Is Art more valuable than Science? - Another Love to Lead question

Another impossible question with a million different interpretations as to what the question even means.
You can take it as - would you rather listen to the Beatles or fly to India.
Would you rather see the Mona Lisa, or understand Relativity.
Would you rather read Ulysses or be immune from Smallpox.

It is fair to say there is a time and place for Art and Science. Art is generally what keeps people happy while science provides tools to make certain tasks easier and can perhaps solve more social problems.
Having said that, if it wasn't for science would the planet be in such a state?
Would we be facing environmental catastrophe if it wasn't for the industrial revolution and the prevalence of cars and planes?
Would the danger of nuclear weapons be hanging over our heads if it wasn't for science?

Art tends to be harmless, and often healing, while science can be the most destructive force known to man.

I'm being vague here because it's a vague question but my heart lies in the Art camp. I think we live in a society where Science is considered to be the answer to everything but if you actually speak to a scientist you realise that the more we uncover, the less we tend to actually know. Science comes with the pretence of being a panacea for the world's problems when actually it is nothing of the sort. Is the world we live in as easy to understand as taking a few readings and calling that empirical? Very little scientific research is flawless and you can usually find someone who can make a counter claim based on their own research so who should we believe?

At least with Art you know where you stand - it is all about feelings and knowing how a piece of music, book, sculpture or painting affects you and makes you look at the world in a different way.

Does the human race really want to take science over art?
Living in a futuristic world with no music or books but with a clean environment, pills instead of food and a life path that is defined at birth based on "research"?

I'd rather take my chances with disease and listen to Abbey Road.

Sausage Night 3 - Battersea Arts Centre

A comedy night with a free sausage sandwich thrown in - what could be more appealing?
Tonight was a fundraiser for the BAC, which seems to have been under threat from the local council for as long as I can remember - this is the third in an annual charity series - so at least three years I guess...

The Arts Centre is a funny place, we are shepherded down the side of the building and through a hall resembling somewhere I used to have scout meetings, up back stairs and along corridors which felt like a primary school. The Grand Hall itself had plastic chandeliers and a flat floor with rows of some of the most uncomfortable chairs I have spent time with, perhaps explaining why there were two intervals.

Robin Ince was an affable compere and did a good job of getting the crowd focused after the intervals, he is difficult to dislike without being a must see act. The first section consisted of two sets from Ince and the gay American comic Scott Capuro who had to go to perform elsewhere later that evening.
He was hilarious but incredibly close to the bone, taking in the gamut of racism, sexism, homophobia, paedophila bestiality and anything else in between. "It's a bit too early for me isn't it" he smirked at one point.

The second section introduced Josie Long who did a very brief set, she is another likeable and entirely off beat performer who I felt maybe tried to be too mainstream for the benefit of the audience, which I don't think she needed to do. Disappointing that she wasn't on for longer though, and the same could be said of Never Mind the Buzzcocks host, Simon Amstell, who seemed to be looking for an excuse to get offstage almost as soon as he was on it. He apologised for trying out new material on us and when it ran out scarpered. Now, some of it was funny, but quite why he couldn't have mixed old and new to extend at least for 15 minutes escaped me.

The final section was two powerhouses and two of my favourite comedians.
Stewart Lee told us about his recent endoscopy and explained how Joe Pasquale is a thief, while Mark Thomas told us about his record breaking new hobby of demonstrating in Westminster.
Neither disappointed with excellent, well balanced sets that had the audience rolling. Lee in particular had the crowd from the first sentence and kept them laughing for the whole half hour with his brilliant delivery.

Overall it was a good night although I was particularly disappointed with Amstell and thought the overall organisation could have also done with a bit of work.
Decent Sausage though.

Just Jack @ Astoria
I wasn't expecting a lot from tonight if I'm honest but what a pleasant surprise. Now I'm a fan of UK Hip Hop and I did like Jack's album, but I tend to prefer the grimier end of the spectrum, the likes of Akira the Don. Jack's sheer excitement and a warm reaction from a packed Astoria made this a gig it was difficult to dislike though.A good set, mostly taken from Overtones, his second album, but with a couple of songs from his first thrown in was well balanced and his banter kept things flowing.New song "Goth in the Disco" was a ripsnorter of a tune, although I'm not entirely sure I agree with the sentiment!Of course he saved his big hit "Starz in their Eyes" for the one song encore and it went down a treat, but the gig had been great up until that point anyway - the single was just the icing on a very tasty cake. Which of course is the way it should be. Oh, and it wasn't Just Jack either - his band were tight, the drummer was very good in particular.

More Love to Lead debate...

Is Immigration killing National Identity? -- Love to Lead

In the Global society we now live in, I think first the question must be asked - is National Identity even relevant any more. Nation States are after all a construct and one which has constantly changed over history, both in terms of boundaries and also in how they are considered.

I live in London - and there probably isn't a greater melting pot of cultures and backgrounds in all the world. I don't really consider London to be an English City - or even a British one, it is a world city and one which is vibrant, exciting and full of possibilities - not least because of the immigrant population.

I can't help thinking that the real divide between people should be seen as the difference between rich and poor, the haves and have-nots in this world. How many governments really put the best interests of the poor in our society ahead of big corporations or rich individuals? At the high levels of government there is almost always corruption and people looking out for themselves, the needy are blinded by the idea of national pride into following the leader who is screwing them over behind their backs.

Sounding pretty Marxist now aren't I?

Anyway in a nutshell I guess Yes Immigration is killing National Identity - and I kinda see that as a good thing..

Will copyright pirates kill television?


I think it rather unlikely that Television will be killed by YouTube, although if I'm honest I spend more time watching clips online than I do watching standard TV.For your average person though I think the idea of sitting in front of a computer for their evenings entertainment is not a very positive one. The effort required for getting online content is not something the majority are prepared to undertake at this moment - although I guess the easier it becomes the greater this appeal will become. To say it will kill television though is scaremongering in the extreme. What YouTube in particular offers is the possibility of watching content that is not available on normal television - some of this may infringe copyright but surely if it has already been broadcast and the advertising has already been paid for a show what is the problem with creating a little more interest and buzz by having it popular on the net?Since the Video Cassette was introduced in the '80s it has been possible to copy television content - the only difference now is the medium - it is slightly easier to disseminate the recorded video online but if television survived VCRs, DVDRs and Sky Plus style technology then I can't see how online piracy is going to be any different. If there is inherent value in any piece of work then surely that will bear out in the end. The trouble with the current trend in extending copyright restrictions is that you are restricting who can see works based on a financial gain - in an era when there is so much content being bandied about - surely the whole value of the Internet as a medium is being restricted. I have gone well off topic here but the "will pirates kill television" argument is one which can be extended to all forms of entertainment, and with the overwhelming answer being no. If Television was "killed" by pirates then pirates would have nothing to pirate - so what would happen then? Piracy has not killed video games, cinema, DVDs or any of the other markets that claim to have been threatened in the past - the truth is that if you have a product that is good enough people will buy it - whether it is available pirated or not. In fact pirated copies often just provide the opportunity to try products that would not otherwise have been considered - the argument that it is theft doesn't hold up if you would never have purchased the product in the first place. The other truth is that creative people will always create - musicians will make music and filmmakers will make films - at the end of the day it is the corporate bodies behind them that are trying to recoup costs that lose money.

Air @ Kentish Town Forum

I've been a fan of Moon Safari, Air's debut album, since it came out in a swell of French music that swept Britain during the late 90's. Daft Punk were the other big electronic band to break at the same time and although the two came from different ends of the dance spectrum they became a movement - at least in the eyes of the music press. Air have released another 5 albums since them but none of them has contained anything as anthemic as Sexy Boy or Kelly Watch the Stars, they may have been good albums, last years Walkie Talkie had its moments, and the new Pocket Symphony has some good collaborations but none have been quite as good as a whole as their debut. With no guest vocalists tonight though, it is easy to drift off slightly during the long instrumental sections that dominate the middle of the set. It is interesting to see the band work, with one of the guys providing what had always previously sounded like female vocals while the other's funky bass lines and use of vocoder on Sexy Boy were a highlight. So technically very nice and competent but for me they needed a bit more sparkle, and maybe a Jarvis Cocker moment to elevate the gig to the next level.

Mind The Gap @ Roxy Bar and Screen

So another in the Documentary season at the Roxy, and this time ex Mi5 man David Shayler takes a look a the events of July 7th 2005 when London saw suicide bombers detonate bombs on the transport network. I have heard a lot of the conspiracy theory stuff before and think there is a very strong case to be made for at least a public enquiry to be held into the events of that day but I didn't feel this film added much to the debate. Raising more questions than it was able to answer and showing a production quality that was straight off the Internet - which was particularly noticeable on the 4ft screen here, what was lacking was hard evidence. There is no smoking gun, not even a building seven, but a public enquiry does still seem appropriate. An entertaining night but nothing new.

Ash @ ULU

Now a three piece again after Charlotte left lat year Ash seem to have regressed to their punky beginnings with seemingly half of tonight's set coming from their debut 1977.

Not that this was a bad thing for me - It's the only album of theirs that I own and was one of my favourites back in the Britpop days. It's just a bit worrying for me that a band that is still going ten years after they were formed is heavily relying on their earliest material to get the crowd going and bulk out the set. The sound overall wasn't great either, a muddy mix highlighted the lack of finesse in the band. Now this is the first time I've seen them live so I don't really have a frame of reference but I can imagine they are still in a period of transition after Charlotte leaving - losing a quarter of your line up I guess is going to affect the live performance and I can only think this is why they were playing the smaller venues in the first place - trying to tighten up the act. Maybe this is also the reason for the reliance on early stuff - when of course they were a three piece - certainly its the only reason I can think that they didn't play Shining Light which was one of their more successful later singles.

So I sound disappointed - and in a way I was but having said that to pogo up and down to Girl From Mars and Kung Fu like it was '97 all over again was a bit of a treat and they do still have an energy about them - fitting really since they are actually still younger than some of the Kaiser Chiefs.

Is Euthanasia fundamental to a civilised society?

Love to Lead gets controversial…

I don't think it is fundamental to a civilised society but I don't think it should be illegal either with certain provisos.

To say "fundamental to a civilised society" brings visions of Soylent Green to mind and the idea of killing off old people because they are past a useful age, or disabled children as the Nazi's did. For the terminally ill who are in constant pain and who are mentally aware enough to be able to request Euthanasia I don't see how anyone can deny them that. It would clearly need to be closely regulated, as state sponsored suicide lends itself rather too well to exaggerated tabloid headlines, but with a doctor's guidance and full consent required it doesn't seem to me like too large a step to take.

Roxy Bar and Screen - Documentary Season - Empire in the Andes

The first time I have visited the Roxy on Borough High Street but I doubt it will be the last - reminiscent of places in South East Asia where you can sit and watch pirated DVDs over your dinner, this place is a touch classier and shows less mainstream stuff - for obvious copyright reasons that don't bother the populations of Laos or Indonesia. Last night was a documentary about US imperialism in Colombia and the support they have given to the "War on Drugs" in Plan America which has left the country in a state of civil war. The US has had operations in Central and South America for many years and it is well documented, but somehow these actions seem to slip under the radar of the mainstream media and the billions of dollars spent on military aid or on US companies supporting activities in the region are ignored. The list of US contractors spraying coca crops with fumigating chemicals went on and on. These companies are funded and run from the US but because they are not directly government or military they don't get the same level of coverage. These actions destroy other crops in the region and cause peasant farmers to lose their livelihoods and they are forced to move into the cities. The documentary sketched out an overall US plan in the Andean region covering oil pipelines and the dominance they hope to gain in the region. South American politics has started leaning left in the last few years with Hugo Chavez leading the way in Venezuela but also Bolivia and others beginning to take a more socialist route. I hope this continues and the US is scuppered in its schemes which seem to leave the majority of the region in conflict.

Hot Fuzz After Spaced and Shaun of the Dead Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have a lot to live up to. I'm not convinced that they do with this homage to the cop genre set in a small village in Gloucestershire. It is a stellar cast, including Timothy Dalton as the most blatant arch villain you are ever likely to see. It is surprisingly gory as well, resembling a horror film at times and yes it is all done in the name of pastiche but a head being caved in by falling masonry is difficult to watch even for comic effect...!I enjoyed Hot Fuzz but it wasn't as laugh out loud funny as I was expecting and Edgar Wright's direction borders on the manic at times. It makes for an entertaining ride and one that I think you could get more from subsequent watches. I wonder if the initial problem I have is with Pegg and Frost playing slightly different characters, Frost is not as abrasively useless as in previous encounters and I'm not sure the puppy dog is really him.

Love to Lead - Can Money Buy Happiness?

Money - the root of all evil!

It can no doubt buy a good time, and apart from that, a comfortable time. I think people don't appreciate the value of money until they have a lack of it.Whether it can buy happiness though is another question. How do you define happiness? Is anyone happy all the time? Poor people surely have times when they are ecstatic just as rich people have spells in the doledrums.

It's another vague Love to Lead question which really can't have a sensible answer.

People find happiness in different things - friends and family are important but surely they can't always be there to make you happy. I think being happy and content the whole time is a wholly unlikely proposition regardless of the amount of money you may have. It can mean you have a lot more time to go and get drunk and party - but then there are always the mornings after. It can mean you can do good deeds - and this is probably the crux of where happiness comes in - if you feel what you are doing with your day is worthwhile and rewarding then that must surely be the best way to spend your time. If you have too much money though then maybe the temptations it offers can make you forget the things that are really important to you.

It's all a matter of how you consider money I guess - it is a strange construct in many ways and one which keeps the majority of the population enslaved to its vagaries. The company I work for does it's business with financial institutions but the market within which they work constantly baffles me. The movements of stock which can be seen as a game for stockbrokers and the like can have real tangible effects on people in the real world and yet it is just so many numbers on a screen.

The billions of dollars that the likes of Warren Buffet and Bill Gates have are impossible to even visualise for the majority of people. In America, the Federal Reserve, like the Bank of England, is an independent body, not governed by the state. It has the power to set interest rates and print money as it sees fit. Which essentially gives the bankers the power to create money out of nothing. Bank Charges are unfair you say? The whole system of banking is skewed towards the rich - it's like being at a casino - the house always wins.

Unfortunatley this is the world we live in and we can't ignore that - much as I'd like to do a Fight Club scene!

Who amongst us wouldn't want to have the opportunity to be financially independent for the rest of their lives? It begs the question though - what would you spend the money on in order to make you happy?

I've gone off topic a little here but I think the crux of what I'm trying to say is that Money is designed to keep the average man unhappy - or at least preoccupied with the thought of it. Interesting that the first time many people looked at the global warming issue was when the recent financial report containing the amount of damage (in money terms) rising tides and the like would cause!

Accidental Collectors - Aram

I have often walked past the Aram store on Drury Lane, looked in the window and thought that the various trendy bits of furniture looked nice and colourful but no doubt completely out of my price range. £3000 for a slightly uncomfortable chair pretty much reached my expectations. On the third floor at the minute though is an interesting collection of artifacts. Aprons, clothes pegs, gas lights and glassware are among the things that have been collected and put on show here. All very interesting, particularly given the location - found things like these in a shop which makes itself exclusive mainly through price. The exhibition itself is appealing though showing a potted history of design through its pieces but also how design can be based on necessity or lack of resource - the kerosene lamps from India being a key example of this. It attempts to show the different mindset of "collectors", people who are obsessed with finding artifacts that fit their designs. I'm going nowhere fast with this but suffice to say its a nice little collection - worth a look but unless you have money flying out your ears don't be tempted to look at the sofas on the way out!

Noisettes @ Fopp

So a far bigger audience than last time I was down here and despite 3 Drowned in Sound acts being on tonight the Noisettes are by far the biggest pull.Playing an acoustic set, rather than blowing the roof off in this little basement, they sound very different to on the album "What's the Time Mr Wolf?" It's a crowd pleasing set though, LEAD SINGER, has a powerful voice and emotes the songs even more when not competing with the electric guitars. An unexpected cover of I Wanna Dance With Somebody was lovingly performed and you realise that this lot are not quite as serious as first seems. Next big thing? Maybe