I’d like you all to post a comment, listing your Top 10 … something  – cultural – tunes, films, books, plays whatever. The simple act of compiling this should start you thinking – why do you like these ?; would others have the same list ? why not ?. Why do we listen to the same song, watch the same film again and again. Memories?, peer pressure ?, society ?

All of which may give you a litle insight into the world of programme planners on radio/TV how do they choose what millions will view

I’ll start…

Mr Mac’s top 10 films

10. War of the Worlds (original)

9. Things to Come

8. Rio Bravo

7. Singing in the Rain

6. Sixth Sense

5. Forbidden Planet

4, Flying Down to Rio

3. Road to Perdition

2. To have and have not -

1. Casablanca  -

Yes, I know they’re old (so am I – at least they are not all in black and white) and yes, there’s far too much Sci Fi, but as I’ve said it is my list. so come on then let’s have yours

film ?, muisc ? books ?

Popular culture is a term much used in the media, quite often in a derogatory sense.
‘With so much of popular culture glamourising guns…’
‘Globalisation has spread American concepts of popular culture across the world , often at the expense of local traditions …’
‘The rise is popular culture has lead to a “dumbing down” of much television programme content….’

In this  we cannot hope to cover all of the ground and answer all of the questions raised, but we can perhaps start to think about our topic and form some opinions

Icons
This idea is central to the our ideas of the nature culture. The concept that, in essence,some things encapsulate our ideas of what culture is all about.

This site has a growing list of English icons. But, look carefully at the specifically cultural ones.

Are these very ‘middle class/older people’s’ choices ? – The Archer’s are there but not Eastenders;  Monty Python but not Little Britain. Is current pop culture underrepresented ?

Icons Quiz 1
Try this quiz how did you get on

Celebrity Culture
Handbag magazine is one of many publications which are devoted to the worship celebrity culture.

Does this do any harm ?, is it just a bit of fun ?

Do people know/care more about the lives of their favourite celebs than of their own families and friends ? Should this worry us ?

Celebrity Culture – Aspirations
This is an excellent , but worrying, article about the the impact of celebrity culture on children’s aspirations/career choices. Is this just harmless fantasy or does it cause harm.? . Think about X factor – many contestants can’t sing ; have bizarre personalities – but believe , despite these shortcomings, that they can be stars. Should society protect these people from their self delusion

Andy Warhol ( a famous sixties artist ) once said that in the future everyone would be famous for 15 minutes – is his prophecy coming true

Dumbing Down
The rallying cry of the middle aged is that society is dumbing down,-TV, exams, music etc. etc.  That we are becoming less cultured. This links to series of articles about this wide ranging topic. Just pick a few to look at

The Dumbing Down Quiz
O. K. just how cultured are you ?. Should your score worry you ?. Will it make any difference to your life if you can name the Big Brother contestants but not the tragedies of Shakespeare?

My Score ? Well, I didn’t know who was in Euro 2000 or who Tom Paine is

And Finally…
You may think that this is just a UK debate, this article is one of many from across the world which proves otherwise

Go Out
This week, try to go and see some cinema/theatre – low culture or high culture – your choice
Number 8 Pershore
Evesham Arts Centre
Palace Theatre Redditch
Artrix – Bromsgrove

• What is Art ?

• What do artists do ?

• What artists do you like ?, why ?

• Has the nature of what constitutes Art changed in past 50 years

• Is a modern art installation as ‘artistic’ as , say, the ‘Mona Lisa’ – who decides ?

• In times of financial restraint should we still be spending money on public art ?

These links will take you across a wide range of tastes and themes. Explore the sites carefully. Look at the images, , do they provoke an emotion, what did the artist want the viewer to think when he/she created these pieces.

Papal on Pink

Is this art ? Does it offend/amuse. What is the artist’s purpose in creating this ?

Constable

Is this different to the works above , Why ?. Is it more artistic ? or just different ?

Banksy

A “Guerrilla” artist. His work , even though he does not describe himself as an artist, is designed to provoke. Look for the ‘indoor’  vandalised oil paintings
Warning some images on this site may offend

Antony Gormley
Despite their unremitting modern style Gormley’s works are highly regarded even by those who would not normaly consider themselves to be art lovers- why should this be ?

The Unilever Series 2010: Ai Weiwei
The Unilever series of commissions at Tate Modern have been some of the more controversial large scale pieces of art of modern times. The current piece – Sunflower Seeds 2010 – consists of 100 million, hand made porcelain sunflower seeds.  Is this art and does it fulfil its desire to: … look more closely at the ‘Made in China’ phenomenon and the geo-politics of cultural and economic exchange today.

Turner Prize
This is one of the most prestigious prizes in the art world. The artists and their works always provoke controversy about the nature of art.

Create you own Art
Yes, I know, you are far too old and sophisticated for this, but have a go… You know you want to

Karlheinz Stockhausen
One of the most controversial of the modern composers. Many of his pieces have caused outrage amongst both critics and audiences. Follow the title link to listen to some pieces – If you only have time for one, listen to the Helicopter String quartet (.Helikopter-Streichquartett) completed in 1993. In this, the four members of a string quartet each perform from their own helicopter flying above the concert hall. The sounds they play are mixed together with the sounds of the helicopters and played through speakers to the audience in the hall

Philip Glass
Glass is a more accessible composer and his works are highly regarded. His early works are forms of minimalist music, but these have evolved into a unique style. You can often hear his work and influence  in adverts, documentaries and films.

X factor
This show, and its many clones, have been reviled and celebrated in equal amount. How big an influence do they have on the UK music scene/ popular culture. Can 11 million people ( typical audience) be wrong ?

John Cage
John Cage has been regarded as one of the most influential musicians and composers in the 20th Century. His compositions push the boundaries of what could be called music. As “Imaginary Landscape 1” shows

Perhaps his most controversial work is 4:33, which is ‘performed’ by a group of musicians who sit in total silence for 4mins and 33 seconds before leaving the stage
Listen and watch

Biosphere
This collective are regarded as ‘gods’ by fans of Norwegian Ambient music. Is this just too bland  ? – listen and decide

Japanese Pop
In Japan, pop music is an enormous cultural influence. Jpop fans are realy fanatical about their music. The title linked cartoon for example is a hand drawn fan made product. You really must listen to some of this as a part of your wider music appreciation and this group did support the Kaiser Chiefs on one of their tours

Junior Eurovision
And finally, what about this ?. A great chance for young people across Europe to come together in a spirit of peace and harmony or just ‘sick and wrong’ – listen if you dare – the clips are, thankfully,short.

…and to finish here is the 2009 Belgian entry .. the yodelling starts about 1 min in …you have been warned

Go Out
There are many live music venues in the area. Make an effort to go and see at least one live music session this month.
Cox’s Yard – Stratford

Set the video/ Watch online
The Story of the Guitar
BBC series tracing the history of what is probably the world’s most popular musical instrument

Watch it on line at the link