Lifehouse, credit cards, and the porn beast

[Ken in MD <seahawkman2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

>>> Kevin.ONeal@vtmednet.org 01/28/03 10:12AM >>>
>>Well, last night after plowing my driveway in 15 
below temps, I cozy'd up next to the wood stove and
read all of the posts by Ken on the Lifehouse
interview and also Keet's thoughts, etc.<<

That's alot of reading!  Hope you had a nice glass of
brandy and a little Who music on for background...
maybe Lifehouse Chronicles? ;-)
 
>>First off, Ken, rock on! thanks for all the
interview research and posts.<<

You're welcome!  I'm trained professionally as a
historian, so sleuthing these sources has been a good
way to keep those skills sharp.  As I've found sources
I've thought it would be helpful to others to read or
re-read them too.

>>Pete's mind is amazing. His thoughts are almost
frightening at times.  He gets so fucking deep.<<

Agreed. The wheels are turning in him constantly. 
Perhaps too much.  As I listened to a Quad '97 boot
this morning it amazed me to realize that the whole
Lifehouse perspective and project was probably never
too far from his mind even as he was putting together
an astounding first-ever presentation of Quadrophenia.

As difficult as the Lifehouse idea was to get across
in 1971 it really does seem that it blossomed again in
the 1990s for Pete.  First his imposed recuperation in
1991-92 and his recovery of childhood memories of
abuse through talking with his mother.  Then
Psychoderelict and the theme of a reclusive rock star
making a comeback and rediscovering intimacy at the
peril of his reputation.  The arrest of Gary Glitter
in 1997 surely gave his quest a new urgency, as he
dates his efforts to speak out about the dark side of
the Internet to that year.  In the body of work,
interviews, and diary entries he put out throughout
the decade the concept matured and, at least for me,
finally begins to make sense and resonate.  

The elements of "compressed life experiences," "being
able to gain the "fruits" of more than one life,"
getting out and "showing up" that come to the fore in
Lifehouse and the interviews are truly profound views
of the battle between real humane life and life as
ordered by purveyors of mass culture.  Speaking from
his perspective as a sober, recovering alcholic, he
knows only too well the risks of giving in to
self-medication. Now the medications are much more
prevalent, insidious, cunning, and speak directly to
the core of human impulses - the urge to "connect"
sexually.

His prediction that the future technology will not be
oxidized metal but living virutal flesh is probably
not far fetched.  Hey, I can already order porno from
my armchair with a few clicks of the remote, courtesy
of the largest cable company in the U.S.!  

Pete touched on an element that highlights the danger
of "tuning-out" with virtual flesh in A Different
Bomb. The imperative of pornographers to constantly
refresh their sites with pictures of fresh victims.
The pornography suppliers know perfectly well the
nature of the sex addiction gripping their customers:
one or two viewings of one picture or type of picture
and the shock/titillation value is gone.  The next
round must be "better," more shocking, more extreme,
push the envelope just farther enough to spark a
thrill.  The most effective siren call, it would
appear by what we see on TV, page 3 models, and what
we hear about sites like Avalanche, is to make the
models younger and the "action" more explicit. In sex
addiction this is known as escalation.

That is why I am worried that Pete said on January 11,
"I've always been into pornography and I have used it
all my life."  Was Pete immune from the escalation
that thousands of his fellows succumb to, and that the
the porn industry exploits to part them from their
money?

You're right, Kevin, that pornography or the porn
impulse is deeply ingrained in western society. Its
huge. Where does it start and where does it end?  Does
checking out the pretty young school girl qualify? 
perhaps it depends on what you do with it.  Is it a
passing fancy for a moment or does it lead one to make
a foray into a whole area of porn that the purveyors
have ready and waiting?

What to do about it? all I know is that governments
are not equipped to detect or address it and the
failure to acknowledge how banks, credit card
companies, and media are implicated does not help. The
private sector, though they certainly show no such
hesitation when it comes to tracking down music file
swapping (now affirmed by the U.S. courts to force
ISPs to identify suspects in this area) won't address
this because they are making billions off of it.

We won't know for some time if ever what Pete was
thinking when he, in his words, "used a credit card to
enter a site advertising child porn."  The suggestions
Kevin makes - like interupting TKAA to talk about it -
or setting up info booths at concerts or links to
legitimate organizations fighting it on his website -
would surely have been a better course.  

Agreed that is 20/20 hindsight.  In some ways, though,
I can't help but agree with Keith Richards approach:
"Dear Pete, shut up." Well its too late for that.  I'm
praying that all is as he says and that he will emerge
from this to carry on the fight.

Ken in MD
Don't listen to the words I say, weighing up if I'm
enlightened,
Don't shiver as you pass me by, 'cause mister I'm the
one who's frightened,
The police just came and left, they wanted me and no
one else,
Don't pretend that you know me 'cause I don't even
know myself,
I said I don't know myself.
Wish I did.
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com