I must confess… I have fallen in love with a certain Florence and her Machine. I tried to resist, but it turns out the British press and listening public were correct in their crowning the act (essentially a moniker for Florence Welch) the Next…Big…Thing. Her unique brand of art-pop, equal parts soulful, theatrical, and ethereal, hit the indie world by storm and her debut album Lungs became a bona fide hit overseas (it reached #2 in her native UK and eventually went Platinum). She solidified her success by garnering an impressive number of award recognition, including a Mercury Prize nomination, a BRIT Award, and three Q Award nominations amongst others. It really is no surprise, though, that the album found such a rapturous reception with both professional critics and the average music fan; her songs are swelling gale forces of musical emotion, while simultaneously being extremely catchy and listenable. And her preoccupation with death and pain, her liberal use of Gothic imagery, and willingness to take risks set her apart from both the mainstream pop world and indie community.

Florence herself as said she draws inspiration from artists like Kate Bush, Bjork, and Tom Waits, while also incorporating influences from her childhood like jazz vocalists and opera. According to her official website, “the common thread [amongst her influences] is always the emotion” and it’s not hard to see that reflected in her own music; songs such as “Dog Days are Over”, “Kiss With a Fist”, and “Hurricane Drunk” are bursting at the seams with her passionate vocals and full-blown instrumentation.

Of course, when one is responsible for such a distinct and self-assured first album as Lungs a follow-up that at least matches the quality of its predecessor can often be a tall order. I really don’t think fans should be worried, though.

Hip Hop extraordinaire and all round superstar Jay – Z has been confirmed to play next year’s BRIT Awards. The rapper is due to perform a medley of his biggest hits, with a surprised duet reportedly in the pipeline. Fingers have been pointed at Colplay’s Chris Martin, friend Alicia Keys and even his lovely missus Beyonce as possible collaborators, but it is sure to remain a secret until the event.

Robbie Williams is also a confirmed guest, with the singer set to pick up an Outstanding Contribution To Music Award to close the ceremony.

The event will take place at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre on February 16th 2010.

(Image courtesy of www.boston.com/ae/music/blog/Jay-Z.jpg)

Peter Kay is to host the Brit Awards next year it has been revealed.

The award-winning comedian revealed that he will host the annual music award show on This Morning in an interview with hosts Eamonn Holmes  and Ruth Langsford.

The Max and Paddy and Britain’s Got The Pop Factor star will also be  appearing tonight on BBC Children In Need in a very special performance  with a number of famous faces.

Peter Kay will be returning to stand up next year playing four dates at the Manchester Arena on the 27th, 28th, 29th and 30th April.

Robbie Williams is set to receive the Outstanding Contribution To Music Award at next year’s BRIT Awards.

The star is also set to perform live at the ceremony at London’s Earls Court on February 16, 2010.

The singer has already picked up more prizes at the ceremony than any other solo artist, with 11 gongs to his name so far. Previous winners of the award include  David Bowie ,  Paul McCartney ,  Pet Shop Boys ,  Oasis  and U2 .

Ged Doherty, chairman of the BRITs committee, said in a statement: “Robbie is one of the outstanding artists and performers of his generation. It will be an absolute thrill to have him at the BRITS 30th anniversary show receiving the Outstanding Contribution Award. We are delighted.”

Williams won his first Brit award as a member of Take That, when ‘Could It Be Magic’ was named Best Single in 1993. The group went on to scoop three more trophies before he quit in 1995.

He was awarded his first BRIT as a solo artist in 1999 for Best British Male Artist and went on to win at least one category for another five years running.

In 2005 he performed his biggest hit ‘Angels’ live onstage alongside Joss Stone, and at an earlier BRITs, in 1998, he performed a duet with Tom Jones.

Earlier this week, Williams made his live comeback at the BBC Electric Proms, performing tracks from his forthcoming new album ‘Reality Killed The Video Star’ at his first live show in three years.

Δέκα μέρες απομένουν μέχρι την μεγάλη συναυλία των Pet Shop Boys σε Αθήνα, και 11 για αυτή τη Θεσσαλονίκης. Εντύπωση μου κάνει που δεν ακούγεται πολύ από τα μέσα, αλλά τέλος πάντων. Πολύ ενδιαφέρον μου φάνηκε η εφ’όλης της ύλης δημοσίευση του mad.tv στην οποία μπορείτε να διαβάσετε από λεπτομέρειες για την σκηνή μέχρι πληροφορίες για την προπώληση.

Δείτε το mash-up που ετοίμασαν οι Pet Shop Boys για την βραδιά των Brit Awards 2009, κατά την οποία βραβεύθηκαν για την γενικότερη τους συμβολή στην μουσική. Συμμετέχουν η Lady GaGa και ο frontman των Killers, Brandon Flowers.

Εισιτήρια συνεχίζουν να προπωλούνται:

Για την Αθήνα, έναντι 45€ (στο ταμείο θα κοστίζουν 50€) σε Tickethouse (Πανεπιστημίου 42), Public (στ σύνταγμα), Ticketservices (Πανεπιστημίου 49) και στα Metropolis Ομόνοιας (Πανεπιστημίου 54),  Γλυφάδας (Μεταξά 1) και Χαλανδρίου (Ηρώων Πολυτεχνείου 30) αλλά και τηλεφωνικά στο 2107234567 & online μέσω ticketservices.gr.

Για την Θεσσαλονίκη, έναντι 40€, στα Metropolis (Τσιμισκή 33), Musicland (Μητροπόλεως 102), αλλά και τηλεφωνικά στο 2107234567 & online μέσω ticketservices.gr.

Το τηλέφωνο επικοινωνία για το κοινό είναι το 2106705700.

Ραντεβού την Παρασκευή 20/11 στην Αθήνα, στο Metropolitan Expo (Αεροδρόμιο ”Ελ. Βενιζέλος”) και το Σάββατο 21/11 στη Θεσσαλονίκη, στο Βελλίδειο Συνεδριακό Κέντρο.

The one billionth purchase from Apple’s online music service iTunes was Coldplay’s “Speed of Sound”. It is the perfect song to illustrate how fast music is currently moving, with the help of the Internet.

iTunes alone is regularly used by around 14% of active internet users. Music downloads have quickly overtaken CD sales. In the US, 618.9 million albums were sold in 2005, down from 762.8 million in 2001. Downloads have become so popular that they have become instrumental in deciding the number one in the British singles charts. The trade association said download sales had already topped 23 million this year, a 400% increase on last year and now accounting for about 70% of weekly singles sales.

This fast moving medium has also allowed new bands to get their music to a wider audience and, therefore, to get a record deal faster than if they had simply sent off demos to every record company under the sun, gigged at every run-down village hall and prayed every night. One band to benefit from this is Arctic Monkeys, who were virtual unknowns a few years ago. They blasted onto the music scene with “I bet you look good on the dancefloor” from their album “Whatever people say I am that’s what I’m not”, and they even managed to crack the US top 30.

Sandi Thom has also harnessed the power of the internet to advance her career. She started out by performing for free using a webcam to broadcast live on the internet from her Tooting flat.

At the time her audience was reputed to have reached 250 000, enough to fill Wembly Stadium three times over: “We thought: ‘Surely there must be a way you can gig and not leave the house?” said Ms Thom.

One band that probably wouldn’t have been given a second glance by record companies is Nizlopi. A double bass and guitar folk combo, their ballad about the drive home from school in a JCB digger was serious competition for the Christmas number one in 2005. In the end, they missed out on the top spot because of the hype surrounding that year’s latest manufactured idol, Shayne Ward, a man so famous that most people can’t remember who he is. The same can be said of Gareth Gates, Michelle McManus and Steve Brookstein, all of whom have faded into relative obscurity following their success in TV talent contests and the subsequent number 1.

Exhibit A, M’lud. TV. It was instrumental in the death of the longevity of the modern band. Once the life expectancy could be around 30 or more years. Now thanks to the voting public that life span is considerably shorter, a few years if you are very lucky.

The internet and manufactured singers have ensured that the modern music lover is quite fickle, liking what they are told is cool by those who control what song it released, and by whom. It is too early to tell if all those who have made their name on the Internet will suffer the same fate, although is has to be said that Nizlopi have not been heard of since the JCB Song.

Yet there are still artists out there doing thing the old fashioned way. KT Tunstall has made her way in the music world with just her acoustic guitar and the trusty effects pedal she calls “Wee Bastard”. Kate ‘KT’ Tunstall was getting used to disappointment. The dreams she had dreamt since the age of 16, of making a living from her music, of having people like her songs, were not exactly bearing fruit.  She was 30 before she got her big break (a geriatric in music terms), with her debut album Eye to the Telescope becoming the biggest-selling album by a female artist in Britain as well as gaining widespread critical acclaim.

KT also picked up several accolades including a Brit award for Best British Female Solo Artist and fulfilled her dreams with a Mercury Music prize nomination: “I used to lust over a Mercury nomination as a busker on the dole.”. Before that she had been reduced to touring with her trusty guitar, doing every gig going, living the life of a penniless musician.

The Arctic Monkeys may have had swift success, but they will lack the intense feeling of personal satisfaction that Ms Tunstall must have gained by doing the groundwork by herself. She found her fans instead of letting the fans find her.

Time will tell who lasts longer but it may be premature to simply assume that the old ways will be killed off by the internet.

De fiere ontvanger van de award voor een uitzonderlijke bijdrage aan de muziek is in 2010 niemand minder dan Robbie Williams! Daarmee treedt hij in de voetsporen van U2, David Bowie, Tom Jones, Paul Weller en The Pet Shop Boys.

Robbie zal de award op de 30ste MasterCard Brit Awards ophalen, dat plaats vindt op dinsdag 16 februari 2010 in het Londen’s Earl Court, waar hij de awardceromonie zal afsluiten met een ander groots concert, niet alleen voor de mensen daar maar ook voor de vele kijkers van de liveshow van ITV.

Robbie ontving zijn eerste award in 1999 en heeft er sindsdien 11 ontvangen voor zijn carriere én is maar liefst 22 keer genomineerd geweest.

Dit is het volledige lijstje van zijn awards:

As Robbie Williams
British Male – 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
BRITs 25 – Best Song Award for ‘Angels’ in 2005
British Single for ‘Angels’ in 1999, ‘She’s The One’ in 2000, ‘Rock DJ’ in 2001
British Video for ‘Millenium’ in 1999; ‘She’s the One’ in 2000; ‘Rock DJ’ in 2001

As member of Take That
British Single ‘Could it be Magic‘ 1993
British Single ‘Pray’ in 1994
British Single ‘Back for Good’ in 1996
British Video for ‘Pray’ in 1994

Cheryl Cole has revealed that winning a Brit award has been the highlight of her musical career with Girls Aloud. The girlband won the gong for British Single for their number one hit ‘The Promise’.

They beat off competition from Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ and Duffy’s ‘Mercy’ to take the prize.

When asked by Attitude magazine what was the best moment of the last decade, the X Factor judge said: “When we won a Brit Award. We’d been together nearly seven years before we won a Brit and doing Wembley Stadium was amazing.

“We never thought we could get this far. We could only have dreamt it.”

Girls Aloud were created on the talent show Popstars: The Rivals in 2002. The band consists of Cheryl Cole, Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh.

Cheryl’s debut solo track ‘Fight For This Love’ is set to become the fastest selling single of the year.

Cole single managed to shift 134,000 copies in the space of just 24 hours.

Alexandra Burke, who Cole mentored in X Factor 2008, sold a total of 187,100 copies of her ‘Bad Boys’ to take the top spot in the charts.

Martin Talbot from the Official Charts Company said: “This will be second successive week of massive single sales – led by Cheryl.

“Her first days sales are just amazing and put her in pole position to top the Official Singles Chart on Sunday.”

“Together with Alexandra Burke, she is likely to set the sales standard by which everyone will be judged for the rest of the year, in the run-up to Christmas.”

Source

They’re back!

UMA’s celebrates UK urban music’s domination of the charts with the 7th annual awards show!!
London, UK-9/10/09; Calvin Harris, Basement Jaxx, Dizzie Rascal,  David Guetta, Tinchy Stryder, Alexander Burke, Egypt, Cascada, Mr Hudson, Daniel Merriweather all  receive nominations at this year’s 7th annual Urban Music Awards. The UMA’s returns to the UK to celebrate its 7th anniversary after a successful show in New York earlier on in July this year. Newcomer, Alexander Burke who is back with a debut album celebrates a record three nominations whilst Tinchy Stryder, JLS, and Mr Hudson all receive nominations for a year that has been truly successful for urban music.
 
The Urban Music Awards through IMG have helped build and solidify the UK urban music scene for over 10 years and  several of the acts nurtured by the UMA have gone on to reign top 10 in the charts . From Dizzee Rascal and M.I.A nominated and winning in 2003 to Alexander Burke in 2004 and not forgetting JLS being crowned ‘Best Unsigned Act’ in 2007. The Urban Music Awards has always been the place to find out past, present and future rising stars. Always striving to be the multi-cultural melting pot for talent, the UMA’s are proud to also launch the Best Asian Music Act category to promote and increase the exposure and awareness for acts of Asian origin. With the international success of past UMA winners including Raghav, M.I.A, Punjabi MC and Jay Sean who is currently No. 1 in the US Billboard charts.
 
The Urban Music Awards will allow the millions of followers of music and musicians of Asian origin throughout the UK the opportunity to vote for their favourite Asian Music act to win this prestigious award.  Also, the launch of this new category will also give birth to the Desi UMA rising star competition. The competition will see entries from lesser known British Asian acts from all around the UK with the winner to be selected,  announced  an giving an opportunity to perform live  at the UMA’s  next month.
Jordan Kensington, C.E.O, of Urban Music Awards and IMG added, “This year, we celebrate UK urban music going pop. There is no denying when we launched IMG in 1999 to support 100% UK acts, there was hardly any awards show or platform in support for UK music. We worked extremely hard to make sure UK  urban music got it’s deserving place in pop culture and we are proud to see acts we gave coverage to  via our magazines, radio, and the UMA’s  10 years ago make it top 10 in the charts and are now well known names in every single household. This is a testament to our achievements, but the work doesn’t stop there. Our artists need sustainability and gateway for international success which is why the UMA’s launched its US version in New York in 2007 with an aim to provide a vehicle to promote a collaboration between UK and US artists and we were back this year in July at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Next year we return with the 3rd US version of the UMA’s in Los Angeles.  UMA’s is the only music awards show dedicated to HipHop, R&B, Soul, and Dance music to have versions of the show in six countries and with our  planned launch in Africa this coming December. We are proud to build a global phenomenon of music fans internationally and  becoming a market leader in offering artist a gateway opportunity to be booked for international appearances in the USA, France,  Germany, Japan, Caribbean and now Africa”.
Grandmasterflash (Godfather of HipHop) added “I am an innovator as we created HipHop, a music genre that wasn’t fully embraced. We worked long and hard to make sure it grew to become a credible and successful genre and now it is being enjoyed all around the world by music fans from different races, ages and more. The UMA’s would always have my support because what the UMA’s are doing worldwide is way ahead of it’s time and the effects  and positive impact of the Urban Music Awards worldwide would only be realised several years after for how groundbreaking one show has been to inspire a generation from the grassroots to the mainstream”.
 
This year’s  2009 UMA’s  is set to be the hottest ticket in town with a mixture of top Television comedians, celebrities from the world of film, TV, radio, sports   and  this year will feature a special collaboration merging some of the countries well known Rock bands and some of our very own top UK performers. We would also celebrate the rise and rise of the funky house scene by a performance medley of all the dance hits and artists that made the summer feel a lot hotter than it actually was.
Paul Morris, VP of IMG commented “I am so excited that the UMA’s continues to set the trend for others to follow.  The UMA’s is like the catalyst for change in a music industry that is always changing. As a VP of the bookings department, it’s been great to book and connect our very own UK award winners with events and lucrative sponsorship opportunities in Dubai, Japan, Switzerland and more and i am so looking forward to what would be a fantastic 2009 event”.
As, always music fans worldwide who have nominated for all the categories will still get to decide on who gets to win a prestigious UMA award.   The awards which is set to be held at a secret location in London on the 1st of November and will only offer limited amount of tickets to members who apply before the 20th of October 2009.  
 
Full list of nominees for the UMA 2009 include:
Best Album 2009
Dizzee Rascal ‘Tongue & Cheek’    (UK)
Daniel Merriweather   ‘Love & War’   (UK)
Basement Jaxx   ‘Scars’   (UK)
Tinchy Stryder  ‘Catch 22’   (UK)
Beverley Knight   ‘100 Percent’ (UK)
David Guetta ‘One Love’ (France)
N-Dubz  ‘Uncle B’ (UK)
 
 
Best Dance Act 2009 (UK & France)
David Guetta (France)
Donaeo (UK)
K.I.G Family (UK)
Cascada
King Kuduro (France)
Calvin Harris (UK)
Egypt (UK)

 

Best DJ (UK & France)
David Guetta (France)
Sarah Love      (1Xtra)
Jigs (Choice)
Ronnie Herrel   (1Xtra)
Swerve (Kiss)
Manny Norte (Kiss)
Masterstepz (Choice)


Best Group (UK & France)
Brick & Lace
N-Dubz
JLS
BBE
RDB
The Noisettes

 
 
 
Best TV Station
Flava TV
E4 Music
Channel Aka
TMF
 

Best Collaboration
Tinchy Stryder   feat. N-Dubz- Number 1
Jay Sean ft. Lil Wayne  ‘Down’
Tinchy Stryder feat. Amelle  ‘Never Leave You’
Chipmunk ft. Emeli Sande  ‘Diamond rings’
Mr Hudson ft. Kanye West   ‘Supernova’
Lazee ft. Neverstore  ‘Hold On’
 
 
Best Hip Hop Act
Giggs
Wretch 32
Ghetts
Bashy
Sway
Speech Debelle
 
Best Music Video
N-Dubz  ‘Wouldn’t You’
BBE ‘Too Many Mans’
K.I.G ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes’
Taoi Cruz   ‘Break your heart’
Dizzee Rascal ‘Holiday’
Alexander Burke ft Flo rida   ‘Badboys’
 
Best Radio Station (UK & France)
1 Xtra (UK)
Radio Nova 101.5 (France)
Radio 1   (UK)
Kiss    (UK)
NRJ  (France)
Choice (UK)
 
 
Best UK Asian Act
M.I.A
Jay Sean
R.D.B
Mumzy Stranger
Khiza Music
Talvin Singh
 

 
Best Entrepreneur Category
Tim Campbell
Levi Roots
Corey Johnson
T. Oyelola
Nii Sackey
Jamie Binns

 
 
Best Newcomer sponsored by INVINCIBLE
Example
Mr Hudson
Egypt
JLS
Alexander Burke
VV Brown
 
Best R&B Act  
Brick & Lace
Mr. Hudson
Daniel Merriweather
JLS
Alexander Burke
Taio Cruz
 
 
Most Inspiring Act 2009
Brick & Lace
Yolanda Brown
N-Dubz
VV Brown
Princess Nya
The Noisettes
 
 

Best Jazz Act
Yolanda Brown
Gary Crosby
Lizz Wright
Dave Holland
 

 
 
Best Gospel Act
29th Chapter
Guvna B
Victizzle
New Direction Crew
Sons of Light
Jahziel
 
Best Producer
Calvin Harris
Blessed Beats
Davinche
Mark Ronson
Chase & Status
 
Best Radio Show
Rickie & Melvin   (Kiss)
Trevor Nelson & Gemma (1Xtra)
279  (Choice fm)
Ace & Vis (1Xtra)
James Meritt (Kiss)

Tinchy Stryder has called for BRIT Award bosses to reinstate the Urban Category at next year’s event.

READ FULL STORY HERE

არქტიკული მაიმუნები – შეფილდიდან[ინგლისი], 2000-იანების ერთ-ერთი ყველაზე ძლიერი და თვალსაჩინო წარმომადგენლები, ბრიტანული ინდის და ალტერნატიული სამყაროს სიამაყე. (რა კომუნისტური შესავალია ღმერთმანი)
წევრები: Alex Turner (lead vocals, guitar), Jamie Cook (guitar), Nick O’Malley (bass guitar, backing vocals) Matt Helders (drums, backing vocals).

ჯგუფი 2002 წელს დაარსდა. პირველ წარმატებას ჯგუფმა სინგლით I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor-ით მიაღწია, რომელიც გამოსვლისთანავე მოექცა ბრიტანული ჩარტების სათავეში, მაგრამ მთავარი წინ იყო/არის. 2006 წლის იანვარში გამოუშვეს სადებიუტო ალბომი Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, რომელმაც ყველანაირ მოლოდინს გადააჭარბა – გამოსვლისთანავე მოექცა ბრიტანული ჩარტების სათავეში, ასევე ბრიტანეთის მაშტაბით – ყველაზე სწრაფად გაყიდვად ალბომად იქცა ( მანამდე იყო Oasis-ის Definitely Maybe). 2006 წელს Mercury Prize და BRIT Award-მა დააჯილდოვა.
აშკარად იმსახურებდნენ, ასეთი ენერგიული ალბომი დიდი ხანი არ გამოსულა. ერთი ამოსუნთქვით ისმინება და სიმარტავის მიუხედავად, დაუვიწყარ შთაბეჭდილებას ტოვებს. თითქმის ყველა სიმღერა გამოსარჩევია, მაგრამ ე.წ. გაჰიტებული სიმღერები ალბომებიდან არის – When Sun Goes Down, Dancing Shoes, A Certain Romance, I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor etc..

2006 წელი.

2007 წლის 23 აპრილს ჯგუფის ახალი ალბომი ეღირსა დღის სინათლეს, Favourite Worst Nightmare – რომელმაც არანაკლები შთაბეჭდილება მოახდინა მსმენელზე. 2007 BRIT Awards – ,,საუკეთესო ბრიტანული ალბომი”; PLUG Independent Music Awards – ,,საუკეთესო ახალი ჯგუფი ამერიკის შეერთებულ შტატებში”; იაპონიაში, ირლანდიაში, აშშ – ში უამრავი ჯილდო მიიღეს ,,წლის საუკეთესო ალბომისთვის”; NME-მ ,,2007 წლის საუკეთესო მუსიკალური DVD”-ისთვის გადასცა ჯილდო.
აქვე უნდა აღინიშნოს რომ, მეორე ალბომი შედარებით განსხვავებული იყო, არც არავინ ელოდა რომ ერთ წელიწადში მაიმუნები ახალ ნაშრომს გამოსცემდნენ, მაგრამ..
ისე მაგ ალბომში იგრძნობოდა, რომ სტილი ნელ-ნელა იცვლებოდა ჯგუფის და მარტივი/მხიარული მუსიკიდან , შედარებით განსხვავებულ სტილზე გადავიდოდნენ.

ეს ძალიან მოკლედ განვლილი წლების შესახებ.
* * *
მოგეხსენებათ, რომ მუსიკა სავსეა ისეთი ადამიანებით ვისაც მუდამ ახალი იდეები გააჩნია და ნაწილობრივ (ზოგჯერ მთლიანადაც) ცვლიან მუსიკალურ სამყაროს. აი მაგალითად, ჩაკ ბერის ჰქონდა იდეა მთელი ქვეყანა თავის რითმებზე გადაეყვანა, ბობ დილანმა ფოლკ მუსიკა ე.წ. electric გახადა, როტენმა და კომპანიამ 2 აკორდით ( ან ალბათ 2 აკორდიც ბევრია) გადატრიალება მოახდინეს, კობეინი ,, როკ ნ როლის ” უკანასკნელ ჯარისკაცად მოგვევლინა. აი რაც შეეხება ბატონ ალექს, მის უნდოდა მიეღო ბევრი და ეფიქრა ცოტა- ჰმ, რას ერჩი? ჰო გამოუვიდა!. იდეა სისრულეში 2005 წელს მოიყვანა ბატონმა, როდესაც დაიწყო არასრული, პატარა ბრიტ-პანკ მელოდიებზე აწყობილი სიმღერების შექმნა. როგორც ქართველები ამბობენ, თავისი გაჭირვებოდა და წერდა, იმ ყველაფრის შესახებ რაც აწუხებდა. აი მაგალითად – პატარა მოსაწყენი ქალაქის შესახებ, რომლიდანაც გაღწევას ვერ ახერხებ, სადაც თითქმის ყველაფერი მოგბეზრდა, გასართობი მხოლოდ PUB-ებია დარჩენილი, ადგილობრივ გოგონებს კი შენთან ერთად ცეკვა დიდად არ ხიბლავს. ამ ყველაფერზე აგებულ სიმღერებს ტვირთავ მაისპეისზე, შენი ფანების რიცხვი ძალიან სწრაფად იზრდება. 20 წლის ჭაბუკი მსოფლიო მუსიკის აღმოჩენა ხდები და პაბებში გართობის პრობლემაც აღარ გაქვს – გამარჯობათ, ეს ალექსია : ))

4 წელი გავიდა იმის შემდეგ, რაც I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor-ი იხილა სამყარომ. ეს დრო სავსებით საკმარისი აღმოჩნდა იმისთვის, რომ ზემოთხსენებულ ბატონს ბევრ რამეზე აზრები შეეცვალა. რათქმაუნდა ეს ყველაფერი ახალ ალბომსაც დაეტყო. ბევრი ფიქრით ახლაც არ იკლავს თავს ბატონი, მაგრამ ახლა აინტერესებს – What came first, the chicken or the dickhead?. ყველაფერი შეიცვალა. ახლაც შედის პაბში, ოღონდ გოგოებს აღარ აკვირდება, უფრო მეტ დროს სასმელთან ატარებს, ისეთი გოგოების რიცხვიც საკმაოდ დაბალია ვინც მასთან ცეკვაზე უარს იტყოდა, უბრალოდ ეს ყველაფერი აღარ აინტერესებს ამხანაგ ალექსს. მას ურჩევნია ისე ბალადები წეროს, როგორიც არის მაგალითად Cornerstone.

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Dancing Shoes-ის დროინდელი ალექსი და არქტიკული მაიმუნები უკვე წარსულია. მარტივი ბრიტ-პანკ მელოდიებიდან, 80-იანი წლებისთვის დამახასიათებელ ,,საუნდ”-ზე გადავიდნენ. შეიძლება მე მეჩვენება, მაგრამ ჩემი აზრით 80-იანი წლების შემსრულებლების/ბენდების გავლენა ძალიან დიდია – დაწყებული Morrissey(The Smiths) -დან დამთავრებული Jarvis Cocker(PULP)-ით.

ძალიან მომეწონა ეს სიმღერა, ოღონდ კლიპი არა :/
მოკლედ, ალბომი საკმაოდ მომეწონა ( დარწმუნებული ვარ რომ ცოტახანში უფრო შემიყვარდება). მივესალმები ალექსის და მისის ბიჭების ახალ იდეებს. მე-4 ალბომში იმედია საბოლოოდ იპოვიან თავიანთ სტილს.
როგორც რობმა თქვა, ალექსი ისევ ისეთი ბიჭია, რომელიც ხშირად, თავის მოწყენილ ქალაქში ცხოვრობს და ისევ იმ პაბეში დადის, ის ისევ ის თინეიჯერი ბიჭია, რომელიც 4 წლის წინ იყო. იგი მუდამ საკუთარ თავზე წერს, მას არ შეუძლია რაიმე ისეთი დაწეროს, რომელიც მხოლოდ მოსაჩვენებელად იქნება ვიღაცისთვის ან რაღაცისთვის.
მოკლედ, ერთი პატარა, ბრიტანელი ბიჭია, რომელსაც გააჩნია თავისი აზრები, ფიქრები, გრძნობები და ა.შ. როგორც თქვა, you can call me, anything you want.

P.S. And your love is standing next to me, Is standing next to me, is standing next to me.

In the Mercury Music prize UK Soul and Hip-Hop has had the unlikeliest of allies, long may the award continue

I’m not even gonna sit here and lie by saying I was on Speech Debelle from day…  I wasn’t.  I can tell you the exact date and time I became a Speech Debelle fan, 2pm on July 30^th, I had listened to Searchin’ for the millionth time on Spotify, and at 5:32pm that same day I ran to HMV to buy the CD!

For this reason I have to thank the Mercury Prize because without it I would not have heard one of the most groundbreaking moments in UK Hip-Hop.

The premise of the Mercury Prize, to celebrate the best British music irrelevant of record sales is a great one and has surprisingly supported the UK Hip-Hop and UK Soul scenes over the years when other mainstream awards have shunned the best examples of the respective genres; Terri Walker’s Untitled, Sway’s This Is My Demo, Flotery’s Floetic and Roots Manuva’s Run Come Save Me all received Mercury nominations in years they were shunned by the BRIT Awards and MTV Europe Awards.

And let’s not forget Dizzee in 2002, and Ms. Dynamite in 2003 who won the award, which in doing so  forced the hands of the other awards to include them on thier nomination lists.

What makes people buy music no one really knows, however it is clear that sometimes the best albums never get the awareness or recognition they deserve.  The Mercury Music prize has served to introduce some great albums that would have otherwise passed you by so long many it continue to do so.

Soulside Funk

By Oliver Farrimond

THIS year’s Edinburgh Tattoo is on course to defy the credit crunch and put on a spectacular show on its 60th anniversary.

More than 1,000 performers will descend on the castle for the iconic military display, which will also feature the Brit Award-winning Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.

In line with tradition, the show will open and close with the much-loved Massed Pipes and Drums, which take on special significance in the Homecoming Year of Robert Burns’ 250th anniversary.

Singers from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama will join forces with the Calgary Burns Singers from Canada to honour the bard with a special musical homage.

The show will also feature a dramatic mock-rescue by the RAF’s emergency medical response team, as an interlude to the traditional musical fare.

Major General Euan Loudon, chief executive and producer of this year’s Tattoo, said that this year’s performance would have a markedly international flavour.

He said: “When the Tattoo started 60 years ago, it was a very narrow, Scottish-military event.

“Since then it’s continued to grow in terms of its international ambition and now there have been almost 50 countries performing at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo.”

Major General Loudon was keen to emphasise the healthy future of the Tattoo, despite the threat of financial turbulence due to the recession.

He said: “In 60 years the Tattoo has never had any public money, and our sole aim as a charity is to raise enough money for next year’s show and donate the rest to armed services benevolence associations.

“So far, touch wood, there hasn’t been any difficulty with that.

“Fittingly, the original aim of the Tattoo was to cheer people up after the Second World War, and it’s adapted and evolved into one of the most iconic images of this part of the world.

“This year we’ve got people from the South Pacific making their second visit, and a troupe from Edinburgh’s twin Chinese city of Xi’an making their first.

“We’ve got two acts from Switzerland, one of which is the fantastically popular Top Secret Drum Corps- a fabulous act who burst onto the scene a few years ago.”

The Swiss group are back after appearing at the 2006 and 2003 Tattoos, and are looking forward to showing off their flag-waving, sword-fighting secret show – although drum corps leader Eric Juliard isn’t giving away anything else.

He said: “Most of what we do is, of course, a secret and I’m not going to tell everything we’re going to do, but with our dynamics and the visual side of what we do, this show is completely unique.

“The Tattoo world is a small one, but everyone in it knows that the Edinburgh Tattoo is the biggest in the world.

“The setting in front of the castle is amazing and it’s a huge honour just to come here and play – we’ve put more money into our display, with new uniforms and new routines.”

More than 200,000 Tattoo-goers will visit this year’s display, with more than 100 million watching on television.

Die Reflexion frisst ihre Kinder.

Der einfachste Trick, einen Raum optisch zu vergrößern, setzt auf die expansive Wirkung von Spiegelflächen. Nicht nur sorgt die allgemeine Lichtreflexion für mehr Helligkeit, sondern die Vortäuschung von Tiefe lässt vor allem auch dort vermeintliche Fläche entstehen, wo in Wahrheit keine ist. Als völlig gleichgültig erweist sich dabei, wie schnell man die Illusion entlarvt, denn der Effekt bleibt auch danach noch unvermindert bestehen. Kein Wunder also, dass sich ein derartiges Missverhältnis zwischen Oberfläche und Tiefe von jeher als wirksamer Auslöser für allerlei Aberglauben und Fantasterei anbietet, denn zu akzeptieren, dass dort kein Raum ist, wo es einen zu sehen gibt, ist für den Verstand schon eine ziemliche Zumutung. Als Tore zu anderen, parallelen oder jenseitigen Welten eignen sich Spiegel deshalb offenbar ganz besonders gut – und sind so ein gefundenes Fressen für heidnische Rituale, Schauermärchen und modernen Großstadthorror. Im letzteren Fall ist es in erster Linie die archaische Kraft des Reflexionsträgers, die für großes Unbehagen sorgt. Denn der Spiegel gehört zu den wenigen Artefakten, die unverändert alle Entwicklungen der Menschheit überstanden haben, und ist deshalb mit einem Hauch prähistorischer Mystik aufgeladen, der ihn im Verdacht stehen lässt, ein bedrohliches Geheimnis zu bergen, das jederzeit in der Lage wäre, mit Leichtigkeit den Rahmen zivilisatorischer Sicherheitssysteme zu sprengen. Nicht anders verhält es sich auch in diesem, über lange Strecken äußerst unheimlichen zweiten Spielfilm des britischen Modefotografen Sean Ellis. Doch „The Broken“ ist nur auf den ersten Blick ein Stück Twilight Zone.

Poe mag dem Film vorangestellt sein, doch der naheliegendere literarische Assoziationsträger ist der Natur der Sache gemäß eher Lewis Carrol. Seine Alice heißt hier Gina (Lena Headey), und als die unauffällige Radiologin eines Tages ihr Ebenbild an sich vorbeifahren sieht, gerät ihr Leben aus den Fugen. Schockiert und verwirrt verursacht sie einen schweren Autounfall und verliert Teile ihres Erinnerungsvermögens. Unbehaglich gerät das Zusammensein mit ihrem Lebensgefährten, Alpträume bestimmen ihren Schlaf. Ein Psychiater, den die Ärzte ihr an die Seite stellen, insistiert darauf, dass sie etwas in sich birgt, an das sie sich nicht erinnern will. Beunruhigende Dinge geschehen, und der Zuschauer weiß längst, dass etwas Unheimliches am Werk ist, von dem Gina nichts ahnt. Als sie schließlich begreift, ist es längst schon zu spät.

Die Geschichte fällt nicht sonderlich komplex aus und ließe sich noch einfacher zusammenfassen, wollte man einige ihrer Pointen vorwegnehmen. Doch selbst dann würde der Film selber wenig von seiner Wirkung verlieren. Denn oberflächlich mag er zwar aussehen wie ein Mystery-Thriller, der auf einen überraschenden Twist hinausläuft (was durchaus auch der Fall ist), in Wahrheit ist das aber nur sein Skelett, ohne das er sich nicht bewegen könnte. In erster Linie will „The Broken“ ein Lehrstück in atmosphärischer Dichte sein, unbehaglich, kalt und gemein. Vieles ist kalkuliert, vorhersehbar und bedient sich bewusst bei einschlägigen Vorbildern. Das jedoch gehört zur Methode, denn mit den Antizipationen des Zuschauers rechtfertigt der Film seine unterschwellig dauerpräsente Bedrohlichkeit. Die Crux dabei: Mehr zu wissen als die Figuren, heißt in diesem Fall zugleich auch, die unbedingte Ausweglosigkeit ihrer Lage zu kennen. Und so sitzt man völlig hilflos, sieht dabei zu, wie sich das Grauen langsam ausbreitet und versucht, einer emotionalen Bindung mit der Protagonistin zu entkommen. Ohne Erfolg, versteht sich.

Die unheimlichen Filme seine Kindheit habe er vor Augen gehabt, als er die Geschichte entwickelte, sagt Sean Ellis. Gerne hätte er Nicolas Roeg für einen Gastauftritt dabei gehabt, doch die Gelegenheit ergab sich nicht. „Don’t look now / Wenn die Gondeln Trauer tragen“ gehört jedenfalls ganz offensichtlich zu denjenigen Genre-Exemplaren, die merklichen Einfluss auf die finstere Doppelgänger-Geschichte ausgeübt haben. Bis zu einem gewissen Grad übernimmt Ellis gar die für Roeg typische Erzählstrategie der fragmentarischen Andeutung, die seine Figuren so unaufhaltsam in den Abgrund treibt. Vor allem aber ist es die ungemein wirkungsvolle Technik atmosphärischer Vorwegnahme, die „The Broken“ mit seinem großen Vorbild teilt.

Wie bei so vielen Seiteneinsteigern muss auch im Fall von Ellis wenig wundern, dass seine Annäherung an filmische Stoffe nicht unbedingt gängigen Konventionen folgt. Der Blick ist schlicht ein anderer, und auch das hat er mit Roeg gemein, der bereits knapp zwei Jahrzehnte in unterschiedlicher Funktion hinter der Filmkamera gestanden hatte, bevor er 1970 mit „Performance“ seine erste (Co-) Regiearbeit ablieferte. Lineares Erzählen sollte fortan nie sein Markenzeichen werden, und je geradliniger er einige seiner späteren Arbeiten anlegte, desto belangloser erschienen sie.

Ellis entwickelt Narration noch mehr als Roeg von jeher aus dem Einzelbild und erlernte früh die fotografische Kunst des Stillebens. Bevor er 2001 seinen ersten Kurzfilm produzierte, hatte er bereits eine immens erfolgreiche Karriere als Modefotograf, Musikvideo- und Werberegisseur vorzuweisen. Dunkler und filmischer als seine Kollegen war sein Stil dabei schon immer und etablierte ihn rasch als Marke. Sein Videoclip zu „Never Ever“ der All Saints gewann den Brit Award, und nicht von Ungefähr kollaborierte er ausgerechnet mit David Lynch an einer Fotostrecke für Harper´s Bazaar.

„Left Turn“, Ellis´ erster Gehversuch im Erzählkino, ist stilistisch nicht sonderlich weit von „The Broken“ entfernt. Eine Frau, die inmitten eines heftigen Unwetters eine vermummte Gestalt am Straßenrand aufsammelt und es bald schon (zurecht) mit der Angst zu tun bekommt – mehr braucht die knapp viertelstündige Geschichte nicht, denn ihre eigentliche Wirkkraft entfaltet sich im Wesentlichen hinter einer bedrohlichen Atmosphäre aus Nacht und Regen, die weitaus größer ist als der simple Plot selber. Strategisch klug dehnt Ellis die Exposition weiter aus als notwendig und legt damit eine falsche Fährte, die das Eindringen des Grauens in den zivilisatorisch behüteten Alltag der Figuren umso erschreckender und nachhaltiger geraten lässt – Stephen King verfährt in seinen besten Arbeiten nicht anders.

Im Grunde funktioniert „The Broken“ nach demselben Prinzip und ist in Wahrheit auch nur ein 90-minütiger Kurzfilm, eine verstörende Momentaufnahme, die Ellis lediglich auf der Zeitachse ein stückweit ausdehnt. So filmisch seine Fotografien zum Teil geraten, so fotografisch ist sein Kino. Ganz anders verhält es sich bei „Cashback“, jenem oscarprämierten Kurzfilm von 2004, den Ellis zwei Jahre später in ein abendfüllendes Feature überführte. Episodisch, luftig leicht, hell und romantisch kommt dieser filmische Tagtraum daher, und man ist versucht zu bezweifeln, dass hier wie dort derselbe Autor am Werk war.

Es ist nicht schwer, „The Broken“ als atmosphärisch dichte Variante seiner offensichtlichen Vorbilder zu begreifen, und es damit auch schon gut sein zu lassen. Beim zweiten Sehen tritt die Geschichte jedoch deutlicher in den Hintergrund und erweist sich als bloßes Mittel zum Zweck. Lange Schwarzblenden zeugen davon, dass es dem Film schwer fällt, aus seiner eigenen Trance wieder aufzuwachen und zur oberflächlichen Narration zurückzukehren. Seine losen Enden sind dabei weitaus verstörender als alles, was er explizit zeigt. Die Spiegel dieses großstädtischen Schauermärchens erweisen sich als schwarze Löcher, und sie machen sich alles zueigen, was in Form gewohnheitsmäßiger Realität Balance und Sicherheit zu bieten scheint. Die Reflexion frisst ihre Kinder.

Artikel © 2009 Thomas Lenz. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.
Filmplakat: Koch Media GmbH
Fotos © Gaumont Distribution

Weitere Filmkritiken | Startseite | Impressum

Diese Filmkritiken könnten Sie interessieren:

Chris Martin once defended Oasis’ Be Here Now by comparing it to x&y, which I totally agree with. This is definitely one of the better songs of the album, a top tune…

Ich mag die Pet Shop Boys.

Weil sie extravagant sein können, aber nicht immer sind.
Weil sie sich selbst und ihrem Stil treu bleiben, ohne langweilig zu sein.
Weil sie fantastische Konzerte geben und sich bei diesen für ihre Fans wahnsinnig ins Zeug legen.
Weil ich beim Konzert in Stuttgart zum ersten Mal bemerkt habe, dass ich fast alle ihre Lieder mitsingen kann.
Weil sie nach jahrzehntelanger Karriere immer noch fest mit beiden Füßen auf dem Boden stehen.
Und weil sie ihren Fans auch gerne mal zurücktwittern.

jarvis cocker – visivelmente incomodado – comentando a morte de michael jackson e relembrando o “incidente” (abaixo) no brit awards de 1996, quando ele invadiu o palco para aloprar a apresentação do rei do pop.

———

Last Monday, I broke the rules.

Actually, it wasn’t a break as such; more of a bend. There have been a few of them. Back in early February, for example, when the Js were still very much in hibernation in the depths of the hat, I listened to ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ in order to road test the speakers now that I’d finally managed to turn off the Windows volume limiter – because it was with that song that I had noticed the most obvious dampening. I’ll also admit that our stereo has been graced by the occasional compilation CD, but these have been few and far between. All things considered I think we’ve done remarkably well over the past six months. Besides, as I recall, the command to listen only to artists of that letter is prefixed by “As far as possible”. I felt, under the circumstances, that the loss I was now feeling as a result of Michael Jackson’s death was threatening to swamp me, and that to ignore it – as I had done for a couple of days – was simply no longer possible at all.

I’m rambling, and not in a good way. In any case, I threw caution to the wind and ignored the fact that we’d drawn ‘B’ the previous evening. At just after 8:25 a.m. I was bombing down the road to the business park, as a gospel choir bellowed “What about us?” at full volume. By the time I slowed down for the curve that takes you to the roundabout, Michael was Screaming, and I was in tears.

‘Earth Song’ is one of those songs that, like ‘Umbrella’ and ‘My Life’ before it, I appear to have hated for years without really knowing why. I’ve discussed the concept of the musical epiphany in a previous entry and have no particular desire to retread old ground, but suffice to say that in this instance the moment was probably linked with the song’s final detachment from its accompanying video. I’m one of those people who grew up with MTV, or at least its British equivalent: by the time I came of age musically the video had reached an art form, which was at least partially thanks to Guns ‘N’ Roses and their overblown concept films for ‘November Rain’ and ‘Don’t Cry’. We watched Slash turn away from Axl’s wedding and slouch off out the church, before strumming his guitar in the middle of a windswept desert, and we decided that in a few years time it would be remembered as iconic.

But it was Michael Jackson who’d paved the way for such cinematic indulgence back in the 1980s, whether it was turning into a badly animated werewolf (‘Thriller’), enacting sado-masochistic leather fetish fantasies with Wesley Snipes (‘Bad’) or re-enacting West Side Story (‘Beat It’). In November 1991, British parents settled down with their children to watch the eleven-minute premiere of Jackson’s new video, ‘Black Or White’, and spent the remainder of that week’s Top of the Pops wriggling and squirming in their seats, anxious and uncomfortable on a number of levels. For one things, there’s the apparent hypocrisy of the lyrics, which discuss the notion of racial equality – this from a man who had apparently spent years showing the rest of the world that it damn well does matter whether you’re black or white. (Jackson claims it on a skin complaint, which is a commendable excuse but also complete bollocks. My aunt suffers from the same condition, and it isn’t all over: it’s patchy. If he’d wanted to change things to match, and if race really wasn’t an issue to him, why did he have the rest of his skin lightened, rather than the appropriate patches darkened? Mind you, we’re also expected to believe that he never had his nose done.)

Then there was the masturbation. You can call it the “interpretation of the animal instinct of a black panther” if you really want to – Jackson apparently did – but the moment when he unzips his fly and rubs himself suggestively before re-zipping really doesn’t leave a great deal to the imagination. Parents also objected to the seemingly random acts of destruction and violence that saw Jackson destroy the roof of a car and several windows with some conveniently placed rubbish bins. This was, in fact, a stance on racism, given that the windows were digitally emblazoned with racist graffiti (‘KKK Rules’ and ‘No More Wetbacks’ among them) – but let’s be honest, who noticed that? We were all too busy watching Michael jerking off.

Personally, I’m of the conviction that the full length video – whilst undoubtedly indulgent and overblown – is something of a miniature masterpiece, encompassing as it does all manner of cultures, albeit in a mildly stereotypical vein (ooh, Cossacks! Bollywood! African natives hunting a lion!) It also contains some of the best dancing that Jackson ever committed to film: whatever your ethical hang-ups about the panther sequence, the showmanship and pace of that segment is absolutely incredible, building to a frenetic climax (again, on a number of levels). Even so, it’s not something you’d want to watch with children, who would presumably ask all number of embarrassing questions, like “What’s he doing now, Daddy?”. It should be no surprise to you that when I showed ‘Black or White’ to my sons yesterday morning, we decided to gloss over that chapter.

Jackson was always at his best when he was singing, dancing or doing anything that didn’t require him having to act. The acting was atrocious. Moonwalker was perhaps the most obvious example – that’s a whole entry in itself, and one that I’m not going to write today – but shades of his inability to deliver dialogue can be seen in ‘Thriller’, and to a greater extent in the eighteen-minute version of ‘Bad’, in which Martin Scorsese delivers a gritty New York ‘hood, full of rumbling subways and cold evenings spent huddled around oil drum fires. Jackson’s protagonist fails to connect with the homeboys he left behind when he was sent (presumably on a scholarship) to a posh public school, but the stilted, uncomfortable atmosphere has less to do with the cultural chasm that has come between them, and more to do with the fact that Michael really doesn’t know what he’s doing in these earlier segments. It’s only when the song itself begins that the panther is truly let out of the bag, as the film leaps to colour and the King of Pop relaxes in the role with which he is evidently most familiar: energetic, angst-ridden dancing.

Reams have been written about these earlier videos, and I didn’t want to turn this into a review paper, so let’s get back to ‘Earth Song’. It was just as I was pulling into the office car park, as we were told to “Stop pressuring me / Stop fucking with me” (dear God, did Michael Jackson just swear?) that I realised the connection between my erstwhile hatred of the song and its accompanying visuals. Because the problem is that ‘Earth Song’ happens to be a terrific number that’s saddled with a rotten video: the one where Jackson seemed to be have finally given in to his own hype. Images of a dead and decaying earth and war-torn Eastern Europe are followed by Michael’s miraculous (not to mention ludicrous) healing ceremony, in which he grasps the trunks of the tallest trees in the forest and manages to reverse time in a manner not seen since Superman flew around the world backwards in 1978.

If the video was bad enough, the 1996 Brit Award performance was even worse, and the cause of an argument I had online last week. You remember the story. Jackson was due to receive an ‘Artist of a Generation’ award, and his P.R. people had given a ridiculous, sycophantically fawning speech for Bob Geldof to read before introducing him, and with which Geldof was clearly uncomfortable. Earlier in the evening, (or perhaps later, I can never remember), Jackson appeared onstage performing ‘Earth Song’. So preposterous was the setup and execution that Jarvis Cocker, who’d presumably enjoyed the complimentary champagne, got up on stage and stuck his (thankfully clothed) rear end in Jackson’s direction, before being removed from the scene by security. Cue much tabloid scandal (although the gutterpress did, at least, eventually admit that they’d backed the wrong horse) as disgruntled parents announced that the Pulp lout had “ruined the occasion” for the stage school brats who took part.

Let’s leave aside the obvious ethical inconsistencies of complaining about the behaviour of a Sheffield socialist when you have allowed Michael Jackson to babysit your children, and actually think about this. Because over a decade later it’s clear that the memory hasn’t abated – as I discovered just a few days ago when a new thread was started on the Sun discussion forums, criticising the presence of Cocker on Question Time. It was an invitation, according to the thread’s originator (who will remain anonymous simply because he’s a semi-literate idiot who I don’t want to humiliate), that took place “simply because of what he done to Jackson”. Never mind the fact that he was invited before Jackson’s passing – it was a blatant publicity stunt and the BBC should be ashamed of themselves.

Mr X also took issue with Jarvis’ atheism in the light of his disapproval of Jackson’s Messiah complex, which he saw as a contradiction in terms: “Let me get this straight; you’re not religious but you took offence to this – or was it more to do with the fact Jackson’s music has more of an impact on people’s lives than yours? The majority of his answers proved he is just a …..COMMON PEOPLE.”

I’ve cleaned up the spelling and grammar; it really was appalling. I have no problem arguing with people who can’t spell, because literacy does not go hand in hand with intelligence. (Hence the joke about not hiring a dyslexic dwarf, because it’s not big and it’s not clever, really isn’t funny.) I do have a problem arguing with people who apparently have their own agenda and who won’t listen to reason. I should have known that this would go nowhere, but of course I waded in, pointing out that “Lack of a belief in God doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be OK with someone who is clearly in possession of a Messiah complex – which Jackson was that night…the Brit performance and the fiasco that surrounded it was an utterly revolting spectacle, and Jarvis’ very open display of contempt merely echoed the thoughts and feelings of a good number of the audience and the viewing public.“

“Although I agree with what you say,” came the response, “I’ve seen the Jackson performance and he was not trying to be God. Jackson was just an easy target and if he has a problem with that then I’m sure Kanye West is more of a threat to him because he calls himself the black Jesus, and rapper Nas calls himself God’s son.”

“Context is everything,” I replied. “I’m sure that Jarvis will take up any particular gripes with Kanye West. As for Nas, well, those who believe in God sometimes claim to be children of God. Not necessarily the same as calling yourself Jesus. It depends, though; does he refer to himself as God’s son, or the son of God? The first is OK, but the use of ‘the’ implies setting yourself apart for divinity.”

Part of me wondered whether this chap perhaps had a better recollection of the Brit performance than I did, so I went back and watched it again. And all my worst fears came to light, in a heartbeat. It is simply excruciating. There’s the outstretched arms Jesus-on-the-cross pose, for one thing. Then there are the war-torn refugee children, who appear to be actively turning to worship Jackson as he rises into the air on that crane, as if pleading with him to save them or heal them. This is best viewed in the context of the aforementioned video, in which – as we discussed – he appears to restore the Earth to its former glory by stomping on the ground.

Here’s the best bit. First he strolls down the ramp touching the outstretched limbs of the suffering children as he passes. And then he pulls off his coat and stands there in the middle of the stage, clad entirely in white, arms once more outstretched, as the miraculously healed children appear stage left and right dressed in brightly clad garments, to embrace him. He kisses the head of a rabbi. Seriously, how could you watch this and not get the idea he was setting himself up as some sort of Messiah? What’s ironic is that this overt display of Messianic tendencies occurred after Jarvis’ stage protest. Whether he knew what was coming was anyone’s guess, but even if he was a little premature at rushing on, his anger turned out to be quite justified.

If it sounds like I’m setting Mr X up for a fall, it’s largely because his views appear to be fairly commonplace. The comments on YouTube are often far more entertaining than the videos themselves, and some of the Brit award remarks are a riot. The thread in which we were discussing Jackson seemed to grind to something of a halt after my last comment (although I’m sure it’s not because I won the argument but simply because people got bored), but not before another user expressed her conviction that “it was Jarvis that had the Jesus complex flaming going up there on stage and deliberately interrupting Michael’s well rehearsed stage act and music…How totally dare he do that…Who did he think he was…arrogant pathetic guy.”

But here’s the bottom (no pun intended) line:

a) It was thirteen years ago
b) Jarvis was in any case probably drunk, and
c) He’s already said he regrets his actions.

The protest didn’t hurt Jackson’s career, Jarvis’ reputation or any of the children involved (despite what the press said). It was just a bit of rock ‘n’ roll social commentary, the sort of behaviour for which the Brit awards is renowned (look it up). Perhaps it’s time we moved on.

So: Jackson-as-Christ, then. The song itself contains echoes of this, but the video is ‘Earth Song’ amplified: implying, as it does, that the best way to save the world is to leave it to Michael Jackson. It’s a far cry from the sentiment expressed in ‘Man In The Mirror’, which does at least suggest, as the hot dog vendor told the disgruntled Hare Krishna who’d just given him a fiver, that change must come from within. Instead, Michael is now Saint Michael, a notion popularised by a small minority of fanatics who believed that Jackson was the living embodiment of the archangel, who, according to the book of Daniel, was “the great prince who protects your people”.

The pomposity and sincerity in Jackson’s vocal performance is on a par with that of Bono, who was mocked by the Edge during the recording of ‘Pride’ when he appeared to be taking things a little too seriously. Jackson himself has been a target for satire on many occasions, but one of the more memorable turns was an episode of Britain’s Got Talent, when he was ridiculed by a stuffed monkey. For all that, the song itself is immaculately produced, building from a slow and tinkly piano introduction into a swelling call-and-response coda that seems to go on for eons but which never seems to become dull.

It’s unfortunate, when viewed musically, that the video for ‘Earth Song’ – and the media furore that surrounded the Brits – has become something of a Marley’s chain, at least in the UK. It happens occasionally: the song gets so entangled with its video, or some other aspect (as in the ‘legendary’ live performances that are sometimes remembered for all the wrong reasons) that the two art forms – music and video – and seemingly permanently fused. It happened to ‘Hello’, which, to anyone who’s seen the video, is always going to be about a creepy middle-aged stalker relentlessly pursuing a blind girl, who has her revenge by sculpting a large monkey, proclaiming “This is how I see you”. If it can happen to Lionel Richie, it can happen to Michael Jackson, and it happened to ‘Earth Song’. Free of the shackles and constraints of the video, it’s a masterpiece, one that caused everyone in their cars to throw open the windows and turn the volume up to eleven when it was played on Radio One the day after Jackson had died. Perhaps that’s how we ought to remember it, although if the antics of my friends online are anything to go by, I somehow doubt that we will.