Ben Watson delivered this at Zappanale 14 in July.
A couple of things jumped out at me from it; “..he (FZ) told me that he had never read any philosophy at all. He said he lost the thread everytime I quoted Theodor Adorno..” [ I’m with you there Frank]. Also; a quote from Willhelm Reich, “Mysticism is nothing other than unconscious longing for orgasm.”
WTAYH. Nicely illustrated too.
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An enjoyable read actually, once you get to make abstraction of the “pink type on limegreen background” atrocity. As usual Watson is way over my head when he starts to quote Adorno et all, but some points made are quite valid. Interesting stuff on the OSFA cover graphics too. I declare this Cool Link of the Day!
Complicated huh. Seems to start of interestingly, with noticing things y’r average listener – say like myself – doesn’t. But, and of course this is my interpretation, i think it becomes just so much intellectual diarrhoea.
I mean, ‘In its hostility to Faith as the alien realm of essence lying in the beyond, it’s what we call the Enlightenment.’ – This sentence must be close to, if not actual, gibberish.
‘In other words, there is no self-sufficient, immortal “soul” in the Platonic or Christian sense.’ – I can understand this, but, know of no zappa reference to support it. Titties and beer mentions 900 yr old souls ?
‘The evanescent itself must be regarded as essential…’ – Hegel. Ok. ‘Anyone who does not believe in the immortality of the soul must take Hegel seriously on this…’ What. This seems to imply a belief in the existence of souls, but not the possibility of their immortality. Isn’t this just taking a step too far. Or a step not far enough, for ben to understand what he himself is saying.
And finally, ‘A person sitting on a sofa and listening to a record – perhaps smoking a cigar, or asking the sofa “Divan, Divan … Weisst du wer ich bin” – is a consciousness
perceiving the universe and is hence in a sense godlike.’. Nuff said, why bother with all these somewhat confusing words, put the stereo on, and spare your soul from their stresses. Mortal life is too short.