you can't say "fuck" in radio free america

     by patti smith

[this manifesto (text as reproduced in High on Rebellion) was first printed in Yipster Times, March 1977] 


Fuck the word...fuck the word 
fuck the word the word is dead
is re-defined...the bird in the (womb)
is expelled by the propelling
motion of fuck the fucking

THE RESISTANCE

We believe in the total freedom of communication and we will not be compromised. The censorship of words is as meaningless as the censorship of musical notes; we cannot tolerate either. Freedom means exactly that: no limits, no boundaries...rock and roll is not a colonial power to be exploited, told what to say and how to say it. This is the spirit in which our music began and the flame in which is must be continued. Radio Ethiopia is a symphony of experience...each piece a movement...14 movements...14 stations. 

There is silence on my radio...
                                                 --Stones

They are trying to silence us, but they cannot succeed. We cannot be "trusted" not to pollute the airwaves with our idealism and intensity. W(New) York has proved unresponsive at best to the new rock and roll being born under its ears...a music having worldwide cause and effect...injecting a new sense of urgency and imperative. Radio has consistently lagged behind the needs of the community it is honor-bound to serve. We do not consider paternalistic token airplay and passive coverage to be enough. FM radio was birthed in the 1960's as an alternative to restrictive playlisting and narrow monopolistic visions. The promise is being betrayed.

We Want The Radio And We Want It Now 1977...the celebration of 1776-1976 ends tonight...we end with the same desires of individual and ethnic freedom of concept...the freedom of art...the freedom of work...the freedom/flow of energy that keeps rebuilding itself with the nourishment of each generation. The political awareness of the 1960s was a result of the political repression of the 1950's. The '70's have represented the merging of both...political-artistic/activism-expression.

The colonial year is dead. Rock and roll is not a colonial art.
We colonize to further the freedom of space.

We must dedicate ourselves to the future...in the sixties the DOG was GOD...the underdogs rose up and merged and fought for political freedom...we of 1977 are Rat/Art.

                                                                                                                   --Radio Ethiopia, 1977

suspended in relics (art)...The guardian of ritual salute all that heralds and redefines civilization into a long streaming system of tongues...salute then spit on those who left us the ruins of much broken ground then move on...

dedicate to the future we are thus fasting...we rip into the past/perfect like raw meat...we do not accept the past as the summit of creation...we rise and pierce the membrane of mire and waster...the stagnation of rust...

1977. We the people of the neo-army are spewing JUST LUST...The absolute motion into the future...To fight the good fight...the fight for freedom of expression The fight against fat and Roman satisfaction.

WE DON'T WANT NO SATISFACTION
!!THE ART/RAT DAWNS!!
(THE AWAKENING GRAIN)

RAISE UP/ TAKE POSITION/ DUO-SONIC THE SYSTEM OF GOD. ILLUMINATED WEAPONS POISED LIKE MALLOTS LIKE 2-SOUND PICKUPS BAYONETING THE FLESH OF THE EYE...A GRAIN OF SAND THRU THE OPTIC NERVES OF HE THAT SEIZE ALL...A-B (raisive) AND STONED AND IRRATE BY A SPECT(RE) SO CUNNING HE EVENTUALLY SHOWS HIS PHASE HE EVENTUALLY WAKES UP) (SHARP AND ROUGH AND DELICATELY CUT THE AWAKENING GRAIN DOES ITS WORK! THE ART/RAT DAWNS AGAIN! ART/RAT KNAWS THRU SPACE/ RUSHING TADPOLES/ A BLACK STREAK ACROSS THE WHITE HOTEL...THE GLASS THAT SEPARATES HIM FROM SOCIETY IS THE TRUE PERSON OF LIGHT...ART/RAT IN THE SHAPE OF A BOY DRESSED IN A COAT OF MILK...ACTION PAINTER...RUBEDO HAIR OF THE ONE WHO SOARS AND SLASHES THRU THE AVIATOR BACK/FLAP W/OUT BARING THE SENCE OF PURE TONGUE RHYTHM ART/RAT POSSESSING THE NOBEL CONCEIT OF THE FUTURE AWAITS HIGH ORDERS TO SPEW THE TONGUE OF LOVE THAT UTTERS THE MOST PRECIOUS COMMAND THE WORDS OF LOVE THAT TURN US ON (THE PHYSICAL HIEROGLYPHICS) (THE 14 POSITIONS) ARE "FUCK ME FUCK ME FUCK ME FUCK ME...FUCK THE WORD/THE WORD IS DEAD/FUCK IS DEAD ON THE RADIO/THE WORD IS DEAD/IN A WAVE OF SOUND/ TO BE UNBOUND AND WAVED AND DEFILED LIKE A BANNER OUTSIDE SOCIETY OVER THE BLACK RIVER...CITIZENS ARISE! SPIT-BALL INTO THE SKY! THE AWAKENING GRAIN! AWAKENING A-WAKE UP W

Copyright © Patti Smith 1977


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