July 05, 2007
Except, clearly, when he's the rock star
And the singer from 80s pop sensations The Pet Shop Boys, Neil Tennant, attacked the arrogance of pop stars who put themselves forward as role-models."I've always been against the idea of rock stars lecturing people as if they know something the rest of us don't," he was reported as saying by British music magazine NME.
2006:
A spokesman for the Pet Shop Boys told the Evening Standard: "Neil has always been a Labour Party supporter, but at the last election he voted Liberal Democrat because he is completely against the idea of ID cards."The Pet Shop Boys think we should try to increase our freedom, not limit it. They don't believe ID cards are an effective way of countering terrorism.
"Some tracks are about the climate of fear that is being exploited so people can push through ID cards.
"I'm With Stupid is inspired by the relationship between George Bush and Tony Blair."
From a review of their last album, Fundamental:
Until recently, Tennant could be relied upon to support the government - initially, he backed the Iraq war - but with Fundamental, things take a disagreeable turn.Posted by Karol at July 5, 2007 01:27 AM | TrackBackIt touches on regime change, immigration, ID cards and the politics of fear.
Technorati Tags: Neil+Tennant Pet+Shop+Boys
whew. I was starting to lose sleep wondering what the pet shop boys have been up to for the last 2 decades.
that's a load off my mind.
Posted by: E2 at July 5, 2007 10:12 AMI like the Pet Shop Boys. And as soon as I read his comment about celebrity opinions I remember all of his opinions that I had heard over the years.
Posted by: Karol at July 5, 2007 12:10 PMkidding aside, I honestly don't have a problem with celebrities who give their opinions to reporters, magazines, etc... I forgot who said it... David Carradine, i think... when asked an opinion on some non-acting topic pointed out that the problem isn't with the celebrities GIVING their opinions but with people asking.
If you're someone paparazzi followed... you have NO obligation to talk about the SPECIFIC topic they want to talk about... talk about WHATEVER the F@$k you wanna talk about. If it hurts promotions... so be it, you'll face the loss of revenue.
I mean... do you have an obligation to ONLY talk about politics if someone on the street recognized you from your blog and demanded you debate politics, Karol? (granted you would, if you happened to be interested in the topic.. but you have no OBLIGATION to do so)
AND even "blaming" the magazine-buying public for creating the demand with their choice of "celebrity opinions" as entertainment seems hypocritical. We all have different things we want to do to entertain ourselves...
How is spending 2 hours watching uninformed celebrities talk politics (poorly) somehow less productive then watching other grown men do something athletic and cheering as if their accomplishments benefit you in any material way?
Both aren't "bad"... both are just how people choose to spend time.
Posted by: E2 at July 5, 2007 12:22 PM
