Diana still dead, Earth still in trouble, idiots still lurking
Hope you all had a nice weekend. First up, thanks to those who turned up to see me at Waterstone's in Worthing on Friday night. It was hugely sociable and rewarding and a nice day trip. Thanks to Dan, whose tireless work with the Artists & Makers Festival is a community-based example to us all.
Second, because I don't have broadband at home, I leave my little office on a Friday night and pick up my emails again on a Monday morning. It also means that quite often a lot of comments are left on the blog over those two days. Too many for me to reply to individually. This weekend, rather than watch the tennis or Live Earth or the Big Brother live feed or relax with friends and enjoy the sunny weather, someone anonymous (what a surprise) repeatedly flamed what was a perfectly nice thread about British Films and the flawed Radio Times poll.
He - and let's push the boat out and guess that it is a he - mainly seemed to want to have a go at me, but along the way, he also insulted Betsie, which was uncalled for. I apologise for his comments staying up for so long. I've removed the thread for now. If I had broadband access I'd have dealt with them as them as they came in. There's a fine line between joining in a dialogue and just showing off. The internet makes it all too easy. You too can be king for the weekend! See how many comments you can leave!
Underneath all the pram-rattling, there was a vague insinuation made about the Radio Times film section - and a running joke about Barry Norman being my "boss" and me being "sacked" from Empire. For the record, then ... I wasn't sacked from Empire. I left the editor's job to become editor of Q and continued to write for Empire. Barry Norman is a columnist for Radio Times. He is paid to write a column for the magazine. My short tenure as editor of Empire is a source of some amusement, but I have never been shy about referring to it. There's a chapter about it in my book. I am currrently the Film Editor of the Radio Times, a job I have been doing since April 2001 when then-editor Nicholas Brett gave the magazine a makeover and "personalised" the various sections. At the time, I was hosting Back Row on Radio 4, which was the reason I was approached, not my three issues of Empire in 1995! All this means is that I oversee the film section. I don't work nine to five in the office. I go in once a week to personally see the front of the section through and sign off on the Films Of The Day and Film Of The Week once the TV schedules are confirmed. I am certainly not anyone's boss. I have no executive power over anyone. I am part of the Film Team, a large and dedicated body of film enthusiasts who do the proper work of putting the section through every week. What I do, in conjunction with the head of the team, is commission and sometimes write the small pieces that appear at the front of the section. I also help to sub-edit them onscreen to fit the spaces left by the designers. For this, plus a weekly DVD review, constantly building and reshaping the film reviewing team, and for acting as an "ambassador" for the magazine on TV and radio, I am paid a retainer. Barry Norman is paid to write his column. I hope this is clearing up any misunderstanding.
One of my other duties as part of my retainer is to act as consultant editor on the Radio Times Guide To Films, which means keeping an eye on the database, where the film reviews live. It's constantly being updated. Individual reviews are occasionally rewritten, or given a new star rating, if they stick out like sore thumbs and were perhaps marked up or down in the heat of the moment by the individual reviewer. Although individual reviewers' initials appear after the reviews in both the book and the magazine, these reviews are intended to act as a guide to the Radio Times reader, and this is why they are, hopefully, free of hype and soapboxing. Of course, you may disagree with individual star ratings, but it's pretty easy target practice, and not worth getting wound up about. It's a listings magazine with a readership that covers a massive age range, so it's hard to please everybody.
The Great British Films online poll has its flaws (and because the shortlists were amalgamated from mine and Barry Norman's, and put up on the website, almost secretly, without me overseeing it, errors were made - too late to change by the time I'd seen them, as votes were already coming in). This won't affect the results anyway, the first of which were sent to me this morning and make interesting reading. They are desinged to cause debate.
I have no problem with debate. But posting endless snide comments is not debate. I am really resisting the option of going back to Comment Moderation. But it is the only way of weeding out show-offs. (By the way, I am allowed to be a show-off - it's my website and my blog. They're cheap and easy to set up.)
I watched less of Live Earth than I watched of the Concert For Diana. What a horribly awkward television event it was. Whether or not you think that some rock concerts can help to raise awareness of climate change is almost a moot point. What bothered me about it was the sheer uneasiness of the presentation. It had unsavoury echoes of Live 8, which I hated. Jonathan Ross, a presenter of consummate skill and confidence, was at sea. Was it OK to make jokes about climate change? Russell Brand had a go. Dara O'Briain had a go. A carousel of green experts were wheeled before Ross to make pertinent points about what we can do (not leaving the TV on standby and recycling being the Main Two), and he dealt with them professionally and jovially, as did Graham Norton backstage (although Eddie Izzard was a bit insincere-sounding, maybe it's his new American accent), but if the BBC wanted to point up the serious aspects of the event, why did they have Edith Bowman interviewing sweaty bands, just offstage, while what sounded like actual green issues were discussed or highlighted from the stage? These messages were either considered too boring, or too contentious. I'd like to know what was actually being said. You could hear voices coming across the PA behind Edith and Keane. As with Diana, the cause and the event sat uneasily.
I'm not going to comment on the music. I don't like Keane or Bloc Party or Snow Patrol - indeed they represent to me the nadir of British rock music - but they all had a good old go at filling the void of a stadium that must still smell of fresh plastic. There's nothing profound you can say about climate change between songs. It's such a big issue, it's beyond slogans. Yes, we as individuals can make an effort, and we should, as it has to start somewhere, but the real villains of the piece are governments and corporations. They have the real power. (And yes, we can vote governments out, but it's been fairly comprehesively proven that it doesn't matter who's in, they're still in thrall to corporations, so the private sector holds all the cards.) This is why is reminded me of Live 8, which boiled its message down to the armband Make Poverty History - which you'd have to be a misery not to agree with, in principle, although wearing armbands is more about showing off - when in fact it was a situation made complicated by free-market economics, and the freeing up of debt for African countries usually involves forced privatisation of utilties, so that Western companies can move in and make some cash - what a surprise. This, amazingly, never came out in Jonathan Ross or Fearne Cotton's interviews. I'm not having a go at him, or her - it's the sheer unworkability of the set-up that's at fault.
Oh, and Chris Moyles hosting it. They would never have let someone so fat do Live Aid. That would have been rather rubbing it in.
posted by Andrew Collins @ 9:50 AM
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38 Comments:
I saw the comments from anonymous, and found nothing amusing in them. They obviously know a lttle about films, but have something to learn about humanity. The comment about "You are what is wrong with world today" was good wasn't it? I suppose in his perfect world we would all post unpleasant anonymous messsages to each other and try and make other people feel shit.
PS, AC - weekend comment moderation might be a good idea short term.
'Awkward' sums up the whole Live Earth thingy. The whole 'rock stars telling us what to do' idea is wearing pretty thin. I just want them to make nice tunes; I want government to tell me about other things, but the line between government and showbiz appears to have disappeared, and I think linking social problems with entertainers just makes the rather fascinting business of politics less, rather than more, neccessary.
Yes, it was awkward. Did we expect anything else. The quality of today's TV presenters is poor. Bring back David Hepworth.
I must say I love charity concerts, They're always good for a laugh and guarantee some toe-curling moments. Who do you know that takes the rest of it seriously??? I saw Duran Duran for the second week running and they are utterly hilarious...I saw Sting in the early hours of the morning trying to engage a confused US crowd in a most complicated 'call and response' I'd ever heard at a gig...
How ironic to see pictures in today's newspapers of Duran Duran at Live Earth and then the next day Simon Le Bon at the British Grand Prix...
I tend to give these type of concerts quite a wide berth, as you don't get a lot of 'rock n roll' spirit.
If I was playing, I would have walked on stage spraying CFC aerosols, set fire to some tyres and dumped a refridgerator into the orchestra pit. After our last song I would have stabbed a polar bear through the heart with Prince Harry.
Why are bands so boring these days?
Check out my band -
www.myspace.com/crashambersparty - for all your rock and roll needs.
I'm sorry for the blatent spam, by the way...
Also, I read the anonymous comments this morning, and found them childish more than vicious, even if it was quite a personal attack.
I like the community spirit of people replying to these blog entries, and how people all kind of ganged up on the anonymous poster.
Is it our latent 'Blitz Spirit' coming into effect?
Reading your account, Andrew, I'm even more pleased to have missed the whole Live Earth 'experience' in favour of the Tour De France. It sounded like very hell, and I doubt much of use will have been learned from it.
Glad you enjoyed your Worthing gig, and thanks for the slides and amiable chat. I was struck by what seemed to be an immense Police presence in the town centre as I headed back to the station - was the Littlehampton Massive expected that night or something? Extraordinary.
Shame you've had another exploding idiot on your blog. I read his 'mistaken-bombast-for-wit' comments and thought "someone's had too many orange Smarties." You really don't have to justify yourself (or your career) to people like this, you know.
managed to avoid nearly all of it thsnk god or whichever deity you aubscribe to, but switched on teh tell at teatime for a bit of Red Hot chilli Peppers just in time to see Chris Rock motherfuck everybody off the screen.Have the people running this concert never seen his live act?Everyother word if motherfuck and still thay put him on at half five.Brilliant
"Yes, we as individuals can make an effort, and we should, as it has to start somewhere, but the real villains of the piece are governments and corporations. They have the real power. (And yes, we can vote governments out, but it's been fairly comprehesively proven that it doesn't matter who's in, they're still in thrall to corporations, so the private sector holds all the cards.)"
I don't wish to swell
Andrews ego too much, but again, he has presented a sensible and coherent argument. I really couldn't agree more with his sentiments above.
I often feel that the only people who make sensible points about the world are artists writers and musicians, and that politicians rarely if ever say anything beyond meaningless hype or scare stories about terrorism.
Blair talked repeatedly and endlessly about the terrorist threat, and even refused to endorse the view of his chief scientific advisor who stated that climate change was a much more serious threat than terrorism.
Having one anonymous person personally attacking you makes it much harder, for lazy, absent-minded anonymous posters that actually respect your opinions, and the work you have done.
I went to see Metallica last night at New Wembley. Despite the corporate fleecing - they put on a good show; pryos et al, but the irony of it being a no smoking venue and the pyros' remnants circling the ether of the stage was mildly amusing. A Rock concert doesn't seem to be the best place to enforce a smoking ban, but they did - and a classroom mentality ensued amongst the metallers.
The reason I mention this is Hetfield mentioned the atmosphere being more energetic than Live Earth. Not really surprising, but then I heard they livened up the atmosphere in many respects on Saturday, but were heavily edited. Meanwhile I heard R 'n' B like Rhianna generated no atmosphere at all - just silence.
anonmachinelevine
Regarding the Great British Film poll, things like this may always have some flaws, but they work better if there is a shortlist already in place for people to vote from.
You only have to watch the 100 Best... programmes on Channel 4 to see what happens when the public are given the vote from the very get go. (No, Star Wars is not the bestest ever film ever made in the history of ever, please stop voting for it!) Only the ones where industry experts and the like had their say do the lists actually make any sense.
There’s always going to be some relatively obscure close to people’s hearts that doesn’t make it. These things happen. And if one of these films was listed, I suspect the majority of the voters would be looking at the title and scratching their heads. I was pleased at the recognition Powell & Pressburger got. Although no The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp - bad boys! – but too many P&P and it would probably split the votes.
As for the Live Earth concert... Back in 1990 I spent the first half of the year in America and was in New York when they held the Earth Day concert in Central Park, because the apartment was on the Upper East Side and only a few blocks away, I thought I’d pop along. Big mistake – unless of course being crushed in a massive, immobile crowd is your idea of a good time.
The apartment was a block up from a subway stop on Lexington and across the Avenue from a 24-hour mini-market. My clearest memory from the day was looking out the window late at night at the massive amount of garbage folk had left on the sidewalk and in the gutter after grabbing a bite on their way to the subway.
Saw a few bits of the Wembley event on the TV. David Gray singing Que Sera, Sera seeming to be rather an inappropriate song. I mistook Madge for Courtney Love when I tuned in later.
Last night I went to Wembley to see Metallica because some friends had a spare ticket, which was.... er, interesting. And loud. On the journey there, they were saying that Rossie was pretty derogatory to the two-song set the band played on Saturday. Oh, and Madonna’s act included a song, with kiddies up on stage, that was even more cloying than Michael Jackson at the Brits. Missed that – so something good did come out of the day for me.
Shame that people can’t be given cold hard facts without some sing-along going on. Maybe kids would do better at school if Haircut 100 reformed and sang some ditties in the corner of the class.
The most interesting/sickening thing was how the ad breaks on ITV and Channel 4 on Saturday night had all these green/eco-friendly commercials on. Once again the advertising industry proves how nasty and cynical it is.
Oh, and who was it on Room 101 who said they thought it was always a bit much to have folk like Dawn French talk about world hunger on the likes of Comic Relief?
Blimey... why do I always miss these things? Anonymous comments are the new nuisance phone calls.
As for Live Earth, kudos for not mentioning the music. I switched on halfway in and was told I'd just missed Snow Patrol and Razorlight. I punched the air with joy.
T in the Park on BBC3 was alright in places.
I found the show highly annoying as they'd cut away from my favourite bands after a couple of songs yet leave the blander bands sets on screen til their conclusion
The Foo Fighters were good. And the whole event was made worthwhile by hearing Chris Rock say in an interview with Jonathan Ross that he hoped the Live Earth concerts would be as successful as Live Aid was for ending world hunger and Live 8 was for ending world poverty. Apparently on stage (we didn’t get to see it, cos they cut away as soon as he yelled motherfuckers) he also said that “each day a baby in Jamaica bursts into flames because of global warming” Brilliant.
I didn’t really enjoy Madonna much but it was most enjoyable to witness her also yelling “Come on you motherfuckers!” to what was essentially the same nice white middle class, middle aged bunch of idiots who’d turned up the week before to see the Diana debacle. I bet they don’t get called that very often and, irresponsible and pathetic though it was of the muscle-bound grandmother of pop, it really made me laugh out loud.
I don't watch any of those concerts as, 9 times out of 10, they are annoying.
I don't need people like Bongo from U2 or Sting telling me what to do in a patronising way, like they know more than me about something that is nothing to do with their profession.
I can understand why they do it, but they always seem to get it wrong.
I avoided Live Earth. If ever there was a concert set up for withering cynicism this is the one.
It was always going to be met with the 'put your own house in order response' and rightly so. How bad does the message have to be that Bono won't get involved ? That was the sign this was a concert too far.
Also I do wonder whether Al Gore would be so concerned about the environment if he had some backbone and actually stood up to the Republicans in 2000 and took his rightful place as president ? I think not.
I have half a brain. Therefore I won't do what a pop star tells me to do. In fact, I almost want to do the opposite. Who would take the like's of Bono's advice unless you're some slavish sheep whose life is ruled by celebrities?
I don't get it.
Grrrr...
The last bunch of musicians I can think of who achieved any genuine good in the world by dabbling in politics were the backers of 'Rock Against Racism', nearly 30 bloody years ago. And they somehow managed it without filling Wembley Stadium with Mondao-driving ABC1s to make their point.
Good point ISBW. I went to the second Mandela gig at Wembley after he was released, and whilst I hated the gig, it seemed worth it to have a celebration. And of course, Red Wedge, whose artists bothered to get out to the people, rather than having the people come up to That London.
More patronising musicians pretending to care in the slightest about whatever this week's cause is in the interest of exposure and a chance to boost record sales? Well, that's original..
Mr Anonymous does seem to be somewhat obsessed with the Radio Times. He must have run out of green ink for his letters to the office or something.
Good Dog: The Channel 4 100 lists are chosen from a list of 100 pre-selected films (God knows who chooses them - I doubt they're even critics or experts to be honest) by users of the C4 website. Essentially, they're only put into order.
I rather suspect that most of the awkwardness is that Live Earth comes in the wake of Live8/Make Poverty History/The Vicar of Dibley last year. The BBC has to be impartial, and while very few would criticise the motivations of Live Earth, it's arguably politically motivated, particularly if Gore does end up standing for President.
There was the very recent BBC Trust report, From Seesaw to Wagon Wheel which includes the following:
Live8 was not a one-off. It was the future writ large. Next time it will be a spectacular about conservation, cruelty to children or climate change. The challenge for the BBC will be how to both be involved and maintain an appropriate distance. It would be unwise not to look back to Live8 to see how the BBC reached its intended destination, at least to its own satisfaction. Internally it was a bumpy ride, as is often the case in such complex, high-profile projects, but next time the BBC should know that much better where the bumps are.
Interestingly, from little I saw, coming in sunburnt from watching the Tour de France, it seemed as though the BBC was largely cutting away from the environmental tracts. Yet later in the evening, they were showing short promotional films between highlights excerpts of the acts.
It's a very fine line to tread along, although frankly the wasteful environment of a massive series of pop concerts with enormous lighting rigs doesn't quite gel with me as the best way of getting the message across.
Didn't see Live Earth so can't comment, but did go to Worthing on Friday Evening. I like to say a big thank you to Andrew for a most enjoyable time. We were the couple sitting in the front row and you were kind enough to sign my battered copy of 'Movie Heaven'. Again many thanks.
Ian and Jo
I found your explanation of your Radio Times Film duties interesting Andrew, but as ISBW says, you don't have to justify yourself to anyone.
Hey, I'm not 'that' anonymous..I'm a different one. Honest.
Anyway, I didn't watch any of it, mainly because the bands were crap and it all seems to much of a charity formula. I have to slightly disagree with some other points because I think Saint Bob and U2 have actually done quite a lot to raise awareness of various causes and why shouldn't they have opinions and be free to air them?
Having said all that I think we may have reached the end of the charity concert event thing. It now seems that for any 'issue' rock stars are convinced to turn out to do their bit. But too many too often methinks.
Next we will have 'A concert for Maddie' with stars performing with her picture in the background in case anyone has seen her! Not trying to diss the poor mite or the tragic events, it just seems he easy answer is 'have a rock concert tio raise awareness.....'
AnonoNick
What Gwen Said. Don't justify the idiot by explaining your position Andrew. I didn't see the offending comments but the guy sounds an arse. Valentine Suicide's suggestion about weekend posts being moderated sounds a good suggestion. Heaven forbid people should act like adults.
Probably helps that I didn't watch it but I can't muster very much cynicism about the concert, just disinterest (although I'd love to know where every penny of those that went went, and I hope they were entertained). This sort of thing should be aimed at a mainstream audience, although a bit of creativity and imagination always helps. Rocknroll rebellion sort of counter-productive I'd have thought. I suppose the message will have to be repeated constantly and, I suppose, all the better if it's by popular twats with lots of fans who listen to them.
So guys, rock concerts don't make ya feel alllrigght any more about stuff, hmm. So for the next attention grabber, what would you do instead?
Forget carping about last weekend, let's hear about the future..what's the next big promotional idea?
Live glacier melting broadcasts; compulsory satellite pictures of the shrinking icecaps/heating Earth after every weather forecast (like the 80's 'this week's job loss' statistics); or what? Surely it's not enough to herd-dismiss others' efforts, without having the interest & energy to promote something more effective? So let's hear about what you, the unconvinced, would respond to...
Another-anon
Posted this elsewhere, but I feel it bears repeating :
Big Fat Al missed a real opportunity here. These world wide link-up, stellar line ups are becoming as hackneyed and cliched as a lot of the music played at them.
The sniping and chiding in the general media and on the BBC's own website/blog reinforce this view.
In the spirit of showing a "new approach" to global problems they should have eschewed this format in favour of a more enviroment friendly and radical approach.
Forty years ago The Beatles Band demonstrated the power of global television by debuting "All You Need Is Love" worldwide as part of a global satellite link up. Are we now so entrenched in the Rock way of doing things that only a multi-stadium gig is a suitable conduit for doing these things ?
How about if, instead, various groups had pitched up at TV studios across the globe in front of small audiences, or invited cameras into their recording studios, and performed short sets and/or special, one-off pieces for the event ?
Each local broadcaster could have fronted the coverage from their own country with a suitable presenter and picked and chosen between dozens of events happening across the globe.
That way you could include DJ sets and specially comissioned short "classical" pieces. You would get acts involved who don't work well in stadiums. Kraftwerk could do a set in their German hideaway and Robert Wyatt could do a song in his kitchen.
The object of the exercise is not to raise money but "awareness" so why the need to gather the audience together in one place ?
Using technology would have meant no air travel for the performers, no waste to be collected at the various venues, no increased transport problems for the host cities. It would have been a greener and more radical way to approach the event rather than relying on the cliched.
It worked once, with Live Aid, everything since has been a pale imitation. It's a shame that those behind today's events felt it necessary to conform to the accepted notion of how you go about doing these things.
Apparently viewing figure were one-third that of the "Happy Deathday Diana" show last week.
I hope it's because the weather was (mostly) a lot nicer than it was the week before. Or "compassion fatigue" (or "shite music fatigue").
If it's a reflection of the great unwashed's relative interest in the causes, we're in trouble.
I prefer Bill's idea, I must admit. And I take Adam's point about the BBC's balancing act. That said, what is the "alternative" or "balanced" view to climate change. Now that even George Bush admits it's happening, surely the only way to balance a concert that's aiming to build awareness of how to tackle climate change would be to get Jeremy Clarkson on to say, "Fuck the whingeing Hampstead liberals! Buy a bigger 4x4 and let's all go to hell together!" No crisis is apolitical, be it famine or flood, which is why Live 8 floundered as a TV event (it was presented as apolitical, when in fact it was utterly political). Climate change is political too, in that it's the inertia or wilful ignorance of Western governments and corporations that has led to the upswing in carbon emissions. It's our luxury lifestyles - the ones that are now being taken up, with our corporations' help, in India and China - that have tipped the planet over the edge of sustainability. That's a tough to get across between numbers on stage at Wembley. I wish I had the answer to all this, but maybe lifestyle is the easiest way to get people up to speed, and maybe I was too hard on the recycling-and-standby mantra.
None of which changes the fact that it was a flawed concert and a flawed piece of television, with a flawed message: you do better, while we do this! Let's rock!
Hello,
I feel I must apologise for my comments, especially to Betsie (that was uncalled for). Although I didn't realise that my silly drunken rant would be taken so seriously.
I don't want to defend the event cos I didn't see more than two quite dull minutes of it, but, even if the performers are all insincere and have been flown in etc, they are sort of hostages to it now, however trivial that might be, as it'll never be cool to look like a hypocrite. Could be a good idea, while global warming is a fashionable cause, to snare more stars in this way.
Despite the obvious blessing that Phil Collins couldn't perform at every concert, Live Earth was a bit rubbish. I was so embarrassed for Terence Stamp that I turned over to one of the inactive BBCi streams and listened to "3-2 audio 1" over and over for several minutes.
I liked Bill's idea too, but only because it's essentially the same one I had. These concerts might (might) be fun for those who attend (they don't appear to be) but as a televisual event they fall flat on their arses.
"I don't like Keane or Bloc Party or Snow Patrol - indeed they represent to me the nadir of British rock music"
lol Kasabian.
Keane made me cringe so much I ran around turning lights on and opening and closing the fridge door in the hope the world would end sooner and I'd be spared any more celebrity patronising.
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