Blog

Tracing The Political Line

There may be no more powerful editorial tool than the cartoonist’s pen, and a sharp-eyed reader can trace the political fortunes of those in the public eye by observing the way in which they are depicted by those merciless caricaturists. A new exhibit in London examines just such a progression by displaying British cartoonists’ visions of Prime Minister Tony Blair over the course of his career at the top of the Labour Party. “A decade ago, cartoonists emphasized Blair’s broad smile, intense gaze and large ears. But over the years they have become crueler — and funnier — as Blair himself has changed.”

A Quarter-Century of Granta

Literary magazines come and go like the seasons, but this year, the London-based journal Granta is celebrating its 25th anniversary, a stunning display of longevity for a magazine that has systematically refused to run with the crowd. “Throughout its quarter-century of existence, Granta has thrived on contradiction. Out of those contradictions spring its strangeness — and success… It’s unusual among literary magazines for publishing more nonfiction than fiction and hardly any poetry. Although based in London, it has numerous American contributors, and more than half of its readership is American.”

Australia’s First-Ever Ring

Australia is about to see its first-ever fully-staged production of Wagner’s “Ring.” “After the weightiest of preparations in the history of Australian opera, the singers, orchestra and conductor are in place, the costumes finessed, and the audience readying itself to descend on Adelaide, mostly from interstate, America and Europe.”

Encore, Schmencore!

What is it about pop concerts and encores? “There isn’t a soul on earth with even a passing connection to the popular culture who isn’t familiar with the faux art of the encore. Jackson’s divalicious milking of the audience was an especially unsavory example, but the fact is that, by and large, most encores are simply the final two or three songs of a show preceded by a built-in adulation break. They’re not only prescribed, they’re scripted. Typed on the set list. Preprogrammed by the lighting technician. Complete with pyro, videos, and confetti-strewn finales. We live in the auto-encore age, and we jump through the hoops like trained animals.”

Encores? What’s Wrong With A Little Extra Sugar?

“Yes, encores are as predictable as a Nor’easter in January. Yes, crowd members not only can predict that there will usually be an encore, they can sometimes name at least one song that will be performed — for Prince, it’s ”Purple Rain”; for Patti LaBelle, it’s ”Over the Rainbow.” Still, encores are part of the unwritten covenant between artist and audience. It’s dessert, the last bit of sweetness to polish off a stunning meal. The main show finishes, the fans stomp and scream, fire up their lighters if they’re feeling kitschy, and when the artist feels he has been duly adored, he returns like a conquering hero.”