Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to another issue of “citizen428’s random tidbits”!
Some days ago I’ve watched a really great documentary called Skinhead Attitude by Daniel Schweizer. I especially recommend this movie to all people who merely associate Skinheads with stupid right-wing Boneheads, and know nothing about the history of the movement which already lasts for more than 40 years.
Skinhead Attitude outlines 40 years of the skinhead movement, from its origins in Jamaica to its current manifestation in present day Britain. By following Karole, a modern skinhead girl with a traditional and anti-racist attitude, the film powerfully draws a portrait of an often maligned group. Concentrating on the left-wing rather than the usual right-wing extremists who are often so readily associated with skinheads, the film describes the transformation and radicalisation of this subculture of youth. Including interviews and music from Bad Manners, Sham 69 and The Oppressed, Skinhead Attitude is a revealing and comprehensive look at a misinterpreted and misunderstood subculture. (Link).
As Ska music is one of the cornerstones of Skinhead culture, this movie also sports a pretty cool soundtrack and has some nice live sequences of bands like Bad Manners, The Oppressed or Los Fastidios. Finally here’s some suggested reading for people who want to know more about this fascinating subculture: Wikipedia:Skinhead, Wikipedia:Ska, Wikipedia:Oi!, Wikipedia:SHARP, Wikipedia:Anti-Fascist Action, No Retreat: The Secret War Between Britain’s Anti-Fascists and the Far Right (we’ve met co-author Steve Titzey at this year’s Mondiali Anti Razzisti in Montecchio).
And now for something completely different. I really like radio dramas, so yesterday I’ve listened to the origianl broadcasat of War of the Worlds from 1938, performed by Orson Wells and & the Mercury Theatre. It’s really well done and highly entertaining, and in my opinion totally worth the 50 minute time investment. I’ve also found the complete script onlne, enjoy!
Last but not least I’d like to take a moment and talk about Google. This company surely offers a lot of great services, and since I’ve subscribed to Google Blogs, I know even more of the cool stuff those guys are currently up to. Especially when I read entries like this, “this:”http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2005/08/keyword-chefs.html and this I really think that working for Google might be pretty cool. If only there weren’t those privacy concerns, the famous incident with the Google blogger and the company’s tendency to buy most of the cool stuff at the web, which sometimes reminds me of the Borg…