66. Invaluable
I.
Last weekend I was at Best Kept Secret, where I was blown away by the fantastic St. Vincent and PJ Harvey. Where a tent was turned upside down thanks to Mula B’s narcopop. Where I escaped Disclosure to the British arrogance of Baxter Dury. And where I finished the weekend with a bang with Justice and their mind-blowing light show. The latter was the only real headliner show of the weekend.
In the podcast De Machine, Atze de Vrieze and Malou Miedema chat briefly about the festival. And in doing so, they briefly raise an interesting question: why does Best Kept Secret even have a main stage? And indeed, the best bits were in the tents. I hardly saw any artists on the main stage.
Incidentally, the same podcast also features setlist.fm, where people add setlists from concerts they’ve seen. I visit the site regularly, as it’s a treasure trove for anyone who goes to live shows often and wants to look back at when they saw a particular artist and what they played at the time. Or if you want to prepare for an upcoming live show. I’ve often wondered: who actually enters all those songs – sometimes even during the concert? De Machine spoke to two avid setlist.fm users.
II.
In my aunt and uncle’s attic, there was an old-fashioned television. No remote control; you changed channels using buttons next to the screen. If the picture was fuzzy, you’d give the set a whack. As a child, I used to watch the live-action film adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on VHS with my cousins on this TV. I remember how dark that film was compared to the cartoon series and how scary I found Splinter at the time. The rat (a Jim Henson puppet) is chained up and tortured in the film.
This year marks the Turtles’ 40th anniversary. They have lost hardly any of their appeal. TV series, action figures, films and comics featuring Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo in the lead roles are still appearing here. I’m currently reading The Last Ronin, a brilliant miniseries set in a future where only Michelangelo is still alive. He wants revenge on Hiroto, the grandson of Turtles villain Shredder. Michelangelo blames him for the deaths of his brothers.
Fans regard the comic as a high point in Turtles history. You’ll understand why when you read it. Not only are the illustrations stunning, but the story carries an emotional weight you might not expect from a Turtles comic. The story is being adapted into a film and a game is in development.
The regular Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series recently ended after 150 issues. The first issue of a new main series is due out soon, a great time for fans to jump in (again) and a major moment in the world of comics. Cowabunga, dudes!
III.
Over 293,000 people signed a petition against the VAT increase on books, magazines and newspapers. These are set to become considerably more expensive, if the new government has its way. The policy agreement of that same cabinet states that literacy is extremely important. We are almost used to the contradictions of our new leaders. The circus hasn’t even entered the first town yet and the tent is already on fire.
I’m not sure how much use such a petition is, but I signed it anyway. A VAT increase like this can only mean that people who read little will face an even higher barrier to getting started. People like me, who enjoy reading, may be forced to read less because it is no longer affordable. ‘Don’t make books a luxury item,’ wrote three people from the book trade in de Volkskrant.
In my view, books are for everyone and there are books for everyone. If you’re not a reader, it’s simply because you haven’t found the right book yet. That’s why I find the Dutch Lottery advert so offensive. In the video, which is meant to be funny, a man is given a book as a birthday present. “Well, what a stupid present!” he says. To which she replies: “Just the sort of book nobody ever reads.” The advert is basically saying that you’re better off buying a scratchcard than a book. What a great lesson – that’s how we help the Netherlands move forward.
PS.
It was WWDC week, so Apple announced lots of new software updates. The focus was on AI, the acronym the company is trying to claim as Apple Intelligence. That’s clever. And not for the first time. People with an iPhone don’t talk about their phone, but about their iPhone. People don’t talk about their tablet, but about an iPad. Who knows, maybe soon we’ll all think of Apple when we read ‘AI’.
Afterwards, Apple boss Tim Cook joined Marques Brownlee. Cook is given plenty of scope to ramble on without too many follow-up questions, but it is quite amusing to see him fumble as he searches for words to say something positive about the Magic Mouse. He ends up talking about the mouse’s ergonomics, which he can hardly mean seriously. (Just so you know: I’m a staunch opponent of Apple’s mouse and really don’t understand why people use the Magic Mouse when you can also buy a Logitech MX Master.)
---This weekend’s Volkskrant features a bizarre story by journalist Angela Wals. She was identified by gossip channels as Tom Egbers’ mistress. None of those reports were true, but the damage had already been done. Out of nowhere, Wals found herself at the centre of attention, being hurled abuse and ridiculed. Even the truth was of no avail. It just goes to show how unfounded and uninformed information can damage a person’s life.
The classic film Seven Samurai is celebrating its 70th anniversary and, to mark the occasion, it is being remastered in razor-sharp 4K. It is being re-released in cinemas in the United States; hopefully Dutch arthouse cinemas will follow suit. I certainly plan to watch it again. In a recently published newsletter by (friend of this blog) Peter Bogert, you can read more about the importance of Seven Samurai in the world of cinema.
---A third Paddington film is on the way. This time, the British bear is going on holiday to Peru. The previous instalments (especially the second one) were great fun and heart-warming, so I’m looking forward to this one too. The director is different this time, though. It’s not Paul King but Dougal Wilson who is directing Paddington in Peru.
---The members of R.E.M. reunited after 17 years, as the band was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. “With us, it was one for all and all for one,” said Michael Stipe during his acceptance speech. “We’ve always remained friends.” R.E.M. then played Losing My Religion one last time (of which there are very few clips on YouTube). They gave a rare interview to CBS.
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