The Front
theEditorial
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his has been a month of hard landings. Poor old Iain Duncan Smith
gets bumped off in a putsch orchestrated by colleagues who never liked
him anyway. Prince Charles gets a grim reminder that the press have an unhealthy interest in who squeezes his toothpaste. And Scotland comes back down to earth with a bump as the MTV bandwagon rolls out of lidinburgh as quickly as it arrived. leaving tumbleweed blowing through eerie empty spaces in Leith. and a city suffering from a metaphorical — if not an actual — hangover. But was the great television circus all worth it'.’ Reactions have swung from a breathless press celeb-fest. to a bitter knee-jerk from people at the MTV In The Gardens event. who became grimly aware that they were simply extras at a fake (and maddenineg alcohol-free) gig. set up for the sole purpose of beaming pretty television images around the world.
There‘s no denying that MTV's first priority was to satisfy its billion or so viewers. and no-one can really blame it for that. In the end. the benefits to the people of Iidinburgh. and to Scotland in general. will take longer to filter through. It‘s true that we spent close to t‘lm bringing the awards here in the first place. and that most residents of the city were excluded from the best bits of the revclry. But at the same time. the awards helped underline lidinburgh's status as a world class cultural city. an international tourist destination to be considered in the same league as Barcelona. Paris and Milan. Who knows what benefits that may bring. Perhaps most importantly. the television pictures broadcast a worldwide advertisement for a vibrant city that is swinging even when it‘s not festival time or l-logmanay. ['nlike IDS and Prince (‘harles’s misfortunes. Edinburgh‘s hangover will soon have cleared. and the party will start all over again.
PANADOL ACTIFAST
Far be it for The List to publicise products produced by huge pharmaceutical conglomerates but hey. Christmas is near and the psychotic alcoholism that has laid dormant (for some of us) over the last 1 1 months will soon be coming out of hibernation. Drinking heaps of chemically pervaded liquid means hangovers of the type that make y0u want rip yourself in half and scoop out all the newly accumulated filth. Those in the know have already been stocking up on Panadol Actifast. a tablet of such overwhelming speed and strength it leaves most of its competitors standing. Having recently been reduced from over the 522 mark to just 99p in some of the leading chemist chains. now is the time to stock up.
Panheads (as this new breed of painkiller fetishists like to call themselves) know that these babies kick just where it is needed as well as sending one occasionally doolally (usually in the middle of group therapy sessions and evaluations wrth your boss). Their green and yellow metallic packaging design also looks rather fetching when placed next to the acres of c0tigh and flu crap that those of us in the northern hemisphere like to put on display in our homes at this time of year. (Paul Dale)
CULT OF THE FORTNIGHT
10 THE LIST 13—27 Nov 2003
1 Ti-ilogy
Film Lucas Belvaux’s three-part masterwork is finally unleashed. See feature, page 14 Selected release.
2 Slab Boys
Film A quarter of a century on, John Byrne’s definitive Scottish play continues to make waves. See feature, page 12 Traverse, Edinburgh.
3 The Mars Volta
Music A mix of California prog and acerbic punk energy from the manic quintet. See Music, page 45 Barrow/and, Glasgow.
4 Annie Leibovitz
Books American Music shows the USA’s finest snapper shooting an array of musos at work, rest and play. See Books, page 104 Jonathan Cape.
5 Big Beat
Clubs The tenth anniversary and farewell party combined at Cabaret Voltaire. Expect elation and tears in equal measure. See Clubs, page 77.
6 Peter Greenaway
DVD A collection of the early works of one of Britain’s most artful directors. See Video/DVD, page 109 BF].
7 Ian Davenport
Art Shiny, high—gloss surfaces and stray drips abound in the painter’s new show. See Art. page 88 lng/eby Gallery, Edinburgh.
8 Euro 2004 Play-off
Sport Scotland take on Holland for a place in Portugal next summer. See Sport. page 98 Hampden Park, Glasgow.
9 Jenny Eclair
Comedy The guttermouth, former Perrier winner returns. See Comedy, page 73 Fa/kirk Town Hall; Brunton, Musselburgh.
1 0 Laurel Canyon
Film The ever splendid Frances McDormand stars in a laid back. sexy and mature movie, See Film. page 22 Selected release.