Richey’s 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 Pix page