Subscribe to Gonzo Weekly http://eepurl.com/r-VTD Subscribe to Gonzo Daily http://eepurl.com/OvPez Gonzo Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/287744711294595/ Gonzo Weekly on Twitter https://twitter.com/gonzoweekly Gonzo Multimedia (UK) http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/ Gonzo Multimedia (USA) http://www.gonzomultimedia.com/ Gonzo Daily Blog https://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/ LEST WE FORGET John Brodie Good Dave McMann Mick Farren 3 sort of parish magazine to an ever growing subset of society, must (if we are doing our job properly) comment upon what we see around us. This last month has been extraordinary, both on the local, national and world stages. And it has presented me, as a journalist, with a whole string of completely unfamiliar challenges. The biggest of these is that I am dictating this to Olivia on the 17th of March, and none of you will be reading this until the end of next week. And so much has happened in the past 24 hours, that I truly cannot predict what the situation – locally, nationally or globally – will be by the time this magazine is in your figurative digital ‘hands’. Dear friends, Ever since I was on the cusp of my teens, I have read science fiction books set in a Welcome to another issue of this dystopian future, often one where the increasingly peculiar magazine. For years, normal mechanisms of society have broken I have been saying how we are living in down for whatever reason, and there is interesting times, and how – as far as I see nothing in the shops. Well, I sincerely hope it – one of the most important jobs of a that we are nowhere near that stage when journalist in times like these is to report on we get to the beginning of April, in the what they see going on around them. If art Year of Our Lord 2020, but a fortnight ago is a window on the universe, then we, as a (from when you’re reading this), when I 4 “Coronavirus casts a light on every single part of our society. We will see the best of humanity, and the worst of Capitalism.” Kevin Ovenden was dictating this, friends of mine have acts of kindness and generosity from been emailing me horror stories of people of all colours, faiths, and shortages of supplies, empty shelves, and backgrounds. I was particularly touched by general panic buying. a story on Twitter, where a fourteen year old girl, whose birthday it was yesterday, Alan sent me a quote from British political asked everybody to give her the presents of activist Kevin Ovenden: an ‘act of kindness’ to somebody else. In other words, instead of spending money on “Coronavirus casts a light on every single things for her, to go out and to help part of our society. We will see the best of somebody less fortunate than themselves. humanity, and the worst of Capitalism.” Graham went out into Bideford this morning, and tells me that the supermarkets Alan went on to say that he heard from a are not quite the post-apocalyptic battle friend of his that there was fighting this ground that has been described to me from morning in the supermarket about biscuits other parts of the country, but that there are and face wipes! As well as these accounts significant gaps on the shelves and that of selfishness and greed that have been panic buying is still the norm, rather than winging their way towards me across the the exception. aether, I am gratified and encouraged by the way that so many people appear to be I don’t know how true it is, but there is the rising to the occasion and acting in an story doing the rounds that the global admirably selfless, and what my late father situation whereby rolls of toilet paper are would have called a ‘Christian’ manner. rushing off the shelves like rats fleeing a But, of course, such altruism is not sinking ship, was actually caused by a hoax confined to people with one particular on Instagram, where somebody claimed belief system. I have heard stories about that 98% of the world’s toilet paper is 5 manufactured in China and that, because of This, rather neatly, brings us on to the other the shutdowns caused by coronavirus subject which I wanted to cover in this across the People’s Republic of China, a editorial. terrifying shortage was imminent. This was, of course, nonsense, but the panic has Many years ago, I had a contract with a allegedly spread across the face of the small, one man, publishing company in the globe. east of England. It didn’t go well, and – truthfully – I always thought my publisher It doesn’t actually matter if this is true or was a bit of a dick. One of his eccentricities not, but it is a chillingly believable concerned his son’s taste in music. His anecdote for these disturbing times. teenage son (and remember, this was over twenty years ago) was very much into My personal take on the matter is that this classic rock music of the 60s and 70s. is the social event for which years of Amongst other artists, he had recently reading dystopian science fiction novels discovered the music of Jimi Hendrix. His has prepared us. And that, whatever father, however, had seen some happens, nothing is going to be the same documentary or other in which Noel again. Whether this is a good thing, or a Redding, the bass player of the Jimi bad thing, or just a thing, remains to be Hendrix Experience, complained that he seen. I think that good things will come out did not get the royalties that he felt he was of this, and bad things will come out of due from the Hendrix estate. My publisher this, and that we will have to wait and see was so incensed by this that he wouldn’t let exactly what is happening, and although it his son listen to Jimi Hendrix ever again. is my duty as a journalist to comment on the stories which I am told, it is not my And I thought this was absolutely fucking duty to spread either doom and gloom, ridiculous! panic, or false hopes. 6 “We have a limited time y’no, fill it with fun and adventure. And expect to occasionally be shocked and surprised. And I think when in doubt, make no sense. No sense is good. And nonsense is good.” Genesis P-Orridge Now, more recently, we have similar all the charges against him a few years ago, situations, but on a far larger scale. If an because I have always been very fond of artist expresses certain views or opinions, him and his music, and I am glad that I is it still allowable to listen to his music? don’t have any moral pressure upon me not The most high profile of these artists is, of to listen to it anymore. course, Morrissey. Despite the fact that, when he was the lead singer of The Shakespeare wrote of Julius Caesar, Smiths, his political stance was attributing the lines to Mark Anthony: “The unimpeachable, recently he has expressed evil that men do lives after them, the good support for a minor political party on the is oft interred with their bones.” But of right wing of the spectrum, and has pissed course, in these more enlightened days, the off a lot of his former fans in doing so. He absolute opposite is the case. How often has a new album out on Friday, and many have you heard the words, “don’t speak ill people across the globe are going to be of the dead” or something of that ilk? And facing a moral dilemma as to whether it is so, quite often, when someone dies, their appropriate to listen to it or not. obituaries do a thorough whitewashing job, and deliberately do not mention the more A similar thing happened recently to fans egregious elements of the personality of the of Michael Jackson, after the broadcast of deceased. But as I have said above, the Leaving Neverland, a 2019 documentary primary job of the journalist is to tell the directed and produced by the British truth, which is why I have been a little filmmaker Dan Reed. It focuses on two shocked by the behaviour of many well men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, known journalist types this week. who allege they were sexually abused as children by the singer. There was A few days ago, a bloke called Neil immediately a backlash, with many fans Megson shuffled off this mortal coil (an saying that they will never listen to his intention pun there, folks). Megson was music again. This doesn’t affect me, not better known to us all as Genesis P- because I am blasé about child abuse, but Orridge, the founder of COUM apart from a few of his early records with Transmissions, Throbbing Gristle, and the Jackson 5, I always disliked his music Psychic TV. Although I had known for intensely. However, in the same vein, I am over two years that he had terminal very glad that Roy Harper was acquitted of 7 leukaemia, it was still a shock when he memoirs of his erstwhile partner in died, and I put this following quote from Throbbing Gristle, Cosey Fanni Tutti, a him on the CFZ and Gonzo blogs: few years back, I was utterly appalled at her description of the way that he abused “We have a limited time y’no, fill it with her throughout their relationship, both fun and adventure.