Fashion fascism
There's something about reading the Daily Telegraph on a morning that makes me want to go out and strangle the nearest squirrel. Since the squirrels in my neighbourhood are far too sensible to come within catapult range of my front door the only catharsis available is the blog.
The first thing that had me choking on my cereal today was a review of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production of King Lear. Deprived of his leading lady at the start of the run, Nunn chose not to invite newspaper reviewers before her recovery. So they whinged. The Telegraph's reviewer, Charles Spencer, was still whinging this morning.
"Only yesterday did Trev graciously condescend to let the press in to review it," wrote Spencer. Hang on a minute Mr Spencer. You and every other journalist could have seen the play at any time had you done what every other theatre goer would do and bought a ticket.
Had you done so you could have provided the service to your readers that they deserve . But you didn't do that because, along with the rest of the press, you think you have a God given right to a free ticket when, in fact, the review invitation is a privilege not a right. The arrogance of journalists.
But Spencer was only raising the temperature of my blood. What brought it to boiling point was an article by Celia Walden who wrote the cattiest piece about middle aged men who wear jeans.
"At 45, it goes without saying that all jeans must be surrendered to a charity of your choice," she wrote.
My charity of choice is devoted to ending any further wastage of precious wood pulp on drivel like this. Sadly this charity does not yet exist so I will spend as much of my savings as I choose on whatever clothes that I choose and that includes jeans.
We all have a right to choose. Ms Walden, daughter of the former Tory MP, George Walden, has revealed something about her own taste in dating the bungling former editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan, whose own good judgement extended to buying shares in a company ahead of a Mirror story that tipped those self-same shares as a good buy. It looks a great match. They can wallow together in their mutual prejudices.
The first thing that had me choking on my cereal today was a review of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company production of King Lear. Deprived of his leading lady at the start of the run, Nunn chose not to invite newspaper reviewers before her recovery. So they whinged. The Telegraph's reviewer, Charles Spencer, was still whinging this morning.
"Only yesterday did Trev graciously condescend to let the press in to review it," wrote Spencer. Hang on a minute Mr Spencer. You and every other journalist could have seen the play at any time had you done what every other theatre goer would do and bought a ticket.
Had you done so you could have provided the service to your readers that they deserve . But you didn't do that because, along with the rest of the press, you think you have a God given right to a free ticket when, in fact, the review invitation is a privilege not a right. The arrogance of journalists.
But Spencer was only raising the temperature of my blood. What brought it to boiling point was an article by Celia Walden who wrote the cattiest piece about middle aged men who wear jeans.
"At 45, it goes without saying that all jeans must be surrendered to a charity of your choice," she wrote.
My charity of choice is devoted to ending any further wastage of precious wood pulp on drivel like this. Sadly this charity does not yet exist so I will spend as much of my savings as I choose on whatever clothes that I choose and that includes jeans.
We all have a right to choose. Ms Walden, daughter of the former Tory MP, George Walden, has revealed something about her own taste in dating the bungling former editor of the Daily Mirror, Piers Morgan, whose own good judgement extended to buying shares in a company ahead of a Mirror story that tipped those self-same shares as a good buy. It looks a great match. They can wallow together in their mutual prejudices.
Labels: Celia Walden, Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph, George Walden, Piers Morgan, Royal Shakespeare Company, squirrels, Trevor Nunn
posted by Richard Donkin at
8:15 AM
0 Comments
