This is the thread where we namedrop Anarchists and Communists in music.

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There is a thread about the political affiliations of musicians, but I specifically want Communists and Anarchists in this thread.

Communist:
Robert Wyatt
Green Gartside (until 1980)

― Ian Riese-Moraine and the Abolition of Work (Eastern Mantra), Sunday, 13 March 2005 16:29 (twenty years ago)

Will Young

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Sunday, 13 March 2005 16:42 (twenty years ago)

Is he a Commie or does he have Kropotkin-esque leanings? Do specify.

― Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Failing that, Ian Riese-Moraine. (Eastern Man, Sunday, 13 March 2005 16:53 (twenty years ago)

Does Billy Bragg count? How about, I dunno, John Lennon? Weird thread.

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Sunday, 13 March 2005 17:57 (twenty years ago)

Anarchists:
Chumbawamba
Crass

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Sunday, 13 March 2005 17:59 (twenty years ago)

Communist:
Tom Morello

Anarchist:
Godspeed You! Black Emperor

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:00 (twenty years ago)

If they've openly declared it to the point where we can be 100% certain of it, then yes. I would have said "Marxist" but that also implies socialism and I can think of many Socialist musicians.

By the way, no cheeky John Lydon suggestions. He was a libertarian.

Chumbawamba were anarchists? Wow. I knew they were leftist but I didn't know how far (as essentially anarchism is the furthest point to the left on the political spectrum unless you subscribe to the misguided position that it's about bomb-throwing and creating chaos all over -- which some Anarchists have done and will do, but usually not to a widespread and rather reactionary extent).

― Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Failing that, Ian Riese-Moraine. (Eastern Man, Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:06 (twenty years ago)

Chumbawamba were anarchists?
That's what they always said. I think they even had Tshirts that said "Anarchist" when they were having their one hit wonder phase.

(as essentially anarchism is the furthest point to the left on the political spectrum unless you subscribe to the misguided position that it's about bomb-throwing and creating chaos all over

sites like this should give people a better idea:
http://www.zmag.org/AWatch/awatch.htm

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:11 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, it's just a shame that they ban such sites at public libraries and school media centers (and in the latter they also ban anything that's "Gothic" or "Pagan" or related to the Occult!). Not surprising because education systems don't truly intend to educate (if they did they'd at least have courses on consumerism!), but this isn't I Love Politics so I won't harp on anymore.

― Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Failing that, Ian Riese-Moraine. (Eastern Man, Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:21 (twenty years ago)

Well, Henry Cow and the Art Bears defintiely speak to the cultural Marxist/Eurocommunist set.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:38 (twenty years ago)

By extensions, Cutler and Frith at times.

― James Slone (Freon Trotsky), Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Was John Lydon just a mock-anarchist?

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Sunday, 13 March 2005 18:48 (twenty years ago)

Andrew Eldritch has proclaimed Marxist sympathies on many an occaision.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 13 March 2005 19:38 (twenty years ago)

Henry Cow! I forgot about them! They were definitely Communist!

Geir, yes, at least for "Anarchy in the U.K." Lydon's viewpoint of anarchism is intentionally skewered and Situationist-influenced (i.e. "I give the wrong time, stop a traffic line!").

― Quit glaring at Ian Riese-Moraine! He's mentally fraught! (Eastern Mantra), Sunday, 13 March 2005 23:38 (twenty years ago)

Stereolab = Marxist

― Steve Gertz (sgertz), Sunday, 13 March 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

Lydon has more recently denounced anarchism as "mind games for the middle class." Quite.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Monday, 14 March 2005 00:44 (twenty years ago)

How the Hell? That makes no sense!

― Quit glaring at Ian Riese-Moraine! He's mentally fraught! (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 14 March 2005 00:56 (twenty years ago)

I'm picturing him and Bill Maher hanging at the Playboy mansion together.

― I got the job because I was so mean, while somehow appearing so kind. (AaronHz), Monday, 14 March 2005 01:04 (twenty years ago)

the good thing about stereolab's marxism is that a lot of it is in french. the new monade sounds too much like a stereolab record.

― keith m (keithmcl), Monday, 14 March 2005 01:10 (twenty years ago)

you go on that team
i'll go on this team
divide everything
ok now we can fight!

i love the way they say it so chirpy and happy

― chris andrews (fraew), Monday, 14 March 2005 01:41 (twenty years ago)

"See, I'm a Communist" - Boots from the Coup

― plebian plebs (plebian), Monday, 14 March 2005 08:18 (twenty years ago)

Anarchist: The (International) Noise Conspiracy

― Voodoo Man (Voodoo Man), Monday, 14 March 2005 08:50 (twenty years ago)

where do "maoists" fit in such a sceme of things, then? (and, erm, which musicians would fit the maoist, er, bill, like, actally?)

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 14 March 2005 10:59 (twenty years ago)

well are those musicians who couldn't be namedropped as either "anarchists" or "communists" (or, well, "maoists") just droppable as "capitalists"?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 14 March 2005 11:03 (twenty years ago)

Richard Marx

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 14 March 2005 11:13 (twenty years ago)

Mayo Thompson gives the impression he's a communist (or at least an enthusiast, given all that dense red rhetoric on maybe 50% of Red Crayola records).

Luigi Nono was definitely a card-carrying member.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Monday, 14 March 2005 11:27 (twenty years ago)

anarchists are not on the left of the "spectrum" (lame metaphor) -- many of them are righter than right. marx was clear as day an anti-anarchist.

― N_RQ, Monday, 14 March 2005 11:31 (twenty years ago)

Nicky Wire, obviously.

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Monday, 14 March 2005 14:47 (twenty years ago)

anarchists are not on the left of the "spectrum" (lame metaphor) -- many of them are righter than right.

care to elucidate?

― I got the job because I was so mean, while somehow appearing so kind. (AaronHz), Monday, 14 March 2005 17:11 (twenty years ago)

McCarthy: socialist

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 March 2005 17:22 (twenty years ago)

anarchists are not on the left of the "spectrum" (lame metaphor) -- many of them are righter than right.

care to elucidate?

He is correct...I tried to make that point, too, but couldn't explain it, but some of them are worse than fascists.

― Quit glaring at Ian Riese-Moraine! He's mentally fraught! (Eastern Mantra), Monday, 14 March 2005 23:42 (twenty years ago)

I would have said "Marxist" but that also implies socialism and I can think of many Socialist musicians.

Uhh...excuse me?

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 00:53 (twenty years ago)

Socialist:
Orlando
The Style Council

― Atnevon (Atnevon), Tuesday, 15 March 2005 00:54 (twenty years ago)

Gang Of Four=Marxists? or fellow-travellers, or rhetoric-remixers (ditto the Clash, ca.SANDANISTA! ? Rage Against The Machine?)Left anarchists=anarcho-syndicalists?(Dick Dale, TRIBAL THUNDER). Almost forgot about Trotsky's Icepick, and Taco (hit:"Putin On The Ritz")

― don, Tuesday, 15 March 2005 03:55 (twenty years ago)

Uhh...excuse me?
Well, it does to most people. I certainly wouldn't agree with it, though!

― Quit glaring at Ian Riese-Moraine! He's mentally fraught! (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 17 March 2005 03:36 (twenty years ago)

Stereolab = Marxist
= myth

Sadier to Grip magazine, 1996:

You know, I think a lot of journalists, because they're so lazy and have to come up with a pre-baked thing, just put the tag "Marxist" on us. But I'm not really a Marxist. The closest I've come to Marxism was subscribing to a monthly magazine called Living Marxism.
I try to think for myself, and of course Marx said many interesting things about how society is laid out and what Capitalism does to it as a force, and it's very blatant that he was right on certain points. But I really just try to think for myself. I don't want to be attached to any parties or religions or ways of thinking. What we do encourage is the personal initiative in people, and the personal ability to be critical of what's going on, that's basically it.

http://stereolab.koly.com/interviews/story.php?sid=15

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 17 March 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

All you had to do was read Sadier's uncomprehending bashing of the German movie "Goodbye Lenin" in the Wire to know she ain't no Marxist.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 17 March 2005 14:00 (twenty years ago)

Nicky Wire, obviously.

How so?

― ailsa (ailsa), Thursday, 17 March 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

The Ex
Dead Kennedys
Fugazi

― Fox Trotsky, Thursday, 17 March 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

This is silly. None of those bands ever called themselves Communists or Anarchists. Most people with left-wing politics don't.

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 17 March 2005 18:14 (twenty years ago)

how can anyone be a Communist or Marxist in 2005? Talk about a complete anachronism.

― shookout (shookout), Thursday, 17 March 2005 18:26 (twenty years ago)

Isn't anarchism inherently right wing? The furthest extent of libertarianism? The furthest left would be an all encompassing state, right?

― David Allen (David Allen), Thursday, 17 March 2005 18:40 (twenty years ago)

Isn't anarchism inherently right wing? The furthest extent of libertarianism? The furthest left would be an all encompassing state, right?

http://www.politicalcompass.org/

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 17 March 2005 22:39 (twenty years ago)

or Marxist in 2005? Talk about a complete anachronism.

Marx will be relevant as long as capitalism exists, won't it?

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 17 March 2005 22:44 (twenty years ago)

...er, he?

― Pete Scholtes, Thursday, 17 March 2005 22:44 (twenty years ago)

Talk about a complete anachronism.

Yeah, I remember that shit started getting real old about the same time the north-south income disparity dissolved and we realised that it was only really 50% of the world's population who were starving anyway.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Thursday, 17 March 2005 23:32 (twenty years ago)

dead prez?

and wasn't the last monade album called "socialisme ou barbarie"?

― randy mamola, Friday, 18 March 2005 00:15 (twenty years ago)

Maoist underground (yep, right here in 2005): reacting vs. Red/Capitalist landgrabs, etc. Also providing King of Nepal's justifaction for dissolving legislature, etc.

― don, Friday, 18 March 2005 00:39 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Stereolab = Marxist
= myth
Sadier to Grip magazine, 1996....

I'm pretty sure Tim Gane of McCarthy and Stereolab is a socialist - you only need read the lyrics to a McCarthy song picked at random - though perhaps not Sadier.

― spartafc, Thursday, 5 May 2005 02:18 (twenty years ago)

Jeezus there are some stoopid things said on this thread. Including but not limited to these two sentences.

― TV's Mr Noodle Vague (noodle vague), Thursday, 5 May 2005 02:36 (twenty years ago)

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