Charlie Haden, an obscure jazz bassist whose hero is the murderous thug Che Guevara – to the extent that he has written whole albums in praise of him – is not widely known outside jazz circles. No matter, his hatred of Nixon, his opposition to the Vietnam war and his lifetime of “political causes” and “liberation” made him a perfect Today programme guest this morning. Reporter Nicola Standbridge virtually wet her knickers in admiration of the great man and opened it with his love of Che. Tough questions about why he idolised a mass murderer? Not on the agenda. News relevance? Zero. The exchange was, of course, nothing but a plug for his forthcoming concert – for the BBC, a perfect combo: a fawning reporter, left-wing fanatic, right-on music and free publicity. Only Bono could hope for better treatment.
PERFECT COMBO
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Or Steve Earle, Patti Smith, Danon Albarn, Joan Baez, Ry Cooder or-oh yes, Steve Earle again!
There are loads of others of course…and this jazz nomark is prime patronised fodder for those who were taken to Glyndebourne and not Ronnie Scotts by nanny at the time!
They put this” fight the power “gristle on as most of us have to get out of the car and walk throught the carpark and into work, so they can reckon on getting away with their “good rebellion, maan” spots.
Doesn`t stop them not wondering about how a raping socialist gets to stay in a £3,000 a night hotel room-outside my terms of reference dearie!
As Lennon said-avant garde jazz is just the French for crap…oh why don`t they cite him where he`s actually of use!
You forgot Billy Bragg.
Ah but RD, we are talking about pepole who at least try to pass themselves off as musicians.
If only I could…
Sorry to have failed to have told you that Yasmin Alibhian Brown was reviewing the papers on BBC late night line up Monday…I was too busy seeking out Toynbees that I got distracted. I have amended the weed/patchouli monitors accordingly.
I can issue however a Tracey Emin alert-she will soon be on Womans Hour(where else my dears,so outre!) in the next few minutes!
Halitosis index high, smug alert extreme and a high risk of old tampons,tights as scattered showers later in the day…but litter is the new art you oafs,so get wiv it innit?
Expect a case of Munchausens Artistic Syndrome in Jenni Murray later as she swaggers round Pall Mall looking for a reinforced rickshaw with a minibar facility…or at least a Sedan Chair in this seasons colours!
Haden recounted that he was held by the Portuguese authorities after dedicating “Song For Che” to the communist rebels in Mozambique and Angola (not that Stanbridge called them that, preferring “liberation movements” – funny that she had no qualms identifying Portugal as a “fascist dictatorship” though). Haden was released after a short time; victims of Guevara’s murderous “revolutionary justice” in La Cabana and elsewhere were not so lucky. Of course, such a thought would never cross the mind of a BBC arts correspondent – the ability to challenge the politics of lefty artistes is utterly alien to their breed.
Sometimes the BBC approves of mass murder: when it’s for a right-on cause.
Yes but he was happy to be rescued by the US Consul in Portugal.
…apparently this twit dedicates his life to working for people to live in a free society, then raves about Che, who helped to create “free” societies like Cuba. The irony was lost on this pathetic lefty, and on the swooning interviewer.
Just what was the point of this vomit-inducing piece on Today?
Picture Wolfie Smith had he lived above a Holland and Barrett-and you`d have the stringers and gofers that the Beeb lets loose for its “yoof” pieces(arts and outrage division), once they`ve got the skinny lattes in.
Picture Stalin after an aromatherapy days workshop, and you`ll have the people that squat over the BBC who send these gofers out to continue their Arts College project with a borrowed microphone. Billy Braggs kids will surely get an intern once the Toynbees and Prescotts have strutted round the BBC a while.
Why no comment by Prescott re the rape allegations in NYC then-the BBC usually ask him about most other things do they not?
Ah, the everlasting leftie love for Che and Fidel. While Charlie Haden liked to induge in lefty gesture politics, Fidel had more practical ideas.
“One example of our appreciation of nuclear use; In the early 1980s Fidel Castro pressed hard for a tougher line against the US up to and including nuclear strikes. The GS had to actively disabuse him of this view by spelling out the ecological consequences for Cuba of a nuclear strike against the US. This changed Castro’s positions considerably.”
General Andrian Danilevich, Soviet General Staff Officer 1964-90.
Perhaps the BBC can play some of Charlie’s ‘distinctive lyrical basslines’ if some lefty lunatc decides to press the nuclear button at some future date.
I do wonder sometimes if Castro only sent the dangerous criminals to Florida along with the boat people in the late 70s.
He surely send a fair few nutters from his sociology departments to infiltrate the BBC bak then-and we live now with their progeny in positions of trust in the liberal media management.
Did Charlie lay down a riff on how Uncle Fido dealt with his gays…or the place of the” sisters” in the Revolution?…doubtless he provided the soundtrack to cover the torture…if not actually torture to listen to itself!
Charlie Haden is nobody.
There are hundreds and hundreds of brilliant jazz musicians, some now dead, some now alive, playing mostly between 1950’s and 1970’s and also to the present day. Charlie Haden is nobody. I’m a jazz lover and have several thousand jazz records and CDs but I don’t think I hve a single track with Charlie Haden on it. Who TF is he?
Ah, the BBC say he’s important and so is his opinion on Politics. Sorry BBC, his opinions are of NO importance on either Jazz or Politics. Made up stuff, thanks BBC, useless bunch of tossers.
um, you’re not much of a jazz fan are you? Haden was a member of Ornette Coleman’s ‘classic’ quartet and has since played with Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Jan Garbarek, Carla Bley, and even Diana Krall. I bet even Michael Parkinson knows who he is. Whatever his politics, he is most definitely not a ‘nobody’ as far as modern jazz goes, and to say otherwise is frankly, ignorant.
I have always found it possible to silence a libleft of a certain age by calling Che a “cold blooded killer” It is something they just can’t cope with but then 99% of them don’t even know he was Argentinian
Having had this “artist with a rebel soul” stuff pumped at us all for years now-Tracey Emin being the one with product to wave at us,albeit with the Billy Idol drama school sneer-why does my heart sink at the jailing of Pete Docherty today?
Because he has gone up the ladders and closer to the inevitable spot with Kirsty on Desert Island Discs..probably from his cell given the BBCs rather unhealthy interest in all things penal!
Amy Winehouse got anything to push the BBCs way as we condone drugs but by subversion as the craven likes of the BBC tends to do?