where the Nazis built upon their Roman legacy the Palestinians seek the year 100 minus zero.
Another example is that of Aztec culture. Great stone pyramids and city plans that incorporated the movements of the heavens and must have been planned with an heavenly aspect in mind can be marveled at in their grandiosity today. And the thought must go to the blood and toil that went into their construction. All for the purpose of ripping the still beating heart out of the sacrificial victim to their gods. Such a mighty civilisation with such a bloody core. Yet still, they constructed a civilisation. That's the key. Amidst the death they created.
And just so the Nazis created and contrarily just so, amidst the Palestinian death squads, their is not even the thought of construction. There is no creation. Destruction is all. Destruction is their core.
We are all born to kill, consume and give birth. Culture and civilisation is the reflection of us as a people expressing these three aspects. And on that basis we can be judged as humans and what we stood and stand for. The Nazis did have a legacy a more varied than the gas ovens of Europe. But the gas ovens are all they will and should be remembered for primarily.
Whereas the Palestinians and all their Wahabi brethren should simply be exterminated and forgotten for the vermin they are.
Posted by: fat head pat | 26 May 2007 at 15:28
Sorry, the year zero minus 100 not the "year 100 minus zero". (A reference to Pol Pot's Year Zero).
Posted by: fat head pat | 26 May 2007 at 15:31
Five things to be in awe of the Nazis - (to the Smiths "How Soon Is Now")
1) The ">http://www.xiulong.it/modellismo/Meschersmitt%2520BF109E/Bf-109E-3_01.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.xiulong.it/modellismo/Meschersmitt%2520BF109E/index.htm&h=600&w=800&sz=109&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=yXo_99CLAEUlQM:&tbnh=107&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmeschersmitt%2B109%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26hs%3Ds6V%26sa%3DN"> Meschersmitt 109109 in Desert Sand and Dirt Brown
2) The Pak 88
3) The Stuka Dive Bomber
4) The New Reich Chancellery
5) The Waffen SS Death Head Skull
Posted by: fat head pat | 26 May 2007 at 17:59
Melbourne May 24 2007
Ex TAFE classroom monitor Tony "Schicklegruber" T said today he would fight his sacking for the use of the Nazi Swastika on his internets blog myspace page.
A spokesbloke for Smorgy's TAFE & Takeaway (All You Can Teach and Then More) said "Mr T was let go due to a downturn in enrollments in his course "Mega Hurts & Hot Currents" - the student downturn has been due to a combination of global warming and the jailing of Carl Williams" The spokesbloke said he reckoned that the Nazis had had their day anyways.
Mr T, who is representing himself, said " P*ss orff youse f***ers - you wouldn't f***en know a f***en ironic postf***enmodernf***enblogf***enpost if it crawled up yer *rse and slid down yer nose on a snot slide".
Posted by: Francis Xavier Holden | 26 May 2007 at 18:47
FXH: Mostly people laugh cause their happy. Sometimes people laugh cause their afraid.
Postmodernism is the attempt to laugh with what frightens us most, hoping we won't get eaten first.
Posted by: post-modern pat | 26 May 2007 at 20:08
Speaking post-prandially; I've just eaten an asterisking grouse dinner.
That ME109 looks nothing like my Tamiya 1/48 scale ME109. Although that's probably not the fault of the Messerschmitt factory.
Posted by: Tony.T | 26 May 2007 at 21:09
The Palestinians did introduce the teatowel as a fashion accessory.
Can be worn:
- on the head (ala the old bug eyed leader), or
- around the face when tossing rocks, or
- casually around the neck at the local tobacco shop after a long day of tire burning (or at the Melbourne Uni Student Union bar after another long day of being a lefty protester).
They also do the mad funeral real good - wailing women and AK-47s going off.....that's how I'd like to go out.
Posted by: James Dudek | 26 May 2007 at 21:44
Horses for courses =
Tamiya for your Zeros.
Airfix for your Messerschmits and Focke Wulfs.
Posted by: Simon | 26 May 2007 at 22:15
When I think of top tier propagandaistas, Stalin, Goebels and Ferry always spring to mind.
Posted by: Russell Allen | 27 May 2007 at 16:04
Ole Bry was dressing in pseudo-military khakis way back in his Antony Price-styled heyday.
Agree with statement above re twit-ness of his foxhunting offspring.
He can kiss any future endorsement deals auf weidersen too.
Der Messerschmitts are strafing AVALON ...
Posted by: bwca | 27 May 2007 at 17:55
After reading that, I can't remove the mental image of Angry Anderson driving a Panzer tank into the middle of the MCG, leaping out singing "Bound for Glory" in German, while a bemused-looking Rob de Castella peeps out of the tank turret.
Posted by: LP | 28 May 2007 at 15:47
Hi. My name is Eugene Gershin. I'd like to welcome you to Obadiah Shoher's blog, Samson Blinded: A Machiavellian Perspective on the Middle East Conflict.
Obadiah is a pen name of a politician. He writes extremely controversial articles about Israel, the Middle East politics, and terrorism.
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Google refused advertising our site and Amazon deleted reviews of Obadiah's book. Nevertheless, Obadiah’s is the largest Jewish personal blog, read by more than 100,000 people monthly. 210,000 people from 81 countries downloaded Obadiah’s book. The blog was voted the best overall in People’s Choice: Jewish and Israeli blogs Awards, received Webby Honoree and other awards.
Please help us spread Obadiah's message, and mention the blog in one of your posts, or link to us. We would greatly appreciate your comments at www.samsonblinded.org/blog
Best wishes,
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Jewrusalem.net – Israeli Uncensored News
Posted by: Eugene | 30 May 2007 at 20:52
Why would you choose Obadiah Shoher as a pen name ? Something catchier please.
Posted by: Simon | 31 May 2007 at 08:42
I think Jewrusalem.net is pretty catchy though.
It just screams "intelligent, unbiased debate".
Well done! I shall subscribe as soon as I've done the interviews for the new downstairs maid.
I may be a while.
Posted by: Mr Z | 31 May 2007 at 12:17
Interesting article indeed.
Posted by: Alex | 31 May 2007 at 14:27
Well, I have no problems there Alan. I have a dozen young ladies queuing up for the maid's position right now.
Posted by: Mr Z | 31 May 2007 at 16:37
How about some cricket??
Article here about Slatts - pretty good.
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/sport/2007/05/30/on_second_thoughts_michael_sla.html
Posted by: Mark | 31 May 2007 at 17:39
Australia doesn't have an airforce. Come on, be sensible.
Posted by: Kieran | 31 May 2007 at 21:39
No but we have an Air-Farce, crewed by Riff-Raaf.
Posted by: Scott Wickstein | 01 June 2007 at 12:14
Today I sent an email to my staff (yes - I have staff! - poor bastards) asking for a "brainstorming session" on a particular issue.
The other day I had to deliver some bad news to one of the new recruits and he cried. I "counseled" him and advised him to "have faith".
Today I "delegated" *all* of my paperwork to the entire "team".
I then "issued a directive" that no one send me any more emails. Full stop ->.
At lunch one of the "team" was bagging Howard and I demanded that he make an argument in point form against the Liberal Govt. I then "de-constructed" in blunt form every one of his points. He capitulated but finished by stating that it was "time for change". I asked him if I should sack him just for change sake? The table went quiet.
I finished the day by giving every one of them a six pack of MB. The ALP stooge asked why I was doing it. I explained that a mate had just started AA and gave me all his grog. They left in silence.
The question I ask myself is: was I always a cock or have I developed into one? Secondly, should I care?
Answers are gratefully sought.
Posted by: semi-human spambot pat | 01 June 2007 at 23:51
The question is: will a pepperoncini suffice for lack of stuffed olive in a dry martini?
Posted by: Enquiring Pat | 02 June 2007 at 00:15
Simply...no.
Posted by: Postpartum Pat | 02 June 2007 at 00:29
Cheapskate.
Where's Tony and what's he up to?
Posted by: Down Pat | 02 June 2007 at 01:30
Tony is in a coffee haze after having a premonition of Melbourne's win and placing his house on it with Centrebet...
Posted by: nick | 02 June 2007 at 16:58
Tony hasn't had a premonition of any victory since about 1874. Poor sod is still in shock, but I told him there was no way the Dees would be 0 and 10.
Posted by: Scott Wickstein | 02 June 2007 at 19:39
Good win by the Dees? Hmm.
Posted by: nick | 03 June 2007 at 00:16
Perhaps it should be "Let's shtik together" -- Mr Ferry has always placed style over substance in his music, and what shocking music it was and is. His Bowie-esque off-key singing (also copied by Cockney Rebel) was merely a canvas for his image. That little pencil-thin moustache looked Orwellian, though, which was at odds with the toff-like clobber.
As with Bowie, another shocking excuse for a pop star, I wouldn't mind Ferry's royalty cheques for the number of times his product is played on hits and memories radio.
Posted by: Professor Rosseforp | 03 June 2007 at 21:52
I agree with Herr Professor (above) re Ferry's career being a triumph of Style Over Substance, but just popped back to defend him against the NAZI slur by reminding you that he named his son after a BLACK guy ...
Posted by: Bwca | 04 June 2007 at 17:01
I tossed up the shtik/stik angle for ages, Prof, but in the end went with the latter because in German the latter is pronounced like the former. Subtle, no?
Posted by: Tony.T | 05 June 2007 at 18:20