Friday, June 17, 2011

Something for the weekend

Stuff quotes from Cameron Slater aka WhaleOil:
“I have decided to withld the vast bulk of matel that I found, because I absolutely agree that as the law stands, everyy New Zealanr should be free to conibute to politl pares witht fear of their name being made public,” he said.
Possibly Fairfax’s Australian subs are being ironic or subversive or something, but this is not what Mr Oil actually said. His blog text was this:
I have decided to withhold the vast bulk of material that I found, because I absolutely agree that as the law stands,  everyday New Zealanders should be free to contribute to political parties without fear of their name being made public.
Can’t the Stuff people even do a simple cut and paste? Ctrl-C, Ctrl-V – it’s not hard. I did it for free just now, so why can’t they do it when they’re paid to? (UPDATE: They have fixed it now.)

The admirably acerbic David Thomson rips into a Guardian piece claiming that all pop music is cowed and moribund because there aren’t enough grants to go around. This is from England so it is all to do with class. Thompson rather sticks it to Jarvis Cocker. Billy Bragg gets his in the comments which, as always, are worth reading.

It’s official: my brother-in-law is insane.

A book I’d like to read: Sexually, I’m More of a Switzerland by David Rose is a collection of personal ads from the London Review of Books. One example: 
The finest mind in the academic world conceived this ad, but it was his secretary who took two and a half hours out of her day to collate his angst-ridden ramblings, phone the LRB and pay for it with her own money.  He’s basically looking for an affair with a twenty-something idiot tart who needs good grades.  I’m looking for a better job, a decent pension package, and a man to 50 who’s great in bed and doesn’t make condescending comments about every damn book I read.  Man, 57.  Or his secretary, 43.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've read that, including Owen Hatherley's. Owen is a renowned socialist, that's the only thing I know about him. I just don't get this British obsession about class and selling out of bands. I thought they stopped doing that after 1997. Thus, the demise of Britpop.
However, Thompson is implying Jarvis is so rich now, he lives in Paris and therefore no longer allowed to "smash the system". His apartment in Paris is not exactly "posh" you know. My sister in law, who works as a barista, rents an apartment same building with Jarvis. The place isn't exactly classy. Maybe for rats. Possibly the reason why his wife left him, Jarvis could not afford her lifestyle.

Stephen Stratford said...

Thank you, Anonymous, that is most interesting. Paris apartments tend not to be posh unless one is at the DSK level, but I take your point. I didn't know that Cocker's wife had left him - I really must keep up more. I have a soft spot for him because he's from Sheffield, plus what he did to Michael Jackson. Huge respect there.

Paul said...

Everything in Britain is about class. That is the nature of the place.