I have a performance rather than a literary background. I did a national tour once, we performed in big theatres - and I do love theatres - but what sticks out was performing in a village hall up north. They laid on food for us, THEY performed for us in the pub afterwards, getting out the musical instruments and we joined in. It was wonderful. Small places that don't produce much profit are so important. They are the life blood of the arts. I love books too and book festivals are so vital.
32:00: George Orwell, Why I Write, 1946 : 'Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude'
What on earth are you talking about?All books are political? What rubbish. Just because politics dominates your horizons doesn’t mean it dominates everyone else’s. The final sentence of your post, which I can’t be bothered to repeat, is such a general statement as to be devoid of meaning. Please just go back to your sad corner of the 6th form common room.
@@LoudMinded please enlighten me oh great one, but don’t use such a generalist definition as to make it devoid of meaning (as per my original comment).
- I see one of the Best Actor nominees took a swing at the host last night - Javier Bardem? - Not yet, but apparently the Academy are talking about a long suspension
I partly agree - artists should be free to create the art they want/need to, and don't *have* to take part in political conversations - but Marina badly misrepresents Fossil Free Books (see my comment). She's so harsh it's almost like it's hit a nerve with her quite personally...
I really appreciate Richard's thoughtful response to the festival situation. Book festivals (and public libraries!!) are absolutely vital spaces for building empathy and sharing ideas. But, as you say, the world IS on fire and we do have to do something. What happened in this instance wasn't necessarily the right action. And it certainly wasn't done with enough thought. But I can understand their motivations, even if I think this specific tactic was somewhat naive and ill-judged. Marina's rant was hard to listen to.
Absolutely. Tossing out a nasty aside about Saudi journalists having to be 'tame', because they were at risk of leaving in several body bags, yet refusing point-blank to acknowledge the sheer numbers of press being deliberately targeted by the IOF was sickening to hear.
I feel in the case of BB4: RoD it’s not a case that Will is bankable, but that there’s a lot of love for the personas of the two characters and the wild Michael Bay bang-bang blow up summer action; this is an outlier. Will hasn’t been bankable for years even before the slap. The nepotism for his son trying to pick up his mantle at the box office didn’t work at all, even when he funded a Karate Kid remake starring Jaden and didn’t even feature karate in the first place. His Netflix movies have been largely forgettable and unless they bring him back for yet another Men in Black, he’s just not going to carry a movie on his own.
@@biegebythesea6775 You're confusing son Barney with dad Bradley [which means you can't be British either!]. Presumably the reference is to someone who is in the public eye for reasons other than their charisma and talent.
Marina's point about politicisation of art is well taken, but she needs to articulate where she thinks the boundaries lie. After all, Russia has been banned from things like the Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest, which was wildly popular in the West including in the UK - is she against that kind of politicisation, thinking that Russia should still be allowed to compete? Where does she draw the line?
The podcast does have a limited runtime, we can't reasonably expect her to articulate her entire view of an immense subject in that time. You can't assume she thinks X or Y and treat that as a gotcha just because the format didn't contain every detail of her opinion. In fact they have talked about Eurovison in a previous episode and how it putting itself forward as a moral arbiter and the face of Peace has put it in a fraught position.
@@gma5607and mentioned the boycott of Sun City in what seemed a positive light in contrast. I’d be interested in whether it’s the classic case of things being correct when done by others in the past
Marina's remark about Barney Walsh is the most accurate piece of commentary I've ever heard on anything ever. I thought it was just me that felt that way 😂
Thank you so much, once more for what you do here. This is one program I cannot get enough of! Seems to me that anyone who thinks that a book festival is a priority target for that kind of blackmail/ activism has an issue with the very fact of books in their infinite variety. I don't like that person, whoever they think they are. An easy target, possibly, a suitable one, no.
With the TV debates, one of the most off-putting things is the constant interruptions and talking/shouting over one another. Can the producers get some sort of soundproof booths (like in Nick Knowles' quiz show: Who Dares Wins) where the sound is cut off after the alloted time?
Marina Hyde was quick to point out -the spinelessness of the people at the Oscars clapping and enjoying their art festival, she mocked how they essentially turned a blind eye and did not then and there condemn the slap heard around the world.. their publicists and handlers where not present after all to show them how to act, she joked -will smith receiving money from the Saudis (OIL money), for attending the red sea festival... a art festival. she made special mention of the horrific cutting up of JOURNALISTS but when activist refuse to look the other way try to boycot because of dirty OIL money and complicity to the genocide in the middle east, where JOURNALISTS where equally horrifically and deliberately targeted... all of a sudden it's a bridge to far for Ms Hyde... ~meh our culture and art is being sullied by politics~ i was going to make a easy Dr. Jekyll and mr Hyde joke, but in stead I'll leave you with this: "Human beings are a species splendid in their array of moral equipment, tragic in their propensity to misuse it, and pathetic in their constitutional ignorance of the misuse. Humans are very good at challenging the beliefs of other people, but when it comes to their own beliefs, they tend to protect them, not challenge them" Robert Wright
Minor correction: 25:25 NVIDIA is not the largest FAB in the world, they are actually the opposite: a so-called fabless chip design company. Meaning they do not have a FAB and produce no chips themselves. Instead TSMC, the largest FAB, makes the chips for them. TSMC also makes chips for apple, AMD, ARM, Broadcom, Qualcomm and many many others.
@@tomwoodhouse7690 I'm not sure, could be firm she said. But they are also not the largest firm in the world, although they are getting close (measured by market cap).
Promoting, protesting... we are in a world of amateurs at the moment where people who are protesting quite legitimate problems, simply do not understand how people work and think, and so often now, their message is lost behind the action they take. If you are campaigning for anything, especially something that ultimately must be in the hands of government, then you have to get people on side. The more of you the better. But so many of these groups, Just Stop Oil jumps to mind, end up alienating the general public - and these are the very people they need to support them. The moment what you do is described as a "stunt," you have got it wrong. I think a great lesson can be learnt from what happened around Greta, Extinction Rebelian, and David Attenborough. Greta's original protest inconvenienced no one, but it generated a HUGE amount of publicity for her cause. Then she got involved with ER, and it has kind of backfired a little. People have become irritated by her, and have stopped litstening, which is a shame. Then, David Attenborough stood up, met her, and did his own piece about the environment. His single appearence raised the issue far more successfully than anything ER have done. He is famous (for the right reason) and his intervention inconvenienced no one. No surprise it scored hugely. Upsetting authors, and author's fans, does not sound like a good way of getting a message across. These protest groups are desperate for a strategist who can steer them through the process of good campaigning and get results for them, and not bad headlines.
The Extinction Rebellion (XR) people I've met/listened to are an extremely thoughtful bunch who reflect on all these issues. They include a very 'broad church' of supporters - a big challenge in itself but very necessary if we're going to get anywhere on climate action and justice... So there's direct action, but there are also collaborations with more traditional organisations e.g. on *Saturday 22 June* there's a *Restore Nature Now* march in London that is a coalition between XR, RSPB, World Wildlife Fund, National Trust, with Chris Packham and other well known popular scientists speaking/supporting. Come along - 12pm Park Lane to Parliament Sq...
All due respect, the Shakespeare comparison is pretty weak. Elizabethan England was a police state. Shakespeare making overt political statements would have been a risk on a scale completely incomparable to anything being discussed in this video. He's a lot more like Shostakovich negotiating Stalin's USSR. I love Shakespeare, but if a major Shakespeare festival is being sponsored by a fossil fuel company, I'm all for someone organizing a boycott. Also, Shakespeare's work has always been political. He massaged the egos of kings and queens to curry favour. And how Shakespeare is interpreted in any given age is a reflection of the politics and pre-occupations of the age. He's regularly used as a justification of Empire. He's really not a good one to bring up if you want to argue against the idea of art being political.
I hadn’t thought or cared about Will Smith for 5 years before the slap. He seemed a bit of a passenger to his previous fame. Then he actually showed he actually had a personality, even if it was a bit broken.
What a great episode! Love the discussion about art and politics. Why are activists targeting art galleries and authors? It's not an effective tool for protest IMO. Remember ActUp and BuggaUp? Strong and effective.
I thought that I would choke laughing. Richard is the funniest guy on planet Earth. Absolutely brilliant. My god , can you imagine having this guy as an English lecturer at uni. And Marina? Yep, I know, I can't help it. She is everything else that is perfect !
God forbid someone touches our very delightful literary festivals! How about they find a sponsor that doesn't contribute to climate catastrophe?? Marina Hyde here winning her (old pal) Gwyneth Paltrow Award for being the most out of touch journalist of the month
Regarding the literature and politics discussion Can Richard and Mariana Tell us about the pressure on apartheid by artist And how it helped in ending apartheid
I disagree with Marina's point about all because a sponsor does some good things, we should ignore the bad things. Investing in fossil fuels will destroy the trees that the paper is made from, therefore, the price of books will increase. I understand that these book festivals are important and need sponsors to help them. But there are ethical companies out there with deep pockets.
I understand and agree with some of Marina’s frustration about protest tactics. Not everything should be forcibly politicised, especially the arts. BUT i really think its short-sighted to assume the people organising protests are stupid or ignorant. So many people who do not participate in trying to fix the problems of the world are quick to criticise tactics, but they forget that campaigners have been following the “correct channels” for decades with very very little progress. They are forced to try radical actions because those with power to make meaningful change refuse to do so again and again despite the presence of rational, scientific arguments, and these protesters are forced to leverage immense influence with next to no actual power in their hands. Id like to hear Marina’s suggestions for getting major corporations to drop fossil fuels that haven’t already been tried and failed by hard working activists.
Marinas point about Shakespeare and "awful thingsbalways happening" really falls down when you realise we have the internet. When you're learning about second world war as a teen you ask "why didn't we do something sooner?" And the techer says,"we didn't know." Well this time we do know. Were watching the consequences in real time. Everything is politics when your politicians are complicit in atrocious acts that you can see the evidence of.
Well that's a bit of the point. "We have the internet", "we have alle the info on our phones" - well, those phones, those big companies that drive the internet are just as "bad" as Baillie Gifford". It¨s crazy to protest against Baillie Gifford and let book festivals collapse while they sell their books at Amazon or Waterstones. That's the problem with these kinds of campaigns. Don't like oil? Well, at least not buy phones, use the internet or buy cheap clothes from China, then you can go after things like book festival and their sponsors...
@axels9179 So sorry we're not sticking to the prescribed axels9179 sequence of events. You can actually make phones without exploitation. Big companies that 'drive the internet' can be broken up or bought under public ownership, so there's less incentive to act badly. Chinese factories can be (and are regularly) reformed. There's no commodity you can buy currently that doesn't involve exploitation. Gen**ide can not be performed ethically. Settler colonialism is always unjustifiable. It is correct to ostracize people who lack such basic morals. There are also 10s of countries that condemn the colony that I am against. A colony that traces its roots back to the British empire. The empire from which America was bourne.... you know, that colony that gen***ded 120 million people? Are you really too dense to understand the implications? Are you really so impossibly idiotic to not see the fire bombing of refugee camps as more urgent than the plight of the Chinese worker? Do you seriously think g***cide is as endemic as capitalist exploitation? That we _have_ to engage with it daily to live our lives? Do you really think the assembly of iPhones is more of a problem then the fact that the only country that has ever dropped nuclear arms on civilians are unconditionally supporting the only country with nuclear arms that has never allowed weapons inspectors? A country that has ignored over 1000 UN resolutions? Your answer to this powder keg that could amount to an existential threat is "but iPhone?" "but book festival?" Come on, man.
@@axels9179 I think it was a very problematic action, but Fossil Free Books is a writers' union, so they were doing their bit in their own industry... it's up to the rest of us to do our bit in our own workplaces/communities...
@@rachelstubley2539 Well, their not "doing their bit in their own industry". Their action of going after Baillie Grifford and forcing them out as a sponsor has massively hurt book festivals in UK, while they still are on Amazon and promote their books via Waterstones and similar outlets. That's not doing their bit, that is singling out 1 of the lesser evils in their industry and making huge ramifications for parts of their industry while they themselve are not taking a financial hit. That's just double standards and is pretty appaling behaviour.... If they believe protesting against fossil fuels is truly important, why go after a pretty small "middle-man" like Baillie Grifford while still earning money of parts of the industry that are much more involved in fossil fuels?
But in all seriousness, if we really want to cement change in the industry, should we not be condemning all forms of assault and threatening behaviour? I don't want to be on a high horse, but the breeze with which Will Smith has returned, whether he's welcomed is another thing, surprises me. Maybe it shouldn't. But Assuming what Marina says is true, he's been employed by DISNEY? I mean, really? Not a great look. I don't know. I just think sometimes we're more interested in highlighting individual incidents because the details and circumstances involved match our own agenda's and perceptions than we are actually wanting to see better working conditions for all.
32:15 - Marina looking at the camera and you can see her weighing up what she can get away with saying. Love your work, both of you. And hearing that a new series of House of Games is filming filled me with such joy. I can't wait.
Marina really coming across as the sort of person who will happily criticise everyone but resent other people who do the same. I think possibly her problem is she can't conceive of any motivation for doing things that isn't profit or viewing figures or building an audience. I mean, yeah, the people calling for the boycotts and protests had pretty weak justifications, but that being the case... why did the sponsors immediately pull out? Because they didn't have the courage or integrity to either work with the protestors or to stand up against them. They took the easy way out. And hey, that's their prerogative. But Marina's vitriol agains the other side was just bitter, baseless resentment against people who had the audacity to point out things could be better.
Will Smith's career is going to be revived because 1. studios really prefer to finance films from existing IP (like Bad Boys and MCU etc) and with established stars because the financial risk profile is less than standalone/new IP or rising stars and 2. Which actor has a track record where they could be considered a valid substitute for Will Smith? Marina made the point that the top movie stars are old, that is because studios are more risk averse.
In the past I have been more of a Depp fan than a Smith fan but only by a small margin. Now I really don't care if I don't see either of them and if I'm in a bad mood to start with I'll actively avoid them both. I really don't feel that I'm missing out on any 'must see' films.
Richard osman turned into Richard Pryor from superman 3, he gets will smith to visit graham Norton where he presents will his home made kryptonite in the form of a nativity rap and all seems fine at first, will leaves, returns home and over the next 2 weeks he begins to change culminating in him slapping Chris rock. Your just in a slump will you’ll be great again in bad boys 4!
There seem to be an awful lot of people criticising Marina over paper not being a “fossil fuel product”. That might be true, but paper doesn't just fall off of trees, it's created by paper mills which have a lot of environmental impact via water usage, pollution (bleaching paper for example), creation of waste, and yes, use of fossil fuels
Of course there's an environmental cost to many/most industrial processes, but the main thrust of Fossil Free Books is against the extractive industries (which is the meaning of 'fossil fuels') - so it was a bizarre comment in a pretty unsympathetic rant...
It's extremely illuminating that the first time I've seen Marina get truly passionate about anything is coming out against climate protesters. At least Richard gave a reasoned argument and was able to see both sides. Marina talking complete nonsense about paper being fossil fuels was reminiscent of the infamous 'You can grow concrete' interview by Mike Graham. Nothing says blind privilege like spitting feathers about a company being asked to divest 2% of their investments in fossil fuels. Unbelievable. Also, it's ironic that she says politics has no place in the arts when she's just spent half a podcast ostensibly about the arts espousing her own political position. You've lost this listener but on the plus side, I'm sure you've consolidated your chronically out-of-touch NIMBY viewership.
It certainly makes me reconsider listening to another. I’m having a terrible day in general but seeing your comment, along with the others disagreeing with her, has made me feel a little better for humanity, so thanks for that.
@@Neddoest Nothing frustrates me more than seeing venomous pushback against the few people brave enough to actually try to enact some sort of systemic change to slow down the climate crisis. Especially when you've previously held those pushing back in such relatively high esteem. I'm glad my comment managed to brighten your day a little. Here's hoping for a better tomorrow.
@@phueal Arguing that FFB are 'indulged, spoilt and weak'. Claiming that what they are doing is stupid. That Baillie Gifford are philanthropic rather than green washing. That no one can be 'pure enough' so why bother trying to make any changes at all. The convenient omission of the fact that FFB are supported by hundreds of authors. She has a very clear opinion on what is a highly political and politicised topic and she's used her platform to push that view. I hope this helps.
@@malibu_caribou6465 I see, I thought you were talking about a broader political opinion. In that case I don’t think it’s ironic for her to criticise the politicisation of art while at the same time expressing her opinion that art shouldn’t be politicised.
Dear Mariana May be what the wreckers want to wreck is an apartheid /settler colonialist system Is there anything wrong in that ? It does not mean you hate the art
Also taking the piss out of the ‘disparate’ list of aims they have is fairly ignorant I think. This is the exact definition of intersectionality, and why it’s so important. Let’s the liberal types mock it all they want, they always do and always will. It’s easy to not be a hypocrite if you stand up for nothing.
Richard- thoughtful and measured. Marina- ranting from a position of privilege. Richard's approach is far more effective. Marina referring to "these people" is utterly pejorative.
WRT Bailey Gifford, it seems to me that one of the organisers of this protest has lost a lot of money through their investments and is trying to take revenge.
Didnt bad boys 3 come out after the slap incident? & that did brilliant too. Majority have moved on don't really care just want to watch Will Smirh in bad boys & ironically the slap is win for most of us because we get Will Smith back doing what he does best in films like bad boys. And he gets to be around people hes known for ages & gets to put what happened behind him make no.1 hit films again. Funny enough the only people really still banging on about the slap is Chris Rock & co using it ad materiall etc so thete winners too lol.
The whole book festival discussion maps onto the Just Stop Oil vandalism of Art. It's politicising art, which should be left to stand as art independent from the politic of the time. But that does not mean we don't need to stop oil. Both art and stopping oil are good. But separate.
Sorry - but everything, including art, is politics. And politics is everything. That relationship is why there's currently so little public funding for arts and why DeSantis has a war on Disney. What we NEED is nuance. A corporation can do some things without being completely evil and a festival can be wonderful even if it has some associations we'd rather it didn't.
Yes, everything involves political relationships. But not everything is an appropriate forum for political protest about whichever issue is dear to anyone's heart.
@@eyeyayayay I would argue that it is impossible to make a significant statement, much less an artistic statement, without also making a political one. At the very least you're stating that "in regard to things portrayed, I'm accepting of the status quo."
I’m sorry but you really can’t compare Will Smith to Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise didn’t hit anyone. He may be weird but he doesn’t assault people. I can’t find anything about Will Smith’s behavior funny. He is nearly the same age as my father and he still cannot contain himself obviously. Pitiful. The fact that he chose to hit Chris Rock who is physically smaller than him speaks volumes. Would you be so entertained if Chris was a woman? Will Smith is a bully. If you don’t stand up against bullies they tend to do it again and to more vulnerable people. It wasn’t funny then. It isn’t funny now.
No one seems to mention Chris Rock in the Oscars slap story. It has occurred to me, that one of the reasons that Will Smith has been let off the pariah hook quite so easily, is that Chris Rock appears to be a far more decent human being, than most of the self adoring Hollywood elite who applauded Will Smith, despite his ugly behaviour. Of course, that's not the only reason but I think it's worth considering...
From Henry V, Chorus act 4... How London doth pour out her citizens! The mayor and all his brethren in best sort, Like to the senators of the antique Rome, With the plebeians swarming at their heels, Go forth and fetch their conquering Caesar in: As, by a lower but loving likelihood, Were now the general of our gracious empress, As in good time he may, from Ireland coming, Bringing rebellion broached on his sword, How many would the peaceful city quit, To welcome him! much more, and much more cause, Did they this Harry. I think Shakey appears to be generally approving of Elizabeth's tactics
Marina showing her true limited understanding of what art is as she shows us that hint of fascism that really makes her tick- she always sounds a bit foolish whenever she brings up economics but in this one she literally argues that some people should be silenced so that she doesn’t have to think about her role in the state of the world
@@themanmrbijok7364 her expressed view is that established corporations who have financial ties to genocide and destruction should have the ability to curate voices, but a small but effective protester should not. She is visibly annoyed that the protest is causing a reaction and therefore ruining her proverbial brunch and “yucking her yum.” It’s the classic classist neoliberal response akin to, “don’t protest, be less disruptive and work within the broken irreparable system quietly (and with little to no effect)” In this video she is concerned about a millionaire slapping another millionaire in public, but she goes apoplectic about a working class protest movement inconveniencing her and her rich colleagues.
The book festival funders issue is really difficult - I really wish the emphasis had been on protest/discussion rather than boycott of festivals... But wow, Marina is so harsh (saying that Fossil Fuel Books writers are spoilt, weak etc) and totally misrepresents what I know (just as someone who goes to readings etc) about this writers' union. A few points: FFB are not saying that all art must be political at all! Rather, the arts industry is a business and they are looking critically at its funding model. 2. Why are Richard and Marina so lacking in understanding about writers' relationship with Amazon? All but the biggest writers have no power to specify where their books are sold, though I've heard many plead with readers to buy from bookshops not Amazon. 3. "Paper is a fossil fuel product"?? Come on Marina, the campaign is against extractive industries that are wrecking the environment and ruining people's lives e.g. in the Niger Delta.... I agree that the campaign went wrong, but we need everyone to work for a fossil free future in their own sector, whatever that is (arts, sport, media, education)...
Oh my god, just heard Marina say FFB are 'puritans and wreckers' who have no close ties to books or creativity - so mean and ill-informed to boot - I know one lead member (have been to her talks) and she's definitely a writer, definitely creative and definitely not a puritan! She is also, however, a fossil fuel activist - we need them don't we?!
Will Smith hasn't saved his career "post slap" at all. And quite rightly so. People have been labelled "Difficult to work with" for not sleeping with the producer / director and their career was over. Will Smith cause a global outrage . Chris Rock is the the only person that came out of this with his integrity intact. We need to stop promoting the idea that anyone can do anything and still be redeemed (because they make bank)
You raise an interesting point, because when they mentioned him probably not playing Obama in a future movie, my gut reaction was, ‘They’re wrong.’ Perhaps an indictment of where we’re at as a society (or more to the point, where Hollywood’s at 😅)?
I won't try to argue with the box office numbers, but personally I still have no interest in seeing anything Will Smith is in. He's no Kevin Spacey or Mel Gibson, but his grinning face hits totally differently now.
Marina using the old reliable "lots of ppl are saying" to cover up her little tantrum 😂😂 just say you want to keep having your day out with your posh friends and you dont care who funds it!! How dare these poors get in the way of your fun times 🤷♂️🤷♂️ i mean thats a despicable point of view but at least its honest rather than faux passion "for the arts"
Naive take on the divestment movement. Things could have been executed better by FFB, but thinking corporate art-washing is simply a move of goodwill feels a bit too neoliberal. Let's not blame the individual when systemic change is needed.
Not naive at all. If anyone's been naive it's been FFB and their cheerleaders. They've completely crashed a car [six cars in fact] that don't even belong to them. As Marina says so powerfully, why must a literary festival be subject to a purity test that the publishing industry, authors and FFB would themselves clearly fail. If systemic change is what you want get the authors to get their books off Amazon, stop infantilizing themselves on oligopolistic social media to sell their brand etc.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
Am I missing something in my knowledge about paper that makes it a fossil fuel product? Or is Marina just so blinded by her hate toward that group that she makes up things to mock them? (29:08)
I don't know about paper itself but the production and distrbution of it apparently uses large amounts of fossil fuels. So she may have misspoke slightly but she was on the right track.
I have a performance rather than a literary background. I did a national tour once, we performed in big theatres - and I do love theatres - but what sticks out was performing in a village hall up north. They laid on food for us, THEY performed for us in the pub afterwards, getting out the musical instruments and we joined in. It was wonderful. Small places that don't produce much profit are so important. They are the life blood of the arts. I love books too and book festivals are so vital.
Marina!
I know you won't read this but I am absolutely enthralled by your passion and comments. Well said on all accounts.
Don't stop.
She was wonderful in this episode!
Great episode. Great too see real passion on a subject close to your heart
Richard's Fresh Prince dad jokes are first class ! 🤣
And I’d like to take a minute
Just sit right there
And I’ll tell you how I slapped Chris Rock live on air.
She completely missed that.
32:00: George Orwell, Why I Write, 1946 : 'Using the word ‘political’ in the widest possible sense. Desire to push the world in a certain direction, to alter other peoples’ idea of the kind of society that they should strive after. Once again, no book is genuinely free from political bias. The opinion that art should have nothing to do with politics is itself a political attitude'
What on earth are you talking about?All books are political? What rubbish. Just because politics dominates your horizons doesn’t mean it dominates everyone else’s. The final sentence of your post, which I can’t be bothered to repeat, is such a general statement as to be devoid of meaning. Please just go back to your sad corner of the 6th form common room.
@@davidpatton8086 There is no point making ad hominem attacks, it’s a direct quote from one of George Orwell’s most famous essays.
@@davidpatton8086 You don't quite understand the meaning of "political".
@@LoudMinded please enlighten me oh great one, but don’t use such a generalist definition as to make it devoid of meaning (as per my original comment).
@@davidpatton8086 Both your comments are rude, so it's clear you're not really asking a question.
- I see one of the Best Actor nominees took a swing at the host last night
- Javier Bardem?
- Not yet, but apparently the Academy are talking about a long suspension
Marinas speech on the politicization of art is a point well stated, and one that I passionately agree with.
I partly agree - artists should be free to create the art they want/need to, and don't *have* to take part in political conversations - but Marina badly misrepresents Fossil Free Books (see my comment). She's so harsh it's almost like it's hit a nerve with her quite personally...
I didn't forget, screw that guy.
Grenades of Empathy sound like a band who would have supported The Folksmen
I really appreciate Richard's thoughtful response to the festival situation.
Book festivals (and public libraries!!) are absolutely vital spaces for building empathy and sharing ideas. But, as you say, the world IS on fire and we do have to do something.
What happened in this instance wasn't necessarily the right action. And it certainly wasn't done with enough thought. But I can understand their motivations, even if I think this specific tactic was somewhat naive and ill-judged.
Marina's rant was hard to listen to.
Agreed.
Her rant was dumb and extremely disingenuous
Absolutely. Tossing out a nasty aside about Saudi journalists having to be 'tame', because they were at risk of leaving in several body bags, yet refusing point-blank to acknowledge the sheer numbers of press being deliberately targeted by the IOF was sickening to hear.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is Robert Smigles "alter ego" Smigle is brilliant.
He was a Conan O'Brien regular for years! He's epic.
@@lisamortini8567 Writer on the show as well...
Marina invoking the spirit of Kevin Keegan 35:22
Triumph the Comic Insult Dog was on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
I feel in the case of BB4: RoD it’s not a case that Will is bankable, but that there’s a lot of love for the personas of the two characters and the wild Michael Bay bang-bang blow up summer action; this is an outlier.
Will hasn’t been bankable for years even before the slap. The nepotism for his son trying to pick up his mantle at the box office didn’t work at all, even when he funded a Karate Kid remake starring Jaden and didn’t even feature karate in the first place.
His Netflix movies have been largely forgettable and unless they bring him back for yet another Men in Black, he’s just not going to carry a movie on his own.
Two Barney walsh's.
Marina is savage. 😂
Who is Barney Walsh?
I don't get the reference.
@@lakrids-pibe He's the co-presenter of 'the gladiators' (bbc tv sport-adjacent competition).
@@biegebythesea6775 You're confusing son Barney with dad Bradley [which means you can't be British either!]. Presumably the reference is to someone who is in the public eye for reasons other than their charisma and talent.
@@tristiemerritt6473 ah. I am British (I'm from London), I just misread, that's all.
@@lakrids-pibe exactly. Hes a talentless nobody
Will Smith and Tom Cruise are two people who have always struck me as the ultimate glad-handers
Is that in a good or bad way?
I don't think I've ever heard that term before, but I obviously know the type. Yeah, you're right.
what does that even mean?
@@biegebythesea6775 An overly friendly or familiar person. Someone that is, or seems friendly but in an over the top way.
From their actions could you just say “twats”.
Marina's point about politicisation of art is well taken, but she needs to articulate where she thinks the boundaries lie. After all, Russia has been banned from things like the Olympics and the Eurovision Song Contest, which was wildly popular in the West including in the UK - is she against that kind of politicisation, thinking that Russia should still be allowed to compete? Where does she draw the line?
She’s not the brightest
The podcast does have a limited runtime, we can't reasonably expect her to articulate her entire view of an immense subject in that time.
You can't assume she thinks X or Y and treat that as a gotcha just because the format didn't contain every detail of her opinion.
In fact they have talked about Eurovison in a previous episode and how it putting itself forward as a moral arbiter and the face of Peace has put it in a fraught position.
@@gma5607and mentioned the boycott of Sun City in what seemed a positive light in contrast. I’d be interested in whether it’s the classic case of things being correct when done by others in the past
Her line is whenever it affects something she's interested in.
Is Richard wearing the same suit from the Graham Norton episode 17:16 love the reuse but just a funny coincidence
Marina's remark about Barney Walsh is the most accurate piece of commentary I've ever heard on anything ever. I thought it was just me that felt that way 😂
Thank you so much, once more for what you do here. This is one program I cannot get enough of!
Seems to me that anyone who thinks that a book festival is a priority target for that kind of blackmail/ activism has an issue with the very fact of books in their infinite variety. I don't like that person, whoever they think they are.
An easy target, possibly, a suitable one, no.
Richard Osman is about a clued in on TV from 2000-2006 as anyone I can think of, yet he doesn't know Triumph the Insult Comic Dog?
Completely agree with Brandon Walsh comments, would not get a presenting job unless the great Bradley was his father.
I won’t watch everything with Will Smith in since that Oscar night.
🙄
With the TV debates, one of the most off-putting things is the constant interruptions and talking/shouting over one another. Can the producers get some sort of soundproof booths (like in Nick Knowles' quiz show: Who Dares Wins) where the sound is cut off after the alloted time?
I'm thinking that most people in the Oscars' audience must have thought it was a comedy bit and not real!
Oh, I remember Triumph the dog. He always had a cigar hanging out of his mouth 😅
The notion of apolitical art is itself a political statement.
Marina Hyde was quick to point out
-the spinelessness of the people at the Oscars clapping and enjoying their art festival, she mocked how they essentially turned a blind eye and did not then and there condemn the slap heard around the world.. their publicists and handlers where not present after all to show them how to act, she joked
-will smith receiving money from the Saudis (OIL money), for attending the red sea festival... a art festival. she made special mention of the horrific cutting up of JOURNALISTS
but when activist refuse to look the other way try to boycot because of dirty OIL money and complicity to the genocide in the middle east, where JOURNALISTS where equally horrifically and deliberately targeted... all of a sudden it's a bridge to far for Ms Hyde... ~meh our culture and art is being sullied by politics~
i was going to make a easy Dr. Jekyll and mr Hyde joke, but in stead I'll leave you with this:
"Human beings are a species splendid in their array of moral equipment, tragic in their propensity to misuse it, and pathetic in their constitutional ignorance of the misuse. Humans are very good at challenging the beliefs of other people, but when it comes to their own beliefs, they tend to protect them, not challenge them" Robert Wright
Minor correction: 25:25
NVIDIA is not the largest FAB in the world, they are actually the opposite: a so-called fabless chip design company. Meaning they do not have a FAB and produce no chips themselves. Instead TSMC, the largest FAB, makes the chips for them. TSMC also makes chips for apple, AMD, ARM, Broadcom, Qualcomm and many many others.
I heard ‘firm’ and not fab
@@tomwoodhouse7690 I'm not sure, could be firm she said. But they are also not the largest firm in the world, although they are getting close (measured by market cap).
well isn't that fab
Here for the premiere cause I couldn't wait
Promoting, protesting... we are in a world of amateurs at the moment where people who are protesting quite legitimate problems, simply do not understand how people work and think, and so often now, their message is lost behind the action they take. If you are campaigning for anything, especially something that ultimately must be in the hands of government, then you have to get people on side. The more of you the better. But so many of these groups, Just Stop Oil jumps to mind, end up alienating the general public - and these are the very people they need to support them.
The moment what you do is described as a "stunt," you have got it wrong. I think a great lesson can be learnt from what happened around Greta, Extinction Rebelian, and David Attenborough. Greta's original protest inconvenienced no one, but it generated a HUGE amount of publicity for her cause. Then she got involved with ER, and it has kind of backfired a little. People have become irritated by her, and have stopped litstening, which is a shame. Then, David Attenborough stood up, met her, and did his own piece about the environment. His single appearence raised the issue far more successfully than anything ER have done. He is famous (for the right reason) and his intervention inconvenienced no one. No surprise it scored hugely.
Upsetting authors, and author's fans, does not sound like a good way of getting a message across. These protest groups are desperate for a strategist who can steer them through the process of good campaigning and get results for them, and not bad headlines.
The Extinction Rebellion (XR) people I've met/listened to are an extremely thoughtful bunch who reflect on all these issues. They include a very 'broad church' of supporters - a big challenge in itself but very necessary if we're going to get anywhere on climate action and justice... So there's direct action, but there are also collaborations with more traditional organisations e.g. on *Saturday 22 June* there's a *Restore Nature Now* march in London that is a coalition between XR, RSPB, World Wildlife Fund, National Trust, with Chris Packham and other well known popular scientists speaking/supporting. Come along - 12pm Park Lane to Parliament Sq...
All due respect, the Shakespeare comparison is pretty weak. Elizabethan England was a police state. Shakespeare making overt political statements would have been a risk on a scale completely incomparable to anything being discussed in this video. He's a lot more like Shostakovich negotiating Stalin's USSR.
I love Shakespeare, but if a major Shakespeare festival is being sponsored by a fossil fuel company, I'm all for someone organizing a boycott.
Also, Shakespeare's work has always been political. He massaged the egos of kings and queens to curry favour. And how Shakespeare is interpreted in any given age is a reflection of the politics and pre-occupations of the age. He's regularly used as a justification of Empire. He's really not a good one to bring up if you want to argue against the idea of art being political.
Fresh Prince of Riyadh
Richard, your Random House publicists should be your Murder Clublicists, not your Ride or Die.
I hadn’t thought or cared about Will Smith for 5 years before the slap. He seemed a bit of a passenger to his previous fame. Then he actually showed he actually had a personality, even if it was a bit broken.
What a great episode! Love the discussion about art and politics. Why are activists targeting art galleries and authors? It's not an effective tool for protest IMO. Remember ActUp and BuggaUp? Strong and effective.
I thought that I would choke laughing. Richard is the funniest guy on planet Earth. Absolutely brilliant. My god , can you imagine having this guy as an English lecturer at uni. And Marina? Yep, I know, I can't help it. She is everything else that is perfect !
God forbid someone touches our very delightful literary festivals! How about they find a sponsor that doesn't contribute to climate catastrophe?? Marina Hyde here winning her (old pal) Gwyneth Paltrow Award for being the most out of touch journalist of the month
Coolness, once squandered, is very difficult, if not impossible, to regain.
Regarding the literature and politics discussion
Can Richard and Mariana
Tell us about the pressure on apartheid by artist
And how it helped in ending apartheid
I disagree with Marina's point about all because a sponsor does some good things, we should ignore the bad things. Investing in fossil fuels will destroy the trees that the paper is made from, therefore, the price of books will increase. I understand that these book festivals are important and need sponsors to help them. But there are ethical companies out there with deep pockets.
I understand and agree with some of Marina’s frustration about protest tactics. Not everything should be forcibly politicised, especially the arts. BUT i really think its short-sighted to assume the people organising protests are stupid or ignorant. So many people who do not participate in trying to fix the problems of the world are quick to criticise tactics, but they forget that campaigners have been following the “correct channels” for decades with very very little progress. They are forced to try radical actions because those with power to make meaningful change refuse to do so again and again despite the presence of rational, scientific arguments, and these protesters are forced to leverage immense influence with next to no actual power in their hands. Id like to hear Marina’s suggestions for getting major corporations to drop fossil fuels that haven’t already been tried and failed by hard working activists.
Companies sponsoring events opens them up to become political. As the company is obviously using them to garner positive PR.
Marinas point about Shakespeare and "awful thingsbalways happening" really falls down when you realise we have the internet. When you're learning about second world war as a teen you ask "why didn't we do something sooner?" And the techer says,"we didn't know." Well this time we do know. Were watching the consequences in real time. Everything is politics when your politicians are complicit in atrocious acts that you can see the evidence of.
Puritans and wreckers she says. "Don't use your power. Just accept the slaughtered children. I want to meet Antony Horowitz and thats more important"
Well that's a bit of the point. "We have the internet", "we have alle the info on our phones" - well, those phones, those big companies that drive the internet are just as "bad" as Baillie Gifford". It¨s crazy to protest against Baillie Gifford and let book festivals collapse while they sell their books at Amazon or Waterstones. That's the problem with these kinds of campaigns. Don't like oil? Well, at least not buy phones, use the internet or buy cheap clothes from China, then you can go after things like book festival and their sponsors...
@axels9179 So sorry we're not sticking to the prescribed axels9179 sequence of events. You can actually make phones without exploitation. Big companies that 'drive the internet' can be broken up or bought under public ownership, so there's less incentive to act badly. Chinese factories can be (and are regularly) reformed. There's no commodity you can buy currently that doesn't involve exploitation.
Gen**ide can not be performed ethically. Settler colonialism is always unjustifiable. It is correct to ostracize people who lack such basic morals. There are also 10s of countries that condemn the colony that I am against. A colony that traces its roots back to the British empire. The empire from which America was bourne.... you know, that colony that gen***ded 120 million people? Are you really too dense to understand the implications? Are you really so impossibly idiotic to not see the fire bombing of refugee camps as more urgent than the plight of the Chinese worker? Do you seriously think g***cide is as endemic as capitalist exploitation? That we _have_ to engage with it daily to live our lives?
Do you really think the assembly of iPhones is more of a problem then the fact that the only country that has ever dropped nuclear arms on civilians are unconditionally supporting the only country with nuclear arms that has never allowed weapons inspectors? A country that has ignored over 1000 UN resolutions? Your answer to this powder keg that could amount to an existential threat is "but iPhone?" "but book festival?" Come on, man.
@@axels9179 I think it was a very problematic action, but Fossil Free Books is a writers' union, so they were doing their bit in their own industry... it's up to the rest of us to do our bit in our own workplaces/communities...
@@rachelstubley2539 Well, their not "doing their bit in their own industry". Their action of going after Baillie Grifford and forcing them out as a sponsor has massively hurt book festivals in UK, while they still are on Amazon and promote their books via Waterstones and similar outlets. That's not doing their bit, that is singling out 1 of the lesser evils in their industry and making huge ramifications for parts of their industry while they themselve are not taking a financial hit. That's just double standards and is pretty appaling behaviour....
If they believe protesting against fossil fuels is truly important, why go after a pretty small "middle-man" like Baillie Grifford while still earning money of parts of the industry that are much more involved in fossil fuels?
I didn't get the Barney Walsh reference or similar wording name that Marina used that made Richard fall apart and almost disown the phrase, 41:15
But in all seriousness, if we really want to cement change in the industry, should we not be condemning all forms of assault and threatening behaviour?
I don't want to be on a high horse, but the breeze with which Will Smith has returned, whether he's welcomed is another thing, surprises me. Maybe it shouldn't. But Assuming what Marina says is true, he's been employed by DISNEY? I mean, really? Not a great look.
I don't know. I just think sometimes we're more interested in highlighting individual incidents because the details and circumstances involved match our own agenda's and perceptions than we are actually wanting to see better working conditions for all.
Geez, get of the fence, Marina! 😂
32:15 - Marina looking at the camera and you can see her weighing up what she can get away with saying.
Love your work, both of you. And hearing that a new series of House of Games is filming filled me with such joy. I can't wait.
I saw the trailer and said "nope". they haven't one ME over.
Fair enough but seems like many disagree
Jada wakes up every single day with a new idea about how to publicly humiliate Will Smith.
29:11 Is a tree a fossil now?
Marina really coming across as the sort of person who will happily criticise everyone but resent other people who do the same. I think possibly her problem is she can't conceive of any motivation for doing things that isn't profit or viewing figures or building an audience. I mean, yeah, the people calling for the boycotts and protests had pretty weak justifications, but that being the case... why did the sponsors immediately pull out? Because they didn't have the courage or integrity to either work with the protestors or to stand up against them. They took the easy way out. And hey, that's their prerogative.
But Marina's vitriol agains the other side was just bitter, baseless resentment against people who had the audacity to point out things could be better.
The really weird thing is that the first two Bad Boys had Martin Lawrence as top billing.
Richard Osman is a genius.
How do we stop this?!?!?? Reading is so important. No what do we do instead?
Will Smith's career is going to be revived because 1. studios really prefer to finance films from existing IP (like Bad Boys and MCU etc) and with established stars because the financial risk profile is less than standalone/new IP or rising stars and 2. Which actor has a track record where they could be considered a valid substitute for Will Smith?
Marina made the point that the top movie stars are old, that is because studios are more risk averse.
In the past I have been more of a Depp fan than a Smith fan but only by a small margin. Now I really don't care if I don't see either of them and if I'm in a bad mood to start with I'll actively avoid them both. I really don't feel that I'm missing out on any 'must see' films.
Grenades of empathy
Richard osman turned into Richard Pryor from superman 3, he gets will smith to visit graham Norton where he presents will his home made kryptonite in the form of a nativity rap and all seems fine at first, will leaves, returns home and over the next 2 weeks he begins to change culminating in him slapping Chris rock. Your just in a slump will you’ll be great again in bad boys 4!
Golly, cross Marina nearly converted me.
There seem to be an awful lot of people criticising Marina over paper not being a “fossil fuel product”. That might be true, but paper doesn't just fall off of trees, it's created by paper mills which have a lot of environmental impact via water usage, pollution (bleaching paper for example), creation of waste, and yes, use of fossil fuels
Of course there's an environmental cost to many/most industrial processes, but the main thrust of Fossil Free Books is against the extractive industries (which is the meaning of 'fossil fuels') - so it was a bizarre comment in a pretty unsympathetic rant...
It's extremely illuminating that the first time I've seen Marina get truly passionate about anything is coming out against climate protesters. At least Richard gave a reasoned argument and was able to see both sides. Marina talking complete nonsense about paper being fossil fuels was reminiscent of the infamous 'You can grow concrete' interview by Mike Graham. Nothing says blind privilege like spitting feathers about a company being asked to divest 2% of their investments in fossil fuels. Unbelievable.
Also, it's ironic that she says politics has no place in the arts when she's just spent half a podcast ostensibly about the arts espousing her own political position.
You've lost this listener but on the plus side, I'm sure you've consolidated your chronically out-of-touch NIMBY viewership.
It certainly makes me reconsider listening to another.
I’m having a terrible day in general but seeing your comment, along with the others disagreeing with her, has made me feel a little better for humanity, so thanks for that.
@@Neddoest Nothing frustrates me more than seeing venomous pushback against the few people brave enough to actually try to enact some sort of systemic change to slow down the climate crisis. Especially when you've previously held those pushing back in such relatively high esteem.
I'm glad my comment managed to brighten your day a little. Here's hoping for a better tomorrow.
Which political position was she espousing?? Do you mean the political position that politics has no place in the arts?
@@phueal Arguing that FFB are 'indulged, spoilt and weak'. Claiming that what they are doing is stupid. That Baillie Gifford are philanthropic rather than green washing. That no one can be 'pure enough' so why bother trying to make any changes at all. The convenient omission of the fact that FFB are supported by hundreds of authors.
She has a very clear opinion on what is a highly political and politicised topic and she's used her platform to push that view.
I hope this helps.
@@malibu_caribou6465 I see, I thought you were talking about a broader political opinion.
In that case I don’t think it’s ironic for her to criticise the politicisation of art while at the same time expressing her opinion that art shouldn’t be politicised.
Dear Mariana
May be what the wreckers want to wreck is
an apartheid /settler colonialist system
Is there anything wrong in that ?
It does not mean you hate the art
Also taking the piss out of the ‘disparate’ list of aims they have is fairly ignorant I think. This is the exact definition of intersectionality, and why it’s so important.
Let’s the liberal types mock it all they want, they always do and always will.
It’s easy to not be a hypocrite if you stand up for nothing.
I love books, I’ll keep buying and reading books.
Angry Marina makes me feel funny, like when I climbed the rope in gym class.
Richard- thoughtful and measured. Marina- ranting from a position of privilege. Richard's approach is far more effective. Marina referring to "these people" is utterly pejorative.
How much did they pay you to advertise the Lamicall S1 phone stand? #productplacement
WRT Bailey Gifford, it seems to me that one of the organisers of this protest has lost a lot of money through their investments and is trying to take revenge.
Great discussion on the book fair boycott. Loved the Shakespeare analogy! Always entertaining, but also thought provoking today.
Wow, Newcastle has 5 cinemas and a population of less than a million.
6 I forgot the jam jar in Whitley bay
@@michaelrobson3460Don't worry.. most people have forgotten Newcastle.
@@nazirkazi2588 wow, that's a claim.
Where are you from?
50:00 bring back Dennis Pennis, in a new more political role. Or.. just send in Jonathan Pie.
book festivals arent in trouble because the oil backed funders arent involved its because they are not designed in a way to attract more people
Respectfully Will Smith was NEVER cancelled in the black community. Nothing to "redeemed" from
I would recommend the cancel court episodes on will Smith jada scenario by defiant digital
ruclips.net/video/mwCRn1zNoKg/видео.htmlsi=ftlVRo2qwEI8NfLQ
How many thumbnails/titles will this video have had by the end of the day?
Definitely he should get to play Obama. It would be a bit of a departure from his usual action roles, but I think Tom Cruise would do a great job!
Didnt bad boys 3 come out after the slap incident? & that did brilliant too. Majority have moved on don't really care just want to watch Will Smirh in bad boys & ironically the slap is win for most of us because we get Will Smith back doing what he does best in films like bad boys. And he gets to be around people hes known for ages & gets to put what happened behind him make no.1 hit films again. Funny enough the only people really still banging on about the slap is Chris Rock & co using it ad materiall etc so thete winners too lol.
The whole book festival discussion maps onto the Just Stop Oil vandalism of Art. It's politicising art, which should be left to stand as art independent from the politic of the time.
But that does not mean we don't need to stop oil. Both art and stopping oil are good. But separate.
The suffragettes actions and even specific printing choices have been emulated by Just Stop Oil, btw
Sorry - but everything, including art, is politics. And politics is everything. That relationship is why there's currently so little public funding for arts and why DeSantis has a war on Disney. What we NEED is nuance. A corporation can do some things without being completely evil and a festival can be wonderful even if it has some associations we'd rather it didn't.
Yes, everything involves political relationships. But not everything is an appropriate forum for political protest about whichever issue is dear to anyone's heart.
@@eyeyayayay I would argue that it is impossible to make a significant statement, much less an artistic statement, without also making a political one. At the very least you're stating that "in regard to things portrayed, I'm accepting of the status quo."
George “Daddy” Bush is going to give me nightmares forever..
I’m sorry but you really can’t compare Will Smith to Tom Cruise. Tom Cruise didn’t hit anyone. He may be weird but he doesn’t assault people.
I can’t find anything about Will Smith’s behavior funny. He is nearly the same age as my father and he still cannot contain himself obviously. Pitiful. The fact that he chose to hit Chris Rock who is physically smaller than him speaks volumes. Would you be so entertained if Chris was a woman? Will Smith is a bully. If you don’t stand up against bullies they tend to do it again and to more vulnerable people. It wasn’t funny then. It isn’t funny now.
Well said.
No one seems to mention Chris Rock in the Oscars slap story. It has occurred to me, that one of the reasons that Will Smith has been let off the pariah hook quite so easily, is that Chris Rock appears to be a far more decent human being, than most of the self adoring Hollywood elite who applauded Will Smith, despite his ugly behaviour. Of course, that's not the only reason but I think it's worth considering...
From Henry V, Chorus act 4...
How London doth pour out her citizens!
The mayor and all his brethren in best sort,
Like to the senators of the antique Rome,
With the plebeians swarming at their heels,
Go forth and fetch their conquering Caesar in:
As, by a lower but loving likelihood,
Were now the general of our gracious empress,
As in good time he may, from Ireland coming,
Bringing rebellion broached on his sword,
How many would the peaceful city quit,
To welcome him! much more, and much more cause,
Did they this Harry.
I think Shakey appears to be generally approving of Elizabeth's tactics
Not sure Smith has saved his career at all.
Westlife bar stools 😂😂😂
Damn, Marina Hyde went in
Had to google what a barnywalsh was.
art isnt about politics, just before making a 5 min political rant :)
Marina showing her true limited understanding of what art is as she shows us that hint of fascism that really makes her tick- she always sounds a bit foolish whenever she brings up economics but in this one she literally argues that some people should be silenced so that she doesn’t have to think about her role in the state of the world
Can you elaborate? I don’t agree with Hyde though, but would like some clarification.
@@themanmrbijok7364 her expressed view is that established corporations who have financial ties to genocide and destruction should have the ability to curate voices, but a small but effective protester should not. She is visibly annoyed that the protest is causing a reaction and therefore ruining her proverbial brunch and “yucking her yum.” It’s the classic classist neoliberal response akin to, “don’t protest, be less disruptive and work within the broken irreparable system quietly (and with little to no effect)” In this video she is concerned about a millionaire slapping another millionaire in public, but she goes apoplectic about a working class protest movement inconveniencing her and her rich colleagues.
@@grammapolice
"Working class protest" 😂 yeah, that always makes me laugh!
Can they not put Will Smith on the same island as Philip Schofield but dont film it.
I completely agree with your views about book festivals.
The book festival funders issue is really difficult - I really wish the emphasis had been on protest/discussion rather than boycott of festivals... But wow, Marina is so harsh (saying that Fossil Fuel Books writers are spoilt, weak etc) and totally misrepresents what I know (just as someone who goes to readings etc) about this writers' union. A few points: FFB are not saying that all art must be political at all! Rather, the arts industry is a business and they are looking critically at its funding model. 2. Why are Richard and Marina so lacking in understanding about writers' relationship with Amazon? All but the biggest writers have no power to specify where their books are sold, though I've heard many plead with readers to buy from bookshops not Amazon. 3. "Paper is a fossil fuel product"?? Come on Marina, the campaign is against extractive industries that are wrecking the environment and ruining people's lives e.g. in the Niger Delta.... I agree that the campaign went wrong, but we need everyone to work for a fossil free future in their own sector, whatever that is (arts, sport, media, education)...
Oh my god, just heard Marina say FFB are 'puritans and wreckers' who have no close ties to books or creativity - so mean and ill-informed to boot - I know one lead member (have been to her talks) and she's definitely a writer, definitely creative and definitely not a puritan! She is also, however, a fossil fuel activist - we need them don't we?!
Did you really just end it by saying c u next tuesday! 😂
Will Smith hasn't saved his career "post slap" at all. And quite rightly so. People have been labelled "Difficult to work with" for not sleeping with the producer / director and their career was over. Will Smith cause a global outrage . Chris Rock is the the only person that came out of this with his integrity intact.
We need to stop promoting the idea that anyone can do anything and still be redeemed (because they make bank)
You raise an interesting point, because when they mentioned him probably not playing Obama in a future movie, my gut reaction was, ‘They’re wrong.’
Perhaps an indictment of where we’re at as a society (or more to the point, where Hollywood’s at 😅)?
Keep crying
I won't try to argue with the box office numbers, but personally I still have no interest in seeing anything Will Smith is in. He's no Kevin Spacey or Mel Gibson, but his grinning face hits totally differently now.
This podcast/show just gets better and better.
Marina using the old reliable "lots of ppl are saying" to cover up her little tantrum 😂😂 just say you want to keep having your day out with your posh friends and you dont care who funds it!! How dare these poors get in the way of your fun times 🤷♂️🤷♂️ i mean thats a despicable point of view but at least its honest rather than faux passion "for the arts"
Naive take on the divestment movement. Things could have been executed better by FFB, but thinking corporate art-washing is simply a move of goodwill feels a bit too neoliberal. Let's not blame the individual when systemic change is needed.
Not naive at all. If anyone's been naive it's been FFB and their cheerleaders. They've completely crashed a car [six cars in fact] that don't even belong to them. As Marina says so powerfully, why must a literary festival be subject to a purity test that the publishing industry, authors and FFB would themselves clearly fail. If systemic change is what you want get the authors to get their books off Amazon, stop infantilizing themselves on oligopolistic social media to sell their brand etc.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
@@tristiemerritt6473 Because a large literature festival allowing itself to be used as a vehicle for art-washing means that it is perpetuating whatever Bailie Gifford wants to clean its name of or distract consumers from with nice literature (spoiler, that Sacklers didn’t create wings in every major art institution because they had a passion for art). Bailie Gifford knows that if there weren't able to do this, consumers would associate their name to things that are less pretty; here fossil fuels, but there are many others. Equating individual behaviour (like using Amazon to market your work out of necessity, or saying the fault is with the person who’s pension is managed by Bailie Gifford) with regulatory and policy change is music to the ears of the corporates (see BP's creation of the individual carbon footprint). It's a crying shame that in this case book festivals are lost, but there are many many other spaces of literature and ideas, independent of the control of investment firms who apparently love the spread of ideas and diversity of thought so much but they can't quite seem to find it in their being to stop investing in the companies directly suppressing those very things.
Marina has such strong opinions about Fossil Free Books, yet believes paper is a fossil fuel product...
Am I missing something in my knowledge about paper that makes it a fossil fuel product? Or is Marina just so blinded by her hate toward that group that she makes up things to mock them? (29:08)
I don't know about paper itself but the production and distrbution of it apparently uses large amounts of fossil fuels. So she may have misspoke slightly but she was on the right track.
It was a very “yet you participate in society” nonsensical comment. Paper is not a fossil
@@Est-os9yc That may be right, I didn't look into that far. I just wanted to satisfy my curiousity for the question of whether it was a fossil fuel.
I think the issue was that the company has investments in fossil fuels
So those campaigners are “puritans who hate culture”!? I had to switch off this episode, such poorly informed vitriol.
💯
Same here, very disappointing
Completely agree, was so mortified I haven't watched/listened to the podcast since, but am wondering whether to gingerly step back in...