Chain Lightning by Steely Dan

"Chain Lightning" by Steely Dan off "Katy Lied" featuring Wilhelm Reich's "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" in poster form as preformed by The extraordinary New York Surveillance Camera Players a combination theater and protest performance group that performs to the surveillance cameras. Photos of include Stalin*, Nixon, Bush and Clintons.

According to a group member, a liberal estimate of the number of surveillance cameras in operation in Manhattan is now more than 10,000. This pales in comparison to London, the city with the highest concentration of surveillance cameras, where it is estimated there are 10,000 cameras in operation in London's financial district alone.

The location of surveillance cameras is noticeably peculiar considering their perceived purpose of crime prevention. Cameras are installed in predominantly rich zones of the city and markedly not in zones where there is high crime (the predominantly poorer zones). Cameras are also installed predominantly in crowded thoroughfares rather than in back alleys. Cameras are frequently installed within private property (though technically legal) but are obviously directed at monitoring public space.

Quotes:
*Josef Stalin, once said, "If I could control the medium of the American motion picture, I would need nothing else to convert the entire world to communism."

Further Reading:
Most people know that jazz and swing were immediately banned upon Hitler's ascension to power in 1933. Swing represented the decadent society of America, while jazz threatened the racial purity of the Aryan race. A deep-rooted anti-Semitism underlay these attitudes: Swing was one component of modernism (``the refuse of a rotting society''); and jazz was being used by the Jews to corrupt the Aryan race through ``musical race defilement.'' Music at the home front had to conform to the traditionalist tastes of Hitler and the Nazi elite, but when it came to propaganda aimed at foreign countries, swing and jazz seemed the perfect bait. Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels was always sensitive to the enormous influence of the radio, which he viewed as second only to the press as the ``most effective weapon in our struggle for existence.''

- Krikus review of "Hitler's Airwaves: The Inside Story of Nazi Radio Broadcasting and Propaganda Swing" by Horst J. P. Bergmeier (Author), Rainer E. Lotz (Author)


Lyrics:

CHAIN LIGHTNING

Some turnout, a hundred grand
Get with it we'll shake his hand
Don't bother to understand
Don't question the little man
Be part of the brotherhood
Yes it's chain lightning
It feels so good

Hush brother, we cross the square
Act natural like you don't care
Turn slowly and comb your hair
Don't trouble the midnight air
We're standing just where he stood
It was chain lightning
It feels so good

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[xTjPx]

actually the "brotherhood" is about blacks

"hush brother we crossed the square" refers to a speech by malcolm x and malcom y

now shut the fuck up and listen to the ditty:)

[thesquonkstear]

@xTjPx

That's not true. In an interview, Fagan and Becker told a journalist that the square is a square in Germany where Hitler stood.

Nonetheless, for you, the "brotherhood" about blacks and Malcolm X. You have a right to your point of view, however racially charged, bitter or paranoid; but you're a nasty fucking jackass, so I'm blocking you for general purposes.

[btinsley1]

man, forcible opinions sure do stink up the joint...why don't you both shut up as it is EVERYONE'S wish. thank you

[thesquonkstear]

@btinsley1 You are not EVERYONE... and anyone (you) who thinks they speak for EVERYONE should just watch and not talk about this mash up because you are in it, just as sure as Hitler is the subject of the song (which you can find by Googling what Steely Dan had to say about it).

Thank you.

[thesquonkstear]

@deadpan227 If you think this has nothing to do with politics, you don't know what you're listening to... (see Steely Dan interviews about the song).

[cherylw1958]

the best steely dan song ever play really really loud !

[jabnhook2]

@thesquonkstear thequonkstearTube

[buoybuhund]

@xTjPx There is no malcolm y......

[tooslowforthisplanet]

@thesquonkstear yeah & another key to it being about Hitler and his big show at the square is the line "Some turnout, a hundred grand" - I played that joint with Foreigner in 1981. what made it eerie, at least to me, was how audiences at rock concerts are like a lot of tattooed peeps who get violent and raise their fists up n shit.. whatever.. I can leave German atrocities in the past & new generations shouldn't be plagued with misbehavior of their dead elders.. still a weird memory though

[tooslowforthisplanet]

I must say, however, that the lyrics are def interesting.

[tooslowforthisplanet]

I hardly ever listened to lyrics on records during the 70s. Yes, I was an air-head then, which of course was fashionable. lol Consequently, I always thought the title referred to a musical chain reaction. The Wurly bouncing into the power guitar bouncing into.. whatever. It's something that we players do when we are improvising jazz and jazz fusion, or any music where the players are good enough improvisors to listen & play off each other, as opposed to playing the same part every time.

[tooslowforthisplanet]

@jplew138 Fairly certain it's Derringer. Someone told me this, and it might be credited on the original vinyl cover (?) The someone who told me, was Steve Porcaro, Jeff's brother. That's Jeff on drums. Derringer was working a lot of sessions in LA at the time. It's obvious, anyway. Denny never played any of the more power solos in that band, as he was an extraordinary bluegrass/jazz musician. Hear him on My Gold Teeth, classic Denny Dias. The question is if it was Becker: slow blues soloist.

[dezertfox4323]

Rick Derringer on lead guitar.

[rulerwithcounsel]

Dont tell me Steely Dan are jews - oh no!

[jplew138]

@SupernalOne He's also the one who plays the electric sitar solo on "Do It Again".