THE ROLLER COASTER OF DEATH

Actually the picture is of a relatively harmless ride. So far the Euthanasia Coaster only exists as a diagram. See below.

“The Euthanasia Coaster, designed by London's Royal College of Art's student Julijonas Urbonas, lets you ride the last ride of your life. Literally. The three-minute ride involves a long, slow, climb -- nearly a third of a mile long -- that lifts one up to a height of more than 1,600 feet, followed by a massive fall and seven strategically sized and placed loops. The final descent and series of loops take all of one minute. But the gravitational force -- 10 Gs -- from the spinning loops at 223 miles per hour in that single minute is lethal. According to Urbonas, the "Euthanasia Coaster is a hypothetic euthanasia machine in the form of a roller coaster, engineered to humanely -- with elegance and euphoria -- take the life of a human being." Euthanasia Coaster isn't simply meant to be about death. Urbonas sees it as both an intellectual and artful departure from the world, one that isn't about the paperwork and medical issues of the current euthanasia system. The few places where voluntary euthanasia is legal include: Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. "There is no special ritual, nor is death given special meaning except that of the legal procedures and psychological preparation. It is like death is divorced from our cultural life…" Urbonas writes. "…But if it is already legal, why not to make it more meaningful?"

Click here for Billy Idol

The secret word is Mercy

BY THEIR LUGGAGE SHALL YOU KNOW THEM

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING?

GO CROW GO!

(Based on the work of the late great Edward Barker)

EVEN THOUGH I’VE MOVED BACK TO THE UK I STILL LOVE ELIZABETH WARREN

She is currently running for a Democratic Senate seat in Massachusetts. I just hope democracy holds up for her.

Click here for Jackie Wilson

Click here for some ways and means of resistance (Supplied by our pal Nicola N-B)

The secret word is Simplicity

ALWAYS REMEMBER CAPITALISM IS WITHOUT TASTE OR BOUNDARIES

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR

Click here for Was Not Was

WHEN REALITY TEETERS ON THE BRINK OF HALLUCINATION

Physical recovery is somewhat akin to climbing the smooth sides of a deep and badly lit conical pit in which one is never totally certain any given object or concept is quite what it appears and slipping back is always a possibility. Especially when pit is in the realm of King Ognik.

Click here for the Move

The secret word is Handhold

AND EVEN THE SUICIDE HOTLINE IS DOWN

You know the tilt is still to distortion.

THE FROZDICK FAMILY

Billy Bob Frozdick should never have married the mountain gorilla.

I GLOW, THEREFORE I AM

(This is an official Catapocalypse warning notice.)

GRATUITOUS BARDOT

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

I recover but my physicians and others who know tell me it’ll take time and warn me about raising anything like a towering fury over the grim stupidity of the conservative destruction of our global economy lest I relapse. But I am clearly getting better because I’m bored and the image of an egg conjures irrational and uncalled-for memories of Dean Swift, Lilliput, and Gulliver's bloody Travels…

“An intra-Lilliputian quarrel which involved a quarrel over the practice of breaking eggs. Formerly, in Lilliput, all eggs were broken on the larger end; but a few generations in the past, an Emperor of Lilliput had decreed that all eggs be broken on the smaller end. The differences between Big-Endians (those who broke their eggs at the larger end) and Little-Endians had given rise to "six rebellions... wherein one Emperor lost his life, and another his crown".

Click here for Uncle Bill Burroughs on the drums.

The secret word is Lucozade

MARILYN SEZ...

“He is recovering. Whether that’s good news remains to be seen.”

INBRED CAT

(Stolen from Facebook) And click here for cats in sinks donated by our lovely hipspinster.

WHILE REGAINING OUR HEALTH, WE REACH FOR THE EASY AND INEVITABLE PICTORIAL CONTENT

Is all this medical talk and lack of deadly cogent commentary getting boring? Try it from where I’m sitting. (Or click here for a vintage Farren/Colquhoun tune that’s just showed up on YouTube.)

The secret word is Patient

I’VE HAD MY UPS AND DOWNS WITH LEMMY’S CAPITALIST LEANINGS THROUGH THE DECADES, BUT THIS IS A PRETTY COOL PIECE OF MERCHANDISE.

Sadly the Motorhead deck of cards doesn’t seem to be on sale in the UK. (Although some American cousin might send me one –hint?) Click here for Lem earning.

GRATUITOUS NAKED LADY WHO LOOKS LIKE ELIZABETH TAYLOR BUT PROBABLY ISN’T

Click here for Smokey

THE CAT TURNED BLUE. WHAT WERE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?

I promised not blog until at least partially recovered from my recent malady, but some things can’t be ignored no matter the risk.

Click here for Judy. (He’s still delirious!)

The secret words are Laid and Up

THE FROZDICK FAMILY

Max and Maudie Frozdick always had the answer to what ailed them.

SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM

BUT BLESS THE AMERICAN PENIS

Two days ago, Paul Krugman reported in The New York Times…

“During Monday’s G.O.P. presidential debate. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Representative Ron Paul what we should do if a 30-year-old man who chose not to purchase health insurance suddenly found himself in need of six months of intensive care. Mr. Paul replied, “That’s what freedom is all about — taking your own risks.” Mr. Blitzer pressed him again, asking whether “society should just let him die.” And the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts of “Yeah!”

SUNDAY BREAKFAST (Two Weeks Later)

Just to remind me never to stop expecting the unexpected, I am right now recovering from the painful zap of a big bad bout of pleurisy on top of my already existing Doc Holliday lung condition. Although not actually life-threatening, the episode put a decided crimp in my pursuit of happiness, and a temporary but highly significant slow-down on my creative endeavors. This is my first outing to the internet in two weeks and I'm currently still hiding from Facebook etc. to avoid a deluge of well-wishers wanting answers and explanations. I guess I’ll maybe get to that later today or tomorrow if I have the strength. My doctor (bless her and the socialized medicine she brought to my aid) has told me to take it really easy for a few more days but, after that, I fear I will be forced to face the fearful catch-up of all that I have failed to accomplish.

Click here for a sibling

The secret word was Sick

MARILYN SEZ...

“He really was quite unwell. But reasonably well behaved according to Finn the cat.”

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

Pony Girl drinks before she continues her rides to the high frontier – or maybe she is ridden to the ragged sky and up a cloudy draw – certainly motivated by her own driving inner soul, lost but found just as Sunday now finds me in a condition of giddy disheveled surrealism were all control is lost and I take my instruction from gravity and the flood and I am pleased to comply because it is a indoor relief in these externally dire times to be able to stop making sense and let the sentences spill into the clear September air, unconstricted by the confines of desperate isolation. The rain comes and goes to the point that I am no longer required to believe that it will rain forever, and I will again sip a Campari and soda at my leisure amid the bright blooms in garden of earthly delights, and there will always be water for Pony Girl when she pauses.

Click here for vintage Dolls

The secret word is Harness

MARILYN SEZ...

“All this veiled hyper-abstract veiled introspection is getting quite unnerving.”

YOU THINK YOU’VE GOT TROUBLES?

WHAT IF WE GAVE A HOLOCAUST AND NOBODY CAME?

Click here for Alexis Korner

SHALL WE TURN AWAY AND WEEP?

Last night I did a show in London . It went well, I believe, but left me a little shattered. But then, today, this dropped into the inbox, telling me that the shit is never going to end. I've been reading stories like this all my long life. And we'll keep readingb them unless we keep talking and resisting, even when the human race hardly seems to merit the effort. (Click image to enlarge the text.)

Click here for Jim

The secret word is Weary

But what ironic images do we follow this with?

BOB WITH A TIRE?

CANDY WITH A GUN?

A UFO BURNING CHICAGO IN 1871?

TOMORROW KNOWS

Come along if you can to our a gallery opening and live performance tomorrow Thursday September 1st at SPACE, 129 – 131 MARE STREET, LONDON E8 3RH (020 8525 4330). I’ll be reading my poetry accompanied by master guitarist Andy Colquhoun and percussionist, Jaki Miles-Windmill.

Click here for a sample of what we do

The secret word is Returned

I AM THE LIZARD KING – I HAVE TURNED BLUE

WHERE’S MY DOME, YOU BASTARDS?

Back in the middle of the 20th century they promised us that we’d live in Bucky Fuller domes, that we’d vacation on Mars, and there would be a bloody great mysterious monolith orbiting Jupiter. Zero out of three is pathetic.

“It’s hard to believe that people once thought we’d all be living in domes by the year 2000, but this delightful retro article from Popular Science confirms that the future is a lot squarer than people in the 60s and 70s thought it would be. The geodesic dome was the brainchild of R. Buckminster Fuller, who felt that the simplicity of design and ease with which it could be built would catch on like wildfire across the country, and claimed rather ambitiously that it could replace all manner of traditional housing. However, Fuller hadn’t taken the cost of repairs into consideration, nor the problems that would be encountered bringing the dome up to code, and the awkward shape of the panels made replacing them a real pain, so the geodesic dome fad fell along the wayside, becoming nothing more than a vision of the future that was never meant to be. If you want to read more about the “dome of the future”, follow the link to PopSci, where you’ll find lots more info, and pages from past Popular Science articles detailing the rise and fall of the housing dome fad.” Click here for more.

Click here for Prince (formerly)

The secret word is Disappointed

THE FROZDICK FAMILY

Verity Frozdick saw no evil.

BAT-SAN

I have no information about this. I just find it visually cool. Much the same also applies to the next image as you scroll down. But click here first for The Who

GRATUITOUS ANONYMOUS

THE FOOLS OF TEXAS ARE UPON YOU

As the USA succumbs to a creeping insanity, the state of Texas leads the field. A new state-mandated school curriculum officially called the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills is in fact a mess of arrant nonsense and extreme right fundamentalist claptrap that will pitchfork Texans into some anti-intellectual heart of darkness.

"Perhaps you have heard something about a labor movement in the 20th century? No longer will your children. The only reference to a 20th-century labor movement will come when learning about Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta. No mention of the Fair Labor Standards Act or the National Labor Relations Act. No mention of strikes or any labor dispute. The words "labor movement" were taken out of the TEKS. Perhaps there is not enough time because students must now "understand how the free enterprise system drives technological innovation ... such as cell phones, inexpensive personal computers and global positioning products." Students will learn about the contributions of Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority. Maybe the students will read Falwell's claim that feminists and homosexuals were partially responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Phyllis Schlafly, the Heritage Foundation and the NRA are all included. Students will also be required to "discuss the meaning of ‘In God We Trust.' History in Texas classrooms will be decidedly different from when we were students. I never learned "both the positive and negative impacts of ... country and western music" in my high school history class. Where would you rate Estée Lauder in terms of historical importance to our country? If you think she is one of the 68 most important historical figures, you agree with the board. Yes, the board included her in the state curriculum, but not George Washington.” Click here for more.

Click here for Korn

The secret word is Hopeless

TRON SCOOTER

This is actually a kid-sized Tron light cycle that small children can own, ride, and, I would imagine, look and feel extremely cool in the process. I am so goddamned jealous. Why didn’t we have stuff like that?

PLEASE TAKE NOTE

GRATUITOUS CONNERY

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

No, my friends, I am not drinking Tang on the moon this Sunday, although, in some respects I’m fascinating close. If we extend the NASA metaphor, I guess you could say I was flat on my back, strapped down in the command module, as the countdown comes closer to ignition, lift-off, and that Atlas blast of acceleration to escape velocity. The band that constitutes The Deviants Last Stand is on the pad. We are seriously seeking selected shows all over this land. Meanwhile I have a reading next week, a poetry collection I need to get into print, and much more fact and fiction to keep me pounding at the keyboard. No to mention what’s laughing called civilization is clearly coming apart at the seams. As I write this NYC is in hiding from a hurricane. And while not wanting to actively talk about my private life, it seems to have a taken a turn for the totally who’d-have-though-it, and I’m no longer buying into the concept that I’m better equipped to write the good fight when fucked up and miserable. Like Jim said, “Summer’s almost gone.” It’s time to reap the mists and mellow fruitfulness of fall and take ownership of the night that will be drawing in. (For our younger readers, Tang – a powdered orange drink – was taken to the moon by NASA’s Apollo astronauts back when we still dreamed of infinity.)

Click here for Elvis (I mean, who else?)

The secret word is Rising

MARILYN SEZ...

“It’s like Bill Hicks told us – ‘It’s a choice between fear and love.’”

THE CATAPOCALYPSE IS NEAR

I’M NOT KIDDING

MAYBE NEARER THAN YOU THINK