— Peter Martin
“...and that’s why I always say, the real authoritarians are now on the left.”
Also of some cop
The Special AKA: "Nelson Mandela"
AKA The Specials with AKA "Free Nelson Mandela". It's a testament to this single's power to raise awareness that Martin felt the need to explain who its title character is ("...a black, South African political prisoner") with an added featurette in the same issue's Bitz section to provide more info — it's easy to forget that the man wasn't always the cause célèbre that he would soon become. Their run of unbeatable hit records must have seemed a long way off by this time but this is a brief return to form with some tight playing and a zippy tune to instantly sing along with. Martin likes it enough but doesn't see it getting much of a chance over the wireless. Happily, his prediction was wrong and the infectious chorus got them their first Top Ten hit in nearly three years which then led to the formation of Artists Against Apartheid, demonstrations and concerts, the gradual acceptance of sanctions against South Africa on the part of Western democracies and the eventual release of one Nelson Mandela. Well done, Jerry Dammers!
“...and that’s why I always say, the real authoritarians are now on the left.”
“Well, you’ve certainly shown me where the new fascists are. Alain Tremblay, thank you for joining us today, we really hope to see you again soon.”
“It’s always a pleasure, Kurt. Take care.”
The transmission ended. Kurt glanced off just to the left of the camera to Danielle, his Canadian girlfriend and producer. She smiled sweetly at him. She always had a warm smile waiting for him at the end of every show, even the odd time when he managed to screw up an interview.
“How was I?”
“Good. Really Good. I really think you’re getting the whole ‘make it look like you’re undecided and impartial’ thing we talked about.”
“Thanks.” Kurt was relieved to hear it. He kept hearing, and not just from the usual critics and trolls that dunked on him at every opportunity, that he was too quick to eat out of the palms of his guests. “Wanna get a coffee?”
“Let’s just have one here,” Danielle said, “we got a production meeting in fifteen minutes.”
“Do you really need me for it?”
“Kurt, one meeting a week won’t kill you. Anyway, it won’t take long.”
Kurt rolled his eyes and poured himself a cup of coffee. He typically got a high from finishing a taped interview but meetings nullified them. He went to the office he and Danielle shared to wait. Sitting down, he pulled out his phone and contemplated looking up his social media feeds but he wasn’t sure if Alice, his assistant, had already filtered out the negative comments. Instead, he played a game of cribbage on his tablet. He was about to skunk his opponent when everyone else came in for the meeting.
“I really think we should consider having him on,” Matti said to Danielle who clearly wasn’t listening.
“Matti,” said Alice, shaking her head, “not now.”
Kurt had some idea of who Matti was alluding to but he ignored it. It didn’t bother him unless he heard someone say his name. Or saw it written down. Or had it texted or tweeted at him.
“So,” Danielle began, “Kurt and I have some ideas for the show.” He seldom contributed much to these meetings, happy to have her do the talking. It always annoyed him at his previous jobs how no one would listen to him or how everyone would interrupt him or how, at best, they’d end up twisting every half-decent idea he ever had. Even though he was now the boss, he suspected that his employees would be every bit as dismissive of him. His silence, he reckoned, commanded respect. Danielle spoke for the two of them and they held the balance of power.
Danielle began reading notes and giving orders to Alice and Matti, the show’s new production coordinator. Kurt, doing everything he could to look like he was paying attention, sat with a serious look on his face, nodding along with whatever his partner happened to be saying and looking in the eyes of his staff.
“What time will Dr. Mabuse be coming, Danielle?” Alice enquired. Kurt’s eyes lit up. He didn’t know Mabuse was planning to visit.
“Soon,” Danielle replied. She cleared her throat and resumed. Kurt tried not to appear thrown by the news. He didn’t think the expression on his face changed but he suspected that Matti, sitting across from him, could tell that something was up. He took a sip of coffee and relaxed a bit. He liked Dr. Mabuse. They'd been on each other's shows and had gone for dinner a few times but it bothered Kurt that this was the first he'd heard of him visiting. Also, he couldn't quite relax and be himself in his presence.
"Alice, fetch me the dossier of the men's rights group that requested to appear on the show," Danielle order. "Matti, go see if the film crew is finished for the day."
"Why didn't you tell me Mabuse is coming?" Kurt whispered. They were now alone but he didn't want to chance anyone overhearing his loud voice.
"He called while you were interviewing Tremblay. He was attending meetings in Dusseldorf and decided to swing by."
Kurt nodded. He was always the last to know about Mabuse's visits. This made him even more uneasy and he was already intimidated by him. Libertarianism, free markets, conservative values, anti-political correctness, anti-progressivism: he wasn't sure how much he believed in all these but he knew Mabuse kept the faith. He lived and breathed it all - and he could sniff out a faker and a chancer. Someone who was just in it for the money and the celebrity and the status. Someone like Kurt.
"I'm gonna go to a cafe for a bit. Text me when Mabuse shows up."
~~~~~
Kurt sat at a table in his favourite cafe just a couple blocks from the studio. He thought about his time with Progress Now!, a left-wing media organization for whom he'd previously worked before going independent. They were all about labour rights and trans rights and minority rights and rights for damn-near everyone. He recalled being convinced by it all in a way he didn't feel about the stuff he was peddling now. It was stuff he vaguely believed in. He'd never been especially political and only ever marched in one protest when there had been talk that the German government might join that ridiculous war in Iraq. But he was pro-rights and the guys that ran Progress Now! got him to go along with their ideas.
But now he was an ally of the right. He supported free speech and didn't have much time for people who were trying to suppress and he disliked political correctness but he didn't feel the same passion for these topics that he had when he was on the left. He knew this grift was potentially lucrative but he also knew that he had to be a true believer. He started off by claiming to still be of the left but wanting to change some of its more poisonous aspects. Then he began claiming that he hadn't left the left at all, the left had left him. The more he made up excuses, the less convinced he was by it all.
Not long after going independent, he was contacted by representatives of Dr. Ernst Mabuse, head of Germany's leading right-wing think tank. He was excited to meet with him and thrilled to be offered a partnership. His show, The Centre Field with Kurt Waldheim, would receive funding from Mabuse, who, in exchange, would choose certain guests to be interviewed. Danielle, always more sympathetic to right wing causes than Kurt, jumped at the chance to be part of such a show. For his part, Kurt was simply dazzled by the numbers that Mabuse dangled. They signed up immediately.
The show remained much the same for a while. Some of the guests Mabuse had picked out were people Danielle had already been trying to book so having his name and checkbook at their disposal made it all the easier. Kurt was always a pretty good interviewer, offering up friendly chit-chat with the occasional hard-hitting question to prove his bona fides. Fearing that he might have to change up his style, he was relieved to discover that his new partner just wanted him to keep doing what he was doing. The topics remained the same, there was far less hassle getting guests to come on, it was all easy. A shame he had this guilt nagging away at him but he could usually block it out by thinking of the money they were raking in, the new studio that he and Danielle were having built and the plaudits he was getting from people who mattered.
mabuses here.c u my love
Kurt didn't bother replying.
~~~~~
"So, here's the man I've been waiting for!"
"Dr. Mabuse! How are you?"
"Very well. I have some excellent new guests lined up for you. I've already given them to your new assistant." Matti held up a Manila file, his face unwilling to hide a fake smile.
"That's great! Thank you so much."
"Not a problem. Listen, I was hoping we could have a word in private."
"Sure." He looked at Danielle, who he thought might look put out by such a snub but she simply nodded in encouragement. He suspected something was up since they always went to meetings together. "Let's go to my office."
Kurt sat down at his desk. Mabuse had that friendly smile on his face that always left him feeling uneasy. He felt like he was in trouble at school or that his dad was angry with him.
"I'm enjoying the show. You're treating my hand-picked guests well, only challenging them on trivial matters and letting them get their points across. And Danielle's managing to find other guests who I didn't even know about. But the time has come for you to start showing how much you've changed. You gotta cut the stuff about being open to legalizing drugs and abortion and marriage equality and atheism. Our audience has heard you say all that a number of times and it worked for a while. It showed that a well-spoken young man from a progressive background could engage with the other side. But you have to begin to be more like your guests and our audience. You have to start showing them how far you've come. You gotta become a conservative."
~~~~~
Danielle and Kurt went out for dinner that night and they talked about everything but the show and Dr. Mabuse. He figured that she must have already known what was coming down since she didn't ask him about how the meeting went. They went home and Danielle turned on the computer so she could communicate with a pair of potential guests in the United States. Kurt turned on the TV but quickly grew bored. He pulled out his phone and contemplated looking at his Twitter account.
Alice had Kurt's Twitter but she only monitored it during work hours or if she got a special request from Danielle. He had several notifications. Though many were positive, he kept noticing a common thread to several others:
Debate ______ ________, you fucking coward!
Baby Kurt Waldheim is hiding from ______ ________!
Free speech fraud Kurt Waldheim won't have ______ ________ on his show: hypocrite!
That was the name. The name he couldn't handle. The guy who dunks on him at every opportunity on his lousy show.
He thought about Mabuse. Mabuse was good to him, he gave him an opportunity, he helped him advance. Mabuse was a friend. And these online goons want him to interview a jerk who belittles everything he says?
"Yeah, the real authoritarians are on the left," he said, shutting down his mobile. He had to get started on some new material.
~~~~~"I'm gonna go to a cafe for a bit. Text me when Mabuse shows up."
~~~~~
Kurt sat at a table in his favourite cafe just a couple blocks from the studio. He thought about his time with Progress Now!, a left-wing media organization for whom he'd previously worked before going independent. They were all about labour rights and trans rights and minority rights and rights for damn-near everyone. He recalled being convinced by it all in a way he didn't feel about the stuff he was peddling now. It was stuff he vaguely believed in. He'd never been especially political and only ever marched in one protest when there had been talk that the German government might join that ridiculous war in Iraq. But he was pro-rights and the guys that ran Progress Now! got him to go along with their ideas.
But now he was an ally of the right. He supported free speech and didn't have much time for people who were trying to suppress and he disliked political correctness but he didn't feel the same passion for these topics that he had when he was on the left. He knew this grift was potentially lucrative but he also knew that he had to be a true believer. He started off by claiming to still be of the left but wanting to change some of its more poisonous aspects. Then he began claiming that he hadn't left the left at all, the left had left him. The more he made up excuses, the less convinced he was by it all.
Not long after going independent, he was contacted by representatives of Dr. Ernst Mabuse, head of Germany's leading right-wing think tank. He was excited to meet with him and thrilled to be offered a partnership. His show, The Centre Field with Kurt Waldheim, would receive funding from Mabuse, who, in exchange, would choose certain guests to be interviewed. Danielle, always more sympathetic to right wing causes than Kurt, jumped at the chance to be part of such a show. For his part, Kurt was simply dazzled by the numbers that Mabuse dangled. They signed up immediately.
The show remained much the same for a while. Some of the guests Mabuse had picked out were people Danielle had already been trying to book so having his name and checkbook at their disposal made it all the easier. Kurt was always a pretty good interviewer, offering up friendly chit-chat with the occasional hard-hitting question to prove his bona fides. Fearing that he might have to change up his style, he was relieved to discover that his new partner just wanted him to keep doing what he was doing. The topics remained the same, there was far less hassle getting guests to come on, it was all easy. A shame he had this guilt nagging away at him but he could usually block it out by thinking of the money they were raking in, the new studio that he and Danielle were having built and the plaudits he was getting from people who mattered.
mabuses here.c u my love
Kurt didn't bother replying.
~~~~~
"So, here's the man I've been waiting for!"
"Dr. Mabuse! How are you?"
"Very well. I have some excellent new guests lined up for you. I've already given them to your new assistant." Matti held up a Manila file, his face unwilling to hide a fake smile.
"That's great! Thank you so much."
"Not a problem. Listen, I was hoping we could have a word in private."
"Sure." He looked at Danielle, who he thought might look put out by such a snub but she simply nodded in encouragement. He suspected something was up since they always went to meetings together. "Let's go to my office."
Kurt sat down at his desk. Mabuse had that friendly smile on his face that always left him feeling uneasy. He felt like he was in trouble at school or that his dad was angry with him.
"I'm enjoying the show. You're treating my hand-picked guests well, only challenging them on trivial matters and letting them get their points across. And Danielle's managing to find other guests who I didn't even know about. But the time has come for you to start showing how much you've changed. You gotta cut the stuff about being open to legalizing drugs and abortion and marriage equality and atheism. Our audience has heard you say all that a number of times and it worked for a while. It showed that a well-spoken young man from a progressive background could engage with the other side. But you have to begin to be more like your guests and our audience. You have to start showing them how far you've come. You gotta become a conservative."
~~~~~
Danielle and Kurt went out for dinner that night and they talked about everything but the show and Dr. Mabuse. He figured that she must have already known what was coming down since she didn't ask him about how the meeting went. They went home and Danielle turned on the computer so she could communicate with a pair of potential guests in the United States. Kurt turned on the TV but quickly grew bored. He pulled out his phone and contemplated looking at his Twitter account.
Alice had Kurt's Twitter but she only monitored it during work hours or if she got a special request from Danielle. He had several notifications. Though many were positive, he kept noticing a common thread to several others:
Debate ______ ________, you fucking coward!
Baby Kurt Waldheim is hiding from ______ ________!
Free speech fraud Kurt Waldheim won't have ______ ________ on his show: hypocrite!
That was the name. The name he couldn't handle. The guy who dunks on him at every opportunity on his lousy show.
He thought about Mabuse. Mabuse was good to him, he gave him an opportunity, he helped him advance. Mabuse was a friend. And these online goons want him to interview a jerk who belittles everything he says?
"Yeah, the real authoritarians are on the left," he said, shutting down his mobile. He had to get started on some new material.
Also of some cop
The Special AKA: "Nelson Mandela"
AKA The Specials with AKA "Free Nelson Mandela". It's a testament to this single's power to raise awareness that Martin felt the need to explain who its title character is ("...a black, South African political prisoner") with an added featurette in the same issue's Bitz section to provide more info — it's easy to forget that the man wasn't always the cause célèbre that he would soon become. Their run of unbeatable hit records must have seemed a long way off by this time but this is a brief return to form with some tight playing and a zippy tune to instantly sing along with. Martin likes it enough but doesn't see it getting much of a chance over the wireless. Happily, his prediction was wrong and the infectious chorus got them their first Top Ten hit in nearly three years which then led to the formation of Artists Against Apartheid, demonstrations and concerts, the gradual acceptance of sanctions against South Africa on the part of Western democracies and the eventual release of one Nelson Mandela. Well done, Jerry Dammers!
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