95-Year-Old Clint Eastwood Not Done Directing: “No Reason Why a Man Can’t Get Better with Age”
Clint Eastwood, who turns 95 this weekend, has dispelled any notions that he is done with filmmaking.In an interview with the Austrian newspaper Kurier (via Reuters), Eastwood stated that he remains in good physical shape and hopes he won’t have to worry about his health “for a long time yet.”
“There’s no reason why a man can’t get better with age,” he said. “And I have much more experience today. Sure, there are directors who lose their touch at a certain age, but I’m not one of them.”
On that note, Eastwood is reportedly in pre-production for the follow-up to his last film, 2024’s Juror #2 starring Nicholas Hoult, which is now streaming on Max.
Yates loses time as Del Toro closes in on Giro title
Getty ImagesJack SkeltonBBC Sport senior journalist17 minutes agoIsaac del Toro marginally extended his lead in the Giro d’Italia to set up a deciding penultimate day after Nicolas Prodhomme rode solo to success on stage 19.Mexico’s Del Toro sprinted to take second on the stage and gain two seconds on nearest rival Richard Carapaz, who finished third and is now 43 seconds behind overall.Britain’s Simon Yates was dropped late on and remained third, but trails the 21-year-old Del Toro in the leader’s pink jersey by one minute and 21 seconds.With the general classification battle not fully sparking into life, the three-week Grand Tour will be decided on Saturday’s stage 20, which culminates in a gruelling 20km climb up the Colle delle Finestre.Sunday’s final stage is a processional route in Rome, with tradition dictating that the race leader at the start of the day will not be attacked.France’s Prodhomme was in the early breakaway and struck out alone on the penultimate climb with around 30km to go, before bravely hanging on to take his maiden Grand Tour stage win in Champoluc, just under a minute in front of Del Toro.’Plan was completely different’ – YatesVisma-Lease a Bike rider Yates was visibly frustrated after finishing 24 seconds behind Del Toro in seventh.”The plan was completely different from what we did today, so I will talk about that with the team,” he told Eurosport.”I will not say anything more about that.”However, team director Marc Reef said the day went “exactly as we agreed”, and added Carapaz and Del Toro were “just a bit stronger”.Although Yates, 32, could still overhaul Carapaz and Del Toro, it looks most likely this year will again add to the heartbreak he has experienced in bids to win the Giro.He led for 13 days in 2018 but cracked in the final week when Chris Froome launched an astonishing comeback to win the race.After an underwhelming eighth-placed finish in 2019, Yates had to withdraw from the 2020 edition with Covid-19 and then had to recover from a difficult first two weeks to claim third in 2021.Yates’ twin brother Adam sat up and dropped out of the top 10 overall in order to save himself to help team-mate Del Toro on Saturday.Ecuador’s Carapaz, the 2019 Giro champion, tried to drop Del Toro on the final climb, but could not shake the 21-year-old, who is bidding to become the youngest winner of the Giro since 1940.UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Del Toro, who won stage 17, showed impressive nous to grab the six bonus seconds for second place, with EF Education-EasyPost’s Carapaz, 32, having to settle for four bonus seconds in third.Stage 19 resultsNicolas Prodhomme (Fra/Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) 4hrs 50mins 35secsIsaac del Toro (Mex/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +58secsRichard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) Same timeDamiano Caruso (Ita/Bahrain Victorious) +1min 22secsBrandon McNulty (US/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) Same timeEgan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) Same timeSimon Yates (GB/Visma-Lease a Bike) Same timeRafal Majka (Pol/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) Same timeAntonio Tiberi (Ita/Bahrain Victorious) Sane timeEiner Rubio (Col/Movistar) Same timeGeneral classification after stage 19Isaac del Toro (Mex/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 73hrs 47mins 59secsRichard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) +43secsSimon Yates (GB/Visma-Lease a Bike) +1min 21secsDerek Gee (Can/Israel-Premier Tech) + +2mins 27secsDamiano Caruso (Ita/Bahrain Victorious) +3mins 36secsEgan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) +5mins 13secsGiulio Pellizzari (Ita/Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +5mins 32secsEiner Rubio (Col/Movistar) +6mins 39secsMichael Storer (Aus/Tudor Pro Cycling) +9mins 11secsBrandon McNulty (US/UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +9mins 33secsRelated topicsCycling
Read more
James Lowe, Lead Singer of The Electric Prunes, Dead at 82
James Lowe, the founding and longtime lead singer of the pioneering psychedelic-rock band The Electric Prunes, has died at the age of 82. His family reported that he died “peacefully of natural causes” on May 22nd.“It is with heavy and electric hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved dad, James Lowe – lead singer and founder of The Electric Prunes,” wrote his children in a collective statement posted on the band’s Facebook page. “Dad leaves behind a legacy of sound, love, and boundless creativity.”
Lowe formed The Electric Prunes in Los Angeles in 1965 initially as a garage/surf rock band originally named The Sanctions. They changed their name to The Electric Prunes shortly thereafter, took on a psychedelic-rock sound, and released their self-titled debut album in 1967, featuring the hits “I Had Too Much to Dream (Last Night)” and “Get Me to the World On Time.”
Advertisement
Related VideoThe Electric Prunes released four more albums over the next couple years before breaking up in 1970, although Lowe left the group in 1968.
They re-formed in 1999 with Lowe once again fronting the band, and had been active ever since. After re-forming, The Electric Prunes released four more albums in the 21st century, with the most recent being 2014’s WaS.
Lowe also worked as a producer and engineer, with credits on albums by Todd Rundgren’s band Nazz, among others.
Our condolences go out to James Lowe’s family, friends, and bandmates during this difficult time. Revisit a couple of The Electric Prunes’ biggest hits in the videos below.
[embedded content]
[embedded content]
Football and other premium TV being pirated at ‘industrial scale’
5 minutes agoShareSaveGraham FraserTechnology ReporterShareSaveGetty ImagesA lack of action by big tech firms is enabling the “industrial scale theft” of premium video services, especially live sport, a new report says.The research by Enders Analysis accuses Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft of “ambivalence and inertia” over a problem it says costs broadcasters revenue and puts users at an increased risk of cyber-crime.Gareth Sutcliffe and Ollie Meir, who authored the research, described the Amazon Fire Stick – which they argue is the device many people use to access illegal streams – as “a piracy enabler”.Amazon told BBC News that it remained “vigilant in our efforts to combat piracy”. The piracy problemSports broadcasting is big business, with the total value of media rights across the world passing the $60bn (£44bn) mark last year.The increasing cost of rights deals results in higher prices for fans at home, especially if they choose to pay for multiple services to watch their team play. To get round this, some resort to illegal streams of big events.Enders say there are often multiple streams of individual events – such as high profile football games – each of which can have tens of thousands of people watching them.Bosses of big rights holders, Sky and DAZN, have previously warned piracy is causing a financial crisis in the broadcast industry.Nick Herm, chief operating officer of Sky Group, said the Enders research “highlights the significant scale and impact of piracy, particularly on premium live sport”.”It’s a serious issue for anyone who invests in creating and delivering world-class content,” he added. “We’d like to see faster, more joined-up action from major tech platforms and government to address the problem and help protect the UK creative industries.”There is a risk for users too.The Enders report says fans watching football matches, for instance, via illegal streams are typically providing information such as credit card details and email addresses, leaving them vulnerable to malware and phishing scams.Many supporters, though, argue that lowering the cost of legally streaming sport would be the most effective way of minimising such risks.Fire Stick in the firing lineThe researchers looked at the European market and focussed on Amazon, Google, Meta and Microsoft. While Meta, the owner of Facebook, was criticised for being the source of adverts for illegal streams, the technology of the other three was blamed for the increase in piracy.The Amazon Fire Stick is a major cause of the problem, according to the report.The device plugs into TVs and gives the viewer thousands of options to watch programmes from legitimate services including the BBC iPlayer and Netflix.They are also being used to access illegal streams, particularly of live sport.In November last year, a Liverpool man who sold Fire Stick devices he reconfigured to allow people to illegally stream Premier League football matches was jailed. After uploading the unauthorised services on the Amazon product, he advertised them on Facebook.Another man from Liverpool was given a two-year suspended sentence last year after modifying fire sticks and selling them on Facebook and WhatsApp. According to data for the first quarter of this year, provided to Enders by Sky, 59% of people in UK who said they had watched pirated material in the last year while using a physical device said they had used a Amazon fire product.The Enders report says the fire stick enables “billions of dollars in piracy” overall.A spokesperson from Amazon, who are sports rights holders themselves, told BBC News: “Pirated content violates our policies regarding intellectual property rights, and compromises the security and privacy of our customers.”They said Amazon worked hard to protect customers from the risks associated with pirated content, and warned customers about installing or using apps from “unknown sources”. Amazon has also made changes to its Fire devices to make it harder for people to stream pirated content, they added.Depreciation of tech allows piracy to flourishGetty ImagesThe researchers also pointed to the role played by the “continued depreciation” of Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems, particularly those from Google and Microsoft.This technology enables high quality streaming of premium content to devices. Two of the big players are Microsoft’s PlayReady and Google’s Widevine.The authors argue the architecture of the DRM is largely unchanged, and due to a lack of maintenance by the big tech companies, PlayReady and Widevine “are now compromised across various security levels”.Mr Sutcliffe and Mr Meir said this has had “a seismic impact across the industry, and ultimately given piracy the upper hand by enabling theft of the highest quality content”.They added: “Over twenty years since launch, the DRM solutions provided by Google and Microsoft are in steep decline.”A complete overhaul of the technology architecture, licensing, and support model is needed. Lack of engagement with content owners indicates this a low priority.”Google has highlighted a number of measures it takes to protect content, stating that it takes “the ever-evolving challenge of copyright infringement” seriously. Microsoft has made no comment.
Read more
Ariana Grande Joins Cast of Meet the Parents 4 Opposite Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro
Ariana Grande is set to join the cast of Meet the Parents 4. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Wicked Star will play “a ball-busting woman who seems all wrong” for the son of Ben Stiller’s character, Greg Focker.Robert De Niro has also signed on to reprise his role as Jack Byrnes, with Blythe Danner and Teri Polo also expected to return, though their deals reportedly haven’t closed yet.
John Hamburg, who co-wrote the first three films in the franchise, penned the screenplay for this new installment and will also direct. Universal has set November 25th, 2026 as the release date for Meet the Parents 4.
Real Madrid pay Liverpool to sign Alexander-Arnold early
Getty ImagesSami MokbelSenior football correspondent30 May 2025, 11:08 BST1261 CommentsUpdated 4 minutes agoTrent Alexander-Arnold will become a Real Madrid player on Sunday, 1 June after Liverpool accepted a fee to release the defender early from his contract.Sources at Liverpool have indicated the fee is 10m euros (£8.4m), which Real have made as a single, up-front payment. However, sources at the Spanish club have suggested they have paid a lower amount.A payment has been agreed to allow the England right-back to join Real in time to play in the Club World Cup.The 26-year-old would have been able to leave Liverpool on a free transfer when his contract expired on 30 June.Alexander-Arnold, who had already confirmed he would leave Liverpool this summer, has agreed a six-year deal and his contract includes a 1bn euro (£840m) buy-out clause.Fifa approved an additional window for this summer, from 1-10 June, allowing teams to register new players for the expanded month-long Club World Cup, which starts on 14 June and is being held in the United States.Real’s opening group game is against Saudi side Al-Hilal on 18 June in Miami.Before that, Alexander-Arnold could add to his 33 England caps having been named in the squad for their World Cup qualifier against Andorra (7 June) and friendly against Senegal (10 June).Just hours after Alexander-Arnold’s move was confirmed, Liverpool completed the signing of Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for 35m euros (£29.5m).Why sign Alexander-Arnold early?Real have acted quickly to try to improve their team after an underwhelming campaign, with Spain defender Dean Huijsen also joining on 1 June from Bournemouth in a £50m move.The Spanish giants will be motivated to win the Club World Cup after a season in which they failed to win a major domestic or European trophy for the first time since 2020-21.And there is the obvious financial incentive of the winner of the 32-team tournament potentially earning up to £97m in prize money.This move also enables Alexander-Arnold to start working sooner with Xabi Alonso, who has succeeded Carlo Ancelotti as Real boss.Alexander-Arnold has been with Liverpool since joining his hometown club at the age of six.He has won two Premier League titles, the Champions League, Fifa Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, FA Cup and League Cup with the Reds.But earlier this month he said he had decided to leave to experience a “new challenge” and to push himself “personally and professionally”.Alexander-Arnold leaves Liverpool having claimed 23 goals and 92 assists in 354 appearances for the club.He will join England team-mate Jude Bellingham in Madrid, plus former Liverpool and Real midfielder Alonso.Related topicsLiverpoolSpanish La LigaEuropean FootballPremier LeagueReal MadridFootball TransfersFootball
Read more
Taylor Swift Regains Control of Original Master Recordings
Taylor Swift has gained total control of her entire music catalog, including her original master recordings. “All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me,” she announced in a statement posted to her website on Friday.According to Billboard, Swift purchased her original masters from Shamrock Capital, the private equity firm that acquired them from Scooter Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in late 2020. Swift reportedly paid around $360 million to close the deal.
Braun famously purchased Swift’s masters from her former record label, Big Machine Records, in June 2019—apparently without the singer’s prior knowledge. Swift described Braun’s acquisition as her “worst-case scenario,” stating at the time, “All I could think about was the incessant, manipulative bullying I’ve received at his hands for years.” In response, she announced plans to re-record all of her previous albums released through Big Machine, a move that would give her full control over sync licensing and publishing rights for those recordings. Braun put the masters up for sale in 2020. Although Swift’s team initially engaged in negotiations, they reportedly stopped after being asked to sign an “ironclad NDA” that would prevent her from speaking negatively about Scooter Braun. Ultimately, Braun sold the masters to Shamrock Holdings for a reported total of $300 million. Swift has since released four “Taylor’s Version” re-recorded albums: Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and 1989.
Advertisement
Related Video“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” Swift wrote in her statement. “To my fans, you know how important this has been to me – so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released 4 of my albums, calling them Taylor’s Version. The passionate support you showed those albums and the success story you turned ‘The Eras Tour’ into is why I was able to buy back my music. I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.”
As for her final two re-recordings — Reputation and her self-titled debut– Swift said plans for those releases are now up in the air.
“Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of [Reputation TV]. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it. All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it’s the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn’t be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch. I’ve already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now. Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. But if it happens it won’t be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”
Here is Swift’s statement in full:
Hi
I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow. A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news. All the times I was thiiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now. I’ve been bursting into tears of joy at random intervals ever since I found out that this is really happening. I really get to say these words:
Advertisement
All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.
And all my music videos.All the concert films.The album art and photography.The unreleased songs.The memories. The magic. The madness.Every single era.My entire life’s work.
To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it. To my fans, you know how important this has been to me – so much so that I meticulously re-recorded and released 4 of my albums, calling them Taylor’s Version. The passionate support you showed those albums and the success story you turned The Eras Tour into is why I was able to buy back my music. I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.
All I’ve ever wanted was the opportunity to work hard enough to be able to one day purchase my music outright with no strings attached, no partnership, with full autonomy. I will be forever grateful to everyone at Shamrock Capital for being the first people to ever offer this to me. The way they’ve handled every interaction we’ve had has been honest, fair, and respectful. This was a business deal to them, but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me. My memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams. I am endlessly thankful. My first tattoo might just be a huge shamrock in the middle of my forehead.
I know, I know. What about Rep TV? Full transparency: I haven’t even re-recorded a quarter of it. The Reputation album was so specific to that time in my life, and I kept hitting a stopping point when I tried to remake it. All that defiance, that longing to be understood while feeling purposely misunderstood, that desperate hope, that shame-born snarl and mischief. To be perfectly honest, it’s the one album in those first 6 that I thought couldn’t be improved upon by redoing it. Not the music, or photos, or videos. So I kept putting it off. There will be a time (if you’re into the idea) for the unreleased Vault tracks from that album to hatch. I’ve already completely re-recorded my entire debut album, and I really love how it sounds now. Those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right, if that would be something you guys would be excited about. But if it happens it won’t be from a place of sadness and longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.
Advertisement
I’m extremely heartened by the conversations this saga has reignited within my industry among artists and fans. Every time a new artist tells me they negotiated to own their master recordings in their record contract because of this fight, I’m reminded of how important it was for all of this to happen. Thank you for being curious about something that used to be thought of as too industry-centric for broad discussion. You’ll never know how much it means to me that you cared. Every single bit of it counted and ended us up here.
Thanks to you and your goodwill, teamwork, and encouragement, the best things that have ever been mine… finally actually are.
Elated and amazed,Taylor
King of the Hill Revival Gets Hulu Release Date, New Opening Sequence
Hulu has announced the premiere date for its King of the Hill revival, which will be dropping on August 4th on the streamer. Along with the announcement, Hulu has unveiled the new opening sequence, which you can watch below.The majority of the animated show’s voice cast will be reprising their roles, including series creator Mike Judge as Hank Hill, Kathy Najimy as Peggy, Pamela Adlon as Bobby (now an adult and working as a chef), and Stephen Root as Bill Dauterive.
Johnny Hardwick was also set to reprise his role as the voice of Dale Gribble, but unfortunately died in August 2023. According to a report in TVLine, however, Hardwick completed work on “a couple” episodes before his passing.
Advertisement
The revival finds Hank and Peggy newly returned and retired in Arlen, Texas, after spending several years in Saudi Arabia, where Hank worked a propane job (natch). The new season spans a total of 10 episodes.
Better than an Alamo and almost as good as propane. An all new season of #KingOfTheHill drops Aug 4th on Hulu and with #HuluOnDisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/U8wAkHHg7E
— kingofthehill (@kingofthehill) May 30, 2025
Drummer Nic Collins (Phil Collins’ Son) Learns and Performs RUSH’s Epic “2112” Suite in One Sitting: Watch
The folks at Drumeo are putting Nic Collins through the wringer. First, they challenged him to play Opeth’s mammoth “Ghost of Perdition” as he heard it for the first time, and now they’ve made him learn and play RUSH’s absolutely epic “2112” suite in one sitting.Nic, who is the son of Genesis legend Phil Collins, was tasked with playing all the drum parts to the “2112” suite, which comprises the entire first side of RUSH’s 1976 album of the same name. The original track is 20 minutes long, consisting of the parts “Overture,” “The Temples of Syrinx,” “Discovery,” “Presentation,” “Oracle: The Dream,” “Soliloquy,” and “Grand Finale.”
In the Drumeo video, Nic has to play it all, minus “Discovery” (which doesn’t have any drums), and agonizes over the task ahead of him, exclaiming, “Why do you have to be so good, Neil?,” referencing legendary late RUSH drummer Neil Peart (No. 3 on Consequence‘s 100 Best Drummers of All Time list).
Advertisement
Related VideoAfter learning each part, Nic gives a final performance of the “2112” suite, and absolutely crushes it, with Drumeo host Brandon Toews telling him, “Neil would be proud.”
The commentary on YouTube is overwhelmingly positive, with remarks like, “So very impressive, Nic! To learn any Neil Peart part is challenging, but ‘2112’ in under three hours? That was a joy to witness. Thank you Nic Collins and the crew at Drumeo to even dream this could be done.”
Watch Nic Collins take on RUSH’s “2112” in the video below. At the end of the video, Nic mentions that he has a new instructional series on Drumeo. If you’re looking to pick up the drums or improve your skills, Drumeo is offering a 30-day free trial for new members.
[embedded content]
Thom Yorke Releases Statement Clarifying Stance on Israel and Palestine
Thom Yorke has posted an extensive statement addressing recent criticism from some fans regarding his response—or apparent lack thereof—to Israel’s ongoing war in Palestine. Radiohead has played concerts in Israel several times over the course of their career, including in 2017 when they ignored a request by Roger Waters to cancel a gig in Tel Aviv in support of the BDS movement. Yorke was also notably heckled by a pro-Palestine audience member during a solo concert in Melbourne, Australia in October 2024, prompting him to briefly walk off stage. There has also been much criticism directed at Yorke’s Radiohead and The Smile bandmate, Jonny Greenwood, who recently played a concert in Tel Aviv with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa. Greenwood’s family also recently lost a nephew serving in the Israel Defense Forces.In his statement, Yorke said he chose not to engage with the heckler in Melbourne because “it didn’t really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. Afterwards I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour.”
“That silence, my attempt to show respect for all those who are suffering and those who have died, and to not trivialize it in a few words, has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill in the blanks, and I regret giving them this chance,” Yorke added. “This has had a heavy toll on my mental health.”
Advertisement
Related VideoYorke continued, “I would hope that for anyone who has ever listened to a note of the music of my band or any of the music I have created over the years, or looked at the artwork or read any of the lyrics, it would be self-evident that I could not possibly support any form of extremism or dehumanization of others… For others let me fill in the blanks now, so we’re nice and clear.”
He proceeded to denounce Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “and his crew of extremists” who are “totally out of control and need to be stopped,” and added “the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease.” And yet, Yorke continued, ” the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all does not answer the simple question of why the hostages have still not all been returned? For what possible reason? Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes.”
Yorke also condemned “social media witch-hunts (nothing new) on either side pressurizing artists and whoever they feel like that week to make statements etc do very little except heighten the tension, fear and over-simplification of what are complex problems that merit proper face to face debate by people who genuinely wish the killing to stop and an understanding to be found.”
Advertisement
You can read Yorke’s full statement below.
Some guy shouting at me from the dark last year when I was picking up a guitar to sing the final song alone in front of 9000 people in Melbourne didn’t really seem like the best moment to discuss the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
Afterwards I remained in shock that my supposed silence was somehow being taken as complicity, and I struggled to find an adequate way to respond to this and to carry on with the rest of the shows on the tour.
That silence, my attempt to show respect for all those who are suffering and those who have died, and to not trivialize it in a few words, has allowed other opportunistic groups to use intimidation and defamation to fill in the blanks, and I regret giving them this chance. This has had a heavy toll on my mental health.
Advertisement
I would hope that for anyone who has ever listened to a note of the music of my band or any of the music I have created over the years, or looked at the artwork or read any of the lyrics, it would be self-evident that I could not possibly support any form of extremism or dehumanization of others. All I see in a lifetime’s worth of work with my fellow musicians and artists is a pushing against such things, trying to create work that goes beyond what it means to be controlled, coerced, threatened, to suffer, to be intimidated .. and instead to encourage critical thinking beyond borders, the commonality of love and experience and free creative expression.
Sounds naff … but true.
For others let me fill in the blanks now, so we’re nice and clear.
I think Netanyahu and his crew of extremists are totally out of control and need to be stopped, and that the international community should put all the pressure it can on them to cease. Their excuse of self-defence has long since worn thin and has been replaced by a transparent desire to take control of Gaza and the West Bank permanently.
I believe this ultra-nationalist administration has hidden itself behind a terrified & grieving people and used them to deflect any criticism, using that fear and grief to further their ultra-nationalist agenda with terrible consequences, as we see now with the horrific blockade of aid to Gaza.
Advertisement
While our lives tick along as normal these endless thousands of innocent human souls are still being expelled from the earth… for what?
At the same time the unquestioning Free Palestine refrain that surrounds us all does not answer the simple question of why the hostages have still not all been returned? For what possible reason?
Why did Hamas choose the truly horrific acts of October 7th? The answer seems obvious, and I believe Hamas chooses too to hide behind the suffering of its people, in an equally cynical fashion for their own purposes.
I also think there is a further and extremely important point to make.
Social media witch-hunts (nothing new) on either side pressurizing artists and whoever they feel like that week to make statements etc do very little except heighten the tension, fear and over-simplification of what are complex problems that merit proper face to face debate by people who genuinely wish the killing to stop and an understanding to be found.
This kind of deliberate polarization does not serve our fellow human beings and perpetuates a constant ‘us and them’ mentality. It destroys hope and maintains a sense of isolation, the very things that extremists use to maintain their position. We facilitate their hiding in plain sight if we assume that the extremists and the people they claim to represent are one and the same, indivisible.
Advertisement
If our world is ever able to move on from these dark times and find peace it will only be when we rediscover what we share in common, and the extremists are sent back to sit in the darkness from whence they came.
I sympathize completely with the desire to ‘do something’ when we are witnessing such horrific suffering on our devices every day. It completely makes sense. But I now think it is a dangerous illusion to believe reposting, or one or two line messages are meaningful, especially if it is to condemn your fellow human beings. There are unintended consequences.
It is shouting from the darkness. It is not looking people in the eye when you speak. It is making dangerous assumptions. It is not debate and it is not critical thinking.
Importantly, it is open to online manipulation of all kinds, both mechanistic and political.
What is the alternative? I can’t answer that easily. I do know in communities around the globe this subject is now dangerously toxic and we are in uncharted waters. We need to turn back.
I am sure that, to this point, what I have written here will in no way satisfy those who choose to target myself or those I work with, they will spend time picking holes and looking for reasons to continue, we are an opportunity not to be missed, no doubt, and by either side.
Advertisement
I have written this in the simple hope that I can join with the many millions of others praying for this suffering, isolation and death to stop, praying that we can collectively regain our humanity and dignity and our ability to reach understanding .. that one day soon this darkness will have passed.
Read more