#masses

[milksockets]

shot by davit giorgadze in masses magazine #12

[fieriframes]

[Between the lowlands and hell. Clocks chime the hour of the inescapable journey. Distant spirits gather in masses. In this house with numbered doors. If the story can exist without me, do I exist? If the story can exist without me, who created the deities?]

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

‘The Grip of Evil’, novelisation based on Australian TV drama Number 96, episode 143 - Arkon ( Angus & Robertson ) - 1973

[1five1two]

It is doubtless true that the masses have always been led in one way or another, and it could be said that their part in history consists primarily in allowing themselves to be led, since they represent a predominantly passive element, a materia in the Aristotelian sense of the word; but in order to lead them today it is sufficient to possess oneself of purely material means, taking the word matter this time in its ordinary sense, and this clearly shows to what depths the present age has sunk; and at the same time these same masses are made to believe that they are not being led, but that they are acting spontaneously and governing themselves, and the fact that they believe this to be true gives an idea of the extent of their unintelligence.

René Guénon

[nugothrhythms]

"Sirens" by Melbourne, Australia-based deathrock and anarchogoth act Masses off of 2018 album Moloch

[salmankhanholics]

★ Trade experts explain why no Hindi or Pan-Indian film clashes with Salman Khan’s films at the box office: “He’s 100% an ORGANIC star; clashing with him can prove SUICIDAL”!

Nov 7, 2023

Salman Khan’s Diwali release Tiger 3 is nearly a week away and the excitement is tremendous. What’s interesting is that it’ll have a solo release of sorts, as no other Hindi or Pan-India South film is clashing on the same day. In fact, Salman Khan has not faced a clash since 2010. The last time that happened was when his 2009 action super-hit film Wanted was released on the same day as Rani Mukerji-starrer Dil Bole Hadippa.

Dabangg (2010), Ready (2011), Bodyguard (2011), Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Dabangg 2 (2012), Jai Ho (2014), Kick (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), Sultan (2016), Tubelight (2017), Race 3 (2018), Bharat (2019), Dabangg 3 (2019) and Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023) released with no competition. Antim (2021) faced a collision with Satyameva Jayate 2 (2021) but then it didn’t feature the superstar in the lead.

Other stars haven’t been that fortunate. Shah Rukh Khan’s Dilwale (2015) and Raees (2017) were released alongside Bajirao Mastani (2015) and Kaabil (2017) respectively. SRK is at his best position arguably right now and yet, his next film Dunki will have to share screens with Salaar on Christmas 2023. Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha clashed with Akshay Kumar’s Raksha Bandhan last year. Salman’s last few films have not done well and yet, no one is ready to come on the same Friday as him.

We asked trade experts about this rare phenomenon. Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “He has a huge following and is a darling of the masses. The business he has generated over a period of time in mass pockets is phenomenal. Though he has had a rough patch, he's the pied piper of Bollywood.”

Trade analyst Atul Mohan, in agreement, exulted, “Salman is a very big hero of the masses. He has always had such a huge fan following; Shah Rukh Khan ka aisa following ab bana hai. Aamir Khan never had such a mass pull. Salman’s craze is one of a kind. Hence, filmmakers are wary of clashing their films with him. Itna bada hero hai, kaun takkar lega iske saath?”

Girish Johar, producer and film business analyst, remarked, “Salman is the only superstar who people want to see on screen. He has the maximum on-screen superstardom out of all the actors. It’s a very critical factor. He’s also not on our social media every time, going to malls, opening ribbons, dancing, etc.”

He continued, “Unfortunately his films have not worked as he hasn’t paid much attention to the storytelling, packaging, direction, etc. He has that power that if he gets these things right, then there’s no stopping him. That’s why many are wary of clashing with him as they know that at least in the opening weekend, their film will get butchered.”

Raj Bansal, the owner of Entertainment Paradise cinema hall in Jaipur, explained, “Salman Khan is an action hero. When no one was doing action, he was the only action excelling in this genre. Somewhere, his confidence shook and he also did non-action films like Tubelight (2017), Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), etc. Only Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015) worked in this regard. But even when his films were gadbad, they still made Rs. 100 crores plus. There was a time when the hit films of Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgn did Rs. 100 crores. But Salman’s flop films do Rs. 100 crores even today! And his hit films have done more than Rs. 300 crores. It’s thanks to him that the industry realized the true potential of a Hindi film. Hence, clashing with him can prove suicidal.”

He also said, “He’s 100% an organic star. Even Sunny Deol is.”

Girish Johar added, “If he moulds himself to the sensibilities that cater to his fans and also provides intelligent content, then sky is the limit. I think Tiger 3 will do well. It ticks all the right boxes.”

Taran Adarsh also said along the same lines, “Tiger 3 being a brand and essaying a role that is much-loved, I am sure it’ll have a great run and a huge opener.”

[schibborasso]

cover maggi+masses #11: 3D

[lisamarie-vee]

[opera-ghosts]

OTD in Music History: Composer Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896) is born in Austria. Bruckner is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonists in history. Gustav Mahler (1860 – 1911), who studied with him, called Bruckner his own “forerunner.” Bruckner was also one of the best organists of his day, although curiously he wrote no major works for that instrument. In his personal life, however, Bruckner was one of the weirdest guys around – an extremely awkward man with a raging inferiority complex who was regularly bullied by his more socially adept colleagues (many of whom literally tinkered with his symphonies, which now exist in a confusing myriad of different versions as a result). Bruckner experienced extended periods of crippling depression; suffered from severe OCD; was a lifelong bachelor who was constantly trying to marry teenage girls even into his old age; and had a morbid fascination with death (after his mother died, he commissioned a portrait photograph of her corpse which he thereafter displayed on his desk). On the latter point, Bruckner developed an extreme obsession with viewing dead bodies. He became a frequent visitor at funeral parlors and random funerals, and he even (unsuccessfully) sought permission to exhume the body of his dead cousin. When the remains of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827) and Franz Schubert (1798 – 1828) were exhumed to be moved to Vienna’s Central Cemetery in 1888, Bruckner “fingered and kissed the skulls of both composers.” He also allegedly dropped a lens from his pince-nez into Beethoven’s coffin, where it presumably still remains to this day... PICTURED: A c. 1910s real photo postcard showing the elderly Bruckner.

Given Bruckner’s obsession with death, it is hardly surprising that he gave very specific instructions on how to deal with his own dead body. In October 1896, he died at age 72 in Vienna. His body was initially released for viewing at the St. Charles Church in Vienna, and then five days later he arrived back at the St. Florian Monastery in his hometown of Linz, where he had served as the organist for many years. Between the viewing in Vienna and the burial in Linz, however, a certain “Professor Paltauf” had mummified Bruckner’s body – just as the composer had specified in his Will. Bruckner was then buried in a coffin *with a glass plate inserted into the lid*, so that his mummified face could be easily viewed by curious onlookers in perpetuity. In 1996, in preparations for Bruckner’s centenary celebrations, monastery authorities discovered that Bruckner’s mummy had begun to decay. They arranged for the mummy to take a secret restoration trip over to Switzerland… and after being “restored” in both body and clothing, Bruckner was returned to Linz, where officials declared the project a resounding success, proclaiming that it looked “like he just died yesterday.” Judge for yourself at https://www.abruckner.com/editorsnote/features/talesofthecrypt/therepairofantonbr/

[1introvertedsage]

Those who are able to see beyond the shadows and lies of their culture will never be understood, let alone believed, by the masses.

~Plato~

[sciencesolutions]

[milksockets]

eric diulen + sacha quintin in masses magazine #12

[fieriframes]

[The kind of food the owner Biju Thomas specializes in, yet, aeneas, with a prayer to Cybele, prepares for action, and now he's bringing it to the masses.]

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Gregory A. Douglas - The Rite - Zebra - 1979

[drmonkeysetroscans]

Crowd hysteria.

[daveydoodle]

Be careful when you follow the masses, sometimes the 'm' is silent..