Apr 122013
Is the older woman next to Patti Smith carrying a picture of Sinead O’Connor?
The All-Star Jam is the place to do your thing.
Is the older woman next to Patti Smith carrying a picture of Sinead O’Connor?
The All-Star Jam is the place to do your thing.
Kobe Bryant, rapper?
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9161188/the-secret-history-kobe-bryant-failed-attempt-rap-career
This really belongs on the earlier Maggie Thatcher thread:
http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/12/bbc-wont-ban-ding-dong-the-witch-is-dead-adopted-as-anti-thatcher-anthem/
I heard about this on my local NPR station. I found it interesting because it captures, more appropriately, the level of hate some people (by chart standards, MANY people) in the UK felt about The Iron Lady. I’ve been surprised that this level of vitriol hasn’t been covered more extensively in the US; instead we’ve heard things like “divisive” rather than “hated.” That a song celebrating the death of a former politician could get so high in the charts is pretty amazing. Can you imagine that in the US?
Not being very political, the “outrage” over Margaret Thatcher has always puzzled me. I really don’t need to be educated; I’m too naive to understand why people like Morrissey hate her with the passion they do. I know she was conservative and an ally of Reagan. I know people in the US were heavily divided over Reagan too. I am of the belief that our nations are strong enough to survive any leader whose main weakness is having policies we may not like. Comparing these people to the Wicked Witch or Hitler or whoever doesn’t resonate with me. Did Thatcher regularly arrest political opponents and stuff like that? Didn’t that Hugo Chavez do stuff dictatorial like that yet have some of it excused by educated hipsters like ourselves because “It’s South America, Jake” and because he was connected to matinee idol revolutionary Che Guevara? Anyhow, Mick Jagger had some words on the subject before kicking off an interview with a Philadelphia journalist: http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/inthemix/Mick-Jagger-on-the-death-of-Margaret-Thatcher.html
Not a fan of the Iron Lady and wouldn’t have voted for her in a million years if I was British, but I find it interesting that the same people singing “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” are probably the same people who were appalled with Americans who cheered the death of the truly evil Osama Bin Laden.
I am not even close to knowledgeable here (please, British RTHers chime in), but I think that Mrs. Thatcher was despised by so many because her policies were a sea change for many British citizens. We could argue for a very long time about whether the changes she ushered in were good or bad, but they were certainly not neutral. Some segments of the population (namely miners in the North of England) found their livelihoods ended when the industries they worked in were shut down. And that this was happening in parts of the UK that already felt marginalized added to the anger.
Thatcher was not a keen supporter of the arts, and, as explored in our earlier thread, there wasn’t a lot of music that celebrated her. However anger about her actions and policies certainly fueled a great deal of interesting music.
That’s the kind of thing I was getting at. Morrissey loves animals so much that he supposedly won’t let anyone in his band eat meat anywhere near the studio, when they’re recording, but he’ll wish for a human whose main crime is differing political beliefs to die. Childish.
Not to get into some big battle over this, but I’m curious: has any political leader in the US and England really supported the arts, and were the arts any better thanks to government support? No one criticizes Clinton or Obama for not supporting the arts, but did they ever book shows or even buy concert tickets while in office? 🙂
I agree that celebrating the death of someone can be childish.
In many parts of Europe, the arts are heavily supported through the state. For example, my beloved Tanztheater Wuppertal was a company heavily supported by government. This support is often provided because of the belief that the arts is beneficial to human development in general, just as the study of math and science are considered important.
I don’t know about where you all live, but here in California, most public school districts don’t have the funds to hire music and art teachers.
Perhaps it’s time for another RTH contest: who can find the best photo of an American political figure at a “cultural” event?
The gun debate in Congress and the discussion above has me thinking about this Bowie song — damn I forgot how much I like it — I’m Afraid of Americans — and what a video . . .
http://youtu.be/FEypM_BRe5Y
It would appear that the vote is being stacked against Yoko in the latest poll.
Busy times in real life, slow times in the Halls of Rock. I hope our Boston-area friends and their family and friends are safe and sound.
Interesting take on Billy Joel’s legacy:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9175027/billy-joel-released-album-new-songs-20-years-#8212-been-good-legacy
Thanks, Mr. Mod, it was a very sad day indeed. I only found out about it when I turned on the telly to look for the final score of the Sox game. My niece works @ MA General Hospital & she found out by all the ambulances coming in.
Otherwise, I saw 42 over the weekend, which was an OK movie. The most jaw-dropping scene was the one involving that Phillies manager. I can’t believe that anyone would act that way. It makes one nostialgic for Bobby Valentine. Also, Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey reminded me of Perry White in the old Superman TV series.
So, does that sway your opinion at all, Mr. Mod? The article was well written, but the writer tends to oversell his argument. Joel has toured recently, my In-Laws saw him a couple years back, and said that he put on a phenomenal show. Plus, I’ve yet to come across any hip Musik blogs extolling the virtues of Joel’s deep cuts. I did however have some NYC friends that went gaga for his 12.12.12 appearance.
Oh, jg, you had to be a big shot, deed yah? Unless Billy Joel develops the capacity to heal the sick then there’s no reevaluating his legacy as far as I’m concerned. Cadillac-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak-ak!
Great question, but a big NO, jeangray. That writer is skilled at writing and comes up with some interesting, novel points of view, but he constantly exposes serious problems in his root tastes. The fact that he even bought River of Dream when he was 16, or whatever age he confessed to buying it, immediately discounts much of his rock-snob credibility. I mean, that’s like someone of my generation, at the age of 12, choosing Chicago’s 4-lp live album as one of his dozen initial Columbia House selections – on cassette, no less.
Oh, wait…
Columbia House had the whole Chicago catalog didn’t they?
I had The Stranger — which I liked — and 52nd Street — which I hated, and I was done with Billy Joel. I do recall belting out drunk versions of “An Innocent Man” with an old girlfriend for fun in 80s.
What was my River of Dreams? Too many to count! A live album that I didn’t bring to college because I was kind of ashamed (but I still kind of like — great version of Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds) was Natalie Cole Live!
You have to let this run a bit to get the full effect —
http://youtu.be/9KD6tCdE9Qo