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\lline{\hl Night Club Rant}
\lline{by Richard Loranger}

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{\it This is the complete text of the rant I was doing just¨
before FUGAZI at the most recent HOMOCORE show in SF, which was¨
cut short by some ignorant assholes blowing off a fire¨
extinguisher at the stage. It was originally written for BIG¨
BLACK's last show at the I-BEAM in August '87. They had said I¨
could open for them for 2 minutes, so long as I didn't do poetry.¨
So I wrote 4 minutes questioning every motivation anyone might¨
have for being there. Obviously, those poor little boys at the¨
FUGAZI show couldn't stand up to the interrogation. They're the¨
kind of questions I often ask myself at big shows. Perhaps some¨
of you do too.}

WHAT are you doing here. I mean, what the fuck are you doing¨
here? What did you come here for? Who or what told you you wanted¨
to come? Who told you you like this in the first place? DO you¨
like this? Then why? Or why not? If you like this so much, what¨
do you like about it? The music? The fashion? What fashion? The¨
seeing and being seen? There is a way of seeing where all your¨
eyesight turns upon itself in double boomerang and slices through¨
your skull at eye level\dots Is {\it that} what you like abut¨
this? Whatever it is -- WHEN did you first start liking it? What¨
{\it suggested} to you that this is what you like to do, to see,¨
to listen to? Something in your turbulent American childhood¨
perhaps, or were you {\it born} liking it? Did you really choose¨
to like this, this music, this {\it scene}, do you really think¨
you decided of your {\it own free will} to come here tonight? Or¨
are you just another victim of media manipulation, of fashion¨
conformity, of all the subtle \& not so subtle suggestions made¨
to you every day from every direction that THIS IS THE THING TO¨
DO -- Rock \& Roll \& Hope to Die!

Or are you truly a non-conformist, each and every one of you? Is¨
this a non-conformist event? Is this non-conformist because¨
Fugazi isn't on MTV -- yet -- or because you wear black or¨
leather of because you have shaved or spiked or polka-dotted¨
heads? Does THAT make this {\it anti-system}? Is this bucking the¨
system? How much did you pay to get in here anyway -- \$5, \$10,¨
\$15? How many of you are there? How often do you drop that much¨
for something you like? How much did you pay for the clothes that¨
you're wearing? How many more do you have like them? And where¨
did {\it that} \$ come from? Do you work? Is it good work? Is it¨
satisfying? Does it DO something for you? And what did the place¨
that pays you do to get {\it their} money. Where did {\it} come¨
from? Surely not from the System. And where do you think it's all¨
going to? Surely none of it BACK into the System? Is it really¨
that separate?

Have you considered this -- that maybe, just maybe this event \&¨
every event like it is {\it allowed} -- no, {\it set up} -- by the¨
System just to keep us all pacified, to keep this UNDER CONTROL,¨
to keep us all in a little arena {\it under surveillance} to do¨
our killing like good Christians, and NOT OUTSIDE, no certainly¨
NOT OUTSIDE in the System where it might DO SOMETHING, do¨
something harmful. Is this changing anything? Is it getting past¨
these walls? Is it changing anything in your head? Am I giving¨
you a headache yet? Are you RESPONDING, or just acting? Or just¨
posing? Or just standing there? Or not even here? Are you really¨
IN CONTROL of why you're here, of what you think you like? Are¨
you SURE some outside {\it thing}, some {\it media thing} didn't¨
tell you to be here, that you'd like this, it's be good for you,¨
you could get some shit out \& you'll feel better in the morning,¨
content and more willingly productive? Are you SURE you're not¨
being manipulated? Am I sure I'm not being manipulated?

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I'm a puppet he's a puppet
she's a puppet we're a puppet
wouldn't you like to be a puppet too?
}
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Is that it? Or {\it is} it the music? Does it DO anything for¨
you? Can you dig it? Can you dig your heart \& your brains out \&¨
hold them in your hands \& look at them \& say, ``Yes, yes, this¨
is IT, something's happening here.'' Or could you still NOT CARE¨
LESS? And if that's the case, what are you doing here anyway?

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\line{\hfil Richard Loranger}
\line{\hfil 1327 Pine \#1}
\line{\hfil Boulder CO 80302}

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