Lena Teshome

It’s the late 1970s in New York City. The first wave of punk had gone and by 1978 many claimed that punk had died. New York City was a ruin due to the severity of the economical and political issues of the time. The financial crisis and the increasing crime rate throughout the city led many to believe the big apple was irrecoverable. However, something was beginning in Downtown New York, a group of so called punk rejects formed a movement that may have not lasted decades but made a change in the world inside and outside of underground music and art.

No Wave started to appear in 1976. It is hard to describe what No Wave exactly is, which is what made it different to other art movements at the time, it was simply indefinable. While new wave bands such as The Cure and Siouxsie and The Banshees emerged from the UK, No Wave was starting in underground New York. No Wave rejected tradition, even tradition that belonged to many underground art communities at the time. When it came to the sound of the No Wave movement, a mixture of genres such as funk, punk-rock, noise, jazz and avant garde are involved in terms of stylistic influence. Artists such as Mars, DNA, Theoretical Girls, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks and James Chance and the Contortionists began a sound that was unfamiliar, discomforting, unsettling yet fresh, obscure and unique to the music that was around at the time. Most of these artists were involved in the 1978 compilation album by British music producer Brian Eno ‘No New York’ . as no wave music could have only been heard in clubs or shows, this compilation album was consequential to the movement’s progression as well as The Contortionists releasing ‘Buy’ a year after, being the first No Wave band to release a full record.

Songs such as The Closest by The Jerks and Dish it Out by The Contortionists, both on the No New York compilation album, use unconventional instruments mixed with a classic no wave sound. The Closest is a fusion of a strained alto saxophone, abrasive drums, and a sinister bassline along with Lydia lunches crying vocals screaming lyrics that embodied the city that was dying in front of these artists. James Chance and the Contortionists’ Dish it Out is more melodic in comparison to other No Wave, however it uses the saxophone in more abrupt frequencies, pairing its sound with a rhythmic yet heavy guitar and Chance’s strained, unrecognizable voice. The use of the saxophone, commonly used in jazz, along with the punk influenced instrumental and avant garde lyrics, it is no surprise that No Wave is known to be one of the most experimental and pleasantly unsettling music movements since punk. The Contortionists were also one of the first bands to create the derivative forms of no wave such as punk jazz and avant funk, as they and many others looked outside of rock and punk for inspiration and brought this new sound to underground New York.

Even with so much more potential to expand,, the No Wave movement was a transient one. Only lasting from 1976 to 1980, the shortness of the era did not stop those after it from being inspired by the sound of No Wave. When it comes to post- no wave, Swans and Sonic Youth have been the most influence by the era and with time influenced generations of musicians later on. Swans first album ‘filth’ released in 1983 shows heavy influence from bands like Theoretical Girls. Without a question Swans’ first album was considered No Wave. The grand range of genres Swans have explored may be because of the No Wave mindset of overstepping musical boundaries and forgetting convention. Swans have gone onto transform music and influence bands like Black Midi. Sonic youth’s first few EP’s and albums were of the No Wave genre. After being signed to Glenn Branca’s, of theoretical girls, label and releasing their first self titled album in 1981, a few following albums such as Confusion is Sex were also considered No Wave, it was not until the release of Evol, released in 1986,  where Sonic Youth started experimenting with noise rock. However, Sonic Youth were the bridge between No Wave and Alternative Rock which gave them an authentic sound. This authentic sound has gone to inspire over three decades of musicians like Nirvana and Interpol.

No wave is an era that is often forgotten but should be remembered. Without No wave, many of the greatest post punk artists would not experiment nor think outside the norm of the underground without the movement. No wave is the accurate portrayal of a group of young people in a big city managing to artistically express themselves during the uncertain times. No wave is simply the musical embodiment of 1970s New York and got there by ignoring the convention.

Escapism in television is rarely seen in many shows made today. The feeling of being taken away from the mediocrity of life to another time or place seems to be infrequent. Mad Men’s pilot ‘Smoke gets in your eye’, directed by Alan Taylor, resets and establishes the idea of truly being taken away by television. Mad Men focuses on the life and surroundings of Don Draper, a veteran who is now working in one of New York’s most established advertising firms in the 1960s.

From the get-go, we see Don’s figure in a smoked filled bar room shuffling through tissues of paper with notes of ideas for an advert for Lucky Strike, then a popular cigarette brand. We are introduced to Don Draper the conversationalist and his persuasive powers. For my generation, a show like Mad Men allows a strange diversion from the life we know. Its pilot episode is immersive in its overall atmosphere. A good example of the difference shown in life now and in the 1960s city of New York, which helps the audience escape, is the very first scene of the series. In the smoky room, Don is approached by a black waiter, with his boss automatically having an issue with their discussion. The social expectations for people of colour are already shown in the first five minutes; the way black people were treated in the 60s is shown subtly in this one scene. Even though racial discrimination still happens today, this still reassures us that we are in another time or place. Mad Men is not a period piece, it is more subtle and has statements that don’t bombard the audience compared to other television shows which force a form of escapism that audiences want to see.

Viewers are introduced to Draper’s lifestyle, his work, his flirtations, his affairs, and his family. However, Don Draper as a character seemed too good to be true which left many viewers and myself rushing to the next episode to see if this protagonist had layers behind his picture perfect life. Other characters and character dynamics were introduced as well, Peter Campbell, the young executive working under Draper who seems to resent a competitive nature. Roger Sterling, one of the senior partners at Sterling Cooper who seems to be somewhat close with Don Draper. We are introduced to three main female characters, Betty Draper, Draper’s wife, Peggy Olson, the new secretary at Sterling Copper and Joan Holloway, the promiscuous office manager at the same firm which presented some of the social attitudes towards women, sex, marriage and careers during the 1960s.

Studying in the London for over a year now, Yi Chen is an aspiring journalist studying at London College of Communication. After attending the LCC foundation program previously, Yi Chen is now staying in Taipei due to the pandemic. In our discussion into life as a student and interests, Yi Chen mentioned her love for writing and the significance of knowing what is happening in our society. She believes that journalism is a discipline and an important one at that. The entirety of journalism includes a variation of skills from collecting, writing, researching and ultimately starting conversation; ‘it relays information to the masses in many forms’.

On the topic of interests and incorporations, Yi Chen spoke on her interest in marketing and public relations and wants to and knows it can be incorporated within journalism. She discussed social media’s relevance in the spread of news and information, Yi Chen’s wider interest in news reporting has allowed her to see this. As much as social media can be excessive and sometimes addictive for some individuals, social media could be used well in writing and opening conversations from a journalistic perspective. Chen’s has a strong intrigue in theory and perspective; ‘being a journalist is sacred, journalists are responsible for the most important work of disseminating information’. Theory is something one should focus on and it should be something that is looked at carefully so errors and misinformation can be prevented in the process of sending a message.

Studying in London was a big decision for Yi Chen, leaving home can be a struggle for many students especially with some of the uncertainties of the current pandemic. Yi Chen mentioned that facing an unknown environment and an unfamiliar language was a big step in terms of the changes. She stated during our conversation in big decisions and new settings ‘ trying to fit in the environment, be open minded at all times’, which I believed is key in any scenario especially when studying journalism. Chen’s interests are rather broad; we spoke on our shared interesting fashion and music. As well as news reporting and discussing politics, Yi Chen’s intrigues within journalism don’t stop there. She has studies political science for a year and hopes to bring that knowledge in journalism with the skills that are being currently gained.

In terms of the future, Yi Chen wants to practice more English and gain even further knowledge and skills in journalism. Internships and more experience within the industry are things that Yi Chen would like to take on. Yi Chen is a firm believer in ‘knowledge is power’, she mentioned a desire to obtain more practical skills, to build connections and network as well as any opportunity to write.

Chris Cunningham is a video artist and well respected music video director from Reading, England. Cunningham had his start in visual media in 1995, working on the film version of Judge Dredd. Previously, Cunningham had experience in model making, makeup prosthetics and conceptual illustrations in many films, even landing work with David Fincher on his 1992 film Alien 3. Stanley Kubrick, scouted Cunningham to design a character for his film A.I artificial intelligence; Cunningham had worked with Kubrick for over a year before leaving to pursue directing. Cunningham’s work was and still stands out compared to the work of his peers and other directors in the music industry during the 1990s. As well as his work with make-up, design and film, Cunningham’s raw and unsettling taste in visual media for music is highly thought of.

Cunningham’s direction in music video started in 1995. With his connections with the record label Warp Records, his debut in visual art for music started with his video for Autechre for their single Second Bad Vilbel. Cunningham had declared his style in video making from this point forward; the rawness and complexity from his first video and many others to come after was dissimilar to the videos at the time, allowing a change in many attributes to the visual form of music consumption.  His most notorious work lies with artists such as Aphex Twin and Bjork. Videos such as Come to Daddy’ and Windowlicker still are deemed as admirable even with their unsettling cinematography. Many mention some of Aphex Twin’s and Cunningham’s most iconic, yet on the verge of revolting, videos to have changed the industry in terms of visuals. Even with his work deemed eerie and disturbing, it is a concept that has been interpreted by its audience. Cunningham himself, in his Mirrorball interview, states that his work is not dark adding that ‘the dark thing is something people pick up on.’

Cunningham’s direction on Bjork’s music video, All is Full of Love, received a controversial response when it first was released. Cunningham uses a mixture of Bjork’s infatuation with romantic and affectionate expression and body language along with his own interest and experience with robotics and technology. This leaves All is Full of Love to be one of Bjork’s most memorable videos. Bjork described the video as ‘this is something that’s very Chris,  that has that melancholy and that sensual and emotional depth’.

Outside of music video directing, Cunningham has delved into video art and short film as well as commercials and photography whilst also having live art shows. After a six year hiatus, Cunningham returned to visual arts in his collaboration with Dior for their Men’s SS 2021 collection.

On Tuesday 15^th December, the US airline plane flight US132 crash landed in the River Thames. There were no casualties yet two passengers suffered minor injuries and were seen by paramedics on the site of the incident. It has been confirmed by the Metropol and the Special Operations Unit that the incident was caused by a drone collision and that there is now a criminal investigation underway.

Located at Purfleet, Essex, the plane had an electrical circuit which lead to a small fire causing both engines to disable where an emergency landing now had to take place. The AAIB investigation confirmed that this was due to a drone collision that was found by the British transport police. Safety measures took place and the pilot landed the aircraft on River Thames and passenger who suffered chest pain during and after the incident were taken to Queens Hospital in Romford, East London and no heart attacks or major injuries were reported.

It has been updated that the drone that had cause the incident. However, even with the luck that there were no causalities or serious injuries to passengers or airline crew, the question must be asked, what further problems would these drones cause? Are they a risk to our safety? In a recent press conference, William Stewart, chief investigative officer from Metropol stated that ‘there will be more localised swat teams on stand point’ reassuring that additional safety measures will take place in order to prevent and prepared for the possibility of an incident similar to this reoccurring. Metropol and AAIB however do claim there are far bigger threats to airlines than just drones, software crashing for example.

Worries have gathered around the effect on both human and nature life. When asked about concerns on wildlife in the area of the incident Murray Russell commissioner of AAIB and Metropol both agreed that issues regarding human life and safety are the current issue that must be dealt with, until then wildlife and nature will not necessarily be a priority post incident.

The incident is still being dealt with and an investigation will be continuously held surrounding the conspiracy of the drones impact on the air vehicle crash.

Welcome to myblog.arts. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!