revolution evolution

11 THINGS: REVOLUTION EVOLUTION

Thursday, July 13, 2006

1. Neolithic: Driving force? Survival. Overthrown? Hunting. Advanced? Settling. Removed? Body hair. Music: "Apeman" by the Kinks.

2. French: Driving force? Rebellion. Overthrown? The absolute monarchy. Advanced? The citizenry. Removed? Heads. Music: "Coup d'etat" by the Circle Jerks.

3. American: Driving force? Anger at the British. Overthrown? Unfair taxation. Advanced? Independence. Removed? The British. Music: "The Shot Heard 'Round the World" from Schoolhouse Rock.

4. Industrial: Driving force? Machines and factories. Overthrown? Manual labor. Advanced? Profits and wages. Removed? Farmland, dirt roads, blue skies and flowers. Music: Pink Floyd's "Animals" album.

5. Marxist: Driving force? Desire for equality. Overthrown? The upper class. Advanced? Equality. Removed? The bourgeoisie. Music: The Clash.

6. Cuban: Driving force? Fidel Castro. Overthrown? Capitalism. Advanced? Marxism. Removed? U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. Music: "C-U-B-A" by the Austin Lounge Lizards.

7. Sexual: Driving force? Birth control ... and the human libido. Overthrown? Shame and hesitation. Advanced? Pleasure and freedom. Removed? Clothes. Music: Marvin Gaye.

8. Rock 'n' roll: Driving force? Amps, personalities and rock! Overthrown? Boredom. Advanced? Partying! Removed? Inhibitions. Music: Anything by Elvis, the Stones, the Who or Jimi Hendrix.

9. The Beatles: Driving force? John Lennon. Overthrown? Short hair and the 1950s. See above. Advanced? Pop music, Technicolor and world peace. Removed? Paul McCartney. Music: The Rutles.

10. Velvet: Driving force? Student protests. Overthrown? The Communist government. Advanced? Democracy and peaceful protesting. Removed? Barbed-wire borders with West Germany and Austria. Music: the Velvet Underground.

11. Digital: Driving force? The PC. Overthrown? Analog anything. Advanced? The rapid flow of information. Removed? The desire to go outside. Music: Techno, house, hip-hop or Deee-Lite.

Tim Sullivan, tsullivan@sfchronicle.com

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/07/13/NSG1BJRI361.DTL

This article appeared on page H - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle