According to Wikipedia, "detournement" can be defined as a variation on a previous media work, in which the newly created one has a meaning that is antagonistic or antithetical to the original. The original media work that is détourned must be somewhat familiar to the target audience, so that it can appreciate the opposition of the new message.

 

   The term "détournement" is borrowed from the French, the original language of the Situationist International publications. A similar term more familiar to English speakers would be "turnabout" or "derailment". Détournement is similar to satirical parody, but employs more direct reuse or faithful mimicry of the original works rather than constructing a new work which merely alludes strongly to the original. It may be contrasted with recuperation, in which originally subversive works and ideas are themselves appropriated by mainstream media.

 

 

   How many times have we witnessed what began as original, innovative and radical ending up  banal and insipid self-parodies. What was once seemingly sacred, becomes assimilated into the corporate Madison Avenue beehive and regurgitated as some kind of new language designed to get the masses of drones to consume.

 

   This catalogue began with the intention of creating a magazine that as an experiment in detournement would draw inspirationally from the free press, the underground movement of the 1960's and the notion of saying whatever we want to say, commercial free. No profit, no money - and no strings attached. If an advertisement appeared, it would be because we like the product or service - and they won't know we're promoting them.  As a result, there would never be the temptation to cater to an advertiser or reader or institution - and that is still our intent - but as editor I've allowed this to take on a life of its own - and  I have realized that free or not, a magazine is beholden to deadlines and promises I can't keep. That said, I'm not calling detourment a magazine or a recurring periodical. For now, I'm calling it a catalogue. A catalogue of ideas, a diary of sorts about things I have experienced first-hand. It is a catalogue of events and people I have borne witness to. It is autobiographical in many respects. These parameters are laid out in the pursuit of truth and credibility. It is a diary of sorts - something to show that I was here and lived a full life.

 

 

 

 

"To Serve Man"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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   Do you get email alerts from a myriad of self-improvement or survival specialist hucksters, in a seemingly endless barrage of webinars or videos or narratives that all have your "best interests" at heart? Every few days a new niche product or service or how-to ebook arrives in my email in-box, because I made the mistake of allowing them in  after I had shown interest in some item a long time ago and passively let them continue.

 

   And every new sales pitch tries to outsincere the last one. "Really Mr. Consumer, this time you and your family need this to survive! Your kids are looking up at you with their big eyes. Are you going to let them down?" Many of them , when I try to leave the page, send you to another prompted page that says "NO WAIT! DON"T LEAVE!" and they slash the original rip-off price in half if I'll just try their product.

 

   And every "this time it's really FREE! No money blah blah blah"  they, for some reason always want a credit card number because the truth is, they want to sneak some charge in there - maybe for shipping, or they count on you to forget to cancel a free subscription that after the initial 3-day trial becomes recurring billing at the full price.

 

 

EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET INTO YOUR WALLET!

 

   We have posted a link to "adblock" which is a quick download we recommend that blocks ads on youtube and everywhere else so you can enjoy our pages without annoying ads from other sources. We may, on occasion, offer links to a few eBay auctions we may be running, to help keep the lights on.

 

 

   I have NEVER encountered something that was REALLY FREE. So I'm offering it right here, right now - "detournement" costs nothing. If you liked it, I was going to post  a PayPal link - where you could voluntarily "donate" five or ten bucks - but I determined that was just a back-door version of soliciting - and nixed the idea. This thing is free and so are you and so am I. That does not exclude some form of shameless promotional hustle like t-shirts, mugs or collectibles down the road  - assuming there is a road to go down.

 

 

   I envision "detournement " as the kind of place you go when you're at the airport waiting to board, and you have an earphone jack plugged in. A catalogue of hand-picked controlled anarchy that you can watch and listen to as well as read.

 

 

   Relax, and get off the social networking hamster wheel, and look around. Indulge yourself. Facebook and Twitter  will be waiting for you when you return.

 

 

 To quote Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee, who taught me how to write -  Excelsior!

 

Love and mercy,

 

James Anthony Golff

2015 - 2016