I'll display my unashamedly nostalgic side now. I was caught up in the Britpop craze, having started to buy music while at university from 93-96. Some of those bands were rubbish (Powder, anyone?) and some great (Elastica, Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish distils an era, though it heralded Britpop rather than fully partook in it).
But. Britpop killed off the jungle of non-corporate music - such as shoegaze - or at least drove it to the margins, where it became fragmented and overly precious. Chasing hit singles, appearing in style mags and being spotted at celeb events became signs of success, rather than producing great work or remaining artistically honest. It was also a deeply laddish culture - females (Lush, Pale Saints, Juliana Hatfield, Liz Phair, Riot Grrl) were marginalised, however good their music, with odd exceptions such as the wonderful P J Harvey.
So today I've been listening to Belly, fronted by Tanya Donelly, formerly of the even more wonderful Breeders and Throwing Muses (I'll come to them in due course). Belly melded jangly guitars, an ethereal voice and a muscular rock rhythm section to produce something captivating. Indie night classics!
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
He's on fire
Given a time-lapse video camera, a Sigur Rós CD and a healthy dollop of aesthetic appreciation, Sean Stiegemeier has produced something wondrously beautiful from the Icelandic volcano.
Hover over the picture and click the symbol to the left of 'vimeo' for a wondrous full-screen vista.
Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.
Hover over the picture and click the symbol to the left of 'vimeo' for a wondrous full-screen vista.
Iceland, Eyjafjallajökull - May 1st and 2nd, 2010 from Sean Stiegemeier on Vimeo.
Is the judiciary racist? I refer you to bears and woods
I dismissed the judiciary yesterday as reactionary and out of touch. Today's Guardian diary has a piece which illustrates my point rather neatly:
They got Theresa May to the Home Office, and once she's settled in, is there any chance she might send a quick note to the recorder Robin Pearse-Wheatley, whose expressions of sympathy to two Icelandic women who hooked up with a gang of criminals to commit a brutal "honeytrap" robbery seem a little out of place as we fight to rebuild Broken Britain. But no less out of place than his summing-up of their plight. "You seem to have fallen in with a group of black men which seems to have been the beginning of your unfortunate adventures," he said. "After a series of adventures I won't detail, but including time you were shoplifting – which doesn't reflect well on you at all – you, no doubt at the behest of these frightening black men who you were keeping company with, were involved in this incident." Is it because they is black? Seems it is.
Nearly the Big Sleep
I know these are the most dreaded words in the English language, with the possible exception of 'I'm not racist, but…' (which I heard yesterday), but here goes…
I had an odd dream last night. The fire alarm sounded, and after a while I dragged myself out of bed, in my old family home. I then went into another room, where a completely deaf friend slept (a guy I haven't spoken to since 1993, and who never visited my house) and got him out of bed. I then woke up and realised that an alarm was going off in real life, where I live now. I didn't panic, or evacuate the building. Instead, I wearily put earplugs in and went back to sleep.
It didn't occur to me, in my befuddled state, that my building could have been on fire. My subconscious assured me that it must be next door, it must be a false alarm, that I'd be fine. I needed the sleep, after all. Only this morning did my stupidity hit home… I could have lost all my lovely books!
I had an odd dream last night. The fire alarm sounded, and after a while I dragged myself out of bed, in my old family home. I then went into another room, where a completely deaf friend slept (a guy I haven't spoken to since 1993, and who never visited my house) and got him out of bed. I then woke up and realised that an alarm was going off in real life, where I live now. I didn't panic, or evacuate the building. Instead, I wearily put earplugs in and went back to sleep.
It didn't occur to me, in my befuddled state, that my building could have been on fire. My subconscious assured me that it must be next door, it must be a false alarm, that I'd be fine. I needed the sleep, after all. Only this morning did my stupidity hit home… I could have lost all my lovely books!
Monday, 17 May 2010
This is Lawfare
An extremely unpleasant aspect of modern industrial relations is employers turning to the courts to prevent workers withdrawing their labour, despite overwhelming votes to strike. It's made easier by a set of 1980s union-bashing laws never repealed by the so-called Labour Party.
The British Airways staff voted massively in favour of a strike. BA has had the strike cancelled by the courts on a ridiculous technicality, a trap set by the Tories 20 years ago.
The British Airways staff voted massively in favour of a strike. BA has had the strike cancelled by the courts on a ridiculous technicality, a trap set by the Tories 20 years ago.
When balloting for strikes, unions should give those who took part a detailed breakdown of the result, as required by section 231 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
The union's barrister, John Hendy QC, said the airline had not been able to find even one employee who did not know the result of the ballot, which voted overwhelmingly for strike action.
This is madness. The ballot was legal. Union members knew the results. In this day and age, a letter in the post isn't relevant: union members see their reps, check Facebook and read websites.
The facts are these: every member was informed of the result. However, the fact that 11 (eleven) ballot papers were spoiled, out of the 10-12,0000 cast, was 'only' publicised on the union notice board in every workplace - apparently that doesn't count as 'notification', according to this one judge's interpretation.
What we're seeing is simple union-bashing, inspired and directed by specialist US law firms dedicated to furthering corporate power. Yes, Unite should have seen this coming, but the fact remains: these kinds of laws breach the globally-recognized right to strike. No doubt my employer, and every other one, is learning that the courts (staffed exclusively by rightwing, male, white, upper-class, private school and Oxbridge judges) will always defend corporate interests.
I've just made an official complaint to the BBC about John Humphrys' interview with the union's leader on this matter - Humphrys clearly crossed the line and emotionally hectored Derek Simpson from the perspective of BA's board of directors, rather than making any attempt to be impartial or objective.
The facts are these: every member was informed of the result. However, the fact that 11 (eleven) ballot papers were spoiled, out of the 10-12,0000 cast, was 'only' publicised on the union notice board in every workplace - apparently that doesn't count as 'notification', according to this one judge's interpretation.
What we're seeing is simple union-bashing, inspired and directed by specialist US law firms dedicated to furthering corporate power. Yes, Unite should have seen this coming, but the fact remains: these kinds of laws breach the globally-recognized right to strike. No doubt my employer, and every other one, is learning that the courts (staffed exclusively by rightwing, male, white, upper-class, private school and Oxbridge judges) will always defend corporate interests.
I've just made an official complaint to the BBC about John Humphrys' interview with the union's leader on this matter - Humphrys clearly crossed the line and emotionally hectored Derek Simpson from the perspective of BA's board of directors, rather than making any attempt to be impartial or objective.
Text us NOW! It plugs gaps!
The inanity of rolling news begging for our views is beautifully captured by Mitchell and Webb.
The height of stupidity has now been reached, and it's embarrassing to admit that it's in The Guardian. Send them your suggestions now:
Yes, they want YOUR suggestions to save the Louisiana coast!
Meanwhile, the most expensively educated men in the land prove yet again how dumb they really are:
Gibb went to Durham, so clearly feels inadequate. His comment was actually that he'd rather children were taught by Oxbridge graduates with no teaching qualifications than by qualified teachers from 'rubbish' universities.
Clearly some problems with this. Firstly, what constitutes a 'rubbish' university? One that doesn't have gowns and castellated buildings? What if said university is very good at some subjects and 'rubbish' at others? What if its teaching qualifications are highly respected and attract students who graduated from Oxford, Cambridge and Durham?
The major problem is this: I've been taught by people with high intellectual honours from Oxford and Cambridge. I've been taught by people with qualifications from 'rubbish' universities. Some of the Oxbridge graduates have been world experts and useless teachers, some of the others have been brilliant teachers rather than great researchers. Some, from both camps, have been brilliant at both. There's also plenty of evidence that non-Oxbridge universities are more innovative as well. New courses always start in 'other' universities.
There's no way you can write off the vast majority of teachers because they went to the 'wrong' university. This is the politics of snobbery. Teaching is hard work, and an art. You can know an awful lot and not be able to communicate it, to inspire, to hold the attention and gain the respect of a bunch of people, especially at school age, who are essentially prisoners. I'd prefer Oxbridge types to go into teaching rather than banking - they'll cause less damage, but there's no way an elected Minister of State should be shooting his mouth of in such a mindless, kneejerk manner.
By the way - famous Cambridge graduates include one Nicholas Griffin, criminal and leader of the neo-Nazi British National Party. So it's not all gravy down in the Fens, is it?
Still, it could be worse: poor, poor, Texas.
The height of stupidity has now been reached, and it's embarrassing to admit that it's in The Guardian. Send them your suggestions now:
Send us your ideas for capping the leak. We'll publish your suggestions online and present them to BP too
Yes, they want YOUR suggestions to save the Louisiana coast!
Meanwhile, the most expensively educated men in the land prove yet again how dumb they really are:
Edu minister Nick Gibb says he'd be happier with grads from Oxbridge than from "rubbish" uni. Good to see elitism's alive and well in Govt!
Gibb went to Durham, so clearly feels inadequate. His comment was actually that he'd rather children were taught by Oxbridge graduates with no teaching qualifications than by qualified teachers from 'rubbish' universities.
Clearly some problems with this. Firstly, what constitutes a 'rubbish' university? One that doesn't have gowns and castellated buildings? What if said university is very good at some subjects and 'rubbish' at others? What if its teaching qualifications are highly respected and attract students who graduated from Oxford, Cambridge and Durham?
The major problem is this: I've been taught by people with high intellectual honours from Oxford and Cambridge. I've been taught by people with qualifications from 'rubbish' universities. Some of the Oxbridge graduates have been world experts and useless teachers, some of the others have been brilliant teachers rather than great researchers. Some, from both camps, have been brilliant at both. There's also plenty of evidence that non-Oxbridge universities are more innovative as well. New courses always start in 'other' universities.
There's no way you can write off the vast majority of teachers because they went to the 'wrong' university. This is the politics of snobbery. Teaching is hard work, and an art. You can know an awful lot and not be able to communicate it, to inspire, to hold the attention and gain the respect of a bunch of people, especially at school age, who are essentially prisoners. I'd prefer Oxbridge types to go into teaching rather than banking - they'll cause less damage, but there's no way an elected Minister of State should be shooting his mouth of in such a mindless, kneejerk manner.
By the way - famous Cambridge graduates include one Nicholas Griffin, criminal and leader of the neo-Nazi British National Party. So it's not all gravy down in the Fens, is it?
Still, it could be worse: poor, poor, Texas.
Paul Uppal - MIA
2 weeks since I asked Paul Uppal MP a few basic questions, such as whether he lives in the constituency he represents. Still, he's a busy guy. Big ministry to run. Oh no, that must have been someone else. He's a back-bench drone, but apparently one who intends to ignore his constituents.
Meanwhile, here's some music.
It's Bellowhead's albums Burlesque and Matachin. Bellowhead are leaders of the amazing British folk revival, specializing in big, good-time party folk performed by huge numbers of people, dragging in bits of Eastern European, jazz and all sorts of other genres. I'm not always in the right mood for Bellowhead - sometimes the voices grate a little on me, and occasionally I'd like a bit more tune, so I head off in the direction of Lau.
I don't think Bellowhead will convert anyone unconvinced by new folk (they do echo the old finger-in-the-ear stereotype), but they're worth a listen and I've a huge soft spot for them.
Meanwhile, here's some music.
It's Bellowhead's albums Burlesque and Matachin. Bellowhead are leaders of the amazing British folk revival, specializing in big, good-time party folk performed by huge numbers of people, dragging in bits of Eastern European, jazz and all sorts of other genres. I'm not always in the right mood for Bellowhead - sometimes the voices grate a little on me, and occasionally I'd like a bit more tune, so I head off in the direction of Lau.
I don't think Bellowhead will convert anyone unconvinced by new folk (they do echo the old finger-in-the-ear stereotype), but they're worth a listen and I've a huge soft spot for them.
Monkey see, monkey do…
Turns out that your addiction to porn and gossip magazines is deeply-rooted in our primate brains.
A study involving male monkeys and fruit juice shows that they'll 'pay' (in fruit juice) for a glimpse of a) more powerful monkeys in the troop and b) female monkeys' bottoms.
The researchers suggest that in tribal societies - monkeys and our own - access to information is important to retain cultural capital. So knowing what Tom Cruise had for dinner enables you to relate to others in your group, and may stop you being expelled, ignored or killed! I may be exaggerating slightly.
I'll take my chances with ignorance. Ook!
A study involving male monkeys and fruit juice shows that they'll 'pay' (in fruit juice) for a glimpse of a) more powerful monkeys in the troop and b) female monkeys' bottoms.
The researchers suggest that in tribal societies - monkeys and our own - access to information is important to retain cultural capital. So knowing what Tom Cruise had for dinner enables you to relate to others in your group, and may stop you being expelled, ignored or killed! I may be exaggerating slightly.
I'll take my chances with ignorance. Ook!
"A triumph of stupidity over common sense"
Messers CURTIS and ELTON, before they became Infected with the Curse of NOT BEING FUNNY, expressed all that is Good about Politickal Humour in their Televised Play, Blackadder the Third.
(With added Hollandish surtitles for your Convenience).
(With added Hollandish surtitles for your Convenience).
Friday, 14 May 2010
More wombling madness
Now, there are other Wombles available. For some reason, Ulster Defence Association loyalist terrorists and their friends call themselves wombles (as this fascinating piece explains), and it was also adopted by a group of very impressive anti-capitalist protestors.
Hilary tipped me off to this work of genius: Neil Innes's song (as The Grimms) 'Womble Bashers of Walthamstow'. The Grimms was Innes, some Liverpool Poets and Scaffold, and recorded three albums after Innes left the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Yes, it was the 60s and 70s.
Hilary tipped me off to this work of genius: Neil Innes's song (as The Grimms) 'Womble Bashers of Walthamstow'. The Grimms was Innes, some Liverpool Poets and Scaffold, and recorded three albums after Innes left the Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band. Yes, it was the 60s and 70s.
 | Neil Innes - Womble Bashers Of Walthamstow |  |
 | ||
 | Found at Womble Bashers Of Walthamstow on KOhit.net |  |
Just for Ben: a big bucket of Twee
Today's album is Belle and Sebastian's Tigermilk, with their BBC sessions thrown in. I have everything else the band has done, but only on vinyl, so Ben's spared the full horror. Why Ben? Because Belle and Sebastian represent everything he despises: they're mostly middle-class, they sing about middle-class things, he claims they're sexless (despite an album called The Boy With the Arab Strap), they're named after a French children's novel and TV show, and they're in thrall to the 1960s.
All this is true. But. They write thrilling tunes (not always, but often), I'm middle class (as is Ben), sex isn't everything and I don't care where they got the name. It's good to hear Scottish accents rather than faux-American, I like listening to songs of ordinary life, and they aren't nearly so unadventurous musically as their reputation suggests. They're great to dance to and good for listening to alone. They're pretentious and precious: good. The world needs them.
Tigermilk was made for the band's college course, and only 1000 copies were produced - I got my CD bootleg under the counter at my favourite record shop, as word spread. I loved the excitement of such a new band becoming popular by word of mouth. I also liked the envious glances at indie night when James and I turned up with the first B+S t-shirts in North Wales!
'Electronic Renaissance' is my favourite track.
Sorry Ben. Suck it up!
All this is true. But. They write thrilling tunes (not always, but often), I'm middle class (as is Ben), sex isn't everything and I don't care where they got the name. It's good to hear Scottish accents rather than faux-American, I like listening to songs of ordinary life, and they aren't nearly so unadventurous musically as their reputation suggests. They're great to dance to and good for listening to alone. They're pretentious and precious: good. The world needs them.
Tigermilk was made for the band's college course, and only 1000 copies were produced - I got my CD bootleg under the counter at my favourite record shop, as word spread. I loved the excitement of such a new band becoming popular by word of mouth. I also liked the envious glances at indie night when James and I turned up with the first B+S t-shirts in North Wales!
'Electronic Renaissance' is my favourite track.
Sorry Ben. Suck it up!
Meanwhile, in la la land
Clive Bloom, whoever he is, thinks that humanities research is a total waste of time, 'hobby' activity conducted 'in a comfy chair' while sipping cappuccinos. Well done, Clive. Obviously, human society is very simple and can be explained simply by biology and associated sciences. You fecking moron.
He adds insult to injury with gems like this:
That's hit quite a raw nerve. I'm exhausted at the moment. I'm always in the office 9-5 and many days I'm in for much longer. My institution's teaching hours are 9-9. I've been in the office until gone 10 p.m. (that's 13 hours) most of this week and last week. Next week will be the same, despite this research showing that doing 3 hours overtime a day leads to a 60% rise in heart disease. I work weekends because I teach so many modules and so many big classes that's it's the only way to mark work in the ridiculously short period of time available. Research basically doesn't get done - which means I'll never get another job. As to a three month holiday - it's bullshit. We have exam boards, resits to mark, clearing hotlines to staff, modules to design, even try to squeeze some research in…
I've rarely read such a vacuous and reactionary piece of rubbish. I think humanities research is important because it helps us to understand human relations and human behaviour. Why he'd reduce this to a hobby is completely beyond me.
He adds insult to injury with gems like this:
No academic that I've ever met works nine to five, five days a week. With three months of holiday and every weekend free…
I just wonder if we need a body to dispense largesse to projects that are quite so facile and obscure or those that are the personal pet of some very small clique who believe in the centrality of the oboe to 21st-century culture, or those who are governed by the most fashionable thinking on heritage or the cultural primacy of modern dance, or the digital future of everything. As for the literature projects so in need of funded buyouts, they could either be done at the author's leisure or not at all, rather than splashing their spurious claims of importance across the AHRC's website as success stories.
That's hit quite a raw nerve. I'm exhausted at the moment. I'm always in the office 9-5 and many days I'm in for much longer. My institution's teaching hours are 9-9. I've been in the office until gone 10 p.m. (that's 13 hours) most of this week and last week. Next week will be the same, despite this research showing that doing 3 hours overtime a day leads to a 60% rise in heart disease. I work weekends because I teach so many modules and so many big classes that's it's the only way to mark work in the ridiculously short period of time available. Research basically doesn't get done - which means I'll never get another job. As to a three month holiday - it's bullshit. We have exam boards, resits to mark, clearing hotlines to staff, modules to design, even try to squeeze some research in…
I've rarely read such a vacuous and reactionary piece of rubbish. I think humanities research is important because it helps us to understand human relations and human behaviour. Why he'd reduce this to a hobby is completely beyond me.
Oiks don't need education
Those dedicated social engineers The Russell Group (the twenty or so very rich research universities which consider themselves 'top') have decided that the poor, those with dependent families and others without massive cash reserves and family backing shouldn't go to university.
They've told the government that students should pay commercial rates of interest, rather than the effective zero-interest on their student loans. You currently leave university owing c. £20,000-30,000: imagine the debt under commercial rules. They also want you to start paying more of your loan back, earlier (currently, you pay 9% of your monthly income once you earn £15,000 - which I imagine makes life quite difficult if you have kids, run a car, live in London etc. etc.).
It's a horrible commercial, individualist move which proves that these institutions don't understand what education is for: not to enrich individuals who can then afford to pay the money back, but to benefit society as a whole. Governments subsidise education with taxation because it's a social good. Would you become a primary school teacher, social worker or lab technician on £22,000 if you owed £50,000 for the privilege of acquiring the necessary qualifications?
Wow, talk about selfish and reactionary. Those particular universities are notoriously difficult to get into if you don't go to a private school, so their intake won't suffer - but everybody else will. Back to the fields, peasants!
They've told the government that students should pay commercial rates of interest, rather than the effective zero-interest on their student loans. You currently leave university owing c. £20,000-30,000: imagine the debt under commercial rules. They also want you to start paying more of your loan back, earlier (currently, you pay 9% of your monthly income once you earn £15,000 - which I imagine makes life quite difficult if you have kids, run a car, live in London etc. etc.).
It's a horrible commercial, individualist move which proves that these institutions don't understand what education is for: not to enrich individuals who can then afford to pay the money back, but to benefit society as a whole. Governments subsidise education with taxation because it's a social good. Would you become a primary school teacher, social worker or lab technician on £22,000 if you owed £50,000 for the privilege of acquiring the necessary qualifications?
Wow, talk about selfish and reactionary. Those particular universities are notoriously difficult to get into if you don't go to a private school, so their intake won't suffer - but everybody else will. Back to the fields, peasants!
Thursday, 13 May 2010
What larks!
If you've ever thought that youth politicians are freaks, you'll love watching this. They're all odd, but watching triumphant, smug, arrogant, overdressed Tory students is definitely the worst bit. It reminded me that I chose the right side in life.
Wombling Free again!
Recently, I had cause to critique The Wombles for their hegemonic capitalist tendencies. I was, of course, mostly joking. Though Michael de Larribeiti clearly agrees with me: the 'Rumbles' in The Borribles are smug middle-class beasts which prey on the proletarian Borribles.
So I'm very happy that the Elizabeth Beresford's charming books are to be republished - I'm amazed that they were ever out of print. I have most of them already, but will certainly be purchasing the others.
So I'm very happy that the Elizabeth Beresford's charming books are to be republished - I'm amazed that they were ever out of print. I have most of them already, but will certainly be purchasing the others.
Another colonial appointment
Deputy Welsh Minister: David Jones, MP for Clwyd West. He doesn't, of course, speak Welsh (that's for peasants) even though he represents a North Wales consitutency and he hates wind farms, but he does love nuclear weapons, hereditary legislators, Europhobia and homophobia, judging by his voting record.
Album of the Day: Beirut, Gulag Orkestar
This was a present from my fencing mate, John, who has a much more eclectic musical tastes than I. I'd never heard of Berlin, whose real name is Zach Condon. In all honesty, I didn't play it for ages because John's into mostly laptronica, which I can take or leave, and because the album's name annoyed me.
When I did play Gulag Orkestar, I was pleasantly surprised. It's not hugely innovative (gentle indie plus bits of East European folk stylings, like a light version of Gogol Bordello) but it's cool as long as you don't examine the lyrics too closely. Unless you're a hippy, in which case you'll be fine singing along. It's a fine album - lots of accordion and good arrangements with some striking steals from all sorts of folk traditions (the Klezmer bits are excellent) but the album slips away without establishing much hold on my tune detectors.
When I did play Gulag Orkestar, I was pleasantly surprised. It's not hugely innovative (gentle indie plus bits of East European folk stylings, like a light version of Gogol Bordello) but it's cool as long as you don't examine the lyrics too closely. Unless you're a hippy, in which case you'll be fine singing along. It's a fine album - lots of accordion and good arrangements with some striking steals from all sorts of folk traditions (the Klezmer bits are excellent) but the album slips away without establishing much hold on my tune detectors.
Your responses to my cry for help
Mark recommends this:
And Ben thinks this will raise my spirits.
Thanks to both of you.
And Ben thinks this will raise my spirits.
Thanks to both of you.
Lost in a cultural void
Trapped between election depression and marking hell, I feel my 'hinterland' is disappearing rapidly. I'm reading dissertations and non-fiction (still The Spirit Level, I'm afraid), and my research is gathering dust. Plashing Vole is becoming a wasteland of politics: buttock-faced Cameron is taking over my life.
One dissertation reminded me of a brilliant example of Daily Mail evil. The UK edition campaigned against giving teenage girls the cervical cancer vaccine, because of 'health fears'. Meanwhile, the Irish edition (usually a different front page and nothing else) campaigned, er, for giving the vaccine to teenage girls. Full coverage here.
So come on, readers, distract me. Recommend books, music and TV for the moments I snatch between awarding F grades. I get home after 10 and gormlessly stare at whatever's on. Soon I won't be able to tell the difference between Newsnight and Mitchell and Webb, or whatever else is on 'Dave'. Catching celebrity polluter Clarkson on an old QI yesterday made me apoplectically angry. But that takes me back to BumFace: they're mates.
Heeeeeeeeelllllllpppppp mmmmmeeeeeeee…
One dissertation reminded me of a brilliant example of Daily Mail evil. The UK edition campaigned against giving teenage girls the cervical cancer vaccine, because of 'health fears'. Meanwhile, the Irish edition (usually a different front page and nothing else) campaigned, er, for giving the vaccine to teenage girls. Full coverage here.
So come on, readers, distract me. Recommend books, music and TV for the moments I snatch between awarding F grades. I get home after 10 and gormlessly stare at whatever's on. Soon I won't be able to tell the difference between Newsnight and Mitchell and Webb, or whatever else is on 'Dave'. Catching celebrity polluter Clarkson on an old QI yesterday made me apoplectically angry. But that takes me back to BumFace: they're mates.
Heeeeeeeeelllllllpppppp mmmmmeeeeeeee…
I Don't Mind If I Do*
As the rest of the world seems to be going back to the worst aspects of the 1980s, I've decided to trump them. You may have noticed, from my George Formby and Gracie Fields tracks, that I'm going back to the 1940s - the good bits, not the death camps.
This morning I'm listening to 40s radio comedy, specifically It's That Man Again and Much Binding in the Marsh. ITMA was a wartime sketch show, one of the first to mock public figures - 'That Man' was Hitler. Much Binding was set on an RAF base which became a country club after the war, and features much cross-class humour and pop culture references which are still actually funny.
Listen in to some (not many survived as the BBC couldn't afford to record much) here.
*Colonel Humphrey Chinstrap of ITMA turned every question into an offer of a drink.
This morning I'm listening to 40s radio comedy, specifically It's That Man Again and Much Binding in the Marsh. ITMA was a wartime sketch show, one of the first to mock public figures - 'That Man' was Hitler. Much Binding was set on an RAF base which became a country club after the war, and features much cross-class humour and pop culture references which are still actually funny.
Listen in to some (not many survived as the BBC couldn't afford to record much) here.
*Colonel Humphrey Chinstrap of ITMA turned every question into an offer of a drink.
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