Latest news with #Gahan
USA Today
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Depeche Mode's new concert film connects soul with song: 'A strange, spiritual experience'
Depeche Mode's new concert film connects soul with song: 'A strange, spiritual experience' Show Caption Hide Caption 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees announced The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2025 inductees, which include hip-hop pioneers Outkast and '80s icon Cyndi Lauper. unbranded - Entertainment NEW YORK – The connection between death and music is real. At least in the vision of Fernando Frías. The director behind the new documentary "Depeche Mode: M" links the cultural significance of the Mexican holiday celebrating the Day of the Dead with the music of the electro-synth-pop band, which is indisputably a New Wave pioneer. It's an ambiguous concept, but also an intriguing one. At the June 5 world premiere of "M" at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Frías was joined by Depeche Mode's David Gahan and Martin Gore for a boisterous screening of the 95-minute film that often felt as much like a live concert as the one(s) depicted on screen. "One of the things about a Depeche Mode concert is it's a communal experience," Gahan said during a Tribeca Film Festival panel after the showing. "Watching ourselves (perform) is kind of painful, to be honest … I can't explain what happens when you perform. It's a strange, spiritual experience communicated through music." More: Billy Joel's documentary digs deep into past with poignancy – but he's 'not finished yet' Depeche Mode's music connects to Day of the Dead That experience was filmed during a three-night stand at Mexico City's Foro Sol Stadium in 2023, where a total of more than 200,000 fans pilgrimaged to watch the sleek, massive production that showcased Gahan twirling around the stage like Stevie Nicks in a three-piece suit, Gore sharing his keyboard and guitar skills as well as his angelic voice and songs from four decades of synth-drenched creativity. Frías' arty approach toggled between black and white and color video and many of his camera shots – a closeup of the heel of Gahan's boot, the quick cut to a cluster of fans waving white-gloved hands during "Never Let Me Down Again," as per tradition – confirmed how much he wanted this documentary to be different. In between songs including the moody "My Cosmos is Mine" and "Don't Say You Love Me," both from 2023's "Memento Mori" album ("remember, you will die"), voiceovers from fans and lines from poetry are presented in Spanish. The serene scene of a swamp shifts to an overhead drone shot of the concert with Gahan executing mesmerizing calisthenics during the somber ballad "Speak to Me," his resonant voice cutting through a cloud of synthesizers. A lesson about the Aztec guardian of the underworld prefaces Gore's stunning rendition of "Soul with Me," another of Frías' thoughtful connections between song and spirit. How did Depeche Mode honor Andy Fletcher? Longtime fans of Depeche Mode will relish the vibrant performances of classics including "Enjoy the Silence" – Gahan grinning at Gore as he picks out the song's identifiable opening guitar notes – and a muscular "Personal Jesus." But they will likely most appreciate the dedication to original member Andy Fletcher, who died of an aortic dissection in 2022 at age 60. Dot-matrix printouts of Fletcher's face bob throughout the crowd as Gahan bends his fingers to form eyeglasses and holds his arms overhead in a mask-like pose. As the band performs "World in My Eyes," the video screens blanketing the back of the stage illuminate with Fletcher's photo, a sweet tribute to a New Wave innovator. While the theme of mortality is threaded throughout the film, it is also balanced with hope, appreciation and more than a dab of realism. As one fan asks rhetorically, "Thinking something will last forever isn't good, right?"
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘Stand-your-ground' hearing continues for former federal prosecutor charged in bridge confrontation
PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A former U.S. attorney accused of stabbing a driver on the Howard Frankland Bridge heads back to court, Monday. Patrick Scruggs is facing aggravated assault charges and argues the 'Stand Your Ground' defense. Witnesses recorded cell phone video of the traffic confrontation in September 2023. Ahmad Gahan said he saw a silver Lexus stopped in the middle of the road, tried to wake the driver who was passed out, and assumed he was drunk. Tampa man leads trooper on high-speed pursuit over Gandy Bridge: FHP 1 dead after 4-car crash closed I-75 for 5 hours Four-vehicle crash on I-75 North 'I told my wife, somebody is in the car, we have to stop and help,' Gahan said. According to Gahan, the driver of the Lexus eventually woke up, took off, and hit a Honda Civic driven by Scruggs. Footage then showed the former federal prosecutor slashing at the driver of the Lexus, with a knife in his hand. Amanda Post watched the scary situation unfold. 'He looked enraged, he was pulling on the door handle, and he used force to get the window open,' said Post. 'I was afraid if he saw me take a video of it, he could break down my window and come after me.' Scruggs' defense team said this is an instance where 'stand your ground' applies because he feared for his life. On the stand, he said, 'You know, he's going down a bridge, there's nowhere for him to pull over, there's no shoulder. I was concerned he was going to keep going; he had already hit two cars, he was going to hit another car in the middle of rush hour.' Ultimately the judge will decide if the 'stand your ground' defense applies in this case. The case will then proceed based on the hearing's outcome. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
RTÉ News
25-04-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
How did the housewives of rural Ireland make money?
Analysis: Census categories camouflaged the multi-faceted and often profitable nature of many women's work within the home Women's traditional handcrafts (such as spinning, weaving, knitting, embroidery and crochet) were crucial aspects of many rural family economies. Rural women drew on domestic production to bring extra cash into the home, but these practices were on the wane at the turn of the twentieth century. From the 1930s, however, a concerted effort was made by women to promote and preserve the production of 'homespun' goods. Attitudes towards women's work were discriminatory for decades in Ireland. The male breadwinner ideal was culturally elevated as the proper model for a respectable family unit. Preference for a male 'family wage', to meet the needs of one household, was central to the rationale for gender discrimination in the workplace. Discrimination was embodied in the marriage bar, unequal pay, and further restrictions on female employment via the Conditions of Employment Act, 1936. Male breadwinner ideology aligned with Catholic social teaching, and was emphasised in Article 41.2 of the Constitution, which locates women's primary role and 'duties' within the home. The male breadwinner ideal was never a universal reality. Most households required more than one income, brought in by women as well as men, to stay afloat. However, statistics suggest that the ideology was effective. Census returns from 1926-1961 report that the largest group of adult females were those 'engaged in home duties', peaking at 60% in 1961. Nevertheless, while few women were officially engaged in full-time labour outside the home, the census does not account for the many women who worked from home. From RTÉ Brainstorm, How did the marriage bar affect Irish women? The 'homespun' movement was encouraged through the work of Muriel Gahan and several key organisations for over sixty years. Gahan, the first female vice-president of the Royal Dublin Society (RDS), is described by her biographer, Geraldine Mitchell, as 'champion of rural women and craftworkers'. With Gahan's encouragement, the RDS was also a consistent promoter of rural women's enterprise, showcasing their products through grants and promotion at its annual Spring and Horse Shows, and the annual National Craft Competition. Further bodies which Gahan worked with, and which were frequently funded by the RDS, were the Irish Country Shop, the Irish Homespun Society, and the Irish Countrywomen's Association. Muriel Gahan's work in this area commenced in the 1930s, when there had been a noticeable decline in domestic production. In 1937, a 74-year-old Mrs Regan from Ballymabilla, county Galway, reported to the Irish Folklore Commission that 'about fifty years ago most of the people in my district had spinning wheels ... they spun their own thread and weaved their own cloth. Nobody in the district has a spinning wheel now and the industry has died away.' Under Gahan's leadership, the Irish Homespun Society sent craft instructors to rural parts of the country to investigate and reinvigorate traditional practices. The society's motto, 'To Keep Women Spinning in their Homes', pointed to the need for a financial outlet for rural women who were confined for both practical and cultural reasons to the domestic sphere. This motto was uncontroversial and undisruptive to the gendered ideology of the newly-independent Irish state. In 1937, the new constitution sought 'to ensure that mothers shall not be obliged by economic necessity to engage in labour to the neglect of their duties in the home.' Moreover, the revival of traditional practices was welcome in de Valera's protectionist economy of the 1930s, which put a nostalgic emphasis on rural self-sufficiency. By reinvigorating this work, the society simultaneously preserved traditional crafts and raised rural incomes. From RTÉ Archives, in this episode of A Woman's World from 1961, Muriel Gahan of the Irish Countrywomen's Association talks about the rural programme By the mid-thirties, the Irish Homespun Society had over 80 knitters on the Aran Islands on their books. They had seen success in expanding the glove-making industry in Termonfeckin, County Louth, and knitted slippers were now being made by women on Cruit Island in Donegal. In 1934, a local craft organiser made a return visit to the Dingle Peninsula. She reported that the dozen women to whom she had sent cards for wool and had taught how to use them were now spinning again and selling their socks to the local fishermen for 6 shillings and 6 pence a pair. The Industries, Art, and General Purposes Committee of the RDS contributed prize money to many women who weren't able to work beyond the home. At the 1936 RDS Spring Show, twelve different crafts were demonstrated by the Irish Homespun Society. Sales from this show amounted to over £500 and the Homespun Society noted that as a result, 'a real stimulus had been given to the various crafts in all parts of the country.' If items were not sold locally, the Homespun Society organised for them to be sold through the Irish Country Shop at 23 St Stephen's Green. The shop, a popular meeting-place for many years, also housed a café and gallery, which held its first Exhibition of Country Industries in 1933. In 1946, Country Markets Limited was founded as a co-operative to sell rural produce and crafts. Run in co-operation with the Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA), Country Markets ran handcraft proficiency tests and regional competitions to promote a high standard in the industry. The tests survive to this day through the work of the ICA. In 1955, prizes were awarded by Country Markets in eighteen counties to women for embroidery, lace, smocking, lumra (fleece) and tufted rugs, patchwork and knitting. While regional development provided some new opportunities for an increasing number of women in factories from the 1960s onwards, rural women continued to be particularly dependent on domestic production to augment the household income. The necessity of domestic production for women, while difficult to measure, indicates the gendered experience of Ireland's post-independence economy. Women's participation in the official labour force was restricted for decades through the marriage bar and unequal pay. However, the promotion and expansion of the 'homespun' movement certainly leads us to query the extent to which women were truly, as census returns portray, confined to unpaid 'home duties' during the twentieth century. How should we define 'home duties'? Enumerators of the 1966 census were instructed to assign this category to 'housewives and other members of household mainly occupied in unpaid domestic duties at home'. Such an indeterminate categorisation camouflaged the multi-faceted and often profitable nature of many women's work within the home, indicating the need for a more nuanced historical understanding of their economic productivity.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Flight attendant reveals which class of passengers is the ‘most demanding' — and it's not who you think
They're just plane rude. A wise Real Housewife once sang: 'Money can't buy you class.' And now, a flight attendant is singing a similar tune about this obnoxiously 'demanding' class of frequent flyers. 'Most passengers are delightful, so it's hard to pick one class that is more difficult,' Paula Gahan, a cabin crew member of 10 years, told The Telegraph. 'But if I had to pick one, it would be premium economy.' It's the folks flying in a little bit of luxury, but with a whole bunch of attitude. Only slightly superior to travelers in basic economy, premium economy status — for which seats are a bit more expensive than the lowest fares — often affords trippers on domestic flights priority boarding, a little extra legroom and maybe a snack. And on international flights, premium passengers are typically treated to better meals, fewer seats per row, dedicated lavatories and a 'welcome aboard' drink. But, according to Gahan, those cut-above cloud-cruisers let the perks go to their heads. 'Premium economy passengers are stuck in a bit of a quandary,' she said. 'They can't quite afford business but feel they are a little too good for economy.' 'Wedged between two worlds, glimpsing life beyond the business class curtain, they're in a state of turmoil,' added Gahan, based in the UK. The veteran flight attendant went on to praise economy flyers as the most 'easy-going' passengers. She, too, hailed first-class customers for being mild-mannered — mostly because fewer and fewer folks can afford flying in the plane's swankiest section these days, making it less likely for flight attendants to encounter a bad apples in the bunch. And the jet-setters of business class, a privileged position that ranks just below first-class, are 'used to' being pampered at 30,000 feet, says Gahan, so they're courteous rather than condescending. But she claims that the wannabe elitists in premium economy aren't as debonair. 'These people tend to complain the most, demand everything they can get, and have their fingers glued to the call bell,' Gahan groaned. 'There must be a metaphor for life in there somewhere.' Unfortunately, however, for Gahan and her colleagues, the 'most difficult' troublemakers — regardless of where they're seated on an airbus — are often social media tastemakers, per ex-Virgin Atlantic worker Skye Taylor. 'I think if you're looking at superstars and people who can afford their tickets, they generally were lovely people and very respectful,' the 49-year-old previously stated. 'The main problems lie in the routes like Dubai and Vegas where you get the influencer type that maybe hasn't paid full price,' said Taylor, adding that influencers with penchants towards flying while under the influence of drugs and alcohol are the worst. 'You never can tell what's going to cause somebody to, you know, act out of character,' she said, 'and it's very hard to assess what they've taken.' Here is Gahan's breakdown of aircraft classes. This class is the cheapest option for flyers. Limited services are offered to passengers in this cabin and they sit in standard seats. This is a step up from economy. Passengers are often given wider and more comfortable seats with better leg room. Meal options are more varied than in the lower cabin. This cabin offers much more comfortable seating and sometimes reclining seats that can turn into a bed. Passengers here are given more privacy, better food, and more hands on service. This is the most premium class of flying with tickets often setting people back tens of thousands of pounds. Passengers are offered chef-like dining, expensive drinks, and more attentive care. Fully reclining seats and even private seats can be expected. Some airlines make Wi-Fi and showers available for these passengers.
