Martin Heidegger - Freedom/Anxiety

In theory we have the possibility of doing anything (of course there are some physical restrictions). The only wrong thing you can do is not to exert your freedom.

But this freedom generates anxiety. Martin Heidegger stated that humans are nothing: we are just possibilities waiting to be materialized through our actions and decisions. The problem comes when we realize there's nothing to guide us. "Is this decision the right one? Where will this take me? What would have happened if I had taken another path?" These thoughts often appear. Also, we will die someday, thus "becoming nothing" is another possibility. Our lives are just different ways of reaching our deaths.

Heidegger also said that when we approach the world, we always have a certain state of mind or mood. We are not apathetic. This affects our perception of the world and how we interact with it.

[This is all I'm summarizing from Heidegger. What comes next are my own thoughts. Please bear in mind this short summary was just intended to support my following point.]

The world is how we perceive it. It's up to us to make the most out of it. We are rationally aware of this. Then why can't we put this into practice all the time? Because of our irrationality. Our fears and insecurities get in the way. This issue will be discussed on my following posts.

The unavoidable selfishness

[Continued from here.]

People tend to give the minimum effort always. We look for our own interests and act in the way it's most convenient. We try to brake the rules (rather than debate them in a civilized way), impose ourselves before others, let others take the blame for our actions, "streetwise-ness", etc. You feel good when you get away with it.

You must always be one step ahead. You must always protect yourself, since they wouldn't care whatever happens to you. Unfairness, bullying, crime, etc., they are all manifestations of the same thing. It's funny how people criticize politicians, and yet they act the same sneaky way in their everyday life.

Egoism is often understood to be a consequence of our finitude. Since life is short, we want to have as many things as possible while we're alive. Therefore, it can't be helped. No one is saying egoism is bad or good, it simply is. Your actions (even the altruistic ones) somehow benefit yourself, otherwise you wouldn't be doing them.

The truth is, if people don't care about something, they'll never put any effort in it. What an individual considers important can only be decided by the individual himself. So, what should you do? On one hand, you should only care for yourself. On the other hand, you can't live alone; thus, you must understand what people close to you consider important and work based on that. Or, you can just continue not giving a shit, since that's what everyone always does.

Friedrich Nietzsche - The Death of God/The Last Man

With Modernism, religion had been displaced. God could no longer explain anything. Nietszche called this "The Death of God". We have killed God, no one can tell us what we should do, we can't assure what's right. What now? Do we get lost?

Nietzsche had always criticized society. He accuses us of being conformists: we no longer yearn for anything, we only search our safety. Why is longevity a virtue? Nietzsche called this "Last Man". The Last Man denies God's death and tries to hide behind new Gods, such as the State or money. He's always looking for excuses to not exert his freedom.

"One no longer becomes poor or rich; both are too burdensome. Who still wants to rule? Who still wants to obey? Both are too burdensome. (...) Every one wants the same; every one is equal: he who has other sentiments goes voluntarily into the madhouse." - From Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Nietzsche wants us to accept our weaknesses, our contradictions, and stop denying our freedom. Sure, it's easier said than done. Yet, what I take from this is the importance of taking decisions. You can think a lot of things, but you are only defined by your actions.

The Replacements - Alex Chilton

If you liked this, try Can't Hardly Wait or Bastards of Young.

Karl Marx - Historical Materialism

Historians in Marx's time thought that any human civilization could be explain by the products of the Spirit/the mind; this means arts, religion, politics, philosophy, humanities, etc. Marx said that, since men are work, the only thing that explains any civilization is the material or living conditions of working men. Society consists of the base/infrastructure (this is, the work) and an ideological superstructure (the intellectual stuff).

The base consists of two parts: productive forces and relations of production. Productive forces mean workers/proletariat, technologies, sciences, tools; everything used for working. Relations appear when you have somebody owning the tools or technologies. These are the relationships built around production (for instance, owner and worker). Marx stated that productive forces evolve faster than the relations.

An example of this would be the music industry nowadays, and their position on downloading songs for free. We have the technology to be able to produce our own songs and distribute them online for almost no price, and yet record companies want to charge you for downloading, instead of thinking of other ways of making income (like concerts, merchandizing, I don't know). The thing is, relations of production evolve slowly because, if they change, it means people with power will lose it.

When the productive forces have evolved so much the relations become a burden, something called "revolution" occurs, which makes the relations change and History moves forward. This is what Marx called Historical Materialism, since it depends on the material conditions of the workers.

Karl Marx - The Concept of Alienation

Marx stated that men are work. Work refers to the fact that we can produce our own means of subsistence. Men are social by nature since it's the only way we work.

What happens when men are separated from the product of their work? This was the case in Marx's time, the time when the industrial revolution had just happened. The living conditions of the working class were very bad, and the rich men exploited them. Think of Oliver Twist or Les Misérables. Men were paid the minimum amount of money so that they could continue living and keep on working.

The problem with capitalism is that it produces more wealth but for less people. The proletariat (this means, the person who owns nothing but his labor force) receives nothing from his work, despite the fact that men are work! Complement this with an involuntary division of labor and you have a very miserable life. This is what Marx called alienation.

It should be noted, to clear up some controversy, that Marx never actually proposed a solution. He died before he could explain "communism". What happened during the 20th century is far from Marx's view, since he clearly stated that there should be no State/no one superior. He just wanted us to work happily. More about Marx on my next post!

Rational vs Irrational

Many have divided men into Body and Soul/Spirit, but I don't think that's accurate enough. Men can be divided into two parts: Rational and Irrational.

Our rational side comprises not only our body but our logical/rational thinking. Rational is anything that can be explained rationally (never mind the redundancy). Overall, it's our rational side which helps us to survive. To be efficient, you must be rational.

However, we have an irrational side, related to feelings. This is what makes us truly humans, and not just robots with a particular purpose. It's thanks to irrationality that we have creativity/innovation; however, that's the only good thing about it. It's due to our irrational side that we have fears, insecurities, depression, etc.

The problem is that our irrational side cannot be explained. It is part of human nature not knowing what we really are (and it's also part of human nature to want to find an answer). You can't convince your irrational side with arguments and force it to not feel sad; apparently, it just happens.

An introduction to Efficiency

Imagine a man who has just been hired to work at an office. The first day of work he comes in motivated, ready to put in effort. However, once he gets there, he finds his co-workers are lazy, and they just do the minimum work possible; they even make fun of him for making an effort. He decides to ignore him and continue with his believes (I won't stop just because they want to, right?)

At the end of the month, the checks come in. This guy was payed the same amount as his lazy co-workers. As the months go by he just gives up and stops caring. Despite the fact that if all workers made an effort, the company would sell more, have higher incomes, and everyone's salary would increase. In theory we should all be as efficient as possible.

This whole "efficiency" thing is a sort of theory I've been developing. It's nothing new or revolutionary; in fact, it is based on and influenced by many different points of view. I just like to express it in my own words.

Why aren't humans efficient all the time and what can we do about it? Well, this will we discussed in my following posts.

EDIT: Bear in mind the work environment is just a metaphor (though it can indeed be applied for work too). After receiving some comments I guess I didn't make it clear. The office is a metaphor for life.

Cream

They started in 1966, and while their career was short (3 years), their influence was huge. Eric Clapton (guitar), Ginger Baker (drums) and Jack Bruce (bass/vocals) were already famous when they decided to join together. They were considered the "cream of the crop" in the British scene, thus the name. Their style, while primary blues-influenced, had some touches of psychedelia, plus great musicianship.

While in their first album they hadn't truly reached their potential, their second album, Disraeli Gears, is one of the best rock albums ever. Sunshine of Your Love, which everyone knows even without being aware of it, is in here. However, they were constantly competing with each other, and they broke up the following year.

My Top 5:

5. White Room
4. Outside Woman Blues
3. I Feel Free
2. Strange Brew
1. Bagde

Socrates

A brief explanation of Socrates' importance, in case you don't already know him. Many consider him the godfather of philosophy.

Socrates went around asking things we consider as common sense. He asked a General "What is courage?". The General told him it was when a soldier remained firm in battle. Socrates would reply: "No, you're just giving me an example. I asked you what is it?!" And so, talking to Socrates made you realize you knew nothing. Also, he didn't teach you, because he didn't know either.

His famous phrase was: I know that I know nothing. What he meant with this was the fact that you only can learn something if you realize beforehand that you know nothing about the topic. Otherwise, you wouldn't need to learn, right? He also taught us that The unexamined life is not worth living, because you must constantly review you actions in a rational way.

However, Socrates wasn't much appreciated by the masses. Not only did he made them look stupid, but the young people were beginning to question everything, and the men holding the power could lose it. At his trial, Socrates could have been freed if he payed the fine, his friends wanted to pay his fine, but he decided not to because that would be cowardly saving himself at the expense of others. He remained true to what he believed.

The Doors

Do I need to say more? One of my favorite bands and one of rock's best groups ever. They emerged in the mid 60's, in the LA psychedelic scene. They experimental style combined blues, psychedelia and rock to create a unique experience. Their vocalist/lyricist, Jim Morrison, was a great frontman.


My favorite albums have to be the first two, the self-titled and Strange Days; somehow later they either abused the formula or did a lot of experimentation (this doesn't mean that it was bad, though). Finally, in 1971, Jim Morrison died mysteriously.

My Top 5:

5. Roadhouse Blues
4. We Could Be So Good Together
3. Peace Frog
2. People Are Strange
1. Break on Through (To the Other Side)

Rene Descartes - Cogito Ergo Sum

"I think, therefore I am". The famous phrase by Rene Descartes. Today I'll make a brief explanation of how he came to that absolute axiom and what can be derived from it.

If you want to discover a principle, doubt of anything that isn't 100% true all the time. The sensible world isn't certain, thus my senses aren't trustworthy. Anything I consider logic and true now can just be an illusion, a deceive. But, if it is indeed an illusion, there's necessarily someone who is being deceived. If the world is imaginary, there's somebody conducting cerebral processes and imagining the whole thing. Thus, If I think, I must exist.

Many things can be interpreted from this affirmation. What I take from this is that the most important thing is perception. What an individual thinks about something is more important than the object itself. (Of course this can't be applied all the time, or we wouldn't agree on anything.) The only thing other people know about you is what you appear to be.

The Kinks

One of the top British Invasion bands from the 60's. Their early songs cemented the way for hard rock with their powerful riffs. Eventually they matured and refined their sound.


I've heard the phrase "they're more British than the Kinks!". This is because they were one of the first bands to do sketches and portraits of everyday life, though mostly in a satirical way. Village Green and Arthur, their greatest albums, are the best examples of this. In the 70's they had moderate success and a few hits (Lola comes to mind), till they faded away.




My Top 5:
5. All Day and All of the Night
4. Picture Book
3. A Well Respected Man
2. You Really Got Me
1. Sunny Afternoon

Thomas Hobbes - Leviathan

Men are asocial by nature. They only move towards what they desire and away from what they fear. Their two greatest fears are death and the loss of possessions. The three main factors of discord among men are egoism, mistrust and the desire of glory.

Imagine there were no laws acting on us, no State to impose fear and force us to obey (aka State of Nature). Everyone would fight each other to death for their possessions. Under such conditions, we can't acquire wealth. We can't even assure our own safety!


But we aren't idiots. We give away our power to stomp on others in order to live in community, to guarantee our safety (Social Contract). The sum of all those powers, given away by all the people in a nation, is called State. The State must impose fear onto us so we all follow the rules. However, since this is a contract, the State must also respect the citizens.

I'm Back!

I finally have free time, so I'll be posting on the blog again. For those of you who are already following, you know what to expect. For any new followers, please be welcome. In this blog I mostly talk about rock music, but I'm considering widening my horizons.

Feel free to read any previous post you haven't already.

In the meantime, here's a relatively obscure song, Fonz by Eugene McGuinness. Enjoy

Traffic - Feelin' Alright

You feelin' alright? I'm not feeling too good myself.



If you liked this try two more of their songs: Dear Mr Fantasy and Roamin' Thro' the Gloamin with 40,000 Headmen.

Pink Floyd - Dogs

Lyrics
You got to be crazy, you gotta have a real need
You gotta sleep on your toes and when you're on the street
You got to be able to pick out the easy meat with your eyes closed
And then moving in silently, down wind and out of sight
You gotta strike when the moment is right without thinking

And after a while, you can work on points for style
Like the club tie, and the firm handshake
A certain look in the eye and an easy smile
You have to be trusted by the people that you lie to
So that when they turn their backs on you
You'll get the chance to put the knife in

You gotta keep one eye looking over your shoulder
You know, it's going to get harder, and harder, and harder
As you get older
Yeah, and in the end you'll pack up and fly down south
Hide your head in the sand
Just another sad old man
All alone and dying of cancer

And when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown
And as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone
And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around
So have a good drown, as you go down all alone
Dragged down by the stone

Gotta admit that I'm a little bit confused
Sometimes it seems to me as if I'm just being used
Gotta stay awake, gotta try and shake off this creeping malaise
If I don't stand my own ground, how can I find my way out of this maze

Deaf, dumb and blind, you just keep on pretending
That everyone's expendable, and no one has a real friend
And it seems to you the thing to do would be to isolate the winner
Everything's done under the sun
But you believe at heart everyone's a killer

Who was born in a house full of pain?
Who was trained not to spit in the fan?
Who was told what to do by the man?
Who was broken by trained personnel?
Who was fitted with collar and chain?
Who was given a pat on the back?
Who was breaking away from the pack?
Who was only a stranger at home?
Who was ground down in the end?
Who was found dead on the phone?
Who was dragged down by the stone?
Who was dragged down by the stone?



Though the song was primarily a satire of egocentric businessmen, it can apply to any of us. Fast-paced, stressful life turns us into Dogs, mistrusting the rest of the pack, trying to always be one step ahead; extreme individualism. Well, you aren't supposed to be Sheep either, just being manipulated. Anyhow, there should be some sort of balance between trust and mistrust, which I think is hard to find.

So, are you a dog yet/still?

NMH - Holland, 1945

Neutral Milk Hotel. If you know about them then I don't need to tell you anything. If you don't, well, you don't know what you're missing. Pioneers in 90's indie rock. Their second album, In the Aeroplane over the Sea, was so amazing that vocalist/songwriter Jeff Mangum never attempted outdoing it (it was impossible!).

This, in my opinion, is the best song to introduce people to the band. It references Anne Frank.

The Libertines

Early 00's had a new trend in rock music, something labelled as "Garage Rock Revival" (a not accurate term), started by The Strokes and The White Stripes in the US. The first UK band to emerge from this were The Libertines. Combining influences from every alternative genre since Punk, their style can be felt in every "indie" band to come out from England after them. And that's just to give you an idea of how good they were.


Pete Doherty and Carl Barat, the two guitarists/lead vocalists, had a unique songwriting style that can only be matched by their decadent lifestyle. Their problems caused the breakup of the band after only two albums. Their best album, for me, is the first one, since the turmoil hadn't broken their focus yet.

My Top 5:
1. Up the Bracket
2. Time for Heroes
3. Can't Stand Me Now
4. What Became of the Likely Lads
5. Boys in the Band

Full Metal Panic

Sousuke Sagara, a 16 year old mercenary, who has lived all his life fighting in various wars. His next mission? To protect a high school girl. This anime combines elements from different genres to create something very enjoyable. There's action, mecha, comedy and some romance, so you'll definitely find something you like.

One of the main characteristics of the show is how it changes from the funny sequences in high school, where Sousuke tries to fit in but he can't due to his soldier mentality, and the serious action scenes where Sousuke pilots his robot and stops the enemies.

And the other main aspect of the show is the relationship between Sousuke and Kaname Chidori, the girl he must protect. Sousuke always takes things literally and can't seem to understand everyday logic. Chidori is short-tempered, so she always ends up yelling at Sousuke for his abnormality. But as they grow closer they start to slowly understand each other.

The characters are really likeable. Besides from the two main ones, you find Sousuke's co-workers and a clumsy girl around his age who happens to be his captain.

As the story progresses it becomes more serious. I recommend you to watch it. Also, Sousuke's awesome!

ELO

Electric Light Orchestra (or just ELO) appeared in the 70's. They blended regular rock instruments with an orchestra. Originally, they wanted to continue taking music in the direction the Beatles left it, but they had to give up on this after two albums (because nobody can manage that). That doesn't mean they became worse. In fact, one of their songs was one of John Lennon's favorites.

Starting with their third album, everything they did in the 70's is excellent! Well, I am a little biased about this, I admit it, but they are actually pretty good. Jeff Lynne, the vocalist and mastermind behind this, had good songwriting skills. However, in the 80's they lost their way. Just don't listen to that (except for a few songs of course).

My Top 5:
-Showdown
-Telephone Line
-10538 Overture
-Strange Magic
-Evil Woman

An announcement + More Top 5s

I'm starting college next week, so I won't have much time for posting. Probably I'll only write once or twice a week. Thanks for following me all this time, make sure you at least drop by every Sunday.

Now, in all my posts about rock artists the most important section, for me, was the top songs. Since I won't be posting too much, I leave you some Top 5s.


Bob Dylan Top 5:
-Blowin' in the Wind
-Mr Tambourine Man
-Like a Rolling Stone
-Subterranean Homesick Blues
-Desolation Row


The Who Top 5:
-Baba O'Riley
-My Generation
-Won't Get Fooled Again
-5:15
-I Can't Explain


Creedence Clearwater Revival Top 5:
-Have You Ever Seen the Rain?
-Fortunate Son
-Lookin' Out My Back Door
-Proud Mary
-Bad Moon Rising


Bruce Springsteen Top 5:
-Born to Run
-Rosalita (Come out Tonight)
-Thunder Road
-Badlands
-Dancing in the Dark or Born in the USA [tie]

Nirvana Top 5:
-Heart Shaped Box
-In Bloom
-All Apologies
-About a Girl
-Sappy

The Rolling Stones

Whenever someone thinks about rock, this group comes to mind. One of the few acts to survive such a long time and still be awesome. They started in the 60's, and were viewed as a tougher counterpart to the Beatles during the 'British Invasion'. Eventually they moved away from covers and pop to a more bluesy style of their own.

Their best albums were made between 1968 and 1972 (from Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main St.), which was when the band was more focused. After that they started to relax. They still release some good songs from time to time, but their average dropped. However, how dare you complain? It's the Rolling Stones! Their live shows are great too.





My Top 5:
-Sympathy for the Devil
-Gimme Shelter
-Paint it, Black
-Shine a Light
-Can't You Hear Me Knocking

Happiness Is a Warm Gun

I'll just leave this here...

Two Top 10s

Led Zeppelin and Queen. I don't think there's anything I need to say about these classic bands. I know that this can apply to most of the bands I talk about here, but it is specifically truer for these two.

Now, if you asked me which one I prefer then I would be in trouble because it's very difficult to pick one, considering they have different styles. All I can say is that Led Zeppelin came first and that they were an influence on early Queen.

Since a Top 5 wouldn't be enough, I'm doing a Top 10. I haven't included Stairway to Heaven or Bohemian Rhapsody since they would unfairly occupy the number one spot, being the classics that they are.

Led Zeppelin Top 10:
-Immigrant Song
-Whole Lotta Love
-The Ocean
-Dazed and Confused
-Heartbreaker
-Tangerine
-Ramble On
-Ten Years Gone
-Good Times Bad Times
-Black Dog

Queen Top 10:
-Killer Queen
-We Will Rock You
-We Are the Champions
-Hammer to Fall
-Don't Stop Me Now
-Seven Seas of Rhye
-I Want to Break Free
-Now I'm Here
-Another One Bites the Dust
-The Millionaire Waltz

Death Note AMV

I liked this.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

An alternative rock band formed in the 80's. Their style began as a fusion of rock, funk and rap, with elements from other genres too, but they have evolved into a finer, more polished style throughout the years.

Their early material is just ok for me, but nothing special. It wasn't until they had a steady lineup in 1989 that they took off. Blood Sugar Sex Magik is their greatest album, and a must for any fan of alternative rock. They're currently working on their new album.

My Top 5:
-Storm in a Teacup
-Give it Away
-Under the Bridge
-Otherside
-Higher Ground (cover)

In case you haven't listened to Storm in a Teacup, here it is: