Latest news with #Scottish-American
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'They'd never ask this of men': Garbage album tackles sexist ageism
It is almost 30 years since the Scottish-American band Garbage gained notice with such songs as "Only Happy When It Rains" and "Stupid Girl." Their music - a mixture of sombre rock guitar, electronic elements and cool pop sounds - to this day does not fit into any single genre. The same applies now to their eighth studio album. "Let All That We Imagine Be The Light" is somehow different, yet is unmistakeably still Garbage, as made clear in a dpa interview with singer Shirley Manson in London. Not a band for streaming algorithms "We're an unprogrammable band. We don't fit into the algorithms that this streaming services rely on so heavily. We just don't fit in with any of it," the lead singer says. "It really bothered me for a long time that we didn't belong anywhere. But now I realize how beautiful that is and what freedom it allows and to be be able to enjoy a unique identity, sonic identity, at a time when there are 100,000 songs uploaded onto the internet every single day." According to Manson, the new album is a "companion piece" to the previous LP "No Gods No Masters" which she said "full of outrage and fear." (All the things she was worried about have since come to fruition, she notes.) The new LP is tangibly more positive, said the Scottish singer, who for years now has been living in the US with her husband, Garbage sound engineer Billy Bush. She has since acquired US citizenship herself. Developments in the US - along with the entire international situation - are causing her concern. But there was no question for Manson of once again channeling her fears in her songwriting. "I realized that I cannot afford to remain in the headspace that I inhabited when we wrote 'No God's No Masters'. I had to somehow pivot and change my tactics, shift my own perspective, or I would go mad." The only thing she could control was her love, she says. "Whether it's my love of nature, love of animals, love of my community, love of my band, my romantic love with my husband, all the different forces of love that exist that are open to us, I feel like I'm reaching for and harnessing on this record." Sharp criticism of sexism and ageism Anyone who was afraid Garbage would immediately start doing soft pop can breathe a sigh of relief. The band has retained its bite and discomfort edge. In the punkish "Chinese Firehorse," for example - one of the best new songs - Manson takes aim at sexism and age discrimination in the music industry. Her inspiration came during the promotional campaign for the previous album. "I was 53 years old. I underscore that again, 53 years old. It was the first day of promotion. We had a brand new record. It was coming out on a major record label, and two different journalists, one male, one female, at different times during the day, asked me when I was going to retire. I realized in that moment, they would never ask this of my male peers," she told dpa. The song's text directly targets both interviewers: "You say my time is over / That I have gotten old – so old / That I no longer do it for you / And my face now leaves you cold," she sings. But then goes on the attack: "But I've still got the power in my brain and my body / I'll take no shit from you." By the way, Manson is clearly younger than her bandmates Steve Marker (66), Duke Erikson (74) and the band's founder, Butch Vig (69). "So, yes, this is still very much a real thing," she said about ageism, noting how the mass-circulation Daily Mail recently made fun of her looks. She said this meant nothing to her any longer. "But what I do think it does is it sends messages to younger people who don't have the same fortitude as I, who don't have the same experience as I do. And that can crush a young spirit." Garbage still has something to say Despite the worry about what's happening in the world, Manson says that today she is more optimistic than before. The title of the first track "There's No Future In Optimism" is meant jokingly. "I really love the title, but I'm also in enormous disagreement with it. It is absolutely the polar opposite philosophy that I wanted to employ when coming into making this record," she stressed. But the album "Let All That We Imagine Be The Light" is also not exactly optimistic. From the driving opener to the gloomy "Hold" and the almost gentle, electropop-like "Sisyphus" to the cynical "Get Out My Face AKA Bad Kitty," Garbage pulls out all the musical stops that set the group apart from other bands. It's worth listening carefully and paying attention to the lyrics. After 30 years, the band still has a lot to say.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The European project has no place in the new age of empires
As the world changes beyond recognition, Britain is sitting pretty. For all the talk of Trump's trade war backfiring, countries are lining up to strike free trade deals with Washington – and London is near the front of the queue. We are in a strong position to exploit Scottish-American Trump's soft spot for the UK to mould the special relationship in our favour. In the mercurial Trumpian age this subtle advantage is not to be sniffed at. Yet the PM risks sacrificing our strategic position on the altar of the Remainer cause. It is striking enough that Sir Keir Starmer should try to have his cake and eat it, pursuing the fundamentally incompatible objectives of a closer relationship with the US and deeper association with the EU. It is even more astonishing that the PM should do this at a time when the EU project faces obsolescence. This week, murmurings emanated from the White House that it could strike a trade deal with the UK within three weeks. At the very same time, it emerged that Sir Keir Starmer is closing in on an agreement to align with Brussels on food and veterinary standards. Such a partnership could potentially scupper the US trade deal, as it may shut out American products that Trump wants to sell in Britain. A diplomatic blowup is brewing. Trade experts are worried that the US could turn on Britain and renege on its offer of a deal should we start to live up to our 'perfidious albion' reputation. As one expert told me: 'On the global stage we aren't as trusted as we might like to think. We are not trusted in Washington or Brussels. They think we're very polite, but also tend to think we are being sneaky even when we are being indecisive.' Unless the PM changes course, we may end up with the worst of both worlds – alienated from the US and estranged from Brussels. Starmer's double dealing risks squandering a golden economic opportunity. A trade deal with the US – which would require the UK to slash domestic red tape – would offer Rachel Reeves a lifeline, giving her the authority she sorely needs to pursue the 'bonfire of regulations' that she has been struggling to drive through in the face of vested interests since her fiscal headroom evaporated. But the most baffling thing about No 10's pursuit of a closer relationship with Brussels is that it comes at a time when the EU's future is more uncertain than at any point in its history. The EU has no clear role in this new age – at least not in its current wants the EU as it currently stands to be effectively disbanded. The EU has evolved, largely by accident, from a peace-preserving free trade bloc into the world's regulatory superpower. The EU's clout today is rooted in its ability to leverage restricted access to the single market – the largest in the world – in order to compel companies to comply with its regulatory standards. This makes it often easier for companies to adopt European standards across the world. Europe has been able to colonise the regulatory systems of foreign countries, shaping much of the world in its own compliance-driven, innovation-stifling image. This dynamic is incompatible with the world order that America is now attempting to erect. The US wants to transform itself from a power rooted in dominance of global finance and technology to one that is also anchored in the kind of manufacturing prowess that can provide ordinary American workers with well-paid jobs. This demands a huge jump in US exports. Yet, as it stands, many US products do not meet red tape thresholds that exist not just within the EU's borders but across the world. America thus wants radical deregulation on a global scale. Pro-EU scholars concede that the Brussels project is threatened. Professor Anu Bradford, the leading expert on the EU's regulatory power, told me that US pressure combined with internal panic over European tech stagnation could cause the EU to lose its nerve and dismantle voluntarily: 'We need to rethink everything now. I'm most worried about the Europeans' own inability to defend the regulatory agenda; that the EU will come to think its path to tech competitiveness is walking away from its regulations.' Some Europhiles seek solace in the notion that the EU is a self-made power that can face down American bullying. They are wrong. America holds most of the cards in negotiations. The EU's trade surplus with the US means it is vulnerable to tariffs. The idea that Europe is an independent civilisation created by visionary European elites is also a romantic myth. The EU is a failed American experiment. Since George Washington, Stateside politicians have been captivated with the idea of a 'single republic' in America's mirror image across the pond. After the Second World War, the US vigorously pushed the dream of a united Europe, viewing it as a way to both contain Germany's militancy and hold the line against communist Russia. The harsh reality is that America birthed the EU. It is not just economic but also military shifts that threaten the EU. Russia's rampage against Ukraine has demolished the myth that globalisation alone can secure world peace. It is clear that Europe must operate as a defence bloc first and a trading outfit second. This will almost certainly require the EU to reverse course on integration. True, a defence turn demands integration in highly specific and vital areas. The Continent urgently needs to standardise its weapon systems. Still, the political and fiscal integration envisioned by the EU's most ambitious champions is clearly obsolete. Europe lacks a common set of defence interests. Southern Europeans don't feel the Russian threat in the same way as their northern counterparts. Eastern Europe is ripping itself apart over whether Russia is a friend or a foe. It's hard to conceive a European nuclear weapon capability for the simple reason that member states would never be able to agree on when to use it. As Dr Neil Melvin of RUSI told me: 'This is not a kind of Brussels ecosystem. It's much more like the Europe of the old days where you have strong nations as core actors. The question is whether Europe can find a new kind of structure to manage the re-emergence of nation states as the main drivers of European agendas.' The PM's eagerness to align with Brussels is illogical. Whether the EU can reinvent itself for a new epoch is uncertain. For now then, we should focus on nurturing relations with the world superpower, while keeping a cordial distance from a European project in existential crisis. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
17-04-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
The European project has no place in the new age of empires
As the world changes beyond recognition, Britain is sitting pretty. For all the talk of Trump's trade war backfiring, countries are lining up to strike free trade deals with Washington – and London is near the front of the queue. We are in a strong position to exploit Scottish-American Trump's soft spot for the UK to mould the special relationship in our favour. In the mercurial Trumpian age this subtle advantage is not to be sniffed at. Yet the PM risks sacrificing our strategic position on the altar of the Remainer cause. It is striking enough that Sir Keir Starmer should try to have his cake and eat it, pursuing the fundamentally incompatible objectives of a closer relationship with the US and deeper association with the EU. It is even more astonishing that the PM should do this at a time when the EU project faces obsolescence. This week, murmurings emanated from the White House that it could strike a trade deal with the UK within three weeks. At the very same time, it emerged that Sir Keir Starmer is closing in on an agreement to align with Brussels on food and veterinary standards. Such a partnership could potentially scupper the US trade deal, as it may shut out American products that Trump wants to sell in Britain. A diplomatic blowup is brewing. Trade experts are worried that the US could turn on Britain and renege on its offer of a deal should we start to live up to our 'perfidious albion' reputation. As one expert told me: 'On the global stage we aren't as trusted as we might like to think. We are not trusted in Washington or Brussels. They think we're very polite, but also tend to think we are being sneaky even when we are being indecisive.' Unless the PM changes course, we may end up with the worst of both worlds – alienated from the US and estranged from Brussels. Starmer's double dealing risks squandering a golden economic opportunity. A trade deal with the US – which would require the UK to slash domestic red tape – would offer Rachel Reeves a lifeline, giving her the authority she sorely needs to pursue the 'bonfire of regulations' that she has been struggling to drive through in the face of vested interests since her fiscal headroom evaporated. But the most baffling thing about No 10's pursuit of a closer relationship with Brussels is that it comes at a time when the EU's future is more uncertain than at any point in its history. The EU has no clear role in this new age – at least not in its current form. America wants the EU as it currently stands to be effectively disbanded. The EU has evolved, largely by accident, from a peace-preserving free trade bloc into the world's regulatory superpower. The EU's clout today is rooted in its ability to leverage restricted access to the single market – the largest in the world – in order to compel companies to comply with its regulatory standards. This makes it often easier for companies to adopt European standards across the world. Europe has been able to colonise the regulatory systems of foreign countries, shaping much of the world in its own compliance-driven, innovation-stifling image. This dynamic is incompatible with the world order that America is now attempting to erect. The US wants to transform itself from a power rooted in dominance of global finance and technology to one that is also anchored in the kind of manufacturing prowess that can provide ordinary American workers with well-paid jobs. This demands a huge jump in US exports. Yet, as it stands, many US products do not meet red tape thresholds that exist not just within the EU's borders but across the world. America thus wants radical deregulation on a global scale. Pro-EU scholars concede that the Brussels project is threatened. Professor Anu Bradford, the leading expert on the EU's regulatory power, told me that US pressure combined with internal panic over European tech stagnation could cause the EU to lose its nerve and dismantle voluntarily: 'We need to rethink everything now. I'm most worried about the Europeans' own inability to defend the regulatory agenda; that the EU will come to think its path to tech competitiveness is walking away from its regulations.' Some Europhiles seek solace in the notion that the EU is a self-made power that can face down American bullying. They are wrong. America holds most of the cards in negotiations. The EU's trade surplus with the US means it is vulnerable to tariffs. The idea that Europe is an independent civilisation created by visionary European elites is also a romantic myth. The EU is a failed American experiment. Since George Washington, Stateside politicians have been captivated with the idea of a 'single republic' in America's mirror image across the pond. After the Second World War, the US vigorously pushed the dream of a united Europe, viewing it as a way to both contain Germany's militancy and hold the line against communist Russia. The harsh reality is that America birthed the EU. It is not just economic but also military shifts that threaten the EU. Russia's rampage against Ukraine has demolished the myth that globalisation alone can secure world peace. It is clear that Europe must operate as a defence bloc first and a trading outfit second. This will almost certainly require the EU to reverse course on integration. True, a defence turn demands integration in highly specific and vital areas. The Continent urgently needs to standardise its weapon systems. Still, the political and fiscal integration envisioned by the EU's most ambitious champions is clearly obsolete. Europe lacks a common set of defence interests. Southern Europeans don't feel the Russian threat in the same way as their northern counterparts. Eastern Europe is ripping itself apart over whether Russia is a friend or a foe. It's hard to conceive a European nuclear weapon capability for the simple reason that member states would never be able to agree on when to use it. As Dr Neil Melvin of RUSI told me: 'This is not a kind of Brussels ecosystem. It's much more like the Europe of the old days where you have strong nations as core actors. The question is whether Europe can find a new kind of structure to manage the re-emergence of nation states as the main drivers of European agendas.' The PM's eagerness to align with Brussels is illogical. Whether the EU can reinvent itself for a new epoch is uncertain. For now then, we should focus on nurturing relations with the world superpower, while keeping a cordial distance from a European project in existential crisis.
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
‘Nazi' jibe at Italian PM lands British rock star police charge
Placebo frontman Brian Molko has been charged with defamation after he reportedly called the Italian prime minister a 'fascist' and a ' Nazi ' during a gig in the country. Molko, 52, is said to have made the remarks about Giorgia Meloni when Placebo played the Sonic Park festival in Turin in 2023, which drew an attendance of around 5000 people. Italy 's justice ministry approved a request from prosecutors on Monday (17 February) to charge the Scottish-American rocker for allegedly calling Ms Meloni a 'piece of s***, fascist, racist' and a 'Nazi'. Local prosecutors responded to a complaint from police at the festival about Molko who was subsequently investigated for defamation and contempt. At the time, members of Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party, which has its roots in Italy's neo-fascist movement, denounced the insults and demanded an apology. 'We cannot let an international event that attracts so many people (to Italy) be ruined by filthy words which, amidst a general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic,' LaPresse quoted Brothers of Italy lawmaker Augusta Montaruli as saying. Defamation offences in Italy can land culprits with a prison term of up to three years. However, a spokesman for Justice Minister, Carlo Norio said that a sentence is unlikely to be imposed in this instance. Molko is now likely to face a fine of €5,000 (£4,200) if the charges are upheld. Meloni was elected in September 2022, after her far-right Brothers of Italy party won an overall majority. In July 2024 an Italian judge ordered a journalist to pay Meloni €5,000 (£4,210) in damages for mocking her height on social media, ruling that it amounted to 'body shaming'. Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members) Sign up The judge also imposed a suspended fine of €1,200 on Giulia Cortese for her defamatory posts on X from 2021, before Ms Meloni took power. Ms Cortese reacted to the judgment saying the Italian government had a ' serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent '. 'This country seems to get closer to Orbán's Hungary,' she said on X. 'These are bad times for independent journalists and opinion leaders. Let's hope for better days ahead. We won't give up!' In October 2021, when Ms Meloni was still in opposition, Ms Cortese posted a digitally altered picture on X showing the politician standing in front of a bookshelf with a likeness of Benito Mussolini in the background.
Euronews
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Placebo's Brian Molko charged with defamation in Italy for calling Giorgia Meloni a 'fascist'
Placebo lead singer and guitarist Brian Molko has been charged with defamation by the Italian state after he called Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni a 'piece of shit, fascist, racist' in a 2023 concert. The 52-year-old Scottish-American performed with his band at Sonic Park Festival in Turin in 2023. Attended by 5,000 people, the Placebo frontman also referred to Meloni as a 'Nazi'. A year prior, Meloni and her far-right Brothers of Italy party had been elected to lead Italy. At the time, Meloni sued Molko and Turin prosecutors opened an investigation into him for 'contempt of institutions'. Now, Italy's justice ministry has approved Turin's request and charged Molko with defamation and contempt. Defamation offences in Italy can lead to prison terms, but Molko is most likely to end up with a fine of €5,000 if the charges are upheld. 'We cannot let an international event that attracts so many people be ruined by filthy words which, amidst a general silence, aim to attack the institutions of the republic,' Brothers of Italy politician Augusta Montaruli told the press. A history of lawsuits This isn't the first time that Meloni has sued a culture figure for defamation. Last year, a domestic judge ordered a journalist to pay the prime minister €5,000 for mocking her on social media. Roberto Saviano, the author of 'Gomorrah', was found guilty in a trial for comments he made about Meloni over her stance on immigration. She sued him for criminal defamation. It hasn't always gone in the way of Meloni's government. Last year, a judge threw out a case against Donatella Di Cesare, a professor of philosophy at the Sapienza University in Rome, after she criticised Meloni's brother-in-law Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida's comments on Italy being at risk of 'ethnic replacement' on television.
