Hawkwind political messages

[Chris Owen]

I have tried over the years to condense or catagorise the political message projected by Hawkwind. They certainly have anarchist/libertarian principles, but there is so much more. I was reading the lyrics to their recent "The reality of Poverty", which has striking simularities to Gore's new movie "An Inconvenient Truth"; Population explosion, Global Warming, 50 years left etc. I dont know the rest of Gore's views, but on the strength of that presentation alone I would very likely vote for Gore if I was an American citizen.

Sustainable living is very close to my heart, to do anything else is like cutting our own children's, children's throats, which is plain nuts. As always, in the end, the Balance will likely ultimately take its toll here as well. It is also possible to find similar messages in "Uncle Sams on Mars", but I also share the views of Hawking (as well as Hawkwind!) when he says that the next few hundred years are very dangerous for mankind and that we have to colonise other places in space to give us more hope for the survival of mankind. Perhaps mankind also needs a goal of exploration, something to aim for to unite us? Perhaps reminiscent of the bold discoverers of the new world? 

Despite agreeing with most of Bob's views in "Uncle Sams on Mars", I actually do have 2 old bangers in the garage, which we need, and which also makes me feel like a real fraud, but I cannot help the way modern society has been designed. I do my best, but for the future someone, or some kind of world government body, needs to sit down and design a better and more sustainable way of life. We have every right to blame our leaders for the path their have led us down.

Other Hawkwind themes which are important are freedom from facisim, police state, 1984 Big Brother, checking your identity, what you are doing and where you have been. Also Love and Peace and greater tolerance for those who are different to you, as well as anti-war messages, similar to Ghandi's style of pacificsm. The Petro war theme in Hassan i Sahba (Bush's Iraq?). The insanity of Nuclear War - Damnation Alley - thankyou Dr Stranglove for going doolalley. Does M.A.D. really keep the peace or have we just been lucky this far? The messages are there for all to see and most definately relevant and important to us all, and in some cases even prophetic. I would also add that these views must ultimately be those of Dave B himself, as well as probably many of the musicians that have played with the band.

Even Tolkien has a green political message in the LOTR, the Shire, the destruction of Fangorn Forest by Saruman and the rising of the Ents. etc. In Dick's Bladerunner we also see a dark future in which the planet has been scarred horribly by industrialisation. Perhaps this is fairly common theme in the world of fantasy?

Chris Owen