The World According to Hank

Eric's Dad, Henry, is one of the most original and radical thinkers we know. He has had a huge influence on who Eric is and the way he sees the world, particularly in his politics. Sometimes Eric will talk about this influence at his gigs and he'll describe Henry as a 'militant trade-unionist, working-class socialist, pacifist maverick'. It's funny, because even though myself and Eric have completely different backgrounds and come from opposite ends of the world, my Dad was the very same.

And at nearly 84, Henry is still going strong. I don't know if you can see it in the photo or not but the badge on his hat, which his granddaughter Jenny gave him, says 'Angry Citizen' (which interestingly enough describes my state of mind at the moment, but more on that later). The raised fist is his standard salute.

Anyway, Henry is also known for his sayings, which Eric loves to repeat. Below is some of our favourites (if you have your own favourite please feel free to add to our comments section):

"The fatal flaw of capitalism is that it is predatory and de-humanising" (The more I think about this, the truer the statement is)

"Never underestimate the ignorance of the ignorant masses" (A comment I heard, particularly around the time of the re-election of Bush)

"My best quality is my humility" (This is one of my favourites)

"Agitate, agitate, agitate" (It's a pity they don't teach this in schools)

"Always question authority" (Eric says that this is unless it is Nita or Hank)

And last but not least:

"There isn't anyone eating a better meal than we are tonight!" (more on Nita's cooking in a later blog)