Excerpt from "The
Tortoise and the hare (Rabbit)":
EMOTION IS GOOD! NO?
31/07/96 - Weds - I tried the Cathedral to collect a little money
together. I was hungry after the work of the day, but it was low
energy...or I was.
I met Ken Post down the 'Doos and he signalled the possibility of 'Taxi
stop' having a lift to Bern Thursday morning. I'll need to gather 600+
from Wednesday. Craig Ward said that dEUS plan to replace Stef with
three other musicians or singers...and effectively adjust their style.
Kat, Sara and her boyfriend arrived. I was sitting with Craig, DaveR
and Lena. Kat came over and we hugged, while I explained I couldn't
think...let alone talk at her place. She returned to sit with Sara at
the other end of the bar...and I joined them to be sociable.
Brian "sociable"?
Kat and Sara were then saying I can sleep round their place as much as
I wanted, but I told Kat I may be taking the Taxistop Thursday
morning...
"So soon?" she asked, "You find Antwerp boring?"
"No! I don't find Antwerp boring! Quite the opposite!"
"But the money is....?" she moved her hands in a derogatory gesture.
"Not necessarily," I answered, " It's just I see Switzerland as
somewhere to work and Antwerp somewhere for fun."
Once more, strange behaviours seemed to swarm over this situation. Kat
was held in a comforting hug by Sara for a minute or so...and after
this Kat said, "Emotion is good! No?"
"It is!" I answered.
I guess maybe there are words in one of my songs to cover this:
"Like some Avant Garde movie where I'd come along too late - and I'd
missed the beginning, so I couldn't quite relate"
Like a Palace Guard...or, possibly, more like chess pieces protecting
their King on the corner of a board - thus was my impression of Kat and
her friends. I guess I was ill-humoured - I tend to be when I only have
40 odd francs in my pocket and feel a little out of touch (socially)
with what's going on around me.
Sven, Karston and Gerhard arrived, played and then some guy joined
us...saying to me half understood comments about his songwriting and my
songwriting and why not me sing his songs...or vice versa....or write
songs together - and why should he pay three musicians to play his
songs when one of them doesn't like him....but can he have a cigarette,
because he is out of money...?
Maybe it would be interesting to hear what he truly wanted to say, but
a Duvel and a heavy accented English, spoke in a quiet, slightly
garbled way made it hard to focus any clear resolution of where he was
coming from.
Books
Extract from 'HOW OLD IS THE SUN?":
howoldisthesun
Hi Mead! I've done some rough estimates on the the effect of virtual age against real time age in a 'time is temperature' scenario, where light is the propelling force within the solar system.
Sun: 26 million years old
Earth: 780 million years old
Jupiter: 2,340 million years old
Uranus: 4,680 million years old
Neptune: 7,020 million years old
It is quite likely that taking this expansion of time into the nether reaches of the Solar System would bring up a virtual time of 14,500,000,000 years.
This calculation is based on the acceleration of time from the Sun's surface to the Corona - an estimate of 'times170'.
My present idea is that light is the force that positions planets and their spin and orbits. This force will decay with distance. This idea is bound by density also. If I was able to live on the sun I would be incredibly heavy, but my essence would be compressed even though my energy output would constitute an enormous amount of mass. On the further reaches of the solar system the opposite would apply.
Can you see what I'm getting at?
Heroes
15/05/1996 (Diary entry)
A British paratrooper wrote a book about his experiences during the
Falklands war. The ceasefire had been declared an hour or two earlier
as he patrolled, and spotted an Argentinian "probably unaware of the
ceasefire". The Argentinian "moved" to train his rifle on the
Paratrooper. The Paratrooper "emptied his magazine" into the
Argentinian.
With or without a ceasefire this is a common occurrence in war or
conflict. When you are a soldier in a front line you have the knowledge
that only one slip, or moment's hesitation, can mean death. Your
decisions need to be based on split second reasoning.... but they can
also be based on split second fear, foolishness, or any other number of
instinctive reactions. The Para responded more to his training as a
Para, and his effective utilisation of that training in the course of
the war.
Back in England at a fayre on a village green I met an ex-Falklands
veteran who spoke, in a state of deranged grief and tears, about his
comrades dying around him while attacking an enemy position. The
Argentinian conscripts were probably even more horrified by it all,
because professional soldiers do have some sort of notion about the
risks of their profession. But conscripts just fulfill their 'duty in
time', and then move on to their real lives. Paratroopers are trained
killers, but even they are affected by death.
War tests the frontiers of accepted behavioural patterns and can often,
in critical situations, reveal the true unbridled psyche of people who
could have spent their lives appearing entirely normal and unobtrusive.
In a situation where a soldier kills a defenceless victim, that soldier
crashes through an instictive prohibitive boundary of moral behaviour.
If he does it again, it may have less effect on his mind until he can
stumble into becoming one of those fully fledged serial killers who
rear their genocidal heads in conflicts such as Bosnia. The distortion
of the soul of such a person can only be left to the imagination. Most
people would recoil in horror at their deeds, but some may succumb to
the hysteria of the person, or people, who actively enjoy a path of
unbridled murder.
It is a natural thing to view the genocidal actions of Bosnia with
horror. But, one wonders, what would be the result here in Belgium if
such an internecine conflict erupted into open war? Everyone here in
Antwerp would choose sides or interests, or choose to flee it all. It
would be the same as Bosnia, with monsters being formed. On an
international level the Belgians are near the top in terms of
civilised, non aggressive behaviour. But at what level was Yugoslavia
on this list before the conflict?
War relies on the assumption that group A is good, group B is bad.
Nationalism, racism rely on the same criteria.
THERE IS NO PRIDE TO BE TAKEN FROM WHERE, OR WHEN, YOU ARE BORN. People
who use any of this as a crucial point of self esteem are seriously
deluding themselves, because they had no control over either event.
A British paratrooper writes a book and goes to Argentina for an
interview, only to be threatened and shouted at because he chose to
write a book that states what everyone knows: War is never just, nor
fair.
Not only war, but usually politics. Did the Argentines have secret
police murdering and torturing their own countrymen at the same time as
the Falklands war?
Life is not necessarily just.... but honesty should be respected. For
someone to document war or strife is important, just to remind us of
what people living ordinary day to day lives can turn into.... when
open conflict comes their way. The British paratrooper has at least
tried to reconcile his experiences and face them.
Two prisoners. Two captors. Who is on trial?
In the Guardian (two days ago) there was a picture of a scene in
Liberia. Two rival groups (militia). Four men. Two prisoners. Two
captors.
One prisoner, with his arms tied behind his back, stared helplessly at
his fellow prisoner.... who stood naked facing his captors. The captors
knew they had power and the prisoner, being naked, was truly exposed as
at their mercy. The action of one captor seemed to be an intimidatory
threat of assault (aiming his rifle) on the naked prisoner's genitals.
The prisoner's face, even at a side angle, reflected the unbridled fear
of being without power and at the mercy of whatever these two captors
would take a whim to do.
This is the extreme test of the beauty, or gangrene, of the soul for
the captors.
Despite the physical outview, inwardly this is a test for the souls of
the captors.
The prisoners are merely there as victims, or beneficiaries, of the
outcome.
This is a situation that, in obvious milder form, appears day to day in
our interactions with each other. We find ourselves in positions of
power (emotionally or physically) or at the mercy of someone who has
power over us (emotionally or physically).
Armed conflict corrupts. Even a peace loving philosopher may be tested
to the full, as he holds a loaded gun and stares at a member of a rival
faction that has murdered his family and loved ones. The gun is loaded.
The rival faction member is a naked prisoner. No one is going to stop
you from doing what you please with him.
What would be your choice?
What would be mine?
Fate is strange! One day after your choice you may find yourself a
naked prisoner before the father or son of this same rival faction
member. This father/son could be standing there with a loaded gun, with
the same unrestricted choices, and with full knowledge of the outcome
of your choice.
What would be his choice? Where does it end?
Only with the right choices.
Wrong choices over the centuries have led to the Bosnian conflict.
You are listening to "WHAT YER THINK OF THAT?" - Words/music: Brian Pearce.
Player controls are further down the page.
I have bought two more domain names. Here is an update:
www.brianpearce.com www.buskerbrian.com www.leddrain.com www.buskersongs.com www.asindividual.com
To listen to PETAL SEA - LEDDRAIN:
Turn on the myspace music player on LEFT of this page.
To listen to any of the songs listed below, just choose and click. All these songs are hosted on my personal website:
www.buskerbrian.com
Brian busked the streets and bars of Europe between the years 1994 and
2000. In addition he busked in New York while participating in the
TIGHTROPE musical, a play written by Ken Post [ with Bonnie Burns].
The journal exists, at present, as approx. 750,000 hand written words
formatted in about 55 segments (five segments are now online)- or as
audio read out with musical background [for mood] on audio cassettes,
using a Sony cassette-corder TCM-939. Rough, but on the road 'live'
feel about it. The journal is potentially commercial, but it awaits
presentation clues etc...
How did Brian become the distracted Hare racing against the Tortoise?
What was born from the death of Lone Wolf? What was the monster that
rampaged amongst the inner cities of Brian? What propelled Brian into
the Labyrinth in '95? In what way did Brian become Merlin aiding Prince
Arthur to extract a sword from a stone? What resulted from Brian using himself as a
'muse'?
Along the way, he met Philip Seibel. These days, Philip Seibel is the force behind the music of Leddrain. You can check out his songs, or listen to a couple of my more modestly recorded efforts, below.
Thanks Brian, really glad you like the vocals! A few other people have likened me to Melanie - I'm going to check her out. Keep in touch! Hannah (& John)
i completely agreee, i cant wait to have it done professionally :) There will be percussion and all sorts! (and recorded by someone other than me!) Thank you for your views Brian :) Hope you are well x
I love that Tightrope video. Jan says it reminds her of a Shane McGowan (although you look nothing like him, she hastens to add ) New Year's performance she once saw of 'Fairy Tale Of New York!' I think that's a cracking contribution you made! Quite outstanding!
Hello Brian, its great to hear from you. Have you got a music player with your tracks? I like the song that is playing.
I wouldnt say im attracted by meloncholy, these are just things i want to address and share with the world in hope i gain a better understanding. I would love to know your story. I just wish i knew what to do.
Online Now!
