Neil Young: ageing or raging? Big Dave: ironic or moronic? Peter Howson: gory or glory? What’s your opinion? Why not write to The List? You might win a bottle of J ose Cuervo Gold Tequila and lurid T- shirt for your pains.
Universal Gallery II is good to see the imaginative way I Glasgow City Council have responded l to the suggestion of a new National Gallery of Scottish Art (The List 203). Of the two proposed schemes. I prefer Foster's understated elegance to Farrell‘s elaborate confection but either would be welcome in providing some much needed examples of contemporary architecture which is so conspicuously lacking in Scotland. The sad thing is how feeble Edinburgh‘s proposals have been. Refurbishing the Dean Centre. an overblown Victorian pile ifever there was one. would provide a particularly uninspiring home for Scottish art. Why doesn‘t Edinburgh District Council combine forces with the promoters of the ‘Younger Universe‘ planned for the edge of Holyrood Park? Scottish and Newcastle have a site and an intriguing design for a building. what they need is a better idea of what to put in it. Alan Macrae Balfour Street Edinburgh
Pride of place
The proposals for a new Scottish Gallery are intriguing but in the debate over their merits. other important questions are left unanswered.
The prime exhibition space in Scotland must still be the Royal Scottish Academy which sits in pride of place in front of the National Gallery on Princes Street. But the building cannot house the major art exhibitions
so The List 2—15 July 1993
LETTERS
which the National Galleries need to find space for until it is provided with air conditioning and other facilities to bring it up to international standard. When will the National Gallery and the RSA stop squabbling and begin to cooperate instead so that proper use can be made of this building?
If money is tight why not use the buildings we‘ve got before setting about constructing new ones.
Colin Robertson Marchmont Crescent Edinburgh.
Jose
OUERVO
Pan-fried
In the Television listings (The List 203) you described Masterchef as being ‘the snooty food show'. Whilst reading this I was in fact enjoying a Tem'ne of Mediterranean vegetables with a Provencal sauce and pan-fried quail eggs. Needless to say. such was my horror that I choked on an asparagus tip (perfectly cooked) in indignation.
You fail to realise the worth of Masterchef. and of its excellent host Loyd Grossrnan. No one since St Michael has done so much for cooking. [)0 you think it is easy to manoeuvre a glazed chickpea stuffed with caviar and courgette flowers into your mouth? Do you realise the incredible difficulties involved in moving gracefully from the Red Kitchen to the Yellow Kitchen with a bit of Polynesian squid fritter wedged between you teeth? Have you ever tried to remember a napkin on national television? 1'” bet you haven‘t. But all you can do is make fun of poor Loyd. So what if he pronounces tuna as ‘tewnaarh‘? Maybe that is the proper way of saying it. and we’re all wrong.
Next time you watch Masterchef. try to consider how taxing it must be to have to preside over such an event. How many times could you say ‘Oh God! That‘s simply scrummy!‘ without dropping a fork?
Hold on . . . My flashing Green Ten hasjust appeared.
Andrew Paxton McMillan Walmer Crescent
Glasgow.
Do you realise the incredible
difficulties involved in resisting a bottle of the very wonderful tequila? There is one waiting for you in our Glasgow office if you are keen to find out.
8 ell check
OENoll What a show I missed at the Playhouse the other week! My one and only chance to see one of the great spliff rollers ofall time. Mr Cozy Powell. in action. It‘s a pity Glaswegians weren‘t treated to a similar display. but you could imagine the scene: a low ceiling would inevitably mean embers and papers everywhere and those irritating little burn marks all over everyone's nice new ‘Brian May‘s First UK Solo Gig' polo shirts.
What short shrift everyone at the Barrowland must have got!! If it was me I‘d have asked for my money back. Brian May merely ‘falling off the stage‘ is no match for Cozy's pyrotechnic reefer madness. Come on Brian. I think we Western folk deserve the full show too!! Including spolling errurs . . .
Richard Devlin
Big George and the Business House Oban Drive
Glasgow
Err. The List Letres beggs lllltttl)l aplogee ovre ther litral wot okured in last iseue's letre front 'Iara Wileor'k.‘ Nasty old AOR. Tlte line 'Cozy Powell's drug solo. . . ' should. of'r‘ourse. have read 'Cozy Powell 's drum solo at the Playhouse was out of this world.’ '
Dama ed
Can anygie tell me why David Bowie‘s Black Tie White Noise single wasn't a huge hit? Was I the only person who bought it? I must say. the promotional video was a joy to behold; wasn‘t it smashing to see DB. wearing a cravat? Here‘s hoping it starts a trend. I feel that today‘s young bands could take a few lessons in sartorial elegance from Sir Dave; I've had it up to here with all those scruffy musicians who wear their shirts outside their trousers. (No names. but I think you know who I‘m talking about)
I was also particularly impressed by the way Dave sang the word ‘noise'; so that it became ‘noy-yoy-yoy-yoyze.‘ (Mark my words. Brett Anderson will be copying that one in six months time.)
.1 NEXT ISSUE OUT THURSDAY 15 JULY
And finally. Monsieur Stuart Chalmers of Glasgow. what can I say to repair the damagewhich I did to your fragile ego recently? I am penitent; contrite; repentant. l have dined on humble pie every evening for the past fortnight. Even now. I type this letter with the lingers of one hand orin as the other is busy llagellating my back. Nevertheless. mon cherjeune hornrnc. I must continue to disagree politely regarding soccer; for tne the game died when Johan Cruyff hung up his boots for the last time.
Scbaue vertrauensvoll in die Zukunft. Justin Montpelier
Cotnely Bank Road
Edinburgh.
Boxed out
I am disgusted that you saw fit to add
to the hype over Boring Helena. an insidioust nasty piece of work which makes pornography out of amputation and once again rc-enforces the itnagc of women as objects. This time in a most explicit. graphic and literal way.
Fair enough. Trevor Johnston doesn‘t make the film out to be any good in his interview with Jennifer Lynch. ‘the youngest woman ever to have written and directed a feature film'. But does he need to. what with the pathetic headlines used. like ‘Stumpcd for excuses‘ and ‘()ut on a limb‘? Not to mention a quite blatant fixation with Sherilyn Penn's breasts in your choice of photos.
Janet Gordon West Princes Street Glasgow
Post Script
Address your letters to: The List Letters at:
l4 High Street. Edinburgh EHl ITE.
Of
()ld Athenaeurn Theatre. I79 Buchanan Street. Glasgow G1 2J2.
Of
Fax them to: ()3l 557 85(X).
We will not print your/till address or phone number. but you must include them. Deadline is the Friday before [)Nl)ll(‘(lll()tl. Keep them pithy. as long letters may be (at. The best letter next issue will win a bottle ofJose Cuervo (Io/d Tequila.
_ Small, doe-eyed kiddies fave: Prince (left) at Medowbank. Strutting epitome of animal sexuality: Bambi returns. What’s Up Doc?: Scottish soccer legend Tommy Docherty.
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