Introduction and the Downfall of Popular Culture

John and Edward were actually written about in the Bible under the names Cain and Abel.

So (twiddling my thumbs), what should I blog about? Well, as it is my first, it is going to be a bit introductory, but I will try my best to get my literary teeth into something of substance.

Question: What are my blogs going to be about? Answer: Everything from rants about 'Jedward', to discussions about religion, art, film, etcetera, and coming full circle to rants about Louis Walsh. I only hope that my blogs share mutual tendencies: originality, insight, wit, creativity, rationality, but most importantly intrigue.

What is this literary pugilist going for first then?

Popular culture and the state of British society. I have serious discrepancies with mainstream celebrities, stars, performers, and such like, as I worry about the adverse effect they all have on our society and culture; is contemporary British taste content with (at best) mediocrity? Since when has anyone wanted to watch second-rate dancing on a Saturday night? Is the ability to make jokes a prerequisite of comedy? Should the ability to sing be integral to a music career, or is it subsidiary to other/any-thing else? Is being an extrovert enough to be famous? All these questions don't seem to emerge from the 'average' British spectator. Bearing all this in mind, my biggest annoyance is obviously reality television.

Let's put it another way: I am not interested when my own brother gets a haircut so why would I care about Beckham's? I don't! My interest in David Beckham stretches as far his work on the football pitch (and maybe the post match analysis, if he can muster up enough literacy for a 30 second interview). The same is true of my favourite musicians: if they are bringing out a new album, that is interesting, if they recently broke up with their girlfriend, that is not.

This leads onto another of my aggravations: Stars of yesteryear actually had to do something and their worth is evident as they remain as popular today in spite of being, away from the mainstream (or even dead). I love 'The Who' and also respect 'The Beatles' but there are plenty more examples from previous generations that were as good and will be remembered. Can we really say the same for the current generation? Will our children really be singing along to Cheryl Cole in the future? Mine won’t! Will there be a Calvin Harris version of Singstar? No! Looking beyond the BritPop movement (as this precedes the current celebrity-obsessed cult of today by just a few years) we can only really offer Coldplay and even they are not exactly revolutionary.

Let’s get rid of reality television shows and in my opinion let Ricky Gervais have the primetime slot on Friday or Saturday night, heck let him have every night. I would rather watch reruns of Only Fools and Horses than BBC’s next hit comedy, as it will inevitably be rubbish.

Quality needs no caption.