Iran As Mirror/Lover

by: Paul Rosenberg

Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 00:00

Iran's meaning is dense, dynamic, complex and immediate-it is half like a mirror to us, half like a lover ("I'll Be Your Mirror" as Nico sang.)
--"Changing More Than Congress--Altering The Online/Offline Ecology Of American Politics "

I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are, in case you dont know
Ill be the wind, the rain and the sunset
The light on your door to show that youre home
When you think the night has seen your mind
That inside youre twisted and unkind
Let me stand to show that you are blind
Please put down your hands
cause I see you
--Lou Reed

Velvet Revolution:
The term Velvet Revolution was coined by a journalist after the first events and it caught on in world media and eventually in Czechoslovakia. The media, riding on an infotainment wave, saw this success and started the tradition of inventing and assigning a poetic name to similar events - see color revolution.
It is believed that the term originated from the various communist opposition groups which met in theaters such as the Laterna Magika, velvet referring to the velvet ropes found in all these theaters.[citation needed]
Another theory is that the revolution took its name from The Velvet Underground, an influential American rock and roll band. Václav Havel is a great fan of the Velvet Underground, and is a friend of Lou Reed, who was the principal singer-songwriter of the group, and told Reed after the collapse of communism, "Because of you, I am President."[13] The significance of music as an influence in the revolution is reflected in Frank Zappa (of whom Havel was also a lifelong fan), being asked by Havel to serve as a consultant for the government on trade, cultural matters and tourism.

It wasn't Ronald Reagan who won the Cold War. It was Lou Reed and Frank Zappa. And Nico.

May it be so again.

Paul Rosenberg :: Iran As Mirror/Lover

Tags: "I'll Be Your Mirror", Velvet Underground, America, Iran, (All Tags)

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Iran As Mirror/Lover | 4 comments

I saw a performance of Laterna Magika in Prague in '91 (4.00 / 1)

Something about Franz Kafka (of course). Very impressive and entertaining, from what I recall. When reality falls short of expectations, art makes up the difference. I'm guessing that this is happening in Iran, and that it will manifest itself in ways that the regime cannot imagine or anticipate. President Members Only Jacket is a disgusting and creepy thug. Must have been deprived of art as a child. I imagine that he's the subject of much artistic mockery.

Oh yeah, Velvet Underground.

And theres even some evil mothers
Well theyre gonna tell you that everything is just dirt
Yknow that, women, never really faint
And that villains always blink their eyes, woo!

"Those who stand for nothing fall for anything...Mankind are forever destined to be the dupes of bold & cunning imposture" -- Alexander Hamilton

by: kovie @ Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 01:29:33 AM CDT

by: you @ soon

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Well, this may be a bit farfetched.... (0.00 / 0)

with all respect to Reed, Zappa, and VU, but I really believe that russian underground musicians and songwriters, playing in "speak easy" like establishments, and spreading their work through Musicassettes that were copied thousands of times, were much more influential in changing the public mood in Russia. And this prepared the ground for a rebel like Gorbatchev being able to climb to the top. Imho the US role in ending the cold war is greatly exaggerated.

After all, even though the arms race ruined the SSSR, it wasn't inevitable that this would result in the fall of communism. Evidence: North Korea! Totally bankrupt since decades, but the regime is going strong and acts like it isn't affected at all.

by: Gray @ Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 05:43:00 AM CDT

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I Was Slighting Louise Armstrong, It's True (0.00 / 0)

The influence of Armstrong and other jazz ambassadors starting in the 50s was also huge, and this had a tremendous impact on the Soviet Union as well as the rest of the world. And that was definitely a contributing factor in the blossoming of the Russian underground.

This is not to take anything away from the Russians themselves, it's just that knowing that side of America is what made them generally pro-detente, pro-end-the-Cold-War in their orientation, rather than more nationalistic, which movements from below can also be.

But three things in my defense:

(1) I was focused on Eastern Europe, not Russia.
(2) I was trying to be brief.
(3) The big-picture message would not have altered vis-a-vis Iran and the future.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

by: Paul Rosenberg @ Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 09:36:22 AM CDT

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real change (0.00 / 0)

always comes from the bottom up, the left realizes this, the right are too diluted in their own importance and the fear of any change to accept the obvious.

by: pc @ Sun Jun 28, 2009 at 07:40:00 AM CDT

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Iran As Mirror/Lover | 4 comments

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