0 0 0 0 0 00000000 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0000 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00000000 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0000 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 00000 0 0 0 000 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00000 00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 HOLY!HOLY!HOLY!HOLY! - FAQ v.1.3 This is the FAQ, (frequently asked questions that is - for those of you who are particularly monodisciplinary in your approach to being cultured) for Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!. A better name would perhaps be just 'AQ' as, well, we don't get that many to be honest and frankly calling it 'frequently' is a boast I can't back up. Nevertheless, if you are wondering what its all about, tough shit - lots of people wonder that all the time and I can't help them - if, however, you're wondering what Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!'s all about, you have come to sort of the right place. Q. First things first, Is 'Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!' a name for a group, philosophy, club night, spoken word night, magazine, or other? A. Most of the above, especially other. Really it is a corporate identity for the Reverend and Mr. Clayton. Other things stay dry under its umbrella. Q. How many 'Holy's' is that again? A. 4 Q. Where is it based? A. Brighton, East Sussex, UK Q. What, like fatboy slim? A. yeah. Q. I know the place 'London by the sea' innit? A. I prefer to refer to London as 'Brighton without the sea', but yeah. Q. Do I need to register to post on the messageboard? A. No. Q. I have signed your guestbook, and I didn't like it - isn't 'What do you believe in?' a dreadfully cliched question? A. Well, some might say that calling things 'cliched' is a dreadful cliche, but that's probably a Postpostmodern alley not worth investigating. Our only defence is that 'What do you believe in?' followed by a succession of 'Why?'s' is a proven technique of forcible coercion to a religious position. It was used by the Plymouth bethren - among whom was Aleister Crowley's dad - to persuade people on the street. they'd Go: 'Why?' 'Why?' 'Why?' until the answer was 'I don't know' and then they'd say: 'well WE do, why don't you join us?'. We like converts, they make us feel like cult leaders which, basically is our ambition. Q. What does 'Postpostmodern' mean? A. Well, at some point around the middle of the 20th century, academics discovered that they were living in a condition of 'postmodernity'. It is our contention that this particular condition is rather old and quite annoying, so we have declared it dead. Not being in the business of coining 'isms' (or at least, having coined them we are not in the business of sticking to them too closely) we have termed our current aeon one of postpostmodernity. A little knowledge of prefixes will explain why. Q. Why don'tcha get a job fer christ's sake? A. The reverend has a job. Mr. Clayton refuses to accept that the economy of the united kingdom requires his labour and cannot understand why, if the point of technology was to free the human race from meaningless toil, technology hasn't been allowed to do so. Think about it, if there's only enough work for half the country, or - as now - if we have to create jobs SPECIFICALLY to counter unemployment, shouldn't we consider that our whole understanding of the value of employment must be regarded as suspect? Unemployment is our victory! It is a victory stolen by the slow of head, stolen from us by the banal forces of the labour movement every bit as much as the usually detested 'right' wing. Fuck Socialism, Fuck Conservatism, Fuck Left and Fuck Right, Fuck the whole darn axis! The working class is dead! rejoice! rejoice! Never Work, Non Serviam, Glory Glory Hallelujah! Q. Wasn't that last bit a little pretentious? A. Oh fuck off. Q. Is the Reverend a real Reverend? A. If you mean, 'does he love jesus?', then yes. If you mean 'does he deliver sermons?', then again, yes. If you mean 'has he ever delivered a sermon from a church pulpit?', then its still yes. If you mean 'is he ordained in an actual, recognised christian hierarchy?', then, sadly, no. Q. Are you, like, biblical? A. As writers/performers we are, of course, heavily influenced by the most widely read/performed/influential book in the Western world. Both The Reverend and Mr. Clayton have read the bible and have debated finer points of theology in detail. The Reverend believes it - but then the Reverend believes in everything. Q. Are you, like, non-biblical? A. As dedicated seekers after truth, we of course pay no heed to that old book, ha! not us! Q. This is wank! Aren't you all just trying to be the beat generation/bloomsbury set/London coffee house society circa 1714/literary period at the edge of my knowledge by poncing about and that? A. Yes, only we're not trying - unlike yourself. Q. Are you estranged? (This is an AAQ - an actual asked question - but I'm not sure what it means.) A. As far as I know, we have not been excommunicated by any particular faith or organisation. We are also not divorced. Q. Do you know how to spell? A. Yes, I bloody well do know how to spell. Q. Then Why have you spelt 'Taoist', 'Daoist'? A. The process of transcribing chinese words into English is based on several different systems, none of which are regarded as fully accurate by chinese speakers. The official system, as recognised by the chinese government in 1979 is called Hanyu-Pinyin, an older system, the Wade-Giles, provides the old-fashioned enghlish renditions of chinese words which we are used to, so: 'Yijing', is Pinyin as opposed to the more usual 'I Ching', which is Wade-Giles; 'Guangzhou' is the preferred Pinyin for the more recognisable 'Canton'. If you look at a comparison table between these two most used systems, you will see that the consonant 'd' as in 'dust' or 'dirt' is written 'd' in Pinyin, but 't' in Wade-Giles. Consequently the 'Taoist', a follower of the 'Tao Te Ching', in the Wade-Giles transcription would be referred to as a 'Daoist' follower of the 'Dao De Jing' by a chinese government official writing in English. And if its good enough for a chinese government official, its good enough for me. Q. Are you 'trying to start a revolution of love'? A. The Reverend is, Mr. Clayton is trying to start one of hate. Q. Are you high? A. No. Q. Is it a joke? A. No. Q. Are you serious? A. No. Q. Can I sleep with 'the ladies'? A. You'd have to ask them. Q. Why Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!? A. Its partly a Ginsberg reference, see 'footnote to Howl', the point being that 'Everything is Holy!'. See, the Reverend believes in everything spiritual, Mr. Clayton believes in everything secular, so it sort of fits. Also, you might know the mystical Christian faith mantra :'Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord God Almighty!' and its a bit like that only with an extra 'Holy!', of which you may make what you will. Amen. -------------------------- NAQ (Never Asked Questions) Q. Can I give you some Money? A. Yes, you can. Send cheques payable to Mr. Simon Clayton at Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy! Flat 4, 48 West Hill Street, Brighton, BN1 3RS Q. Can I book you for a gig I'm putting on? A. Yes, if we're free, send email. Q. Can I sleep with 'the guys'? A. You'd have to ask them. C. possible church 2002