Music Review


Title: Lend Us Your Ears

Author: Various Artists

Publisher: Angryfish Records, 2007.

Cost: Send £10 or $20 (inclusive of postage) via PayPal to angryfish@angryfish.co.uk

Reviewer: Steven E. Brown

      Robin Surgeoner, or Angryfish, is an artist-entrepreneur.  He is the force behind the compilation of 17 songs on Lend Us Your Ears by 10 diverse artists, all of whom focus on themes of disability.  I have been carrying the CD with me for months now and listening to it on my computer and iPod as well.  The first song that caught my attention was Lindsey CarterÕs ÒUseless Eaters.Ó  IÕve already used it several times in presentations.  One thing I quickly learned is my audiences did not know the derivation of the term.  So, if only for that reason, it has been a learning experience.  CarterÕs lyrics some of which are re-printed below may seem crude unless you know Òuseless eaterÓ was a Nazi term applied to those with disabilities: 

As soon as the sperm hits the egg
The huntÕs on youÕre after us
If just one geneÕs out of wack
YouÕre looking to abort us
The politicians and the scientists
DonÕt want us in the way
They call us useless eaters
With fucked up DNA

      CarterÕs chorus is the determined phrase, ÒWeÕre not going to let you wipe us out.Ó  Another of her songs on the compilation, ÒSweet Family,Ó also addresses how we fit in, or donÕt, with the families we are born into.

      Many of the songs have similar to themes to that of the above, including Clair LewisÕs ÒTerri SchiavoÓ and Julie McNamaraÕs ÒFly Like an Eagle.Ó  All of these songs are sung in folk style.  Very different in style are contributions from Casa Jay and Parafenalia.  The latterÕs ÒWeekend Anarchist,Ó demands:

Got a wasp in my head, buzzing like a school reunion
Got to get me to the Doctor.
Give me Prozac, give me Vodka.
DonÕt be selfish, bloody selfish.
Just want our own space, want our own space
Where we can live out our adventures.
Not the ones told by the presenters.

      The transition song in the midst of the CD is Jon TurnerÕs ÒFencesÓ which plaintively asks why we need so many de-fenses?  It is a hauntingly beautiful rendition.  Different still is Jack FletcherÕs ÒSchoolboy PoliticsÓ which states:

DonÕt want the world to be a playground
World leaders chasing childhood dreams
DonÕt want them playing with our livelihood
But theyÕre not listening to our screams.

      This collection has something for everyone and would be an excellent addition to any disability studies or disability culture collection.  Angryfish, who like the rest of us, has many roles gets the last word in a plea for his son:

There has got to be a time when everybody smiled
There has got to be a year when terrorists take a break from promoting fear
IÕve got to believe that there will be a place, a place for my son to be safe.