Bob Avakian wrote a poem

[scarletghoul]

http://soundcloud.com/allplayedout/all-played-out-by-bob-avakian

:laugh:

Its like a 14 year old just discovered gill scot heron or amiri baraka and decided to write down like everything he thinks about the world.. only its infinitely more tragic because this man is 60-something and the leader of a political party.

How long can you listen for ?

edit; did he really just say 'homies in the hood' >_<

[Pirate Utopian]

His voice is like a less cool Christopher Walken.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Listened for about ten seconds.

[the last donut of the night]

wow anybody with half a brain and a thesaurus could have written this. i couldn't take it. his lispy voice kind of creeps me out

[Chimurenga.]

LOL, this is fucking terrible.

The "ALL PLAYED OUT" is so cheesy.

[kasama-rl]

really it is just awful.... and even embarrassing. Bad poetry, trite lyrics, and ridiculous hype.

I had to *make* myself listen to the end.

One RCP supporter wrote on facebook:

"Here's a marvelously dynamic poem which captures the horrors of the present-day, archaic capitalist imperialist system's essence while positing the road to a future of incomparable brightness and splendor."

The poem comes with formal instructions telling people to play it at open mics and requesting it on radios.

http://revcom.us/a/223/all_played_out-en.html

What jumps out at me is that the RCP is (literally) unable to see themselves as others do -- which is deadly for any pretense of political interaction.

The other thing that strikes me is the general bitterness of the piece. Maoists talked (back in the day) about denouncing the oppressors and "extolling" the people. But there is zero extolling here (except of Avakian himself and his new synthesis and his books). There is bitterness that no one reads his books, and a special chapter denouncing those who have a chance to read Avakian but choose not to.

Given the internal culture of the RCP, everyone there is required to gush with "ooohs and aaaahs" about this poem and tell their (dwindling) friend circles that 'you have to check this out."

Meanwhile, everyone with any critical faculties just shakes their head. Sad.

[Kuppo Shakur]

Kuppo wrote a haiku:

Bob Avakian
Shut the fuck up right now, man.
Like, seriously.

[kasama-rl]

Their typically hyped and windy self-promo said:

"Avakian's heart and soul, outrage and humor, poetic spirit, and confidence in the masses to make revolution—transform the planet and themselves—comes out in this challenging declaration that the world really doesn't have to be this way, and we can make and live in a radically different and better world."

http://revcom.us/a/223/all_played_out-en.html

[Kassad]

I got to the "homies in the hood" part and I was done. Mike raises a really great point when he says that the RCP is utterly unable to see itself the way all other revolutionaries and even non-revolutionaries do. At the US Social Forum, they were a joke. Any time I see one of those t-shirts, which is rare, I can't help but laugh. Still, I totally want to call my local radio stations and tell them to put Alice in Chains on hold so I can hear "All Played Out." Can someone do an auto-tune version?

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Mike raises a really great point when he says that the RCP is utterly unable to see itself the way all other revolutionaries and even non-revolutionaries do.

That's a quality most cults share. Sadly, the RCP is far from the only leftist group with this problem.


At the US Social Forum, they were a joke

To be fair, the Social Forums themselves are some of the biggest jokes of all. Or maybe they're more aptly described as tragicomedies.

A great meeting of revolutionaries... sponsored by Ford.

[bricolage]

I'm impressed, I've never heard anyone rhyme revolution with solution before.

[Toppler]

This has to be a parody... but no, it isn't.

[Catmatic Leftist]

I want the 30 seconds it took to load that onto my computer and the 1 minute and 30 seconds I spent listening to it back.

[the last donut of the night]

roses are red
violets are blue
bob avakian hasn't got a clue
do you hate him too?

[Chambered Word]

We really are horrible to this poor man.

Still, it's pretty hilarious.

[renzo_novatore]

Oh how horrible it is that the main proponents of revolutionary change currently write this shit - when back in the day we had people like Renzo Novatore (who I named myself after)! I mean read this poem: http://theanarchistlibrary.org/HTML/Renzo_Novatore__Twilight_Dance.html

Try comparing that with this:

We must broadly unite,
To carry out the fight,
To resist the crimes of this system.
But on the real revolution,
Is the only solution,
So we need to call out,
Things who's time have run out,
That keep people in chains,
Suffering unbearable pains,
These things are all played out.

WHAT SHIT! That's the kind of crap I'd write for my 6th grade english class - which 6th grade was probably the only time in Bob Avakian's life when he encountered poetry. He probably doesn't even know who someone like Rimbaud is! It's like he just sat down one night and was like: "Hey, I'm going to be a poet because that's what a deep revolutionary does," and he scribbled this shit down writing like a two year old - "What rhymes with unite? Oh fight! So we must broadly unite to carry out this fight! Wow! I'm amazing! I'm better than Ezra Pound!"

[HEAD ICE]

this isnt actually a poem it's the audio from a scene from the motion picture "Easy Rider"

[kasama-rl]

"WHAT SHIT! That's the kind of crap I'd write for my 6th grade english class - which 6th grade was probably the only time in Bob Avakian's life when he encountered poetry. He probably doesn't even know who someone like Rimbaud is.'

On the contrary. Bob was a student of romantic poetry -- even learned Italian to better understand some poetry in the original.

It is true that it is shit. It is a terrible poem, with ideas presented without any hint of poetic originality or wit.

So how do we explain it?

Or how do we explain the seeming acceptence of this dreck by people people like Michael Slate (who wrote so movingly about Howl) or Connie Julian who worked so closely with real poets in the Refuse and Resist artists network?

It is not ignorance. It is not lack of knowledge. It is line. It is what Maoists call "whateverism." Whatever you say, boss.

Avakian lives in a small hall of mirrors, and can no longer maintain any perspective on his own declining and pathetically over-hyped work. His remaining followers are simply unable to express a critical idea (no matter what they secretly know).

[CleverTitle]

This is terrible. Thanks, Bob. Your revolutionary light shines bright.

[Ocean Seal]

Okay I got through about 1:20 of that, I must win, or lose :(.

[NGNM85]

Free Bob Avakian!!!

[HEAD ICE]

The n-word is a horrible word of murder with roots in the slave ships. Stop using this word. Now listen to me repeat it over and over.

[The Red Next Door]

It not horrible, but it just cheesy 70's talk.

[Tomhet]

Lol that is bloody awful Avakian is a godamned goofball.

[Ms. Max]

Ok so I had to listen. And...it's great! So I played it again.

I suppose this means I'm not one of the cool kids now.

[Orange Juche]

Someone asked about autotune... will someone please do this for hilarity's sake?

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I lasted 4 minutes. The way he was saying "bourgeoisie" was getting to me.

[Kassad]

Kasama-rl, how sizable do you think Avakian's followers are at this point? Their size has significantly dwindled at recent demonstrations. Do you even think the supporters of the RCP total in the hundreds anymore?

[kasama-rl]

I don't know. As you say their organization has dwindled significantly (since the 2003 self-coup by Avakian, and over the following years of sharp internal struggle over his cult of personality).

The purges were significant but i really don't have an overview nationally. Some local areas were decimated. But I would not hazard a specific numerical guess.

I do think they are at the borderline -- in the sense that they really can't launch a national project anymore (like they did with Mumia or WCW). Their paper is not weekly anymore -- I suspect they simply don't have the forces or finances to produce a weekly paper. And so on.

[Kassad]

I don't know. As you say their organization has dwindled significantly (since the 2003 self-coup by Avakian, and over the following years of sharp internal struggle over his cult of personality).

The purges were significant but i really don't have an overview nationally. Some local areas were decimated. But I would not hazard a specific numerical guess.

I do think they are at the borderline -- in the sense that they really can't launch a national project anymore (like they did with Mumia or WCW). Their paper is not weekly anymore -- I suspect they simply don't have the forces or finances to produce a weekly paper. And so on.

I agree. It's definitely little things like that that seem to make a difference. I know World Can't Wait used to initiate pretty sizable demonstrations, but that's not something you see anymore. I better get my t-shirt while I still can. :D

[Amphictyonis]

No one rhymes anymore. Some one should tell him that.

[Ms. Max]

Lordy. You Kasama Cult kids are worse than my kids. "Mommy, Bobby's sayin stuff again. Make him stop!"

[GregoryAButler]

So this guy actually studied poetry and he came up with this garbage?

That's just sad - I actually feel bad for him ...and for the RCPers who have to promote this nonsense to the public!

[Obs]

"I got my mind on my money and my money on my mind"
-Bob Avakian

[unfriendly]

I am an old white man; that means I am very important. Listen to what I have to say about the black community.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

The RCP now has as much relevance for the class struggle as the CPUS, or better yet, the SDUSA. They now seem close to being a quasi-Maoist version of the LaRouchites.

Its hard to believe Avakian studied poetry.I got 1 minute into that.

What medium will Avakian choose next to express his awesome creativity? The plastic arts, scultpture, painting, Wurban planning, architecture? How about anime/manga? Would this be a good medium for promulgating his line?

[Kassad]

The RCP now has as much relevance for the class struggle as the CPUS, or better yet, the SDUSA. They now seem close to being a quasi-Maoist version of the LaRouchites.

Its hard to believe Avakian studied poetry.I got 1 minute into that.

What medium will Avakian choose next to express his awesome creativity? The plastic arts, scultpture, painting, Wurban planning, architecture? How about anime/manga? Would this be a good medium for promulgating his line?

I heard someone painted a portrait of him for the BAsics release celebration last Monday.

[Octavian]

Bob Avakian sucks as a poet and sucks as a communist. He was on Glenn beck's show and even against the cookie cutter attacks on communism he couldn't respond and bumbled like an idiot, Bob avakian is ALL DRYED OUT!

BOOGWA-Bob Avakian

Also did anyone notice how when ever he reaches a rhyme he tries to put a shitty hip-hop spin on it?

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Just as interesting as appraising BA's latest creative efforts (or lack thereof) is why this happened to the RCP? What was it in their internal structure that caused the organisation to turn to his cult?

Admittedly I'm not super knowledgeable about the history of the US Maoist movement. As I understand much of the New Communist Movement ended up working for the Jesse Jackson campaign in the 80s.

Max Elbaum's book (which I haven't read yet) and Loren Goldner's review of it make interesting reading. Could there have been a theoretical flaw which inevitably led Maoism to devolve into liberalism on one hand and silly personality cultism on the other?

http://www.revolutionintheair.com/reviews/goldner.html

[Kassad]

Bob Avakian sucks as a poet and sucks as a communist. He was on Glenn beck's show and even against the cookie cutter attacks on communism he couldn't respond and bumbled like an idiot, Bob avakian is ALL DRYED OUT!

BOOGWA-Bob Avakian

Also did anyone notice how when ever he reaches a rhyme he tries to put a shitty hip-hop spin on it?

When was Bob Avakian on Glenn Beck?

[Octavian]

When was Bob Avakian on Glenn Beck?
Sorry, I got him and Sam webb confused.

[Kamil]

It would have been interesting if he had been on the Glenn Beck show, an interesting example of dialectical unity. Avakian is the glenn beck of communism. I went to their LA bookstore tho, they had a lot of great books actually. But yeah man, the Obama style portrait? They even have it as the first page of BAsics, a throw back to the way all those English translations by Peking foreign press during the GPCR had pictures of the author as the first page (marx, engels, ect.). I bought a copy of BAsics because I havn't read much by him and wanted to decide for myself. Unimpressed..

[Le Socialiste]

Oh, that poor man...I could only listen for just over a minute before clicking out. Trust me, I read and hear that kind of poetry every day (unfortunately). It's - wait for it - all played out.

[Salyut]

for a second I thought it was martin sheen playing robert e lee

oh my god this is 11 minutes long what the fuck

is that a chorus wtf

[scarletghoul]

LOL why has this thread resurfaced >_<

I actually met someone with one of those Avakian t shirts in london on may day, he was an old american trying to spread the word of avakian in england. good times

[Fawkes]

I actually laughed when I saw the title of this thread. Im already 4.5 minutes in, I win.

[bietan jarrai]

I seriously do not believe I just paused my music for this. :laugh:

[Landsharks eat metal]

I could only listen for 32 seconds until the nausea set in.