ed peto

Revolutions create a curious inversion of perception. In ordinary times, people who do no more than describe the world around them are seen as pragmatists, while those who imagine fabulous alternative futures are viewed as radicals. The last couple of decades haven’t been ordinary, however. Inside the papers, the pragmatists were the ones simply looking out the window and noticing that the real world was increasingly resembling the unthinkable scenario. These people were treated as if they were barking mad. Meanwhile the people spinning visions of popular walled gardens and enthusiastic micropayment adoption, visions unsupported by reality, were regarded not as charlatans but saviors.

When reality is labeled unthinkable, it creates a kind of sickness in an industry. Leadership becomes faith-based, while employees who have the temerity to suggest that what seems to be happening is in fact happening are herded into Innovation Departments, where they can be ignored en masse.

Clay Shirky, in his excellent article Newspapers And Thinking The Unthinkable

Clockwise from top left: Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner), David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer), and Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest). Photograph by Art Streiber.

Everyone’s favourite ‘Mock Band’ Spinal Tap celebrate their 25th anniversary this year. To celebrate, the three band members – Nigel, David, Derek – re-unite with original mock-umentary director, Marty DiBergi for an hilarious interview with Vanity Fair Magazine. While almost every line is comedy gold, here is a quick snippet to give you an idea:

What about the look? Have you thought about updating your look-maybe getting a makeover for the new tour?

St. Hubbins: I actually grew this beard. I’ve authored a self-help book. And they won’t let you appear on the cover of a self-help book unless you have facial hair…. It’s called BYOM: Be Your Own Me. Don’t be my you. Be your own me. And also, don’t be so sad. That’s the main message: Don’t be sad. Take your sadness and shove it up your ass.

What would you say are the influences on the Spinal Tap sound?

Smalls: I would say that a great and unrecognized influence on our sound has been sonar. A lot of our records, if you have the right system, you can hear messages to marine creatures.

Tufnel: And there were some tapes we heard early on-this was probably in the late 60s-of Royal Naval sonar tapes, we heard. Fascinating.

DiBergi: You had a big whale following, didn’t you there for awhile?

Smalls: No, that was just the groupies.

Full interview here.

Ed

Photo Credits : “Unknown local residents”. Originally found here

The Mandarin Hotel, part of the yet-to-finished CCTV complex in Beijing, burns after being hit by fireworks celebrating the end of the Spring Festival. 9th February 2009

Many congratulations to Neocha.com who recently turned 2 years old. Featured here is a bit of footage from their birthday party in Shanghai, courtesy of a drunken Adam Schokora, including a solid rendition of Kraftwerk’s ‘The Model’, as covered by Sun Ye and Zhu Baixi.

Find the rest here.