THE LETTERS
TIME FOR BED Re: Northern soul (issue 422) As a northern soul obsessive for the past twenty years. can I point out one inaccuracy in your recent and otherwise well researched article on the northern soul 'revival‘?
In your top ten section. you state that
Timi Yuro's ‘lt'll Never Be Over For Me’ was
one of the last three records played at
Wigan Casino all-nighters. the famous
‘three before eight'. While this is a record
which has ended many all-nighters. any
Wiganite will tell you that the 'three before
eight' actually consisted of Jimmy
Radcliffe. Tobi Legend and Dean Parrish. Definitely keeping the faith.
Matt Howarth
via e-mai/
DIALECTICAL ARGUMENT Re: Knightmare (issue 423) Dear Frankie Nelson. as a “US imperialist‘
myself. who has come over to Britain to study the medieval period. I feel I am better qualified
to comment on the accents in A Knight's
Tale. Fourteenth-century London expenenced
serious population change as the royal administration became more centralised. so there were almost as many accents floating around London then as today.
Chaucer himself. while quite possibly the ribald. rowdy and laddish type portrayed in the film. uses forms of three different dialects — Kentish. Anglian and East Midland — in his poems. wherever they rhymed most conveniently. despite being a Londoner
The north-south accent divide was much greater. so what they spoke would probably have been unintelligible to any Scot of the period. much less you. Thank your stars they don't make movies too accurately; say. in Middle English.
Finally. the British invented the clever tactic of showing class (or potential class. in the case of this aspiring knight) by accent; much less of this nonsense in the States, especially in Hollywood. where everyone comes from somewhere else.
Many of your other criticisms of this movie are completely valid. but not the language quibbles. I can supply you with the references if you actually care . . . or was it just another way to express your bitterness that US movies are co-opting
Write to: Rea
Neil Designer Great gig, great venue!
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THE STQ'I;W’:E$ lS THlS IT
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From the Undertones to The Strokes: like the Spice Girls never happened
your history while British film does nothing lately but muck about with gangsters? Amy Norton
via e-mail
TEENAGE KICKS
Re: Is This It (issue 422)
The Strokes might have provided us with
the year's most poptastic piece of new
wave noise. but the cover of their album
puts the cause of feminism right back to
that Undertones compilation with the
woman covered in bacon and cellophane. Is This It indeed.
Sally Thomas
via e-mail
SOFT SOAP
Re: Not so clever, Trevor (issue 423)
I agree with your analysis of soap operas feeding off easy stereotypes of hard men
The List, 14 High Street, Edinburgh EH1 1TE or » ‘. - Rea , The List, McLellan Galleries, 270 Sauchlehall Street, Glasgow .G'2'3El-l ore-mall reactOll;st.co.uk
Hilary
Student
It was brilliant! A really great gig — I've got the albums. and I couldn't wait for this.
Scots. However. Eastenders’ real crime was to create a Glaswegian ned and bigamist and then give him the name of a Cockney geezer.
Who ever heard of a Glaswegian called Trevor? David Kennedy Chapel Street Airdrie
EXCHANGE OF OPINION
Re: Changing Faces (issue 423)
Well done on your illuminating piece describing the Exchange masterplan in Edinburgh and quite rightly trouncing these (post-) modern architects for cluttering up our cities with new buildings. public spaces and other so-called
i" ‘infrastructure'.
Although the article is sometimes not entirely factually correct (Baillie Gifford and Scottish Widows buildings are not actually part of the Farrell masterplan; Farrell designed the MIS building. not Ml5. but no matter). your writer Adrian Welch's knowledge of the architecture of the 808 has been put to excellent use without recourse to explore any of Farrell's recent work.
I also admire Mr Welch‘s ability to discern the architect ‘s intention without actually needing to trouble him for his
own view on this. and to judge the quality of the masterplan prior to its completion. Clearly the new architecture at the Exchange. such as the Conference Centre and the Sheraton Spa. isn't a patch on the visionary brutalism of the 608 and 70s at St James‘ Square and George Square. And as for new public spaces: surely we have enough of these already in the New Town in our fine (albeit inaccessible) circuses and squares?
The success of the Exchange and the Conference Centre in particular. in terms of allowing this neglected part of the city to flourish. in terms of international acclaim for architecture and urban planning. and in terms of invigorating Edinburgh‘s business and tourist industry. clearly pales into insignificance when set against your deft analysis.
Duncan Whatmore Terry Farrell 8. Partners Torphichen Street Edinburgh
Ewan Jo & Davie Photo- Student/Bricklayer graphy It was amazing. Student but it finished way Roots was too early and the banging, ' crowd didn't
but the seem to get into crowd it.
were shit.
ii
EVENTS GUIDE
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OIlVla Wright
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Art Helen Monaghan Books Brian Donaldson City Life Maureen Ellis. Jane Hamilton
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Music Mark Robertson (With Norman Chalmers. Carol Main. Kenny Mathieson 8. Fiona Shepherd) Shopping Letiisa Pearson Television Brian Donaldson Theatre Steve Cramer Travel LOLiisa Pearson Video/DVD Miles Fielder
20 Sop—4 Oct 2001 THE LIST 9