There’s more to mayhem than the excellent insurance commercials. You know, the one where there’s a kid’s birthday party or some house repairs going on and all hell breaks loose. Then a beaten injured spokesperson, bloody well played by Dean Winters, urges you to take out some insurance on him, baby. This guy should be in the hospital instead of out on the street.
Mayhem is now one of the most popular Halloween costumes for men.
When the world is trying to go down the drain, no matter how many good vibes some people bring to the table, we can sense the mayhem in the air. It smells like the opposite of victory. It is all chaos and noise, not much sanity. We are alone in freefall, plunging toward earth, our parachutes nicely folded up in our backpacks. It is Black Friday and all the good deals have been sold.
Months long “Black Friday Specials” as well as Cyber Mondays have cut down on the dawn Friday mayhems after Thanksgiving at the malls
This episode concerns the existence of mayhem in rock ‘n’ roll. We all remember how surprised we felt the first time we saw The Who, after a rousing set, destroy their instruments and break everything on stage. As punk rock gained popularity, so too did the onstage blood spitting mayhem and the hotel room trashing.
Guest services photographed David Lee Roth’s room shortly after the Van Halen vocalist checked out.
Pointing out in song that the world was falling apart was a big theme with the folkies who decided we were on the eve of distraction and of course, destruction.
In this episode of Old School we will delve into some songs that are filled with dread, confusion and widespread panic at the disco. This is the end my only friend. This is MAYHEM.
An episode of “Mayhem the Cat,” created by artificial intelligence combining the works of hundreds of artists and thousands of funny pages assembled in nine seconds. Captions approved by numerous fact checkers.
The History of Mayhem: Etymology, Historical Incidents, and Modern Chaos
The word “mayhem” carries a history as chaotic as its meaning, evolving from a legal term to a descriptor of unruly disorder. While modern interpretations may conjure images of comedic or metaphorical chaos, its roots are steeped in physical violence and societal upheaval.
“Mayhem” derives from the Anglo-Norman term mahem, itself rooted in the Old French mehaignier, meaning “to maim” or “injure.” In ye olde English law, mayhem referred specifically to a violent crime that left someone physically messed up, mutilated, or incapacitated, particularly in ways that hindered their ability to fight or defend themselves. For instance, medieval legal codes often distinguished between simple assault and acts of mayhem, where the latter involved permanent injury, such as severing limbs or putting out an eye. Like the knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
Over time, the word’s legal connotation began to encompass the idea of general disorder and destruction. By the 17th century, literary usage had captured mayhem as a metaphor for any situation marked by chaos and uncontrollable force, setting the stage for its cultural evolution. By the 21st century, it had been shortened to “AFU.”
Certain excruciating events epitomize the wild spirit of mayhem—not just in their immediate violence but in their chaotic and far-reaching consequences.
1. The Sack of Rome (410 CE): One of history’s most iconic moments of mayhem occurred when the orchestra final Visigoths, doom makeup and all, led by Alaric (the Humorless) sacked Rome. The once-invincible city, symbol of order and civilization, was thrown into complete disarray. The streets ran with blood, homes were looted, and ancient temples desecrated. The event signaled not just a moment of physical destruction but the unraveling of the Roman Empire’s perceived stability. The Fall.
2. The Boston Tea Party (1773): Amazing how pissed people get over grocery prices. This little act of defiance by American colonists against British taxation marked another kind of mayhem—one that combined rebellion, symbolism, and public spectacle, all in the name of Constant Comment and chamomile. Disguised as Mohawk Indians, the Sons of Liberty dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. While relatively nonviolent, the act created economic chaos and escalated tensions, paving the way for revolution. Pollution was a thing of the future, so a couple of barrels of honey might have sweetened the deal.
3. The French Revolution’s Reign of Terror (1793-1794): Few periods in history encapsulate mayhem more than the Reign of Terror. Under Robespierre’s leadership, thousands were executed by guillotine in a fervor of ideological purification. Social norms and institutions disintegrated amidst paranoia and bloodshed. Off with their heads, big time.
"The whole earth, or all we saw of it, was a lurid yellowish red…everywhere dust, smoke, flames, heat, thunder of falling walls, crackle of fire, hissing of water, panting of engines, shouts, braying of trumpets, roar of wind, confusion, and uproar." —Unnamed survivor
4. The Great Chicago Fire (1871): fire’s spread was a study in urban mayhem. It razed over three square miles of Chicago, leaving 100,000 people homeless. The disaster exposed the vulnerabilities of fast growing cities and quickly inspired fresh building codes and urban planning.
Modern Confusion and the Echoes of Classic Mayhem
In our time of messy mass communication, mayhem has shifted from violent and grim origins to a constant din, filling newscasts and galvanizing communities with quickly edited scenes of confusion, disorganization, unrestrained energy, and our own amusement with anything rude or borderline appropriate. Sports commentators ove mayhem on the field when a coach is shoved by an overheated player; journalists describe political upheavals or markets imploding as moments of “financial mayhem.” Advertising that feature sour luck and accidental violence as our special guest, the Allstate “Mayhem” campaign, personify the a world in humorous calamity.
Echoes of the classic meaning remain. Events like riots, protests turned violent, or natural disasters evoke the primal, uncontrollable force of mayhem’s original definition. Consider the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol: a chaotic convergence of ideological fervor, misinformation, and mob mentality. This modern mayhem, though far removed from the mutilations of medieval law carries the weight of its historical roots in upheaval and loss of control. But ten years from now our history books may paint a quite different picure, which presents a different kind of mayhem.
Connecting Past and Present Mayhem
At its core, mayhem represents more than just chaos; it symbolizes the tipping point where order dissolves into unpredictability. From its beginnings as a legal term for bodily harm to its application in describing everything from revolutions to slapstick comedy, the word retains a visceral power, reminding us of the fragility of the structures we build to contain life’s chaos.
Mayhem, in any time operates on a precarious balance between order and disorder. It’s the perfect atmosphere for a rock anthem. When it relays historic or political information, it could be John Lennon’s or U-2’s “Sunday, Bloody Sunday,” Barry McGuire’s “Eve of Destruction” or David Bowie’s “Panic in Detroit”. If, on the other hand, the subject is mayhem in human relations, it might be “Don’t Come Home A-Drinking (With Loving on Your Mind” from Loretta Lynn,” “There’s No Home for You Here” by The White Stripes, or “Ain’t That a Shame” by Fats Domino.
Echoes of the classic meaning of mayhem remain. Events like riots, protests turned violent, or natural disasters evoke the primal, uncontrollable force.of mayhem’s original definition. This modern mayhem, though far removed from the mutilations of medieval law carries the weight of its historical roots in upheaval and loss of control. But ten years from now our history books may paint a quite different picture, which presents a different kind of mayhem. At its core, mayhem represents more than just chaos; it symbolizes the tipping point where order dissolves into unpredictability. From its beginnings as a legal term for bodily harm to its application in describing everything from revolutions to slapstick comedy, the word retains a visceral power, reminding us of the fragility of the structures we build to contain life’s chaos.
We are going to put a temporary stop to all the mayhem now, with a song written by Morrissey and Johnny Marr in 1986, working in the headline shadow of the events at Chernobyl. Professor Mikey’s Old School is a newsletter with an attached podcast on Substack, you can also hear many of the episodes on your favorite podcast delivery system. The music is either from the public domain, is cleared through the various podcast carriers, or has been made available by labels who believe music should be heard and not hidden.
Join me for the next episode of Old School when there’s a little mayhem in the air. Thanks for listening. U R the best
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The educational underground pirate radio Old School podcast with Professor Mikey featuring rarities, stories, and surprises from the last half of the 20th century. A eclectic variety of discovery for newer music lovers, a reconnection for the rest of us, present in a theme format that thinks outside the album cover. Rock, country, blues, and anything else that might have captured the 20th century imagination, updated for a newer audience while remaining a comfort to older rockers.
Professor Mikey spent over 50,000 hours in various broadcast booths in 60-some markets, taking to the air at 16 a couple of months before The Beatles released Revolver. He rocked, informed, and amused his listeners in six different decades. Old School is his attempt to put it all together in a great set. He is confirmed AM-FM Positive.
The educational underground pirate radio Old School podcast with Professor Mikey featuring rarities, stories, and surprises from the last half of the 20th century. A eclectic variety of discovery for newer music lovers, a reconnection for the rest of us, present in a theme format that thinks outside the album cover. Rock, country, blues, and anything else that might have captured the 20th century imagination, updated for a newer audience while remaining a comfort to older rockers.
Professor Mikey spent over 50,000 hours in various broadcast booths in 60-some markets, taking to the air at 16 a couple of months before The Beatles released Revolver. He rocked, informed, and amused his listeners in six different decades. Old School is his attempt to put it all together in a great set. He is confirmed AM-FM Positive.
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