Gallipoli Remembered: The Anguish Behind "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

"And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" is one of the most powerful antiwar songs of the past century. I can't recall the first time I heard it, but the Joan Baez track is like a pearl. This version by Liam Clancy is equal in capturing the horror of that scene. It begins... 

When I was a young man I carried my pack
And I lived the free life of a rover
From the murrays green basin to the dusty outback
I waltzed my matilda all over
Then in nineteen fifteen my country said son
It's time to stop rambling 'cause there's work to be done
So they gave me a tin hat and they gave me a gun
And they sent me away to the war
And the band played Waltzing Matilda
As we sailed away from the quay
And amidst all the tears and the shouts and the cheers
We sailed off to Gallipoli

The heartbreaking scene unfolded like this...

The August 1915 landing at Suvla Bay during the Gallipoli campaign was a descent into a hellscape of blood and chaos. Allied soldiers, under heavy fire from Turkish positions on the high ground, were cut down in droves as they struggled to disembark. Boatloads of men were decimated before even reaching the shore, their bodies littering the crimson-stained water. Those who made it faced a brutal landscape of barbed wire, shrapnel, and machine-gun fire. The stench of death and cordite hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the carnage.

Snipers perched on the cliffs picked off the vulnerable troops with chilling precision. The wounded lay unattended, crying out in pain as the sun beat down mercilessly. Dysentery and disease spread rampant through the unsanitary conditions, claiming as many lives as the bullets. Exhaustion and despair gnawed at the survivors, who were forced to endure the relentless pounding of artillery and the nightly terror of Turkish raids.

The failure of the Suvla Bay landings sealed the fate of the Gallipoli campaign. The once-optimistic Allied forces were bogged down in a bloody stalemate, forced to face the horrifying reality of trench warfare. The beaches of Suvla Bay became a graveyard, a testament to the tragic cost of strategic blunders and the unrelenting brutality of World War I.

* * *
What made the debacle more horrific was that in the first wave of the assault Turkish snipers struck down the officers, leaving their soldiers lost and confused, dealing with deteriorating conditions and decimated morale in a foreign land. It's hard to imagine a more terrifying nightmare.

When will we learn?

Illustration generated by AI

Throwback Thursday: Three David Foster Wallace Blog Posts, an Essay and Four Quotes

The very talented DFW. (Photo: Creative Commons 2.0)

In 2016 I got into a Davd Foster Wallace groove after being inspired by his superb Roger Federer essay. Here are three blog posts from 2016, plus a few extras which I will label as icing on the cake. If you don't much care for cake, then call it cheese. 

Thoughts about DFW's last interview, captured in Quack This Way 

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2016/11/quack-this-way-dialogue-on-language-and.html

David Foster Wallace Skewers the Current State of American Literature 

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2016/09/david-foster-wallace-skewers-current.html

 

Magical and the Marvelous: DF Wallace's Roger Federer Essay

https://pioneerproductions.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-magical-and-marvelous-df-wallaces.html
The original essay that got me jazzed about DFW: Roger Federer as Religious Experience

DFW QUOTES

The Role of Fiction
I had a teacher I liked who used to say good fiction’s job was to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
--From an Interview by Larry McCaffery

On Psychic Pain
Maybe dullness is associated with psychic pain because something that's dull or opaque fails to provide enough stimulation to distract people from some other, deeper type of pain that is always there, if only in an ambient low-level way, and which most of us spend nearly all our time and energy trying to distract ourselves from feeling, or at least from feeling directly or with our full attention.
--A note from one of Wallace's notebooks

On Thinking
Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think. It means being aware enough to choose what you pay attention to and to choose how you construct meaning from experience. Because if you cannot or will not exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed. Think of the old cliché about the mind being "an excellent servant but a terrible master."
--A note from one of Wallace's notebooks

On Despair
I felt despair. The word’s overused and banalified now, despair, but it’s a serious word, and I’m using it seriously. For me it denotes a simple admixture — a weird yearning for death combined with a crushing sense of my own smallness and futility that presents as a fear of death. It’s maybe close to what people call dread or angst. But it’s not these things, quite. It’s more like wanting to die in order to escape the unbearable feeling of becoming aware that I’m small and weak and selfish and going without any doubt at all to die. It’s wanting to jump overboard.
--From A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again

By the Waters of Babylon...

By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion. On the willows there we hung up our lyres. 
--Psalm 137:1-2

Human history has been intertwined with water. Until the past 200 years waterways have been the chief highways for travel. For this reason, all the world's major cities were located on rivers or lakes. Paris, London, Cairo, Moscow, Rome, New York, Vienna, Berlin, Prague, Delhi. Even those adjacent to oceans were established at the mouths of freshwater rivers and bays.

Railroads changed this. 

As a young lawyer, Abraham Lincoln became involved in a legal dispute involving a railroad bridge being built over a river. If the bridge were built, it would block the riverboats traveling on that liquid waterway. After much study, Lincoln saw that railroads were the future. Years later, he became an advocate for the Transcontinental Railroad project that opened up the West, signing into law the Pacific Railway Act of 1862.

Railroads enabled the construction of major cities in all manner of locales. Rivers were no longer needed for the mass transport of good. 

Las Vegas, founded in 1905 along the railroad line that ran from L.A. to Salt Lake City, is perhaps the most famous such city of our time. There were natural springs in the vicinity, water was scarce in the desert there. The lack of power and water to support the scale to which it has grown now was unimaginable then. 

The first significant growth of Las Vegas came with the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s, which brought an influx of workers. In 1931, Nevada legalized gambling, which laid the foundation for "Sin City" to become a major gambling hub. The opening of the El Rancho Vegas in 1941 marked the beginning of the Strip, the city’s famous boulevard lined with casinos and resorts.

I first visited the city in the early 90s when the population had just exceeded a million. Complaints about road congestion were in the news. This didn't stop people from coming. They came from all over the world. Today there is a larger concern as the city surpasses three million inhabitants and struggles with its water and energy needs.

The past few years Las Vegas had been dealing with water shortages due to low water levels in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, which are fed by the Colorado River. In 2021, the Secretary of the Interior declared a shortage on the Colorado River, which reduced the amount of water available to Nevada and other users in 2022. In 2022, the lakes reached record lows, and the federal government warned that some states, including Nevada, might need to make significant cutbacks.

This past year when the rains came the lakes began filling up again, but the drought did reveal the region's vulnerability. Currently, the city (and surroundings) uses 400,000 acre-feet of water, 90% of it from the Colorado River.

Las Vegas, like many cities, has continuously adapted to its environment, finding ways to grow and thrive against the odds. The fluctuating levels of Lake Mead serve as a metaphor for the city's—and humanity's—resilience and adaptability. As we face an uncertain future, Las Vegas reminds us of our ability to innovate and adapt, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Our history with water may be complex, but it is also a story of survival, resourcefulness, and hope.

Songs, Stories and Trivia About Rivers

Rivers

The Longest Rivers in the United States

Watching the River Flow

Old Man River

Of Time and the River

Nothingness, Revisited (A Poem)

Nothingness 2.0

In the hush between breaths,
where silence swells like a forgotten wave,
I find the edge of nothingness—
a place where thoughts dissolve
like salt in a sea too deep to name.

Here, time surrenders its grip,
melting clocks into pools of soft gold,
and the weight of existence
slips through fingers,
no more tangible than a whisper
caught in a dream.

It is neither dark nor light,
neither void nor vast,
but a space between spaces,
where meaning goes to rest,
unburdened by the need to be.

Walking the line of this emptiness,
barefoot on the threshold of what is
and what is not,
each step becomes a question
that neither seeks nor finds
its answer.

In the nothing, I am all—
and nothing still.
The world fades to a hum,
a distant echo of itself,
and in that quiet,
I am free.

* * * 

How does it feel?

Collaboration between Ennyman and ChatGPT, August 2024

We're Going Wrong: New Twist on an Old Cream Classic

Sons of Cream, Newton Theater, August 16, 2024

Cream was one of the distinctive supergroups of the 60s. "We're Going Wrong" is a song that appeared on Disraeli Gears, their second album. From the time I first heard it I'd always interpreted it as a breakup song, about a person in a relationship that was going bad. The song's chorus is easily interpreted this way. "I found out today we're going wrong, we're going wrong."

* 

This past Friday evening my brother and I went to see Sons of Cream in Newton, New Jersey. It was an upbeat energetic concert featuring the sons of Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, along with a nephew of  Eric Clapton performing music from the Cream catalog, one of these being "We're Going Wrong."

The song is a departure from the more blues-rock driven sound that characterized much of Cream's work. The lyrics are sparse, and the instrumentation captures a sense of introspective despair that resonates on a deeper emotional level with those who engage it. Here are the lyrics, followed by the new insight I gained in Newton.

We're Going Wrong

Please open your eyes.
Try to realize.

I found out today we're going wrong,
We're going wrong.

Please open your mind.
See what you can find.

I found out today we're going wrong,
We're going wrong.

We're going wrong.
We're going wrong.
We're going wrong.

* * * 

Newton NJ, August 16

Let's start with the music.

Musically, the song is built around a slow, brooding rhythm that complements the somber tone of the lyrics with a minimalist arrangement. Ginger Baker's drumming has the vibe of a swirling tidewater undercurrent, shifting from subtle haunting rhythms to intense crescendos that rise and recede again, mirroring the atmospheric emotions. Juxtaposed against the restrained guitar and basswork, the music generates tension which is followed by release like a receding tide. At various moments Clapton's guitar embellishes the interplay of the three artists so as to produce a sense of melancholy and unease, a perfect accompaniment for the lyrics.

 

The Lyrics  

Until this weekend I'd always interpreted "We're Going Wrong" as a break-up song, one in which one person in the relationship has had a realization which he or she is attempting to convey to the other person, a disturbing recognition of an unsettling truth.  

But what if it's something different, something internal, a flash of understanding about oneself?

If we separate the verses from the chorus, you get this message: "Please open your eyes," and "Please open your mind."

Who is talking to whom? From this angle, it could easily be a self-talk script. When wedded to the music we feel a sense of urgency and desperation, as if the speaker is pleading with oneself to wake up to an unsettling truth. The repeated phrase "We're going wrong" suggests a recognition that something has happened, though the specifics are left ambiguous. It's a vagueness that allows the song to take on multiple interpretations.

The simplicity of the lyrics emphasizes the emotional weight of the message. The use of direct appeals—"Please open your eyes" and "Please open your mind"—suggests that there is denial taking place.  

Philosophically there's a sense in which we're witnessing--hearing, seeing, feeling--an existential crisis. It may be an impending individual crack-up, a crumbling relationship, or even a societal collapse. As we engage the song all these possibilities open up to us.

 

* * *

Additional Details*
Pete Brown was the lyricist for all the songs on Disraeli Gears except this one, which was penned by Jack Bruce. Bruce's falsetto vocals and crooning-like singing were accompanied with a slow bass line and Eric Clapton's bluesy/psychedelic guitar melody. Ginger Baker used Timpani drum mallets rather than standard drumsticks on this song (as does Kofi Baker in his Sons of Cream shows). The 6/8 time signature also gave the song a distinct and irregular sound. however Baker’s drumming is often frenetic and fast paced, making it completely at odds with the rest of the instruments.

Here is the song.

Here's an alternate version from the BBC:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSjQ8aUWCrc

* Wikipedia

Why the Court Is Independent of the Executive Branch

There are reasons the Founding Fathers of our fledgling Republic distributed power amongst three branches of government. They were well aware of the consequences of having power solidified in a single entity, the monarch. Hence, they created a checks-and-balances system of government to prevent the consolidation of power.

Currently there is an attempt to restrain the judicial branch of government in the United States. This is not an isolated incident. A brief review of history reveals numerous examples of how totalitarian leaders took measures against judges or judicial bodies for verdicts or decisions that went against their interest. Here are a number of notable examples:

1. Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union): During Stalin's Great Purge (1936-1938), many judges, prosecutors, and legal officials were executed or sent to labor camps. While these purges were often justified under accusations of anti-Soviet activities or conspiracy, many were targeted simply because they were perceived as threats or had issued decisions that were not in line with Stalin's desires.

2. Adolf Hitler (Nazi Germany): In 1934, during the Night of the Long Knives, Hitler's regime executed many political adversaries, including members of the judicial system who were perceived as threats or who had opposed the Nazi party. While not directly a purge of judges for specific verdicts, it was a clear message to the judiciary to align with Nazi policies.  

3. Mao Zedong (People's Republic of China): During Mao's Cultural Revolution, the Red Guards targeted many legal officials, including judges, for being part of the "old society" or for issuing verdicts that did not align with the revolutionary ideology. Many were publicly humiliated, imprisoned, or executed.

4. Nicolae Ceaușescu (Romania): Ceaușescu's regime was known for its brutal repression of dissent. Judges and legal officials who issued decisions contrary to the wishes of the Communist Party were often removed from their positions, imprisoned, or executed under trumped-up charges of corruption or anti-state activities.

5. Pol Pot (Cambodia): The Khmer Rouge, under Pol Pot, dismantled the existing judicial system entirely. Judges, lawyers, and legal officials were seen as enemies of the revolution and were often executed or sent to brutal labor camps.

6. Saddam Hussein (Iraq): Under Saddam Hussein's rule, judges who opposed or issued unfavorable verdicts against the regime were often executed or disappeared. The judicial system was heavily manipulated to serve the interests of Hussein and the Ba'ath Party.

* * *

In recent years I've been concerned about the manner in which our U.S. presidents create laws via Executive Order. It's true that presidential powers have been used from the. beginning. George Washington used an executive order to keep our country from getting tangled in a war between Britain and France. Thomas Jefferson also issued an executive order. Abraham Lincoln used his executive authority when he issued his Emancipation Proclamation.

The 20th century dawned with Teddy Roosevelt flexing his executive muscle, initiative 1000 executive orders during his presidency. FDR issued over 3700 executive orders to address the Great Depression and World War II. His attempt to stack the Supreme Court was especially noteworthy. Several of FDR's initiatives were determined to be unconstitutional and were struck down by the Court. In response he attempted to stack the court in his favor by adding six new Justices to the court for a total of 15. Critics saw it as an attempt to undermine the judiciary's independence and to consolidate executive power, which is exactly what it was. Ultimately, the Senate had its say, defeating the bill by a vote of 70 to 20.

Today President Biden is attempting to bring the Supreme Court under the wing of the Executive branch by doing away with lifetime appointments. He is currently pressing Congress to pass legislation that would establish term limits and a system enabling a sitting president to appoint justices every two years. This would give  the executive branch control of the jdcial branch of government, thereby weakening the original checks and balances system, changing our Constitution and threatening democracy. 

The unchecked consolidation of power is not in the best interest of the people or our future. When presidents can bypass Congress with Executive Orders and the Court becomes a branch of the Executive, we're getting closer to the political system our Founders railed against. 

The Perils of Petty Priorities: Parkinson's Law of Trivialities

I believe it was one of my friends at AMSOIL that first told me abut Parkinson's Law. Parkinson's Law of Trivialities, also known as the "bike-shed effect," is a concept articulated by British naval historian and author Cyril Northcote Parkinson in his 1957 book "Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration." This law suggests that organizations give disproportionate weight and attention to trivial issues while neglecting more complex and significant ones. 

The metaphor of the "bike-shed" comes from an example where a committee spends an inordinate amount of time discussing the relatively simple and inexpensive task of building a bike shed while glossing over more critical and complex projects, like constructing a nuclear power plant. I'd been in a meeting that derailed like that, and it was nice to have a name for what had happened.

This phenomenon occurs because individuals feel more comfortable and competent discussing simple, familiar issues where they can easily offer opinions and suggestions. In contrast, complex problems often require specialized knowledge and carry higher stakes, leading to discomfort and reluctance to engage deeply. As a result, trivial matters receive excessive attention and debate, while significant issues may be insufficiently addressed or sidelined altogether.

The implications of Parkinson's Law of Trivialities are profound for organizational efficiency and decision-making. What's needed are leaders aware of this tendency who can actively steer discussions toward defined objectives. Complex issues take time and expertise to unravel. Effective leaders will notice when trivial distractions are overshadowing more critical matters.

In practical terms, the bike-shed effect can be blunted by setting clear agendas and prioritizing issues based on their importance and impact. By recognizing and addressing Parkinson's Law of Trivialities, organizations can waste less time while improve decision-making processes. 

Parkinson also proposed a rule about the efficiency of administrative councils. He defined a "coefficient of inefficiency" with the number of members as the main determining variable. This is a semi-humorous attempt to define the size at which a committee or other decision-making body becomes completely inefficient, a notio that brings to mind a G.K. Chesterton ditty that David Ogilvy shared in one of his books:

     "I've searched all the parks in all the cities
       and found no statues to committees." 

Related Links

The Bus to Abilene

Wiki List of Eponymous Laws

An Important Conversation about Global Energy

“Energy won’t end poverty, but you can’t end poverty without energy.”
--Scott Tinker

This past winter while working on an article for Business North (titled Is Our Energy Grid At Risk?) I stumbled across this talk which I conisdered so imortant that I felt compelled to share it. It is titled An Honest & Sensible Conversation about Global Energy by Scott Tinker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTfwqvNuk44

What does the future look like for those opposed to nuclear energy? 
What I've learned in reading and talking with people about these matters is that most people take it all for granted. In America, energy is not "top of mind" as a major concern. 

It's become apparent that in this year's election cycle many people are motivated by fear. For many, their perceptions are driven by news media and online social platforms. On the list of top fears we see cyber-terrorism, gun violence, crime, financial instability, personal health issues, environmental pollution, World War, identity theft, government surveillance, climate change and public speaking. 

On my own personal short list, the collapse of our energy grid is right near the top, which I did not see it on any list. Perhaps it's because most Americans are unaware of the fragility of the grid. And why? In part, because mainstream media has been hyping the bright future of solar and wind, EVs and the end of dependency on fossil fuels.

Whle discussing this issue recently with my brother-in-law, he compared our situation to the same illogical thinking as the folks on the Titanic. "Well no, we don't have enough life boats to accommodate everyone but don't worry, that's in our 10 year plan. By the way, the designers say there isn't room for any more life boats anyways, but don't worry, the engineers say it's unsinkable. Now just take your seat and enjoy the ride. We've got this."

Should we ignore the red flags, or get serious about addressing the need for reliable, affordable and safe energy? 

* * * 

Related Links 

Top Issues Americans Are Anxious About

Is Our Energy Grid At Risk? 

Interview with David Watson: Putting Nuclear Power in Perspective

Grid Fragility and a Book by Meredith Angwin

Small Reactors, Big Potential Impact