¡ATENCION! ACHTUNG! ВНИМАНИЕ! ATTENTION!
TO: All Rebels, Disunited States of AmuriKKKa, Planet Inferno
FROM: Dix Winstanley, Counterintelligence Division
SECURITY LEVEL: 9 – Deep Classification
CODE: Mauve
Comrades,
We regret to inform you of the apparent disappearance of Benjamin Venercour.
He was last seen Saturday, Sept. 19. That evening two Select Squad officers had reason to visit him in the safe space where, as you know, he has taken up residence these past seven months within one of our hidden locations. (Level-10 access only, I’m afraid: As we are now maintaining several of these bunkers globally, I’m not at liberty to disclose which one has been housing him.)
For many weeks, fellow Sonic Mixers neighboring Venercour’s unit had filed numerous complaint reports, complete with time-stamped decibel readings, all supporting their findings that 1) his volume levels routinely surpassed limits previously set forth in the Mutual Agreement; 2) a preponderance of bass persisted nightly, suggesting a reckless disregard for community-approved EQ settings; and 3) he maintained a strange fascination with hypnotically repetitive Afropop, predominantly but not limited to Nigerian grooves.
Upon entry, officers noticed Venercour seemed startled, frazzled and distant. His compartment was noticeably disheveled, particularly around his studio console, which was somewhat expected, but also atop his bed, where stacks of books and strewn papers suggested he had not slept in days, perhaps weeks. However, he was entirely lucid in his responses to our officers’ queries; despite a few snide remarks, he did not turn defensive when politely but firmly warned to keep it down; and his appearance, unlike his chambers, was curiously impeccable. His skin, they noted, had been shaved smooth, as evidenced by his legs, on display between the high hem of a black dress and the higher red heels he wore. (The attached surveillance photos, taken from our CCTV during this visit, indicate Venercour — who as you know sometimes operates under the nom de drag Bonnie Waters — was likely completing transformation, as only the upper half of his lips show gloss and there are clip-on earrings in his hand.)
With all complaints addressed and understood, Ms. Waters was left to her own devices. Based on the officers’ report, filed Sunday, high-ranking Select Squad officials deemed Venercour no further risk and was taken off 24/7 monitoring provisionally. Under the guidelines and amendments to the Mutual Agreement, without witnesses to any visible signs of self-harm or psychosis, Sonic Mixers are to be checked on only infrequently and randomly, unless further complaints warrant investigation.
Tonight, however, shortly after midnight, King Crimson’s “Neal and Jack and Me,” the kickoff to the group’s 1981 album Beat, began blaring from Venercour’s compartment at a volume my shell-shocked deputies could only describe as annihilating. Three officers and five neighboring Mixers have yet to regain their hearing. Elite Team 6 was deployed to break into the room and crush the console, cutting the sound out just as Andy Partridge of XTC finished this bridge from “Here Comes President Kill Again”:
Ain’t democracy wonderful?
Them Russians can’t win
Ain’t democracy wonderful?
Let’s us vote someone like that in
Our team, aided by forensic specialists, assessed the situation. Most obvious of all: Venercour was gone.
Pages upon pages ripped out of books covered every corner of floor, suggesting the bed piles from two evenings earlier had been torn up. Now on the bed burned a small pyramid made from copies of John Bolton’s The Room Where It Happened. Plastered across the now-smashed console were distinctively geometric black-and-white book covers yanked from the works of Albert Camus, upon which Venercour had scrawled new words over their titles in blunted crayons (Crayola, found at the scene). Across a dozen of these jackets, in pieces viewed together, could be made out a stanza from David Bowie’s “Fantastic Voyage”:
We’re learning to live with somebody’s depression
And I don’t want to live with somebody’s depression
We also found Venercour’s tablet at his bedside. It has been stripped of all information, save for a locked-in note that we have been unable to turn off, despite the battery display showing empty. It consists of the days-of-the-week memos that restate Neil Hannon’s assumptions in “Note to Self” by the Irish band the Divine Comedy:
Monday: Heaven and Hell do not exist
Tuesday: If you die, you do so at your own risk
Wednesday: Beauty is not the same thing as youth
Thursday: Only one thing beautiful — that’s the truth
Friday: A writer writes for himself, not for you
Saturday: A song is not a song until it’s listened to
We soon located the emotional cry at the heart of that song: “There is nothing … as frightening … as being … alone.” Venercour follows it on his unsanctioned fifth playlist (like all Sonic Mixers, he was commissioned for only four) with another telltale clue: Queen’s “I’m Going Slightly Mad,” among the very last recordings from Freddie Mercury.
One final clue was unmissable, as Venercour had written a call-to-action in a smeared, sticky red substance on the ceiling looking down upon the pyre of Bolton’s greedy confessions. My hip-hop experts tell me it’s a Mos Def/Talib Kweli line from a track (“K.O.S.”) they recorded during their Black Star days:
The fire’s in my eyes and the flames need fanning!
The red substance, by the way, was tested. Not blood, just mottled cherry Hi-C mix.
Thus far, we can make neither heads nor tails of these details, and Comrade Venercour — or Ms. Waters, as may be the case — remains at large. As you know, all Sonic Mixers were tasked this summer with devising their most persuasive election-year playlists as Autumn additions to their Sleepless Dissidents arsenals. The all-out assault, combined from every Mixers’ output, would be deployed in daily ear-bombings from this day, the Autumn Equinox, until Nov. 3, to be followed by more hopeful and peaceful Winter assortments.
Venercour appears not to have envisioned such an optimistic outcome. His Autumn presents a powerful overview of how our past is still our present, girded by an overriding concern that voting may not be enough and genuine racial harmony an impossibility. Far from contradicting that mood, his Winter is even more troubling: The usual Crimson launch (a motif consistent with each season) has here regressed, to 1969’s all-too-visionary “21st Century Schizoid Man.” Ominously, Venercour’s standard 10 sides of vinyl conclude with the finger-trigger-click-click-click of a forgotten English Beat tune.
Of course, his illegal Epilogue itself is a vivid indicator of how far awry Venercour’s playlisting has gone. Yet note how this final and perhaps most revealing set does not lead with more Crimson — although that progressive forebear does turn up again midway, liltingly conveying another lyric we found in Venercour’s compartment, this one etched into his night table: “I listen to the wind.” What does the ending mean, then? First, Ray Davies lamenting life in suburban “Shangri-La,” then XTC’s Mr. Partridge intoning, “Ah well, that’s this world over.”
We are at a loss, dear comrades. Scouring the globe has begun, but the eccentric Ms. Waters, wherever she may be, has thus far left behind no stiletto prints. We have only these final three playlists from which to cull clues. Any and all insights you may glean from them will be welcome. Please file your reports promptly with your division commanders.
As ever,
DEFEAT 45,
save the world.
— END —
SLEEPLESS DISSIDENTS 3: AUTUMN
Side 1
King Crimson, “Neal and Jack and Me” (1982)
David Bowie, “New Killer Star” (2003)
XTC, “Here Comes President Kill Again” (1989)
The Psychedelic Furs, “President Gas” (1982)
Talking Heads, “The Democratic Circus” (1988)
Side 2
Rickie Lee Jones, “Little Mysteries” (2003)
Stevie Wonder, “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” (1974)
Stevie Wonder, “Big Brother” (1972)
Michael Kiwanuka, “Black Man in a White World” (2016)
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “White Man’s World” (2017)
Side 3
Thrice, “Broken Lungs” (2008)
Tricky, “Vent” (1996)
Killer Mike, “Don’t Die” (2012)
Paris featuring George Clinton, Chuck D and T-K.A.S.H., “Blap That Ass Up” (2008)
XTC, “Melt the Guns” (1982)
Side 4
Antibalas, “Who Is This America Dem Speak of Today?” (2010)
Talking Heads, “The Great Curve” (1980)
The Clash, “Revolution Rock” (1979)
The Souljazz Orchestra, “Mista President” (2007)
Morphine, “Honey White” (1995)
Side 5
Los Lobos, “Done Gone Blue” (2002)
Jimi Hendrix, “Machine Gun (Live at the Fillmore East)” (1969/2019)
Jane’s Addiction, “Stop!” (1990)
Gang of Four, “He’d Send in the Army” (1981)
INXS, “Black and White” (1982)
Side 6
Elvis Costello & the Imposters, “Bedlam” (2004)
John Legend & the Roots, “Compared to What” (2010)
The Coup, “My Favorite Mutiny” (2006)
Fitz and the Tantrums, “Dear Mr. President” (2010)
Mark Ronson with Lily Allen, “Oh My God” (2007)
Side 7
K.Flay, “The President Has a Sex Tape” (2017)
Jamila Woods, “Muddy” (2019)
Oshun, “Not My President” (2017)
The Moth & the Flame, “The New Great Depression” (2018)
The Valentine Brothers, “Money’s Too Tight to Mention” (1982)
Side 8
Kinky, “Presidente” (2003)
The Style Council, “Money-Go-Round (Pt. 1 & 2)” (1989)
Arcadia featuring Grace Jones, “Election Day” (1985)
D’Angelo, “The Charade” (2014)
The English Beat, “Two Swords” (1980)
Side 9
Jenny O., “Not My President” (2020)
Billy Bragg, “Help Save the Youth of America” (1986)
Jefferson Airplane, “Volunteers” (1969)
AJJ (Andrew Jackson Jihad), “Normalization Blues” (2020)
Blackalicious, “Paragraph President” (2002)
Side 10
David Bowie, “Black Tie White Noise” (1993)
Blur, “Out of Time” (20030
Elton John, “Love Song” (1970)
Thomas Dolby, “Cloudburst at Shingle Street” (1982)
The The, “Heartland” (1986)
SLEEPLESS DISSIDENTS 4: WINTER
Side 1
King Crimson, “21st Century Schizoid Man” (1969)
Beyoncé featuring Kendrick Lamar, “Freedom” (2016)
Jamila Woods, “Blk Girl Soldier” (2017)
Common with Stevie Wonder, “Black America Again” (2016)
Prince, “Dear Mr. Man” (2004)
Side 2
Erykah Badu, “Time’s a Wastin” (2000)
Melanie De Biasio, “Afro Blue” (2017)
Massive Attack, “Better Things” (1994)
Sylvan Esso, “Die Young” (2017)
Sade, “Slave Song” (2000)
Side 3
Tanita Tikaram, “Twist in My Sobriety” (1988)
Leonard Cohen, “Waiting for the Miracle” (1992)
David Bowie, “Fantastic Voyage” (1979)
The National, “Afraid of Everyone” (2010)
Milo Greene, “Afraid of Everything” (2017)
Side 4
Dave, “Black” (2019)
Gil Scott-Heron, “Winter in America (Live Studio Version)” (2010)
Dead Prez, “I Have a Dream, Too” (2004)
Joey Bada$$, “Land of the Free” (2017)
Eels, “World of Shit” (2001)
Side 5
Syl Johnson, “Is It Because I’m Black” (1969)
2Pac (as Makaveli), “White Man’z World” (1996)
Black Star featuring Vinia Mojica, “K.O.S. (Determination)” (1998)
Nas & Erykah Badu, “This Bitter Land” (2016)
Laura Mvula, “Brighter Dawn” (2020)
Side 6
Bruce Springsteen, “American Skin (41 Shots)” (2014)
Neil Young, “Southern Man” (1970)
Joe Cocker, “First We Take Manhattan” (1999)
The Coup, “The Guillotine” (2012)
Tricky, “Murder Weapon” (2010)
Side 7
The Clash, “Police on My Back” (1980)
Fontaines D.C., “Too Real” (2019)
Jay-Z featuring Frank Ocean, “Oceans” (2013)
Ice Cube, “Arrest the President” (2018)
Fela Kuti, “Sorrow Tears and Blood” (1977)
Side 8
John Legend & the Roots featuring Black Thought, “Hard Times” (2010)
The Style Council, “The Big Boss Groove” (1984)
The Police, “When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What’s Still Around” (1980)
Tears for Fears featuring Oleta Adams, “Bad Man’s Song” (1989)
George Michael, “Praying for Time” (1990)
Side 9
Cherry Ghost, “People Help the People” (2007)
Wilco, “Handshake Drugs” (2004)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions, “Pills and Soap” (1983)
Elvis Costello & the Attractions, “Night Rally” (1978)
Kenneth Whalum featuring Big K.R.I.T., “Might Not Be Ok” (2016)
Side 10
Earl Sweatshirt featuring Maxo, “Whole World” (2020)
Modest Mouse, “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” (2000)
They Might Be Giants, “Am I Awake?” (2014)
Snow Patrol, “Fallen Empires” (2011)
The English Beat, “Click Click” (1980)
SLEEPLESS DISSIDENTS 5: EPILOGUE
Side 1
Supertramp, “Even in the Quietest Moments” (1977)
Nick Drake, “Things Behind the Sun” (1972)
The Divine Comedy, “Note to Self” (2001)
Queen, “I’m Going Slightly Mad” (1991)
They Might Be Giants, “You’re on Fire” (2014)
Side 2
Love and Rockets, “If There’s a Heaven Above” (1985)
Supertramp, “The Logical Song” (1979)
XTC, “Wrapped in Grey” (1992)
King Crimson, “I Talk to the Wind” (1969)
Morgan Delt, “Some Sunsick Day” (2016)
Side 3
Bring Me the Horizon, “Hospital for Souls” (2013)
Tricky, “Wash My Soul” (1999)
Why?, “These Few Presidents” (2008)
Elf Power, “You’re Never Gonna Get to Heaven” (2013)
Yes, “Survival” (1969)
Side 4
Tame Impala, “It Might Be Time” (2020)
Jamila Woods, “Zora” (2019)
Alex Turner, “Stuck on the Puzzle” (2011)
Genesis, “Time Table” (1972)
Donald Fagen, “I.G.Y.” (1982)
Side 5
The Kinks, “Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues” (1971)
John Lennon, “Remember” (1970)
Elton John, “I Think I’m Going to Kill Myself” (1972)
Elvis Costello, “God’s Comic” (1989)
Bob Dylan, “Ballad of a Thin Man” (1965)
Side 6
AJJ, “No Justice, No Peace, No Hope” (2020)
Peter Gabriel, “Here Comes the Flood” (1990)
Randy Newman, “Ghosts” (1979)
Elton John, “Ticking” (1974)
Stevie Wonder, “They Won’t Go When I Go” (1974)
Side 7
Melanie De Biasio, “Your Freedom Is the Death of Me” (2017)
Dayna Kurtz, “If I Go First” (2015)
This Mortal Coil, “Suite: Ivy and Neet / Meniscus / Tears / Tarantula” (1986)
George Harrison, “Isn’t It a Pity” (1970)
Snow Patrol, “The President” (2011)
Side 8
The Head and the Heart, “Let’s Be Still” (2013)
Lana Del Rey, “Looking for America” (2019)
Simon & Garfunkel, “Cloudy” (1966)
They Might Be Giants, “Let’s Get This Over With” (2018)
Steely Dan, “The Last Mall” (2003)
Side 9
The Kinks, “This Time Tomorrow” (1970)
Father John Misty, “Ballad of the Dying Man” (2017)
John Mayer, “I Guess I Just Feel Like” (2019)
Tedeschi Trucks Band, “Bound for Glory” (2011)
Neil Young, “Revolution Blues” (1974)
Side 10
Fleetwood Mac, “Oh Well (Pt. 1)” (1969)
The Delgados, “American Trilogy” (2000)
Simon & Garfunkel, “American Tune (Live at Central Park, September ‘81)” (1982)
The Kinks, “Shangri-La” (1969)
XTC, “This World Over” (1984)
Exit Music (For a Film):
King Crimson, “Nuages (That Which Passes, Passes Like Clouds)” (1984)