Tuesday, July 13, 2010
IF YOU LET IT BE, NOTHING WILL EVER IMPROVE: In addition to today being Pub Day for a novel USA Today has called "highly entertaining" and "compelling fiction" -- yay, Jen -- today is also the 25th anniversary of an event that (as bad dad noted in the comments) we tend to commemorate most years here -- Live Aid. We did not, in fact, end famine in Ethiopia or feed the world, but the Brits at least put on a hell of a concert. Below the fold, too many clips.
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One of these days I will read some more of Ms. Weiner, but I have loved her short story "League of Justice (Philadelphia Division)" in the anthology "Who Can Save Us Now?"
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting together all the clips. The most memorable performance for me was Queen's Radio Gaga. It was amazing seeing all the handclaps from the Wembley crowd. It was one of the best crowd participations I can remember. I think this concert also marked the first of many times that I heard Money for Nothing, which would go on to be one of the biggest hits of that summer.
ReplyDelete<span>Love the Queen clip - reminded me what an amazing performer Freddie Mercury was. Wish I could have seen them live. I'm now down the rabbit hole of Live Aid clips, this is a good one as well: Queen at Live Aid - 20 minutes that changed music
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNwixrmdVbg&feature=player_embedded</span>
I need a Pub Day. Guinness and fish & chips, followed by a drunken parade home.
ReplyDeleteWow - these clips makes me wistful for Queen and Freddie Mercury. I think the general populus looks back on this as the "greatest set" simply because they weren't that familiar with Queen to begin with aside from "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions". That band was constantly putting out live performances that equalled this. Ultimately though they were the right band, on the right stage, at the right time to energize a worldwide fanbase and help make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI can still see and hear Elvis Costello singing "All You Need is Love."
ReplyDeleteLoved the ad for Jen's book in the New York Times book review last weekend - the first two pages printed large enough to read. Very smart - I was hooked!
ReplyDeleteI preordered the book based on reading the first chapter on the website. Now I just hope it shows up before I leave on vacation!
ReplyDeleteIn other book-related news, I was vaguely annoyed by this week's New Yorker book reviews. Their section on "Beach Reads" was entirely devoted to spy novels and thrillers, all written by men. If you're going to offer one page a year to genre fiction, shouldn't it at least include a wider spectrum of genre fiction? Or at least one book written by a woman?