As Flies To Wanton Boys We Are For The Gods

The last day of the year, time to get 2019 over and done with. I said in my end of year review that musically it's been a bumper year but in many other ways 2019 has been a headlong descent into the abyss, a continuous political nightmare with no way out for at least five years. Johnson looks set to carry out the formal separation of the UK from the EU at the end of January, getting Brexit done as he hammered home during five weeks of campaigning. His majority in parliament and electoral mandate gives him the freedom to do it as he pleases. Some kind of hard Brexit will be done by the end of 2020 with the Farage/Johnson fanboys and fan girls triumphant. Grim as fuck. In the USA imperial tyrant toddler Donald Trump is in the process of being impeached but it doesn't seem to actually mean anything as the Republicans in the senate will fall in line and clear him regardless. Again, grim as fuck.

*shakes head, slaps cheeks, exhales*

Blogging is a good platform to celebrate the positive and to find the best in things and in these circumstances you've got to get your kicks where you can. I posted this clip at the end of the summer but it remains one of my highlights of 2019. Back in August Eric Cantona stood up at the UEFA to receive the President's Award, a recognition of his commitment in helping to improve the lives of others and as 'a man who refuses compromise, stands up for his values and puts his heart and soul into supporting the causes he believes in'. In accepting the award Cantona quoted King Lear and then went off at an even further tangent...



“As flies to wanton boys, we are for the gods. They will kill us for the sport. Soon, the science will not only be able to slow down the ageing of the cells, soon the science will fix the cells to the state and so we will become eternal. Only accidents, crimes, wars will still kill us but unfortunately crimes and wars will multiply. I love football.”

I ripped the audio from the clip above and have dropped it into playlists and onto compilation CDs. You can do the same if you want. 

Eric Cantona speech August 2019

This came out in the summer, a long slow deep house thumper from Scott Fraser and Louise Quinn. It still sounds like a good way to spend ten minutes. 



And then there's this one from Roisin Murphy, one of the most creative, consistent and exuberant writers and performers on the planet. In June I fell hook, line and sinker for Incapable. Her next masterpiece Narcissus came out in November and is disco perfection. I didn't post it at the time and today feels like as good a day to do it as any.



Happy new year everyone. Have a good one tonight whether you're in or out, going big or staying small and to quote Mr Weatherall from his monthly transmission for NTS radio 'don't let the grubby little opportunists drag you down'. See you in 2020 for more of the same.