It’s now two decades since the Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie. “[R]ight from the start, The Satanic Verses affair was less a theological dispute than an opportunity to exert political leverage. The background to the controversy was the struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran to be the standard bearer of global Islam.”
Tag: 01.11.09
Is Artistic Talent Really Just A Way To Get Babes?
In his book The Art Instinct, Denis Dutton “argues that our desire for beauty is firmly grounded in evolution, a side effect of the struggle to survive and reproduce. In this sense, a cubist painting by Picasso is no more mysterious than the allure of a Playboy centerfold: Both are works of culture that attempt to sate a biological drive.”
Arvo Pärt Dedicates New Symphony To Jailed Russian Oligarch
“But now, 38 years after the Third Symphony, Pärt has written a Fourth, labeled it ‘Los Angeles’ and dedicated it to Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a Russian oil executive with political ambitions who was accused of fraud and now languishes in a Siberian prison.”
Justin Davidson’s Rx For Saving New York City Opera
“The new boss ought to dismantle City Opera’s current apparatus and reorganize it into a flexible roving troupe. … Forging a migrant opera company would force changes that a ruthless economy may demand anyway: simple but ingenious sets, a repertoire of intimate pieces, and an orchestra that can shrink and grow as the music, rather than the union, demands.”
What Happened To The Promised New Era Of Black Film-Makers?
“You could now literally count on one hand (using two fingers) the number of black directors who can get their projects made and distributed at a steady rate.”
Denver Art Museum Cuts Budget By $2.5 Million
Director Lewis Sharp said the cuts will be achieved primarily through belt-tightening and will not involve layoffs or significant changes to the museum’s operations. The museum has about 200 employees.
Will Great Architecture Suffer In This Economy?
“Architecture and design, the practical arts, are much more closely related to the economy than music or novels. You don’t need wealth to write a novel; history shows that poverty is a positive stimulus to literature. Yet the architecture and design of the last century can only be properly understood as the economy made visible.”
Duke Beefs About Titian Deal – £100m Sale To Britain Not Great
“It is unfortunate that it has dragged along to this unhelpful time economically. I honestly don’t know why it has dragged along. From the valuations and things being bandied about, I don’t know if I’m doing that well. I think the nation is probably doing pretty well. I’m sure the figure is a good deal lower than it would have been.”
Consumers Demand Digital. But How Do Producers Make Money?
“While TV remains the top medium for most consumers, others are rapidly on the rise, particularly among the 14- to 25-year-olds surveyed. In that group of “millennials,” a full 75% consider the PC a more important entertainment device than the TV, and 53% use their phones for entertainment.”
The Jazz Generation Gap
“Although there are still jazz fans who like to hear the old songs performed in a traditional manner, an emerging audience enjoys hearing recent tunes given an improvisational — and often experimental — spin. The former crowd tends to be older; the latter tends to be younger. And the overlap between them seems to be minimal.”