PTSMC FAQ:

Q: Is this for real?
A: Remember the PTSMC slogan, "Art versus Reality versus The Soul". Consider, if you will, the "hoax" heavy metal band Spinal Tap. Spinal Tap actually performs real shows. They sing, play instruments, and strut about on a stage. They have a totally invented history, yet they look and sound "authentic". What are our criteria for authenticity, then? Monkees fans booed Jimi Hendrix off the stage in 1968, and the Monkees were created for television. On the other hand, the German duo Milli Vanilli presented an image of trendy dancers. Posters of the two were hung on walls of teenage girls all over the globe. They danced on television. When word got out that Milli Vanilli never actually sang, their careers collapsed. CD's were returned to stores and posters came off the walls. For a moment, disregard your true opinion on their music. Pretend your favorite song before the syncing revelation was "Blame it on the Rain". You listen to it ten times a day. One fateful night, you're watching the entertainment TV shows. They tell you that the Milli Vanilli you saw on TV never sang the songs. PTSMC asks this now: Has "Blame it on the Rain" changed? Have the pits on the CD been rearranged? No. Nothing is different. If you like the song, there is no reason to suddenly dislike it. If you like the way the two men looked, would you take the poster down? When you ask if Pine Tree State Mind Control is "for real", what are you really asking? What does such a question say about you?  There are people who believe PTSMC is a clever joke. Others think this is all serious. The remainder laugh nervously, unsure of what reaction they're supposed to display for the viewing audience. PTSMC says this: All of these people are half right, and all of these people are half wrong. What do you think? Reality is subjective.

Q: Do subliminal messages really work?
A: This is an interesting question, and different studies will yield different results. Frankly, a great deal of the research indicates that "traditional" subliminal messages used in advertising do not work. A backwards "I would like a peppermint" (see Judas Priest) is not understood by normal people. The faint picture of a nude woman in a glass of ice cubes is not even seen. Lunatics imagine the word "sex" on Ritz Crackers. When Pine Tree State Mind Control uses backwards voices on some songs, it is a red herring. It's more of a joke or a nod to the paranoid. There are two ways that subliminal messages will work. If people want them to work, they will. In this way, these messages work more like hypnosis. It's a placebo effect. You have to know that you are receiving the messages for them to have any effect. The other way you can get subliminal messages to work is by delivering them in plain sight, but get the subjects' brains to ignore them. In live presentations, PTSMC demonstrates and discusses some of these "blind spots". The message techniques used by Pine Tree State Mind Control are designed to fit into these blind spots, but there is not enough data to prove that people are actually affected long-term by PTSMC output. Tell your friends about us, and that will create more data points.

Q: What is the Pine Tree State?
A: This is the nickname for Maine, in the northeast corner of USA, where PTSMC is based.

Q: Why does an organization that wants to promote harmony have a skull in its logo?
A: Is there a reason not to? What does the skull imagery mean to you? Have you attached meaning to it apart from its function as brain-protection? From where has this meaning come?

Q: Your literature uses the phrase "social homogeneity". Is this racist?
A: Certainly not! We have a diverse world, and this diversity should be celebrated. People should not be judged on the color of their skin, eyes, or hair. Instead we should whittle ourselves down to one global culture. Pine Tree State Mind Control does not advance one particular culture (e.g. Western, Eastern, Primitive, etc.) over another. Too many points of view can be messy. Even inefficient cultures have some components that we should salvage.

Q: What is a Pine Tree State Mind Control performance like?
A: You won't dance. Together, we examine our thoughts about freedom, using the universal language of pop culture as our guide. We explore the concepts of self, art, and happiness.

Q: Where can I buy a PTSMC CD?
A: Click on the Music button (the green one) to the left, and then click on the dollar sign button below it.