tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post3196822170948640493..comments2023-07-30T08:37:02.307-07:00Comments on The Leibowitz Society: London's BurningLeibowitz Societyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-23648481912687244172011-09-27T05:59:13.579-07:002011-09-27T05:59:13.579-07:00Well, I guess the rational response is the humor a...Well, I guess the rational response is the humor always contains a small edge of pain?<br /><br />I should've been a little more specific -- I know that they used reeds, in the same way that that intestines were used for the manufacture of strings. The problem is -- like with the manufacture of treated skin for clothing -- there are nuances for the production of these items which have either been lost, or people have incorrect information to work with. <br /><br />Reflecting on it, I don't know if it's really all that important or not, although I think we tend to equate "civilization" with the arts, more than anything else, over the ages.Leibowitz Societyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-5529702844814362862011-09-27T05:17:55.617-07:002011-09-27T05:17:55.617-07:00What did woodwind instruments use for reeds. Oh th...What did woodwind instruments use for reeds. Oh this is a classic. You sir owe me a painkiller pill. I have two broken ribs and you just made me laugh.<br /><br />They used reeds, you hapless child of the industrial age. Actual reeds. Wild cane.<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reed_%28instrument%29Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-48140715793586318112011-08-12T18:07:02.117-07:002011-08-12T18:07:02.117-07:00Josh,
For some reason, I have this mental picture...Josh,<br /><br />For some reason, I have this mental picture of Burning Man going on, techno music and all, even after the collapse. <br /><br />What did woodwind instruments use for reeds before the industrial age? I've had a long-standing interest in early music, but never extended it to the actual construction of instruments. <br /><br />I'm also curious about strings -- steel strings would be difficult to make. Drums seem to definitely be "in" -- I've talked to a couple of people who made their own tribal/primitive drums.<br /><br />-JohnLeibowitz Societyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-29101561182330288242011-08-12T12:25:45.519-07:002011-08-12T12:25:45.519-07:00I have though a lot about music making post-collap...I have though a lot about music making post-collapse and I can't avoid the thought that any electronic music is going to be in trouble. Electric guitars, amps, PA systems, synthesizers ect. are dependant on cheap energy and as such are vulnerable. But who knows? maybe it will become fashionable to have armies of stationary bike powered generators to keep rock shows going after the power goes out. <br /><br />Personally, I'm glad I chose the sax as my main instrument years ago as it requires no electric amplification. I do feel that I may want to stock up big time on reeds in case of supply-line disruptions. Acoustic instruments are obviously more resilient than those dependant on electricity: Violins, pianos, acoustic guitars, drums, singing etc will be valuable to have. I'd like to think that musicians who have some skill in playing one or more of these acoustic instruments will be in greater demand post-collapse to provide entertainment especially if recorded music becomes rare and playback equipment stops functioning.josh fuhrmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-5269061403915247632011-08-12T04:54:44.444-07:002011-08-12T04:54:44.444-07:00Josh,
I think we're basically seeing the soci...Josh,<br /><br />I think we're basically seeing the socio-economic equivalent of the perfect storm forming. You have a civilization which patterned on the quasi-mystical belief in unlimited growth which is running up against looming shortages in oil, arable space, usable money, etc. A civilization which had a philosophy of management and maintenance would have a much better chance of adjusting (and in fact would likely not have these problems in the first place). <br /><br />I would agree that the riots themselves are a sign of fading normalcy. The pundits like to speak of the decay of the "nuclear family," but the decay of the extended family is really what the issue is -- extended families had within them the ability to be a guiding point for their members, while nuclear families are as subject to changing times as an individual is. So, what happens with our society is that we look to companies, politics, the media, to form our worldview/normalcy. When those begin to collapse, there is no real input for personal guidance and people resort to what makes the most sense for them -- unenlightened self-interest. <br /><br />Glad to hear you like the blog. Since you are involved with music, have you ever given any thought to how music is going to change, post-collapse?<br /><br />-JohnLeibowitz Societyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05420328289777540352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6702659934448838326.post-78379744113562248072011-08-11T05:37:31.252-07:002011-08-11T05:37:31.252-07:00Hello there, had seen your link weekly on Kunstler...Hello there, had seen your link weekly on Kunstler's site and decided to check it out. I think we're on the same wavelength re: peak everything and how conditions have set collapse in motion. I'm a saxophonist and while I spend much of my non-dayjob time focussed on my various musical projects I have been quite obsessed for the past couple of years on the ramifications of peak oil and how contraction in all aspects of civilization will play itself out. <br /><br />What's odd is that after learning what I have about our energy predicament I marvel at society's ability to "keep it together" in the face of it. I live in Stable Canada in Montreal and often wonder how the veneer of "normal" can continue. Believe me, I'm grateful that Montreal is powered by hydroelectricity, a fairly renewable resource as long as they can maintain the dams and until they eventualy silt up. <br /><br />My opinion on the riots in England is that they are a generally a manifestation of this veneer of normalcy coming apart at the seams. I'm sure the general consensus will continue to treat these incidents as isolated in themselves and not connected to a larger picture. Riots happen. They occur perenially in Montreal too but they generally follow hockey games. <br /><br />Thanks for your efforts in creating this blog, I will be following regularly from now on.Josh Fuhrmannoreply@blogger.com