I am really enjoying "We Are Bellingcat" by Elliot Higgins, and just getting amazed by their methods which are essentially a meticulous attention to detail. On instance was tracking down a Russian War criminal though the Russian disinformation and obfuscation by finding a name and mobile phone number on an insurance application.
Thing on this when you fill informs and especially those one offs to find out what kind of potato you are and the like.
I would highly recommend this book to everyone for pointers and how investigative journalism has been turned on it's head.
It is Halloween and published a Halloween playlist here on Vocal if you would like to check it out. When I see all the costumes and creatures out on Halloween I think how would people react if these suddenly became real. Now that would be interesting.
My friend Ana has just had a book published , "Light and Darkness" which you can check out here.
Musicwise as it's Halloween , we are going with "Hellraiser" by Ozzy Osbourne ad Ian Kilmister which I never knew existed but it ghosted in on me, and I really like it.
I am not sure if you are aware of my writing on Vocal but these are a few of my stories if you would like to sample them:
I am actually writing , well typing and not dictating, this draft article on my Google Pixel 2XL phone. Dictating gives me too much editing and fixing, but this is the first article I have done completely on the phone and am surprised that it is basically rather good. Not as convenient as a computer keyboard , but more than adequate and very fit for purpose.
While the title obviously refers to Christianity , this concept is prevalent 8n most religions, anything that brings us pleasure is wrong, and the right way is whatever the controlling body says is the way , hence subservience. We see it today when raising money for good causes ,where the very rich and powerful give nothing themselves but tell the "lower castes" to give and donate to help the less fortunate. Helping others is a worthy pursuit but when you think Jeff Bezis and Elon Musk could probably eradicate world poverty and not leave themselves short you see the issue I have. On a lesser scale Gary Barlow has evaded tax yet still partakes in money raising events (it gives him exposure) , but Mr Barlow is not "The Devil's Music" , far from it.
This article is very unresearched and is just coming from what's 8nmy head and my past experiences, so apologies for any glaring errors. It also contains a lot of my opinions and, despite what lots of people get on their high horses about, opinions and ideas mean nothing unless they are logically argued and backed up by facts.
However a lot of what is going down here is not provable , I may say I think song A is the devil's music and song B isn't , that is my opinion and thoughts on the subject and you may disagree and since The Devil is not here to question I have to assume and opine.
One of the earliest associations between modern popular music and the devil is that the blues singer Robert Johnson wet to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for being able to play guitar. Enough to damn him in the eyes of the church.
Lots of popular music from the late 1800s which then became fused and influenced by and with African and swing rhythms would often implicitly and explicitly refer to ess ee ecks , an the "great and good" , were very disapproving of that.
This music often came from "the other side of the tracks" that was usually the black quarter , again you start to see the racist elements in the disapproval and terming of "the devil's music".
During the wars soldiers were given time off for rest and recreation which is the same acronym as rock and roll , an African American label for that old ess ee ecks , and around 1951 DJ Alan Freed appropriated it for a musical style supposedly kicked off by Jackie Brenton's "Rocket 88" which , I believe also featured Ike Turner on guitar .
Crooners like Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra were also frowned upon in certain circles , though it was ironic that "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets and used as theme to the film "Blackboard Jungle" sparked riots and wrecking of cinemas , but Haley was a middle aged man with a receding hairline leading a white western swing band , hardly the blueprint for the devil's music.
With media such as radio , television and cinema helping spread the word, or the sound , Elvis Presley , The Beatles and The Rolling Stones outraged many just by their existence , but they covered and were influenced by black music which gave a reason for certain organisations to attack them. When John Lennon said that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus that stoked record burnings and protests in the USA , though to burn them they had to buy them.
The Stones "Sympathy For The Devil" was an obvious candidate for the devil's music.
Heavy Metal and it's various exponents took on Satanic overtones exemplified by bands like Black Sabbath , and then genres such as Black Metal and Death Metal.
Religious organisations also decided that playing records backwards revealed Satanic instructions and messages and this was cited when a young man committed suiced and Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution" was cited as the culprit, but you don't need to play that backwards and obviously the young man had other problems.
Also in this case Rob Halford of Judas Priest quite rightly said "If we could influence people using hidden messages , it would be BUY MORE OF OUR RECORDS , not Kill Yourself."
There is so much good music and it is always progressing, it takes in all influences.
If you listen to "Tubular Bells" it is an impressive and beautiful piece of music but was used (without Mike Oldfield's permission) in the film "The Exorcist" so does that make it Satanic? I think not but anyone can put any interpretation on what they hear.
The thing is WE have the best music , because WE take inspiration and create music that can be described as how it affects us and others.
That bit where you are shaved, dressed, showered, contact lenses in, ready to go and then you realise you have your Annual Diabetic Review and that includes a retinal scan, which means you have to take your contact lenses out and put your twenty-year-old glasses back on (they still are fine for reading, watching TV and driving).
My appointment is at 8:52 which seems a bit precise.
It's Monday morning and the temperature is creeping up. I've realized that if I walk across Nunsmoor then I come out at the old General Hospital where my review will take place. This can take anything from one to four hours, most of the time will be waiting, but so glad that I have the NHS to look after me and advise me.
Its was the NHS' 70th Birthday last week and it was also Ozzy Osbourne's as well, sort of appropriate as they have both been through some very pressured times, but have access to all the best drugs, and are still with us and we love them both.
I know it's Monday and this week is going to be very busy, but it is better to be busy than not, but sometimes you do wonder where the time goes.
Oh and David Davies resigned so I'll throw in Dave Davies' "Daath of A Clown" which is appropriate. Dave Davies was instrumental in the invention of Heavy Metal when he stabbed the speaker cab to give the vicious guitar sound on "You Really Got Me".
Enjoy today, I'll be glad when I'm back home tonight
