This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Crazy Love (#BOTB)


     
If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news sources accordingly. ----Thomas Sowell

       



 

     My contribution to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group can be found on my Monday post.   But please do vote on my Battle of the Bands found below.   It's related to the Monday post as well.  







Propaganda As Art

       In my previous post, I discussed how many in today's media have become outlets of propaganda for whatever agenda they are pushing whether it be a political party or whatever.  In my view, much of the blame for the divisiveness in the United States as well as the world is due to the ideological media outlets that masquerade as vehicles to disseminate news and information.  To me this seems like a dangerous trend that will make it more difficult to bring opposing sides to a point of unity where they can work together to get more positive things happening in our society.  The power of informational and ideological propaganda can work as mind control if we aren't careful.

      I am fascinated by much of the anachronistic propaganda of the past such as that of the Nazis, the Soviet Union, and Communist China.  The garishness of the poster art can be visually enticing.  Film propaganda is frequently highly stylistic and arty. The cinematic work of filmmakers such as Leni Riefenstahl who created classic documentaries for Nazi Germany are still admired for the artistry. Despite the arguably insidious nature of the art of propaganda, there can be an appreciation for that which the artists have created when examined aside from the context of the intent of the work.

       As I have written about on my blog Wrote By Rote, I became interested in the propaganda that I used to pick up on shortwave radio broadcasts coming from Radio Havana back when I was in high school in the sixties.  Since that time I have had an interest in Cuba and whatever little information I would hear from time to time coming from that country.  This is why a year or two ago, when I noted that the Cuban sixties propaganda film I Am Cuba was going to be broadcast on TCM, I was drawn to watch it.   I'm glad I did.

        Soy Cuba (I Am Cuba) was released in 1964 to a poor response.   The film was financed by the Soviet Union as a propaganda vehicle to promote the Castro revolution, however the audiences in the Soviet Union and Cuba largely rejected it and it was mostly forgotten until "rediscovered"  and show at the Telluride Film Festival in 1992.  The film was championed by U.S. directors, including Martin Sorcese and Francis Ford Coppola, who rallied for restoration and re-release.  The film has since been screened at a number of film festivals and events receiving wide accolades.

        What interested me most about the film was seeing the Havana and Cuba of the early sixties and how the revolution was seen through the eyes of the people who fought and lived through it.  Scenes in the film show how Havana retained some capitalistic vestiges of the past.  The one sequence that especially blew me away was a superbly shot musical number by a couple of musicians singing a song that made me search online until I found it.  I was shocked to discover that the song had been written and originally performed by Paul Anka when still in his teens.

          The film I Am Cuba looks like it could have been done by Fellini or David Lynch.  It was shot in black and white often using some innovative camera techniques.  The musical number that caught my attention used the 1958 Paul Anka hit "Crazy Love" song performed in Spanish by two musicians strolling through a nightclub setting with the camera following them.  The sequence is surreal and aloof like a dream.  When I found the clip on YouTube I knew I had the makings of a good Battle.

           The match I found for this Cuban version is one by a Serbian recording star with a name I won't even try to pronounce.  This version is a raunchy slow rock version complete with searing saxophones and a solid backup band driven by a steady piano tinkling away along with the beat. So let's have a Battle of the Bands!

Battle of the Bands

Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and now hosted by StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   This event happens twice each month on the 1st and 15th.   The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.



Paul Anka  "Crazy Love"  (1958)

          "Crazy Love" was Paul Anka's sixth single which charted at #15 in the United States.  Anka was a teen singing sensation at that time, but he is now perhaps most notably known as a songwriter with standards like "My Way".   He has appeared in numerous movies and television shows and continues to perform as a singer.   I'm offering his version for those who want to hear what the original sounded like.   But please don't cast your vote for this version.

For reference only!!!   Do not vote for this version!!!




Here are your voting choices:

Miki Jevremović   "Crazy love"  (1962)

       Serbian singer Miki Jevremović was born in Belgrade in former Yugoslavia in 1941, Miki achieved his greatest popularity during the sixties and seventies with numerous hits in his native country as well as recognition in other countries as well.  He died of a stroke in January of this year.






Dúo Los Diablos     "Loco Amor"  ("Crazy Love")  1964

         This group consists of Sammy and Richard, two artists that played through the years with a number of popular Cuban bands.  They changed their names in the early sixties to reflect the artists who had inspired them and most influenced their styles--Sammy Davis, Jr and Little Richard.  Sammy continued to perform until he died in 2014.  In his 70's, Richard stilled lived in Havana according to the article that I resourced which was published in 2014.  

         If you've got the time to watch the video, it's pretty cool cinematography.  But just listening to the music is a real treat especially if you're a fan of that musical era.

     






Time To Vote!

        These might sound strange to you--maybe even a bit crazy, but hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  Which version do you like the best?   Surely one version drove you less crazy than the other.


        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands

 ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ 

  'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS'

'Curious as a Cathy'

Sound of One Hand Typing

The Doglady's Den 

Angel's Bark  

Cherdo on the Flipside  

Jingle, Jangle, Jungle 
  


Winner Announced on Wednesday March 8th

       I'll tally up votes on Tuesday the 7th and be back here on the next day with the winner of this Battle.   On Monday the 6th I'll show up with some kind of post.   I haven't decided what yet and, who knows, I might forget to post on that day.  Whatever happens, happens.

        Do you like propaganda art?   What are some favorite propaganda films that you might have seen?   Have you ever written a story that you might feel is propagandist in some way?




















74 comments:

  1. Although I well remember the Paul Anka version(that's showing my age if nothing does) I prefer out of the two versions I heard today
    Miki Jevremouic:
    Great post as always Lee.
    Yvonne.

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    1. Yvonne, I don't think I'd ever heard this song until I saw the Cuban movie.

      Voting starts out with Miki

      Lee

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  2. Lee,

    Talk about Crazy, I Love your battle! :) I can't believe how we took a similar approach this round. It's funny I do not remember this Paul Anka song but I enjoyed hearing the original followed by two excellent covers. I'm a bit torn on who to pick because I like something about each version but I think I'm gonna give my vote to Miki Jevremouic. His rendition is closer to Anka's, but I did enjoy the slower tempo of Sammy and Richard. I just didn't care too much for the song as duet. Crazy fun battle! ~Cathy

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    1. Cathy, it was almost as though you and I had colluded on our Battles!

      Another vote in for Miki

      Lee

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    2. Lee,

      Better late then never, but I'm just now seeing where your reply. But, yeah it would appear that we colluded on this battle round. lol

      Delete
  3. Can't say I have ever wrote any propaganda crap, but people sure do cling to it. Even easier with the internet these days. Interesting picks this time indeed, #1 gets the vote at my feed.

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    1. Pat, I guess the point of propaganda is to get people to cling to something.

      There seems to be a trend here. Miki winning so far.

      Lee

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  4. Ooh, that's a neat song to choose! I'll have to have a listen and come back to vote.
    I've been reading Vera Brittain's books about WWI and WWII, and she notes how during a trip to the US in 1940, she noticed that the newspapers carried the warning "remember that all news from Europe is subject to censorship and propaganda"...

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    1. Deniz, during wartime news from places considered enemies has to be taken with a skeptical perspective. But I guess the other side felt the same way about news from America.

      Lee

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    2. true, when US was bombing my country they never showed our cities in your news, just some villages and poor mountains so that your people would think you are not destroying much and that we are wilderness, while they actually destroyed hospitals, schools, bridges, factories, even trains with students in it

      Delete
    3. Dezmond, I do remember seeing bridges being bombed and our media was touting it as a good strategy. I don't remember any casualties being reported from the bombings. But, you're right, it didn't seem like there was too much extensive coverage--not like when they shock and awed Iraq.

      Lee

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  5. My country has probably always been the biggest victim of Western media propaganda. They can literally come here, bomb us, kill us, destroy us (as they did already a couple of times) and just serve you some crazy story over there in your media to justify it. I mean, Hitlery and Bill actually are heroes down in Kosovo among the terrorists and drug dealers and human traffickers but they present themselves as some saviours or something over in your media. I remember when Hitlery once told on CNN that she visited Bosnia and was greeted by snipers and guns but remained brave :) The Bosnia was fully peaceful and like any other country at the time of her visit actually, they greeted her with bread and flowers LOL
    And you've seen how many paedophiles Trump arrested in the first week of his rule and nobody reported it in your media, just as they did not report that he took $20 billion from big Pharma in just 20 minutes by signing some document. The truth has been killed, propaganda rules, don't believe your eyes, believe your media :)

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    1. Dezmond, I'm glad you've made these points because I think they are important. The attack on Serbia was one of the biggest things that pissed me off about the Clinton regime. The reporting on it all was very biased and weird and there was little analysis provided about the history of the conflict going back many centuries. I thought that crazy Dracula movie that came out a few years ago did a better job of explaining some of the history. The story about Hillary's visit was absurd and no one really ridiculed her like they have made fun of lesser stories regarding conservative politicians.

      Trump will probably get no fair reporting unless somehow the media really starts embracing him and I don't see that happening anytime soon.

      Lee

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    2. His State of the Union Address was great although liberal media is still doing its best to slam it.

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    3. L.Diane, if the media would start recognizing the positive sides of what President Trump does and says, I think the mood of the opposition and the nation in general would change in a big way. The media controls much of the mood of the nation.

      Lee

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  6. I am being lazy here. I will likely get to listening later (or cast a write in vote, lol!) but for now just wanted to say the part about the documentary is very interesting.

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    1. CW, it's a lazy sort of day I guess. And my post is kind of long when we're feeling lazy so maybe later you'll feel an ambition to vote.

      I want to watch the documentary again because I actually missed parts of it. There are some cool clips to be found on YouTube.

      Lee

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  7. Neither rocks my boat I'm afraid. I could at least listen to the second one.

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    1. Alex, maybe too old school for you and not enough heavy metal. At least you can't say it's "twangy".

      Ambiguous as to whether I should count your comment as a vote, but I'll interpret what you've said as a vote for Duo

      Lee

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  8. We wrote a novella about a guy in a fictional kingdom similar to North Korea who was the king's head propaganda writer. Does that count?

    I didn't really care much for the en Espanol version. Not that it was en Espanol, just didn't really like their style. I'll vote for Miki Jevremović, whose name I had to copy and paste because I would never be able to type that from memory.

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    1. ABFTS, I think a story like you wrote would provide a good opportunity to provide an analysis of propaganda with examples. Kind of like George Orwell did with 1984.

      Yeah, it's one heck of a name. A vote for Miki (keeping it short so I don't have to cut and paste).

      Lee

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  9. Propaganda writing. I had to smile when I read your post because since 2013, the majority of the media in the United States has not been reporting but dictating ideas and thoughts to brain wash the people. Leave it up to the majority of the media, the average person who hasn't attended one of the elite universities doesn't know how to think for themselves. They had the entire 2016 election wrong because they were too busy selling an ideology instead of listening to the people. But that is enough of that. I could write a whole bunch more but this is not the appropriate time and place.

    Now to the battle of the bands. I listened to Paul Anka's original version as a reference only and have to say I wasn't impressed. Something was missing. Then I listened to the two versions you presented and the version by Dou Los Diablos hit me. The cool blues sound went to my heart. It is not a sweet sound; it is melancholy, and in my opinion, like a cry or a search. So my vote goes to Duo Los Diablos. They have the best recording overall including over Paul Anka. Sorry about that if I have insulted a few Anka fans.
    Shalom aleichem,
    Pat

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    1. Pat, you are on target about the current status of media in the United States. At least we're getting different propaganda from different sides. We're in trouble if it all starts coming from the government. Future elections may want to study carefully what happened in 2016 and maybe learn a lesson or some.

      I think the Anka version is a good example of a lot of music from that era, but maybe for the reasons you cite, the song doesn't get airplay now just as other similar songs don't. The Duo's version does capture the sound of a smokey blues bar I think--a sad one. Maybe the filmmakers were using this to symbolize the death of the bourgeois culture that preceded Castro Cuba. I doubt that any Anka fans were insulted by your assessment. I agree with you.

      Another vote for Duo

      Lee

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  10. Interesting, my vote goes to Miki Jevremović 

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    1. Yolanda, thank you for stopping by...

      A vote for Miki.

      Lee

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  11. After living in NM for 4 years, I have a soft spot for the Mexican sound. #2 gets my vote.

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    1. L.Diane, it's kind of like a Mexican sound--with a Cubano twist.

      Another vote for Duo

      Lee

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  12. I don't recall this song, but I did enjoy listening to the various versions. My favorite of the two contenders is Miki Jevremović

    ~Mary

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    1. Mary, the song must have disappeared from the airwaves after 1958 or so. It was new to me as well.

      A vote for Miki.

      Lee

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  13. I echo Pat's comment 100%. I like to hear how other countries report on ours because the information isn't much like what our media hands out at all.

    My vote goes to Dou Los Diablos on this BOTB.

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    1. C.Lee, and listening to other media reports like those from Europe also gives us news that our media doesn't report

      A vote for Duo.

      Lee

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  14. I've been watching a lot of youtube videos and reading books about vaccines (anti-vaxxer stuff). It is fascinating and terrifying at the same time. It made me wary of the "party" line on vaccines and also primed me to realize that the media can have an agenda. (Just consider how many commercials airing during the news are for prescription drugs.) So when the election happened, I was surprised at how wrong they got things, but at the same time, I understood a little how it could happen.

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    1. Tamara, the pharma ads have become some of my favorites, but they do predominate much of the TV time on certain channels. Money talks--and influences.

      Lee

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  15. I preferred the Miki Jevremović version, since it's slightly faster-paced, and I like the vocal stylings better.

    Some of the recent second edition edits I made in the book I'm getting paper copies of soon definitely came across as propagandistic! I'm still a huge supporter of natural childbirth and midwifery (as a CHOICE, not the only option, and so long as the midwife is qualified and the pregnancy isn't high-risk), but so many things came across like blatant advertising for the awesomeness of homebirth and midwives over hospitals! It felt like more of a lecture and smug, sanctimonious attitude, not a natural dialogue or monologue. As I've said many times, it's fine to incorporate your own views into a story, but they have to feel like a natural aspect of the character and overall story. When they've been shoehorned in there just to show off your beliefs or to create cypher characters, it'll be obvious.

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    1. Carrie-Anne, a writer markets ideas, but from the artistic aspect that marketing should not feel like marketing or the reader will likely be turned off.

      Another vote for Miki.

      Lee

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  16. It is amazing how media can influence our thoughts. When I was in college, I studied media arts. At the same time, our church was having a series of lessons on backmasking. I set out to prove they were wrong. I took the songs they were speaking against into the sound labs there at the University of South Carolina. Not only did I prove that there was back masking. I also found that by analyzing the lyrics in great detail that the foreground lyrics and the background vocals combined to send additional messages.

    I remember back in the Reagan presidency when the media attacked everything about his economic policies. Sitcoms should entertain not make a political statement.
    Have a great week.

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    1. David, communications and the art of propaganda are interesting and enlightening topics that more people should be aware of so they can have a greater discretion about what they read and hear in media. The entertainment industry has become just as bad as the information industry--in fact the two entities are sometimes blurred.

      Lee

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  17. My cousin Tom has left a Facebook vote for Duo.

    Lee

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  18. Replies
    1. Yvonne, thank you for your vote for...

      Duo.

      Lee

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  19. I saw that movie and I'm glad I did. I've written advertorial--is that propaganda? Lol

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    1. Eve, now that I know a lot more about Soy Cuba I want to watch it again. I would definitely classify advertorial as a form of propaganda.

      Lee

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  20. Propaganda art - I dislike it. I lived half my life - the first half - in Russia, where everything was propaganda: newspapers, books, visual art, films, even ballets. I feel nauseated when I sense it. It can be beautiful, like a lacquered panel, shining with varnish, but it is always false.

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    1. Olga, I can certainly understand your distaste for propaganda art if you were inundated by it when living in Russia. For me it's a bit of a novelty on one hand, but also I have a big interest in marketing and the psychology of persuasion so I look at the propaganda from that perspective. I'm not a fan of what communist and socialist propaganda is promoting, but I just like the look and sound of it. False, yes, but so is so much of what we see in the media and all around us. All advertising has a similar intent as political propaganda--it's trying to sell us on some idea or product by making it more palpable to our senses.

      Lee

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    2. Yes, propaganda and marketing have a lot in common, you're right. I never thought of it but I don't trust either.

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    3. The only advertising I ever liked was the one for a Canadian beer a few years ago, when a guy says triumphantly, "I am Canadian," and then talks about beavers and moose and hockey and the rest of Canadian staples. It tickled my pride in Canada - I love my new country - but it didn't make me want to buy beer. :))

      Delete
    4. Olga, not too much advertising overtly affects me other than certain ads about food which might entice me. Sometimes after seeing a particularly good looking restaurant ad, I might end up getting something at that restaurant in the next few days. The food is rarely quite as good as it looked in the ad, but still I get lured by those ads sometimes.

      Lee

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  21. Thanks for your comment on my blog. My vote is for Duos Los Diablos. I like that it isn't a copy of Anka's style. I definitely want to see Soy Cuba now. Thanks for your review of it.

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    1. Em, especially if you appreciate cinematic art I think you would enjoy Soy Cuba. It's probably like the Citizen Kane of Cuban film.

      A vote for Duo.

      Lee

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  22. Good point about the media. I trust very little of what is reported as fact as it's all biased one way or another.

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  23. Fantastic post – and BOTB, Lee! I hadn’t heard the Paul Anka version before, and Jevremovic’s was a decent copy. But it was the softer, supplicating resonance of the DUO – as well as the striking black and white video – that impressed me most.

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    1. Diedre, thank you! "Softer, supplicating resonance"...I like that.

      a vote for Duo.

      Lee

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  24. Either of these versions is better than the original. Miki Jeremović was the better of the two, I thought, but you're right, the cinematography was interesting.

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    1. John, Soy Cuba is definitely a film I want to revisit and watch more closely.

      Another vote for Miki.

      Lee

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  25. This was a really interesting BOTB installment, LEE. Bravo!

    My vote goes to MIKI. I preferred both the tempo and the instrumentation. Very neat and smoky. I listened to it a second time just for the pleasure of it.

    However, that cinematography in the second video was outstanding. It was very nearly a single shot with great, carefully planned camera movement. It seems to me that it was very clearly inspired by that single, astoundingly extraordinary opening shot by Orson Welles in his Film Noir classic 'TOUCH OF EVIL'.

    As for the press and propaganda... The fact of the matter is that for all of our lives the vast majority of the Mainstream Media has been used to condition us to accept the "progress" planned for us by The Wizards Behind The Curtain. There has NEVER been honest reporting, not by CNN, not by any other major news organ. Even "the most trusted man in America", Walter Cronkite, was propagandizing us.

    The only difference is that back then they were much more subtle about it so that the masses wouldn't catch on. Today, they are just totally brazen about it. They are promoting the New World Order of Global Socialism run by the Oligarchy (Money Wizards). All the major, mainstream media sources are owned by a very small number of mega-corporations (six, if I recall correctly), and those corporations are primarily owned by International Bankers -- the Wizards who call the shots.

    The Mainstream Media hasn't really gotten worse, it's merely become more open about what it's been doing all along.

    Here's an interesting quote for ya:

    "There is no such a thing in America as an independent press, unless it is out in country towns. You are all slaves. You know it, and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to express an honest opinion. If you expressed it, you would know beforehand that it would never appear in print. ... The business of a New York journalist is to distort the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to villify, to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread, or for what is about the same — his salary. You know this, and I know it; and what foolery to be toasting an "Independent Press"! We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are jumping-jacks. They pull the string and we dance. Our time, our talents, our lives, our possibilities, are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."

    That was stated by New York editor John Swinton.
    The year? 1883.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    Check out my new blog @
    (Link:] Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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    1. STMcC, thanks for this outstanding comment. That ending quote is very interesting considering when it was said--so relevant for our time! The masses are so strongly influenced by the media everywhere. An irony is how our country will condemn propaganda elsewhere and yet we are doing essentially the same with our own agenda.

      As you say, the cinematography is very similar to what Welles did in Touch of Evil, but I think there is a lot of the influence of Fellini as well.

      I kind of expected you to vote for Duo Los Diablos, but Miki's version is deserving as well.

      A vote for Miki.

      Lee

      Delete
  26. Juneta Key left her vote on my previous post:

    Can't say I cared for either of the band choices but between the two Miki Jevremović is the pick.

    I find past propaganda interesting as well especially under the surface of not obvious. Good post.

    Juneta @ Writer's Gambit
    .

    Another vote for Miki

    Lee

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  27. I'm not interested in propaganda anything really. Cuba never held any interest for me either. I think the embargo was ridiculous as we entered the 21st century. I know some people who have been to Cuba....they do have some funky cars.

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    1. JoJo, I think Cuba would be wise to exploit that old car culture as part of a tourist draw. The island nation should fix its crumbling infrastructure, but preserve its historic heritage because its cool to see and kind of novel like Bourbon St in New Orleans or certain old cities in Europe.

      Lee

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  28. The Duo of the Devil drives me crazy a bit more slowly than Miki, so they get the vote. Although I did not allow my vote to be influenced by the video part of the presentation, the Duo had a beautiful and interesting video.

    I dislike propaganda, but I often like propaganda ART... from an historical perspective. I think Communist posters and posters from WWII are interesting. All those "Buy War Bonds" and "Save Scrap Metal" posters are very cool. Heck, even Nazi propaganda is interesting, although I would never personally own any of it. There is an auction house that I have bought from in the past which frequently features WWII Nazi items, so I have seen a lot of sort of propaganda. It is amazing how they managed to sell their load of hooey to the populace. But they did, and often it was thru Anti-Semite books or posters. Pretty vile stuff. Most propaganda is more subtle than that.

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    1. SBB6, it might look pretty weird to keep Nazi stuff on display in ones home and it does carry a lot negative history, but still it is history so it is significant from that aspect. I think I'd rather have old circus and magic posters in my house than old political propaganda.

      Another vote for Duo.

      Lee

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  29. Although I loved the cinematography of Diablos, it was the music of Miki Jevremovic that got me tapping so I vote for him.
    Ad for propaganda art, I've always been a fan of Eisenstein in films like Battleship Potemkin. However, I prefer his other films like Alexander Nevsky.

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    1. Roland, Potemkin is a fine film. That's the only one of his films that I recall seeing.

      A vote for the foot-tapping version by Miki.

      Lee

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  30. Propaganda is so tiresome and hopefully, people have the intelligence to distinguish it from reality (historically not the case). Using it in art and film is certainly more interesting than just the written word and it does have a place in history. As for your battle, it's truly a unique one! This song was unknown to me and I really enjoyed Paul Anka's original the best. Since it's not part of the vote, then I'll have to choose Dúo Los Diablos, although the last minute was a bit repetitive. They gave it more dramatic flair. The video was good too, but that had no bearing on my choice.

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    1. Debbie D, a steady diet of propaganda would certainly wear thin, but I like to compare the styles of different governments and the films are a bit of a novelty for me though I wouldn't want to be constantly subjected to propaganda laden media--though in a way I think we are, except it just looks different now.

      I agree that the last minute was repetitive, but I'm thinking that this was purposeful to depict the dying gasps of the bourgeoisie class. A similar tactic is used in another music clip from the film where the music kind of just degenerates into wildness. Soy Cuba is an interesting film excursion if you get a chance to see it.

      A vote for Duo.

      Lee

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  31. I am in complete agreement with StMc on propaganda.

    In song, I didn't care for Miki. The Duo wins this for me.

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    1. Robin, the quote was very interesting. Just goes to show that the more things change, the more they stay the same.

      Miki no. Duo si.

      Lee

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  32. My very first time hearing that song (any of the versions)...now I feel enlightened :)

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    1. OE, I always aim for enlightenment even if it doesn't result in a vote.

      Lee

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  33. The press have been doing this since the press began, the key is to try to distinguish from news trying to give the best reporting meaning taking no sides to that of which sells papers or advertisers. Hearst could ruin a person just by having his newspaper bash the person( Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle). Film can sway people to make them believe that a bio or a historical film created for people to watch actually did happen the way when usually, it didn't. Birth of a Nation from 1915 is considered a great film and one that brought the film to be considered an art form yet it brought the resurgence of the KKK which is truly disgusting. Ok so on with the BOTB....I really enjoyed the duo and their styling which brought an air of sophistication to this song so they get my vote

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    1. Birgit, the biggest problem we have today is the constant bombardment of "news" info which can lead to "brainwashing' or mind-shaping if one gets a continual diet of any one side.

      A vote for Duo.

      Lee

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Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.
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Lee