Editor’s Blog: 22 February 2010

Really enjoyed last night’s radio show but there one surprise that JJ confronted me with that made my night. “Put your headphones on, I want you to listen to this…” So I did as ordered and was duly blown-away. I never knew that a capella heavy metal existed (and neither did JJ), maybe somewhere out there in Avatar land… But no, there it was and sounding fabulous. The 6-piece band responsible is called Van Canto from Germany and the only instrument used is drums. JJ played the band’s version of ‘Master Of Puppets’ which sounded stunning. Here’s some info on the band:

“We play Heavy Metal A Capella. Melodic metal songs, arranged for 5 singers and one drummer. All instruments that would be played by musicians in a regular metalband are imitated by our voices. Bass, guitars, solos, keyboard sounds. On top we put two lead singers, a male one and a female one. But we left the drums what they are, as we do not do disco pop. And having a drummer like Bastian it would be a shame not to let him play.”

As of late 2009, van Canto is recording their third studio album in Twilight Hall Studios, with Bauerfeind and via Napalm Records. The album will contain around 11 tracks, fewer covers than Hero and a couple of bonus tracks. It is due to be released worldwide in early 2010, which will happen alongside the worldwide release of their previous two albums. The album was announced at Nuclear Blast official website as Tribe of Force. The tracklisting features 13 tracks, two of them being covers (”Master of Puppets” by Metallica and “Rebellion” by Grave Digger), and three of them featuring guest artists: Victor Smolski (from Rage) guest appears in “One To Ten”, Tony Kakko (from Sonata Arctica) guest appears on “Hearted” and Chris Boltendahl (from Grave Digger) guest appears in “Rebellion.”

Look out for these guys, you will be dazed, confused and not a little inspired…

My twin brother and I were brought up to care and look out for others. I’ve witnessed bullying first hand, especially at a boarding school my brother and I attended in Wanstead, East London.  There was one boy who was different in several ways and who was no friend of ours, but whenever we witnessed him being taunted we would step in. At the same school was a teacher who was also taunted by his students and who ended up attempting suicide (we never found out if he was ’successful’). On a much larger scale, dictators bully through censorship, torture, murder and the removal of the most basic human rights. The rulers of Zimbabwe and Burma spring to mind. The difference between children and dictators is that more often than not children are not fully aware of the severe and sometimes long-term psychological damage they are causing to others. I’ve read that bullying is used in all its dreadful forms to assert power and control over victims - through fear. It reveals gross inherent inadequacies in its perpertrators, who may themselves be victims. I have also witnessed bullying in the workplace from bosses who are less than competent managers, and who use this awful weapon to protect their own fragile existence. Today, bullying is a hot topic through press revelations about the country’s prime minister which may or may not be true. The defence from his close colleagues I’ve read and heard is that he is just being assertive, passionate and single-minded in dealing with the many problems facing the country. All I can say is treating one’s associates with openness, respect and fairness is the only way to achieve a loyal and effective team. And if it’s actually uncontrolled rage that’s the problem, someone needs help. What really people need is inspiration, not intimidation (whatever the reason).

Editor’s Blog: 21 February 2010

Tonight’s the night for the British movie industry with the BAFTA awards ceremony in London, a precursor to what may happen at the Oscars. The nominations remind me of the music industry where the biggest sales, budgets, airplay and hype usually have a major influence on who gets what. James Cameron’s Avatar is up for many awards including best film, but I really wonder if a movie which had everything thrown at it, including UK-deficit level funding which made the technology available, really deserves to be nominated as best movie. I can understand awards being given to it for various production aspects, but is it art? Avatar hasn’t received a single nomination for acting…

Perhaps there’s an irony in Kathryn Bigelow’s (Cameron’s ex-wife) Hurt Locker receiving the second largest number of nominations for the Oscars, a relatively low budget film reflecting the real rather than the impossible and imagined. Last year’s best film winner was nothing more than a feel-good, dream movie, albeit with some nasty (and overblown) moments, which of course it tempted many bums-onto-seats. This year I noted that Cameron’s movie has not been nominated for any Oscar animation awards which I find kinda strange… I hope art and something approaching reality wins in 2010.

I have a love-hate relationship with radio playlists. My own for tonight has been changed several times and for several reasons including the dubious use of MP3/CDR tracks instead of the ‘real things’ (which were never received for review), and may not play on the studio’s hypersensitive pro player. In any event, this morning I finalised it after uncovering some musical pearls. Ocean Colour Scene is just too consumer-friendly for the ‘happenin’ critics. But the new album, SATURDAY, is a tremendously good one, enough for me to forsake a CDR for the real thing at my local HMV. I think it’s the band’s best album to-date and I had real difficulty choosing which tracks to play. Melodies, lyrics, production and performances are excellent, so listen in and enjoy! I delved into my parts bin of musical history and found a heavy rock record by Dear Superstar called HEARTLESS and was blown away by a record I had never played before. Melissa Auf Der Maur’s debut album from a couple of years ago also sounded much better this time around, which is fortunate since she is soon to release new material. More searching, more playing, more soul-searching and I reckon that tonight’s show will be one of the best ever. But then I would say that wouldn’t I…

Editor’s Blog: 20 February 2010

Credit Where Credit’s Due

There are still a couple of gems in the BBC’s rather tarnished crown. But the one that shines most brightly is Radio 4. Today I listened to the compelling Saturday Play written by David Hare and starring David Tennant. ‘Murder In Samarkand’ centres on the true story of Craig Murray, former real-life British ambassador to Uzbekistan. Murray hit the headlines back in early 2000 when he tried to alert the British government and others that Bush and Blair’s moral and financial support for the Uzbekistan’s President Islom Karimov and the ‘war on terror’ was resulting in a campaign of racism, torture and murder in that country.

“UN Honors Racist Dictator, Who Boils People Alive, with “Cultural Diversity” Award UNESCO gives Karimov “diversity” award - despite the fact he tortures innocent Muslims to death for fun and political kickbacks from Bush and Blair, who use phony confessions for war on terror propaganda…”

Murray warned the British government that in accepting and using information resulting from torture was, in his view, illegal. The play painted an honest picture of Murray as a belligerent Scot with a flawed character who drank and womanised. But it also clearly illustrated Murray’s commitment to helping Uzbekistan’s people. He had a conscience. The play went into a significant amount of detail, including the way he was treated by his immediate superiors at the Foreign Office, and the twenty trumped-up charges made by them to try to remove him from post. He eventually lost his family (he confessed to his wife that he loved a local lady, whom he later married) and was hospitalised with severe depression, but eventually returned to his job, albeit working from his residence as he was not allowed back into the embassy. Murray finally ‘gave up the fight’ and now lectures around the country on demand. The play concluded with two poignant pieces of information. The first was the thanks he personally received from the son of an Uzbek mother jailed for six years and freed early. The second was when Murray asked a university to send his travel expenses in advance so he could travel to a lecture.

I was left with the following conclusion: Thatcher destroyed the concept of social responsibility and began the destruction of the UK economy. Blair destroyed the UK’s integrity and any faith left in politics and politicians.

Well done the BBC and all involved with this wonderful play, which happened to be broadcast at a point in time when the ‘information through torture’ debate is highly topical.