The Ad man is a matador of the masses.




'Mediador' is a parody on the relationship of capital and media to democracy, highlighting the influence of media over public opinion, and money over media. It was first performed in 1997 at 'Plunderpalooza: A Festival of Cultural Appropriation' (which also featured John Oswald, Mark Hosler (of 'Negativeland'), and Monty Cantsin (aka Istvan Kantor)).  Written by Nik Beeson, produced by Nik Beeson and Julie Notto, and directed by Alex Poch-Goldin, the piece was performed by Nik Beeson, Calla Lachance, Evan Jennings, Julie Notto and George Versen.  Mediador, in its first incarnation, was a tightly choreographed spectacle featuring theatre, dance, live and pre-recorded video and live music.

To continue remounting the show on a shoestring, and to make it more accesible to a wider variety of venues, the piece was stripped back so that it could be performed as a duo.  Since its first spectacle-like incarnation Pam Johnson and Nik Beeson have performed Mediador in numerous venues, from night clubs to barns, from Anarchist festivals to an International Socialist gathering in a living room. Mediador was last performed for the 1999 Toronto Fringe festival.

Below are the lyrics used in the stripped down duo version, as well as a remix of 'Capital Rules Democracy' done by Karl Mohr.

   

Where Fit is Defined as Profit


Where fit is defined as profit,
winner in the grease pole market,
most cunning in the politics of shit,
there arises a society of weaklings
in compassion, insight and spirit.
Spineless puppets jerked on the strings of budgets
designed for profit with no value in it -
twittering birds with gaping mouths,
twittering birds with twisting heads,
twittering birds with gaping mouths,
twittering birds with twisting heads.
Consumption symbiotic
Monopolistic oligarchic
monoculture  monolithic
homogeneou
s homeostatic
war-mongering imperialistic
control-freak paranoic.

Oh how sweet and good
and free and fit
the free market...
 
 


Capital Rules Democracy

Health dependant on wealth is a two-tiered smear,
a capital hospital rooted in fear.
Wealth before health in the capital inhospitable,
culture palliative, compassion inadmissable.

Ch.Rats in a cage
learning rats rules
learning in schools
to serve on a ship of fools.

Physical and social aid
relying on the cash you've made
is a barren barbarism
feudal system
hostile competition
dog eat dog big dog wins
and big dog's a cog cog cog
in the wheels of a devolving capitalism.
Where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer
and the New World Order is a Disneysed ordure.

Ch.

In a capital democracy the voters rule,
the voters rule, don't they?
But dripping mediacation
into the tubes of the nation
sterilises content
anesthetates resentment
inebriates into consent
euthenates dissent,
so that media makes the King.
But media don't cost nothing,
so big money's gonna win.
And if you don't like that,
and if you wanna fight that,
you're gonna lose your shirt
you're gonna lose your skin
you're gonna lose the house you're living in.
You're gonna lose your health
it ain't no lie
you're gonna lose your power
because you wouldn't deny,
that,
capital rules democracy...




Bought the Right 

Fred Astaire's soft shoeing for a vaccuum ad,
 and Kerouac got bought, bought by GAP,
Burroughs got borrowed by Nike,
and Dylan walked up the steps into the nearest bank.

CH.
Money's might and might is right
 and we bought the right we bought the right.
Be they alive or  be they dead
we'll grind their bones to make our bread.

 
We bought the right to your communication,
we bought the right to your child's education,
we bought the right to the debts you owe,
we bought the produce of your soul.

We bought the right to what you hear,
we bought the right to what you see,
we bought the right, the right to life,
the dead are in a cemetary you say?
Well we bought the property.

CH.

We bought the right to your charter of rights,
we bought all the fish in the sea,
we bought the satellites in the sky at night,
raise your eyes and what you see is me.

CH.

Rock'n'roll stars
olympic athletes
hockey players
the name of your street
internet  world wide web
the interest on your debt
every station on the radio
the late night news  morning kiddie shows
copyright satellite MTV Barbie
scientists pharmacists CIA KGB
in you bus  in your books
in your train  no matter where you look
in the classrooms  in the halls
over the urinal in the bathroom stalls
mediawash whitewash greenwash hogwashbrainwash... 

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