Proof, in pictures and words, that David Bowie is the TS Eliot of our time

Fragmented language, Nietzschean elitism, and disillusionment with art: could Low have been inspired by The Waste Land?

Both ground-breaking in their respective fields, they antagonised readers and listeners with obscure references and unusual structures. Eliot and Bowie showed similar signs of frustration with their contemporaries, but the two have only rarely been linked to one another.

In a 1974 interview between Bowie and William S. Burroughs, himself a devotee of Eliot’s cut-up style, the following exchange took place:

Burroughs: I read this ‘Eight Line Poem’ of yours and it is very reminiscent of T.S. Eliot.
Bowie: Never read him.
Burroughs: (Laughs) It is very reminiscent of ‘The Waste Land.’

Bowie considered Burroughs to be ‘the John the Baptist of postmodernism,’ so it appears likely that he would have followed up on this. Three years later, Low was released.

Both early Eliot and Bowie’s Thin White Duke persona were interested in literature, mysticism and the occult, and both entertained a quasi-Nietzschean intellectual elitism coupled with ostensibly conservative views. Nervous and eccentric behaviour is another point in common: Eliot occasionally wore green face powder and demanded to be called ‘Captain,’ and you’ve probably heard the rumours about Bowie preserving his urine in the fridge to avoid being cloned by aliens.

The TWD’s fashion sense also seems to be modelled on Eliot’s dandyish appearance: pale, thin, with slicked-back hair, austere monochromatic clothes, a fedora hat and black overcoat.

Both works were composed in volatile political times, and Eliot’s and Bowie’s psychological conditions were far from stable. Outer and inner worlds became increasingly difficult to express through language: both felt a distrust of semiotics, lamenting the impossibility of precise utterance, so their work became increasingly non-linguistic. Eliot concentrated on the poem’s visual and spatial elements, bringing attention to the form. Similarly, Low is mainly instrumental, and the few lyrics are enigmatic. Both subverted expectations, drawing attention to the artifice, and form began to merge with content.

The artists both challenge the idea of a single, fixed identity: they hide their own personality by giving a voice to numerous different characters. The Waste Land, originally entitled ‘He Do the Police in Different Voices,’ provided an outlet to the thoughts and speech of characters within the personality of Eliot. Bowie, known for his chameleonic alter-egos Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane, in the guise of the Thin White Duke splits even further: ‘Be My Wife’ is sung in a theatrical cockney accent, ‘Warszawa’ suggests someone from Eastern Europe, and ‘Breaking Glass’ is performed in a terse, unemotional voice. The juxtaposition of speakers undermines the idea of one central voice or of one correct meaning: we are never sure who the ‘real’ Bowie or Eliot is.

Perhaps counterintuitively, Eliot and Bowie both allude extensively to traditional forms of their particular art in their attempt to modernise themselves: Eliot refers to Chaucer and Baudelaire, and Bowie alludes to old-fashioned and foreign music including chanting, harmonicas, ragtime riffs and saxophones. These are then set against modern techniques: Eliot’s untraditional versification is at odds with the classical poets he references, and Bowie’s synthesiser sounds especially futuristic when contrasted to ragtime piano jingles.

Both works, bringing to light the impossibility of originality, are characterised not by an intrinsic ‘newness’, but by a Modernist yearning for the new. And this, I would argue, is what makes both works so innovative: they seem to admit that they do not operate in a cultural vacuum, and that they are not – and cannot be – original.

Still not convinced? Here are 4400 more words on the subject, with references and research and stuff, based on an essay I wrote in 2009.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter @kathryn42 and check out her blog London Scrawling.

See also:
In-depth interview: Flash fiction publisher Holly Clarke explains how a 60-word story can still mean something
Read ‘the worst poet ever’ William McGonagall’s terrible poem about London

One Minute With Bethan Clark of Olga's Room

We wanted to do Olga’s Room because…

…Speaking in Tongues aims to share little known European plays with English speaking audiences in Britain and across the continent. We commissioned the translation of Olga’s Room, from the original German, which focuses on the life of Olga Benario, a 1930s communist, Jewish, freedom fighter. She was a bodyguard to Louis Prestes, a rebel leader of the 1920s opposing the dictatorship of Getúlio Vargas in Brazil and, on a mission to overthrow the dictator, was captured and imprisoned in Brazil and later Germany.

The play tells her struggle for survival as she clings to her disintegrating sense of self, although rather then being intended as an homage, it explores the reality of a woman who had an astonishing but agonisingly complex life. As an actress it’s great to play a woman of such depth. We premiered in Luxembourg City and are delighted to be bringing it to the Arcola for its UK premiere.

We want people who see our work to…

…talk about it afterwards – if it makes people discuss, question or comment on what they have just seen then we’ve succeeded in having an impact beyond a simple engagement of sitting down and watching a play, then leaving and saying ‘ that was alright’.

I was drawn to theatre because…

…there is a shared experience between performer and the audience in a live environment, plus, there is a delightful danger in it. Every performance is different, every audience is different and I like that constant shifting dynamic.

The best thing about my job is…

…Having the opportunity to do different projects and collaborate with many different people. The specific benefit of running our own theatre company is being able to work on projects such as Olga’s Room and involving a team of people to make work we are proud of.

The works that inspire me are…

…works that are human. I mean that in the sense that there is an honesty, which is not necessarily always pleasurable to experience but is true. From comedy to tragedy: seeing the soul of something that inspires me.

You must go and see…

…Julius Caesar at the Donmar, I enjoyed seeing an all female take on this classic production. My training has included the MA in European Classical Acting at Drama Centre and I am always keen on seeing or being involved in interpretations of classical texts that appeal to modern audiences. Having a high profile director and venue doing an all female cast raises the debate about the position of women in the industry as a whole, and as a woman in the profession this issue is important to me.

The best advice I ever got was…

…be yourself and don’t judge others.

The best advice I can give is…

…it is better to try and fail than never to try for fear of failing.

The thing I love most about theatre in London…

…is the variety of theatre that exists, particularly on the Fringe because there is a vast choice of style, content and venues all fed with a passion for the work.

The thing I hate most about theatre in London is…

…once you are older than 25 subsidised cheaper ticket schemes stop, I didn’t hit 25 and was suddenly able to afford the theatre! Would be nice to see no age limit and there always being affordable ticket options whatever age you are and regardless of whether you are member of a group.

It’s my last day on earth so I will…

…spend it with my family and friends…..ideally there would also be cocktail drinking involved.

Boris Johnson to close 65 police stations to public

Boris Johnson plans to close 65 of London’s police stations to the public under proposals released today.

The following stations will lose their front counters:

Barking and Dagenham

MARKS GATE POLICE OFFICE
DAGENHAM POLICE STATION
BARKING POLICE STATION

Barnet

WHETSTONE POLICE STATION
BARNET POLICE STATION

Bexley

BELVEDERE POLICE STATION

Brent

HARLESDEN POLICE STATION
WILLESDEN GREEN POLICE STATION

Bromley

BIGGIN HILL AIRPORT
ORPINGTON POLICE STATION

Camden

WEST HAMPSTEAD POLICE STATION
ALBANY STREET POLICE STATION
HAMPSTEAD POLICE STATION

Croydon

PURLEY, WHYTECLIFFE ROAD SOUTH 9 & 11
KENLEY POLICE STATION
ADDINGTON POLICE STATION
NORBURY POLICE STATION
SOUTH NORWOOD POLICE STATION

Ealing

GREENFORD POLICE STATION

Enfield

SOUTHGATE POLICE STATION
WINCHMORE HILL POLICE STATION

Greenwich

THAMESMEAD, JOYCE DAWSON WAY 11
GREENWICH POLICE STATION
WOOLWICH POLICE STATION

Hackney

HACKNEY POLICE STATION

Hammersmith and Fulham

SHEPHERDS BUSH POLICE STATION

Haringey

MUSWELL HILL POLICE STATION

Harrow

CIVIC CENTRE HARROW
PINNER POLICE STATION

Havering

RAINHAM POLICE OFFICE
HAVERING PASC
STRAIGHT ROAD 84-86
HORNCHURCH POLICE STATION

Hillingdon

NORTHWOOD POLICE OFFICE

Hounslow

FELTHAM POLICE STATION
BRENTFORD POLICE STATION

Kensington and Chelsea

CHELSEA POLICE STATION

Kingston upon Thames

MILLBANK HOUSE GROUND FLOOR NORTH

Lambeth

CAVENDISH ROAD POLICE STATION
CLAPHAM POLICE STATION
GIPSY HILL POLICE STATION

Lewisham

BROCKLEY POLICE STATION
SYDENHAM POLICE STATION

Merton

MORDEN POLICE OFFICE 3 CROWN PARADE
TOOTING POLICE STATION & FORMER SECTION HOUSE

Newham

NORTH WOOLWICH POLICE STATION
STRATFORD POLICE STATION

Redbridge

WANSTEAD POLICE STATION
WOODFORD POLICE STATION

Southwark

CAMBERWELL POLICE STATION
EAST DULWICH POLICE STATION (NEW)
ROTHERHITHE POLICE STATION

Sutton

CROSSPOINT HOUSE PART GND & FIRST FLOORS

Tower Hamlets

BOW POLICE STATION
ISLE OF DOGS POLICE STATION
POPLAR POLICE OFFICE

Waltham Forest

WALTHAMSTOW TOWN CENTRE OFFICE SNU
WALTHAMSTOW POLICE STATION
LEYTON POLICE STATION

Wandsworth

JUBILEE HOUSE PUTNEY
BATTERSEA POLICE STATION

Westminster

HARROW ROAD POLICE STATION
ST JONH’S WOOD POLICE STATION & FORMER SECTION HOUSE
MARYLEBONE POLICE STATION & FORMER SECTION HOUSE

Islington and Richmond Upon Thames will retain all of their existing front counters, although Holloway Police Station will no longer be open 24 hours.

Dozens of others will no longer open 24 hours a day. New “pop up” counters are planned in supermarkets, coffee shops and post offices.

You can read the full plans here.

Christian Wolmar attacks plans for third Blackwall Tunnel

Leading transport commentator Christian Wolmar has come out against plans by Boris Johnson and Labour councils to build a third Blackwall Tunnel at Silvertown.

Wolmar, who is standing to become Mayor of London in 2016, said that he “cannot support” the tunnel because it would “lead to more congestion not less.”

He told The Scoop:

“I like the idea of a ferry but cannot support a road tunnel. It would undoubtedly lead to more congestion not less. The oversize problem should be dealt with through better management of the tunnel.”

He also told a meeting last night that he would “have a word” with those in the Labour party backing the plan.

Wolmar’s intervention exposes a deep rift amongst members of the London Labour party over their support for a new road tunnel between Silvertown and the Greenwich Peninsula.

Labour councils in Greenwich and Newham officially support Boris’s plan, but many local activists and leading figures in the party do not.

The chair of Greenwich Labour Party David Gardner has already signed an online petition against the plans saying that it would be “bad for air quality, bad for CO2 emissions [and] bad for people’s health.”

Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone has also criticised the plans.

He told The Scoop during his last campaign to be mayor that it would be “mad” to “dump all that extra traffic in the area around the Greenwich Peninsula.”

The leadership of Newham Council are also thought to be divided over the issue.

Although they officially support a new tunnel, they have told Transport for London that their support is conditional on a new road bridge also being built at Gallions Reach.

TfL have no plans to do so in either the short or medium term.

The launch of Greenwich and Newham’s campaign for two new road crossings across the Thames was hijacked by environmental campaigners last week.

Greenwich Councillor Denise Hyland admitted that they had done no studies into the impact of their plans on traffic and pollution levels before launching their campaign.

TfL are currently consulting over the proposals. There is also a petition against the Silvertown Tunnel here.

MPFree: Music Finland @ Eurosonic 2013

Music Finland has released a mixtape in advance of this weekend’s Eurosonic Nooderslag 2013, featuring those Finnish acts performing at the festival in Groningen, Netherlands. Amongst the tracks is a free download from the much touted Phantom (pictured).

We’re outrageously jealous of those able to attend this year’s Eurosonic, but this mixtape has soothed the pain somewhat, so thank you Music Finland.

Honey by Torres

Neatly sidestepping the obvious here soccer fans, this track from Nashville’s Torres, aka 22-year-old Mackenzie Scott, has been working its way through the blogs like fellow Tennesseans Kings of Leon through a remote girl’s public school dorm. Justifiably so: It is, as one Youtube user emphatically states, ‘absolutely devastating’, a shining advert for the virtues of the me ‘n’ my guitar ethos; PJ Harvey at her bluesy rawest before she adopted the persona of a disgruntled May Queen – with added gospel introspection.

Torres’ self-titled, self-released debut is out January 22. Pre-order here.

"My only hope is that some voter in Brixton Hill doesn't do a Google search and end up on this thread."

What’s London’s first big political battle of 2013? It’s only the Brixton Hill by-election, isn’t it?

Former Lambeth Council leader Steve Reed is now the Labour MP for Croydon North, so after his by-election win, another by-election must be held to fill his old post at Lambeth.

After Reed’s Big Society-esque “co-operative council” put several noses out of joint down Lambeth way, you’d expect a determined challenge from the left. Step forward the Socialist Party of Great Britain, which has put forward candidate Danny Lambert to fight the poll on 17 January.

So, what healthy debates can we find on the party’s website

“I hope the SPGB does use a candidate photo.”

“Goodness me! That would mean breaking with tradition…..”

“It’s not a popularity or beauty contest but a gauge of socialist consciousness and a measure of our own effectiveness as a party.”

“No personalities, just Socialism.”

“I couldn’t give a flying fuck what other parties’ candidates do; they can show pictures of their arses for all I care.”

“There is no ban on obscenities. If you think such words should be censored you are free to bring a resolution to conference via your branch.”

“Bad news, you fucking prick, I have withdrawn my resignation and I am keeping an eye on you.”

“Personally, I would rather be called a prick right out in the open, than be nibbled away at by underhanded abuse, akin to bein nibbled to death by rats.”

“My only hope is that some voter in Brixton Hill doesn’t do a Google search and end up on this thread.”

Ooops. Too late, Comrades.

If you do want to see what Danny Lambert and the other candidates look like, then the excellent Brixton Blog is holding a hustings this Thursday.

Analyse this: why is the idea of a cat cafe so popular with Londoners?

This week, as if 2013 had made a new year’s resolution of itself – the resolution being to be more about cats – came news of a proposed “cat cafe” at which Londoners would be able to buy tea, coffee and cakes, and to hire the services of a pliant mog.

This idea has proved wildly popular. At the time of writing, the cafe’s crowdfunding page has two and a half thousand Facebook Likes and has raised over £5000. Commenters there seem genuinely excited, moved even, by the notion of drinking in a cafe of cats.

Why is this? How can we explain the strength, and the depth, of this collective response? Here are some theories.

1. It’s an extension of the “generation rent” thing

It is, on reflection, entirely understandable that a generation of humans who are compelled to rent their homes by the month and their cars by the hour should think it natural to rent their pets as well. For one thing, as renters, many cannot keep a cat of their own. For another, ownership itself is an increasingly old-fashioned conceit. This is the baby boomers’ cultural bequest to their children: that permanence be for the old, the wealthy, and the dead. Our lives are but sequential experiences, to be paid for by the hour. The cat experience is just another to add to the bucket list.

2. The monetising of cats is the logical end point of our hyper-consumerist society