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HOW HADITHA HAPPENED; WHY IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN "You live like an animal. You learn to like killing. .. Hate civilians. Can't trust the bastards. You hate taking prisoners. You'd rather kill them. Why?" Read Vietnam vet Marc Levy's extraordinary Primer on the Whys and Wherefores of PTSD and understand what is happening in Iraq. PLUS Andrew Lack on the incredible frauds of the bottled water industry. Why you should drink tapwater out of a glass and save your money PLUS Jeffrey St Clair on the deadly secrets of America's oldest bomb factory PLUS Chris Reed on Eros and Militarization: how Japan's sexpot schoolgirls fit into the right's Re-Arm agenda. CounterPunch Online is read by millions of viewers each month! But remember, we are funded solely by the subscribers to the print edition of CounterPunch. Please support this website by buying a subscription to our newsletter, which contains fresh material you won't find anywhere else, or by making a donation for the online edition. Remember contributions are tax-deductible. Click here to make a donation. If you find our site useful please: Subscribe Now! |
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Today's Stories July 1, 2006 Stephen T.
Banko June 30, 2006 Marjorie Cohn Heather Williams Burbach / Cantor Nick Dearden Michael J.
Smith Brian Concannon Virginia Tilley
Bill Quigley Ron Jacobs Paul Craig
Roberts June 28, 2006 Jorge Mariscal Greg Moses Mark Weisbrot Ramzy Baroud Dave Lindorff William S.
Lind Mike Ferner Zoltan Grossman
Marjorie Cohn Benjamin /
Jarrar William Hughes Doug Giebel Uri Avnery Alexander Cockburn
June 26, 2006 Don Santina Ralph Nader Dave Lindorff Rafael Rodriguez-Cruz Evelyn Pringle Jonathan Cook
June 23, 2006 Youmans / Erakat Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Col. Dan Smith
June 22, 2006 Marjorie Cohn Winslow T.
Wheeler Tanya Reinhart Mike Marqusee William Blum
June 21, 2006 Ramzy Baroud Patrick Cockburn Gary Leupp Greg Moses
June 20, 2006 Fred Gardner Omar Waraich Christopher Reed CP Newswire Jonathan Cook
June 19, 2006 Bill Quigley John Walsh Mike Whitney Alexander Cockburn
June 16 / 18,
2006 Kathy / Bill
Christision Joseph Nevins Farrah Hassen Greg Moses Nicole Colson John Scagliotti Mokhiber / Weissmann
June 15, 2006 Kathy Kelly Norman Solomon Ron Jacobs Sam Bahour Ramzy Baroud CounterPunch Wire Gabriel Kolko Website of the Day
June 14, 2006 Nicole Colson Jonathan Cook Joseph Schechla Michael Carmichael Evelyn Pringle Ward Churchill Rev. William E. Alberts Website of the
Day
June 13, 2006 Medea Benjamin Anthony Alessandrini Paul D'Amato Dave Lindorff John Ross Gabriel Garcia Hilton Obenzinger Yitzhak Laor Juan Antonio
Ocasio Rivera Jennifer Van
Bergen Website of the
Day
June 12, 2006 Paul Craig Roberts Patrick Cockburn Mike Marqusee Lee Sustar Robert Fisk Michael J. Smith Felice Pace Jennifer Loewenstein Website of the Day
June 10 / 11,
2006 Robert Fisk Diane Christian Joe Allen Ralph Nader Fred Gardner Dave Lindorff Dave Zirin /
John Cox Dennis Perrin Greg Moses John Chuckman Michael J. Smith Roger Burbach Ira Moskowitz Sam Bahour Seth Sandronsky Michael Berg Kirsten Roberts Ron Jacobs Jeffrey St. Clair Poets' Basement Website of the
Weekend
June 9, 2006 Alexander Cockburn Paul Craig Roberts Gary Leupp Eric Ruder Evelyn Pringle Mickey Z. Michael J. Smith Patrick Cockburn Website of the
Day
June 8, 2006 Chris Floyd Michael Dickinson Ron Jacobs William S. Lind Joshua Frank Missy Comley Beattie Lloyd Williams Bill Christison Website of the Day
June 7, 2006 Dave Lindorff Sunsara Taylor John Walsh David MacMichael Mickey Z. Evelyn Pringle Myles Palmer Laura Ribeiro Website of the Day
June 6, 2006 Diane Christian Paul Craig Roberts Ralph Nader Norman Solomon Darmont / Genovali Manuel Garcia,
Jr. Subcomandante Marcos Patrick Cockburn Website of the Day
June 5, 2006 Bruce Jackson Chris Floyd Michael Neumann Heather Gray William Hughes David Swanson Alexander Cockburn Website of the Day
June 3 / 4, 2006 Robert Fisk James Petras Rosemary Radford Ruether Harry Clark Jeffrey St. Clair Ron Ridenour Ron Jacobs Fred Gardner Peter Montague John Walsh Greg Moses Sean Donahue Mike Whitney Dave Patten Ali Khan Robert Dotson,
MD Hammond Guthrie St. Clair / D'Antoni Poets' Basement Website of the
Day
June 2, 2006 Kathy Kelly Alan Maass Mickey Z. Dave Lindorff Chris Kutalik Sunsara Taylor Sam Husseini Mike Ferner Website of the
Day
June 1, 2006 Brian Cloughley David Peterson Lee Ballinger Jonathan Cook Mike Whitney Paul Rockwell Clifton Ross Kevin Zeese Website of the
Day
May 31, 2006 Dave Lindorff Joshua Frank Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz P. Sainath Ramzy Baroud Seth Sandronsky Mickey Z. Ralph Nader Jeffrey St. Clair Website of the Day
May 30, 2006 Lee Ballinger Jonathan Cook Gary Leupp John Ross Robert Jensen Michael Dickinson Michael Carmichael Tim Wise Harry Browne Website of the
Day
May 27 / 29,
2006 Paul Craig Roberts Kathleen Christison Kathy Kelly Christopher
Reed Lawrence R. Velvel Tom Barry Gary Leupp Col. Dan Smith Ron Jacobs Don Fitz Fred Gardner Peter Montague Raymond Garcia John Farley Seth Sandronsky Tia Steele Lenni Brenner Dr. Susan Block Scott Michael Perey Jeffrey St. Clair Poets' Basement Recipe of the
Weekend Website of the Weekend
May 26, 2006 Col. Douglas
MacGregor Brian J. Foley Michael Dickinson Missy Comley Beattie Pierre Tristam Joe Allen Kona Lowell Roger Burbach Website of the
Day
May 25, 2006 Les AuCoin Jeff Halper Dave Lindorff Ron Jacobs Bob Wing Elise Gould Robert Bryce Website of the Day
May 24, 2006 Michael Donnelly Patrick Cockburn Lucinda Marshall Dave Lindorff Shmuel Rosner Moshe Adler Heather Gray Pratyush Chandra Paul Craig Roberts Floyd Rudmin Website of the Day
May 23, 2006 Paul Craig Roberts Sharon Smith Sunsara Taylor Joel Whitney Alice Cherbonnier Ron Jacobs Kristen Ess Patrick Cockburn Website of the
Day
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Weekend
Edition Chuck Berry is Back in TownRoll Over BeethovenBy PHYLLIS POLLACK June 27 marked the long overdue re-issue of the out-of-print Taylor Hackford masterpiece film, Chuck Berry: Hail Hail, Rock 'N' Roll. Having been present in St. Louis for the two legendary concerts that were held to generate footage for the film, being that I was covering the ensuing events for a magazine, to now see the film reissued twenty years later, and looking back on it now, it feels no more, nor no less, musically historic than it did back then. I was keenly aware of what I was witnessing in 1986, with its karmic depth on many levels, and what the film would come to represent as far as paying dues and paying musical debts. The object of making of the film, was not only to pay tribute to Chuck Berry as an artist, but to also try to decipher the enigma behind the music. The resulting work is not just about the singer, but also about the songs, and the music that would drive both of these. The raw honesty and no holds barred approach of the newly revamped film directed by Hackford, enhanced in this four-disc set, with its added special features, flawlessly punctuates the meaningful relevance the film has, and that it will continue to have long into the future. The documentary is deeply woven by its many subtexts, one of which includes the musical and karmic mission accomplished by Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards.  Chuck Berry's status arguably includes being the most copied guitarist in the history of rock 'n' roll. Part of the collective unconscious of rock, his songs have been covered by countless artists, most notably the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, David Bowie, AC/DC, the MC5, and scads more, including punkers such as the Ramones and the Sex Pistols have also paid homage to him. Berry's double string licks and bends have become anthemic symbols of power, which have been passed on for fifty years of rock. Hackford attempts to find their source and inspiration, and the result is this film. Re-released by Image Entertainment, the film is now seen in widescreen High Definition with remastered DTS and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, along with the original Dolby Stereo theatrical mix. A two-disc version is being released, as well as a special four-disc collectors item set. Also new to the DVD version is close to an hour of never-before-seen concert rehearsals, and an unedited version of the footage that was gleaned when Little Richard, Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry all met together for the first time, reminiscing about the history of rock and roll, to engage in a revealing conversation about racism, economics and the music business. Additional interview footage includes Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Willie Dixon, Roy Orbison and other major figures in rock 'n' roll. The rehearsal footage seen in the original version of the movie, as well as that found in the extra features, is also quite remarkable in many ways, owing to the tension between battle-ready Richards and Berry. Sparks fly, while the rest of the band, and others in the room, watch vigilantly, as flames shoot out of Keith's nose during rehearsals. On October 16, 1986, the evening of Berry's sixtieth birthday, two concerts were held at the Fox Theater in St. Louis, which are seen in the documentary. On stage, Berry and Richards exchanged their trademark licks and rhythms that ultimately changed and directed the course of rock 'n' roll, while a slew of special guests appeared on stage. Among them, John Lennon's son, Julian, sang "Johnny B. Goode," sporting his hair dyed black in a fifties 'do. Even Berry could not help but remark how much he looked and sounded like his late father, who had earlier often remarked about how Berry was a guitar hero of his, and how much he respected the intelligence of his innovative lyrics.  Also part of the enduring legacy of the concert is footage of Etta James' standout version of "Rock And Roll Music." Clapton and Richards set off a riveting blues jam, bleeding chunky guitar riffs that oozed from the stage like a tantalizing potion pouring sheer magic. Steve Jordan's extraordinary drumming was yet another high point of the musical moments of the film. As part of the set's new features, Jordan is interviewed about how he was chosen as the band's drummer, and he candidly addresses some of his professional experiences. Other must-see compelling interview footage in the film, itself, includes Bruce Springsteen, always a captivating storyteller, talking about the night he backed up Chuck Berry in New Jersey. Another section included in this four-disc extravaganza features Robbie Robertson interviewing Berry about his historic scrapbook. Arguably, among the deepest parts of the film are those surrounding the late piano player, Johnny Johnson, one of the primal influences on rock music, not only for keyboardists, but for guitarists, as well. When Berry first had started performing live, it was in Johnny's band, which, as the film explains, Berry would later take over. When Richards ultimately came upon the keyboardist many years later, Johnson was no longer performing, he was driving a bus. The Stones guitarist enlisted Johnson into the house band for the film, and years later, he would induct him into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and there would be other forms of tribute. Hackford describes Johnson as the "direct tie to the original sound" of rock 'n' roll. Despite Berry's self-inflicted isolation, Hackford does a fine job trailing the guitarist's life from his humble beginnings, through his days at the Cosmo Club, to where he virtually lived on the road in 1986. Other subplots unravel, as the film's producer, Stephanie Bennett, tries to decipher the reasons behind the dysfunctional manner in which Berry interacted with people on the set, keying the audience into some of the difficulties working with Berry while filming the movie. Much detail is given surrounding the fact that despite his having signed a contractual agreement prior to the film going into production, Berry continuously and arbitrarily insisted on changing the terms of the contract, literally rewriting his contract every day. Those who view the film will wince more than once while listening to a few of the many tales about Berry, warts and all. The controversies are somehow become easily forgotten, however, while watching rare footage of Berry playing ballads. The movie is captivating viewing throughout, even as Berry's dirty and empty guitar-shaped swimming pool plays like a bizarre metaphor at the end of the film. Phyllis Pollack lives in Los Angeles where she is a publicist and music journalist. She can be reached through her blog.
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from CounterPunch Books! The Case Against Israel By Michael Neumann  Grand Theft Pentagon: Tales of Greed and Profiteering in the War on Terror by Jeffrey St. Clair          Sick of sit-on-the-Fence speakers, tongue-tied and timid? CounterPunch Editors Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St Clair are available to speak forcefully on ALL the burning issues, as are other CounterPunchers seasoned in stump oratory. Call CounterPunch Speakers Bureau, 1-800-840-3683. Or email beckyg@counterpunch.org.                    |
