[kj] Killing joke and Communism

[B. Oliver Sheppard]

I like the Killng Joke hammer & sickle logo. I'm pretty sure Alex is 
right that it is an ultimately meaningless thing, a kind of punk-era 
playing with ideological symbols of the past to be provocative -- the 
Sex Pistols wore swastikas, they did also wear commie symbols (and not 
just in the Alex Cox movie) while bands like Durruti Column were named 
after an anarchist band, and Crass of course employed the crossed-out 
cross and circle-A, though, dammit, they were serious. Punk started all 
that "let;s use provocative political symbols to get a rise out of 
people" stuff.

A few years ago there was a trend of army green messenger bags with red 
stars on them, or black shirts with a big red star on the, probably 
intended to invoke associations w/ communism and/or anarcho-syndicalism. 
Of these are all made by capitalist outfitters. It's one of those 
punk-started things that percolated up into mass market conusmerist culture.

Jaz's political statements have been so wild and varied over the years I 
dunno where to consistently place him on any scale.

They also used Nazis saluting a pope! One of my fave band-appropriated 
images ever used. :)

-Oliver


Frank Frik wrote:

> And perhaps British labour goverment wouldn't be offended...lnew 

> labour from communists is not that far....swastica defended/and do  

> the ''conservationist democrat centrist right wing. partys''. 

>

> */Mister Black <ssssssssss at fsmail.net>/* wrote: