GG Allin was probably something of a disturbed genius as he discovered a way of committing violence in public that was both ‘legal’ and ‘lawful’! His violence was lyrical and physical. Yesterday, I carried out further research into this interesting and controversial figure by watching the available footage of him ‘performing’ on stage. I am not sure what Shakespeare (or Joseph Stalin – for that matter) would have made of it. Do his antics further the struggle of the working-class? If I was the Political Commissar in charge of assessing this – I would suggest they do – providing the State offers to assist him with his mental health. He was well aware that there was something wrong with his mind and he attributed this to the highly negative conditioning he experienced as a child. This is typical of the conditioning working-class people experience in general within capitalistic societies (which varies in intensity). In the case of GG Allin, his experience of mind and body abuse surely signifies the ‘end of the line’ as far as material deprivation is concerned.
I suspect this ‘deprivation’ of everything that is good manifests in his stage performances which see him stripping naked whilst holding his flaccid penis and continuously touching his anus (a sign of him experiencing childhood sexual abuse) – all carried out whilst continuously striking his own head with a microphone. It was this ‘striking’ which opened cuts and made the blood flow down his face. Occasionally, he would sh’t into his own hands whilst on stage and attempt to throw the faecal matter into the open mouths of his willing audiences! Obviously, this psychodrama activity would not make it onto most primetime (or even post-watershed) TV anywhere in the world. Ironically, although a US-controlled YouTube hinders freedom of speech and stifles all forms of genuine creativity – as a platform it still permits performances of GG Allin to be uploaded – albeit with the usual warnings,
Perhaps the US powers at be no longer view GG Allin as a motivating factor considering he has been dead since 1993, and that the preservation of his performances is used to give the false impression that a pre-911 America is as ‘free’ as a post-911! This is almost as absurd as stating that a post-Civil War America was as ‘free’ as a pre-Civil War America! What is interesting is that GG Allin is not alone in his feelings as his concerts attracted many people similar to himself. This is not to say that there were not moments of high drama – as there most certainly were! At one point GG Allin is kneeling on stage with his naked arse up in the air – whilst a member of the audience suddenly appears with a chair and attempts to ‘insert’ one of the legs into GG Allin’s back passage! Another example shows GG Allin catching hold of a woman’s hair and pulling her along the floor – she stands back up ‘smiling’! Just watching these performances suggests a very high value for money event!
Perhaps underrated and virtually forgotten (as GG Allin rolls around on broken glass, sh’t, vomit and his own blood – whilst ‘shouting’ incoherently into a mic) is the staying power of his backing group! They soldier on playing the drums and guitar – whilst stagehands keep an eye on the violence by regulating its intensity – ensuring GG Allin is not overwhelmed by multiple opponents or beaten too far into unconsciousness (as there is a show to perform)! GG Allin certainly seems to take a good shot and always comes back for more whilst serenely detached from the events he is the centre and has unleashed.
Occasionally, the drummer has to stand the cymbal back up or realign the bass drum with the snare, etc, sometimes continuing to bang away with a single drumstick whilst these adjustments are made, and prostrate bodies cleared away from the working area! The guitarist seems to think he’s in ‘Nirvana’ with the manner of his dress and his indifference to the madness that is unfolding around him! Every so often he fires a well-aimed kick at the body (or head) of an unsuspecting audience member who has just fallen over his own legs – or some part of GG Allin’s anatomy! All Grist for the mill.
THE SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 