January 2009 Archives

Culture chat may be changing very slightly in the next month.
That is firstly because although Liverpool is still brim full of culture, the initial reason for the blog - Capital of Culture - has now passed on to pastures new. Lithuania and Austria to be exact.
And secondly because I am also moving on to new things.....as the Echo's new arts editor.
As some of you may know, Joe Riley is retiring next month and I am lucky enough to have been chosen to step into his very roomy shoes.

Did you go to the Pier Head on Saturday night?
Phil Redmond estimates there were about 57,000 people spread along the Liverpool waterfront and goodness knows how many watching the fireworks from Wirral.
He maintained beforehand that it wasn't simply about a firework display.
No, there were some beautiful atmospheric lanterns floating in the new Leeds-Liverpool canal link as well!
And not forgetting the unedifying site of muggins here, 20ft high on the big screen singing All Together Now.....

Remember the car crash TV that was hapless Liverpool Eurovision "nul points" entry Jemini?
Can you hum the tune to Andy Abrahams' Euro entry from last year? Did you wish Scooch might scoot? And whatever happened to Daz Sampson?
Eurovision was just about the only big event Liverpool Capital of Culture (and world capital of pop) had no chance of hosting last year.
Now the ritual Euro-humiliation is coming round again.
And am I the only one who feels we're just humiliating ourselves even more with a Lord of the realm running round Russia and almost falling to his knees to beg for the Eastern block vote?

In the bastardised words of Sgt Pepper...
"It was 365 days today (well almost), Redmond's "Scouse wedding" got underway."
Now here we are, no longer European Capital of Culture and with one last hurrah on the horizon.
Where did it go? Particularly those final few months which seemed to fly by in a whirl of Pink pillow fights, sports stars and King Lear in a frock.
And what happens now, while the world wallows in recession and wintery weather?