The games have finished and the fat lady sang at one of the most lavish parties that this nation is likely ever to see. It was a spectacle indeed and it would seem that no expense was spared in the attempt to celebrate the best of Britain. I watched much of the olympics and have to say that the BBC did an amazing job at making most of the sport available to everyone. Coverage was wide and commentaries well done and with some measure of impartiality. I also sat through the opening and closing ceremonies, both of which were a mixture of the very good and the blandly awful.
Last night saw the closing ceremony which got off to a bad start and never really recovered. It was a celebration of 50 years of british music but it was not necessarily a celebration of what was good. It was a celebration of what is popular and there is a big difference. It would seem that what is most popular has style and yet no substance, as demonstrated by a gaggle of models and the strange appearance of the synthetic Spice Girls that must have reeked of botox. Another highlight seemed to consist of a guy that plays other people's records, who was accompanied by an attractive stick insect and someone else chanting gibberish in a monotone. Yes ok I admit it I am getting old and I have no understanding of herd mentality, but even the old Kink was dreadful and only the drummer from Pink Floyd showed up, and he looked as if he had been dragged away from his Horlicks.
In my humble (ish) opinion, the people representing our musical heritage were outclassed and upstaged by the electronics, the lightshows and the slick organisation that kept the whole thing moving.
It is true that our musical heritage is rich and varied. For the latter half of the 20th century, the best bands in the world were British and the musical influence was wide ranging and powerful. Bands came and went and some, a few, stayed. The quantity and quality of music today seems much less varied. The emphasis is on short termism, boy bands and girl bands dominate, singing dull songs with electronic accompaniment. Then there is the Rap, Hip Hop genre. I am sure that it requires some sort of talent to talk in rythm but give me punk anyday. At least the punk bands never claimed to be any good.
So today it is back to normal and the country can reawaken the awareness of the mess that we are in. The condems can go back pretending that all will be ok and George Osborne will continue to drive the economy like a two year old in a pedal car. Cameron and Clegg will pretend that they like each other and will be looking for another way to distract everyone from reality. Isn't it time that the Royals produced another mouth for the country to feed?
Last night saw the closing ceremony which got off to a bad start and never really recovered. It was a celebration of 50 years of british music but it was not necessarily a celebration of what was good. It was a celebration of what is popular and there is a big difference. It would seem that what is most popular has style and yet no substance, as demonstrated by a gaggle of models and the strange appearance of the synthetic Spice Girls that must have reeked of botox. Another highlight seemed to consist of a guy that plays other people's records, who was accompanied by an attractive stick insect and someone else chanting gibberish in a monotone. Yes ok I admit it I am getting old and I have no understanding of herd mentality, but even the old Kink was dreadful and only the drummer from Pink Floyd showed up, and he looked as if he had been dragged away from his Horlicks.
In my humble (ish) opinion, the people representing our musical heritage were outclassed and upstaged by the electronics, the lightshows and the slick organisation that kept the whole thing moving.
It is true that our musical heritage is rich and varied. For the latter half of the 20th century, the best bands in the world were British and the musical influence was wide ranging and powerful. Bands came and went and some, a few, stayed. The quantity and quality of music today seems much less varied. The emphasis is on short termism, boy bands and girl bands dominate, singing dull songs with electronic accompaniment. Then there is the Rap, Hip Hop genre. I am sure that it requires some sort of talent to talk in rythm but give me punk anyday. At least the punk bands never claimed to be any good.
So today it is back to normal and the country can reawaken the awareness of the mess that we are in. The condems can go back pretending that all will be ok and George Osborne will continue to drive the economy like a two year old in a pedal car. Cameron and Clegg will pretend that they like each other and will be looking for another way to distract everyone from reality. Isn't it time that the Royals produced another mouth for the country to feed?
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