"Now it is with men as with the tree . . .
The more it wants to rise into the heights and the light, the more determinedly do it's roots strive earthwards , downwards, into the darkness, into the depths - into evil."
- Neitzsche - Thus spoke Zarathustra

*

"I used to be a little boy . . ."
- Smashing Pumpkins 93'

"Here we are now entertain us . . ."
- Nirvana 91'

"Cash Rules Everything Around Me . . ."
- Wu-Tang Clan 93'

"Inner city life, inner city pressure . . ."
- Goldie 95'

"You don't even know me . . . "
- Armand van Helden 98'

"I don't like the drugs, but the drugs like me . . . "
- Marilyn Manson 98'

This is the 90's.
And Aotearoa has changed.

For a country in which living standards have dropped from 3rd in the OECD to 27th in just two generations, having now the highest youth suicide, teen pregnancy and abortion rates, change has come too quickly. Nothing more represents the failure of the neo-liberal crusade than a complete loss of power to Auckland's CBD in the beginning of 1998.

The last children of the welfare state have come of age in a time and country very different from the one in which they were born. The experience of the past no longer holds the same worth, values are shifting and culture must shift with it. The Muldoon generation may have lost their Nanny State, but their's a global media revolution happy to take over the babysitting. Cuoz for the kids, all they see is culture. All they know is what's cool.
And what's not.

This is the 90's: House, Drum'n Bass, Hip-Hop, Grunge'n Metal; Pissed, stoned, wasted, twisted'n fucked up; Scenes, clicks, clubs, cafés, flats, parties, parks and streets. Cuoz either you're cool or you're not, pretty much. Either you know or you don't. So who's the baddest?

This is the 90's.

This is Evil Robot.

Evil Robot is set in Auckland, over 1998. Three young Aucklanders, seemingly seperated by age and sub-culture form a corner of the social web of the local High school.

Ollie's coming up to his 21st, finding it's not easy being a socialist in a capitalist system. Café's, clothes, a decent ride and the latest Drum'n Bass records can be a bit of stretch when your paying through the nose for the right to join the educated elite. However there's always a "workable solution" because problems are also opportunities. And in this day'n age, y'gotta take risks get ahead.

Kings of the Springs, sarn Rule the school, thas righ, Co-Offendah Kru 98'. Bellee'dat!
Fuckn, 98. Gonna be 2Bronx's year, last year of school, gonna be turning 18. Him'n his boys musta been waiting for this for ages, ay bro. But Any-G, bro - thinks he's black, don't care how long we been boys, if he's gonna be talking shit all the time, making trouble for the rest of us, making us look like we're bullshit cunts, then fuck . . . we'll fuckn see who can come hard . . .f'real, - word.

Pascoe is gonna be 15 this year, fourth form. But he's had a few problems at school. Nothing serious, jiss y'know a few problems with the other kids. Some stuff happened at Grammar, but that's okay, cuos now he's starting at Springs tomorrow, like a fresh start. It's got this "safer schools" policy, which is like violence and drug free, which is pretty cool. Still kinda nervous though. I wonder what the girls are gonna be like . . .