May 29, 2023
Our guest this episode is a first repeat podcast guest and the musician with the most appearances in Couch Riffs covers videos (I think?), Mr Timo Ellis of Netherlands. In this episode we go pretty deep into what I think most people at least consider and probably worry about but don't really verbalize. Buckle up! I've included some links below to some of the videos Timo brings up in our conversation. We do talk about Netherlands' new album, SEVERANCE, which is arguably their best album yet. Timo is a deeply talented artist and can quite capably express his musical creativity in so many styles and genres, so when you hear the Netherlands it is never a flatlands train track you're traveling on, it is a circuit of wild, well planned trails over a mountain pass. Do go check out Netherlands' music on BandCamp and support independent musicians and artists! Do not expect convention from Timo and Netherlands, however. You can thank me later.
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https://patreon.com/couchriffs
https://www.netherlandsband.com/music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoVJKj8lcNQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WX7r3R5Iv4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGXDNuiz_dE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGc8DMHMyi8&t=1s
Timo adds: “after thinking about it a bit, I realize that I’d like to clarify/ nuance something important here; my anger and bitterness about “men” in general is meant as a critique of a still ascendant type of hypermasculinity…of a deeply cultural (and IMO, still near universally) ingrained cis-heteronormative ideology of male superiority + privilege…which very much still manifests, in its grosser material forms, as femicide, rape, sexual violence/ assault and harassment…and in its (only slightly!) less pernicious forms…as legalized gender discrimination, lack of access to education/ healthcare/ abortion/ workplace protections, income inequality, and professional and political representation…among MANY other things. My overall point here is that while “men“ are obviously not a static category/ monolith, I still regard the phenomenon of sexist domination not only as unequivocally still a “thing“…+ but actually of the foundational cultural malignancies afflicting humanity (and all of non-human life as well, etc) and which IMO, needs to be rooted out, and called out, as vigorously…and as soon as possible!”