Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id PAA02107 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 19 Mar 2001 15:06:43 GMT Message-ID: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745CEE@inchna.stir.ac.uk> From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk> To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> Subject: RE: Art deco TV Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 15:03:31 -0000 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2650.21) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
'Shag' isn't as bad a word as wanker (more like 'pork' than fuck'). I think
Mike Myers actually understood a bit more of UK slang than the film makers
who decided to release the Bridget Fonda retro-flick 'Shag' in the 1980s. I
believe the shag was a dance in 50s or 60s America? This generated some
unintended amusement for british viewers (and no doubt some confusion as
people went to see if the delightful miss Fonda was really in a porn film or
not- some disappointment all round for those viewers!).
Again, more substantively, I think DVDs are a good example of what Blackmore
was talking about in her, now much critiqued comments about the abundance of
communication technology. I bought my first DVD the other day (an uncut
Bruce Lee film- in the 1970s the UK government got worried about people
copying Bruce's nunchuka skills, and hacked his movies to bits, only now
being restored). The picture and sound quality is indeed breathtaking
compared to standard video, but all these extras bemuse me. Trailers is one
thing- good for completist fans, and film studies tutors, and I supposed
deleted scenes serve much the same purpose, but what does the general viewer
get out of all the optional extras? Not much.
I'm no luddite, but this issue of communication techonology advancing at an
incredible rate- and what's driving this pace of change is very interesting.
As an aside, I understand that the International Space Station's DVD player
will only play the US region discs, so that's nice for Russian and other
non-American astronauts wanting to bring their favourite films to while away
the hours.. Given Bush's desire to cut NASA's budgets watching DVD's may be
the only thing there's room to do on the ISS.
Vincent
> ----------
> From: Scott Chase
> Reply To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2001 1:17 pm
> To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> Subject: RE: Art deco TV
>
>
>
>
>
> >From: Vincent Campbell <v.p.campbell@stir.ac.uk>
> >Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
> >To: "'memetics@mmu.ac.uk'" <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
> >Subject: RE: Art deco TV
> >Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 13:33:16 -0000
> >
> >We all laughed heartily in the UK, when Phil Collins said 'wanker' on
> Miami
> >Vice, a major British swear-word, which he got past the show's producers.
> >Ironic given that the show's penchant for slow-motion sequences of people
> >getting shot were edited by the BBC for UK audiences, but in the US it's
> >the
> >swearing that gets censored.
> >
> Isn't "shag" a bad word in the UK? How well did the title of the Autin
> Powers movie "The Spy Who Shagged Me" go over there?
>
> The Phil Collins song "In the Air Tonite" was a big Vice song IIRC. IIRC
> KISS's bassist Gene Simmons appeared sans makeup and platform shoes on the
>
> second Vice movie. The blend of music and crime drama was quite trendy.
>
> Another impact Vice had was that it legitimized the "five o'clock shadow".
>
> Men acquired an excuse to skip shaving in the morning, since it was OK for
>
> Crockett/Burnett.
>
> It's been quite a while snce I watched the many episodes of the show, but
> IIRC there were a couple socially conscious episodes, such as one that
> explored the topic of the shady goings on in Central America. There could
> have been some resonances with U2's song "Bullet the Blue Sky".
> I distinctly recall the notorious G. Gordon Liddy starring in an episode.
> If
> so, didn't he utter the words: "Ears, Sandinista ears..."? Perhaps memory
> fails me.
> >
> >On the more relevant question, I think this is issue of the relationship
> >between culture and technology, and thus memes is important. Is the
> wheel,
> >say, not a meme in some sense?
> >
> Cool thing about technology...the DVD's have outtakes, alternate endings,
> and all kinds of innovations which make renting them far more worthwhile
> than hissy and fuzzy VCR tapes. Even though I'm not hearing impaired, I
> like
> having the subtitles/captions mode on and especially love letterbox. One
> of
> these days I'll buy a widescreen TV.
>
> "Manhunter" has been released on DVD. So has the great Miami antihero
> "Scarface".
> _________________________________________________________________
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>
> ===============================================================
> This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
> Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
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===============================================================
This was distributed via the memetics list associated with the
Journal of Memetics - Evolutionary Models of Information Transmission
For information about the journal and the list (e.g. unsubscribing)
see: http://www.cpm.mmu.ac.uk/jom-emit
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