Latest news with #TheCure
Spectator
16 hours ago
- General
- Spectator
The ‘Gen Z stare' is another act of teenage rebellion
The latest complaint made against Generation Z is that its members now frequently assume a blank, glassy-eyed expression of indifference and boredom. The 'Gen Z stare', as it's known, has become so prevalent among those born between 1997 and 2012 that it's now a source of habitual frustration and annoyance among their elders – the millennials who coined this term. According to a Times report over the weekend, young parents now continually protest at having to confront this pose among their offspring, a demeanour that manifests itself in lack of eye contact and disregard for basic social niceties. This won't come as a surprise to those who recognise that modern technology, particularly smartphones, has had a deleterious influence on the youngest members of society. The increasing inability of Gen Z to engage in forms of ordinary social engagement is one widely accepted symptom of our technological revolution. There may be other factors, too. The lockdown years of 2020-21 severely stalled and stilted the socialisation and development of a youth at a crucial stage. Some people, speaking in their defence, say that the 'Gen Z stare' reflects a justified gloom and pessimism in that, in relation to future job prospects or the likelihood of ever owning their own home, the youth today have much reason to look disenchanted. In truth, teenagers and those in their early twenties have always been prone to behave like this. Geoff Beattie, a psychology professor at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, explains this perceived disengagement as 'a generational marker, an attempt to project the generation's values of authenticity and individuality'. It's always been thus with teenagers, ever since that word became common parlance in the 1950s. That was the decade which saw the publication of The Catcher In The Rye and the release of the film Rebel Without A Cause. These are two works that encapsulated a generational conflict between rebellious adolescents whose elders didn't understand them – a mutual misunderstanding hindered by teenagers never being masters at expressing themselves articulately or coherently. Affected nonchalance or genuine anomie has been a rite of passage for youths making their first, difficult and sometimes traumatic steps into the mental and physical grown-up world. It's why it's featured prominently in another offshoot of the 1950s: rock 'n' roll. Since then, pop groups have been fond of gazing from the front cover of their albums with looks of distraction, whether it be the Beatles appearing jaded and distorted on the sleeve of Rubber Soul (1965), or The Cure appearing in warped, morbid infra-red on the cover of Pornography (1982), their ultimate tribute to adolescent misery. Along with The Smiths, The Cure appealed most to the alienated and disaffected youths in the 1980s, and to judge by their undimmed popularity to this day, to adolescents of succeeding generations. This is a demographic eternally prone to existential angst. It was no coincidence that songs by The Cure referenced Albert Camus ('Killing an Arab') or Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast series ('The Drowning Man'). Robert Smith, their lead singer and intellectual driving force, did what David Bowie and Patti Smith had done in the 1970s, when they had drawn inspiration from Rimbaud and William Burroughs: appeal to a romantic or introspective artistic inheritance. The Goths, of whom The Cure were the undisputed figureheads, assumed that name for a good reason. Their heirs of the 21st century, Emo kids, came to dress in black and lock themselves in their bedrooms for the same reasons: they hated a world that didn't understand them. This spirit of disenchantment has continued to manifest itself over the years. We witnessed it in grunge in the 1990s, whose aficionados bore an appearance of world-weary disaffection – the dishevelled hobo uniform of that scene was not accidental. Tragically, it turned out that Nirvana lead singer Kurt Cobain was deadly serious when he sung in 1993 'I Hate Myself And Want To Die', but that track did encapsulate a mood of detachment and indifference. Oasis even immortalised in song that decade's youthful declaration of nonchalance: 'whatever'. The 'Gen Z stare' is, in many respects, the latest manifestation of a decades-old phenomenon. As the sociologist Dick Hebdige wrote in his 1979 work on youth culture, Subculture, The Meaning of Style, in respect of this tendency: Punk represents the most recent phrase in this process. In punk, alienation assumed an almost tangible quality. It could almost be grasped. It gave itself up to the cameras in 'blandness', the removal of expression (see any photograph of any punk group), refusal to speak and be positioned… the solipsism, the neurosis, the cosmetic rage. Teens will forever present themselves as bored. Those mired in that troubling transitional point in life will often do so out of defiance and self-differentiation, in rebellion against a world they often don't understand, and one which will seldom understand them.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Emily Atack engaged months after baby's arrival as she shares stunning diamond ring
Emily Atack has announced her engagement in a sweet social media post. The actress took to Instagram to share the exciting news that boyfriend Alistair Garner has proposed. The duo, who welcomed son Barney in June last year, revealed their big news with a happy image and cute picture caption. In the snap, Emily is seen hugging into her man while her stunning diamond ring is on full show on his bare chest. She was seen with a big smile on her face as she nestled into her man while wearing a white vest top. Emily referenced a tune from the nineties in her caption. Sharing a lyric by The Cure, she wrote: "It's Friday, I'm in love." She added three diamond ring emojis. Her followers were quick to head to the comments section to share their delight at the news. Among those sending their love was Laura Whitmore. The former Love Island presenter said: "Yassssss! Delighted for you both you cuties xxx." Fleur East also joined in the praise, gushing: "Woooo! Let's gooo!!! Congrats," alongside two love heart emojis. And Sophie Ellis Bextor shared heart and clapping hand emojis too in her show of appreciation at the news.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Olivia Rodrigo's Guitarist Cried Upon Learning Robert Smith Would Join Glastonbury Set
The surprise appearance of The Cure's Robert Smith during Olivia Rodrigo's Glastonbury 2025 set has been widely celebrated by fans and critics alike, but few were as overcome with emotion as Rodrigo's own guitarist, Arianna Powell. In a new interview with Guitar World, Powell recalled the moment she first found out Smith would be joining them onstage for duets of The Cure's 'Friday I'm in Love' and 'Just Like Heaven' at Worthy Farm last month. More from Billboard Tomorrowland 2025 Mainstage Destroyed by Fire Ahead of Festival Alison Krauss & Union Station, Billy Strings Lead 2025 IBMA Bluegrass Music Awards Nominees Ariana Grande Teases 'A Plan to Sing for You All Next Year': See What She Said 'We found out in Nashville when we were rehearsing for Bonnaroo, which ended up getting cancelled,' Powell said. 'Stacy [Jones], our music director, came and told us, and was like, 'This is very secret – you cannot tell anyone, but he's going to be joining us.' And I swear to God, I started crying. Like, I started tearing up.' Powell, a longtime fan of The Cure, said the news hit her particularly hard because of her deep admiration for Smith's guitar work. 'I'm a huge fan, especially those guitar parts,' she shared. 'I love, love, love the guitar parts, specifically in those songs, especially 'Friday I'm in Love'. So I was just so stoked to get to actually play that with the artist.' Beyond the onstage collaboration, Powell spoke about Smith's generosity and warmth backstage. 'He was so cool. He was leaving his dressing room door open for us to hang out. He wanted to talk and be social,' she said. 'Through conversations with him, he was just saying, 'It's just another show.' And he was talking about how much he enjoys performing, and he loves it every time. That really inspired me and my energy for that night. Like, 'Yeah, it's just another show – and I love doing this.' The collective energy of the band that day was really infectious.' The performance also marked a milestone for Rodrigo, who has spent 2025 on a global tour supporting her sophomore album GUTS. The LP, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2023, has seen a resurgence in streams following her Glastonbury appearance, with 'vampire' and 'bad idea right?' climbing back into the upper reaches of the Billboard Global 200. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Times
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Tim Pope: my golden age of music videos from Bowie to the Cure
One autumn afternoon in 1982, Tim Pope, a budding film director, had a life-changing meeting on the roof of an office block in Soho in London. A young goth by the name of Robert Smith had enjoyed a music video that Pope had made for the synth duo Soft Cell (for their single Bedsitter) and wanted some of that creative magic for his own band, the Cure. • The Cure: Songs of a Lost World review — a decaying masterpiece Was there immediate chemistry? Undeniable sympatico? Not quite. 'We were what I'd call shy bastards,' Pope recalls. 'We rarely met eyes with each other, and he had a very quiet voice, so it was hard to hear him over the noise coming from the fruit market outside. I had no idea it would be the start of an almost 50-year relationship.' Beginning with a promo for the Cure's uncharacteristically upbeat single Let's Go to Bed, that collaboration spawned more than 35 extraordinary videos (and counting) as part of Pope's extensive career. He'll be talking about these experiences, and many more, at Fringe by the Sea, in an event that's a trail for his forthcoming memoir, which has the working title My Wonky Eye: The Tales of a Maverick Music Director, out next year. 'It follows the arc of my relationship with David Bowie via Iggy Pop,' Pope says about a book that's going to be devoured by music fans. 'That's the main story, but along the way I work with lots of other bands.' Those others include Neil Young, whose playful side Pope is good at teasing out, Talk Talk, Queen and The The, and what the films have in common is technical ambition (all done before the days of green screen), a sense of humour and a colourful disregard for authority. As he puts it: 'I've got quite a rebellious streak and I think that's what connected with the artists who also had one.' Another common thread is the glee with which Pope playfully tortures his bands — from hanging them upside down and swinging cameras into their faces to trapping them in tight spaces — all for the perfect shot. A great example is the claustrophobic masterpiece Close to Me, for which he got the Cure (who'd been 'partying' for several hours beforehand) squashed up into a wardrobe, which he then flooded with water. For The Lovecats video he had the band dancing about in a woozy world of threadbare feline taxidermy; while for Lullaby Smith was cocooned by spider webs made from glue, had a micro camera in a medical probe inserted into his mouth, and was eventually swallowed up by a giant spider. When the book comes out it will include some never-before-seen photos from these shoots, including a selfie of Pope and Smith just as they were finishing the Lullaby video — 'Just at the end, when he called me a bastard,' the director says with a laugh. In many ways it was a golden age of music videos, with — in Pope's experience at least — the artists given artistic carte blanche, free from the constraints of corporate intervention. As a result boundaries weren't so much pushed as blown up at times, as evidenced in the gory video for Soft Cell's outrageous Sex Dwarf, which was, unsurprisingly, banned. (Word to the wise: do not watch this video in the workplace.) • Soft Cell singer Marc Almond: 'I find it hard to have relationships' Pope recently found the call sheet with a list of props for that shoot, which included a working chainsaw, raw meat and some maggots. 'I can still smell that studio,' he recalls. One of Pope's early jobs, shortly after leaving television school, was making films to help train politicians, and he was often in Downing Street in the dying days of the 1970s Labour government. He would 'borrow' equipment to film gigs in the evenings, and at one performance by the Specials some skinheads invaded the stage, headbutted him and grabbed the expensive camera. These kinds of scuffles were a world away from his later success. He developed such a strong relationship with Bowie that the singer asked him to direct his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden, in New York, requesting that he be his 'eyes and ears' on the day. As well as working on the book, Pope is planning to make a feature film called The Beating of a Moth's Wing, starring Béatrice Dalle, who graced many a student's bedroom wall in the 1990s. Also on the horizon is a 50th-anniversary film for the Cure, hopefully due out in 2028. 'Robert's got 50 boxes of film no one's ever seen,' he says. 'It'll be amazing for fans.' This Fringe by the Sea session, hosted by Vic Galloway, will also be a treat for music fans, with Pope more than happy to answer questions and share memories. Start revising those videos now to get the best out of 2, 2.45pm, the Dome, £12/6 Blur fans will be in heaven during this session. The Britpop band's drummer, Dave Rowntree, captured many of their early adventures on camera, and loads of them will be shown here. Close-up shots of Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon and Alex James messing about on tour buses and video shoots and in hotels reveal the fresh excitement of those youthful days. Parklife in real life!Aug 8, 1pm, the Dome, £12 One of the most famous sons of Leith, Irvine Welsh, brought the less chocolate-box version of Edinburgh to the world's attention when his debut novel, Trainspotting, was published in 1993. Welsh was partly inspired to write by his experiences in the punk and rave scenes, and when Danny Boyle adapted the book into a film, his creative use of music took it to another level. In this session Welsh, who recently published his 16th novel, will be talking with the DJ Vic Galloway about the magic of music and film (and will also, surprisingly, curate a 'family rave' in the Dome)Aug 2, 1.30pm, Big Top, £12/6 • Irvine Welsh: I turned up wired to the Trainspotting launch in 1993 Ever since bursting onto the scene in 1995, Mogwai have entranced music fans with their expansive cinematic sounds. While band members have come and gone, Stuart Braithwaite has remained at the helm, pushing Mogwai into more complex and hard-to-ignore compositions. This documentary, made by Antony Crook, will trace their history with a rich treasure trove of archive footage, and afterwards Braithwaite will stick around for a post-screening 3, 6pm, the Dome, £12/£6 Eunice Olumide's debut film looks at the pioneers of the underground UK rap scene, giving a particular focus to founders of the genre who have been written out of history, and highlighting the impact that technology has had on artists' 3, 2pm, the Dome, £10/£5 Join a decade-by-decade adventure into the history of Scottish girl bands from the 1960s onwards. Made by the prolific musician Carla J Easton, this feature-length documentary takes a scrapbook-style audiovisual approach to celebrate trailblazers, game-changers and some of those acts who would have achieved more global success under a more equitable music business model. The screening includes a discussion with Easton, who's also performing at 10, 4pm, the Dome, £10/£5 • Remembering Scotland's sonic sisters who tore down music industry barriers Fringe by the Sea, Aug 1-10, North Berwick,
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'The dreamiest boss of all time': Olivia Rodrigo paid for crew's therapy while on tour
It seems the therapists Olivia Rodrigo found for her band really helped. The 22-year-old "Vampire" singer and her tour manager Marty Hom provided free and accessible therapy for the entire "Guts" tour crew, rhythm guitarist Daisy Spencer revealed on "The StageLeft Podcast." "I have never had anything like that," Spencer, 31, told host Chris Simpson. "And that reignited the importance of therapy to me because I had kind of fallen off for so long." Rodrigo and Spencer just wrapped the 102-date "Guts" world tour July 1 and completed a successful headlining set at Glastonbury, where they were joined on stage by the Cure's Robert Smith. While on the podcast, Spencer described Rodrigo as "the dreamiest boss of all time" and opened up about taking care of her mind and body on the road. Read more: No 'Guts,' no glory: How Olivia Rodrigo became America's pop-punk queen "Suddenly I had this free resource of incredible therapists and I utilized the crap out of that," she said. "I was going, you know, once a week, once every other week, whenever I could. And it was even during the off time — we also still had access to this resource." Rodrigo's dad, Chris Rodrigo, is a family therapist, and the singer has been very open about starting therapy at 16. "That was a really big, life-changing moment," she told CBS Sunday Morning in 2021. "I've learned so much about myself." And she's not the only musician promoting therapy. Lewis Capaldi, who returned to the stage after a two-year break from performing to focus on his all-around health, announced Monday that he's partnering with BetterHelp to provide 734,000 hours of free online therapy. Ariana Grande has also partnered with the virtual therapy platform several times in the past. Though the "Guts" tour has concluded, Rodrigo still has several festival engagements lined up for the summer, including a headlining set Aug. 1 at Lollapalooza. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
