Julie Burchill forced to apologise for twitter comments , and pay out a fat wedge .

[SpookyFrank]

Can anyone get me a breakdown of where a) Julie Burchill, and b) each individual contributor to Novara Media stand on this important issue?

Aaron Bastani believes that the answer to the question of whether the Wicker Man is a musical is, against all logic, somehow 'communism'.

 

[Wilf]

Anyway...

 

[strung out]

Tbf the only musicals I can remember watching are the South Park movie and La La Land, both of which I liked.

You've never seen the Jungle Book, Aladdin, Lion King or Snow White?

 

[strung out]

The last few pages of this thread read a bit like when people say that Kazuo Ishiguro or Margaret Attwood can't possibly be writing Science-Fiction, because they're good.

 

[Pickman's model]

Tbf the only musicals I can remember watching are the South Park movie and La La Land, both of which I liked.

how come you've never seen my fair lady or grease or the rocky horror picture show or kiss me kate?

 

[Pickman's model]

The last few pages of this thread read a bit like when people say that Kazuo Ishiguro or Margaret Attwood can't possibly be writing Science-Fiction, because they're good.

we have struck a seam of snobbery

 

[rubbershoes]

Excellent, the type of pseudo-Celtic sacrifice and rebirth ritual we need more of on Urban, particularly at this time of year. Is this the sort of malarkey that goes on at those Offline events?

Come along and find out

 

[Santino]

You've never seen the Jungle Book, Aladdin, Lion King or Snow White?

Like Frozen, large chunks of those films work perfectly well without the songs. I'd say they're a sort of hybrid.

 

[Pickman's model]

Like Frozen, large chunks of those films work perfectly well without the songs. I'd say they're a sort of hybrid.

yes, you would

 

[Yossarian]

You've never seen the Jungle Book, Aladdin, Lion King or Snow White?

Oh yeah, I forgot about the Disney stuff. And "Jerry Springer: The Opera."

 

[Yossarian]

how come you've never seen my fair lady or grease or the rocky horror picture show or kiss me kate?

I did see Grease and Rocky Horror many years ago, now you mention it - without this thread, I never would have realised that I'm such an aficionado of musicals.

 

[chilango]

What about Mama Mia and Mama Mia 2?

Films (musicals?) that whilst solely consisting of sings with no other narrative or action to speak of would still make more sense without the songs?

As a kind of blissful John Cage esque musical of just the sound of the waves washing gently onto Greek beaches with occasional distant muffled clink of a wine glass being roughly set down on a bar table?

 

[Pickman's model]

I did see Grease and Rocky Horror many years ago, now you mention it - without this thread, I never would have realised that I'm such an aficionado of musicals.

i've managed to avoid the sound of music for more than 40 years now. and you must have seen - willingly or no - mary poppins

 

[killer b]

fwiw I particularly liked the apocalyptic brass band sound of the later parts of the Wickerman score, and would like to hear more music like that if anyone can point me in the right direction

 

[AmateurAgitator]

The only decent musical is the Blues Brothers. I do not count the Wicker Man as one, but it's a good film.

I mean a devout, prim and proper, stuffy christian copper coming to a sticky end and having the piss taken out of him throughout the whole film, what's not to like.

 

[Sue]

Tbf the only musicals I can remember watching are the South Park movie and La La Land, both of which I liked.

Jeez, your mind will be blown if you watch an actual decent musical.

 

[Knotted]

In my opinion any film with non-diegetic music is a musical. I just sit there thinking, well where's that music coming from?? I don't really get the difference - dreamy musical sequences that abstract you from the realism of the film are just the same as everybody singing!

By that entirely just made up measure, the Wicker Man is a musical but only because of the Corn Rigs bit with the plane at the beginning. Otherwise the music of the film is entirely part of the island we are exploring. Which is magical, I think. Films should be made like that.

 

[killer b]

Jeez, your mind will be blown if you watch an actual decent musical.

La La Land is great though.

 

[Sue]

La La Land is great though.

Would've been much better not as a musical. And it's not a patch on the classic musicals of yesteryear. (I couldn't believe the reviews it got. I thought as a musical it was pretty mediocre.)

 

[eatmorecheese]

So are we expecting "Burchill: the musical" any time soon? Haven't read the thread closely enough

 

[hitmouse]

The last few pages of this thread read a bit like when people say that Kazuo Ishiguro or Margaret Attwood can't possibly be writing Science-Fiction, because they're good.

As someone who's only read Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World, I stand by the claim that Ishiguro isn't writing science fiction. Although I am open to anyone who wants to make the claim that Remains of the Day is actually a musical.

 

[Knotted]

So are we expecting "Burchill: the musical" any time soon? Haven't read the thread closely enough

Could you please stop trying to derail the thread!

 

[AmateurAgitator]

I forgot about the South Park movie. That was great. Haven't seen it in years though, but I really enjoyed it at the time.

 

[Kaka Tim]

Oliver.
Is great.
And definitely a musical.
So there.

Wicker Man - film with music. Characters sing songs in reality - they dont break out of the plot to sing and/or dance.
By the same token - not sure Cabaret is strictly a musical .

Anyway - to sort of bring things back to the OP here's our Julie dribbling asking weather identity politics will kill the musical. Will identity politics kill musical theatre? | The Spectator

I got as far as this -

For months now, since I first read about the plans for the Steven Spielberg/Tony Kushner remake of West Side Story, I’ve been musing on how the heavy hand of political correctness may well crush this most sumptuously subtle of musicals ...

and judged i really didnt need to read anymore .

 

[bimble]

I’m going to have to sit there and watch the wicker man aren’t i, managed to not find this necessary ever so far but now I need to, so I can have An Opinion.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Oliver.
Is great.
And definitely a musical.
So there.

Wicker Man - film with music. Characters sing songs in reality - they dont break out of the plot to sing and/or dance.
By the same token - not sure Cabaret is strictly a musical .

Anyway - to sort of bring things back to the OP here's our Julie dribbling asking weather identity politics will kill the musical. Will identity politics kill musical theatre? | The Spectator

I got as far as this - and judged i really didnt need to read anymore .

Heroic on-topic posting!

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I’m going to have to sit there and watch the wicker man aren’t i, managed to not find this necessary ever so far but now I need to, so I can have An Opinion.

It's great. It's a thoroughly enjoyable romp. With some music.

 

[hitmouse]

I’m going to have to sit there and watch the wicker man aren’t i, managed to not find this necessary ever so far but now I need to, so I can have An Opinion.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, I think you need to sit down and watch the Wicker Man while also having a zoom call with Julie Burchill discussing whether identity politics is ruining it. Unfortunate, I know, but I don't make the rules.

 

[Pickman's model]

I’m going to have to sit there and watch the wicker man aren’t i, managed to not find this necessary ever so far but now I need to, so I can have An Opinion.

 

[DaveCinzano]

I wonder if you check the edit history it's just people editing the word 'musical' in and out over and over again?)

If only there was a way to find out