Waxing Poetically: Addressing Culture with a Twist of Poetry

Also featured on Art from the Outskirts

The following is an early 2000s interview between FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly and musician Marilyn Manson. The two discuss topics such as corrupting influences, artistic expression and the role an artist has in society. Please comment as I’m guessing you may want to speak your minds on this topic.

Marilyn Manson and Bill O’Reilly wax and roll!

What if someone supposed to you that all you see, hear, feel, taste, touch is a collection of interactions and your ideas about the world are formed by other ideas upon other interactions. You say, “The sky is blue.” But then you realize it is only because your eyes are set up to see a certain spectrum of light and not another. We know by way of science for instance, that a dog’s eyes cannot pick up light in the same way. So is the sky really blue, or might it just appear as blue to you? Similarly, if you’re color blind you see differently than if you were not.

Robert Anton Wilson - “Free Your Mind”

Video uploaded by YouTube member Slavestorms

Robert Anton Wilson is the coauthor, with Robert Shea, of the underground classic The Illuminatus! Trilogy , which won the 1986 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award. His other writings include Schrodinger’s Cat Trilogy, called “the most scientific of all science fiction novels,” by New Scientist, and several nonfiction works of Futurist psychology and guerilla ontology, such as Prometheus Rising and The New Inquisition. Wilson, who sees himself as a Futurist, author, and stand-up comic, regularly gives seminars at Eslan and other New Age centers. Wilson has made both a comedy record (Secrets of Power) and a punk rock record (The Chocolate Biscuit Conspiracy), and his play Wilhelm Reich in Hell was performed at the Edmund Burke Theatre in Dublin, Ireland. His novel Illuminatus! was adapted as a 10-hour science fiction rock epic and performed under the patronage of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Great Britain’s National Theatre, where Wilson appeared briefly on stage in a special cameo role. Robert Anton Wilson is also a former editor at Playboy magazine (http://www.rawilson.com/who.html).

Quantum waxing…

Normally I’m not one for telling others what to believe, So I won’t. But rather, I’ll leave you with a few pearls of wisdom I posted early on in this blog from a few guys you may have heard of in the course of your days: Jesus, the Buddha and musician Kid Rock among others. May you be blessed by them secularly, religiously, spiritually or otherwise.

Kid Rock - “Amen”

Video uploade by YouTube member BatistaBomber93
Lyrics

It’s another night in hell
Another child won’t live to tell
Can you imagine what it’s like to starve to death

And as we sit free and well
Another soldier has to yell
Tell my wife and children I love them in his last breath

C’mon now amen, amen, amen

Habitual offenders, scumbag lawyers with agendas
I’ll tell you sometimes people I don’t know what’s worse
Natural disasters or these wolves in sheep clothes pastors
Now God damn it I’m scared to send my children to church
And how can we seek salvation when our nations race relations
Got me feeling guilty of being white
But faith in human nature, our creator and our savior, I’m no saint
But I believe in what is right

C’mon now amen, amen
I said amen, amen

Stop pointing fingers and take some blame,
Pull your future away from the flame
Open up your mind and start to live
Stop short changing your neighbors
Living off hand outs and favors, and maybe
Give a little bit more than you got to give

Simplify, testify, identify, rectify
And if I get high stop being so uptight
It’s only human nature and I am not a stranger
So baby won’t you stay with me tonight

When a calls away
to break the sound
I’m faden down, I need someone
Oh to be someone
They just sinken down, and holden back
I hold the dawn and run
They don’t save a child
Oh, to save a child

It’s a matter of salvation from them patience up above,
So don’t give up so damn easy on the one you love, one you love
Somewhere you got a brother, sister, friend, grandmother, niece or nephew
Just dying to be with you
You know there’s someone out there who unconditionally, religiously, loves you
So just hold on ’cause you know it’s true
And if you can take the pain
And you can withstand anything, and one day
Stand hand in hand with the truth

I said amen, I said amen
I said amen, I said amen,

The following piece is a jumble of religious texts from the traditional Christian Gospel of Matthew, the Sayings of the Buddha in Forty-Two Sections by Kasyapa Matanga and Gobharana the Tao te Ching by Lao-tzu (Taoism) and the Hindu Ashtavakra Gita. The philosophical context of each speaker’s message is the same. These are not just a group of lines picked a random. Nothing of the messages here has been has been taken of the context of meaning, though the settings and religions of the texts do have clear differences. I wanted to give a glimpse into the fact of how similar and often interchangeable some scriptures really are. Please read and comment and as usual…keep waxing poetically! hope you enjoy this little study. Thanks!

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men….

The supreme good is like water, which nourishes all things without trying to. It is content with the low places that people disdain.

Once a man came unto me and denounced me on account of my observing the Way and practicing great loving-kindness. But I kept silent and did not answer him. The denunciation ceased. Then I asked him. ‘If you bring a present to your neighbor and he accepts it not; does the present come back to you?’ He replied, ‘It will.’ I said, ‘You denounce me now, but as I accept it not, you must take the wrong deed back on your own person. It is like echo succeeding sound, it is like shadow following object; you never escape the effect of your own evil deeds. Be therefore mindful, and cease from doing evil

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. “When [this purpose] is known, all illusions vanish. The veil falls, and you see clearly .Your sorrows are dispelled. For the [Holy Spirit] is free and lives forever. Everything else is imagination, nothing more! Because he understands this, the master [of this concept] acts like a [joyful] child.”

Wax in truth.

Listen to this song and lyrics.

James Morrison - “Man in the Mirror” (Michael Jackson cover)

Audio and picture uploaded by YouTube user lacyness

What does it mean to you?…

Being Thankful

Many people have things about themselves they wish to change. those things may be physical, as in their teeth, their body weight or their hairlines. They may be material as in a better house, car, job, nice clothing or a certain type of food. But if those same needs are magnified by extreme poverty, terrible disease and a lack of basic food, these wants become more and more trivial. There are always those who focus so much on what they don’t have that they often miss what they do have. This is what Thanks-giving is - to recognize what opportunities and blessings have already come true and to be grateful for them. In the same way, giving during the holidays, whether they be Christmas, Hanukkah or the new year are times to be thankful for what is and the hope of what can be.

Complaining Versus Being Pro-active

People might want their situations to get better by chance. They will spend hours on end praying and hoping for problems to get better on their own, but the problems don’t go away. People will lose hope, give up, or say, “My prayer didn’t work” never realizing that the change they want may be possible through their own actions. To that point, this song is a message of active participation in making change happen by looking at the “person in the mirror” for a solution rather than just wishing upon a star and hoping it’s enough to save the day.

Wax for a better world.

For the fact that America will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with friends and family, I’m taking this time to thank everyone at Today.com who makes this blog possible. You may think it’s a small thing, but this blog allows me to fulfill what I feel is a kind of calling to communicate with people of all walks of life by having civil debates and open-minded discussions about all sorts of issues. This may sound cheesy but I really feel this is part of what I’m supposed to be doing in my life now.

Thank you to all the Support team, the readers, the sponsors, and even my debate opponents. You all have a role in making this blog as well as my art blog the best it can be. I won’t forget you.

Lastly, I’d like to ask fans of this blog to vote for it by clicking the widgets to the right of the page.

Respectfully,

Mike

Yes, hip hop: the beats, the rhymes, the verses and the eloquence are moving some to new plateaus of greatness. Well, in an ideal world, that’s what poetic waxer’s like me would wish hip hop to do. Yet, the reality of mainstream, popular hip hop has lead my ears to bleed with sorrow at what the genre has become. Back in the 1980’s golden years Rakim told listeners “I used to be a stick-up kid…/But now I learned to earn ’cause I’m righteous!” But by the mid 90s Dr. Dre told of America’s t youth that “Bitches ain’t sh*t! on his 1992 song of same name. Now just a few weeks ago I heard a song called I’m in love with Money! Hip hop has undoubtedly gone a bit astray from its political and social change roots.

Hip hop has gone from this:

Eric B and Rakim Paid in Full” (1987)

[Rakim]

Thinkin of a master plan
Cuz ain’t nuthin but sweat inside my hand
So I dig into my pocket, all my money is spent
So I dig deeper but still comin up with lint
So I start my mission- leave my residence
Thinkin how could I get some dead presidents

I need money, I used to be a stick-up kid
So I think of all the devious things I did
I used to roll up, this is a hold up, ain’t nuthin’ funny
Stop smiling, be still, don’t nuthin’ move but the money
But now I learned to earn cos I’m righteous
I feel great! so maybe I might just
Search for a 9 to 5, if I strive
Then maybe I’ll stay alive
So I walk up the street whistlin this
Feelin out of place cos, man, do I miss
A pen and a paper, a stereo, a tape of
Me and Eric B, and a nice big plate of
Fish, which is my favorite dish
But without no money it’s still a wish
Cos I don’t like to dream about gettin paid
So I dig into the books of the rhymes that I made
To now test to see if I got pull
Hit the studio, cos I’m paid in full

Source:asklyrics.com

To this:

Punctuation added.

Plies “I’m in Love With Money” [Actual spelling and grammar by source] (2008)

Ay Homie, Man My Grandma Told Me Dog,
“Plies, Sit Down Sumwhere Bwoi Money Ain’t Everythang.
I Told Her “Sh** How you Kno you Ain’t Neva Had Nun!”

[Verse 3: Plies]
If U Can Count It N Ya Hands U Ain’t Got Enough.
I Want A Money Machine To Count Mines Brah.
I’m Tired Of Da Shoe Box I Wanna See Money Trucks.
U Everythang Wit Money Witout It Ya F**k!
Talk To A Broke Ni**a I Bet His Lyf Rough,
Talk To A Rich Ni**a I Bet He Cheer Ya Up.
I Don’t Need No Homeboys
I Need My Pockets Stuffed.
Cuz Im Runnin Out Of Time Ni**a Im N A Rush.
Cuz Its A F**ked Up Feeling To Ya Pockets Touch.
U Gettin A Quarter Now, U Shoot For A Bird.
U Got Ya First Stack Now Hustle For A Third.
Cuz Money Make Da World Go Round If U Ain’t Heard.
If I EVa Go To Prison Money Gone Be Da Reason.
And If Im Lyin God, Stop me From Breathin.
Im Tryin To Live Good,
Homie Im Tired Of Strugglin’
N To Be Honest Wit Ya Dog Im Tired Of Hustlin’.

[Chorus: x2]
I’m Allergic To Broke,
I’m Addicted To Stuntin‘
I’m Infatuated Wit Hoes
Nd I’m N Luv Wit Money,
Im in Love Wit Money(Money),
Im in Love Wit Money(Money),
Im in Love Wit Money(Money),
Im in Love Wit Money(Money).

metrolyrics.com

For more on these and numerous other songs just google the titles mentioned. There are many, many songs like these.

picture and audio uploaded by JSUChick06

Copyright is retained by Bridget Grey.

For more from Bridget gray and a full bio go to <a href=”http://www.bridgetgray.com./”>bridgetgray.com.

I wax my case!

This morning as I woke up I wanted to write something powerful about world events, but as with most things, anything worth doing is worth doing correctly and with care. So rather than rushing to the “wordpresses” on the research-heavy topics of the Venezuelan elections, the assumed Zimbabwean collapse, and militant Thai protests, here’s a funny gem of satire from teacher and slam poet Taylor Mali aptly titled “How to Write a political Poem” - and for any folks in the blogosphere who know spoken word political poems, this is actually pretty close to the real thing… (at least as close as Tina Fey is to the real Sarah Palin).

“How to Write a Political Poem” by Taylor Mali

Video by YouTube member baywest

Wax loudly three times! Wax loudly three times! Wax loudly three times!

From July 8, 2008 (with minor changes)

As I went through all the headlines today, I couldn’t help but notice all the emphasis on bailing out the economy (particularly in the U.S.). From reducing oil costs to curbing sub-prime mortgage lending and paying for college, it all seems so pessimistic! But before any of you readers crawl into a fetal position and start feeling sorry for yourselves, I shall attempt to put things in perspective. Below is a quick list of three ways to keep yourself sane in tough financial times.

Watch less TV: I’ve noticed how since I’ve cut back on my TV viewing that I don’t have as many opportunities to be persuaded into buying anything via commercials. As my former Marketing professor would tell you, marketers are paid to satisfy the needs wants of the public. The thing is… if you don’t have any such impulse, it must be created so that you perceive that need or want. The cool car, the cell phone that makes your breakfast, etcetera are probably not paramount to your well being. The diet soda you buy doesn’t help you lose weight either, but drinking free water does. Every commercial’s job is to make you want to buy that “thing” of the moment and watching less TV will help you avoid the urge.

Skip the gym: Sure, if you have a serious health problem you’d be well advised to seek the help of a dietitian, trainer or coach. But, if you want to stay generally fit, running on a treadmill while watching Everybody Loves Raymond for 200 bucks a month is no better for you physically than running outside for a couple of miles while rocking out to your favorite tunes (in a safe space)… or better yet, if you have no tunes, sing to yourself. I find Sinatra songs work quite well in this regard. If you live in an urban area, you probably can find a park or you can always do what I like to do and listen to fast music and just move around until you sweat! Try it, you’ll probably like it!

Socialize at home: Yes, in the age of hip hop deejays and My Super Sweet 16 episodes on MTV, always remember that hanging out with your best friends at home is very affordable, (barring no great gas expenses). Stay out of the bar and chill at Mia’s house. Hey, you can listen to all the crappy Bon Jovi songs you love and no deejay can tell you otherwise. Plus, the drinks are free!

So, I hope these tips help you in some way. But hey, Please leave comments if you want to and let me know if you disagree. Until next time, this is Mike saying… Wax be nimble, wax be quick!

Note: The following documentary contains coarse, blunt language and opinions. Discretion is advised.

Many times philosophy is thought of and pigeonholed in that part of history filled with ancient Greeks or Chinese sages. Yet, there are still those occasions when a wise mind can emerge from the seemly quirky, humorous, day-to-day ramblings of a comedy club. Below is a documentary about one man’s particular ramblings and how he may be an unsung hero of a philosophy of love and kindness in the world. The film is about 22 minutes long.

Bill Hicks - It’s Just a Ride (1994)

Part 2

Video uploaded by Youtube member rss313

*This documentary is uploaded for intellectual and educational use with a bit of entertainment mixed in there somewhere. All copyrights are retained by the current holder.

Bill Hicks waxes on (1961-1994).

Art from the Outskirts in a tag team effort with Waxing Poetically’s Friday Articles of Faith series presents a look at a critically acclaimed, Canadian comedy-drama called Little Mosque on the Prairie. Developed and written by Zarqa Nawaz, . The show deals with many issues of social acceptance, politics, race, religious debate and the many on-going battles for Muslims to be accepted as normal in largely non-Islamic cultures. It currently airs on CBC Television Canada at 8 p.m. Eastern time. (Visit the show’s webpage).

Summary from IMDb.com

The location is Mercy Saskatchewan, a small town in the Canadian prairies. A small but devout community of Muslims has settled there, headed by community leader Yasir Hamoudi, a local building contractor. He is married to Sarah, a Caucasian ex-Christian who has converted to Islam for her husband. Their adult daughter, Rayyan, is a feminist Muslim doctor. The religious leader of the Muslim community - the Imam - is Amaar Rashid, a young, Canadian-born ex-lawyer from Toronto, who came to Mercy to replace Baber Siddiqui, who was deemed too extreme by many in the Mercy Muslim community. The local diner is run by Fatima Dinssa, a Nigerian Muslim who is strict about her religion but more liberal in her cultural values. The Muslims in Mercy are co-existing with their Christian neighbors, sometimes harmoniously, sometimes not. Reverend Duncan Magee welcomes his Muslim neighbors, especially if they enhance the social and economic fabric of the community and his parish. Likewise, Mayor Ann Popowicz welcomes the Muslim population especially if they vote for her. However, local radio host, Fred Tupper, is suspect of the Muslims and their supposed terrorist ways. But he and many of the townsfolk, Muslim or Christian, are equally as suspect of someone like Amaar since he is from the big bad city of Toronto, a city which has shaped his views and which is contrary to the outlook of a town like Mercy. (More)

Little Mosque on the Prairie- Episode 1 - Season 1

With faith from the Outskirts!