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Oxymoron: Liverpool 2008 European Capitol of Culture?

Oxymoron: Liverpool 2008 European Capitol of Culture?

Old Jan 4th, 2008, 09:32 AM
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Oxymoron: Liverpool 2008 European Capitol of Culture?

Though Liverpool may not be known for highbrow culture IMO it certainly deserves consideration as a main culture capital of Europe, for its cultural contributions such as revolutionary music from Merseybeat rock groups like the Beatles.

In any case Liverpool is the 2008 annointed Culture Capital of Europe and the British Tourist Authority has sent out a press release listing its many lures - including:

The Internationa Slavery Museum that opened in August highlighting aspects of the slave trade in the Americas and worldwide.

Historical WWII-era sites like the Gothic Church of St Luke, blitzed into ruins in 1941 and left as is - on the grounds is a new memorail commenorating the victims of the Great Irish Famine 1845-52 - a bone to Liverpool's teems of Irish folk

Princess Road Synagogue, since 1874 a place of worship and has exhibits on Jews in Liverpool

FACT - Foundation for Art and Creative Technology for solks into film, videos and multimedia art forms.

The Aintree Racecourse hosts the Grand National, U.K. richest steeplechase Apr 5, 2008

Anfield Road Stadium - 'home pitch of Liverpool Reds Premier League soccer team whoses season runs thru May - VIP tours take visitors behind the scenes here.

Wallasey Golf Course is a World Heritage Site

The Alma de Cuba, a 'trendy restaurant wiht a Caribbean theme in a former Roman Catholic church

And of course the Liverpool Wall of Fame where the Beatles grace the wall in front of the Cavern Club

And special for Cultural Capital Year Paul McCartney will kick off the Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield Rd Stadium on June 1 along with a host of other performers.

www.visitbritain.com for more details
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 09:50 AM
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With a post title like that, you just have to be fishing for Flanners.
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:06 AM
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Flanneur is so extremely articulate and educated that i just don't buy his reputed Liverpiddlian background - can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear you know
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:08 AM
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Dear Editors:

Your search function's on the blink again.

Understandably, people from some of the world's greatest cultural deserts are questioning why Liverpool ("the centre of the consciousness of the human universe": Allen Ginsberg; "The Pool of Life": Carl Jung) has been appointed one of this year's European Capitals of Culture).

There must have been similar questions on your site about Sibiu's selection in 2007. Or Patras's in 2006. Or Luxembourg's. Or - God help us - Weimar's.

But try as I might, I can't find any of those questions. And I've been to Sibiu, Patras, Luxembourg and Weimar. Hellholes the lot of them. Almost as bad as most of the other fleapits that have been given the title. But your awful search system just won't reveal posters' snide comments about those dumps.

And don't give me any of that rot about "no-one moaned about Sibiu". It's impossible even to be aware of Sibiu and not moan about it. YOur system's not working.
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:16 AM
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Well on 2nd thought flanneur sounds like he's a Liverpiddlian after all, with that Babel
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:17 AM
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Hitler's sister lived in Liverpool

CHOLMONDLEYFAIRLYIFFYFACT!
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:22 AM
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I've checked. It was Hitler's Brother and his wife (the Wonderfully named Bridget Hitler) that lived in Liverpool.

I am so pleased to find out that their house in Toxteth was bombed by the Germans.

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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:26 AM
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Liverpool also has one of the newest NTrust properties - John Lennon's auntie's house - now open for tourists in a middle class (for Liverpool) area - right by where i believe John's mum was run over by a bus

And Magical Mystery Tour buses take visitors around the Fab Four Liverpiddlian venues - i took it years ago and love it. Penny Lane, the post office, Strawberry Field (where Flanneur apparently went to a Catholic school near it) and the slum where Ringo lived.
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:30 AM
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It's still northern and therefore grim.
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 10:59 AM
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Look, you're not going to get me "defending" this nonsense.

It's a boondoggle. It's an excuse for Europe's shadiest local authorities (ie all of them, apart from Wandsworth and the City of London) to squander taxpayers' money taking all their chums on freebies round Europe presenting the case for giving them oodles of money.

Then, having got oodles of money, to piss it all away on processions of stit walkers and loads of posters round the town telling everyone they're the European Cultural Capital.

Only they're not, because they give it to at least two towns every year these days, so they're A capital, not THE capital. The other one this year is Stavanger, believe it or not. Have you ever been to Stavanger? Or Patras?

They've got Essen in a couple of years' time - which has to be as close to insanity as giving it to Sibiu.

I was in Bruges when IT was capital. Same as always, but lots of banners. Ditto Glasgow, but it made the Jocks feel good - though that's an easy trick: all you have to do is tell them them money's from the English.

Is it more pointless than the bloody Olympics? Possibly, but it costs about a hundredth of what that insanity does.

The good news is: if it hadn't been Liverpool it would have been Oxford. And if I'd had to watch the lunacies there every time we needed a new cartridge for the PCs, my blood pressure would have been in the stratosphere the whole year.

My earlier point's serious. No-one's moaned about Essen or Patras because no-one's ever heard of either of them, unless they'd checked where that Domestos muck the Greeks drink instead of wine gets synthesised. Liverpool gets moaned about (the populastion of Britain has been moaning about it for about the past five years: it just takes a long time for ideas to get to PalQ in Detroit) because it's a lot better known than the nonentities who get the title every year these days.

And than the bizarre places that rejoice in the Americas' equivalent title. Like Panama City in 2003. I bet Allen Ginsberg didn't call Panama City the centre of human consciousness.
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 11:04 AM
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I did see Alan Ginsberg here sitting buck naked in a park reading aloud the Howl - some fat young girls went into conniptions and started howling along with it

So much for Alan Ginsberg, a pedophile,s take on anything
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 11:17 AM
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And then there's Detroit. Now THAT's a cultural phenomenon for sure.
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Old Jan 4th, 2008, 11:35 AM
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MOTOWN, techno were both developed here

perhaps more pop music mega stars than any similar sized city?

stevie wonder, supremes, tempting tempations, etc. Kid Rock, Emiminen, Mitch ryder
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 02:22 AM
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detroit's also the home of house music (ask a younger person if you have to). It's Marshall Mather's home town too.
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 04:09 AM
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If anyone knows, what context is the word "culture" used when deciding these things. Right or wrong, I've seen the world culture used to describe the high minded pursuits on offer, just as PalenQ described - museums, ballet, etc.

I have, however, seen the word used to describe the social fabric/history/way-of-things of a place, in a way that could be used for *any* place (with the possible exception of Milton Keynes). Now, I haven't been to Liverpool but I have been to Sibiu, one of last year's co-capitals. Sibiu is a great city, very interesting and unique, but there is no possible way it is even in the top 20 of cultural offerings by the first definition.

So I'd have to assume that these dessignations are going out based on the second definition. Culture in the way that *everyone* has some cultural background.

So on a civic level, this is just Jimmy's day to polish the teacher's apple and lead the class line to recess?
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 04:13 AM
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Detroit was just on the NY Times travel section's places to go in 2008. No, I don't know why either. I've had to go there several times and haven't met any of those people.
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 04:22 AM
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Surely Liverpool fits perfectly into the European culture. Complaining, moaning about the past, nicking things, being ineffective and blaming all their problems on everyone else. Sounds like Brussels on the Mersey to me.
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 06:46 AM
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Marshall Mathers aka Eminem

and don't forget Madonna
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 07:25 AM
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There wouldn't be much point to this sort of jamboree if it were all about the places everyone already thinks of as cultural capitals, would there?

It's about encouraging activity to focus attention on the less predictable places, not necessarily showcasing the places where artistic and cultural activity has historically been concentrated.
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Old Jan 5th, 2008, 07:35 AM
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bilboburger:

You've missed one. Praising the EU for everything. On the coast to coast construction sites that have taken over where Liverpool used to be "This has been paid for by the EU" (it hasn't, but ignore that for a moment) signs are thicker on the ground than - well a crowd of Scouse whingers.
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