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Made in Shoreditch

I also contribute a weekly column to Made in Shoreditch magazine called 'Old East End/New East End', where I look at the relationship between the East End of old and new, looking at the changes and the stalwarts in landscape, residents and culture, focussing on one street or district each week. You can find it here.

Holograms of Dead Rap(ists)pers, Cowell a Gay? What a Month

Monday 23 April 2012

I've not posted for a while due to being under the cosh, so to speak, with other stuff. Anyway, this month has seen all manner of pointless celebrity tittle-tattle (no change there then), especially that involving Simon 'make me famous Max Clifford!' Cowell, an awful show called The Voice on BBC 1's prime-time Saturday night slot seems to be garnering much attention and something which I don't know what the hell to make of yet happened at Coachella involving a 2Pac hologram.

Cowell looking just a tad smug

Firstly, to Cowell. Questions abound as to whether he's gay or not and quite frankly, who cares? It's clear that with BGT struggling against the aforementioned snore-fest, The Voice, and The X Factor doing badly (comparatively to recent years of domination) in the ratings last winter, he needs a little publicity. In comes the 'unofficial' biography. This has Max Clifford written all over it. Next.

The Voice is an absolute chore to sit through. I really do not get it to be honest and have had quite enough of 'talent competitions' and all the ugly, vaudeville aspects of them now anyway. It is mildly better than BGT, however, and The X Factor in fact, which is just ridiculous now.

2 of America's Most (un?)Wanted back together again

Finally, on to that 2Pac thing. It was astounding to see on Youtube, I cannot imagine how good it was live. I do, however, find it all a little weird. Just let him go. 2Pac was a phenomenal rapper, but the quasi-religious status he holds in rap circles is mental. Was this what Christians kept telling us would happen at Easter? It certainly feels as if 'Pac has been venerated to messianic status. He was also a bit of a dick when he was alive (a lot like the God that binds believers to praise him, I suppose, or in fact the believers that do praise him, I suppose). He was a convicted rapist who glamourised killing for its own sake. He wasn't the messiah, just a very naughty boy.

There we go, that's the month wrapped up for you. Off you go then...