Tag Archives: women

Fate

Sitting on the toilet praying for the Lionesses to score. Seconds to go. Divine intervention is needed. Surely it can’t work but suddenly there is a roar from next door, and they have done it. The teenager Agyemang has scored, England are through to the semi finals if they win a penalty shootout against Sweden. This is a comedy of errors, no praying needed, just watching in disbelief as the pressure becomes too much for each spot kicker and the goalkeepers are getting better and better. Up in Liverpool, rushing back for the semi final second half. Again behind, this time to the underdogs Italy. We don’t look like scoring, Italy are being cynical, delaying, fouling. I get in the hotel lift, go downstairs, go outside. Still no goal. It isn’t going to happen this time. I ascend back to my sweeping apartment, turn on the Telly. Still playing but it all looks forlorn. I give up watching. I give up on the lionesses, but then I think, one last moment, to the toilet and really pray, for the people who this means so much too, all the fans, my partner especially. I’m on the BBC sports app, then suddenly a 1 appears by England’s score. You must be kidding.I do believe in god. Incredible. I turn the TV on again and watch extra time where Italy give us a silly penalty, Chloe Kelly steps up, the penalty is saved but she gobbles up the rebound. No worries. Spain will surely beat us in the final, so technical, passing patterns. We start well for a change, matching them but gradually they take the ascendancy and score. Lauren James looks lost and injured. Kelly comes on again, and immediately there is more drive and impact. 1-0 at half time is a good score. We will come back, we do, Alessia Russo planting an almost identical header to the Spanish opener. We drive on but can’t add a second. Extra time, Spain start to take control again. We defend for our lives. Penalties again, all of our senior players off exhausted, injured, wounded. But Hannah Hampton, notes written up her sleeve, she knows the score. No praying needed. Chloe Kelly to win it. Of course it is. Struggles with her club, a loan transfer back home to Arsenal, redemption, a European cup, back with the Lionesses. No nerves. Loving the moment. Repeating her act of three years before. The game changer, the finisher. Incredible. The story was always going to end this way wasn’t it.

Blank Canvas

So for any people out there interested in creativity, especially within music, my first book, Blank Canvas, is available from Intellect Books. Remarkably good value for a book that straddles academic and commercial values. Lots of info from creative artists including Brian Eno, Pauline Black, Gavin Bryars, Barry Adamson, Roy Ascott, Gina Birch, Gaye Advert etc…..

https://www.intellectbooks.com/blank-canvas

Learning from Vietnam

The US – Vietnam War ended in 1975 with American troops airlifted out of Saigon, ending eight years of another attempt to take aways the country’s independence, it’s freedom to exist, Continuing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine demonstrate the lack of learning that the human population undertakes. Or maybe it is the people in power who learn. That they can do anything and the fog of information, the lack of a true story deflects attention, confuses the masses. Travelling through modern Vietnam, dodging the mopeds, it is really difficult to fathom the reasons behind the war. Reds in the beds. McCarthyism in America where a communist spread was a frightening position for Republicans and Democrats alike. Vietnam is the most beautiful and friendly country. The people have forgiven. They love Westerners whilst keeping a wary eye on China to the North. War, what is it good for. Absolutely nothing of course and you realise the sheer stupidity of trying to bomb the hell out of a diverse and opaque land where the camouflage of the jungle and the brilliant local knowledge is bounds to defeat the enemy, carpet bombing from above. B52 craters litter the land, now creating objects of war for tourists to take selfies besides or filled in as finishing lakes. Tunnels at various levels where life could go on unhindered, were the enemy could be surprised, passing hidden entrances and attacked from behind. Like in Gaza, finding ways to defeat the over powering superpower, going underground to get out of the jam.

There is the demonstration of collective strength from the Vietnamese people, a common goal to get on with life and make the most of their opportunities and resources. Legendary leader Ho Chi Minh left the country to learn about all aspects of life, from pot washing to gardening, supporting the French Communist party before returning home from hiss exile voyages to support the implementation of collective politics at home. Vietnam still contains a Socialist government with the cracks of Capitalism breaking their way through, but a common understanding and Buddhist leaning life is abundantly clear in the happiness, the joy de vivre of the people. They laugh and work as small groups, spreading out to a vital whole. Vietnam is rebuilding through its people, its verdant growth. Built on the back of a non hierarchical mixed patriarchal/ matriarchal society where women can be seen building houses and men in the kitchen. Wandering through parks and closed weekend streets in Hanoi, the lilting tones of Boney Em to One Unlimited filter through as groups of women dance in step, teenagers hang out on sultry evenings in Hoi An working on routines and theatre sketches, peacefully in each others company, not getting drunk or jacking up. Peacefully, happily together. Strong groups, strong families.

poster of a female soldirer in the Vietnam war
outline of a female solider on a window of the Vietnamese Women's exhibition in Hanoi.

Images from the Vietnamese Women museum in Hanoi, Vietnam

In Retrospect

So its that wonderful time of the year when top 10, 20, 50 lists are compiled by all and sundry, books, albums, tracks, exhibitions, TV programmes, films etc.. Culture laid bare by the usual protagonists. In my world of popular music culture the lack of diversity and retrospective nature of the so called music books of the year I find staggeringly depressing. Topping the Times list is the alternative mainstream funk of Sly Stone, sound interesting to me, but the rest include tombs on Madonna, Bowie, the BeeGees and Barabara Streisand. OMG. Surely music books of the year should not be so biographically in the past and mono cultured. There is a whole other array of music writers and publishers that the regular mainstram of White Rabbits, Faber, Rough Trade have a slightly more eclectic mix, including Jeremy Deller’s Art is Magic, although it does include Rick Rubin’s rambling rough ruminations on creativity. He aint no Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi that.s for sure. Too many male authors too, lads talking about lads in bands. Boring. Atleast Audrey Godden’s reconstruction of Factory Records hits many a list. Whatever year final retrospective you view there is a lack of black identified music genres including grime, jungle, reggae, or global music outpourings around South American, Asian, or African music cultures. Music is also of the hear and now, not just for getting back to the Beatles and their ilk.