identity | Working Class Worrier

‘Hope of deliverance from the darkness that surrounds us’

Posted on October 18, 2018 by dilettantemilitant

‘And they promised us the world … in Hooverville’* (© Leech 1992)

That fabulous Mersey mop-topped maestro Paul McCartney wrote this post’s title’s lyrics way back in ’92 and they resonate true today. Inequality and disparity reside in every rat-ridden doorway, under every dank, derelict bridge and inside 99% of inner-city high-rise ‘scum-streets’ (as muttered off the record by Tory Councillor for Sittingbourne, Jerrence Mallanby-Birch). The still image reveals more than any words ever could. Context is prescribed by the eye of the beholder, a framed perception that defies contesting.

It is only through capturing and documenting these cesspits of filth that a better future can be achieved. Therefore, it is with great honour and pride that I can announce the imminent publication of a vital phot-tome by a truly great citizen and filmic auteur, Kenneth Leech. Not only is he a trusted friend of my charitable causes, but, his provocative visi-texts and antagonistic art continue to stir the embers of complacency at the seats of power. Forever rustling feathers and hustling bell-wethers in the pursuit of integrity and honesty , ‘Kenny’ mashes up pop-cultural history with searing commentary that sadly reminds that these problems are not today’s problems, but, the mistakes of the past that perpetually haunt the present.

Like his near contemporary, incognito graffito Banksy, Leech blends his anti-capitalist critiques with everyday reference points (e.g. *The Christians and Bucks Fizz+ lyric inspired captions) in order to be understood by everyone, speaking on the level, ‘never above, never beneath’ is his modus operendi.

His work has seen him travel and explore the outer reaches of the globe along the way encountering many remarkable people which have suffered grave indignities. When pressed by the Alan Nobel Committee © on his motivations Kenny humbly said:

‘I always used to walk hurriedly past and through life at haste, never seeing what was clearly in front of me. It was meeting Mick Talbot, ex-British Armed Forces, that my eyes and ears were turned towards a greater issue, that of horrific disparity in society and that continued ignorance would only make matters much worse. It was from this awakening that I vowed to make a difference so I bought a camera and sought to tell the stories beneath the surface. The hidden stories from the submerged people who have fallen down the cracks in the system’s pavements, their voices and their tales need hearing and telling’

With 5% of all proceeds going to charity, treat your families and friends with this hard-hitting expose of the real state of the nation.

Buy: http://www.skindeepsecrets.com

Quote code LEECH20 for a tax deductible discount

REVIEWS

‘Kenny’s new gloriously glossy hard backed book is a must for all des-res coffee tables this Christmas. Hard-hitting and emotive.’ Nina Myskow, TV Times

***** Help for Heroes

‘In the age of image over stimulation this book reminds us of the power latent in the artists’s eye, each and every snap in this collection a stark and gut-wrenching prod to the conscience’ Tallulah Getty II, GettyCorps.

Anarchy’s mask (apply with confidence)

Posted on April 27, 2018 by dilettantemilitant

Ye are many—they are few!

In these times of global unrest, social disharmony and psychic decay it has never been more important to not only protest, but, also be mindful of the meaning of protest. I always seek guidance and solace in poet of romance yet also one of human conscience, Percy Bysshe Shelley and his ode to the Peterloo massacre in 1819, The Masque of Anarchy.

Generally believed to be the first modern instance of non-violent resistance the protesters, who wanted parliamentary reform in a time of famine and unemployment, were met with the brutality of the government’s forces leaving 15 people dead and hundreds wounded. In order to understand the present one must look to the past. My peer and esteemed colleague, Mike Leigh, has a film on the subject due out in November 2018. I urge all my subscribers to see it and build on its call to response.

Shelley’s timeless poem attacks the unholy trinity of ‘God, King and Law’ and how pacifism met with violence can only lead to negative psychological consequences. These effects can be visible seen in the shell-shocked PTSD returnees from foreign interventions.

The coming together of the people/the many/the 99% will always survive any form of attack despite retribution. Anarchy’s mask is one that should be worn by every citizen of the human race.

I invoke this because there appears to be a lot of misguided ‘action’ surrounding the potential visit of Donald Trump, President of the USA, the ‘democratic’ self-appointed leader of the ‘free world’. Now, I’m no fan of his, but, this is mass-distraction on the largest scale.

As my readers know, I am a firm believer in the potency of grassroots action. In order to see the oak tree one must first plant the seed. Already I see my social media timelines littered with enraged people mortified at the prospect of one insider coming here to visit other insiders. Change has to come from the root, the bottom of the pyramid is the scaffolding that supports the top, without it the whole charade collapses.

‘We are the necessary gust required to topple tyranny’ Wat Tyler (unknown)

My new film currently in progress is called Rising Up and the downside of missing the target. It will address these very issues and highlight how through mass communication systems our points of focus are continually under attack causing the main issues to become missed, ignored and forgotten.

I am currently seeking financial input in order to get this vital expose off the ground. Fellow working-class auteur, Frank Farquharson-Baxter (First AD on the Sky Atlantic miniseries Poverty starts in the womb), has this to say ‘I cannot stress enough how important this documentary is, the message propagated by the media is a false one so films like Dilettante’s are the only corrective. Successive generations rely on us acting NOW’.

To contribute and be part of this momentous adventure please go to: http://www.beggingbowlmeup.org

‘Who I am is what I am. Deal with it’ Joseph ‘John’ Merrick

Posted on July 25, 2017 by dilettantemilitant

I’ve never been what you would call ‘conventional’, I’ve always gravitated towards the mavericks, the awkward, the outliers, the margin dwellers, the outspoken, the rebels, the renegades. Where most would see kinship with norms and the straights I fit in with the misshapen and square pegs.

The weirdos, the freaks, the diffident and different, that’s where you’ll find me: hanging with them, riffing off them, the 60s oddballs, the 70s crazies, the 80s extroverts: they’re my kind.

In my infancy and youth these traits and virtues got me into all sorts of trouble, just by speaking out for the oppressed, the depressed and suppressed which inevitably resulted in my having to fend off the brickbats from those who live to hate and hate to live. Numerous experiences like these molded me to become the defender of the weak, protector of the meek and champion of the underclass. My work seeks to articulate these characteristics

Too many people espouse identification with the bereft amongst us, seeking to exploit their woes for mercantile gain and egocentric goals. I find this crass and shameful. I am forever proud of my credentials, as my tattoo proudly exhorts ‘working class til I die’.

It is my raison d’être to document these issues for my living days. Together forever.

Accept what you are, be who you are, the rewards are many.