guns n' axes

there are many responses to decades of violence, destruction, and pain. yahoonews reports on cesar lopez, a colombian musician who decided to fashion weapons into instruments such as electric guitars.

it seems like a riff on woody's "this machine kills fascists" guitar, but mr. lopez got the idea after seeing a soldier hold a rifle as he would a guitar. as part of the battalion of immediate artistic reaction, mr. lopez takes to the streets to play music after guerilla attacks in Bogota.

i just had to hear his guitar, so i clicked on the story's video link. mr. lopez's guitar sounds steely and well-oiled, exaggerating his finger squeaks. that is, it sounds like a gun. he won't stop the violence, but his axe transmutes human misery into something challenging and, arguably, beautiful. that is, it sounds like art.