Congratulations, and celebrations – I want the whole wide world to know that I'm as happy as can be!
Valletta's new Cultural Ambassador
The PO Box Ghaxra generation is split into two camps: those who sing happily along to that refrain, played throughout the 1970s and early 1980s even though it was released at the super-kitsch end of 1968, and those who have been shuddering at it since they were children and expected to like it on the grounds that it has a ‘jolly’ sound.
Now it has been reported that the man who turned tackiness into an art-form and who sang this, the white-trash song of the century, has been named Valletta Cultural Ambassador in anticipation of his forthcoming visit to Malta.
I despair. I truly, truly despair.
They spend whacking millions branding Valletta as edgy with a Renzo Piano masterwork and then they go and name Cliff Richard as Valletta Cultural Ambassador.
Don’t they know – hasn’t anybody told them – that Cliff Richard and Renzo Piano are at opposite ends of the branding spectrum and in direct conflict?
Cliff Richard is the perfect ambassador for Maltese culture – I agree totally. Malta up to 1987 was Working Class Chav Nation (and not in the edgy, hip Rolling Stones 1960s sense, either, but in the Arthur Scargill context), and now it’s Lower Middle Class Chav Nation (that’s aspirational climbing for you), with lower middle class values all the way – the religiosity is part of it – and everyone else well and truly alienated.
So Cliff Richard fits in perfectly.
But if we’re going to brand Valletta as the sort of thing associated with a Renzo Piano landmark, then we had better put a ruddy great rocket under the Cliff Richards of this world.
Thanks, but no thanks.
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Can we have this one for the Notte Biancas?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2hz8va9tZ8
No. Let’s have them.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=227m9lw5CcI
A new Brand Malta.
Branding Valletta as edgy? Give me a break! Renzo Piano knows what he’s doing – it’s payback time! Having given Malta a masterplan in the 80’s/90’s , he is now taking the money and running by offering one of the blandest nonexistent designs. Perfectly suited to our bland politicians and Maltese tastes.This is no shard
I believe that the Maltese opera singer Joseph Calleja should have been nominated Valletta’s cultural amabassador. Of course, that could never have happened because he was criticial of the roofless opera house (or theatre?), part of the Renzo Piano ‘plan’ for Valletta.
So, in line with traditional Maltese intolerance (isn’t government beginnig to resemble some village festa committee?) Calleja could not have been a candidate to such a prestigous post even if he is more truly representative of Malta and Valletta’s old operatic tradition.
Please, please, tell me it’s a joke.
[Daphne – http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110504/local/cliff-richard-to-be-namedvalletta-cultural-ambassador.363599 ]
Honest question: When do you say that religiosity is a lower middle class value, do you mean an “exaggerated but unexplainable” attraction to religious – Catholic – imagery and rituals?
[Daphne – It’s hard to explain, so I won’t even try. ]
They must have thought that being edgy means something related to cliffs.
But I agree with you that Cliff Richards represents chavdom. In fact, I am surprised you did not mention the fact that a lot of his popularity with the song Congratulations came from his participation in the Eurovision, the Chav’s Event of the Year.
It seems no one’s thought about the significance of being represented by a pimped-up has-been in a wig. Haven’t we been there before?
Clearly youhave not followed Sir Cliff Richard many various styles of singing, or his charity work for which he received a knighthood for his ‘tireless charity work; his practical support for good causes; his religious beliefs You can ONLYremember ‘Congratulations’!!!!!!!!!!!!!..
Is the Palma D’Oro Peace Award that is being presented not for his ‘tireless charity work’??? Is he not being given the title of Cultual Ambassador in view of Valletta’s role as the European Capital of Culture in 2018. The is noted as being given to ‘outstanding FOREIGN personalities’………53 years in the music business with a place in the UK charts over the decades’ surely that qualifies. Surely the MALTESE opera singer Jospeph Calleja is not considered to be ‘foreign’!
I feel sorry that as a Maltese person you feel you are a “Lower Middle Class Chav Nation with lower middle class values all the way”. How insulting to the Maltese people!