endangeredphoenix
Collective influenced by Marxism, Anarchism, the Situationists and other elements of anti-statist communistic tendencies in theory and practice - writing about a collection of issues faced by the working class in modern day capitalism.
Where We Stand
This was an unpublished text from the late 80s. We put this brief text out, on the now extinct 'Endangered Phoenix' site, not because we think exactly like this now - but more of an example of an attitude in an earlier epoch, an epoch when, for instance, ‘Class War’ was a growing organisation. However, it was never published even in the 80s partly because the author thought it was a bit of brash bravado. But we do hold to its general attitude and spirit.
WHERE WE STAND
1.
Muzak to my ears - canned music and class struggle
Public space and muzak as policing.
Muzak to my ears
"If you want more Mozart in your life, start loitering."
The Thought of a Thoughtless world
EndangeredPhoenix's critique of computers and the internet, focusing on education.
A CRITIQUE OF COMPUTERS AND THE INTERNET
Who gives a toss?
This text was distributed at the beginning of 1998 in Hornsey, North London, in an area where a regeneration project was being proposed by the council, a project which directly threatened the quality of life of the author, who was living 100 metres from the supermarket area to be developed. After a couple of years or so, the supermarket aspect of the project was abandoned, though it's impossible to say whether the distribution of this text played a small part in the abandonment or not (probably not). It is followed by a text on looting and shops produced as part of the text "Miner Conflicts - Major Contradictions" in July 1984.
Photo: Safeways burning during the Watts riot of 1965.
REGENERATION = DEGENERATION
but
WHO GIVES A TOSS?
but
WHO GIVES A TOSS?
...WE DO!!!
Death of a Walrus
Published at the beginning of 1981, shortly after his assassination, this is a text on the death of John Lennon, whose subject is not Lennon himself, but the great lamenting public.
The photo here is of Lennon as a kid.
Death of the walrus (on the death of John Lennon)
“Theory is for the critic of the audience.”
"The idea is not to comfort people ~ not to make them feel better, but to make them feel worse."
The above two quotes are from John Lennon, which the author (Harry Harris), implicitly, turns against him.
****************
1986-1987: France goes off the rails
Documents about and analysis of the mass workers struggles of students and workers in France from November 1986 to January 1987.
Between the end of November 1986 and January 1987 France experienced some significant social struggles.
1969: Revolution as personal and as theatre
Written in March 2001, this is essentially autobiographical, but gives a good flavour of the epoch (free concerts, street/political theatre, the beginning of squatting and the London Street Commune, skinheads v. long hairs, Schools Action Union, The Festival of Light, strikes, etc). It also contains some reflections on other aspects of theatre (e.g. Brecht).
The photo here is of 144 Picadilly, squatted in 1969 and talked about in this article.
1969:
revolution as personal and as theatre
1968, for all of those who wanted to live against a world without future, was a great year. But as almost always at that time, I was a late developer. It was 1969 before I got going.
1969 was good but wasn’t great: it seems useful to reflect on this period a bit, as a bit of contrast with the madness of today’s normality.
For a dignified and effective demonstration
The following was handed out at a demo against the increase in London's fares by the House of Lords in 1982. At the top were the photos on the left, with the words ‘Correct’ under the photo of Cliff Richard, and ‘Incorrect’ under the photo of the wolf.
FOR A DIGNIFIED AND EFFECTIVE DEMONSTRATION
Brought to you by the ALL-LONDON UNITED ALLIANCE OF SOCIALIST CAUCUSES to whom the following are signatories: G.L.C., London Labour Party, T.U.C., S.W.P., W.R.P., I.M.G., C.N.D., Ecology Party, Y.C.L., and B.F.
"Shakespeare was a fake!" horror shock!
A kind of jokey leaflet produced in the autumn of 1984 to be handed out for a performance of Shakespeare's "A Winter's Tale".
"SHAKESPEARE WAS A FAKE!"
HORROR SHOCK!
True Confessions of a Market Trader
This text, completed in January 2001, is an analysis of some aspects of working as a stallholder in a market in Camden, and a glance at what it means to be "petit-bourgeois" in Marxist terms in today's epoch.
“I am technically a petit-bourgeois - I buy and sell, and trade in a market. I am not “petit-bourgeois” if by that is meant “small capitalist”, since I never employ anybody, except in the way almost everyone does, like they might pay a car mechanic or electrician, for example.
