from the 7” single, New Dance Records, 1981I attended a mandatory “in-service” last night for all the faculty at this community college (c.c.) where I’ve been teaching some classes---those things are always a hot fucking mess! I’m sure this is to no one’s surprise, but a lot of teachers don’t exactly have the choicest social skills, thus when you squeeze a whole bunch of them (many of who don’t know one another) into a tiny room, things get really fun; fortunately, the sociology folks are always pretty mellow. Working at both a c.c. & 4-year university at the same time provides me a great deal of contrast, and although there are surely some stereotypes about life around a c.c. which do hold water (actual quote from last night, “…please tell your students that the computer lab across the hall from the F.S.C. has been moved right next to the library due to the ongoing asbestos removal issue where it used to be…”!), I have to say, it’s so radiantly clear how much more seriously the leadership at a c.c. takes the success and wellness of their students as compared to a university. Frankly, I can’t think of a single instance at any university meeting I’ve graced with my presence where genuine thought & time was spent first on taking care of the students, above taking care of the faculty, administration, donors…shit, the fucking city comes before the kids there. Whatever the hierarchy of priorities, all levels of the ivory tower tend (claim?) to hold their principles as golden; Belgian god’s Front 242 are certainly a crew that’s always had strong opinions (both musically & socio-politically), crafting their own path through the industrial scene that began right here with their sparse but powerful debut single, clean original copies of which actually trade for well over $500 amongst collectors.
