memorable musical moments meme

I was tagged by Jonathan Evens for this meme that’s been doing the rounds.

Think of eight memorable musical moments, not necessarily all time favourites, but those when, for example, you felt compelled to wait in the car when listening to this amazing song on the radio because you just had to know who it was by. Or the piece you heard on the tv in a drama that drove you straight onto iTunes to download... (remember once we spent the princely sum of 6s 8d on a vinyl single?!). Optional details for each song give where, why and Spotify or youtube links ...

1. Dr Who theme. Saturday evenings in my Gran’s house in Belfast where we lived during the mid 60s. I’d had my bath and the football results were in and then the highlight of the week as the theme to Dr Who started up – magical memories.
2. Get It On – T. Rex from Electric Warrior. My first Christmas present album; the black cover with Bolan in outline posing with a Gibson Les Paul in front of a Marshall stack summed up rock n’ roll.
3. House of the Rising Sun – The Animals. My sister had this on the Stardust film soundtrack (David Essex and Adam Faith) and it was the first song my band played in school assembly. I was on guitar, an electric with a tele style body and strat neck – I loved that guitar but can’t remember what happened to it.
4. Echoes – Pink Floyd. Saw the film Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii at the Chelmsford Odeon and it blew me away. My musical transition from glam rock to prog rock was complete (sorry Banksyboy).
5. Rock n’ Roll – Led Zeppelin. I was at Earls Court for the first night of Zeppelin’s legendary five nights in 1975 aged 15. When Bonham’s bass drum kicked in, Page struck up his riff and duck walked across the stage, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck and stayed like that for two and a half hours. I got home from London at 2:30am and my mum went mad; at church that morning I couldn’t hear a thing as my ears were still ringing, but my fate was sealed and Zeppelin remain my favourite band. I saw them again at Knebworth in ‘79 and both performances are immortalised on DVD.
6. Sunday Bloody Sunday – U2. So much about this band resonates. They’re Irish, they keep evolving, they sing in the light of Christ and occasionally about Christ (as in this song) and they make great music. For me U2 summed up Live Aid in 1985 and opened their set with this song which has it all; great drums, unique guitar sound, solid bass and a gobby singer who isn’t afraid to make a fool of himself and really does get angry about sin, including his own.
7. The Island – Iona. I saw Iona at Greenbelt in 1992 standing next to a gorgeous young woman who I was desperate to ask out; we got married the next year. Runrig were headlining but Iona had the class and played a great set. I could even forgive Nick Beggs who is an amazing bass player for the abuse of the senses that was Kajagoogooo.
8. Old Man – Neil Young. I finally saw Neil Young at the Hop Festival in 2008 and fulfilled a lifetime’s musical ambition. Young is a force of nature capable of incredible sonic assaults and then the most exquisite melodies. As a teenager I used to lie in bed for hours listening to Young’s triple album Decade. It was a difficult choice between Old Man and Don’t Let It Bring You Down but the Old Man just edges it.

Loads more I could have added but I decided to resist the temptation Sam Norton succumbed to.

let's do theology

I spent an enjoyable lunch quaffing a glass of wine, and munching peanuts at the launch of the new edition of Bishop Laurie Green’s Let’s Do Theology. Many theology students will be familiar with the book which was first published in 1990 and is based on the pastoral cycle model of theological reflection. The book had begun to look rather tired, with a dated cover and dense typesetting that put some off reading and using the book. Laurie was asked to consider freshening up the appearance of the book for a new edition but decided that it really needed a complete rewrite. The new edition has a different subtitle, Resources for Contextual Theology, and draws on work published since the first edition. As someone who has found the book a great resource in training people for ministry, I can highly recommend it and would suggest that it also has a great deal to offer for those wanting to encourage theological reflection as part of discipleship in their churches.

Commendations for the new edition include the following from some very big hitters in the theological world:

Leonardo Boff: ‘This is a book of authentic liberation theology set within the English-speaking context: it takes instances of human experience, analyses them, reflects theologically and proposes practical ideas for transformation. I enthusiastically recommend this significant book.’

Rowan Williams: ‘Laurie green’s experience as a teacher, pastor and agent for God’s change informs every page of this accessible and challenging book…. It retains all its freshness, insight and sheer groundedness.’

P. Mohan Larbeer: ‘Bishop Laurie challenges the Western bias of traditional theology by explaining that every theology is contextual theology…. a must read.’

no faith schools officer

I had a look at the British Humanist Association website today and was interested to discover that they are appealing for money to fund a dedicated campaign officer against faith schools. Here’s what they say:

Help the BHA in its effort to phase out state funded 'faith' schools by ensuring we can employ a dedicated campaign officer against faith schools for another year. When we raise £30,000 we will be able to continue employing our dedicated campaigner for twelve months. Our campaigner will make sure that the voice of UK citizens who oppose faith schools is represented in the most powerful way. To do this our campaigner helps to stimulate and organise local campaigns against new faith schools and lobby government and parliament to reform the laws that allow state funded schools to discriminate in their employment and admissions on religious grounds, and to teach unbalanced curricula of religious education.

I was wondering whether the position of campaigner against faith schools was open to anyone or only to humanists? In other words does the person have to subscribe to the beliefs of the British Humanist Association as a necessary requirement for the job or can people of other faiths apply?

Update: If you want to see what a positive contribution church schools are making to education then check out +Alan Wilson's blog on Seer Green School.

cash not credit

The Church of England is producing three short videos with suggestions for an affordable Christmas. The videocasts are made by Dr John Preston the C of E’s Resources and Stewardship Officer and offer money saving tips and advice in the lead up to this year’s festivities. Resources include The Affordable Christmas Planner to help people plan a budget for presents, food, drink, travel and other expenses.

One key tip from the first video is to use cash for purchases rather than credit cards, as a way of consciously recognising how much you are spending. In parishes where I’ve served I knew people who spent all year paying off the credit card bills run up over Christmas at exorbitant interest rates, only to go straight back into debt again for the next Christmas. The only caveat I would suggest is that on larger purchases credit cards can offer added consumer protection and some offer cash back, but it’s only worth it if you can pay off the bill in full. Beware the ‘buy now pay back in six months interest free’ offers from cards and stores because people often fail to pay back in time and then get clobbered with six months interest. Anyway, the videos offer straightforward and practical suggestions and are well worth a viewing.

cyber bullies

No, not the latest episode of Dr Who but an increasing problem for young people. The National Centre for Social Research has just published a summary of a major study into the bullying of secondary school pupils between the age of 14-16. The full report will be available in January 2010 but the headline findings are:

• Bullying decreased with age: The prevalence of reported bullying decreased over the three years of the study. 47% of young people reported being bullied at age 14, but this had reduced to 29% by age 16.
• Name calling/cyberbullying was most common: The most common type of bullying was name calling/cyberbullying, followed by being threatened with violence, being socially excluded and being subjected to actual violence. The least common type of bullying was being forced to hand over money or possessions, which was much less common than all the other types of bullying.
• Vulnerable pupils and girls were more likely to be bullied: The main risk factors for being bullied at ages 14-16 were having a special educational need, having a caring responsibility, having a disability or having spent a period of time in social services care. Girls were also more likely to be bullied at ages 14 and 15, but not at age 16.
• Parental awareness of bullying helped to reduce it: Young people whose parents had also reported that they were bullied at the age of 14 were almost twice as likely to stop being bullied by age 16 compared to those whose parents did not know they were being bullied. The same was also true for young people whose parents were aware they were being bullied at age 15.
• Victims of bullying had worse educational outcomes: Young people who had been bullied at the ages of 14 or 15 had an average GCSE score two grades lower than those who had not been bullied. They were also more likely to be Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) than those who had not been bullied, and less likely to still be in full-time education.

Why should we be surprised at the amount and nature of bullying amongst the young when bullying has become so prevalent in wider society? We have bullying as entertainment in reality T.V. programmes like Xfactor, where contestants are ritually humiliated, most notably during the early audition stages, for the enjoyment of the wider public. Even on Strictly Come Dancing there is a spitefulness to some of the judges’ comments that goes beyond the critical to what seems intended to wound. Sir Alan Sugar made his reputation on The Apprentice for what at times could only be described as the denigration of his potential employees and he often rewarded the most Machiavellian contestants while dismissing others as weak. I should of course refer to him as Lord Alan Sugar as he was recently ennobled and made the government’s Enterprise Tsar, presumably because of the charm he exhibits in telling people ‘you’re fired’.

Bullying seems to have become a significant feature of our political discourse; when Ed Balls recently appointed the new Children’s Commissioner Maggie Atkinson despite significant opposition, Barry Sheerman who chairs the Children’s Select Committee commented: ‘Most of us know that Ed Balls is a bit of a bully and he likes his own way’. A great epithet for the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, though it should be noted that Sheerman has his own agenda. The Sun’s recent hounding of Gordon Brown over his letter of condolence to Jacqui Janes is seen by many to be little more than the petty bullying of a man suffering from poor eyesight. The pathetic school ground baiting and name calling across the House of Commons’ chamber during Prime Minister’s Questions suggests a deeper culture of bullying.

Unfortunately the church’s record on bullying has also left a lot to be desired. I have close friends who were driven out of the church where they worshipped by a new incumbent who bullied anyone who refused to go along with his agenda. However, I also know there are clergy colleagues who feel their ministries were made untenable because of the bullying antics of key figures in the congregation and community. Anne Lee writing in the Church Times in 2007 identified some of the damage caused to the ministry and mission of the church by bullying: ‘An organisation that allows bullying behaviour to continue unchecked is compromised in proclaiming good news. Whenever a church or church organisation refuses to answer questions, punishes those who express concerns, abuses confidentiality, covers up, coerces, threatens, or deceives, it is directly undermining gospel values.’

Unless we name bullying for what it is and refuse to tolerate it in the name of effective business practice, the rough and tumble of political culture, entertainment or, in the case of the church, ministerial leadership styles then we cannot expect to address bullying amongst young people effectively. Why should our children take bullying seriously if we will not?

are the Christmas stamps Christian?

There has been much rejoicing in the Christian press in the last couple of weeks with the news that this year’s Royal Mail Christmas stamps will feature the Nativity story. The stamps take images from stained glass windows by artists associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement. Dr Christian Baxter greeted the news with the following: ‘a wonderful narration of the Christmas story, through some of the country’s best examples of stained glass’. Well, they may be great examples of stained glass window art, but are they Christian? Do they really reflect the story which is part of the foundation of the Christian faith?

I fear these images contribute to the maintenance of a fantasy which is very far from the reality of the story of the birth of Christ and therefore will never really challenge people to engage with what that story is about. The stain glass images reinforce a Christmas sentimentality that makes the story seem like a romantic fairytale. Take for example the portrayal of Mary; Revd Neil Spencer, the vicar of the church from which the image of Mary is taken, comments: ‘What I love about it is that she’s surrounded by angels and cherubim, but she looks like a real person. She reminds everyone that this isn’t just some imaginary, mythical figure, but actually a real woman.’ No she doesn’t. Mary in this image is an idealised Pre-Raphaelite depiction of a white, western European woman not a Semitic young girl from the ancient Near East who has just endured the trauma of a pregnancy outside marriage and child birth. A better image would have been of a young Palestinian mother struggling with a baby in the Bethlehem of today. A Bethlehem surrounded by a wall and barbed wire, patrolled by soldiers and with a population experiencing the tensions and turmoil of occupation. A Bethlehem in which the shepherds would never have got near Mary from their fields because of the barriers that prevent movement between workplace and home. The Bethlehem I experienced when I visited the Holy Land this time last year and wrote about in my blog.

Until we are prepared to depict the Christmas story in ways that connect with the real world and the pain, suffering and mess in the world, we deny the incarnation and reduce the greatest story ever told to a Christmas pantomime. That is why I welcome the bus stop advertising campaign Christmas Starts With Christ organised by ChurchAds.Net. The holy family is portrayed in a traditional nativity scene, but that image is then located in a bus stop surrounded by ordinary people. A thought provoking representation placing the birth of Christ in the everyday world.

xfactor nightmare

I’m reading Ben Elton’s Chart Throb; it is to Xfactor what The Thick Of It is to Government. The book is a vicious satire on the Reality T.V. industry; mapping out the cynical manipulation of contestants and viewing public to powerful effect in Elton’s typically over the top pastiche. Best bits so far are the Prince of Wales as a contestant singing Jerusalem as his audition piece and Beryl as one of the judges; a former satanic rocker who has had a sex change and stars in her own T.V. series about her family life. Chart Throb makes watching Xfactor great fun as we spot all the ploys, gimmicks and pre-planned shenanigans of what must be the epitome of debased popular culture. Oh, hang on a minute, I got that last bit wrong, here comes I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.

But could this be the real Xfactor nightmare?

h/t @JohnPrescott