NO

by Boyd Rice

Heartworm #33

An 112 page new-classic of blunt realities, social composition and discourse. NO dissects 45 deceptive affairs including Rebellion, The Sexes, Individuality, Equality, Peace, The Nazis, and Keeping It Real, all brought to light in a fashion that only Boyd Rice can. If past written collections of his work serve as time-capsuled history, let NO be the words of the future.

Debossed paperback.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics, Nonfiction, Essays, Music

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

American experimental sound artist under the monicker of NON since the mid-1970s, archivist, actor, photographer, author, member of the Partridge Family Temple religious group, co-founder of the UNPOP art movement and current staff writer for Modern Drunkard Magazine.

Boyd Rice is controversial for supposedly having social-darwinist extremist tendecies.

Reviews

[Warren Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth is, Boyd Rice always kind of scared me. As a self-proclaimed rivethead growing up in the heyday of industrial music, I could not help but be aware of and influenced by Boyd Rice's extensive social, political, religious, artistic, and musical experiments. But there was always the hint of madness behind his work, no matter how kitschy or accessible, like a nice guy who can be unpredictable should he have one vodka too many.

Reading "NO" brought me forward a few steps to understanding my constant attraction to his work, as much as anyone can ever understand Boyd Rice. This is a collection of personal rants about a variety of everyday topics, the kind of stuff your grumpy uncle never fails to bring up at the Thanksgiving dinner table, pissing off your liberal brother-in-law and shocking your conservative religious grandma. I was not surprised that I loved it.

Rice states that he based this book in large part on the "Meditations" of Marcus Aurelius, though I would say this has more in common with Montaigne's "Essays," certainly just as lude and vulgar in parts, full of quotes from famous people, comedically cynical of everything while offering few solutions, and strangely convincing in just a few poetic phrases of the prudent wisdom of his dialectical stream of common sense.

Some friends of mine as well as reviewers of this book have commented on how surprised they were to discover how "right-wing" he was. I would not label this "right-wing" any more than I would the stand-up of George Carlin. Boyd Rice is simply Boyd Rice, or perhaps more appropriately, "NON." He is what he is, and this book simply comments on things as they are and as he sees them. The thing is, he is profoundly moving in many ways, even on issues in which I found myself not fully agreeing, and I enjoyed his approach. I had a smile on my face during my entire reading experience.

So to let you know just what you may find in this book, Rice talks a lot about the abstract ideals that we seem to strive for in American culture, or at least claim to hold in such high reverence, but these ideals remain unattainable and lead to a lot of hypocrisy and neurosis in life. The slogan of the French rebels during the revolution was "Liberty, Fraternity, and Equality," concepts embraced by the founding fathers of our American constitution and government. He argues that these are not the natural and essential bases for life on our planet. If they were, we would not continue to have such problems. For example, regarding equality:

"If equality existed as the natural basis of anything at all, it wouldn't require any lip-service whatsoever... It's self-evident absence in the workings of our world would never need to be so widely bemoaned." He goes on further to say that "Equality is only a condition esteemed by all those who imagine they don't measure-up somehow." Ouch!

But the point is that humans constantly look to governments and the legal system to uphold rights that are supposed to be inalienable, so why do we have so much trouble administering to them? He would argue that our basic psychology inherited from our animal natures, that of the eaters and the eaten, are what makes these ideas abstract and not reality. He states that those high in government are very aware of this and, even if they truly want to improve the world, cannot do so because they are weighted down by the machinery of government which keeps us divided. Also, our own narcissism prevents us from listening to each other. We say we want to be equal, but we strive for personal identity, and the two are not mutually inclusive. Thus, we get things like one's right to freedom of speech infringing on another's right against injury by hate speech. In that example, if each person clings to their ideal, refusing to recognize the cognitive dissonance, we are at a stalemate. "Divisiveness is the cement that holds our democracy together."

It seems that Rice can put his finger on the irritant in American society, but he has either a pessimist's assumption that this in an unalterable condition of human nature or he has a recovering addict's mindful acceptance of what is and always will be. And perhaps that is one takeaway from this book. The 2016 election led to riots and four years of people questioning the legitimacy of the president and trying to find ways to oust him out of office. Now the 2020 election has led to riots and people questioning the legitimacy of the election. Rice calls us all "poor fools." "[People] take great pride in their wins, utter despair in their defeats. But always, there's the next time. Hope springs eternal, and hope is the faith of democracy."

"But Warren, you middle-aged rivethead," I hear you say, "does he actually offer anything other than nihilism and cynicism?" Well, he would be the first to tell you not to follow his example, but he does say that he hopes people can take away some value from his experience and thinking. For example, he'd say life often takes gritting your teeth and facing it with stoic bearing, like getting through one of Rice's own albums such as "Pagan Muzak" and "Easy Listening for the Hard of Hearing." He encourages people to put things into perspective, even to see the good that may come of things that you or even general society might consider bad. In other words, he tells us to just relax and shut the hell up. Don't complain, and if you do, don't complain to him. The only thing to do is to find a way for yourself or take your grievance to someone who can help you do something about it. If you don't take care of your own business, don't expect government and lawyers to do it for you.

There's obviously a lot more to this book and to his philosophy, if you can call it that, but I am just giving you a sample of what "NO" is like. You can decide for yourself if he is right-wing, crazy, trolling, or a genius. For me, reading his thoughts was like listening to your best friend from college talk over drinks after you meet for dinner with your wife years after you last parted company. You always thought he was brilliant in school and always admired him as the alpha of your group, and talking with him after all this time makes you feel like the world is making sense again. Yet your wife absolutely can't stand him, making you question your own choices in life and what kind of person you were and who you have become.

Is this book going to change your life for better or worse? NO. Will this book be a satisfactory introduction to the life of Boyd Rice and his work? NO. Will Boyd Rice be your next favorite social commentator or philosopher who you turn to in moments of personal crisis or indecision? NO. But with an open mind, I can almost promise you will enjoy your time chatting with Mr. Rice, just like you secretly look forward to your uncle's visits during Thanksgiving. And maybe, just maybe, you might find yourself complaining less and picking your battles more, so that the next time you feel "triggered," or want to whine about your boss, or rage about the latest half-truths on the news, or wallow in misery at the unfairness of life, or contemplate simply throwing in the towel, you will take things with a grain of salt, a smile instead of a tear, and a fresh and comic new perspective.

[Jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could have just as easily been called "Meh"

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think any one of my friends could have written this given enough time. Boyd's views are roughly synonymous with Andy Rooney, despite being approximately 40 years younger. Also he is far more right wing than I had anticipated. Based on his interviews from the late 70s/early 80s I thought he would be more leftist. What he says about Jello Biafra and Johnny Rotten is pretty amazing.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im a big Boyd Rice fan, but for every clever witticism found in here is another almost disappointing mundane or libertarian-esque point where you expect better from an otherwise original artist. Perhaps this book should really be read as art and cultural criticism before being considered anything else.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ред пил есета с на места брутални истини, но са доста елементарни.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been an enormous fan of Boyd Rice's abrasive, misanthropic, and sometimes politically incorrect sound recordings in the genres of spoken word and noise, and his writing is no exception where the presentation of his thorny, abrasive character is concerned. Much has been made (especially by those willfully ignorant of his work) of Boyd Rice's unorthodox political beliefs - to clear things up, he comes across less as a Fascist (though he has certainly called himself that for shock value) than a particularly misanthropic far-right small-l libertarian (although he is as critical of libertarians as any other group, and hates them just as much). That said, the misanthropic, heavily critical tone of this book was excellent. Boyd Rice tears apart and deconstructs numerous spiritual and political beliefs - further cementing his status as a COUNTER-countercultural icon as critical of Satanism and Anarchism/Socialism/Libertarianism as any mainstream ideology. This is a book that is guaranteed to upset those with strong beliefs in anything, especially those who are unconsciously hypocritical about such beliefs and for that I enjoyed it immensely. NO consists primarily of one or two page essays in which Boyd Rice discusses society's most treasured ideas and tells everyone exactly why he believes those ideas are nonsense. A few beliefs that I personally hold to be true were smashed to bits in some of the essays, but thanks to an open mind and a thick stomach I continued reading fascinated by the counterargument presented. This is a much-recommended read for those who are unafraid to see some of society's most cherished values torn apart before their faces in a dissonant, abrasive expression of dissatisfaction not only with the status quo itself, but with those who claim to challenge the status quo while all the while upholding it.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although Rice’s misanthropy and pessimism can often be so pitch black that it almost seems cartoonish, there are some good ideas presented here. His notion that a dualistic, dichotomous view of our surroundings have locked is into a less-than-ideal perception of our lives, in addition to his concept (like a much more negative Robert Anton Wilson) that holding on to beliefs does not serve us well, are certainly concepts that people should give serious thoughts to.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never really looked into Boyd Rice his music. But knew about some of his ideas. He's an person who knows what he talks about. Personal I'm not into the elitist image, but in the endword Boyd Rice claims he lives in recluse now. I hope he we'll emerge as a pipesmoking bearded lumberjack.

[Matthew W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boyd Rice is no doubt a prick, but he knows what he is talking about most of the time. For those interested in Boyd(and where his mind is now), I recommend this book!

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I’m a little late to the party when it comes to Boyd Rice. I’d heard about him in passing a few years ago but my short attention span likely locked onto something else. It wasn’t until recently that I was reminded of him after watching some videos about Satanism. Rice is quite the intriguing individual, the kind of writer i automatically dive into. Someone who is intelligent and serious while at the same time is not afraid to go against the grain in some pretty unconventional ways (ie Satanism, Fascism, critiquing enlightenment thinking).

This is what brought me to NO as I was looking for some kind of introduction to Rice’s thoughts. In NO Rice attempts to lay out his worldview of NON belief by giving us some thoughtful new ways of looking at different concepts, ideas, sayings, etc. Rice describes it a collection of observations in a similar vein to Aurelius’ Meditations. For the most part I liked it.

It was a quick and sharp read, but I will say it is a book of hits and misses. Sometimes Rice will say things that are really insightful and funny. He manages to articulate thoughts about different things that have also crossed my mind. Points about ideas that I may have touched for a brief moment he will lay out cleanly in a few pages. Other times though some of the rants feel harsh just for the sake of being harsh. While I can appreciate a sincere edginess, parts of the book just come off as trying too hard for me. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with venting your frustrations to a friend once in a while or the phrase “it’s all good”. Haha

(I would also agree and disagree with my fellow reviewers regarding Rice’s political leanings. Sure, I don’t think he is looking to fit squarely anywhere on the political spectrum necessarily. I feel as though he probably sees himself outside of that kind of thinking but some of his takes put him clearly on the right. Not to mention the flirtation with Fascism/Nazism. Not a judgment, just thought I should add it.)

It’s safe to say I will be looking into Rice much further. Standing in Two Circles is on the way as well as the documentary Iconoclast.

[Elzira Rai · Rating 1 out of 5]

The problem with these half-baked rants is not that Rice turns out to be decidedly right-wing, but that he delivers the most banal observations with the self-assuredness of a drunk uncle who thinks he's about to blow your mind by declaring that "true freedom is a myth". And like all drunk uncles, he's often plain wrong, as when he claims that Britain helped lift India from poverty to a developing country (thus ignoring that India was one of the richest regions in the world before the Raj), or simply dumb, as when he suggests we're doing Asian sweatshop workers a favor by paying them miserable wages.
Rice proves to be a free-thinking opinionator, in the sense that he has plenty of opinions that are remarkably unencumbered by thought. In this, at least, he’s something of a trailblazer—unlike in his music career, where he was largely a copycat—anticipating the now-familiar spectacle of people on social media confidently opining about matters they barely understand.

[nom pom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite Boyd Rice having a history of being involved with right-winged groups and misogyny, I do see eye to eye with him on many things such as being kind to others, not being invested in the opinions or feelings of others, and how we live in a dichotomous world. It was a fast read which I also enjoyed since I haven't been great at finishing novels these days. I enjoyed Boyd Rice's music and responses to some political and religious agendas that I can't see myself following. Not a bad read, but not worth your time if you hate misogynistic pricks.

[Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for understanding the history of counter culture in the United States, wish it had more to do with Boyd’s art though there are a few slivers of gold that show the influences of it pretty clearly, wish I had read this book sooner, will be looking out for that “Collected Works” of Rice

[Not_british_floof · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bombastic, shocking, and over-the-top, but at its core correct. Rice is a great musician, an entertaining writer, and a brilliant social critic!

HEIL NATURES ETERNAL FASCISM! HEIL ABRAXAS! LONG LIVE DEATH

[Brian Fang · Rating 4 out of 5]

2020 is the year when many realize universalist hypocrisy and word games must go...

[Gabrian]

Thanks uncle Boyd

[Damned Snake · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a collection of rambles by Boyd Rice. Some are brilliant, some hilarious, some good, and some mediocre. It shows him in a different light than his art, from the character straight from the book by McCarthy towards a Hoppean libertarian. It's an interesting read for his fans, but not for anyone else.

[Doug Brunell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where there is Rice, there is controversy.

It is doubtful that detractors of the man (and they seem to be legion) would read this book, but if they did they may be pleasantly surprised in many cases, as it is a clear and concise look at what he believes and why. I don't agree with some of it (such as his views on women or parents of special needs children), but there is quite a bit in its pages that is well-reasoned and makes perfectly fine sense.

It also doesn't fit with the image far too many people have of the man.

I have my complaints (formatting errors aside), the chief one being that some of his arguments for or against something are too simplistic. Overall, that makes for a very short read, too. I feel as if he could have gone in depth with many things, but this is Rice, and if you know anything about him you know that he always leaves one with more questions than answers.

If you are one of his detractors, or have written him off for one reason or another, you may want to delve into this just to see if your views are justified. I would imagine you won't change your mind about him after reading this since your views probably weren't formed by anything solid before they became solidified, but at least you will have a better foundation with which to justify your opinions on the man.

[Daniel Lukes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written and engaging, but sometimes superficial.

[Stathis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well thought out No to every dogma making for healthy living

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't always agree with Boyd, but there's lots of interesting ideas in this book, and plenty of humor as well! A short but dense read.