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The whole philosophy of the open house...
it was set up as a creative house, whatever that meant to people.
So, there's been films, books, music, everything written here or done,
painted here or gardening
It didn't have to be the fine arts,
it went into all sorts of things,
some people make a great art making a fine cup of tea,
which is fantastic
making bread, you know.
The extension, logical extension is really doing something with a heart,
so that whole ethos has never changed really,
in that Crass wasn’t any different
all the things that happened, have happened since.
Not any different, the spirit is the same.
No, there were three... unless there were more down the trot there...
One of the greatest battles I've ever fought is just to remain in this place...
which is rightfully mine.
Because commodity culture wanted it,
because it is worth a lot of money.
Doesn’t matter if it's our burial ground and the creational ground of us all.
They want it.
We effectively used an awful lot of the tactics, techniques that we developed with Crass
in a much more intimate level
in a local village, and the local townspeople you know,
we formed an action group,
which is made up from people from the right, left, center...
and everywhere else.
And who all wanted for one reason or another, to try and preserve something of a countryside.
And this whole area represents, and we're willing to spend time to do that..
We first beat off British Telecom as a massive cooperation, it was a huge success,
They wanted to turn this into a huge luxury housing estate...
For the wealthy, with some big hotels and horses and *** knows what else...
We did buy it, on borrowed money from friends...
and we still owe half of what we bought the house for,
which was very very cheap of course
and it was very very cheap cause we were in it, it's not worth an awful lot of people,
and they knew they couldn't get us out
because we already won that case in the court.
I know what I want to do, what I hope I'm able to do...
is finish paying off the house.
And then put it into trust,
because that way, maybe in 50 years...
there will still be people like us,
sitting around talking about nice things.
# Buy now, pay as you go #
# Buy now, say hello #
# You can put a mortgage in your life #
# To enter Shopper's Paradise #
# A trade-in for your dignity #
# A lovely colour console T.V. #
# To watch and cherish as the days slip by #
# And dream of things that money can buy #
# Brushed chrome ***, plastic crap #
# My life and my vision, is worth more than that. #
# Plate glass ghetto, shopping spree #
# I'm no *** commodity. #
Steve, did you hear that D.Beckham was wearing a Crass t-shirt...
Yes, I did.
Designed by J.Paul Gautier...
Well, at that time I didn't really feel anything,
It's just that kind of stuff.
People have been selling Crass merchandise...
for years, and I haven't been bothered about it,
so why should I be bothered about it now..
It's only recently, since...
I've heard numerous people coming to me and saying
loads of Crass stuff are being sold on the Internet.
And there's a bloody clock with a Crass symbol on it,
or the flag from the Feeding the 5000 thing,
you know, obviously t-shirts...
little coasters, tea towels and *** like this
and all of that money is going somewhere
I don't know where the *** hell it's going
so i just want to stop that, try and stop that.
It seemed very ironic...
probably one of the wealthiest, non-Landry gentry
certainly he must be one of the wealthiest people in this country...
he was wearing a Crass t-shirt.
And then i just forgot about it.
I did sort of think of following that...
doing a T-shirt with him on it, wearing a Crass t-shirt...
and i just thought it'd be ironic,
to produce a t-shirt of him wearing a t-shirt
and saying like: "David supports Crass"
And see how long it would be before the lawyers tried it on with this.
At the moment we're being ripped off
and me not getting paid for it.
Well what we could do, is still be ripped off
but to get paid for it.
This is the year 2006 now,
it's not 1981 anymore, the world has changed...
What do you mean by that?
That, in the late 70s, in the early 80s, it was possible to live on the dole,
it was possible to not have a job, you could live with that money.
Now, you can't.
It's really *** difficult.
You've got to have money.
Not "you got to have money", I sound like a *** capitalist
like it's about money all the time, and it's not that.
The world is different now, you have to move with it.
I'm just so frustrated with the thought, that some *** big company
who don’t even know who Crass were but you know, the product sells well.
So, they're *** selling it.
And getting money for it and we're not getting nothing.
*** it.
That's got to stop.
That's just crap.
That's it.
The old rehearsal room.
There's an old drums kit,
Crass symbol on it.
Any bit remaining.
There's been lots of things since then.
It used to be completely lined with carpet.
We had carpet and strips right across the ceiling.
You know, soundproofed.
Pretty bloody noisy in there as you can imagine with
five of us playing..
Oh, here you go!
I told you we lost all the banners, didn't I?
In Amsterdam...
But one remained!
It just had to be, the right one, didn't it?
Well now, here you go!
I should be doing "There is no force but yourself"
The one remainder.
An old Remo overhead...
- Who invented the Crass symbol? - There's a guy called Dave King,
who is an art student, a friend who lived here..
It was a front page piece for the book i was writing..
because the book was about the State,
the Church and the family...
and I wanted something which was
representing the sort of fascism of that control
and that was the symbol.
Which i think is a very brilliant piece of design.
# I'm tired of the dull rationalisation of the politicians #
# Weighed down with their sums and inadequacies #
# I feel only anger and bellied hatred for them #
# How can anyone become so distorted? #
# How can anyone be so far from real human values? #
# I feel only disgust for their twisted minds #
# How can peace be achieved through threats of violence? #
# What kind of hope is there in that straitjacket? #
# The authority of those who oppress us #
# Is supported, maintained and defended #
# By those who are themselves the most oppressed; #
# Those who, because they have no alternative, are in service to the rulers. #