For some reason, this song has always reminded me of the folk singer/protest singer Phil Ochs, who was a handsome fellow (often compared to & said to be in competition with Dylan) whose politics crippled him after Nixon's triumph in 1968 & the continuing war in Vietnam. But of course this could be about any deeply political/countercultural singer, especially ones that (unlike Ochs) never strayed from their politics.
Ochs never professed Maoism, as far as I know. Maoist thought was Mao Zedong's spin on communist thought, & helped both make Marxism more Chinese in character while distancing itself from the Soviet Union, who were unfriendly to Mao's China. This little box is no place to discuss the intricacies of Maoism, but I note that many famous left-wing entertainers flirted with Maoism, most prominently John Lennon & Yoko Ono in the 1970s, so it's probably that - & also the fact that "Maoist intellectual" rolls off the tongue much more fluidly that "Trotskyist" or "Marxist-Leninist Intellectual."
This is Momus (who took his name from the Greek god of Satire) at his most cynical & biting. The record companies frown on the good-looking, articulate singer for obvious reasons - & he chides them for not helping him "build his personality cult." & the working classes hate him for being the three things they (according to Momus) loathe: agitated, organized & over-educated.
In the end, he has to abandon his political thought when age steals his good looks, & certainly Momus' most ironic & sour statement about the whole situation is that the musician not only completely repudiates his life upon death, but he also wishes he could have actively opposed people like him in his life.
Sharp-edged enough to draw blood, from the young Momus in his prime, with all the music - which sounds like it's been stolen from a perverted carnival - performed by Nick Currie himself. Awesome stuff.
@vchamberlain great post! On my part, the song reminds me of a Marxist friend of mine who was completely delirious about that kind of stuff (I mean politics).
@vchamberlain great post! On my part, the song reminds me of a Marxist friend of mine who was completely delirious about that kind of stuff (I mean politics).
For some reason, this song has always reminded me of the folk singer/protest singer Phil Ochs, who was a handsome fellow (often compared to & said to be in competition with Dylan) whose politics crippled him after Nixon's triumph in 1968 & the continuing war in Vietnam. But of course this could be about any deeply political/countercultural singer, especially ones that (unlike Ochs) never strayed from their politics.
Ochs never professed Maoism, as far as I know. Maoist thought was Mao Zedong's spin on communist thought, & helped both make Marxism more Chinese in character while distancing itself from the Soviet Union, who were unfriendly to Mao's China. This little box is no place to discuss the intricacies of Maoism, but I note that many famous left-wing entertainers flirted with Maoism, most prominently John Lennon & Yoko Ono in the 1970s, so it's probably that - & also the fact that "Maoist intellectual" rolls off the tongue much more fluidly that "Trotskyist" or "Marxist-Leninist Intellectual."
This is Momus (who took his name from the Greek god of Satire) at his most cynical & biting. The record companies frown on the good-looking, articulate singer for obvious reasons - & he chides them for not helping him "build his personality cult." & the working classes hate him for being the three things they (according to Momus) loathe: agitated, organized & over-educated.
In the end, he has to abandon his political thought when age steals his good looks, & certainly Momus' most ironic & sour statement about the whole situation is that the musician not only completely repudiates his life upon death, but he also wishes he could have actively opposed people like him in his life.
Sharp-edged enough to draw blood, from the young Momus in his prime, with all the music - which sounds like it's been stolen from a perverted carnival - performed by Nick Currie himself. Awesome stuff.
@vchamberlain great post! On my part, the song reminds me of a Marxist friend of mine who was completely delirious about that kind of stuff (I mean politics).
@vchamberlain great post! On my part, the song reminds me of a Marxist friend of mine who was completely delirious about that kind of stuff (I mean politics).