The Diary of an Anarchist’s Apprentice

The Diary of an Anarchist’s Apprentice
Author: Ian M. Gilroy
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2022-05-15
Genre: Humor
ISBN:

I spent most of the 70's living by definition as a part time student in the UK. I was more intoxicated by the 'school of life', rather than the tedious dedication to the university lecture hall. This preoccupation took me by way of Newcastle, via London, to of all places Plymouth Devon. I have managed to take myself back to this period using music as an ‘astral time machine’. Every memory has a soundtrack, and ‘Classic Rock’ of this era was a driving force encompassing much of the countercultures’ collective mindset. It was a decade of reflection, brought about by stagnation and conflict. The Vietnam War, The Cold War, The IRA, The PLO, The Red Army Faction, and let's face it by definition chaos. It appeared armed insurrection was the modality chosen by some to effectuate change. It was a time of high unemployment, strikes and inflation, the Irish question, the political scandals; where Britain teetered on the brink. It was a period where I dropped out, hoping by doing so, my brief infatuation with borderline anarchy would allow me to live and enjoy life encapsulated in my own little world. I found myself hunkering down with a small group of like-minded scoundrels, tipsy, as we tottered somewhere between nihilistic intention and anarchistic intervention. We decided the best way to deal with the uncertainty was to simply poke fun and hatch a prank or two, all while we ignored the possibility of incarceration. The aftermath usually led us to the closest pub, where we would covertly hide behind the blur of excess and the ensuing laughter. This was the gestation that gave birth to the ‘Scilly Pranksters’. It is where ‘Monty Python’ met ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’, and the cast ended up partying with ‘Cheech and Chong’. The jocular hilarity will allow the reader to meet and follow the exploits of ‘the gang’, as we plotted or simply found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Diary of an Anarchist’s Apprentice ravages mainstream society tackling its deficiencies in a parodistic way, sprinkling just enough satire to keep the beat, as we hitched rides through, politics, religion, the drug culture, the ‘New Age’, the occult, free love, and the music explosion. These memoirs capture a collection of 20 escapades, etched in time as ‘legend’ rather than myth or drug induced fantasy. They feature comedic episodes such as our extemporaneous decision to leave our mark on a Vulcan bomber during a low level display, which highlighted the Queen’s Silver Jubilee; the plot to borrow a diesel powered sub from her Majesty’s scrap yard so we could perform our rendition of a ‘Yellow Submarine’; the divine hand of God intervening to save a group of nuns after their car lost control, coincidentally after a rather prodigious Polish Kielbasa appeared to manifest where one’s manhood should have been sheltered; the unforgettable sequence of events leading up to an impromptu meeting of wannabee anarchists and witches enjoying the warmth of a fire during a ‘black mass’; and of course as an encore, a ‘close encounter’ of the strange kind, ‘high’ atop a Tor where UFOs had the nerve to interrupt our quest to find God, and apologize for some, but not all of our past transgressions. These and other short stories are strategically placed, preserving an informal time-line that encompassed the decade of the 70’s.

The Diary of an Anarchist's Apprentice: The 70's and The Last Great Revolution

The Diary of an Anarchist's Apprentice: The 70's and The Last Great Revolution
Author: Ian M. Gilroy
Publisher: Outskirts Press
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2021-08-27
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 9781977236432

I spent most of the 70's living by definition as a part time student in the UK. I was more intoxicated by the 'school of life', rather than the tedious dedication to the university lecture hall. This preoccupation took me by way of Newcastle, via London, to of all places Plymouth Devon. I have managed to take myself back to this period using music as an 'astral time machine'. Every memory has a soundtrack, and 'Classic Rock' of this era was a driving force encompassing much of the countercultures' collective mindset. It was a decade of reflection, brought about by stagnation and conflict. The Vietnam War, The Cold War, The IRA, The PLO, The Red Army Faction, and let's face it by definition chaos. It appeared armed insurrection was the modality chosen by some to effectuate change. It was a time of high unemployment, strikes and inflation, the Irish question, the political scandals; where Britain teetered on the brink. It was a period where I dropped out, hoping by doing so, my brief infatuation with borderline anarchy would allow me to live and enjoy life encapsulated in my own little world. I found myself hunkering down with a small group of like-minded scoundrels, tipsy, as we tottered somewhere between nihilistic intention and anarchistic intervention. We decided the best way to deal with the uncertainty was to simply poke fun and hatch a prank or two, all while we ignored the possibility of incarceration. The aftermath usually led us to the closest pub, where we would covertly hide behind the blur of excess and the ensuing laughter. This was the gestation that gave birth to the 'Scilly Pranksters'. It is where 'Monty Python' met 'National Lampoon's Animal House', and the cast ended up partying with 'Cheech and Chong'. The jocular hilarity will allow the reader to meet and follow the exploits of 'the gang', as we plotted or simply found ourselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Diary of an Anarchist's Apprentice ravages mainstream society tackling its deficiencies in a parodistic way, sprinkling just enough satire to keep the beat, as we hitched rides through, politics, religion, the drug culture, the 'New Age', the occult, free love, and the music explosion. These memoirs capture a collection of 20 escapades, etched in time as 'legend' rather than myth or drug induced fantasy. They feature comedic episodes such as our extemporaneous decision to leave our mark on a Vulcan bomber during a low level display, which highlighted the Queen's Silver Jubilee; the plot to borrow a diesel powered sub from her Majesty's scrap yard so we could perform our rendition of a 'Yellow Submarine'; the divine hand of God intervening to save a group of nuns after their car lost control, coincidentally after a rather prodigious Polish Kielbasa appeared to manifest where one's manhood should have been sheltered; the unforgettable sequence of events leading up to an impromptu meeting of wannabee anarchists and witches enjoying the warmth of a fire during a 'black mass'; and of course as an encore, a 'close encounter' of the strange kind, 'high' atop a Tor where UFOs had the nerve to interrupt our quest to find God, and apologize for some, but not all of our past transgressions. These and other short stories are strategically placed, preserving an informal time-line that encompassed the decade of the 70's.

Anarchist Voices

Anarchist Voices
Author: Paul Avrich
Publisher: AK Press
Total Pages: 598
Release: 2005
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9781904859277

In Anarchist Voices, Avrich lets anarchists speak for themselves.

Neo-Impressionism and Anarchism in Fin-de-Si?e France

Neo-Impressionism and Anarchism in Fin-de-Si?e France
Author: Robyn Roslak
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 326
Release: 2017-07-05
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1351556533

In Neo-Impressionism and Anarchism in Fin-de-Si?e France, Robyn Roslak examines for the first time the close relationship between neo-impressionist landscapes and cityscapes and the anarchist sympathies of the movement's artists. She focuses in particular on paintings produced between 1886 and 1905 by Paul Signac and Maximilien Luce, the neo-impressionists whose fidelity to anarchism, to the art of landscape and to a belief in the social potential of art was strongest. Although the neo-impressionists are best known for their rational and scientific technique, they also heeded the era's call for art surpassing the mundane realities of everyday life. By tempering their modern subjects with a decorative style, they hoped to lead their viewers toward moral and social improvement. Roslak's ground-breaking analysis shows how the anarchist theories of Elis?Reclus, Pierre Kropotkin and Jean Grave both inspired and coincided with these ideals. Anarchism attracted the neo-impressionists because its standards for social justice were grounded, like neo-impressionism itself, in scientific exactitude and aesthetic idealism. Anarchists claimed humanity would reach its highest level of social and moral development only in the presence of a decorative variety of nature, and called upon progressive thinkers to help create and maintain such environments. The neo-impressionists, who primarily painted decorative landscapes, therefore discovered in anarchism a political theory consistent with their belief that decorative harmony should be the basis for socially responsible art.

Anarchist Ideas and Counter-cultures in Britain, 1880-1914

Anarchist Ideas and Counter-cultures in Britain, 1880-1914
Author: Matthew Thomas
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN:

"This book examines how the many areas of anarchist activism formed counter-cultures around which anarchists assembled in order to effect change. By analysing the various anarchist counter-cultures, Thomas demonstrates that those anarchists thought to have been ineffectual were in fact at the forefront of a variety of campaigns, which challenged the existing social, economic and cultural values of British society."--BOOK JACKET.

The Anarchists

The Anarchists
Author: James Joll
Publisher:
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2013-04-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9780415839785

This set re-issues four books originally published between 1926 and 1989 and includesclassics such as The International Anarchy by G. Lowes Dickinson, The Anarchists by James Joll and Bakunin on Anarchy by Sam Dolgoff, as well as David Goodway's volume For Anarchism. There are many types and traditions of anarchism, not all of which are mutually exclusive. Anarchist schools of thought can differ fundamentally, supporting anything from extreme individualism to complete collectivism. This collection gives a snapshot of the main anarchist

Academic Diary

Academic Diary
Author: Les Back
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2016-05-06
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1906897565

Sharp and witty observations of academic life that range from the local to the global, from PowerPoint to the halls of power. Is a university education still relevant? What are the forces that threaten it? Should academics ever be allowed near Twitter? In Academic Diary, Les Back has chronicled three decades of his academic career, turning his sharp and often satirical eye to the everyday aspects of life on campus and the larger forces that are reshaping it. Presented as a collection of entries from a single academic year, the diary moves from the local to the global, from PowerPoint to the halls of power. With entries like “Ivory Towers” and “The Library Angel,” these smart, humorous, and sometimes absurd campus tales not only demystify the opaque rituals of scholarship but also offer a personal perspective on the far-reaching issues of university life. Commenting on topics that range from the impact of commercialization and fee increases to measurement and auditing research, the diary offers a critical analysis of higher education today. At the same time, it is a passionate argument for the life of the mind, the importance of collaborative thinking, and the reasons that scholarship and writing are still vital for making sense of our troubled and divided world.

Gramsci and the Anarchists

Gramsci and the Anarchists
Author: Carl Levy
Publisher:
Total Pages: 296
Release: 1999-10
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN:

Developing an unexplored but important aspect of Gramsci's political ideas & strategies, this book contributes to our understanding of one of the central Marxist thinkers & activists of the 20th century.

Demanding the Impossible

Demanding the Impossible
Author: Peter Marshall
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 1013
Release: 2012-07-10
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0007375832

A fascinating and comprehensive history, 'Demanding the Impossible' is a challenging and thought-provoking exploration of anarchist ideas and actions from ancient times to the present day.