The Front
heEditorial
Glasgow
Scotland with style”
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o Glasgow is Scotland with style. Well. as half our readers now apparently live in Scotland wit/mu! style. we’re duty bound to say
that (ilasgow‘s having a laugh. l)on’t get tis wrong: we’re all in favour of promoting the city vigorously in the international marketplace. and we're right behind liddie liriel and his team at the (lreater (ilasgow and (‘lyde Valley Tourist Board in their llerculean efforts to raise money for the promotion. Btit there‘s something about the strap line we just can‘t stomach. It's certainly not that we think (ilasgow lacks style. We spend our lives passionately fighting for the cause. standing tip for the belief that (ilasgow is one of the most exciting cities in Britain. and li‘bbying la/y London-based PR companies who control media access to celeb ‘ities (the same celebs who
constantly remind us that Scottish audiences give them the best reception of
all). The new campaign is rightly setting otit to change outdated attitudes outside Scotland. and to get people booking hotel rooms. l'lll‘ the most part it does a good job.
But the vapid strapline sells (ilasgow short. For a start. connecting it with Mackintosh‘s (ilasgow Style is a weak justification for a weak idea. as dubious as suggesting that London is a stylish city because it was the home of a band called the Style (‘ouncil More importantly. brand marketing has come a long way since British Rail could get away with the (,‘anute—like claim. ‘This is the age of the train'. Yet Scotland with style has a similar feel. a mantra that oddly gives the impression we don‘t quite believe it ourselves. The fact is. some of the other cities in the world that have become associated with style. such as Paris. or Barcelona. don't try to underline their
status with a jaunty catchphrase. They share with (ilasgow a kind of
chutzpah. a swagger. that broadcasts an inherent sense of style to visitors. btit they leave the flattery to others. If you're not convinced. try announcing to someone that you‘re fashionable. and watch the lip-curling reaction.
()ur suggestion to (ilasgow is to press ahead with the otherwise decent marketing campaign. but to get rid of its achilles heel. Quietly drop the .strapline. It would be a brave —~ and rather stylish — thing to do.
CULT OF THE FORTNIGHT
80$ HORROR FLICKS
People go on about Universal's famous monsters of filmland and the classic Hammer Horror years. But let's face ll, the best time for cheap thrills was the 80s, Relive those nights of teen bravado With the best in slick. sick. trash entertainment. It shaped the genre: real auteurs fought against the studios to give us classics like Nightmare on F-lm Street. lnday 13th and therr numerous sequels as the body counts were upped and the death blows became more gruesome (cue hedge trimmers and corkscrewsl. And they were packed Wllll kick ass female protagonists. forget the self -refer(-)ntial grin of Scream: this is the real meat that shaped how we watch horror today. And still as devrlishly delightful now as in the big haired, shoulder padded days of yesteryear. (Henry Northmore)
10 THE LIST 18 Mar 1 Apr I’(l(l.'.
1 Sex and the City
TV A shattering climax is guaranteed as the filthy fillies close the book on their dirty doings. But will anybody live happily ever after? See Big Picture, page 8 Channel 4.
2 Grand Theft Parsons
Film Comically embellished account of what happened to country rock pioneer Gram Parsons’ body after he overdid it somewhat on the morphine and tequila back in 1973. See feature and Film, pages 20 & 28 General release.
3 Pink
Music Whether a brief, bright shining star or a lasting investment, she’s a breath of fresh air. Pink puts a hand down pop’s woolly undergarments and grabs it by the balls. See feature, page 12. SECC, Glasgow.
4 Matthew Bourne
Dance Inspired by Britflick The Servant, Bourne’s Play Without Words won him an Olivier Award. Dripping in atmosphere, the show captures early 19603 repression perfectly. See Theatre, page 66. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh.
5 Starsky & Hutch
DVD They were the men then and they're still the men now. Detectives Dave and Ken, informant Huggy and Cap’n Dobey are revisited with a five-disc frenzy of the entire first season. See Buy it this Fortnight, page 103 Columbia Tristar.
6 Glasgow International Comedy Festival
Comedy Glasgow’s feast of hilarity gets into full swing with Des Clarke, Johnny Vegas, Jenny Eclair, At Murray and Frank Sidebottom flying the flag for fun. See Comedy, page 74 Various venues, Glasgow.
7 DJ Danger Mouse
Records It’s the finest album you‘ll never get to buy. Take the raps from Jay-Z’s Black Album and construct music from samples of the Beatles’ White Album and you have plundering hip hop genius. See Records, page 106 www.greytuesday. org
8 Dave Clarke
Clubs This is a bit of a departure for Colours as one of the UK’s top techno producers brings it live for a big night of crunching basslines and stabbing synths. See Clubs, page 88. Liquid Room, Edinburgh.
9 Thomas Joshua Cooper
Art New works by the celebrated landscape photographer who. for the past 37 years, has been travelling the globe to capture views from extreme and inaccessible points of
land using an antique field camera. See Art, page 90. Ing/eby Gallery, Edinburgh.
1 O Zatoichi
Film Takeshi Kitano slices through genre conventions with this cutting edge samurai film. Bloodthirsty swordplay shares the screen with comic dance routines. This is Kitano at his idiosyncratic best. See Film, pages 24 and 27 Selected release.