DOUGLAS FIELD relishes the hard-boiled language, satire and humour of the third and last of the Harlem trilogy
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Ben Lunn: Marxist Notes on Music
Musings on the role of music at the royal funeral and how a democratisation of this art form should have our highest concern as the nations' cultural landscapes depend on it
The Royal Air Force band at the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
MIK SABIERS revels in a band that ploughs an idiosyncratic furrow of expletive laden, guitar-driven alt rock
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The bard invites readers to a gig, raps for Clacton, and lays out the Burnham-Hurzeler conundrum
RON JACOBS recommends an important book that enhances the oppositional theories put forth by Fanon and, in doing so, remakes psychology itself
AROUND this time last year, I wrote in response to the appointment of our previous “minister of culture” that music is not useful to capitalism. This remains the case, however, I did fail to mention the usefulness of music to the state.
The funeral of the monarch on September 19 was an incredible opportunity to not only see the British establishment showing off all their bells and whistles, but to clearly demonstrate music and art as a whole has a very specific role within state apparatus as we see it.
Now, I won’t bemoan the fact that the art in the funeral only showed one side of the late monarch – this is a mental response, using a funeral to critique the deceased is ultimately crass; we can challenge the enforced mourning period, which thankfully the Morning Star has been excellent in covering, but the funeral proper has to be given a certain amount of respect.
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