Multiverses | A Dream | The Blahs

So I was in a bit of a state today. I got my new Laptop, and it was dead within the hour. That was a real drag, I’ll tell you. I’ve been waiting for a while now, and this last week I was dreaming of how cool it was going to be… And now… Gone. I sent it back of course, and I’ll be getting a new one. It’s a different brand, as now I’m spooked. But that just isn’t the worst of it… Really, it’s just a material object after all. This actually drives a point I made while at my sister’s house ring even more with truth: Materialism is useless.

So I began reading a book today, called The God Theory. It is a theory based on how God actually exists as an expression of creativity, and it unifies String Theory, Science, and Theological themes all into one. Seems highly interesting. I came across the word Multiverse, and of course remembered the song, Negaverse by yours truly. As I read further, I began to fall asleep. Not out of boredom, but simply my body giving me a gentle suggestion that a nap was in order. So I slept. And I dreamed.

I propose a question. When we sleep, are we truly simply regenerating the body? Giving it rest? Or is the process part of a deeper thing? Perhaps when we dream, we let our consciousness roam awake in another part of this existence. At least, this is what happened in my dreams. They were induced by the word Multiverse, no doubt, but the effect was still profound, and the effects of this are what has motivated me to write the most. Or maybe it was just the 60’s French Pop. I saw the Golden Compass the other night, too. Who knows. Right?

I dreamed that I was alone, without ever having raised a family, and yet my dog was with me. And we lived in a world that was eternal night. The warmth of survival was supplied by some unseen force or machine that ran and hummed. The streets were dangerous. It was a dismal world, but in the dream it was as real as this is to me now. And so I awoke in fear of the dark. It was just past two in the afternoon. I dozed off again, and once again I was in an alternate world. This time, I was the last of my siblings alive. I was wanting to speak with my brother, but he had died a few weeks earlier. It was so real that when I awoke I was shivering. Of course, he is quite alive and well, but in an alternate universe that exists parallel to this one he is not, and I felt truly sorry for that other self of mine. Such pain.

And this is why we must be cut off from seeing into these alternate worlds. Coping with this life is already a task within itself. How would it be to really experience the others as well. One could argue that there is no such thing of course. Nothing is proven. But the emotion that the dreams left me with are very real.

So it goes.

Claude 

Why Loneliness sucks.

I was prepping the show stuff last night and getting my gear list together. I realized I was going to have to wait for the computer to finish doing some digital transfers. Two hours. It was midnight. Sigh. What to do in the meantime? Read something.

I picked up this book, ‘Women Of The Surrealist Movement’ and was rewarded by tales of displaced dreams and talents. The whole thing made me nostalgic and quite melancholy, which is the perfect recipe for a meltdown. When you decide to pick up an old diary or scrapbook that is better left un-opened, the whole thing becomes a lesson onto itself. And of course, that’s exactly what I did. Should have left it on the shelf. The feelings it produced were about the same as the ones you would get from watching someone sticking needles in a voodoo doll across the room from you. And the whole thing turns out to be real. That bad.

I cringed as I read terrible poetry which basically held a candle up to sadness and semi-formed delusions. I began wondering at how I could have transformed a perfectly good book into such a disaster. I considered ripping the pages out and making an example of them, but instead I went with it. What I found became a bit interesting after a while. I could see how my thoughts began to change over time, and the poetry gave way to a simple understanding. But it still had an effect very similar to the one you get when you realize something awful has happened and you have to react, but somehow you are unsure as to how that is to happen. I was numb.

And thus my conclusion is that this language that I have cultivated for myself in the form of art is such a lonely weight. While I endeavor to translate it and teach others the use of it, I am confounded by the way reality changes all around me. So in the end, alone again. And this piece of glass is no help at all. I mean, how can I hope to get some meaning out of this when it seems I am typing into a void. Or worse, a myriad of glass boxes which serve as mirrors of the cold stark reality that is life in 2008. Boxes. Not people. No parties.

This is why it was worse when the CD I was transferring failed. I had to wait all over again. What to do? Hey, what’s that? Oh, I remember that journal… Let’s see now… So it goes.

– Claude 

Verichip Cops? The Daily Mail Says…

The Daily Mail reports that Cops in good old England will be the first humans to be chipped. Sounds incredible, doesn’t it? Well, the whole article is here, but I’ll give you the short version…

“Every single Metropolitan police officer will be ‘microchipped’ so top brass can monitor their movements on a Big Brother style tracking scheme, it can be revealed today.

According to respected industry magazine Police Review, the plan - which affects all 31,000 serving officers in the Met, including Sir Ian Blair - is set to replace the unreliable Airwave radio system currently used to help monitor officer’s movements.

The new electronic tracking device - called the Automated Personal Location System (APLS) - means that officers will never be out of range of supervising officers.

But many serving officers fear being turned into “Robocops” - controlled by bosses who have not been out on the beat in years.

According to service providers Telent, the new technology ‘will enable operators in the Service’s operations centres to identify the location of each police officer’ at any time they are on duty - whether overground or underground.”

So, where the hell are we headed? And why are we sitting here and doing nothing about it?

 

 

 

 

Anything Box | the pain i inherited | 19

This is technically not an episode of Fan Tapes and Time Travel, unless of course you consider that the song in question comes from a tape. Not just any tape, but a long forgotten album recorded in one day, back in 1987/88 by Claude. Its inclusion in the series comes from a simple fact: this is the past, here is the present. By watching it, you are time traveling!

The clips you see, with the exception of the film bits, are all paintings and drawings by Claude S. of Anything Box. These also span from that era to now. They are part of an online installation known as 'The Book of Nineteen', which can be viewed in its entirety here: http://www.anythingbox-nineteen.com.

You will also get an entire glimpse of the album as well, which you can enjoy for free as you look into the pages from the book itself. But be careful, these images may induce emotions…

The album is available only as an exclusive download from these fine stores in High Quality .wav format and MP3 for your iPod. Get it here:

lulu.com

indiekazoo.com

cdbaby.com

Tags: anything box, abox, 19, nineteen, the diary, goodbye july, endpop, oblivion, book of nineteen, fan tapes and time travel

Anything Box | 19

 

So there it is. Done. I have finally let this out of the bag. And as usual, I am sitting here with trepidation at the outcome. I mean, this isn’t a ‘new album’, you know? This is my life twenty some odd years ago.

But there it is. So now what? Wait and see, wait and see…

anythingbox-nineteen.com 

– Claude S.

Iris Show | March 30th 2008 | Rating: 10*

 

I was in the studio mastering 19. Steve was mentioning if I had heard about Iris coming to town and I said, “Yeah, it’s on April something or other isn’t it?”

Well, it was this last Sunday. Had Steve not double-checked, we would have both missed it. So yeah, needless to say we didn’t do the radio show, but we got ready as humanly possible and headed out to Lost Angeles to catch Iris…

Reagan and Andrew didn’t know we’d be there, so it was a total surprise. I was shocked to see Andrew sporting an Abox shirt. I almost could have died in that moment alone. I have always wanted to go see a band that was wearing my band’s shirt..! Ok, it’s an ego thing, yeah, yeah… Shut up! :)

But it was seeing them play that was truly a thrill, as I’ve not seen them onstage in like over 7 years or so. Possibly longer…? They were fantastic, and much against the norm, the L.A. crowd was very giving that night. I was happy for their success on this tour.
In the crowd I saw a few faces I recognized from MySpace. If I didn’t say hello, well, I’m shy. My friend Sarah was there with her guy, and I ran into Abox fans, which made me feel so anxious for a California show that all I can say is…  YES!!!! WE WILL PLAY!!! Going to work on it ASAP.

What a great evening. We hung out with Reagan afterwards, and had a talk about technology, art and more art. Hung out with fans. I watched as Reagan signed things. Seriously, it was cool.
Oh, and Sea Bound were great too! I really enjoyed the duet between both bands. That was the perfect end to that tour, me thinks…

Great night. Great friends. Great people at Safari Sam’s.  The owner was pretty cool, actually. Yep. Life is fun.

My MySpace Blunder ? | Willful Expression?

So I was watching this speech on YouTube… Yes the one where Obama talks about the need for Unity, and finally brings up the Race issue. It was actually a moving speech. I cannot remember when I felt moved about a candidate in my past. I don’t ever recall speeches like this from Reagan, Clinton, or Bush. It truly was a moving speech, ok?

So I decide to post the link to the video on a bulletin on MySpace, adding at the bottom that he was the guy I could support as president… And some guy sends me an angry letter that says he’s sorry that I am, “believing in the Obama hype” and that I should “wake up“. Further, he states that Obama is a “militant anti-American”, and that I am to keep my political views to myself. He goes on to say that he loves my music but that I am no longer on his friend list. Ouch. Harsh…

So I thought about it. Did I do something wrong? I mean, am I to understand that my being an artist or entertainer gives me no credible authority to support a candidate? Am I to understand that my research on the candidates means nothing? That their voting record and work means nothing? That what they say means nothing?

Well… I am simply an artist. And I have always had something to say. I sing and write about the human condition. I give as much of my views to change the world into a better place as I can. Or at least influence a few lives for a positive change. I am colorblind when it comes to fans. I am free of the confines of organized religion so as to embrace people of every culture and social background into my art.

What I preach is that love always finds a way. Corny, I know, but truth. So if someone tells me that they love my music but discards my ‘friendship’ because of words or opinions… They fail to understand its message. Tolerance is difficult, and until we learn to accept those that are different from us we will have learned nothing. It is the very differences that we can share and learn from that makes being alive worthy of enjoying it. Otherwise, we can all be automatons. Or slaves.

So I am sorry to have lost a friend on MySpace for having an opinion. I would rather have had us disagree and move onto better things. In fact, some of my other friends did just that, and it stimulated good conversations. That in of itself made it worth it.

I love all my friends on MySpace! Vote for who you like, but be informed.

– Claude S.

TAGS: Anything Box, Abox, Goodbye July, Music, New Wave, Animas Mundi, Claude S., The Diary, Say No To Real ID Act, No Verichip Inside, YouTube, MySpace, endpop.com, CdBaby.com/from/katsama, iTunes, Love, Surrealism, Art, musica popular, pop del futuro, indie synthpop, futurepop, synthpop, separate, Radiohead, Depeche Mode, PetShop Boys, Bkork, Erasure, Indie 103, David Bowie, John Lennon, Beatles, Joy Division, New Order, NWO, Beck, Kraftwerk, Human League, Daft Punk, Ladytron, Pink Floyd, Kinks, Beastie Boys, Elektrodelica, Universe, Hope, Worth, Recovered, Future Past EP, The Effects of Stereo TV, Peace, Oblivion, Politics, New Music, Carmen en Castellano, Surrealismo, Arte, Cultura, Musica Electronica, Temas Buenos, Si.TV, Canciones, Meloncholy Pop

Anything Box | Nineteen | The Book of 19

 

So that is the cover, and it will be a Digital Only release so far as I can tell. I am working on a little book in PDF format that goes with it, which I will upload to our LULU page. The Book of 19 is a companion piece for the album. It’s a little book, but it has a bit of a heart. We’ll see what happens. The painting is “The Two Lovers”, circa 1991.

Background on Nineteen:

There are no markings on the tape, and my notes and lyrics on the songs are the only clue I have for any sort of dating on the subject. The year seems to be 1988. It was an ‘album’ in the sense that all these songs go together, and their flow is consistent for an album’s worth of material. But it isn’t a proper album in that it was not recorded in a proper studio.

Nineteen was recorded straight to tape, live with no edits. There was no multi-tracking involved and no computers. Not that I have anything against computers, mind you. In fact, it was the ability I have gained as a mastering engineer that has enabled me to wring more out of the music, and actually ‘finish’ this album. And that took a computer. But it is a work that began a long time ago, and it lay forgotten.

So you could say that this is an actual time trip for both of us. What you hear is not the here and now. This is before Peace. Before Hope, before Elektrodelica and Universe. Simply before. Just an album as raw as one could expect. Two synthesizers, a voice and drum machine.

All is 19. Claude S.

 

Technorati Tags: anythingbox,anything box,nineteen,19,the diary,endpop,goodbye july,releases,cdbaby,new music,musica nueva,new wave

Easy Mind Control! | Entertainment or Truth?

Ok, this was really funny and entertaining, but it was also very scary. It reminded me of a few things that have really shaken me up in the last few years. And while I may laugh at this over-the-top presentation of the subject matter, it’s not too far from the truth. This is how cults are created. The music was something that I might have done, but I didn’t.

This is really how it’s done, and if something in the pit of your stomach aches with a bit of guilt or anger… Well… Then this little film has more than a grain of truth in it. So I say this for the umpteenth time, “Make your own culture. Make your own mind. Be the real you.”

 

Seriously. Individualism is a Right, one that was given to you when your mom gave birth to you. The next time I see my mom, I am going to hug her and give her a kiss. If it wasn’t for my sheltered Catholic upbringing and her divorce from my father, who know what I might have become? :) That was a joke.

My mother actually taught me color-blindness, tolerance, and made me read, study Spanish, and made damn well sure that I never lost my culture even as I rebelled against it in my youth. She encouraged me to do things on my own. Self-Reliance was big at my house, ok? And she limited my TV watching, so in order for me to spend time in front of the tube, I had to do it very late at night. So I watched all the stuff they didn’t let you watch during the day. That’s my surrealism. I love you, mom. Che, que vida.

A Code For Living | Self Made Culture

In the past few weeks I have gotten into the habit of being more political in my posts. The importance of staying informed and on top of things has all but consumed me as well. I have come to realize, in the course of a mere 24 hours, that this is a road that leads to more options and paths. And that’s not me. This is the culture of More. Of buying more. Owning more. And in truth, I am not buying into it. I am my own.

I am my own culture. I am my own individualized version of something that is part 1940s surrealism, 1960s Idealism, 1980s New Wave and a forward thinking person. I believe that all human beings are one. Age has no bearing on my self-made culture. What you have, how much of it you have, and how much you plan to take is not the issue. It is acceptance of all that is amazing, exciting, and beautiful in the world.

So, just in case I were to wither away and die before I ever get to write this down, I offer my code for living. It is by all accounts rather simple.

1. As above, so below. That is, what you perceive as real becomes so. So to imagine the worst scenario is actually inviting its coming. This is a basic rule, from alchemy to Judaism and all things in between. As above, so below.

2. Love that you give is the love you receive, no matter what the consequences. I’m not talking about personal relationships although they fall into this as well. I mean, the love that flows outside of one’s self onto the world. This is a healing love, a language to easy to speak and yet forgotten by so many.

3. The Soul Of The World, or the animas mundi, is a perfect creation, and God’s reflection resides within it. As you and I live and breathe, this creation exists to give us a sense of appreciation for all living things. This is our playground. And we need to respect and protect it. The earth is not ours. We do not own it. It owns us. We belong to it.

4. Life has no meaning. Accept this first. Life has no meaning at all. We inject the meaning into it. So stop pretending that life is eluding you. It can’t elude you. You elude you. Life has no meaning save what meaning we assign to it. So if you assign passion into your life, life’s meaning is passion. If you assign love, life’s meaning is love.

5. The minute you are afraid to speak your thoughts, or express your individualism, you have let this culture decide who you are. Be you. No matter what. It may be the loneliest of paths, but in the end it will be the only path which sets you free. And that will mean more.

I guess that’s all you need to know. I just needed to remind myself. That’s all. I am an artist after all.