your soul will fly out of your body

it follows with detroit because everything is a car journey down the motorway away. it follows but the creature only walks so you can escape by getting in a car and driving away (but it will catch up to you eventually) the only thing to do is to pass it on. our young heroes (the friends) manage to kill it but they have to be sure (you cannot spend your whole life looking out of the window for someone walking straight towards you) so they pass it on.

the it can change shape but appears as a uncanny affectless doubles (nice horror touch) but only the victim can see it (though other people may see its effects). . 

things horsemouth also didn't notice the first time? - the friend reading the idiot,  the resemblance of the suburbs to haddonfield, the soundtrack he noticed (the soundtrack is genius).

the friend (a stylish nerd - a velma) has an e-reader in a make-up compact, she reads this selection out loud from the idiot about capital punishment.

'... the worst, most violent pain lies not in injuries, but in the fact that you know for certain that within the space of an hour, then ten minutes, then half a minute, then now, right at this moment—your soul will fly out of your body, and you'll no longer be a human being,'

there is a lot of waiting in this movie. 

horsemouth did notice the influence of the photography of gregory crewdson (a photography of surfaces of ordinary things lit so beautifully that only something sinister can be going on). of course horsemouth should now be sharing with you his readings from susan sontag's on photography (or perhaps bakhtin on dostoyevsky). 

the monster appears in the limnal space of sex between childhood, friendship and the suburbs and adult life and sexuality, at a moment of transition. the film offers the couple as a solution (it's not cronenberg's rabid).  

detroit is of course a city of great and beautiful ruins, a place whose memory is erased in the non-places of the suburbs (where the existence of the black population is erased also). to defeat the monster they return to the municipal swimming pool (a place they no longer go).

michael k. williams the actor who played omar in the wire is dead. omar gets to tell the court the truth (while delivering false testimony) that it's all in the game, that the lawyer who acts for the gangsters profits off the drug war as he (omar) does. omar gets to rip, rob and survive as a hero (while those around him die) but eventually he dies. shot down by a kid. 

yesterday horsemouth went up the marshes and read (and sunbathed) earlier he had walked over to the office to pick up some paperwork he'd left behind after the last meeting (so about four and half miles). later the news and then it follows.  today maybe a meet up. (horsemouth is trying to keep his contacts down, to do all meetings in the open air etc. - he looks at the grauniad pretty much all the stats are on the up). 

 

a hawk/ the maltese falcon ('from the standpoint of finality')

what does it mean to see a hawk (in your dreams)?

what is the significance of the dragonfly?

a squirrel (bearing a nut)

passes by

yesterday while he walked around the marshes (doing his best to top up his tan for the last time before the  long cold winter) horsemouth saw a hawk (a kestrel he believes) but clearly a young one (not hunting very efficiently). he decided to interpret it in terms of the eye of horus (the all seeing eye). the hawk is of course a noble beast (apex predator). 

zadkiel, sibley, freud and jung were not very helpful (he was forced to rely upon the internet). he has the jung (dreams) recently returned from enza (visual reference for the fall of the house of fitzgerald lots of men and women standing around in circular frames. jung begins by recapping freud's theories (from the interpretation of dreams).

the dream contains an idea so dangerous that it can only be expressed in a coded fashion (so that the dreamer may not understand it).  and yet it must be expressed so it is there. 

horsemouth was pleased by his seeing a hawk.

horsemouth watched the exorcist III before bedtime (but it was dull). he fiddled about on the guitar (recently he'd had a crack at astronomy singing it down on Em and D - previously he'd been up on Am and G. he continues to work on jai guru deva. he has been playing all this on the laramie in standard tuning. 

howard has been busy too. his songs are pretty much there (he just doesn't have the time to finish them off right now). they are stronger more assured (perhaps it's time for a re-run of volume two). 

horsemouth has made some progress on the communal endeavour - he has constructed a timeline with the various options/ projects events on it (and a brief summary of where each of these projects leaves the reserves and the yearly surplus). 

today. er... today. horsemouth does not know. it's the week isn't it. allegedly no reply from the pensions people until thursday. horsemouth has to decide whether to accept some work (but seeing as they haven't paid him yet for the previous lot yet he's not very keen). he's waiting for the arrival of the end of month bank statement (then he'll know for sure). 

one thing at a time horsemouth. one thing at a time.

nowhere further to fall 

such is the advantage of lying on the floor (kafka allegedly). 

horsemouth has little recollection of yesterday (and he didn't make any notes as he was going along). 

they were making horsemouth dress up in the costume of a capitalist (well a capitalist pantomime horse) and then they were hitting him with sticks. horsemouth is of course not comfortable in the costume of a capitalist (he worries that people will hit him with sticks). 

his goal (between buffetings) was to work out how much development the communal endeavour can support. it's a small little beastie (but a strong one). the sensible way to do it would be with a spreadsheet. 

he got the calculator out (well the calculator app on the computer and a mortgage interest app online). in the old days (before horsemouth) they would have gotten out a slide rule (horsemouth remembers seeing one) or the logarithm tables. he remembers his dad bringing back a calculator (to do work stuff) in the valleys of south wales in the 70ies, he remembers the school (round about then)  getting a bbc micro, he remembers a friend showing him ceefax on the tv, he remembers the first time he saw the netscape logo and logging in to bulletin boards. 

horsemouth is (as always) indebted to his opponents for enabling him to clarify his thoughts for reminding him that assumptions have to be explicitly stated and justified, for reminding him that everything has to be said all at once or carefully placed in a story such that the elements flow.  

ultimately (of course) it's not horsemouth's problem (he is already housed). to horsemouth it is a practical question,  to his opponents it is a moral one, he wishes them luck in their efforts to reform humanity. he surmises that the realisation that their fate is in the hands of their fellow human beings is making them nervous. 

the doing and the timing of what is necessary is a meaty enough problem to be getting on with. it is important that the political problem (of convincing people of its necessity and to keep going through the difficult bits) is kept separate. 

one thing at a time horsemouth. one thing at a time. 

and indeed the timing is the key thing. (that and keeping the emotional investment low). everything cannot be done at once.  we are talking about a situation that will be five years in the unravelling. while it has some components that are more immediate (end of the year say) most of them are two/three years down the line at least. 

trading misery for death (the revolution will not be photographed)

a year ago horsemouth was writing poetry following the death of the (somewhat death-obsessed) sudanese poet abdel wahab yousif (often known as latinos) who set off towards europe. from his poems it would be fair to say he was not travelling hopefully, just off the coast of libya the inflatable carrying him and 45 other refugees  turned over and he and they drowned. four of his poems survive in translation online, a few articles about him, possibly a clip on youtube, and we have photographs of him, and some of his words have made it into song (at about 15 minutes). 

off course horsemouth doesn't believe in creativity as a solution to injustice (or even as a temporary release from its pains) - he likes the rage of abdul wahab yousif's verse, he likes its pessimism. in some way the initial report of his death has the best artistic response to his death in its title - trading misery for death. 

for abdel wahab yousif

occupy heaven against the wastes of time

the silver linings

keep on coming

'don't they just'

like the clouds

like the deaths of poets

and anthropologists

Abdel Wahab Yousif

(say his name)

and now we have your poems

they floated free of the boat

(but you did not)

'die fast or die slow'

die in hospital

die drowning in the sea

die like a rat

I want you to die

I want you to die

and I want your corpse

to turn over

and look up at the clouds

and their silver linings

of democracy

and europe

horsemouth feels he is on safe ground (boom boom) calling for abdel wahab yousif's death because he's already dead (and thus it can't hurt him). looking at the poem now he should probably cut the last two lines (but on the other hand they are a strong 'pull factor').

---------------------------------------

 'recently photography has become almost as widely practiced an amusement as sex and dancing...'            - susan sontag, on photography, p.8. 

this susan confidently asserted 44 years ago (possibly even earlier in the pages of the NYRB). 

horsemouth couldn't possibly comment (he hasn't been out dancing in probably two years and as for the sex...). there's a camera on the laptop (but horsemouth never takes it out and about). horsemouth has a stupid phone (rather than a smart one) so no camera there. as a result horsemouth will often inveigle other people into taking photographs of him (and publish them here). truly his vanity knows no bounds. 

er. today... er. today horsemouth doesn't know. maybe a walk with tim goldie. more reading of sontag's on photography (a book it will probably turn out horsemouth owns already and has forgotten he owns and that has become lost in the stacks). 

horsemouth should probably get on with writing the business plan. he has been processing. his critics have made him think. they have demanded the impossible and now horsemouth will attempt to serve them the thin tasteless gruel of the possible and see how they like it). 

we roll towards the autumn equinox (wednesday 22nd september) the time to pay ghost dog (and the other retainers). in normal years we would be off down the long dark tunnel  of work and dark nights until horsemouth (like mole) would emerge blinking into the sunlight of  may 2022. 

but this has not been a year like any other and horsemouth is not clear that he wants to get back up and dance, he thinks the dance of death might be a good one to sit out. 

alles ständische und stehende verdampft (bandcamp friday)

so an instrumental version of fallen angel by king crimson has emerged from the vaults. you can hear much more clearly  the harmonics of the guitar, the flugelhorn, the clarinet. fallen angel isn't horsemouth's favourite track from off red (but it's pretty fucking great). (horsemouth is following it up with a listen to the vocal version). 

a year ago horsemouth was waiting for the arrival of the musicians of bremen volume four CDs (and when they arrived they were beautiful). now he is waiting for an email. he gets up, he surveys his email box, nothing.  he's been offered a smidgen of work too but he's not convinced by the scale of it. 

yesterday horsemouth did a little business planning (or rather he tried to work out what was going on in the world of social housing, for this is the communal endeavour's field of operations). for this he finds inside housing's podcast thoroughly helpful. horsemouth has come to the conclusion that his critics and their demands for affordability (aka. charge me less rent than everybody else) will have to be addressed. 

horsemouth (as he has mentioned before) has succumbed to the romance of development. he positively welcomes that moment in capitalism where all that is solid melts into air (as the english translation into the language of shakespeare has it). but of course the original german has it differently as  alles ständische und stehende verdampft which seems to have a pun involving two varieties of standing in it (horsemouth is indebted to a podcast about robert curgenven for this belated discovery).

of course (stockholm syndrome style) getting the hostages to identify with their captors is the big thing (thereafter the hostages will have quality circles where they will sit and discuss how they can be better hostages - did horsemouth mention the business plan). 

cafeOTO · TR176 - Triple Negative - 'Stabject Seepex Abgeist'

horsemouth's favourite band have a gig coming up (october 23rd. cafe OTO) and seemingly a new album of grit  on cafe OTO's 'record label'. horsemouth's musical outpourings are with the proles on bandcamp. 

it is bandcamp friday when they 'waive their revenue share' so should you purchase any musicians of bremen music in this period horsemouth and howard will get a few shekels extra. but horsemouth is convinced you (all of you who know him and are likely to purchase musicians of bremen's music) already own as much musiciand of bremen as there actually is so he will probably advertise other people's music instead. if anybody in the seaside towns wishes for a CD drop horsemouth a message and he will womble one over. 

in the words of eric cartman...

 'I hate you guys...' 

horsemouth went to a meeting of the communal endeavour. he presented where he'd got to with the the thing he'd said he'd do (having failed to circulate it round the people he said he'd circulate it round). it seemed to go ok. now all he has to do is write the fucking thing.

of course the entire process of it is not how he would wish it.

people want cheaper rent (horsemouth gets it. he'd like cheaper rent himself). to have cheaper rent means either having more money coming in (more properties aka. development) or less money going out (restructuring aka. cuts to services). horsemouth will be proposing both.

the key alternative is always already to do nothing (the communal endeavour's preferred means of operation). when the people whose housing is being handed back come to you for re-housing just invite them to piss off (why not?) or you could make efforts to rehouse them (or as many of them as can reasonably be afforded) - but hey no, that would be trying to do something. 

it is always tempting to let the frustrations of the process retain our attention (because it's really quite frustrating) but it's futile. 

a farewell to kings by rush was recorded in wales (well ok rockfield, monmouthshire) and released yesterday 1977. (it owes a lot to budgie horsemouth thinks)

'scheming demons rest in kingly guise,

scoffing at the multitude.

and beating down the wise...'

there are birds to be heard on it (mostly on the fake baroque guitar intro). this is of course fiercely modern and no-one could possibly have thought of it before lockdown.  horsemouth was just having a quick look at spirit of the radio. 

after the meeting horsemouth stomped home in high dudgeon and threw a few beers down his neck (and then he calmed down). 

horsemouth hopes he's got the administrations in and the tap will be turned on. 

'ieets voor allen' (something for everyone)

 'a condition of complete simplicity (costing not less than everything)' 

- t.s. eliot much gidding from four quartets (repunctuated in a hosremouth stylee).

everyone and everything and anything that changes  - there, that about covers it. 

horsemouth supposes this habit of his (of placing subordinate clauses in brackets) derives from song titling (it's where he chorus goes, the lines from the song the prospective purchaser can actually remember). 

his choice of t.s.eliot derives from listening to a michael goldfarb podcast - goldfarb is a classic american anglophile (like eliot) but 50 years later how's it looking for him? uncharacteristically in a series for the essay on radio 3 he discusses the non-hollywood films of his time in new york ending with barbara loden's wanda. 

to avoid parting company with barbara loden too early horsemouth is compelled to mention that her life forms the basis of nathalie léger's novel supplément à la vie de barbara loden (translated into english as suite for barbara loden)- in the french wikipedia entry we discover that barbara's film wanda is based on the life of real life bank robber alma malone. there is more sympathy for this case study thinking in france - think of foucault's publication and commentary on the confession of murderer pierre riviere,  moi, pierre riviere...

alma was from kansas (the appalachian backstory was loden's). the bank robbery took place on the 23rd of september 1959. it pretty much goes down like it does in the film. alma gets a 20 year jail sentence, she thanks the judge, this is the fact that interested loden in the case, but alma thought a death sentence was possible so it makes sense. alma was in  jail for 10 years until 1970. she gets out, moves to live with her sister. but then she takes up with another  wrong'un, jumps parole, vanishes and is never heard from by her family again. 

last night horsemouth watched kansas city confidential (another bank heist movie). yesterday he walked up to the supermarket (not the one in the fields) - so about 3 miles there and back. this evening he'll walk over to the offices of the communal endeavour (so slightly over 4 miles all told), he has been a bad boy and failed to do his homework perhaps the best solution is to spread the load. 

thursday maybe he'll walk 5 miles (and so on). friday is bandcamp friday. next week the 20th anniversary of 9/11. horsemouth's administrations have so far not resolved themselves.