Richeys Manifesto from December
1992
Merry Xmas from Mr Edwards...
MYTH OF SISYPHUS THE GODS THOUGHT THERE IS NO MORE DREADFUL PUNISHMENT
THAN FUTILE AND HOPELESS LABOUR. GROW UP, GET FUCKED, WITHER. NO ONE
IN THIS COUNTRY KNOW HUNGER, TRUE HUNGER LIKE SOMALIA. EVERYONE HAS
CLOTHES, FOOD, A DRINK. EVERYONE IS LAST, PATHETIC WRETCHED. THE ONLY
FREEDOM LEFT IS THE FREEDOM TO STARVE. FILL YOUR HOME WITH ANYTHING
YOU LIKE BUT YOU CAN'T INVENT ANOTHER COLOUR. POSTCARDS ARE JUST SOUVENIRS
OF PLACES WE HATE. REMEMBER ALL MEN ARE BIOLOGICALLY BORN SCUM. 19TH
CENTURY DOCTOR ISAAC BAKER BROWN ADVOCATED CLITORECTOMY FOR 'FEMININE
WEAKNESS.' BRIDGET BARDOT SAYS "IT IS HARD TO BE HAPPY" AND
THAT IS THE TRUTH FOR SURE. LIFE IS MEANINGLESS. TOM JUST WANTS TO EAT
JERRY. THERE IS NO TRUE LOVE, JUST A FINE TUNED JEALOUSY. AN OCEAN OF
COLOUR DROWNING IN A LAND OF WHITE WASH. EVERYONE OWNS TOO MUCH TO DO
ANYTHING. WE SIT IN STRAIGHT LINES, DO WHAT WE ARE TOLD, LIKE SEATS
ON LOCKERBIE, DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC. "THESE ARE THE ACCUSED
MEN. ALL OF THEM ARE ACCUSED OF GUILT." SAID KAFKA. LIES. HYPOCRISY.
ROCK N ROLL. AN ENDLESS QUESTION WHICH ENDS NO. WE ALL REMEMBER PAIN.
WE ALL FORGET PLEASURE. SOCIALISM IS SHORT FOR SELL OUT. ADMIT NOTHING.
BLAME EVERYONE. BE BITTER. BUY ME I'LL CHANGE YOUR LIFE. CULTURE IS
A CHEQUEBOOK. WE ARE ALL BOURGEOIS NOW. ALL ACTION IS FORCED. ALL REBELLION
IS FAKE. CARRION PETRIFIED STONE. LATE SHOW, PINTER, AMIS, MCEWAN, DISKI
ALL ARE STYLISED INTELLECT. SCARED ON EASTON ELLIS AND BATEMAN.
THE REAL WORLD. THEY LIVE IN A WORLD OF CAFFEINE AND COCAINE AND STUPID
PARTIES IN LONDON SONY RECORDS HAVE BOUGHT US SUPPOSEDLY BECAUSE THEY
UNDERSTAND OUR 'ART' BUT NOT ONE OF THEIR EMPLOYEES IN SOHO SQUARE ON
£20,000 A YEAR COULD TELL YOU WHAT THE FIRST TRACK ON THE LP IS.
NO ONE GIVES A FUCK ABOUT ANYTHING APART FROM THEIR OWN SELFISH LIFE.
WE ARE JUDGED ON MUSICAL ABILITY NOT WHAT WE SAY. YOU ARE JUDGED ON
YOUR QUALIFICATION NOT YOUR KNOWLEDGE OR INTELLIGENCE. THE CIGARETTE
INDUSTRY IS DYING IN THE WEST. THEY KNOW THAT THEY SELL DEATH. BUT THEY
TRY AND INCREASE THEIR SALES IN ASIA. THEY MUST FIND NEW WAYS TO SELL
MORE PILLS INTO STORES BEFORE THE BAN. 20TH CENTURY WE BUILT BUCHENWALD
BURNT HIROSHIMA. GIVE US ALL PILLS, COVER US IN NUMBNESS, TOSS
OUR BODIES ON THE RUBBISH DUMP, A DICTIONARY MEANS NOTHING UNLESS YOU
LISTEN TO WORDS. RICHEY, DECEMBER 1992.
Richey Manifesto No. 3 - May 1992, Touring Abroad
Letter from abroad
EUROPE WAS LIKE THE TV BUT DON'T BLAME US COS WE NEVER BUILT THE RUINS.
REAL LIBERAL ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY BUT MOST PLACES BANNED ARACDES AND FRUIT
MACHINES. MORE PETTYN MORALS. EVERYONE COMPLAINS THAT THE NEW FRENCH
DISNEYLAND WAS MORE AMERICAN CULTURAL IMPERIALISM. THE FRANKFURTER AND
HAMBURGER HARDLY SOUND ALL AMERICAN YOU KNOW? DIETRICH, GARBDO, FRITZ
LANG COLONISED THE IMAGINATION OF THE US AND AMERICA SOLD IT BACK IN
TECHNICOLOUR. BIG DEAL...ARRIVED IN AMERICA AS IT FACED ITS WORST EVER
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE. WAS MORE OF A STRAIN. NOT A BRAIN CELL ON THE WHOLE
STREET. LOS ANGELES TURNED FROM RIOT TO LOOTING TO RACISM AND PREJUDICE.
THERE'S NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SELECTED AND DESTROYED KOREAN BUSINESSES
1992, AND BURNT OUT JEWISH BUSINESSES 1933. NME CAME OVER
BUT NONE OF US BOTHERED HAVING PICTURES TAKEN IN 'THE RIOT ZONE'
WENT TO DISNEYLAND INSTEAD WHERE LIFE WENT ON AS NORMAL. MICKEY MOUSE
IS AS AMERICAN AS RIOTS, POVERTY AND INEQUALITY. STARTED PLAYING 'CALIFORNIA
UBER ALLES' IN MIDDLE SECTION OF 'REPEAT' AND, BY THE WAY. BON JOVI,
SOME CHILLI PEPPERS AND SOME GUNS N ROSES CAME TO SEE US PLAY. BEST
QUOTE OF THE TOUR FROM ELVIS "I GUESS THERE NEVER IS ANY REALLY
GOOD TIMES." THE AMERICAN DREAM LOOKS SAD ON EVERYONE'S FACE. AMERICA'S
CONSTITUTION COULD HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST DEAL SINCE THE MAGNA CARTA
AND IT IS EXPOSED AS A LIE BEFORE OUR EYES. JAPAN IS THE BIGGEST CULTURE
SHOCK JUST BECAUSE IT'S ORGANISED. FINALLY GET A CHANCE TO READ SOME
OSAMU DASAI "ALTHOUGH I HAD A MORTAL DREAD OF HUMAN BEINGS
I SEEMED QUITE UNABLE TO RENOUNCE THEIR SOCIETY. I MANAGED TO MAINTAIN
ON THE SURFACE A SMILE WHICH NEVER DESERTED MY LIPS, THIS WAS THE ACCOMODATION
I OFFERED TO OTHERS, A MOST PRECARIOUS ACHIEVEMENT PERFORMED BY ME ONLY
AT THE EXCRUCIATING EFFORTS WITHIN. AS A CHILD I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO NOTION
OF WHAT OTHERS, EVEN MEMBERS OF MY OWN FAMILY, MIGHT BE SUFFERING OR
WHAT THEY WERE THINKING. I WAS AWARE ONLY OF MY OWN UNSPEAKABLE FEARS
AND EMBARASSMENTS. BEFORE ANYONE REALISED IT, I HAD BECOME AN ACCOMPLISHED
CLOWN, A CHILD WHO NEVER SPOKE A SINGLE TRUTHFUL WORD." BECAUSE
WE'RE PLAYING THE SAME VENUE THREE NIGHTS RUNNING WE GET A CHANCE TO
PRACTICE SOME NEW SONGS IN SOUNDCHECK 'DRUG DRUG DRUGGY', 'ROSES IN
THE HOSPITAL' AND 'ALIEN ORDERS : INVISIBLE ARMIES' ARE CLOSE TO BEING
FINISHED. AFTER MASSIVE PROBLEMS WITH THE RECORD COMPANY WE FINALLY
GET TO SHOOT THE VIDEO FOR MOTORCYCLE EMPTINESS IN TOKYO. GET PHOTOGRAPHED
BY ONE OF MISHIMA'S PHOTOGRAPHERS AND GO TO THE SEGA PARK AND SO ON.
BACK TO OUR SAFE EUROPEAN HOME. RICHEY, MAY 1992.
Richey Manifesto No. 4 - Richey really loves The Levellers
SOME THOUGHT ON CRUSTIES WITH CREDIT CARDS
RECESSION ALWAYS WORKS
TO RULING CLASS ADVANTAGE. THERE IS NO GENERATION GAP, JUST THOSE IN
AND OUT OF SOCIETY. THE MORONIC LABOUR PARTY STILL CANNOT UNDERSTAND
THIS. THEIR DINOSAUR IDEOLOGY BELIEVED THAT THEY COULD CAPTURE WORKING
CLASS VOTES WITH HIGH TAXATION (0VER £25,000), NOT REALISING THAT
THE WORKING CLASS JUDGE THEIR INTERESTS NOT FROM WHERE THEY ARE (DOLE
/ SQUAT / SCHOOL) BUT WHERE THEY WISH THEY COULD BE (BMW / HAMPSTEAD
/ MALIBU). SECOND ONLY IN IDEOLOGICAL STUPIDITY TO THE LABOUR PARTY
IS THE PRE-INDUSTRIALISED POLITICS OF THE LEVELLERS. CHILD-LIKE. HEH
JEREMY IF ALL MEN ARE EQUAL THEN WHY SHOULD THE STATE SUPPORT
THE LIFESTYLE OF THE HAPPY HITCHERS. HOW D'YA JUSTIFY THAT? OH, IT'S
ANARCHY. SOME KIND OF ANARCHY! RIGHT NOW YOU ARE NORTHERM TEXTMILL OWNERS
FOR YOUR T-SHIRT EMPIRE. SOON YOU'LL BE FRANCHISE COAL OWNERS FOR YOUR
CAMP FIRES. COTTAGE INDUSTRY CAPITALISM. BACK TO NATURE AND ANGLO-SAXON
MORALS (WITH 100K PA, CATERING STAFF AND ROADIES) BUT YOU'RE INDIVIDUALISTS
NOT SOCIALISTS. BEG YOUR PARDON. THAT SOUNDS MORE LIKE TERRY WAITE'S
DESERT ISLAND DISCS CHRISTIAN HUMANITY, THAN 20TH CENTURY REALPOLITIK.
AND IN CASE YOU THINK NO ONE ELSE HAS READ YOUR HEROES FOR EVERY
LILBURNE WE GOT THATCHER FOR EVERY WALWYN WE GOT HENRY FORD, FOR EVERY
OVERTON WE GOT KINNICK, FOR EVERY WILDMAN WE GOT CHURCHILL. CRUSTIES
WITH A CREDIT CARD. ME, I'M GONNA GO AND WASH, GET CLEAN AND PLAY A
CD CRIME? WHY DON'T YOU STAY PURE TO YOUR PRINCIPLES AND ONLY RECORD
IN MONO YOU LUDDITE THATCHER CHILDREN. I ALSO HATE POTATO WINE AND I
LOVE MY SEGA MEGADRIVE. REALITY. YOU ARE BRITAIN'S CULTURAL CHERNOBYL.
RICHEY, JULY 1992.
These taken from early fans mailouts and reprinted on
http://www.myspace.com/counterlanguage
Pix from R*E*P*E*A*T's MSP
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