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.
NME is 60. The magazine which started out as a 'music newspaper' back in 1952 has gone through plenty of changes in its tenure - from newsprint to glossy, from creating and being involved in The UK Singles Chart to being all about niche, hipster cool. One might say the NME has changed its facade and rhetoric more times than Bowie in the '70s or Madge in the '80s.
It is now an institution, whether you like it or not. Personally, I feel it's become unnecessarily hip-focused; placing spotty bands without deals on a pedestal which they may not fulfill, however, it has helped numerous acts go on to become institutions themselves - and in this regard it should be lauded.
Certainly, the measure of the influence the NME has on culture is incalculable. That it came up with the idea for the UK Chart would alone cement this, however, even some of the more inane features such as 'The Cool List' and the endless '100 Greatest...' polls it conducts have an effect - reflecting the modern day need cyclical trends and canonical cobblers pertinently.
Tucker about to blow
Aside from this, a quick note of admiration also needs to be expressed on the new series of The Thick of It. It is superbly observed, written and realised political satire and in my view is the funniest thing on the box at the moment. The Coalition and Shadow parties seem almost too real in their strategy and I'm waiting for Malcolm Tucker to blow and scream at someone - probably Nicola Murray - in his own menacing, marauding fashion.
The start of autumn is always a particularly saturated period within the arts. With those cash-rich student folk going back to University, the kids back at school and Christmas on its way (CD, DVD and book sales about to soar) it seems as if we're thrown a fuckload of cultural clutter at once. However, it is, purely by numbers, usually a period that throws up some top-notch music, film and literature.
As such, this autumn is no exception. Yeasayer have released their superb new electro-prog wonder; Fragrant World - a magical, whirlwind tour through part-Pierre Schaeffer cut-and-paste jitters, part Beatles-esque melodic realisation. As a record it works on the music-as-art level necessary for its captive hipster audience as well as finding a balancing mechanism in its approachable nature.
The art work for Yeasayer's Fragrant World
Loopers looks as if it will be a sensational film - just from the trailers alone. If it lives up to its critical billing of 'This year's The Matrix' it cannot go wrong commercially either. The Sweeney, however, may be one to miss. Upon seeing it last night, all I was left with was a feeling that I could have just watched the second half - without the love triangle nonsense - and still caught the gist of it. That said, it is watchable.
Will Self's Umbrella promises to be a psycho-geographical tour of the labyrinthine web of terror that is my home-town and residence again; London. Self pours out canon-worthy brilliance every couple of years, so never mind Fifty Shades, Umbrella is the literary event of 2012.
After a brief hiatus - due to a number of things which are far too tiresome to go into here - I shall begin updating this old blog again! Anyway, I thought I'd kick off with a few things going on in music and the arts, so here we go. Sir Peter Bazalgette has been appointed as the Chairman of the Arts Council. Bazalgette, who owns TV production company Endemol (the makers of such artistic programs as Big Brother and Deal or No Deal), will take up his role at the end of January and will work two days a week for £40,000 per year - which is not a bad pay rate by anybody's standards. Sir Peter said of his new role: "sustaining our vigorous arts and cultural sector is admittedly a challenge, but one I greatly look forward to". (Full story here)
Macca Former Beatle Paul McCartney is to be awarded France's Legion of Honour medal on Saturday. The distinction is the highest available in France and was set up by Napoleon Bonaparte to award notable figures. Macca will join Clint Eastwood and Liza Minnelli as an awardee. (Full story here)
Finally, today would have been Freddie Mercury's 66th birthday and in conjunction with this the NME blog has a 'rank the albums' post up, purely because they love an inane poll. In at number 1 is News of the World while down at number 15 is Hot Space. My personal favorite, A Night at the Opera, came in 3rd place. (Full list here)
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...
I absolutely cannot believe that the people of Bradford West voted in George Galloway - him of Celebrity Big Brother fame who pretended to be a cat - in last night's by-election. My disgust is such that I see this as, in fact, a bloody scandal! With this in mind here's 5otB scandalous songs for you (and don't even think Mis Teeq are included).
Eminem - Kim: When I was a lad Eminem was just about the only interesting mainstream pop star (don't even think Mis Teeq would be included here either!) and this song, with its honour killing theme (Galloway probably loved it), caused quite a stir when it appeared on The Marshall Mathers LP. Not just scandalous, but downright outrageous.
Eminem - Kim
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen: It's hard to think of a song that has caused more of a stir and backlash in the history of popular music and anything that gets up the nose of Royalists is good for me.
Dead Kennedys - Kill the Poor: This caused a reaction, but only because people mis-interpreted it. Kill the Poor is actually a protest song, not a manifesto on how to eradicate the less-wealthy members of society. It's also a fantastic, energising cult-punk classic.
Dead Kennedys - Kill the Poor
2Pac feat. Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg and YDG - All About You: "Is you sick from the dick or is it the flu?" - just one of many foul, filthy lyrics which litter this gangsta rap dream of a scandal. Really, much of 2Pac, Snoop or Nate's output could be up here, especially Nate's I Need a Bitch.
Anybody who knows me well will know that I'm a big John Lennon fan. Indeed, Lennon, for me, is as good as anyone who's ever committed to songwriting. A natural melodist with sharp lyrics (though his early-Beatles stuff may not have realised this as well as his later work with the fabs or his solo stuff), Lennon was the conscience of popular music in many ways.
Working Class Hero, perhaps Lennon's greatest lyric, highlights exactly what I'm saying. Working with a simple harmonic movement (Am, G throughout), Lennon adds in the hammer-on on the d string for a melodic touch and the vocal melody to the track is very engaging. Besides this though, as has been said, the lyric is its most engaging feature. As a polemic which actually holds its audience (the working class) to account and tells them that they are their own worst enemy by allowing themselves to be "doped with religion, sex and TV" and thinking they're "so clever and classless and free", Lennon's song tells them exactly why their plight is so.
Lennon
Lennon never shied away from anything - war, love, hate, cold turkey - but by pointing out the problem instead of just venerating a lifestyle which keeps the working classes down he pulled something off which many do not: he gave his subjects a solution i.e. stop being doped by these identity forces and react.
Many other lyricists, whom when depicting the plight of the working class, miss out on this. For instance (and as much as I love his music and lyrics), Bruce Springsteen's poor, polemicist posturing gives many working class Americans a hero and a champion, but he is often somebody who champions their way of life by just saying he is a blue collar guy. Springsteen, however, does "stick it to the man" in many ways and therefore is merely the tip of the iceberg and far less of a problem than others.
This one both contradicts and backs-up my point - just listen! It's a great tune too.
The real problem comes from bands and artists such as Oasis, The Streets and The Enemy whom all promote a working class ideal and aesthetic in their song lyrics without ever pointing out that monetary hierarchy is succinctly unfair and that forces beyond them are keeping them down (like millionaire pop stars giving them identifiable working class heroes, for example). O.K. then, "day-by-day there's a man in a suit who's gonna' make you pay" in Oasis could be argued to go some way, but it still misses the point really. The Streets and their "total result of a holiday" and The Enemy's resignation that "we'll live and die in these towns" absolutely vindicate my point. Through promoting the blue collar hardships as something to be proud of, these artists manage to, in fact, keep the working class down.
The Streets' Mike Skinner
Maybe as good a place as any to look is Morrissey and, subsequently (given that Moz may be his biggest fan), some of the poetry of John Betjeman. Along with Lennon's Working Class Hero, Morrissey's scorn in the line " a double bed and a stalwart lover for sure, these are the riches of the poor" and Betjeman's downright indictment, particularly in Slough, one of his most famous poems, provide a chance for introspection within the working class. Sadly, the "jumped-up pantry boy, who never knew his place" may never realise this, because while it was being explained to him he merely said "shut up, Dry Your Eyes Mate's on".
QPR: The Four Year Plan - Really cool BBC documentary about the finest football team the world has ever seen. It highlights the disparity between the seemingly off-hand, clumsy and harsh Briatore administration and any manager forced to work for it. The ending also brought back some great memories from last summer's promotion.
The Artist - Though essentially a throwback, The Artist breathes some new life into silent film. It's an interesting story, well-conveyed and acted out with a breathtaking soundtrack. Not sure about the Oscar though, just because I enjoyed it, it doesn't make it better than other noteworthy contenders.
The Artist
Freakonomics - I'm late to this one, I know. Huge when it first came out in 2005, this book so brilliantly explains the answers to quirky questions in an economic (pun intended) way. Lucidly-written with well-thought-out content it is a must if you haven't read it already!
Blonde on Blonde - One of Dylan's best albums, I've really been getting back into this recently. I've always loved You Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine), but my eyes have been re-opened to the magic of Visions of Johanna and I Want You once more. Stunning album.
