The Exploited - Punk's Not Dead
It’s definitely beyond the scope of this article to fully define the “punk aesthetic” (any serious interest on your part can be pursued until your eyes bleed on these here interwebz), particularly when it comes to all the mutated forms incarnate today. But I’d like to see if I can at least present an outline…
Here… Have some cool, creepy music vids to add to the Halloween ambience, all by artists I will brazenly (and erroneously) claim for MysticPunk in the very near future. Oh…wait…
CocoRosie – Bear Hides and Buffalo / Bruce LaBruce – Otto; or, Up with Dead People:
Tool – Sober:
Aphex Twin – Let My Fish Loose:
The American Heritage Dictionary [1] defines mysticism as:
n.
1. a. Immediate consciousness of the transcendent or ultimate reality or God. b. The experience of such communion as described by mystics.
2. A belief in the existence of realities beyond perceptual or intellectual apprehension that are central to being and directly accessible by subjective experience.
3. Vague, groundless speculation.
The Wikipedia article on mysticism also provides some good information, assuming you read it with a critical eye and a tolerance for occasional changes, which can honestly be interesting in themselves.
But the title of this entry (and the subtitle of this blog) includes the word “rational.” So, how does that figure in? And does it negate definition three above…? Read the rest of this entry »
My official answer to that question is: MysticPunk is a tongue-in-cheek label describing personal works of art—works being used here in the broadest possible sense—done in an unconventional style, which attempt to “express the inexpressible.” It is a vague term, masquerading as a subgenre of speculative or fantastical fiction, regardless of medium, which explores the borderlands between science and spirituality, reason and intuition, faith and fact, as experienced and presented by those on the rational (but not to say dispassionate) fringes of society, religion and research. In this author’s opinion, there are a number of diverse rumblings, clashes and currents in the art world (modern society) heading for convergence—a host of tastes, textures, delusions and unborn revelations ripe for emergence. It is this author’s hope that with a bit of prodding, or some inappropriate fondling—maybe even some wet tearing and cracking of bone, if that suits you better—we might be fortunate enough to play midwife to this…thing.
That’s the official answer. The unofficial (and far more truthful) one is: I haven’t got a clue—I’m making this shit up as I go along… Read the rest of this entry »
No Water, No Moon
The nun Chiyono studied Zen under Bukko of Engaku, but she was unable to attain the fruits of meditation for a very long time.
Finally, one moonlit night, as she was carrying water in an old pail bound with bamboo, the bamboo broke and the bottom fell out of the pail. At that moment, Chiyono was set free.
As was customary, she wrote a poem in commemoration:
In this way and that I tried to save the old pail
Since the bamboo was weakening and about to break
Until at last the bottom fell out.
No water in the pail.
No moon in the water.
Emptiness in my hand!
From Zen Flesh, Zen Bones, a collection of Zen koans and commentaries.
