Joe Hack

I look at the daily newspapers. I look at news online. I look in vain for any evidence that they actually contain anything that even remotely resembles news. In case we forget, there are allied forces of occupation in Iraq, civil war edges ever closer, the body-bag count rises every day. Meanwhile over in Afghanistan events spiral out of control, drug traffic to the west is greater than under the taleban, and no-one has anything that resembles an exit plan. And those are just the messes Bush and Blair caused. War, pestilence and famine on a biblical scale stalk the continent of Africa, corrupt dictatorships are propped up by greedy western governments, the planets melting and crooked politicians smile as they steal your trust. Surely in amongst that lot theres something worth reporting that the news media can get its teeth into ? You’d think ! But all I see is wall-to-wall Paris bloody Hilton.

Hell I’ve got nothing against the girl. She’s probably no worse than any other air-head  with too much money what is this international obsession with ‘celebrity‘ thats  turned the news media into trivial gossip magazines for the mentally challenged ? They say its a reflection of the society we live in. The lonely fragmented lives where we have no real friends or sense of neighborhood or social support networks. No more gossip over the garden fence about local folks. We live in a world where characters in soaps and people famous just for being famous have taken the place of real people as our topics of conversation. The young have no real role-models except the air-head ‘celebs‘ they’re supposed to aspire to be like. Well if thats true its so damn sad. Get a life ! The way politics is these days we desperately need the counter-balance of a principled, brave press to hold the liars and wrong-doers to account on our behalf. Is it happening. Hell no !

Anyway, when you’re in the shit the best thing to do is hold your nose and get the hell out of it as quick as you can,. So no more Paris Hilton, right ? This is not about her. Its about you. Read a book. Take a walk. Give someone a hug. Scratch your ass. Anything.  Just throw the worthless, empty celebrity trash in the waste-basket where it belongs and leave it there. Believe me, there is life after Paris Hilton.Tags:Afghanistan Africa allied forces Blair Bush celebrity celebs dictatorships drug traffic evidence famous gossip Hilton Iraq media mentally challenged money news obsession Paris Paris Hilton politicians politics press Scratch your ass society taleban War who gives a shit anyway Zeitgeist ZooAfghanistan, Africa, allied forces, Blair, Bush, celebrity, celebs, dictatorships, drug traffic, evidence, famous, gossip, Hilton, Iraq, media, mentally challenged, money, news, obsession, Paris, Paris Hilton, politicians, politics, press, Scratch your ass, society, taleban, War, who gives a shit anyway, Zeitgeist Zoo

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Well some of his employees do anyway. Coming firmly under the ‘who gives a shit anyway‘ category of ‘news‘ reportage, Marilyn Manson (real name Brian Warner) was apparently turned away from Cologne cathedral  because he was wearing lipstick. Oh shock horror ! Christian groups in the US have branded Manson a pawn of Satan for albums such as 1996’s Antichrist Superstar, thus demonstrating their usual profound lack of humour.  Brian apparently didn’t think cathedral staff recognised him, telling reporters: “They didn’t let me in because I was wearing lipstick.”   The 38-year-old rock ’star’ had to be content with a view through the doors (and a shedload of free publicity of course).  Brian graciously described the cathedral, one of Germany’s top tourist attractions, as “one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever seen”.

Coincidentally (ho ho) Manson was in Cologne for the opening of an exhibition of 33 of his watercolour paintings at a gallery in the city. Subjects include the late actor and friend of Manson, Christopher Reeve, and Adolf Hitler, who is depicted as a transsexual creature with breasts. “Either you like them or you don’t,” Brian said.  It seems Germany, the homeland of the often-gloomy Expressionism art movement, was a great source of inspiration for him. Other aspects of German culture clearly appeal to him too. He has flirted with Nazi imagery in the past and has recently incorporated elements of German cabaret into his performances. Not dipping into the nazi bag with any intention of shocking the easily-shockable and getting cheap publicity of course. Purely a matter of aesthetics.

I’ve only seen Brian chatting on TV once but he seemed like an intelligent and pleasant enough guy resolutely treading the well-worn showbiz path of shocking the gullible. Hes clearly a master of the publicity game though. Well, he got his name in the papers this time and a ton of free publicity for his exhibition so,  job done, eh Brian ?Tags:Adolf Hitler Brian Warner cabaret cathedral cheap publicity Christian Christopher Reeve culture exhibition Expressionism art gallery Germany gullible humour intelligent lipstick Manson Marilyn Manson Nazi news publicity Satan tourist attractions transsexual TV watercolour paintings Weird and Bizarre who gives a shit anywayAdolf Hitler, Brian Warner, cabaret, cathedral, cheap publicity, Christian, Christopher Reeve, culture, exhibition, Expressionism art, gallery, Germany, gullible, humour, intelligent, lipstick, Manson, Marilyn Manson, Nazi, news, publicity, Satan, tourist attractions, transsexual, TV, watercolour paintings, Weird and Bizarre, who gives a shit anyway

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