27 July 2012

London Calling to the faraway towns
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To all the Olympic non-believers and urban-cool party gloomers, the time has come to drop the high-brow snobbery and embrace the freneticus pane et circus olympicus.
I hear your doubting shouts and moans - but I believe it's time to join the lycra-party and have some fun.
Yes, it's corporate branded, but so is everything else in our material world.
Yes, there's been some terrible bad-planning and poor decisions made along the way, but spare a thought for Seb, Boris and Boyle: those guys are trying to pull off one gigantic motherfucker nightmare gig - and that's no mean feat.
Yep, the logo, the typeface, the uniforms, everything about London2012 looks ugly and in poor taste - how on earth did London, the cool graphic design capital of the world, ended up with Lisa Simpson giving Bart a blowie for the 2012 logo is beyond me...
(go, Lisa...)
Still, all of this and so many other controversies and mishaps, I believe, have only added to the drama and excitement, and the sense that something really special was about to happen.
The sarabites at the Guardian and the Independent tried very hard to convince us we didn't give a damn, but the wonderful BBC torch-cam told a very different story: The nation cared, and was moved by the humbling tales of the many inspirational torch-bearers. I wept as I read some of their stories.
So please, whichever way you feel about the Olympics, do try to remember that, not unlike the music industry, although made up of a dirty amalgamation of money-driven corporate rats and media opportunists, at its heart, right in the middle of all this nonsense, there are the athletes, solely driven by their desire to pursue their dreams and ambitions.
The long and hard journey each one of them must have made to reach our town commands our respect and admiration, and puts to shame all of those selfish enough to go 'round moaning about how their stupidly irrelevant daily work commute was going to be disrupted by the games.
No, for me it's not about team-gee-bee, or how Brazil are gonna crush everyone on football, my plan is to root for all of them, from Algeria to Ukraine, all will be met with the same ridiculous amateurish enthusiasm and admiration at the cave.
And as I gaze at my Olympic tickets, right in the corner I spot that wonderful Olympic logo, beautifully and perfectly designed by Baron Pierre de Coubertin.
It still stands for something - an ideal, an aspiration, of fairness, equality and excellence. It still touches a chord within, makes me weak at the knees and brings a tear or two of pure human hope and joy to my heart.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b1/Olympic_Rings.svg/800px-Olympic_Rings.svg.png
And as Siobhan Sharpe would say:
'Ok guys, so here's the thing, the things is, like, let's totally rock this shit..'
Enjoy the games - see you at the beer tent!
x
ps - (fit people wearing super-tight lycra shorts and running, jumping about.
what's there not to like about it? - bring it, baby, bring it!)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Isabel

Nice post and like the sentiments. What events are you going to see?

Anonymous said...

Hi Isabel. Good to hear from you, thought we had lost you there.
I'm as cynical as it gets when it comes to these things. However at the heart of any great book, artwork, album or even sporting performance there is something thst is able to surpass the individual that created it. Many artists are assholes, sportsmen jocks, but they can create a shared act that surpasses any vain, ego driven individual. There can be beauty in destruction, but cynicism is all too easy. It is a pyrrhic victory and leaves nothing to hold on to but ashes in the mouth. Forget which writer said it but it goes something like this, "Critics are like eunuchs who castigate other peoples children". Not sure I buy this completely but I think its got some merit, far easier to destroy brilliance than create even mediocrity (Although Simon Cowell seems able to do both). In a void I find happiness in the works of others, their passion makes it all worthwhile. Hope you have a great time. Much Love. B. x

Diana said...

So glad to have you back, Isabel!

I'm very excited about the Olympic Games as well, it will be great fun!

totally agree with you on your view of what the Games trully represent.

Would also like to know which sport(s) will you check live!

kisses,
Diana

isabel monteiro said...

coolio -
going to water polo +beach volley /
still on the lookout for cheapo tix for athletics+diving.
Also loads of free arts/musik events this summer/
got guests coming over/ gonna be busy.
Re-grouping band/scheduling gigs + EP once lycra madness is over.
missing the band and all of you.
x x x