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Ian Pace
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« Reply #60 on: 11:50:34, 03-07-2007 » |
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Well, just one so far today (over a period of over two hours), and amazingly, didn't enjoy it all that much - this must be a good omen.
Alistair - in terms of reduction, this is from 40-50 per day.
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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increpatio
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« Reply #61 on: 12:06:47, 03-07-2007 » |
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Well, just one so far today (over a period of over two hours), and amazingly, didn't enjoy it all that much - this must be a good omen.
Congrats I guess; how're you feeling it? |
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ahinton
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« Reply #62 on: 12:08:38, 03-07-2007 » |
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Well.... Today has not gone badly - between getting up mid-morning and 7pm, just 5 cigarettes. In the evening a few more, over drinks, but much less than usual - I think 9-10 between 7pm and 2am. So, well less than 20 in one day. I'm getting there......  Now then martle, this is the voice of your conscience speaking.......  Well done Ian - I'm impressed! A quick mental calculation seems to imply that you have already managed to reduce your annual smoking bill to c. £1,750. Considering this is only a small portion of the much larger amount you would have spent - with the money literally going up in smoke - this is certainly going in the right direction. You will soon feel better physically too - especially when you eliminate the fags completely. Baz  Indeed - and just think of all those additional Sorabji scores that Ian will now be able to afford to purchase (Ian reads this and throws nearest piano at writer...) Best, Alistair |
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ahinton
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« Reply #63 on: 12:11:07, 03-07-2007 » |
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Well, just one so far today (over a period of over two hours), and amazingly, didn't enjoy it all that much - this must be a good omen.
Alistair - in terms of reduction, this is from 40-50 per day.
Wow - that's quite a lot - and quite an achievement already to have cut down your cigging to so low a level. Well done! Some people do feel adverse reactions to drastic reductions in smaking (others don't) but, if you find yourself to be one of those afflicted, don't worry about it, for it's almost always a transitional response and you'll find that it'll all be worth it in the end. Best, Alistair |
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time_is_now
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« Reply #64 on: 12:15:47, 03-07-2007 » |
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Ian,
Just popping in here briefly to say that I'm seriously impressed. Well done (already), and keep it up!
J
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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Ian Pace
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« Reply #65 on: 12:18:52, 03-07-2007 » |
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Indeed - and just think of all those additional Sorabji scores that Ian will now be able to afford to purchase (Ian reads this and throws nearest piano at writer...)
I could always smoke those Sorabji scores, perhaps? Chopped into little pieces and rolled up into a special joint is surely likely to give a much bigger buzz than listening to any of the works..... |
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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increpatio
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« Reply #66 on: 12:23:42, 03-07-2007 » |
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Wow - that's quite a lot - and quite an achievement already to have cut down your cigging to so low a level. Well done! Some people do feel adverse reactions to drastic reductions in smaking (others don't) but, if you find yourself to be one of those afflicted, don't worry about it, for it's almost always a transitional response and you'll find that it'll all be worth it in the end.
Actually isn't the psychological response meant to be pretty much permanent? (this is partially bs obviously, but there's some element of the psychological addiction that *is* supposed to be, so I've read somewhere respectable). |
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Ian Pace
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« Reply #67 on: 12:24:11, 03-07-2007 » |
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If I can be smoking less and not turn paralytic upon reading Sheila Whiteley's writings on the Spice Girls in her chapter 'Artifice and Commercial Success', Women and Popular Music: Sexuality, identity and subjectivity, as I was doing yesterday, then all things are possible! Do check that stuff out if you want to see just quite how inane this sort of writing can become - try the following:
It is not insignificant here that all five Spice Girls have a different image, a different personality, so giving an impression of independence within a group setting. Postmodernism is, after all, largely concerned with identity, that is, an identity constructed out of a recognition of otherness and difference, ‘a politics which embraces a recognition of the multiple, pregnant, and contradictory aspects of both our individual and collective identities’. [From L.J. Nicholson (ed) – Feminism/Postmodernism, p. 12] For the young teenager in a multicultural society this is significant. During a period when belonging, being part of the gang, depends upon conformity to the norm, the emergence of the Spice Girls provided access to five different ‘girls’ who nevertheless were committed ‘friends’ and who shared a similar drive to succeed and, significantly, have fun en route – sexy, determined Geri, scary Mel B with her frizzed hair and pierced tongue, sporty Mel C with her tracksuit bottoms, sweet pig-tailed Emma and posh Victoria in her designer-label clothes. Moreover, it seemed from the onset, that the identification with a pre- and early teenage girl audience was encapsulated both by the adoption of nicknames and the collective ‘gang’ name itself.
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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Chafing Dish
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« Reply #68 on: 12:28:55, 03-07-2007 » |
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Ha! Ian is going off topic!  |
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Ian Pace
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« Reply #69 on: 12:32:22, 03-07-2007 » |
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Ha! Ian is going off topic!
There's likely to be a lot of that in this thread - those who don't like it can just kiss my a**! |
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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time_is_now
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« Reply #70 on: 12:34:27, 03-07-2007 » |
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It is not insignificant here that all five Spice Girls have a different image, a different personality, so giving an impression of independence within a group setting. Postmodernism is, after all, largely concerned with identity, that is, an identity constructed out of a recognition of otherness and difference, ‘a politics which embraces a recognition of the multiple, pregnant, and contradictory aspects of both our individual and collective identities’. [From L.J. Nicholson (ed) – Feminism/Postmodernism, p. 12] For the young teenager in a multicultural society this is significant. During a period when belonging, being part of the gang, depends upon conformity to the norm, the emergence of the Spice Girls provided access to five different ‘girls’ who nevertheless were committed ‘friends’ and who shared a similar drive to succeed and, significantly, have fun en route – sexy, determined Geri, scary Mel B with her frizzed hair and pierced tongue, sporty Mel C with her tracksuit bottoms, sweet pig-tailed Emma and posh Victoria in her designer-label clothes. Moreover, it seemed from the onset, that the identification with a pre- and early teenage girl audience was encapsulated both by the adoption of nicknames and the collective ‘gang’ name itself. Yes, any young teenage girl can feel included as long as she's not fat, ugly, a virgin, a lesbian, Indian, devoutly religious ... A brave new world indeed! Of course, none of this is 'postmodernism's' fault. Postmodernism can be (and should be) rigorous analysis of the sometimes intellectually slack world we live in, not capitulation to its faults. (Nor - to reiterate a point often, and valuably, made by Ian - should it be the uncritical celebration of late capitalism as if that were the only way to achieve 'difference'.) |
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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time_is_now
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« Reply #71 on: 12:36:26, 03-07-2007 » |
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and, significantly, have fun en route You should show that one to Lachenmann! |
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The city is a process which always veers away from the form envisaged and desired, ... whose revenge upon its architects and planners undoes every dream of mastery. It is [also] one of the sites where Dasein is assigned the impossible task of putting right what can never be put right. - Rob Lapsley
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Ian Pace
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« Reply #72 on: 12:39:25, 03-07-2007 » |
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Just in case you thought it was safe to look at this thread - from the same text quoted earlier:
It is obvious to those who have followed the Spice Girls’ career that any implication of passive mediation (they are a manufactured group, they are marketed as ‘for girls’) seriously underestimates their own sense of purpose. As such, both the identification with a pre- and teenage girl market and their espousal of feminism are rather more than well-targeted sales gimmicks. Similarly, while the allegation of ‘manufactured’ can be mitigated by the argument that the five original Spice Girls were all professional by the age of seventeen or eighteen, with Emma starting at the age of three, this does seem a somewhat defensive strategy. Rather, it would seem that the old debates surrounding authenticity and cultural value were being resurrected to pass judgement on the Spice Girls and that popular, commercial success was again being associated with the ideological evils of mass culture.
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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Ian Pace
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« Reply #73 on: 12:42:28, 03-07-2007 » |
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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Ian Pace
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« Reply #74 on: 12:46:42, 03-07-2007 » |
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And finally: As anyone interested in advertising knows only too well, the impact of a product upon a market depends largely on its unique selling point and the correct identification of a target audience. It is thus interesting to observe that the key words in the vocals – tell, want and really – are accompanied by footage of the Spice Girls which projects both a feeling of untutored individuality and a mood of fun. They are ‘everygirl’ out on the town looking for some ‘zig-a-zig-ah’. More specifically, a feeling of bantering girl-talk is achieved as the words are sung/changed by the individual members of the group: (followed by example from ‘Tell me what you want’)
‘The rap intro (‘Tell me what you want, what you really, really want’) is also noteworthy in
Recalling the interface between (British Prime Minister) John Major’s crumbling Conservative government and Tony Blair’s enticing New Labour one. Blair’s victory, indeed, seemed assured after he proved he knew the names of three Spice Girls whereas poor benighted Major could identify only two.[P. Norman – ‘Gone But Not Forgotten’, Sunday Times News Review, 21 June, p. 1](thought some of you might be interested in the types of far-sighted, penetrating discoveries of this type that can be encountered in musicology today  ) |
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'These acts of keeping politics out of music, however, do not prevent musicology from being a political act . . .they assure that every apolitical act assumes a greater political immediacy' - Philip Bohlman, 'Musicology as a Political Act'
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