Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Hello! Turn on the TV, Turn off the Music!

Today is:
- World Television Day - a United Nations resolution in 1996 and as stupid a concept as I can think of, either for those with access to TV (no need) or those without (say no more). Britain sensibly abstained.
- World Hello Day - dreamt up by brothers Brian and Michael MacCormack, apparently in response to the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and running since then. The objective is to say hello to at least ten people on the day and encourage communication rather than force. Ask Israelis to try it in Gaza right now (or the other way round), and they might get to three?
- No Music Day - another of Bill Drummond's 'wacky' projects, protesting against the ubiquity & mundanity of music in contemporary society... To his credit (and probable surprise), it resulted in Resonance FM and BBC Radio Scotland not broadcasting any music on that day in 2006 and 2007 respectively. But even more impressive was the Austrian city of Linz's wholesale observation: shops, restaurants, schools and radio stations played no music, the cinemas showed only films without music soundtracks and theatres and concert halls held only non-musical performances. Quentin Crisp would have approved. Did I observe it?  Yes I did.

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