Two questions for you:
a) When was the last time you examined the buttons on your clothes?
b) Are buttons a constant source of fascination to you?
If you have a life you’ll probably answer as follows:
a) Never OR The last time one fell off.
b) NO (caps emphatically locked).
As a consequence, if I were to propose a trip to a local Button Museum I doubt that you’d be able to summon up much enthusiasm. Continue reading
Morrissey has denied reports of ill health despite the short notice cancellation of two shows at the Velvet Rock Club in Rimini.
These would have been the only dates in Italy this year but, inexplicably, they were very badly publicised. There were a few fliers but I didn’t see a single poster and ticket sales were modest. The latter is, I suspect, is the real reason why the shows were cancelled.
Mozza claims that the reported “irresolvable problems” at the venue were the lack of space for the P.A system and lighting. Perhaps he was planning to erect a huge neon sign declaring himself as the new king of pop.
I got tickets for the show mainly out of curiosity – I am underwhelmed by his last two albums which are a far cry from his monumental work with The Smiths or even his best solo albums ‘Your Arsenal’ +’Vauxhall And I’.
Still, I was sorry to be denied to chance to hear a live rendition of his latest single : ‘If you think just because I’m 50 I’m going to stop whining, you’ve got another think coming’ but was able to console myself by driving up to San Marino for a fine display of African drumming.
Perhaps unwittingly, but then again perhaps not, Bologna University are guilty of backing Silvio Berlusconi’s dumbed down and sexed-up representation of Italy in the 21st Century.
In the new poster campaign for the Polo di Romagna the fou
r branches of the University in this region – Ravenna, Forlì, Rimini and Cesena – are represented by four sexy Caucasian super-heroines – two blondes, two brunettes. ‘Le Fantastiche 4’ are personifications of Berlusconi’s new Italy and a marked contrast to The United Colors of Benetton branding of mixed race harmony.
Herr B has shamelessly declared that Italy is not a multi-ethnic nation – a move motivated by the desire to label foreigners as enemies of the state and destroyers of liberty.
I’m a ‘straniero’ here myself but since I’m white and English that apparently doesn’t count. Africans and Eastern Europeans get a rawer deal. Instead of embracing diversity and looking for ways of implementing a humane policy of immigration the right wing Freedom Party (sic) is bent on delivering sound bites that kow-tow to Fascists and bigots.
On top of this, the recent exposure of Berlusconi’s harem furthers the principle that beddable babes trump women with brains.
To use sex so blatantly to market higher education is indefensible at any time, but is particularly misguided at a time when the sordid details of Berlusconi’s private life expose the rampant chauvinistic culture at the heart of his government.
A unseasonally overcast Sunday in Emilia Romagna was a good day to look in on some choreographed energy courtesy of the Rimini Wellness Festival.
‘Wellness’ is a bastardisation of ‘wellbeing’ conjured up as part a world domination package by Technogym, a ubiquitous high flying fitness company in these parts. The company began marketing their home and professional gym products in 1983 and 25 years on the business of ‘looking good-feeling great’ is obviously still a major money spinner.
The Technogym stand at in the exhibition hall oozes success but it’s patently clear that they now have a lot of noisy rivals looking to steal their potential customers. Pumped up personal trainers push willing souls through their paces who copy their every move in scenes which made me think of Queen’s ‘Radio Ga-Ga’ video. These slaves to the rhythm tap into the peer pressure that tells us that the body beautiful must be both slim and muscular. An army survival course proved popular where young woman were taken through their paces. This included crawling through a muddy tunnel after which they were unceremoniously hosed down:
I found the experience quite overwhelming and looked in vain for a Zen meditation space – the healthy body is one thing and the weary soul is quite another.
I was also struck by the lack of convincing nutrition stands. There were few good non-meat alternatives – one stand sold wholemeal pasta which looked like dog food. Young Italians are clearly hell bent on looking good but the logical link to vegetarianism is still not a connection which is being made.
Hard rock - The Tower of Babel
This becomes tricky when performing in parts of the world where English is a foreign language (EFL).
Ten years of concert going in Emilia Romagna has enabled me to weigh up the pros and cons of the the three chief methods artists adopt to overcome the language barrier in Italy.
These are:
a) The silent way
b) The full immersion method
c) The collaborative approach.
THE SILENT WAY
Many (in my view, too many) artists say nothing or next to nothing during a show, usually in order to preserve an air of mystery. They may introduce band members but even this concession is not for everybody. You won’t hear Bob Dylan sharing anecdotes with the crowd or explaining how he came to write a particular song.
This ‘silent way’ is a big advantage when performing outside your home country but the
downside is that you run a very real risk of creating a negative rapport by appearing grumpy and distant.
Van Morrison is guilty of this even when performing in the UK. I saw him once at an open air festival in Finsbury Park, North London. It was raining heavily and I and the rest of the audience were soaked to the skin by the time he and his band came on stage. Instead of offering words of consolation, he strolled on stage wearing sunglasses and said nothing.
A minimalist approach is better than this level of aloof disinterest. This may consist of little more than ‘hello‘, ‘bye‘ and ‘this song is called …..‘ but even these few brief words can make all the difference. They show that you care.
David Byrne tends to yell ‘Thank You’ at the end of each song in the manner of a shop assistant speaking to a slightly deaf customer.and while this can be repetitive, it is better than nothing.
THE FULL IMMERSION METHOD This is where artists with no knowledge of the audience’s language nevertheless have a compelling desire to forge a non-musical rapport. It basically consists of speaking at a normal speed as if addressing an English speaking audience. I witnessed this in action at a concert in Faenza last year. Will Oldhan – Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy- (an artist you’d lay odds on being a silent way practitioner) was uncharacteristally chatty. This showed he was in a relaxed mood but only the privileged minority had a clue what he was rambling on about.
The communication breakdown became most apparent when he attempted to tell jokes.
The mixed response to these indicate that they more often than no go down like proverbial lead balloons.
In short, the ‘full immersion method’ is an ambitious but high risk strategy and shows where the collaborative approach comes into its own.
THE COLLABORATIVE APPROACH
Some collaboration with the audience is an ideal ice breaker. One way to achieve this is to call for translators. This can be quite an effective ice breaking tool and is one Warren Ellis of The Dirty Three deploys. His habit is to ask for a volunteer to act be an unpaid interpretor for the duration of the show. In his case this proves to be a taxing job since he likes to spin a yarn and doesn’t bother simplifying his language. As a result what usually happens is that the artist, translator, audience (or all three) get bored and the translations fizzle out leaving no alternative but to switch to ‘the full immersion’ method.
In its most refined form the ‘collaborative approach’ consists of artists speaking in a slow, clear manner using simplified language and pausing to check on the level of understanding.
If difficult words or phrases prove to be stumbing blocks a call For translators can ease the pain.
If the artist is bi-lingual but neither language is the native tongue of the audience, using non English words or phrases can be a good practice. Devendra Banhart switches between English and Spanish when singing and speaking which doubles his chances of being understood.
Showing a willingness to learn non English expressions could pay dividends but should be used sparingly. I remember The Delgados referring to an Italian phrase book throughout a concert in Rimini and what started out as mildly amusing soon became tiresome and a little patronising.
In conclusion, I would say that to impress non-English speaking fans, artists in foreign territory have to learn to fine tune their between song patter and tweek their communicative approach.
That includes you, Van!
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