[Dragonfly]

It seems Queen Victoria is alive and well on Solo (of all places!): suddenly we observe prissy, priggish, prudish fundies who are sooo indignant about innocent sex jokes - but of course only when they become themselves the victims (such jokes would no doubt be ok when directed against such evil people like the Brandens). As usual it started with Hsieh, when she wrote in a reply to Phil: Your endless crowing about your great victory is nothing but PREMATURE EJACULATION! And like the physical kind, it's embarrassing to watch!

I found Phil's reply very funny, while he takes her statement literally (and with the second sentence it's quite to the point): Diana, I'm really not interested in hearing admissions about the history of your sex life. You've done quite enough going public with private matters for several lifetimes.

However, the Queen was not amused...

Then another randroid snake called Phil a "slippery fucker".

Phil's reaction on RoR was:

Quote

> You wrestle with girls?
> 'Penelope' (who likes to call Phil a 'slippery fucker')

I didn't expect her to reveal our sexual history...I tried to hold on tight and stay engaged, I really did.

That was also a very witty repartee. Calling someone names like "slippery fucker" seems to be ok, but when the victim defuses the insult by turning it into a joke against the perpetrator the latter is suddenly offended...

Ladies, if you don't want to get hurt, you shouldn't play with fire.

As usual the biggest chutzpah comes from the suboptimal Perigo: Phil and ghastly soul(less)mates like Bissell engaging in sick sexual "humour" on Frord that is way different from the mischievous Chaucerian bawdiness of SOLO—but they can't tell the difference—with not a shred of remorse, even when called on it.

It's really unbelievable: Perigo suddenly doesn't like "sick sexual humour"! How low can you sink? Apparently he'll do anything to toady to his new girlfriend. Now if you want to see what Perigo thinks is real humour, you should read: http://www.solopassion.com/node/748

Hsieh's reaction is telling: Linz, I'm almost in tears from laughing so hard. Well, I wonder what her reaction (and that of the other randroids on Solo) would have been if someone posted that article with the names of Hsieh and her claque on Solo substituted for the "enemy" names. I think the howls of indignation could then be heard in Europe. Of course this doesn't really come as a surprise: the biggest hypocrites are always to be found among the fundies.

[william.scherk]

I said:

I should probably look it up (from the old SOLOHQ), but I remember Joe Rowlands explaining to a puzzled poster why it was that newcomers who took a mild poke at O-ismatics were dogpiled. Rowlands said something to the order that it was a reaction of an unjustly attacked minority.

-- I should have looked this up first -- I was wrong in thinking this was Joe Rowlands. In fact it was two folks, in October of 2005, Joe Maurone and Andrew Bissell.

Andrew Bissell said:

Laj, one of the reasons you get the treatment you do here is because you're on our turf. A lot of us come here for refuge from the intellectual hostility we encounter in our day-to-day lives.  
(Post  175 in 'Is Objectivism a cult?')

Joe Maurone said:

I can sympathise with Andrew's sentiment. It's like being out in the world all day, faced with various forms of opposition which we're expected to "tolerate." Home is supposed to be sanctuary where one can be oneself without incrimination. Imagine coming home and having to defend your castle from within! I had a ex who wanted us to have two rooms in case his parents came to visit (he was not "out".) I told him forget it, I do not hide in my own home.

It's got nothing to do with tribalism, it's about having a place where one can simply be with likeminded people without justification, no apologies.
(Post 187 in 'Is Objectivism a cult?')

-- and then the next day, in another thread, Lindsay Perigo advances his reasonable take on dogpiling . . .

Lindsay Perigo said:

The pusballs are "perfect" in their evil. As I said, slow, subtle, insidious.

My words bear repeating:

We see such pusballs gatecrashing on SOLOHQ. Not the excrement-framers
themselves, but their philosophical parents. Their stock-in-trade is ambiguity,
uncertainty, “well yes, but ...,” “not necessarily”—verbal clutter and entropy.
They slither around in what Ayn Rand would call the “hopeless swamps of the
approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all.” Under the guise of
“critical thinking,” they commit to nothing, and try to cast doubt on
everything. Their goal is to destroy the hero in the souls of those they
engage, because they resent it. They want to destroy it, not in one fell swoop,
but “spark by irreplaceable spark”—slowly, subtly, insidiously. That’s what
their verminous verbosity is all about. Inch by inch they seek to envelop their
victims in their slime, till all sparks are extinguished.

Note how the pusballs have no respect for property rights, continuing their
"gatecrashing," accusing me of using a "bully pulpit" as though it's theirs!
The shame is that decent people like Bill Dwyer and Robert Campbell are being
seduced into engaging the pusballs. I guess the decent Dwyers of this world
haven't been around SOLO long enough to know what unutterable scum these
creatures are.

(from Perigo's recap of his "Slime on SOLO")

Yes, Lindsay, your words bear repeating: "PUSBALLS! CREATURES! UNUTTERABLE SCUM!"

Ick. Double Ick.

[Rich Engle]

William,

I forgot how amazingly well Herr Perigo can rip out the paranoid rhetoric when he feels like hitting the podium:

Their goal is to destroy the hero in the souls of those they
engage, because they resent it. They want to destroy it, not in one fell swoop,
but “spark by irreplaceable spark”—slowly, subtly, insidiously. That’s what
their verminous verbosity is all about. Inch by inch they seek to envelop their
victims in their slime, till all sparks are extinguished.


Good Lordy, the Master Curmudgeon Race is under siege! Break all your clay pots and sink your boats, it's ON!

In the words of Jerry Seinfeld, "Who ARE these people?" Shit, WHERE are these people? How do you resent someone that can't muster more than pusbag, and slime? What the eff is that? Good Gawd, talk about smarmy melodrama soapbox stuff... "They're coming for my SPARK, my SPARK!!!"

And where the heck is Penelope Pureblood?

rde
Puttin' out the Spark, with Gas-O-Line

[Jonathan]

WSS quoted Perigo:

Quote

"Their goal is to destroy the hero in the souls of those they engage, because they resent it. They want to destroy it, not in one fell swoop, but “spark by irreplaceable spark”—slowly, subtly, insidiously. That’s what their verminous verbosity is all about. Inch by inch they seek to envelop their victims in their slime, till all sparks are extinguished."

I agree with Perigo's general sentiment here. What makes a person become a destroyer instead of a creator? What makes someone convince himself that he's heroic and that he's going to change the world for the better by dedicating his life to becoming an angry, mediocre critic instead of a driven producer?

Resentment.

Just one of many examples: My enthusiastic neighbor kid and his garage-band mates passionately create good original music almost every day of their lives. They're very ambitious and talented, and they love what they do. In contrast, there are dried up old windbags who, although they like to give the impression that they are quite musically knowledgeable, refined and talented, produce nothing original and do little more than complain, day after day, year after year, that people like my neighbor kid are ruining the world with their music. Clearly the goal of these windbags is to destroy, “spark by irreplaceable spark,” the hero in the souls of those they engage. They want to drag down those who have significantly more talent, drive and originality than they do. They crave a world filled with people like themselves: non-producers who lost their creative "spark" long ago and have nothing left but smoldering rage.

J

[Rich Engle]

Jonathan-

Your garage band example- well Hell, I'm not even sure that's resentment. It's more like regret, envy of youth, misery loves company. I know a few musicians like that, but only a few over many years.

I can tell you one thing, that isn't why I put a little of my multitasking time into running curmudgeons up the flagpole. There is nothing there I can find to resent, for one thing. I just don't like how they fuck with people. I have a historical distaste for bullies and blowhards, and I am more than willing to indulge this distaste by fucking with ~them~. Call it a character deftect, one that I cherish.

That whole impassioned quote is theater. Gawd, for his sake I hope it is consciously performed theater, because if he actually buys into that, HOOFA!! You know what that means? It means his spark ain't no good because someone can put it out. That's weak, man. Weak.

rde
Spark, schmark. Halogen bulbs are getting real affordable these days.

[gary williams]

Quote

That whole impassioned quote is theater.

Yeah, he's not an Objectivist, but he plays one on the internet.



Ham actor.



gw

[jenright]

Rich, just in case you're interested in the detail of how Kelley broke out pre, post, and just plain modernity, here's an essay he wrote that goes into it:

http://www.cato.org/...elley-0306.html

John

[Jonathan]

Rich wrote,

Quote

"I can tell you one thing, that isn't why I put a little of my multitasking time into running curmudgeons up the flagpole. There is nothing there I can find to resent, for one thing."

Exactly. There's nothing there. There's no productivity -- no original creativity -- emanating from the curmudgeon's alleged musical talents and passions.

J

[Rich Engle]

Musical talents? Does he play? Sing? I thought he was just all about worshiping at the Altar of Lanza.

Which, by the way, is the mark of a rookie, be it player, or listener- myopic focus on one artist above all. It is typical to, in the early stages of development, focus heavily on one artist, to study, to really screw into, to model (if you are a player). But if you stay with that, you're pretty stunted. Hero Worship- They Are The Greatest (singer, player whatever) Of All Time.

Ick. I guess everyone's gotta have a hobby...

[Jonathan]

Rich asked,

Quote

"Musical talents? Does he play? Sing?"

I've heard that his primary musical talent is pompous, maudlin air-conducting. Seriously. Apparently it's his method of demonstrating his grand musical passion and instructing the unwashed on how to raise their souls to a level closer to his.

But other than that, yes, he claims to sing and play. I'd like to hear what he can do. Wouldn't it be refreshing, perhaps even inspiring, if he were to set aside his air-baton and put as much time and effort into creating original music as he puts into whining about others' tastes and trying to create the impression of his expertise and unrivaled musical ear?

Quote

"I thought he was just all about worshiping at the Altar of Lanza."

Well, even the worshipping of Lanza usually seems to be more about crafting the illusion of Perigo's greatness. It often turns into a means of attacking others, and always has a sort of "my dad can beat up your dad" tone to it... or perhaps something more like, "I may not have what it takes to create, but my hero is better than those of you who do have what it takes to create, and he's better than your heroes. I'm special. I can hear greatness that you can't."

J

[Rich Engle]

Quote

I've heard that his primary musical talent is pompous, maudlin air-conducting. Seriously. Apparently it's his method of demonstrating his grand musical passion and instructing the unwashed on how to raise their souls to a level closer to his.  

OH MY GAWD!!! He's a freaking air conductor???

BWAH-HA BWAH-HA BWAH-HA BWAH-HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!

*gasp...* *wheeze...*....BWHA-HA BWAH-HA BWAH-HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

hyper...ventilating...need more...mineral water....

I SO WANT THIS TO BE TRUE....pULEeeeZE!!!! In the name of all that is sacred and pure and Holy...please let this be an objective, verifiable piece of...of.... yes, yes!!!....EVIDENCE!!!!!

I want to know everything!! I want firsthand accounts of witnesses of drunken conducting at dinner parties.

I want to know if he ever wore little conductor outfits...

I want to know if maybe, just maybe, he has a real baton, and if he goes for fiberglass, or wood... OR MAYBE HE JUST HAS A LITTLE PIECE OF DOWEL ROD....

I want to know if he (snort...gasp) AIR CONDUCTS his Lanza CD's

I want to know if he does it in front of a mirror /

Somebody out there has got to have accounts...it might not be objective evidence, it might not be verifiable...but yeah, yeah...that's right, most myths are based in fact, right, right...and plus a firsthand account would just be goddamn awesome fun

And you know, there's the world air guitar championships, maybe there's something like that for (Lord Almighty, I love saying this...) Air Conductors!! /

BWAH HA BWAH HA BWAH HA BWAH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!

Please, please please...somebody flesh this out. I Demand An Investigation!!!

Kelly, c'mon...you gotta have something on this. Please, Maestro...do this for me...it's your main man here...we gotta make this happen.

Is there ANY video. I might pay. I want to see him do Mozart's Requiem...Hell, ~anything would do~

rde
Da-da-da DAH....Da-da-da DAHHHHHHHH. da da da dah, da dah dah da da da da dah..... :-({|=

[Rich Engle]

Jonathan, I savor you post in so many ways... but this!

Quote

I'm special. I can hear greatness that you can't."

It's just so... Good, and True, and Beautiful. O:)

I might have to send you a fruit basket or something.

[Jonathan]

Rich wrote,

Quote

I SO WANT THIS TO BE TRUE....pULEeeeZE!!!! In the name of all that is sacred and pure and Holy...please let this be an objective, verifiable piece of...of.... yes, yes!!!....EVIDENCE!!!!!

From http://www.solopassion.com/node/1059

Quote

Re guides to "active" listening—there's one thing I can't recommend highly enough. Learn to conduct, and conduct along with your recordings! I can't think of a better way of keeping your attention focussed & becoming familiar with every last little nuance (oops) of a piece & the performance thereof. I've sometimes thought of doing a presentation at a SOLOC or some such where I conduct selected pieces of music not as a big wank but so folk watching me can see how the discipline of conducting can give you mastery of the music (and with it, fantastic enjoyment). I conducted the high school choir, orchestra & brass band as a teenager, so know the techniques, and have carried a conductor's baton with me throughout my adult life. Some folk might think that's pretentious, but I can assure you that as a tool for learning/listening it's invaluable. It also helps you sort out your favourites. Conducting Howard Shelley's version of Rhapsody in Blue, for example, gives me a bigger bang than anyone else's in my collection.
-----

I've seen him mention it before, and I've heard others (in evil, backroom, "whispering campaign" chatter) giggle about a couple of incidents that are rumored to have happened. Personally, I don't have a problem with someone conducting along with a piece of music. It's just the vision of pompous Perigo doing it as a performance for others that cracks me up. And his trotting out of his high school band conducting glory days in the quote above is pretty precious as well.

Rich wrote,

Quote

It's just so... Good, and True, and Beautiful.    

I might have to send you a fruit basket or something.

Thanks, but I'm not all that big on fruit. Maybe a seafood basket instead?

J
(1981-82 High School Band Student Conductor; 1982 Band President; 1982 recipient of the John Philip Sousa Band Award.)

[Roger Bissell]

While we're in the neighborhood, let me note how ironic it is that Linz pulled out of the Summer Seminar this year. In my duo concert with Ben DiTosti the evening of July 4th, I will be performing (in German, yet) a heroic tenor rendition of "Du Bist Mein Ganzes Herz" ("You Are My Heart's Delight") from an operetta ("The Land of Smiles") by one of Ayn Rand's favorite tiddly-wink composers, Franz Lehar.

If any of you who wear eyeglasses are going to be in the audience for this performance, be forewarned: the high G I hit at the climax of the song WILL shatter the lenses of your eyewear, so you might want to remove them and put them in a coat pocket or purse to protect them from the lethal sound waves. :-)

BTW, Richard Tauber, the guy who had the mega-hit with this song back in the 30s, while not of the same level of enduring fame as Lanza, nevertheless was quite popular both in Germany and here in America, and his recordings are still available from Amazon.com, Border, etc. If you are diligent and skillful in your browsing and googling, you can find some listenable clips of his singing, which is quite manly and romantic.

So, there: anyone in danger of one-dimensional tenor-worship now has another demi-god before whom to worship with headphones and/or conducting baton. <g>

REB

[L W HALL]

Roger,

Just to give you a little idea for getting a head start on next years entertainment, may I make a little suggestion for a solo by Dragonfly.

[Dragonfly]

Yuck!!

[Rich Engle]

REB-

Too bad Perigo can't conduct you. Perhaps some nice open-handed choral-style conducting (the baton could be kept stowed away, wherever on his person that is).

I am intrigued that you have musicology-ed your way into tiddlywinks! Got any more data?

Wouldn't it be grand to have a compilation CD of some of AR's faves? For private use only, of course. I love that kind of music. I adore playing quirky vintage stuff when I have intimate get-togethers... Back to going pretty heavy on the swing stuff right now. You know who's fun, though- Tami Tappan Damiano http://www.musicaltheatreguild.com/members...asp?MemberID=52

The Hot Notes CD is a treat (although I usually skip over "Alfie," just because I'm totally burned on it)- cut one is the bomb.

But I digress...

Jonathan! The next time my roomate goes marlin fishing, I'll dry ice sme down and ship it to you...

I wonder if he knows that he's conducting stuff that's already been conducted, therefore it is karaoke. Freaking awesome.

rde
My Work Here is Done

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Karaoke conducting.

Hmmmmm...

Some might call it dancing...

Jonathan, that dude showing off karaoke conducting to others in order to teach them how great his taste in aesthetics is actually is a hilarious image.

Michael

[Rich Engle]

It is golden, Michael. Golden.

It is the curmudgeon quickstep, the maudlin mambo...

It purely and completely encapsulates. It is the perfect blend of narcissism and social metaphysician-ising (heh), seamlessly integrated with the carny-smack of the seedy impresario.

It is even beyond anything vaudeville could provide.

rde
I will dig up Lanza, pack him in dry ice, and
mail his sorry ass to NZ in a seafood box.

[Reidy]

Air-conducting has deep Objectivist roots. Peikoff reports that it's the first thing AR did when she came home from her surgery. Dagny used to listen to records of Halley's music after a hard day's work; I can't imagine that she never gave into the urge.

Peter

[Rich Engle]

I'd imagine it could be refined into a strategic Objectivist military practice... you could use it to direct your minions.

rde
I'm thinkin' he's done it naked, too. Eeeew!