Last New Year at CB's - 2005

champagne
Originally uploaded by Deprogramming Hour.

Here are a hand full of pictures from my last New Year's Eve.

I miss working at CB's. It was a sweet gig.

Strange Walls

This is a clip from a performance by Strange Walls at Otto's Shrunken Head in Fall '05.

They play frequently in Brooklyn and Manhattan and can be found on MySpace.

I would describe their sound and mood as expiermental goth.

Enjoy the clip.

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Speak you mind without saying a word. 

Do it yourself instructions on how to make a custom t-shirt.

 

A Wish Before Descent

This is a music video that I made for a song my boyfriend wrote when he was in the band Messiah Inc. back in Canada.

Thanks to Jackie, Gabriel, and George who appear in it.

Chris Ryan

Lower East Side punks may know Chris Ryan through his underground band Team Spider, headed by 80-year-old poet Zack. Or they may know him as the guy with the camera who organizes shows in Tompkins Square Park. Some know him as the Viking Lost in the Bronx from his independent film collaborative “Warriors: The Bike Race.” He is also the television producer of “Team Spider Television” on Manhattan Neighborhood Network.

Ryan took a moment out of his nonstop work schedule to sit and talk with me about two documentaries he worked on concerning the arrests at Critical Mass --a collective bike ride which gathers at Union Square Park on the last Friday of every month-- since the Republican National Convention (RNC) came to New York city in 2004.

His first documentary of the series to come out was, “Still We Ride,” a collaboration finished last year and shown at the Bicycle Film Festival at the Film Archives, and Fuck the System movie night at CB’s 313 Gallery. Ryan is reworking the second documentary “Criminal Mass” and would like to hold a double feature showing of the two when he is done. They are both currently available for sale through his website teamspider.com.

Your Show Team Spider is mostly bands, but you also do a lot on critical mass and the protests. What’s your goal with the show?

The little catch phrase we came up with is punk rock, poetry, and politics. So if it fits that parameter, then I feel it’s worthy of inclusion. Any one of those could make a show, but the three of them combined makes a stew.

When did you start doing shows on critical mass? Was it after the RNC?

No, we’ve been shooting on critical mass rides for years prior to that. It used to be a lot of fun. It was crazy. It was wild. Believe me we did things that you probably should be arrested for. Now it’s so angelic and coached by lawyers. We used to take over entire tunnels with bicycles.

What you shot for the show turned into two documentaries. How did that come about? Was it because you got arrested?

I was always shooting critical mass rides and it was always fun. I was bringing critical mass to the screens on TV. But the RNC 2004, that’s when they really started the persecution and I was arrested on that ride and handcuffed. I managed to get some video from my handcuffed hands and they kept arresting and kept harassing and I kept getting arrested. And I kept filming it.

How many times did you get arrested?

I got officially run through the system twice, but there were a couple of other times where I got handcuffed and they let me go. And one time I snuck my camera into the paddy wagon and did interviews there.

I went to the Lost film festival which was this traveling film festival, which I had a bunch of films in, and some people had like a four minute or five minute maybe six, short film. And it had interviews with people outside the Guantanamo on the Hudson facility pier 57. And I was like, “Oh Wow,” because I couldn’t even see what was going on. I said, “I have to meet these people.” So I asked the film festival director who they were and he pointed them out. I said “hi,” really quick when I was walking out the door. My initial thing was, “Yeah, we should trade footage.

Now you are working on a Second Documentary on the same subject.

Still We Ride is very much the political end and documentary. Criminal Mass was more my personal story. I’m the thread that carries it. What’s it like? With all these images of people in handcuffs. What’s it mean? You spend the next year and a half of your life to prove you’re innocent.

Out of all of your projects which is your main love?

That’s tough (pauses to think).
I mean, I really enjoy playing music live and I really enjoy shooting live. You know, filming. So sadly those seem to be the small percentage of the time it takes to finish anything. You can play a song in three minutes and it’s over and it’s great. You get instant gratification sharing with an audience. You record that song and you can spend weeks on it or hours on the snare sound. And that can be crazy but that lasts forever. The same with film. I love to shoot but I hate to edit. I hate to go through. I can make all this stuff but it’s hard to prioritize what projects are more important now. Sometimes I’m a media news person. Sometimes I reflect a year and a half later what really did that event mean. That’s my problem. If I really enjoyed one more than the other, maybe I’d drop one of them and be more successful at it.

Paper Magazine shoot with The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black

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This is a little video I made last summer when I helped out on a Paper Magazine shoot for The Voluptuous Horror of Karen Black. My friend Jackie dances with the band sometimes, and invited me to come along. I recorded about 8 mins of video while I was there and edited it into this piece.

I met Alice --the cute girl in yellow-- again this past Halloween. She had never gotton a chance to see the video before, so I'm re-posting it here for her.

Enjoy! 

Do You Know Anything?

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Here is a clip from the second installment of Do You Know Anything? back when it was still a part of Missing Kitten TV. It aired right after the 2004 presidential elections, on Manhattan Neighborhood Network. I just finished re-editing it, and decided I should share a piece with you.

Our contestants for the game were:

Irma Giddins Cummings - Billionaire for Bush

Dolly Daily Bombings - Missle Dick Chick

and Ivan Lennon - Communist for Kerry 

 

I invite you to play along. Just try to keep up. 

 

http://www.missiledickchicks.net

http://billionairesforbush.com

http://communistsforkerry.com 

Circus Amok

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Here is a clip from the Circus Amok show in Battery Park last Sept.

Circus Amok is a political theater troupe that travels around New York city parks performing for free. Each year they take on a different social issue and design a circus show around it. Last year the topic was eminent domain and this year it was immigration. The group was formed in 1989, but started performing in public spaces in 1994. Their show includes juggling acts, acrobatics, colorful costumes, and puppets.

Check out their website at circusamok.org to see when and where they are playing next.  

You Too Can Get e-mails From Michael Moore

The following letter was written by Michael Moore and sent to me via e-mail subscribtion to his website. I love the way he writes, it's clever and clear. His website is definitely worth checking out.www.MichaelMoore.com
This letter got my attention in the very first line about being in Iraq longer than WWII.

Cut and Run, the Only Brave Thing to Do

Sunday, November 26th, 2006

Friends,

Tomorrow marks the day that we will have been in Iraq longer than we were in all of World War II.

That's right. We were able to defeat all of Nazi Germany, Mussolini, and the entire Japanese empire in LESS time than it's taken the world's only superpower to secure the road from the airport to downtown Baghdad.

And we haven't even done THAT. After 1,347 days, in the same time it took us to took us to sweep across North Africa, storm the beaches of Italy, conquer the South Pacific, and liberate all of Western Europe, we cannot, after over 3 and 1/2 years, even take over a single highway and protect ourselves from a homemade device of two tin cans placed in a pothole. No wonder the cab fare from the airport into Baghdad is now running around $35,000 for the 25-minute ride. And that doesn't even include a friggin' helmet.

Is this utter failure the fault of our troops? Hardly. That's because no amount of troops or choppers or democracy shot out of the barrel of a gun is ever going to "win" the war in Iraq. It is a lost war, lost because it never had a right to be won, lost because it was started by men who have never been to war, men who hide behind others sent to fight and die.

Let's listen to what the Iraqi people are saying, according to a recent poll conducted by the University of Maryland:

** 71% of all Iraqis now want the U.S. out of Iraq.

** 61% of all Iraqis SUPPORT insurgent attacks on U.S. troops.

Yes, the vast majority of Iraqi citizens believe that our soldiers should be killed and maimed! So what the hell are we still doing there? Talk about not getting the hint.

There are many ways to liberate a country. Usually the residents of that country rise up and liberate themselves. That's how we did it. You can also do it through nonviolent, mass civil disobedience. That's how India did it. You can get the world to boycott a regime until they are so ostracized they capitulate. That's how South Africa did it. Or you can just wait them out and, sooner or later, the king's legions simply leave (sometimes just because they're too cold). That's how Canada did it.

The one way that DOESN'T work is to invade a country and tell the people, "We are here to liberate you!" -- when they have done NOTHING to liberate themselves. Where were all the suicide bombers when Saddam was oppressing them? Where were the insurgents planting bombs along the roadside as the evildoer Saddam's convoy passed them by? I guess ol' Saddam was a cruel despot -- but not cruel enough for thousands to risk their necks. "Oh no, Mike, they couldn't do that! Saddam would have had them killed!" Really? You don't think King George had any of the colonial insurgents killed? You don't think Patrick Henry or Tom Paine were afraid? That didn't stop them. When tens of thousands aren't willing to shed their own blood to remove a dictator, that should be the first clue that they aren't going to be willing participants when you decide you're going to do the liberating for them.

A country can HELP another people overthrow a tyrant (that's what the French did for us in our revolution), but after you help them, you leave. Immediately. The French didn't stay and tell us how to set up our government. They didn't say, "we're not leaving because we want your natural resources." They left us to our own devices and it took us six years before we had an election. And then we had a bloody civil war. That's what happens, and history is full of these examples. The French didn't say, "Oh, we better stay in America, otherwise they're going to kill each other over that slavery issue!"

The only way a war of liberation has a chance of succeeding is if the oppressed people being liberated have their own citizens behind them -- and a group of Washingtons, Jeffersons, Franklins, Ghandis and Mandellas leading them. Where are these beacons of liberty in Iraq? This is a joke and it's been a joke since the beginning. Yes, the joke's been on us, but with 655,000 Iraqis now dead as a result of our invasion (source: Johns Hopkins University), I guess the cruel joke is on them. At least they've been liberated, permanently.

So I don't want to hear another word about sending more troops (wake up, America, John McCain is bonkers), or "redeploying" them, or waiting four months to begin the "phase-out." There is only one solution and it is this: Leave. Now. Start tonight. Get out of there as fast as we can. As much as people of good heart and conscience don't want to believe this, as much as it kills us to accept defeat, there is nothing we can do to undo the damage we have done. What's happened has happened. If you were to drive drunk down the road and you killed a child, there would be nothing you could do to bring that child back to life. If you invade and destroy a country, plunging it into a civil war, there isn't much you can do 'til the smoke settles and blood is mopped up. Then maybe you can atone for the atrocity you have committed and help the living come back to a better life.

The Soviet Union got out of Afghanistan in 36 weeks. They did so and suffered hardly any losses as they left. They realized the mistake they had made and removed their troops. A civil war ensued. The bad guys won. Later, we overthrew the bad guys and everybody lived happily ever after. See! It all works out in the end!

The responsibility to end this war now falls upon the Democrats. Congress controls the purse strings and the Constitution says only Congress can declare war. Mr. Reid and Ms. Pelosi now hold the power to put an end to this madness. Failure to do so will bring the wrath of the voters. We aren't kidding around, Democrats, and if you don't believe us, just go ahead and continue this war another month. We will fight you harder than we did the Republicans. The opening page of my website has a photo of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, each made up by a collage of photos of the American soldiers who have died in Bush's War. But it is now about to become the Bush/Democratic Party War unless swift action is taken.

This is what we demand:

1. Bring the troops home now. Not six months from now. NOW. Quit looking for a way to win. We can't win. We've lost. Sometimes you lose. This is one of those times. Be brave and admit it.

2. Apologize to our soldiers and make amends. Tell them we are sorry they were used to fight a war that had NOTHING to do with our national security. We must commit to taking care of them so that they suffer as little as possible. The mentally and physically maimed must get the best care and significant financial compensation. The families of the deceased deserve the biggest apology and they must be taken care of for the rest of their lives.

3. We must atone for the atrocity we have perpetuated on the people of Iraq. There are few evils worse than waging a war based on a lie, invading another country because you want what they have buried under the ground. Now many more will die. Their blood is on our hands, regardless for whom we voted. If you pay taxes, you have contributed to the three billion dollars a week now being spent to drive Iraq into the hellhole it's become. When the civil war is over, we will have to help rebuild Iraq. We can receive no redemption until we have atoned.

In closing, there is one final thing I know. We Americans are better than what has been done in our name. A majority of us were upset and angry after 9/11 and we lost our minds. We didn't think straight and we never looked at a map. Because we are kept stupid through our pathetic education system and our lazy media, we knew nothing of history. We didn't know that WE were the ones funding and arming Saddam for many years, including those when he massacred the Kurds. He was our guy. We didn't know what a Sunni or a Shiite was, never even heard the words. Eighty percent of our young adults (according to National Geographic) were not able to find Iraq on the map. Our leaders played off our stupidity, manipulated us with lies, and scared us to death.

But at our core we are a good people. We may be slow learners, but that "Mission Accomplished" banner struck us as odd, and soon we began to ask some questions. Then we began to get smart. By this past November 7th, we got mad and tried to right our wrongs. The majority now know the truth. The majority now feel a deep sadness and guilt and a hope that somehow we can make make it all right again.

Unfortunately, we can't. So we will accept the consequences of our actions and do our best to be there should the Iraqi people ever dare to seek our help in the future. We ask for their forgiveness.

We demand the Democrats listen to us and get out of Iraq now.

Yours,

Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

UFPJ protest outside the UN 9-19-06

Jail Bush
Originally uploaded by Deprogramming Hour.

These photos are from the United for Peace and Justice protest outside of the UN on September 19, 2006.Click on the photo to see more pics on flickr.

Clown Theatre Festival

Sara Valentine
Originally uploaded by Deprogramming Hour.

On September 1st, clowns took over Union Square Park, took a train ride to Lorimer and then marched down Bedford Ave in BK to open the Clown Theatre Festival. Click on the picture above, of the lovely Sara Valentine, to see more photos.

Jackie Beat

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Jackie is a poet at heart. Check out this clip of some new verses of her suicidal poetry accompanied by a jazz band.

stem cell warewolf

stem cell warewolf
Originally uploaded by Deprogramming Hour.

Happy Halloween!

Thanks to everyone who made it to my party. I'm glad you all had a good time.

I posted a few photos on flickr. Just click on the werewolf above to check them out.

Much Love,
Katharine

Locksley

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Deprogramming Hour was graced by a special performance with Locksley last week. Check out this clip from the show that will be airing Friday the 21st at 11:30 on Manhattan cable access. If you are bummed because you're not in Manhattan, don't despair because you can still catch it on mnn.org

They rock! 60s garage rock sounds so now! 

Extra Action Marching Band

cheergirlhornplayer
Originally uploaded by Deprogramming Hour.

The Extra Action Marching Band did a surprise show at CBGB Gallery last Wednesday. This kick ass band from CA put on a great show. The whole joint was jumping. Sorry you missed it. Better check out the pics.

A Day Without Immigrants

A Day Without Immigrants

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May 1, 2006

Union Square Park 

At least 100,000 immigrants and their supporters turned out May Day this year to protest HR 4437, a bill which would turn undocumented workers and anyone who aids them into felons.

 

 

Don't Forget Slavery

Don't Forget Slavery, originally uploaded by Deprogramming Hour.

This is creative activism in action. I didn't even notice these stickers until I saw someone else take a picture first. I like this style, under the radar and subtle yet powerful and it reaches many people. They were all over my subway car on the A train. Have you seen any?

There were a few different messages. You can check out the rest of on flickr.com
Just click on the pic and it will take you there.

Panic Channel

click here to see video

Basicly Jane's Addiction minus Perry Farrell.

This perfomance was at Avalon in NYC.

I'm not happy with the new singer, but this song is good. Enjoy.

What You Need To Believe To Be A Republican

Got this from my friend Mack's bulletin on My Space -Thanks.


Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary Clinton.

Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's Daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him, and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is Communist, but trade with China is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our highest national priority is enforcing U.N. resolutions against Iraq.

A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all mankind without regulation.

The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in speeches, while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies, then demand their cooperation and money.

Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy, but providing healthcare to all Americans is socialism.

HMOs and insurance companies have the best interests of the public at heart.

Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but creationism should be taught in schools.

A president lying about an extramarital affair is a impeachable offense, but a president lying to enlist support for a war in which thousands die is solid defense policy.

Government should limit itself to the powers named in the Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the Internet.

The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers for your recovery.

Supporting "Executive Privilege" for every Republican ever born, who will be born or who might be born (in perpetuity.)

What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest, but what Bush did in the '80s is irrelevant.

Support for hunters who shoot their friends and blame them for wearing orange vests similar to those worn by the quail.

Rich kids with trust funds are responsible, patriotic Americans, but poor kids on food stamps are parasites on the dole.

A drunk who drove two businesses in the ground can be President without
driving the country into the ground.

The most incompetent administration in American history can't really hurt the country, because God will fix everything.

If someone tells the New York Times that Bush is spying on Americans without court approval, he's an unpatriotic leaker. But if Bush leaks selected classified information in order to mislead Americans, he's a patriotic information disseminator.

When a Democrat gets indicted it's because he's corrupt, but when a Republican gets indicted it's the criminalization of Christianity.

Two oilmen really want the country to use less oil.

Feel free to pass this on. If you don't send it to at least 10 other people, we're likely to be stuck with more Republicans in '06 and '08.

Friends don't let friends vote Republican

6-6-06 Rise of a New King

6-6-06 Rise of a New King

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The Rise of a New King Death Metal showcase was shot on 6-6-06 in the Bronx and organized by Means4War Records.

The full 28 min episode will air this Friday at 11:30pm on Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Time Warner channel 56.

Or you can watch on www.mnn.org 

It features 6 bands: Silent Screams, Sultan, Exhalted, March to Victory, Brain Dead, and Demized.

for more information on upcoming Death Metal shows in NYC, contact M4WRecords@gmail.com 

Most of the bands can be found on myspace.com 

Enjoy this clip of Demized. 

 

 

Disgraceland Family Freakshow

Disgraceland Family Freakshow

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Here is a sample from the Disgraceland Family Freakshow at Don Hills.

The complete 28min episode aired on MNN and will re-broadcast on BCAT this fall.

Check them out at http://www.disgracelandfamily.com/

or www.myspace.com/disgracelandfamily

Oh and... Don't Try This At Home!  

 

Do You Know Anything?

Do You Know Anything?

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The political gameshow that asks...

Do You Know Anything? 

This bit is from episode 3 in the series.

 play along and enjoy.

Intro

Intro

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Welcome to the Deprogramming Hour

Art, Politics, Music, Parties, and Sex! 

This video was originally shared on blip.tv by deprogramminghour with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license.