Category Archive: MUSIC
Accidents Will Happen
Songs in Our Heart # 1 (We have sounded off about songs we dislike intensely, and had lots of lovely negative feedback! But in the interests of restoring harmony, we are starting a series of random tunes we love (or perhaps only one of us does) and we will continue as we think of more. Thanks also to those sporting sharers at YouTube – TVC doesn’t endorse any ads that may pop up!): Accidents Will Happen (Elvis Costello & the Attractions) (Written by Elvis Costello; released May 1979) [The perfect pop song, full of sound and fury, signifying everything.]
Continue Reading →Terry Wogan
Programme Name: n/a - TX: 20100101 - Episode: n/a (No. n/a) - Embargoed for publication until: n/a - Picture Shows: - (C) BBC - Photographer: Lorenzo Agius
Michael Terence Wogan (3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) The Varnished Culture farewells this mellifluous long-standing caller of the Eurovision Song Contest. He obviously loved the event, but that didn’t stop the old smoothie from dripping the occasional cup of acid, particularly when hosts gave too much of themselves or acted like ‘eejits’, or when anticipating the voting predilections of each country, which he did with uncanny accuracy (and sardonic smugness). You’ll be missed Woges.
Continue Reading →10 (or more) Songs We Hate
1 Always Take the Weather With You (Crowded House) – [dreary and nasty, almost hostile.] 2. Why Does it Always Rain on Me? (Travis) – [Why don’t you stop whining and buy a brolley?] 3 Born to be Alive (Patrick Hernandez – there is dispute in the TVC house about this one) [Ecch!] 4. Wonderful Christmastime (Paul McCartney) [Worst Xmas song ever.] 5. Happy (Pharrell Williams – there is a dispute here too) [L – unhappy] 6. All That She Wants (Ace of Base) [“she’s gone tomorrow” – why not today?] 7. I Will Always Love You (Whitney Houston version) [a…
Continue Reading →10 Reasons to Hate Bowie
Well, it is easy to venerate Bowie of course, and De mortuis nihil nisi bonum but no major figures are completely loved. Here’s some drawbacks advanced simply in the interests of total candour –
Continue Reading →Pierre Boulez
(26/3/1925 – 5/1/2016) I hold a box set of records of a Bayreuther Festspiele production of Die Walküre conducted by Pierre Boulez, who died on Tuesday last. Other conductors work hard to give audiences what they want to hear: the famous baton-less Pierre worked the crowd towards liking what he wanted: atonal purity and the trampling of populism. As Michael Tanner, in his Wagner, recounts, the Boulez/Chéreau production of The Ring in Bayreuth “moved from provoking physical violence in 1976 to unqualified triumph in 1981” (at page 57).He recognised the need to dare and to irritate – that failures paved…
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