Another Year In Pop: 12

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Tick rate on these polls has been down a little recently but I sense that may change this week as two of the most hotly-tipped new releases share chartspace. Yes, Guillemots and One Night Only are back! Back!! BACK!!!!

[Poll #1160081]

Comments

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

The Iraq war d00d!!!

Robin's basic political position is that Britain has become a 51st state in all but name and that pop music has played a key role in facilitating this transfer of national interests without many people protesting about it. So Estelle is basically a quisling!

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

I...did not know that. Huh. He must not get out much, right? I can see why one might think that if one's impression of Britain was gleaned entirely from government press releases but I've never felt more kneejerk anti-Americanism in this country than in the past five years precisely BECAUSE of the Iraq war.

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

yeah but the war is the ONLY reason for that criticism and makes the UK just like a 'blue state' on that basis. actual "oh and they're all fat and arrogant" zings have pretty much died out because, well according to the news at least, the UK is also now as fat and as arrogant as 'them'.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

You know, I'd be fine with being a blue state!

[chezghost.livejournal.com]

the news indicates we as a nation are if anything a purple 'anti-war, anti-immigration, anti-social' state.

[koganbot]

Well, I'd elaborate on this by saying that a lot of his complaint is about the defeat of social democracy in favor of American individualism, his argument about rock and pop being that its smashing of tradition made it seem (or actually be) progressive in its time (the '60s) but that this smash actually cleared the way for Thatcherism. Whereas Britain should be leaning towards Europe (and Eurodisco!) instead.

Am I getting that right? The argument is way way simplistic, and he does not understand the Rolling Stones, but it's definitely worth thinking about. But I'm not sure he's arguing that Britain is a 51st state, that Thatcherism was merely Reaganism imported east, or that capitalism is fundamentally American. Sinker to thread. (Or Carmody to thread, for that matter!)