[2004]
Lyrics & Music by James Earthenware

This song is partly about the tragic life of Léon Theremin, inventor of one of the of the first electronic instruments in the 1930's. He ended up owing too much money to banks to continue developing his futuristic devices. So he returned to Russia, only to be thrown into a concentration camp until he was released and forced to invent things of Military significance (such as the world's first bugging device).
I brought Albert Glinsky's biography of Theremin but I couldn't read it because it was too depressing. It is a great injustice that of the smartest people of the last 100 years could not find the freedom to pursue his dreams in either "Democratic" or "Socialist" states due to the respective economic and ideological restrictions that each culture imposed to discourage individuals them from pursuing anything idealistic or radical.
Even... (Continues)

[2003]
Lyrics & Music by James Earthenware
Album: Prototype Jive

"If you ever see a compilation LP (Vinyl) called "Songs Of The Protest Era" it is absolutely one of the best records ever made. Every song features incredibly weird guitar sounds/timing changes, genius lyrics that cut to bone and most importantly the most naive and defiant melodies and harmonies ever written.
In my homage to the genre I think I got the lyrics right but my guitar playing is too post-punk and I don't have the angelic voice required to deliver the lyrical venom in a deceptively sweet voice.
People dug it when we performed this live with an ad lib harmonica solo in the middle. Don't like playing it anymore however because it doesn't fit in with the rest of the songs and it's too depressing..
and my political contention is....
The population of "democratic" countries are living under the illusion that... (Continues)