We introduce a new interviewer this issue; Meet Amara. This month this column is the story of Strummer, who has entertained us for the past few years now, and is the the composer and player of some very fine pieces of music.

This month I am pleased to introduce to everyone, a man by the name of Strummer. I was happy to find that he was very true to himself and very true to the lifestyle. He was not flashy nor did he try to prove how Gorean he was. And listening to the music that he has created I was able to tell that he puts a great deal of himself into what he writes and how the music is created. Many of you may remember Strummer from previous articles that he has written for the Gorean Voice. If you would like to find out more about him and the wonderful music that he creates please visit the following links.

Online his caste is of the musicians while real time he is not a professional musician but he is a better then average amateur musician. He plays the guitar and is currently learning the banjo. He plays mostly stringed instruments. Having tried playing percussion instruments only to find he was not very good at it. Strummer's day-to-day job is that of a rehab instructor teaching the blind and visually impaired. He has been married almost 25 years, his wife was pretty vanilla until they discovered Gor together about 5 years ago, and now she is his slave. He has all 25 books, but has not managed to read all of them yet. She has read many of them as well. Because of the Gorean lifestyle his wife found an interest in Middle Eastern dancing, and performs locally. Strummer, has taken up "historic fencing" (basically Western European sword combat.) Not sport fencing at all, more of an historic study and a martial art.

"My philosophy of Gor has lead me to a number of things, sort of a journey towards self-actualization or something. Gor has come to mean a lot to me in the last 5 years." He pauses, as I ask him to elaborate. "To me, and I stress only to ME, Gor means, to try to be the best, most really biggest, most honest truest you, you can be. Be yourself, but only bigger and better. Then become that bigger and better self. Don't pretend to be something else, something that you are not. Become a better baker, poet, musician, builder, whatever you are, or even what you want to be. But become the best on you could ever become. Needles to say, I fear that Gor has WAY to many warriors and assassins. By this I mean. Could you imagine a society ever actually achieving anything with 85% of the men running around killing each other all of the time?" He asks. Pausing a moment thinking, before I responded, "It is sad, but many think that is what Gor is all about." Nodding, he replies, "I know. We need more people that will actually "do" something. Pantheus and Marcus they've built things. I try to add what little I can, I suppose. It's a little frustrating. I want Gor to be more then a place to come and cyber hump make believe paga wenches. That may be fun for a few weeks, after a while it should mean something, accomplish something. Otherwise, it's just a game of make believe "spin the bottle". I have seen so much beauty here, so much wonder. Men with real true strength woman, lovely, devoted and happy in their submission. And enough bad to sink a battle ship. Laughs It goes both ways I suppose."

Pausing a few moments, catching our breaths and looking over the list of questions. I ask him " Since you have been involved in the Gorean lifestyle have you seen the decline of online Gor or do you think it has always been this bad?"

He responds "Well, that depends. I have never found it to be "Good" if you mean moving towards some definable goal, becoming a society that "has" anything. It's always been lots of squabbling people yelling at each other; "I'm more Gorean then you are, because I do such and such and you're a worthless player because you only do so and so"! Lots of he's a player, she's not a true slave, and I am the greatest most powerful Gorean of them all. Throw in some horny college kids and a couple of perverts, and poof you've got online Gor. Actually in some ways, as divergent as they all are and I mean ALL the various mediums of Gor, it looks as though it might finally be starting to come together at least a little bit." A look of surprise crosses my face, having only heard the bad things about online Gor I ask him, "May I ask why you see it that way? I know from experience many say that it is just getting worse."

"Well, if you view a society as a group of people that share common beliefs, a shared value system, then Gor has never really had that. For example, you'll head a lot of people talk about being true to their "codes" and in the books there are some "codes" listed for warriors. But ask 10 scribes (if you can find 10 scribes) to list six of their codes and most of them couldn't give you any. A couple might mouth off something about the accurate recording of data, but none of them could give you anything they use to guide their lives, actions and behaviors. And certainly none of the ten would agree with the other nine. So you have no "cohesion" no commonly help system of describing what a Gorean scribe would do in this situation or that situation. As to why things may be coming together a bit. There is now a radio Gorean station, newspapers, even an attempt at a Gorean timeshare. Many of the various mediums are starting to communicate with each other they're all squabbling (of course) but slowly, I'm seeing a consensus start to build about what is and what is not "Gorean"." "Of course, I might just be a little optimistic in my old age." He says, laughing.

When asked the question "How do you view your online interactions? Do you find that you seek conversation or a good serve? And why?"

He paused for a few moments thinking before he answers "I need both, intelligent conversation is very important to me. But the beauty of a woman acting out her submission, displaying the depth of her devotion is so beautiful so warming. I guess I have to have them both. To be honest, present company excluded, I've never really understood free woman on IRC Gor. In real life, slavery is very hard to actually do, and I think a LOT of woman should not become slaves. And some of those women are probably on the Gorean path. But as I know so little about them, I'd hate to speculate." Surprised again by his answer, I had to ask him "Why don't you feel a lot of woman should not become slaves?" He replied, "Well, it's extremely demanding, actually counter to a woman's basic nature. It really demands that a woman become something that she is not. To "un-be" herself. Now that's as a Gorean slave. If you can accept something not total, something NOT in the books then a woman can strive for slavery. But perhaps it could take years to accomplish this. Perhaps never even perfectly then I think a lot. Maybe even MOST woman can do that. And probably even would given the chance. I've seen a dual nature in humans but especially in woman. Two natures really, on the one hand she wants to influence a man's actions to be the center of his attention. Sometimes to even control him. On the other hand she wants to submit to him, to be owned by him, to be found pleasing so these two natures conflict. The woman I've known (and that by no means makes me an expert) want to control the Man they are at the feet of. Well to truly be a slave, a "Gorean" slave at least a perfect one. Is to surrender that control to not even desire that control. And that is very much against human nature. Most men want a girl to drop to her knees and be "by the books" ten minutes after she comes online. It takes incredible patience, time and effort on both the man and the woman's part. It is not easy especially for the girl."

Taking a few moments to talk back and forth to one another before we start the next question. We speak about his love for music and what he hopes to accomplish one day with the songs and instrumental pieces he has created, and he will create. I look to my list of questions, wondering which one should be next. I decide to ask him what he has lost, if anything, since learning and discovering this lifestyle.

Pausing and scratching his slightly gray beard. He replies. "Married life has been hard, especially early on. Learning who and what we were. It was very hard. There have been a few heartaches; both of us have met people that we cared about. Some have been false malicious and cruel. But we shared our hurts and we've grown together, stronger and more open. We've gained a lot, I guess. We've not lost very much."

Now this next question I asked him really surprised me with the answer he gave me. The question was "What is one thing that people may not know about you?"

Regaining his normal composure, he ponders the questions. "I'm so open. I don't know anything that everybody already doesn't know about me." Stops to consider the question some more "That I've failed more than I've succeeded? That I think people are important?" Stops and scratches his short (and only slightly graying) beard. I look at him, asking him if he really believes that, that one about the failing and succeeding. He laughs, and says "To be human is to fail, and try, struggling, and to fail again. And every now and then if you try hard and get a bit lucky you'll OCCASSIONALLY succeed. Then, you will have done something, made something, created something that will last."

Strummer, is hoping to work his music into wave and MP3 formats here soon. He had hoped that by publishing his works that would attract more people-poets, singers-software experts and other musicians-but he has actually found that no one wishes to do anything. Although, everyone says nice things about what he has accomplished thus far with his musical talents. He will be attempting to create more interest by creating more music some six to ten pieces, and he will see from there what kind of interest lies in this field. He is thinking of doing two types, music that "sounds" Gorean and music that sounds like regular earth music with Gorean themes. I will finish this article with a song that Strummer created, and was nice enough to share it with me.

"Rarius Praetendus"
Gorean for-"The False Warrior"

The Tattered beggar sleeps alone.
Behind the streets of brands,
Scraping through the alley heaps,
Blackened, ruptured hands.

Scavenged trinkets tossed to dust,
His only cherished prize.
It threadbare rags he shakes his fist,
An anguished ache his life.

Warriors strong bear sword and shield,
Thrill Ar their tales of gold.
From shadow's hide the beggar mocks,
His pride for copper sold.

Smugly he deceives himself;
"To blame my need is theirs.
My proof, my strength is theft and dark
My plot to lay the snare".

A tunic stole of scarlet caste
Conceals his final shame.
This beggar's trap in life was set
By him that wears his name.

From sky blue heights, great tarns in flight,
The see what lives below.
A lesser man cannot be great,
Small deeds his nature show.

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season.

~Amara~