Popism:: The UK Pop Culture Blog

Did the Hoff topple the Berlin Wall?

2004-02-01T16:26:00.000Z

With a headline like that, we don't think this story requires a snide comment from us.

Don't call it a comeback

2004-01-28T21:22:00.000Z

Mere months after deciding that Popism was simply too much effort, we find ourselves falling into the old ways.

How could we not comment on John Lydon's contribution to I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here? Or George Galloway singing the praises of Aretha Franklin?

Galloway spoke this week about his love of Arethain the Guardian. His new political alliance, Respect, is named after Aretha's black-power anthem. Georgeous George is well known for his love of Cuban cigars and Armani suits, so his excellent taste in music is reassuring.

We believe his political views would have been rendered redundent had he expressed a life-long admiration for Chris de Burgh.

While Galloway works on a running spat with Ken Livingstone over the name Respect, we suggest you check out the quality Galloway gear available. We're particularly fond of the Enemy of the State t-shirt (yours for just £14).

Just three days into I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, John Lydon has exonerated himself from charges of selling out. His razor-sharp wit makes up for the banality of an Atomic Kitten, Jordan and friends.

Our favourite moment so far? Lydon announcing that he was going to re-enact his favourite film, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner [Buy at Amazon].

2003-11-09T22:53:00.000Z

The Face has launched a weekly e-mail newsletter. Sign up at theface.co.uk.

Too good to be true?

2003-10-31T00:04:00.000Z

Popbitch claims that Andy Bell from Oasis is the cousin of Andy Bell from Erasure - and that both are cousins of legendary wrestler Giant Haystacks. We dearly hope this is true.

"We haven't sold our shares in electroclash just yet"

2003-10-21T18:15:00.000Z

The Pet Shops Boys' 10 Commandments of pop contains a wealth of good advice. Not least

"when you get famous, you do need a shredder"

Stay lucky

2003-10-19T22:22:00.000Z

The ever-readable Rocking Vicar tells us that BBC Radio 2 announced Robert Palmer's death with the explanation...

he was best known for 'Some Guys Have All The Luck'."

An iTune a day

2003-10-19T22:16:00.000Z

Apple have finally released iTunes for the PC. It's sleek and easy to use when competitors are clumsy and clunky. It wipes the floor with the competition - WinAmp, Realplayer and Windows Media Player included. Download it free at apple.com/itunes.

Between the covers

2003-10-14T21:30:00.000Z

Why cover a song unless you're doing something interesting with it? The Gourds agree - they've done a bluegrass take on Snoop Dogg's gangsta rap classic Gin and Juice [Download here].

Likewise, Michael Jackson's Don't Stop Till You Get Enough gets the Kid 606-style glitch treatment by Jackstone and a reggae disco makeover by Derrick Laro and Trinity.

And we love the Futureheads take on A Picture of Dorian Gray by Television Personalities every bit as much as the original.

Hip to be square

2003-10-07T19:48:00.000Z

The Conservative Party Press Office has clearly been working overtime, using the same tricks New Labour made their own six years ago - fetishising youth and espousing hipster values. Much has been made of the Tories youthful resurgance, but is anyone really taken in by the Evening Standard magazine claiming conservatism is cool? Zoe Williams certainly isn't. But like New Labour before them, the Tories are realising the value of presentation and perception. The sympathetic media coverage must be the best news the Tories have had for years. As for whether anyone is prepared to vote for Ian Duncan Smith is another matter; the tone of recent coverage rather suggests that they are trying to rebrand the party in spite of him rather than with his leadership in mind.

Things can only get better (part 2)

2003-10-04T14:51:00.000Z

Our request for suggestions for New Labour campaign songs obviously caught a lot of imaginations. The forums on the newly redesigned ABCtales provided dozens of ideas:

I Want to Sex You Up - Color Me Badd
Public Private Partnership Dancer - Tina Turner
Grant Maintained School's Out - Alice Cooper
Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
Reason to Believe - Rod Stewart

We've decided to capitalise on Number 10's new-found love of e-democracy and e-mailed Tony with our favourite suggestions.

The best bands in britain: are you sure?

2003-10-03T10:38:00.000Z

Like any right-thinking person, we can't stand Muse's pompous, over-earnest Queen pastiches, but the Guardian Friday Review contains a fitting epigram: "If Brian Blessed were a rock band, you suspect he would sound like Muse". The 40 Greatest British Bands Today feature bizarrely also includes Lemon Jelly and Mis-Teeq amongst the more obvious choices. Top of the critics' poll are the Libertines, and as reported earlier this week, singer Pete Doherty has had his jail term for burglary slashed on appeal on account of his guilty plea. As the Guardian puts it, "if they don't shoot themselves in the foot, they can shoot for the stars". While we continue the indeterminate wait for new material, we suggest you download Adam Green of Moldy Peaches' breathtaking version of What A Waster [available at Babyshambles.org] and read the esteemed Michael Bracewell on the heritage of Rough Trade in today's Evening Standard.

Things can only get better

2003-10-02T17:17:00.000Z

Forget tuition fees, foundation hospitals or PFI. The real let down of New Labour has been their appalling track record on music. While the 1997 election campaign used Things Can Only Get Better (geddit!?!) by the frightful D:Ream, this year's Labour conference was soundtracked by Proud by Heather Small, a record that is arguably even worse. To be fair, they considered using Primal Scream's Movin' On Up in 2001, before rejecting it on the grounds of Bobby Gillespie's druggie, Black Panther supporting lefty ramblings.

So what should they use in future? The possibilities are endless:

Centre-left to My Own Devices - Pet Shop Boys
Gordon Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison
45 Minutes To Go - So Solid Crew
Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundation Hospitals
3rd Way Too Blue - Nick Drake
Give 'em Enough Ropey Ideas - The Clash
What's the Story Closet Tory - Oasis
I Love Iraq'n'Roll - Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Other suggestions to the usual address.

Introducing the band

2003-10-02T00:04:00.000Z

We might have lost interest in new material a long time ago, but we're still miffed to have missed Suede's five night retrospective at the ICA. Playing each of their albums in their entirety, it was possibly the last chance to hear the forgotten masterpiece that is Dog Man Star performed live. Simon Price's review in the Independent on Sunday only made us feel worse about missing the show, though you can watch video clips from the gigs here.

Meanwhile, Suede: Love & Poison, ominously subtitled the 'the official biography', is published in November. Author David Barnett claims "it's going to make [Led Zeppelin biography] No One Here Gets Out Alive look like Enid Blyton". He may have every interest in hyping the sex'n'drugs quotient, but there are likely to be some engaging revelations given Brett Anderson's previous taste for self-disclosure.

Sadly, and almost inevitably, we feel it is our duty to warn you, dear reader, that the band's new single Attitude deserves the kind of reception formerly reserved for Head Music.

The Gameboy Looked At Johnny

2003-10-01T22:45:00.000Z

Independent music site DrownedInSound.com, for whom we are an occasional contributor, has undergone a facelift to celebrate its third birthday. We suggest you start by checking out the legit audio/video downloads and the recent interview with Tony Wilson. Wilson casts some light on his new label, Red Cellars, as well as Gameboy, Malcolm Mclaren's mysterious new project:

"He came across some kids in a warehouse in Paris... They�re basically a whole bunch of kids who buy a special [Nintendo] Gameboy chip from a man in Stockholm, which allows them to play music on their Gameboys live onstage. I would call it the ultimate in lo-fi. Malcolm thinks it�s fantastic. He�s obsessed by them" [Link]

Radiohead Ga Ga

2003-09-30T18:13:00.000Z

Starting from the premise that it is no longer possible to hold an original opinion on Radiohead, the East Bay Express approached school children between nine and 11 years to hear opinions undiluted by critical overexposure. The kids were asked to draw whatever the music suggested to them. The responses reproduced online are intriguing to say the least; we can't help but wonder what they might make of certain other bands.

I Blog U

2003-09-28T13:28:00.000Z

The Guardian Online section has an interesting article on the role of music weblogs in breaking new acts. The piece takes the example of ex-Melody Maker writer Simon Reynolds' Blissblog and his early championing of Dizzee Rascal. Incidentally, while our own tastes don't really overlap with Reynolds', his writing is superb. We highly recommend Energy Flash, his book on dance music culture. Like the best music writing, his enthusiasm is infectious even if you don't share his love of the music.

2003-09-28T12:45:00.000Z

The new Observer Music Monthly supplement owes a debt to Rolling Stone in its look and feel. Thankfully it doesn't mimic the inspid writing. The highlight is an article by former editor of The Face Johnny Davis on the Third Annual Funkmaster Flex Celebrity Car Show. The New York event is an excuse for the great and the good of hip-hop to show off their obscene material wealth in the form of grossly over-customized vehicles. Alongside the revelation that Wyclef Jean owns a truck fitted with a shark tank is Tim Westwood talking about his own legendary van:

"When I'm rolling down with my 24-inch rims, nobody's saying 'Wacky Races' to me. Motherfuckers are saying, 'God damn, there goes Westwood. That's a great look.'"

I for one will be shouting 'wacky races' next time I see Westwood and his tastefully understated van in Marylebone [see Popism passim]. Those outside London can join in the fun by e-mailing him with your own thoughts. If anyone finds out why a 40 something man drives an A-Team van decorated with a portrait of himself and his name in twelve inch letters, then do get in touch.

Jagger on Jagger

2003-09-18T21:17:00.000Z

"When you are said to be the fuck of the century it's a matter of course that every woman is disappointed after the first night with you. It is a fact that this adventure playground behind the zip of my trousers has myth status on the groupie scene."

[link]

2003-09-10T23:10:00.000Z

Adam Ant has rerecorded 'Stand and Deliver' to raise money for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. The track has been rerecorded as 'Save the Gorilla' with Morrissey guitarist Boz Boorer. Ant said �The original Stand and Deliver took thirteen days to record and cost tens of thousands to produce. This one took just three hours and cost nothing." We suggest you listen to an mp3 of the track from the website and insert your own uncharitable joke here - it can't be any less tasteful than The Sun's "I'm Not Mad At All Now" headline. We think the song sounds suspiciously like the Libertines fronted by Dick Van Dyke. Ant will also be running to fundraise for the charity. You can sponsor him online here.

2003-09-07T17:27:00.000Z

Jerry Springer the Opera too low brow for you? How about Newsnight The Opera.

2003-08-26T19:18:00.000Z

Nick Hornby-style music lists are almost invariably a chance for rock-bores to pat themselves on the back for their exquisite good taste. Slant magazine's 25 Greatest Electronic Albums of the 20th Century avoids tedious arguments about whether Radiohead are better than the Beatles by shunning them altogether in favour of Aphex Twin and Kraftwerk.

2003-08-25T22:43:00.000Z

The humour may be be heavy-handed and tasteless in places - not to mention five years past it's best-before date - but we still love Random Thoughts On The Manic Street Preachers. Particularly the offer of "a fully functional Richey doll with all the accessories you need to recreate an internal dialogue of culture, alienation, boredom and despair within the comfort of your own bedroom."

2003-08-24T10:58:00.000Z

"That's like India taking out a patent on fat Bon Jovi fans with mullets": Rob - sorry - Robert Newman in the Guardian on the news that Americans had taken out a patent on basmati rice.

2003-08-24T10:13:00.000Z

The London News Review is the latest venture from Hangingday, the people behind London By London. Their pre-publication hype promises to match the best bits of every good magazine, ever: "Sharper and bolder than Private Eye, more opinionated than The Week and better informed than Time Out, The London News Review is like nothing you've ever seen before... only better", they claim.

Contributions are promised from Jeremy Hardy. Jeanette Winterson, Dave Gorman and Matt Groening amongst others. We wish them all the best with the launch and suggest you order the pilot issue.

2003-05-18T21:31:00.000Z

In honour of the 20th anniversary of their debut single, we suggest you read an open love letter to The Smiths. Morrissey is also back on form with 'The First Of The Gang To Die', one of a clutch of new songs doing the rounds on various file-sharing networks. We don't for a moment condone copyright infringment, but if we did then we might recommend you use the fabulous Soulseek to track it down. The anniversary also reminded us of a Guardian story from a couple of years ago about the only Smiths/Morrissey disco in Manchester (and possibly the world).

Home Of The Brash, Outrageous and Free

2003-05-11T20:10:00.000Z

Despite the London-centric bias of the UK media, there is a dearth of publications specifically about the city. Londoners have to make do with the Evening Standard (smug, parochial), Time Out (light on editorial) and local papers.

This is rapidly changing. The Independent On Sunday has launched a supplement called Talk Of The Town. The premise may be best described as well-known writers on little known topics. Recent pieces have considered the life as a Mayfair croupier, disused tube stations and the city�s undiscovered public spaces. The magazine alone justifies the cost of the paper.

Another recent launch is an independent magazine called Smoke. We've yet to receive our copy in the post, but excerpts make it sound like an extended love letter to the capital. The first issue includes an ode to the 253 bus route and confessions of a showbiz chancer for just �2. See smokelondon.co.uk for stockists.

Like its sister publication The Friday Thing, London By London is a weekly e-mail zine. Readers send in notes and queries and other receipients reply in the weekly e-mail. Where�s the best place for a fry up in Bethnal Green? Or the best late-licensed dive bar in the West End? It�s a blissfully simple idea well executed. Incidentally, the endearingly esoteric answers were Nicos Charcoal Grill and the Phoenix Arts Club respectively.

2003-05-11T10:19:00.000Z

Manhattan lifestyle blog Gawker is everything that a weblog should be: insightful, original and entertaining. It also happens to be bitchy, beautiful and hilarious. The site is an unashamedly pro-NYC look at the things that matter; they name-check urban dating rituals, no-ropes social climbing, and real estate porn. It's produced by an all-star cast - published by Nick Denton, written by Elizabeth Spiers and designed by Jason Kottke. We love it.

Online Radio Killed The Video Star

2003-05-07T21:44:00.000Z

Since getting broadband, we've been marvelling at the wonders of online radio: why suffer Sara Cox in the mornings when you can enjoy avante-garde sound installations with your cornflakes (thank you Resonance)? Protein stream a range of leftfield shows from the likes of Nag Nag Nag as well as the charmingly named Mullet Disco. Until its untimely demise just over a year ago, Ammocity provided superb broadcasts from dozens of the best DJs and clubs. Let's hope they live up to that with their relaunch. Ninja Tune's Solid Steel shows have been banished from BBC London but survive online, including archive shows. Warp Records host a variety of out-there electronica broadcasts, including an excellent Chris Morris mix. Totally Radio host programmes from Artrocker and Careless Talk Costs Lives.

Get in touch if you know of any other shows we ought to be listening to.

2003-05-03T09:29:00.000Z

Like many MPs, Tom Watson has his own website. He appears to have come to the conclusion that it is the ideal medium to get kids involved in politics. Tom takes the Ali G approach: "Get involved - to the extreme!" he urges. He stops short of shreiking 'bum rush the show' - but only just: "[Tom] won't harsh your buzz or dis you down the line" we are assured. [via Guardian Diary].

2003-05-03T08:38:00.000Z

UrbanJunkies.com brought to our attention the 'Thatcher Gallery' show at the Blue Gallery in Clerkenwell. The exhibition seeks to illustrate Margaret Thatcher's "erotic-iconic quality" according to curator Tara Howard. We wonder if Paul Kelleher will remix any of the exhibits.

Is The Daily Mail Bad For Your Health?

2003-04-29T21:39:00.000Z

We never miss a chance to have a pop at the Daily Mail, but it was something of a surprise to find both the Daily Telegraph and The Times joining in the fun.

Despite preaching to a similar constituency of the curmudgeonly middle-classes, the Telegraph transcribed a debate entitled 'The Trouble With This Country Is The Daily Mail.' Mary Ann Sieghart, one of the speakers at the debate, outlined her loathing for the paper in The Times: "...as all journalists know, the Mail is famously vindictive. Anyone who dares to criticise it, or even disagree with its world view, is trashed in its pages." While startled by our new found allies, we welcome them to our coallition of the willing against endless front-page stories about house prices and sniping at working mothers. Should you wish to take matters into you own hands, then why not drop Mail editor Paul Dacre a line at letters@dailymail.co.uk. Readers are also reminded of the Adult Children Of Daily Mail Readers support group.

While researching this post, we stumbled across a Russian English-language website that claims to offer a glimpse of what life is like in Blighty. One article summarises British newspapers. "Some British people say that the reporting of The Guardian is biased and trendy, concentrating mostly on things like fashions, homosexuals, etc." it reveals. Other startling insights include the following precis of the tabloid press: "Because they are in constant competition with each other...they actually all have nude girls in unconventional poses on page three or seven".

2003-04-28T17:34:00.000Z

As regular readers will doubtless have noticed, we have rather let ourselves go in recent months regarding updates. We will not bore you with pitiful excuses, but normal service will be resumed over the coming weeks.

In the mean time, Popism was mentioned in the rather good Sunday Times review of The Last Party, John Harris's forthcoming Britpop retrospective. You can read an extract from the book at Guardian Unlimited.

2003-03-08T16:34:00.000Z

We've always found Will Self consistently more interesting in his journalism and punditry than his fiction. Writing in the New Statesman, Self eulogises 100th Window by Massive Attack - or The Massives as he calls them in the manner of an overly enthusiastic aging relative. Bizarrely for a record review, he states "I don't believe that a true music criticism to be either possible or desirable", before descending into the kind of self-indulgent ramblings that litter his less-worthy writing.

2003-02-13T01:42:00.000Z

We had always hoped that These Animal Men would be the next out-of-favour former music press darlings to receive a critical reappraisal. Well, them and the Mock Turtles, obviously.

2003-01-30T09:29:00.000Z

Last year we considered starting a blog consisting exclusively of entertaining conversations overheard on public transport. Thanks to The Friday Thing, we've just discovered that someone has beaten us to it.

Britpop: The Movie

2003-01-27T21:42:00.000Z

Keith Richards appears to resemble his Stella Street parodic double more and more. Today's Daily Mirror quotes Richards as saying:

"I say to Osama and the boys, 'Bring it on, evaporate me.' If it gets to the stage where these guys are dictating if we rock or not, then forget about it."

Mining a similar vein of past-it musicians is Live Forever, the forthcoming documentary on Britpop and the British music industry in the mid-90s. The BBC preview suggests that the film will be a self-congratulatory rehash of well-worn anecdotes, although we hope this will not be the case. Dotmusic have a trailer for download in anticipation of the film's Valentine's Day release.

"We Could Be Heroes"

2003-01-20T21:26:00.000Z

Just in time for tomorrow's fire strike, The Sun has a kiss and tell story about Fire Brigades Union boss Andy Gilchrist. But whatever your views on the strikes, there's simply no excuse for the FBU using bad Euro-disco to make their point.

2003-01-18T15:11:00.000Z

Following Pete Townsend's arrest, The Smoking Gun discovered one of the articles Townsend claimed to have written speaking out against child pornography. While the article does nothing to prove his innocence - Townsend has admitted committing an offence, and ignorance of the law isn't a legitimate defence - it does support his claim that he has campaigned against paedophilia. However, others have posed as anti-child porn campaigners in the past as a cover for their activities.

2003-01-14T20:51:00.000Z

The Times today has St Etienne's Bob Stanley writing on the importance of fanzines to pop culture. Friday's Guardian featured an interview with the Libertines, who have become renowned for their cavalier attitude towards the truth when dealing with the press. The interview is undoubtledly the best we've read with them, if a little less extravagent than some.

"Mr Blunkett launched an attack on rap musicians for glamorising gun violence" read the Independent earlier this month, leading Need To Know to ask "government to invade Iraq using only catapults and bows-and-arrows?". CNN also revealed that the US Government was spamming Iraqi citizens to encourage them to defect to the west.

2003-01-11T14:22:00.000Z

The Daily Mail and The Sun today reveal that a household name British rock star is being investigated by Scotland Yard on child pornography charges. Both papers decline to name the man being investigated, but Ananova quoted Pete Townsend this morning denying that he was a paedophile. Townsend claims that he had studied child pornography as part of a campaign against child abuse, but that he had informed police what he was doing. As a thread on the I Love Music messageboard notes, if Townsend's motivations were as he claims, then his behaviour was at best severely misguided.

Straight Outta Lowestoft

2003-01-11T11:48:00.000Z

We were somewhat surprised to find that Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood has been added to Debrett's People Of Today. As the newly redesigned No Rock & Roll Fun noted, "Middle-class Bishop's Son From Lowestoft Makes It Into Debrett's" makes a much less exciting headline than "Rap DJ makes it into Debrett's" [Media Guardian], but Westwood has always done a wonderful job of keeping his background hush-hush. Incidentally, we regularly see Westwood parked outside the Wallace Collection in Marylebone. The gallery boasts "the finest private collection of art ever assembled by one family", and Westwood's tastefully understated van makes a wonderful counterpoint. The A-Team style van is decorated with a portrait of the man himself and his name in twelve inch high letters. Could it be that middle age has broadened Tim's horizons to include 18th century French art alongside the Wu Tang Clan?

2003-01-09T23:37:00.000Z

Today's Popbitch reminded us that we had neglected to mention another example of Anne Widdecombe's outstanding clarity of thought. When asked to comment on Beijing Swings, a Channel 4 documentary showing a Chinese artist apparently eating the flesh of a baby, the Tory MP said:

"Jesus Christ said suffer the little ones to come unto me, not that they should be eaten for public entertainment."

You can't argue with that.

2003's Inaugural Tabloid Panic: Gun Crime

2003-01-08T19:40:00.000Z

Desperate for someone to blame for a surge in gun violence, the Government turned to the music industry. Culture Minister Kim Howells and Home Secretary David Blunkett both made ill-informed remarks about gangsta rap. Howells appears to be biologically hard-wired to make ignorant public comments, having already offended modern artists, folk musicians and the Welsh since becoming a minister. Blunkett, meanwhile, referred to some of his favourite lyrics:

"Ya'll nervous knowin' them guns on full service, ready to fire; One body, two body, three body, four"

(It's Jay-Z, since you ask). Only Hackney MP Diane Abbott had anything intelligent to say on the matter:

"let's not pretend that ending gun criminality on the streets of Hackney or Birmingham is as simple as getting people to sing different songs"

Apparently oblivious to inappropriate timing, the Daily Sport offered readers free replica guns alongside the usual mix of soft-porn and fabricated celebrity stories. This once-in-a-lifetime offer included a "great sporting Uzi machine gun" for the price of a premium rate phone call. Having been hitherto unaware of the Uzi's sporting reputation, we discovered that manufacturers Israel Military Industries promote it as one of their key markets. We feel suitably enlightened, having always associated it with wannabe gangstas and Hollywood prop departments.

Our new favourite blog? Quite possibly

2003-01-07T19:56:00.000Z

Thanks to the Guardian Diary, we discovered Adult Children of Daily Mail Readers:

"This community is primarily aimed at sensitive, left-of-centre individuals who grew up in Daily Mail-reading households. This is a space for recovery."

In keeping with the kind of reactionary ideas the Mail has made it's own is the Dictionary of Received Ideas. Gustave Flaubert's satirical reference work was first published in 1913 and contained "everything one should say if one is to be considered a decent and likable member of society". We recently discovered that it was available online.

Coming Soon: The Video iPod?

2003-01-05T13:13:00.000Z

The Guardian's Online section provides some interesting ideas of what to expect from the coming year in their technology survival guide. Their excellent Online Blog also pointed us to a story claiming that Apple will shortly unveil a prototype iPod that plays video as well as mp3s.

Lies, Damned Lies and Terror Warnings

2003-01-05T02:44:00.000Z

The final weeks of 2002 saw numerous media reports implying a heightened terrorist threat to Britain. We were told that anti-radiation pills were being distributed to hospitals, city evacuation procedures were being prepared and snipers were being trained to kill suicide bombers. As John Pilger observed in the Mirror, many of these stories appeared in the run up to the UN Security Council vote on a resolution on Iraq - and that many quoted "anonymous Government sources".

Pilger reported that the BIKINI state, the security alert state set by the Ministry of Defence, remained unchanged at 'black special'. This is the second lowest of four possible states, and as Pilger states, would be raised to amber or red in anticipation of a genuine threat. www.ukresilience.info is a UK government site which provides information on what to do in the case of an incident such as a terrorist attack, nuclear accident or epidemic. The site is run by the Cabinet Office, the Government department in charge of co-ordinating a response to such incidents. On a page updated on 19 December 2002, the site states:

"The Government does not believe that the overall level of threat to the UK has increased beyond the heightened levels following the events of September 11."

This would support Pilger's claim that the Government has tried to soften up public opinion in anticipation of a war on Iraq.

Blogs We Have Known And Loved

2003-01-02T23:31:00.000Z

We rarely mention other blogs, so now seems as good a time as any to mention a few that we do like. Covering similar pop culture themes are No Rock'n'Roll Fun, The Minor Fall, The Major Lift, Cha Cha Cha, Popjustice, and the Rub. Know of of any others we should hear about? Why not drop us a line at popism_weblog@hotmail.com.

Well You Know What They Said, Some Of It Was True

2002-12-30T12:12:00.000Z

The sad death of Joe Strummer of the Clash, brought to light the fact that he was an avid reader of the Daily Telegraph. The paper dedicated page three to discussing his readership and public school education. We're not quite sure how Strummer reconciled his outspoken left-wing views with the Telegraph's fusty conservatism, but were heartened to see one of our teenage heroes given the respect he deserved in the press.

The BNP may not field a candidate in the 2004 London mayoral elections in order to leave Garry Bushell unchallenged in the right wing loon category. Bushell has been asked to stand for the UK Independence Party, who stand for Britain retaining the pound and a referendum on UK membership of the EU. More pertinent is the UKIP's ambiguous relationship with the far-right. Anti-fascist magazine Searchlight details party candidates and activists with past far-right links, whilst the UKIP admit that 3 of the the party's 420 or so general election candidates have since defected to the BNP. The UKIP website fails to condemn the BNP's support of their candidate. Presumably they feel that they have enough problems without actively discouraging people from voting for them, no matter how despicable their beliefs.

I'm Hot To Trotsky

2002-12-19T22:10:00.000Z

While we've never been to a night promoted by The People's Republic Of Disco, we can't help but admire their sentiments: "We won't be happy till the last Mixmag journalist is hanging by the headphone cable of the last superstar DJ". It reminds us of a more innocent time - a time before kids TV artist Tony Hart was "available for personal appearances, trade fairs, and conferences". A time when hip-hop meant Wild Style, not Rap Snacks - "The Snack with Rappers On Them".

Cheap Hits, Cheaper Controversy (Part 2)

2002-12-16T15:32:00.000Z

LCD Soundsystem's Losing My Edge sounded like David Byrne reciting The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. A kick in the shins for those who hitched a ride with every passing youth movement, it sounded like nothing else this year. The man responsible was James Murphy, one half of NYC production team DFA. DFA produced The Rapture's The House Of Jealous Lovers, which the band followed up with a storming gig at Trash - or as every magazine now appears to refer to it, Indie Superclub Trash. High profile features in the likes of Elle, The Evening Standard and the style press meant that 2003 was the year that Trash went overground while putting on some of the best live shows in London.

Keith'n Me might not have lead Princess Superstar back to the Top Of The Pops studios - the rum lyrics made sure of that - but did prove that the Princess was not a novelty act. Incidentally, our favourite moment is the monologue from her mother expressing delight that Kool Keith was guesting on the track.

British Sea Power proved that erudition could have a place in music (without sounding like the last Manics album). We look forward to their full-length debut in the new year.

Careless Talk Costs Lives, the magazine started by Everett True and Steve Gullick, went from strength to strength. The January issue will be the first to be available from your local newsagent as well as record shops. Drownedinsound.com celebrated it's 2nd birthday and promoted a string of gigs at The Windmill in Brixton. DiS also launched a feature that suggests new bands you might like based on those you've rated in the past.

Our favourite weblog of the year? No Rock & Roll Fun, no contest. The majority of blogs fail to achieve regular updates, quality writing or insightful comment. This one had all three in abundance.

Cheap Hits, Cheaper Controversy

2002-12-15T21:33:00.000Z

Every other magazine and blog is knocking out end-of-year lists, so we see no reason why Popism shouldn't join the battle for cheap hits and even cheaper controversy.

Despite listening to it near enough daily, we never quite got around to mentioning Interpol's Turn Off the Bright Lights. Although the influences were occasionally obvious - Joy Division, the Smiths and Magazine - their debut was one of the year's most memorable. The normally spot-on The Minor Fall, The Major Lift may have dismissed them as a Joy Division tribute act, but we were sold.

Like Interpol, The Libertines were shamelessly influenced by late-70s punk and new wave. Although their album failed to match the spectacle the band present live, Up The Bracket contained half a dozen fantastic songs. The we-love-the-city patter might have been lifted from The Jam, but any band influenced by Jon Savage's England's Dreaming and Michael Bracewell's England Is Mine are doing music a service.

Morvern Callar deserves a mention, not only for the film itself, but for a soundtrack which included Nancy & Lee, Boards Of Canada and Can. Some Velvet Morning was heard in high street cinemas, and the world was a better place for it.

Bis will be remembered by many for releasing a clutch of awful singles in the mid-90s. This year saw the band hitch a ride on the faltering electroclash bandwagon with a cover of Love Will Tear Us Apart. Incredibly, it was one of the best things we've heard all year.

2002-12-15T20:55:00.000Z

Now's probably a good time to mention Popjustice - after all, Popism supplied today's advent calendar joke.

2002-12-15T20:32:00.000Z

A Danish anti-file sharing organisation has come up with a simple way to deter people from swapping music, video and games: invoice P2P users for anything they share. Wired reports that users were invoiced for $8 per album, $25 per film and $40 per game made available in their shared folders, with some receiving demands in excess of $10,000.

2002-12-09T00:48:00.000Z

The Guardian observes that Schott's Miscellany has become one of this year's surprise publishing sensations. The book is a collection of little-known answers to little-asked questions - such as which London Underground line interconnects with every other line on the network, who is the patron saint of syphilitics and what is the term for an iceberg between one and five metres above water. As the publisher readily admits, the description trivia doesn't do the book justice.

Incidentally, the answers are the Jubliee line, St George and a growler.

2002-12-05T23:07:00.000Z

Internet scare stories used to be as much a part of the tabloid press as randy vicar tales. Every Daily Mail reader knew that the internet was only used by paedophile job-hunters who bought books from Amazon. In an apparent homage to the bad old days, BBC news claim that criminals are using spam e-mail lists to see which addresses generate out-of-office replies - the logic being that you must be on holiday and they can therefore burgle your house.

2002-12-05T22:46:00.000Z

Everyone knows that Goldie lost it somewhere between 1995's classic Timeless and his 40 minute drum'n'bass opera, entitled Mother. Of course, he is now far better known for his plastic gangster role in Eastenders than his patchy musical career, but his recent stint in Big Brother has sealed his fate. Les Dennis, 3rd rate lightweight entertainer and fellow housemate, says that the pair plan to form a DJ double act.

2002-11-24T18:25:00.000Z

The BBC reports that Microsoft are working on an 'online life archive' called MyLifeBits. The system will archive and index experiences such as conversations you've had, articles you've read and pictures you've seen. The technology raises many questions, but must pressing is surely whether it will suffer from the same spam problem as Hotmail.

2002-11-24T18:06:00.000Z

Even during the brief period in the mid-90s when 'heroin chic' was the tabloid's favoured moral panic, few would have expected to see Sister Mainline, a Dutch glossy lifestyle magazine aimed at heroin and cocaine users. With a print-run of just 1,500 is unlikely to cause too many sleepless nights for the editor of Cosmopolitan.

2002-11-23T15:13:00.000Z

When Ammocity launched in 2001 it combined quality writing about music, film, politics and culture with a host of outstanding radio programmes. Unfortunately, the site closed at the end of the year when investors pulled out. The good news is that the site is now due to relaunch.

In the 2 years since it's conception, Drowned in Sound has grown to become one of the UK's most popular independent music sites. The BBC's One Music site interviewed founder Sean Adams.

2002-11-02T19:27:00.000Z

The US marines reputation as fearless fighting machines is somewhat undermined by the Frequently Asked Questions section of their recruitment website. Common enquiries include:

How much sleep will I get?
Can I wear make-up when I am a Marine?
Will I have to go to war?

2002-11-02T17:34:00.000Z

1000 People More Annoying Than Mick Hucknall is reasonably self-explanatory, as is the Realistic Internet Simulator, another fine idea from www.b3ta.com.

2002-10-28T01:09:00.000Z

UK readers will doubtless be familiar with the Daily Mail's crude mix of tabloid bigotry and scattergun misanthropy dressed up for middle-class consumption. The Daily Nail does a fine job of parodying it, best summed up by their tag line: "Whatever it is, it's a bloody disgrace!".

2002-10-28T00:51:00.000Z

You can use the 'subscribe' box in the right hand panel to receive an email whenever Popism is updated. Simply enter your email address and click 'submit' - we promise not to sell, rent or otherwise misuse the information.

2002-10-27T00:10:00.000Z

Google has rapidly become this year's mainstream technology fetish (cf. Napster), with the broadsheets falling over themselves to print appreciations of the world's most popular search engine: "My sister, who�s some kind of scientist, says that 30 per cent of any working day consists of colleagues e-mailing each other mentions of themselves that they�ve found on Google".

2002-10-26T23:46:00.000Z

Having always joked that, come the music press revolution, we'd have Carter USM back on the cover of the NME just as soon as we'd finished manning the barricades, it was something of a surprise to find Freaky Trigger agreeing with us. Or indeed anyone for that matter.

2002-10-19T11:43:00.000Z

The Mother Jones Diddly awards stand for "honoring our rubber-stamp Congress, whose members have found plenty of time to do squat". Nominations for The September 11 Demagoguery Award included Republican Saxby Chambliss, who suggested that Georgia's anti-terrorism strategy be to "arrest every Muslim that crosses the state line". Chambliss later claimed to have been joking.

2002-10-16T18:31:00.000Z

The intriguingly named Battle Creek Enquirer reports that police in Michigan fell for a story from the Onion claiming that al-Qaeda were engaged in telemarketing fraud.

2002-10-15T17:57:00.000Z

The International Herald and Tribune reports that Saddam Hussein's campaign song during the recent sham Iraqi elections was Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You'. 99.96% of Iraqi voters plumped for Hussein - but then voting slips were conveniently numbered to identify dissidents. Rumours that Jeb Bush has been liasing with the Iraqi dictatorship's electoral returns officer remain unconfirmed.

Of course, Hussein is simply upholding a global tradition of diabolical political campaign songs. Since 1997 Labour have used Things Can Only Get Better by D:Ream, Lifted by the Lighthouse Family, Three Lions and the MOR dirge of Fleetwood Mac's Don't Stop - tellingly, the same song used by Bill Clinton in the '92 and '96 US elections.

2002-10-14T19:10:00.000Z

Troubling though previous Google referrals have been (I'm thinking specifically of 'download starship nothing's gonna stop us now mp3'), today is the first time anybody has found Popism with a search for 'download tory conference music'. All of a sudden that Google Explains New Page Rankings article seems a little more relevant.

2002-10-12T12:00:00.000Z

2002-10-08T18:23:00.000Z

ThisIsRomo.com? We didn't realise that anyone cared the first time around, let alone all these years later. Mind you, that's what everyone said in 1995 - except Simon Price.

2002-10-08T17:58:00.000Z

Jim Bowen, presenter of seminal Saturday night TV programme Bulls Eye, has resigned from BBC Radio Lancashire after using the term 'nig-nog' when speaking to a black woman. Bowen insisted that he had been unaware of the racist connotations of the phrase: "I almost immediately apologised for it as it was, to say the least, not clever. The expression I used would identify with the youngsters who were last to be picked in a football team or perhaps weren't the sharpest knife in the box". Bowen tendered his resignation shortly afterward. It seems likely that this will be a serious setback for the Bring Back Bully campaign.

2002-10-03T19:47:00.000Z

James Crabtree in the New Statesman laments the right-wing weblog hegemony.

2002-09-26T20:52:00.000Z

The web throws up new ways to ridicule George W. Bush daily, but Make Your Own Bush Speech is definitely a favourite. Chris Morris would be proud.

2002-09-18T22:24:00.000Z

As music industry hysteria surrounding mp3 file swapping reaches ever greater levels, one record label has found a unique way to stop piracy. Review copies of forthcoming records on Epic by Pearl Jam and Tori Amos have been issued glued inside portable CD players.

2002-09-16T19:33:00.000Z

There was a time when Brett Anderson appeared to be heir apparent to Morrissey's throne. Anderson and songwriting foil Bernard Butler were tipped as the Morrissey and Marr of their generation, with Suede famously appearing on the cover of Melody Maker beneath the headline "the best new band in Britain" before the release of their debut record. The band completed two breathtaking albums before the departure of Butler, but the years since have seen both parties suffering diminishing returns from their careers. Both have been blessed with occasional glimpses of brilliance, notably Trash, Suede's 1997 comeback, and Yes, the song Butler recorded with David McAlmont. However, Suede's new single Positivity might generously be described as underwhelming. Anderson, interviewed in the Observer, failed to say anything of interest beyond the claim that his tedious lyrical preoccupation with class A drugs was more than shabby rock-star posturing.

2002-09-15T09:50:00.000Z

The idea of Morrissey being approached to take part in Celebrity Survivor alongside Betty Boothroyd, Carol Vorderman and Louis Theroux is hugely entertaining, if a little hard to take seriously. Saturday's Guardian included an interview with Morrissey by Lynn Barber and managed to make the pair of them look like has-beens. Tony Parsons' 1993 interview with him was a far more entertaining and perceptive read; when asked if he had given up on love, or if love had given up on him, Morrissey replied "I think we came to a mutual agreement".

2002-09-13T21:54:00.000Z

The very mention of the Young Conservatives suggests a multitude of horrors, not least the spectacle of a precocious William Hague addressing the Tory party conference aged 16. Desperate to shed associations with the kind of extreme views that would make even the parliamentary Tory party blush, the group was rebranded as Conservative Future in 1997. The Independent carried a report on the group's Annual Conference that suggests that little has changed beyond the name.

2002-09-11T23:23:00.000Z

Not so long ago I would have described Tony Parsons as an outstanding journalist. Dispatches from the Frontline of Popular Culture, a collection of his writing on music, literature and travel, contains peerless interviews with the likes of Morrissey, Bowie and Brett Anderson. The pieces are insightful, masterfully written and unmistakably his own. Unfortunately, recent years have seen Parsons writing on current affairs, not to mention knocking out three novels based on a single second-hand idea. His column in today's Mirror, entitled "Shame on You American-Hating Liberals", is a good indication of his recent direction. Like Richard Littlejohn's mutterings about Guardianistas, it is unintentionally hilarious, if troubling lest anyone should take his misguided ramblings seriously: "So a few al-Qaeda tourists got locked without a trial in Camp X-ray? Pass the Kleenex". Presumably the freedom so often mentioned in George W. Bush's rhetoric does not extend to anyone accused of a crime, interned without charge, trial or right to legal representation.

2002-09-06T21:33:00.000Z

www.sewkits.co.uk sells cross-stitched miniature record sleeves, including The Strokes and Belle and Sebastian.

2002-09-03T20:58:00.000Z

Try asking mylittletony.com "will you abolish the pound?".

2002-09-03T20:04:00.000Z

The BBC's religious coverage appears to have taken a bizarre new twist:

"I encountered Jesus on the web in December 1999. His IP address suggested he was a door furniture firm in Walsall, West Midlands, but he described himself as Jesus and my faith sustained me through a temporary crisis of disbelief. He urged me to sell my house and move my belongings to a high place to escape the deluge that would engulf the earth. There was no time to collect two of every known species, so I settled for a mating pair of golden hamsters named Tony and Mandy, with which I will repopulate the world, or at the very least those parts of the world which are currently populated by hamsters. So far, the Lord has not told me to come down from my high place. But I wait and I pray fervently that the Last Trump may sound and I may be taken up to Heaven in the Rapture."

2002-08-31T18:20:00.000Z

Thanks to No Rock'n'Roll Fun for bringing the Julie Burchill Random Recycler to our attention.

2002-08-31T18:12:00.000Z

As a result of Piers Morgan's serious news epiphany, Christopher Hitchens is now writing for the Mirror. Hitchens recently contributed a piece on the warmongering Bush administration entitled 'Questions America Must Answer'.

2002-08-31T17:59:00.000Z

Will Self was interviewed last year by Nicky Campbell, the former Wheel of Fortune host rumoured to be lined up as a Newsnight presenter. Self, consistently more entertaining in interviews and his journalism than in his fiction, was pitted against right-wing bigot Richard Littlejohn. The transcript of the interview is available on the BBC site.

2002-08-31T09:52:00.000Z

The Prague Pill, an English language alternative street paper, on the history of Semtex, perhaps the former Czechoslovakia's most famous export after beer.

2002-08-16T21:04:00.000Z

The Guardian's Friday Review carries a homage to that most maligned genre, drivetime. It's worth reading for the revelation that Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship was co-written by the father of the Strokes' Albert Hammond Jr.

2002-08-10T09:38:00.000Z

The Nigerian 419 scam has propagated so widely that it is incredible that people still fall for it. Wired took a look at the industry behind the scam, whilst the Register offer a t-shirt of condolence for those taken in.

2002-08-10T09:25:00.000Z

Debrett's Netiquette offers advice on acceptable behaviour in the brave new world of e-mail and mobile phones: "Consider the occasion. Whilst it may be commonplace to invite or thank a friend for dinner via e-mail, e-condolences or wedding invitations may not be so readily accepted and can appear insensitive".

2002-08-01T19:58:00.000Z

Blue Monday

Monday, the recently rebranded consultancy arm of Price Waterhouse Coopers, is no more. The BBC reports that the name has been put of it's misery after barely two months.

2002-07-30T21:00:00.000Z

Talk show host Geraldo Riviera may be largely unknown in the UK, but the man is a household name in the US. Geraldo has left behind his eponymous tabloid TV show to report for Fox News from the front line in Afghanistan. From Media Guardian.

2002-07-24T23:52:00.000Z

The Rocking Vicar is a weekly mailout of rock anecdotes, with contributions from a variety of well-known music journalists. The Vicar recently broke the news that obsessive Wedding Present fans were once known to refer to themselves as 'Gedgetarians' in honour of the band's frontman, David Gedge.

2002-07-13T13:19:00.000Z

George Michael has joined the ranks of campaigning politico pop-stars a little late, but as widely reported in the press, his new single Shoot the Dog is about the relationship between Tony Blair and George W. Bush. Michael claims to have been inspired by John Pilger's coverage of the war in the Mirror. It is unclear, however, how Michael interpreted Pilger's articles as suggesting that Blair and Bush had consummated their relationship with a little more than a firm handshake. Michael claims to be scared to return to his US home: "It's been heavily implied that I was actually an al-Qaeda sympathiser".

2002-07-09T20:55:00.000Z

Shazam is a new service that will identify a song based on a recording made with your mobile phone. The service providers claim that it's sophisticated enough to be able to tell an original from a remix and to work in noisy environments like bars or clubs. After recording 15 seconds of the song, the call ends and a text message is sent to your phone identifying the record.

2002-07-07T16:03:00.000Z

BrianMay.com is apparently 'the official unofficial homepage for Brian Mayniacs'. Kween, of course, are Japan's premiere Queen tribute band. These people scare me.

2002-07-07T14:04:00.000Z

The annual Penticton Elvis festival took place at the end of June in Western Canada. One local business produced a commemorative range of Elvis-themed wines, including Hound Dog Chardonnay, whilst it was also possible to register online for the 'best Elvis tribute act' competition - with $1,500 at stake for the finest professional impersonator.

2002-07-05T19:07:00.000Z

Kartoo is a Flash-based meta-search engine that maps the relationship between search results. Each site is displayed as a circle; the larger the circle, the more important the site. The search can be widened or narrowed by clicking the semantic associations shown between results.

2002-07-02T19:53:00.000Z

The Guardian have listed Popism in their guide to reader weblogs. You can bookmark Popism by clicking here

2002-06-23T09:13:00.000Z

September 11th commemorative mugs, just $12.50. The 'Angels Among Us' design, picturing a firefighter in the wreckage of the World Trade Center, is particularly tasteful and understated. God bless America.

2002-06-23T08:58:00.000Z

"If Adolf Hitler Flew In Today, They'd Send a Limousine Anyway"

So sang the Clash in 1977, and it looks like they were right. J�rg Haider, the Austrian far-right politician, will be in London this week to encourage tourism and commerce in the Carinthia region where he is governor. The trip is a joint promotion with low-cost airline Ryanair, who have started running flights to the region, and appear to have no qualms about being associated with a Hitler apologist. A Ryanair spokeswoman said "Politics makes no difference to Ryanair". The Anti-Nazi League are arranging a demonstration during Haider's visit.