Here's an article about another screening, with Q&A with Jarv and Florian. I haven't time to read through all the details, I find it surprisingly hard to work out where these things are happening, but it's somewhere in America, I suppose there might be a clue in the Brooklyn in the website name!

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/07/sound_vision_fi.html

I don't know if I'd count this as an opportunity or a threat! I dare someone to do Silence.

http://rooftopfilms.com/blog/2014/07/jarvis-cocker-wants-to-judge-your-karaoke.html

When I was testing some software years ago, I made a karaoke version of "Master of the Universe". It has long since been deleted but I managed to get all the lyrics bang on although the backing track sounded a little odd (I used a filter to (attempt to) remove Jarvis' vocals).

"Silence" would be simple, anyone could play the 2 notes and the horn could be sampled. Getting the lyrics on the screen wouldn't be too hard for a slow song, I would imagine (would a seasoned fan even need the lyrics?)

Nothing new.

www.nme.com/news/pulp/79067/

I still don't like it. And I don't know who do blame for. The parents who allowed that? The assistants, who choosed the video for the competition. Or Jarvis and Florian who declared this boy to a winner?

the article does point out that Jarvis also found this rather disturbing. Maybe none of the other entrants were any good? Then you've left yourself in a very awkward position, if you obviously ignore the only one that is vaguely competent. This presumably is exactly why PR demand to control everything that makes a lot of modern life so dull. But by definition, risk is risk, ergo, it sometimes goes rather pear-shaped. As an engineer, I like to have sensible risk-mitigation strategies in place though. Arty people seem to like to "work without nets". As for picking the successful entrants in the first place, I imagine that was done by the people putting the film on. This is Brooklyn - I have never been there, so I don't actually have any idea what it's like, but from things you read about it, it sounds quite a wacko place that celebrates being alternative and ignoring boundaries and all that kind of stuff, seems they sometimes lose sight of which boundaries are there for a good reason. Though it also sounds like quite a few of the audience were quite freaked too.

I think that's enough thinking aloud. I still haven't watched it. I did watch the first few seconds, with a bit of piano playing, then chickened out.

As I said, I can't face watching the video, for the the very reason you say. There is a longer article here that gives more of a feel of how it all went. I am still worrying about it all a bit. I just try to see things from all sides to see if I can make sense of it, but I am struggling.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/live-reviews/jarvis-cocker-judges-extremely-weird-pulp-karaoke-contest-20140808

maidmarian wrote:

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But because of all the movements this boy did (that comes in there...) I don't think, that he is so unaware.

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Well if he's vaguely aware of the connotations of the song, then what exactly is wrong with him singing it?! The song is hilariously inappropriate for a 9 year old to sing, but the only ethical issue I see is if his parents made him sing it, with him having no understanding of what the song meant, just in an attempt to shock other adults or cause them to laugh at him.

Ultimately it's just really silly, and we shouldn't moralise about something just because it somehow feels uncomfortable or incongruous. What are the practical detrimental affects of him singing This Is Hardcore? Apart from acute embarrassment when he's a bit older, pretty much none whatsoever. I'm reminded of that bit in Little Miss Sunshine where she does the beauty pageant thing, and all the other girls are dressed in skimpy clothes and make up, while the lead character actually does a ridiculous 'sexy dance' which shocks the other children and parents, despite being no more sexualised than all the other 8 year olds dressed like 18 year olds.

I remember when I was 9 everyone at school singing The Bad Touch by Bloodhound Gang, about "doing it like they do on the discovery channel" and "put your hands down my pants and I bet you'll feel nuts" etc. Which in a way is 'worse' if we're gonna put value judgements on this, as that is just a crass and misogynistic song about sex, whereas This Is Hardcore is a very intelligent song which uses sex as an extended metaphor, and I'd say that TIHs utter bleakness is the most troubling aspect in terms of a child singing it, rather than its sexual content.

Yes, the video is very very cringeworthy, but I think we may be confusing our own embarrassment for something which is 'morally' wrong.

triciathetree wrote:

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Has anyone posted about the new postings for the American screenings? It doesn't show on the list on the website but a theater in Pittsburgh is screening the film!!! I've still got to reserve my tickets (though I'm not exactly worried about it selling out in this town...)

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 Great to hear the film is making inroads over there. Enjoy!