IS it just me, or has anyone else noticed how the world has, become a better place since Sting decided to save it five years ago? While the Geordie AOR one was dragging a seemingly bemused South American tribe round the chat show circuit, he informed us all about the destruction of the rain forests and what we should do about it. I've two words for Sting and the second one is "off".
It's not that I resent rich pop stars mouthing off, it's just that, when the likes of Sting and Bruce Springsteen pick up on causes it's usually safe liberal causes (Amnesty, Greenpeace, etc) that will alternate neither their record company nor their record buying audience.
I've never heard a rock star talk about the creation and distribution of wealth or the role of labour and capital in the economy. I've never heard a rock star denounce the record company he/she works with, for investing its money in military equipment (which at least one of the majors does).
Until rock stars, some of them cocaine sniffing, groupie shagging and Swiss bank accounting, get around to the fundamental issues of wealth distribution and the gross social iniquity of free market economies, they should all just shut the funk up.
This crossed my mind during the Brit awards, life were hijacked on the night as a launching pad for the British government's all party "Rock The Vote" initiative. The apostate Tony Blair, who mentioned The Clash, The Smiths and The Stone Roses in his speech hands off our culture Mr Babyboomer and Virginia Bottomley, looking resplendent in a Metallica T shirt, smiled for the cameras and banged on a lot about "Britpop" being a major export industry. Major yawnsville.
Back to the point RTV aims to encourage all 18 to 35 year olds to get their names on their electoral register and to use their vote at every local, national and European election. It's quite clear that Rock The Vote is just another patronising, condescending and ultimately meaningless piece of party political propaganda. Anybody, of any age, who doesn't participate in the political system, has only him/herself to blame. Don't take your politics off MTV.
THE highly unlikely pairing of Supergrass and Divine Comedy take to the boards over the next few weeks as the latter road tests his sparkling new album, Casanova. The 11 song opus from the Fermanagh man is all about "rumpy pumpy" according to the man himself, who does more than a passable impersonation of Noel Coward meets Frankie Howard on the vocal front. Also on, the Setanta label, Edwyn Collins has a new single out, which will come as major relief to anybody out there who like me has developed an allergic reaction to the last one ... those loveable syndicalist types, Chumbawamba, had some interesting addendums to the above, but their words of wisdom have to be held back till next week because of something to do with "space". Chumbawamba play The Olympia on March 16th... More immediately, Beatles tribute band The Quarrymen (who are the fourth best Beatles tribute band in the world, according to people who make it their business to measure these things) are at the Olympia tonight ... If you liked the Stars of Heaven, you'll love Tarnation, a San Francisco four piece who are best described as "country meets avant garde". Tarnation play in Whelan's on Tuesday night (8 p.m.), and answering the question of "but are they any good?" let me just cite that Mojave 3 open for them on the British dates of the tour.
