Latest news with #satire
BreakingNews.ie
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Kneecap performances ‘satirical', says rapper ahead of Glastonbury show
Belfast rap group Kneecap have defended their provocative performances as 'satirical' ahead of performing at Glastonbury this weekend. The rap trio are due to take to the West Holts stage at the English festival at 4pm on Saturday, just over a week after one of their members appeared in court and as senior Westminster politicians criticised their participation in the popular music festival. Advertisement Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh appeared in court last week after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. The band were also criticised following footage of a November 2023 gig allegedly showing a member saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' Supporters protested outside Westminster Magistrates' Court when Kneecap's Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared there earlier in June (Jonathan Brady/PA) British prime minister Keir Starmer has said he does not think it is 'appropriate' for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance. Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, said the videos only resurfaced after Kneecap performed at Coachella in April, where they said 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine'. Advertisement Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Moglai Bap), and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), said the ensuing controversies are a distraction from what is happening to Palestinians. They said they are happy to lose income and clout in order to be 'on the right side of history', and said they hoped that 'being vocal and being unafraid' would encourage other bands to speak up on Palestine. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper ahead of Glastonbury, Ó hAnnaidh defended their performances as 'satirical'. 'It's a joke. I'm a character. Shit is thrown on stage all the time. If I'm supposed to know every f****** thing that's thrown on stage I'd be in Mensa,' he said. Advertisement 'I don't know every proscribed organisation – I've got enough shit to worry about up there. I'm thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.' Asked about the 'dead Tory' comments, he said it was 'a joke' and 'we're playing characters'. 'It's satirical, it's a f****** joke. And that's not the point,' he said. 'The point is, that wasn't an issue until we said 'Free Palestine' at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid. Advertisement Ireland Kneecap: The controversies explained as one of the... Read More 'Everybody agreed it was a f****** joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn't agree – it's a laugh, we're all having a bit of craic. 'The point is, and the context is, it all [resurfaced] because of Coachella. That's what we should be questioning, not whether I regret things.' Ó hAnnaidh added: 'If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f****** wobble.'
The Independent
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Kneecap performances ‘satirical', says rapper ahead of Glastonbury show
Irish language rap group Kneecap have defended their provocative performances as 'satirical' ahead of performing at Glastonbury this weekend. The rap trio are due to take to the West Holts stage at 4pm on Saturday, just over a week after one of their members appeared in court and as senior Westminster politicians criticised their participation in the popular music festival. Kneecap member Liam Og O hAnnaidh appeared in court last week after being charged for allegedly displaying a flag in support of proscribed terrorist organisation Hezbollah while saying 'up Hamas, up Hezbollah' at a gig in November last year. The band were also criticised following footage of a November 2023 gig allegedly showing a member saying: 'The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.' British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said he does not think it is 'appropriate' for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, while Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said she thought the BBC 'should not be showing' Kneecap's performance. O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, said the videos only resurfaced after Kneecap performed at Coachella in April, where they said 'F*** Israel. Free Palestine'. Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise O Caireallain (Moglai Bap), and JJ O Dochartaigh (DJ Provai), said the ensuing controversies are a distraction from what is happening to Palestinians. They said they are happy to lose income and clout in order to be 'on the right side of history', and said they hoped that 'being vocal and being unafraid' would encourage other bands to speak up on Palestine. In an interview with The Guardian newspaper ahead of Glastonbury, O hAnnaidh defended their performances as 'satirical'. 'It's a joke. I'm a character. Shit is thrown on stage all the time. If I'm supposed to know every f****** thing that's thrown on stage I'd be in Mensa,' he said. 'I don't know every proscribed organisation – I've got enough shit to worry about up there. I'm thinking about my next lyric, my next joke, the next drop of a beat.' Asked about the 'dead Tory' comments, he said it was 'a joke' and 'we're playing characters'. 'It's satirical, it's a f****** joke. And that's not the point,' he said. 'The point is, that (video) wasn't an issue until we said 'Free Palestine' at Coachella. That stuff happened 18 months ago, and nobody batted an eyelid. 'Everybody agreed it was a f****** joke, even people that may have been in the room that didn't agree – it's a laugh, we're all having a bit of craic. 'The point is, and the context is, it all (resurfaced) because of Coachella. That's what we should be questioning, not whether I regret things.' Ó hAnnaidh added: 'If you believe that what a satirical band who play characters on stage do is more outrageous than the murdering of innocent Palestinians, then you need to give your head a f****** wobble.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Sabrina Carpenter reveals Man's Best Friend album art 'approved by God' after outcry
Sabrina Carpenter has revealed alternative artwork "approved by God" for her new album after the original cover sparked controversy. Earlier in June, the Espresso singer shared art for her album, Man's Best Friend, which shows her on her hands and knees in a black minidress with a suited man grabbing her photo prompted a heated debate, with some arguing that it pandered to the male gaze and promoted misogynistic Wednesday, the pop princess posted two less contentious black-and-white images of herself holding a suited man's arm, with the caption: "Here is a new alternate cover approved by God." Users responding to Carpenter's post on Instagram included fellow pop star Katy Perry, who simply replied: "Gahahahaha." Those criticising the initial artwork included Glasgow Women's Aid, a charity supporting victims of domestic abuse, which said it was "regressive" and "promotes an element of violence and control".Not everyone was against it, and some defended the singer, explaining that the image was satirical."There's a deeper meaning, portraying how the public views her, believing she is just for the male gaze," a fan wrote on Heather Binning of Women's Rights Network, told the BBC that violence against women should "never be used as satire".Many of Carpenter's fans are young women, and Ms Binning said the imagery "grooms girls to believe that it is a fun, casual, sexy thing to submit to men's sexual (sometimes sexually violent) desires". On social media, some also criticised Carpenter for the timing, suggesting the image was not appropriate given the current political climate in the US."Women's control over their bodies are being taken away in the US and this is kind of insensitive," one user wrote on Instagram. 'Sell her brand' Professor Catherine Rottenberg from Goldsmiths University of London said that regardless of how the artwork should be interpreted, Carpenter was "fanning the flames of controversy in order to sell her brand". "Debates around representation that this album has already generated will likely mean more sales, more popularity, and more traction," she told the is not the first time the 26-year-old's music has sparked an has built her brand around fun and risque pop music, and her sexual lyrics, X-rated ad-lib Nonsense outros and provocative performances regularly cause a the Brit Awards in March, media watchdog Ofcom received 825 complaints, with the majority involving Carpenter's pre-watershed opening performance that saw her wearing a red sparkly military-style mini-dress with matching stockings and was also seen having a close encounter with a dancer dressed as a soldier wearing a bearskin hat during the show, which was broadcast live on Ford, a culture critic, previously told the BBC that Carpenter is "in on the joke" when she performs. "Sabrina is being unabashedly horny in her music and it feels like an embrace of fun and silliness and not taking things too seriously."Man's Best Friend is Carpenter's seventh studio album and will be released on 29 August.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
A MacArthur 'genius' skewers philanthropy in a farcical play tackling oligarchy and arts funding
NEW YORK — Taylor Mac does not set out to bite the hand that feeds in a new play satirizing cultural philanthropy. The MacArthur 'genius grant' recipient claims to be 'just trying to get some lipstick on it.' Set at a not-for-profit dance company's gala, 'Prosperous Fools' invites questions about the moral value of philanthropy in a society denounced by the comedy as 'feudal.' A boorish patron goes mad trying vainly to wield his lacking creative capital and thus confirms the choreographer's fears of selling out to a sleazy oligarch who represents everything his art opposes. The show, written by Mac and directed by Darko Tresnjak, runs through June 29 at Brooklyn's Polonsky Shakespeare Center.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A MacArthur 'genius' skewers philanthropy in a farcical play tackling oligarchy and arts funding
NEW YORK (AP) — Taylor Mac does not set out to bite the hand that feeds in a new play satirizing cultural philanthropy. The MacArthur 'genius grant' recipient claims to be 'just trying to get some lipstick on it." Set at a not-for-profit dance company's gala, "Prosperous Fools" invites questions about the moral value of philanthropy in a society denounced by the comedy as 'feudal.' A boorish patron goes mad trying vainly to wield his lacking creative capital and thus confirms the choreographer's fears of selling out to a sleazy oligarch who represents everything his art opposes. The show, written by Mac and directed by Darko Tresnjak, runs through June 29 at Brooklyn's Polonsky Shakespeare Center. 'I'm not trying to hurt anybody. I'm trying to get people to think differently about the world,' said Mac, whose gender pronoun is 'judy.' 'I just wish that all of the great philanthropists of America, and the world, would lead with, 'This is a temporary solution until we can figure out how to make a government of the people, for the people, by the people,'" Mac added. "Instead of, 'This is the solution: I should have all the money and then I get to decide how the world works.'' Don't let present day parallels distract you. The fundraiser's honored donor enters atop a fire-breathing bald eagle in a black graphic tee, blazer and cap much like Elon Musk's signature White House getup. He later dons the long red tie popular in MAGA world. But the resemblance doesn't mean Mac is meditating solely on recent events such as President Donald Trump's billionaire-filled administration and tightening grip over cultural pillars including the Kennedy Center. The script reflects personal frustrations with philanthropy's uneven power dynamics navigated throughout a 30-year career spent in what Mac described as 'a million handshaking ceremonies," first as a cater-waiter and eventually as one of the celebrated honorees who donates performances to help fundraise. Mac's desperate portrayal of the artist at the center of 'Prosperous Fools' only sharpens its skewering of wealthy philanthropists who take more than they give away. When the artist cries 'But why couldn't I have a good oligarch?' and bemoans that 'I should have stayed in the artistic integrity of obscurity,' it feels like a case of art imitating life. Mainstream success came last decade for Mac. 'A 24-Decade History of Popular Music' was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2017 and Mac's Broadway debut play 'Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus' racked up seven Tony nominations in 2019. 'Prosperous Fools,' however, was written 12 years ago before much of the critical acclaim. Mac said 'someone with power' commissioned a translation of French playwright Molière's 'Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme,' which mocks a status-obsessed middle class social climber. Mac isn't surprised the original commissioner didn't want the final product. Molière is hardly present. And the play essentially advocates for an end to the perpetuation of culture that only the affluent deem worthy of funding. Mac is also unsurprised it took over a decade to land another interested producer. The initial 40-person ballet troupe had to be shrunk to a more affordable ensemble of four dancers. Plus, its style, in Mac's judgment, is still rather 'queer' for a 'heteronormative' theater industry. 'And then the other reason is because I insult donors," Mac said. 'I don't think I insult donors," Mac added. "I ask donors to consider. And the theater is entrenched in making sure their donors feel good about themselves — not that their donors are in collaboration with us for us all to get to a place of better consciousness.' The show's slapstick humor helps break down its fairly cerebral subject matter. In one of several moments of hilarity, the patron and his 'philanthropoid' — the ballet's artistic director, whose primary concern is securing donations — sway around the stage oinking like pigs. Mac's artist delivers scathing and highbrow critiques while pretending to be 'The Princess Bride' actor Wallace Shawn in a puppet costume. The gala's other honoree — a star singer called the 'patron saint of philanthropy" who wears a gown adorned with impoverished children's faces — makes no bones about her lust for Shawn. But, as Mac knows, nonstop humor can have the effect of softening its target. 'Prosperous Fools' foregoes the actors' bows that typically end a play in favor of an epilogue, delivered by the artist in rhyming couplets, that serves as the show's final blow to 'philanthrocapitalism.' 'I want to be a tender heart in this too tough world trying to figure out how to maintain my tenderness and how to create revolution with tenderness. And I'm at a loss for it right now," Mac said. "Part of what the play is doing is saying, 'I'm at a loss. Are you? Do you have a solution for me?'' By skipping the curtain call, Mac practically demands that the crowd wrestle immediately with whether charity absolves wealth hoarders' greed — a question boldly put forth at the close of a Theatre for a New Audience season sponsored by Deloitte and Bloomberg Philanthropies. But whether the show's heavy-handed message has reached those financial backers remains to be seen. 'No one's spoken to me," Mac said. Neither responded to requests for comment. ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP's philanthropy coverage, visit James Pollard, The Associated Press
