Britain’s Really Terrible Orchestra, “an amateur group of useless musicians,” has developed a cult following online, and now they’re selling out gigs at the Edinburgh Fringe. And their celebrity comes from within as well as without – one of their bassoonists is none other than bestselling novelist Alexander McCall Smith…
Author: sbergman
Canadian Club (Not The Whiskey) Set For Export?
“A stone club from British Columbia dating to possibly 1800 BC could be leaving the country by the end of the year if a Canadian institution doesn’t buy it… The Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board agreed to a six-month delay on the export of the rare sculptured club to who is presumed to be an American buyer.”
Skopelos Bracing For ABBA-Based Boom
The film version of the stage version of the music of ABBA is set to hit movie theaters next week, and everyone involved is hoping that Mama Mia becomes the breakout hit of the summer. But more than just lining a studio’s pockets, the film has the potential to seriously boost the profile, and tourism industry, of the tiny Greek island where it was filmed.
Chicago Blues Singing The… Well, You Know
The blues may be one of America’s most venerated musical traditions, but there’s considerable evidence that the genre is in trouble. “Its fan base is aging, key blues haunts have shuttered, and some of its up-and-coming musicians are struggling. Nowhere is the decline more evident than in Chicago, arguably the city that made the genre famous.”
Smithsonian Unveils… Wait For It… A Crystal Skull
The Smithsonian has opened a new exhibit detailing the story of a crystal skull of supposedly Aztec origin, sent anonymously to a nonexistent museum in 1992, then eventually determined to be a fake. The Smithsonian isn’t exactly invoking the name “Indiana Jones” as part of the publicity, but hey – capitalizing on a movie to sell museum admissions is nothing new, right?
Are Boomers “Drunk On Disappointment”?
According to a new survey, baby boomers are just about the whiniest, most dissatisfied generation in American history. And furthermore, past studies seem to indicate that they’ve been this way all along. “People born in times of cultural renewal tend to take an overt attitude of pessimism… They see their pessimism as a tonic that will wake up the world, then they just end up drunk on disappointment.”
Knitting Factory Going National, But Cutting Back In NY
It may not have the national reputation of some of New York’s better-known music venues, but the Knitting Factory has been one of the major centers of the city’s so-called “downtown music” scene for two decades. Still, times have been tougher recently, and the venue is simultaneously pulling out of Manhattan (in favor of Brooklyn) and expanding operations to Boise, Idaho and Spokane, Washington.
Hals & Turner Paintings Bring Millions
“Artist Frans Hals’ painting, Portrait of Willem van Heythuysen, has exceeded its estimated price and sold for £7m ($13.8m) at a Sotheby’s auction in London… JMW Turner’s Pope on the Thames at Twickenham sold for £5.4m ($10.7)- the fourth highest price for a work by the artist ever achieved at auction.”
Brits Pick Rushdie As Best of the Booker
“Sir Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight’s Children has won the Best of the Booker prize, as voted for by the public. The 1981 book beat five other former Booker winners shortlisted from the prize’s 40-year history.”
NY Billionaire To Fund State Theater Renovation
“David Koch, recently called the wealthiest resident of New York City, has agreed to contribute $100 million toward the renovation of the New York State Theater, which is home to the two companies. His gift will be the largest private capital donation in Lincoln Center’s history and a triumph in a period of growing economic uncertainty.”