American avatars: the devil and Mr. Lyman
02/18/2010 · Alexander Keefe
VOL. 1 - NO. 1 JUNE 9 - 22, '67 BOSTON, MASS. 25¢/35¢ OUT OF BOSTON
I am going to burn down the world
I am going to tear down everything that cannot stand alone
There were so many American avatars before Cameron’s. Among them: the biweekly underground zine/mouthpiece of the banjo-playing acid-folk pioneer and charismatic hippie cult leader Mel Lyman, self-published between 1967 and 1969 in Boston.
back cover of Vol. 1, No. 1 JUNE 9 - 22, '67
I am going to shove hope up your ass
I am going to turn ideals to shit
The “shadow-Dylan” Lyman was many things, but he was no Indophile: his notion of the avatar comes via many layers of mediation, as part of our shared inheritance that is the Great American Weird, a sepulchral gift from Emerson perhaps. Ultimately, for Lyman and his followers the wisdom of the East was the “Eastern cop-out,” no better than the other “false resolutions,” no different from what they called the Christian cop-out, the African cop-out, the Humanist cop-out… Lyman’s revelations were meant to be as American as acid and Frankie Valli and Benjamin Franklin. It all reminds me of Nietzche, in his final, lunatic days, signing his letters alternately “Dionysus” and “the Crucified One,” no longer able to keep them apart. Lyman wanted to be the Avatar of a Bacchic Christ, not of a Krishna.
I am going to reduce everything that stands to rubble
and then I am going to burn the rubble
and then I am going to scatter the ashes
and then maybe someone will be able to see something as it really is
Echt post-Orientalist psychedelia from a megalomaniacal, hipster madman and his maenads:
NO. 9 EASTCOAST UNITED FREE PRESS SEPT 29 OCT 12 WESTCOAST 30 CENTS 25¢
VOL. 1 - NO. 4 July 21 - Aug 4 BOSTON 25¢ EVERYWHERE 1967
Khuda Hafiz
06/19/2009 · Grant Davis
خدا حافظ / ख़ुदा हािफ़ज़
Khuda hafiz is a common parting phrase of Persian origin used in Muslim communities throughout South Asia. It is translated as “God be your Protector”. There is much debate surrounding the use of Khuda in reference to Allah. Some view the use of khuda as improper, preferring instead to strictly refer to the Supreme Being as Allah. They instead say, Allah hafiz.
Two interesting articles discussing the controversy and usage of Khuda hafiz as well as its changing status in South Asian Muslim communities:
Khuda Hafiz versus Allah Hafiz
The Other Column: Khuda Hafiz ka Allah hee Hafiz