What can I say?

Absolutely right about form and function. We tend to invent convention when there’s no need.

Fuq il-klassiku, modern, rustiku, etc, and nowhere is function catered for.

I’ve seen people take offence whenever function was mentioned, everything has to be make pretend notwithstanding some places require function, form being essential to its harmonic execution.

With the Maltese it’s all bla bla.

Fact is, we have a serious issue with abstraction and its primary instruments; semantics and semiotics.

I’ve had friends over who politely observed they couldn’t understand us as a people by looking at our visual compositions, be they shopfronts, facades, street furniture et al.

Then they’d try to read roadsigns and it all fell into place; illegible. I’ve come to the conclusion that the spoken word remains handicapped with an overloaded symbol system.

As long as that’s in place, the work of an exclusive caste whose sole intention is to wrap a simple instrument, read function, in the trappings of some ideological semitic dominated latin script, (when it should, in my view, be the other way round, ie, the script which determines phonetics), we’re screwed.

There’s this horrible mental bureacratic rule book in everything we make, simply because intelligence is restrained with these rough inadequate instruments:

Gris becomes vjola or kanella, and that’s just colour, style has to fall into one of four categories, the more adventurous trying desperately to bridge two of these and concept is a waste of time.

The fact a good 80% of the population isn’t educated to aesthetics, (which is so much more essential to our being human beings, it’s a philosophy leading to truth) doesn’t help.

I say we’ve taken up Bling to replace mislaid brutal forms posing as function, (Those stand alone latrines posing as Bus shelters come to mind) where even texture in the form of rough chiselled kantuni aping British rustication, an art form in itself, riddled our memory.

The truth is, we live a lie, we’re told we’re some gens, with some self-contauined history, art form or fully developed expressive and communicative skills and testimony. Rubbish.

We’re a small settlement of a confluence of different peoples trying to make sense. The key is a constant curious, dogged refinement of geometry, harmony, philology and basic rythm of visual and written language to serve all these.

Which we refuse fearing this spoils whatever it is we’ve supposed to have achieved. Pity.

And yes, Mintoff and labour are directly in the way of this profoundly required progress.

Then we wonder why everyone’s snappy, rough and on the defensive.

As for Karen, if you’re an artist, the least you’re going to expect is criticism.

The worst you can do is explain your work. That means you’ve given up on doing anything better.

I don’t agree with you regarding Maltese and glamour, primarily because the song is a ballad which allows the beauty of the language to be the main focus, apart from the subject of the song. What could be described as glamorous would probably be my outfit (I still think it was not out of the ordinary.. I wasn’t wearing an evening dress, for crying out loud!) which I don’t seem to think affects how people perceive the song.

I said I want to look classy, true, but that’s were it ends. I don’t want to look desirable on stage. To me there’s a difference between the two. And I don’t see why you generalise: ‘everyone does’. Can’t I be an exception to the rule? Don’t get me wrong, I understood your point, but I don’t agree that it’s part of the job. I like the attention when I’m up on stage, but I want it for all the right reasons.

Since my comment was about the incongruence of the song and the singer, I think it’s your agents and songwriters who should have take offence, not you.

You raised a lot of issues which go far beyond your song.

No, I don’t think Maltese is the best language for pop/house/anything glamorous. Mix Maltese and glamour together, and the result comes out looking like something on Al Arabiya. It’s got nothing to do with national pride. It’s just the structure and melody of the language. Just like you cannot do rock ‘n’ roll in French or Italian, or rap in Russian. I’m surprised your songwriters don’t know this.

I cannot understand why you take exception to my thumbnail sketch of you. When you’re up on stage, you want to be the desirable object, or you’re in the wrong line of business. Everyone does, including ostensibly intellectual singers. The eroticism is part of the package. And it’s got nothing to do with respecting women or not. It’s the job. You said yourself that you want to look classy. So you know exactly what I’m on about.

The “doable”, of course, is not a comment on my own ability, so don’t take offence there either. I know my limits, and they fall far short of you.

Finally, you should realise that as a celebrity, you have to live with a range of fair comment that is far wider than that for us ordinary people. You should enjoy it. That is what is show biz is all about. Along with the Prada and D&G. Look at Losco, for heaven’s sake…

Dear H. P. Baxter,

I read this article a while ago, and to be honest, I didn’t think it was worth answering to all the comments, especially yours. But seeing as you wanted to know my opinion regarding your comment above, here it is.

First of all, I don’t appreciate your description of how I look; for me, being described as ‘hot and doable’ (together with the rest of your comments) is an insult. You obviously don’t know me – I wouldn’t even have you as a friend in the first place; I’d want my true friends, especially guys, to respect me and women in general, and I’d totally give them hell if I ever was to hear them making such comments about anyone, let alone me. Not unlike most people, you had the guts to judge me by my looks – in public. Why shouldn’t I have a right to look classy and made up, not only when I’m taking part in a competition of the sort, but even elsewhere without being judged? And to make things worse, you even said that due to the lyrics of the song, I shouldn’t even be looking like that! What nonsense is this?! I didn’t wear a dress that made me look super sexy (and I’m talking about what I wore in the actual competition); I wasn’t trying to be provocative. I just stood there in a simple outfit and sang, like most artists do, because my job was that of passing on the message of the song to the audience. I am not a housewife, but as an artist, I had to play the part.Thankfully I could look up to my mother, and I kept her in mind while I was singing, as she too was once a housewife. Today she has a job and also takes care of the family, and I admire her for that, as I do others.

Another comment which was totally uncalled for was the following: ‘But this! Doing the dishes and the laundry, and mopping up the floor, all in a language that doesn’t match the glamour.’ Why shouldn’t I look good in a decent contemporary outfit while performing a song in my beautiful native language about a social issue? What’s with the negativity here? I like to look classy, whatever the situation. I just wore a simple black jumpsuit on the night, and I had my hair pulled back because that’s how I feel comfortable. Had I worn something different (as in looking like a traditional housewife), you’d probably be criticizing me and saying that for a woman in her early twenties, she’s old fashioned and out-dated. Pick a side. And don’t you think our language is suitable for all the glitz and glam? To me, that is an utterly ridiculous comment which shows that you don’t even appreciate your identity, one factor of that being our language; judging by our comments, you’re one of those who still thinks that we’re old-fashioned and not able of progressing to the modern age like the rest of the world. And to make things worse for yourself, you’re here criticizing the lyrics of a song in Maltese (apart from other issues such as my looks).

I am NOT going to go into the issue of the lyrics. I believe that everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. You (and others) don’t agree with the lyrics of the song? Fine by me. Just don’t listen to the song. There are plenty of other performers around.. just listen to them. But to judge me by my looks and saying what you’d expect me to be doing (I’m referring to your comment ‘You’d expect her to be singing about getting felt up at the club by all the bare-torsoed, ripped alpha males, or getting showered in Prada and D&G handbags and shoes, or dominating her boyfriend, or, at a pinch, about not needing any man because she’s fine without him now.’) is uncalled for. I can assure you that I am not that kind of woman; never was and never will be. I am neither a hoar nor a bitch; I love to look classy and smart and put together. I look after myself as best as I could, as I believe ever woman who takes pride in her dignity should do.

K

Having your life revolve around the shopping, cooking and when is the toilet next due for a scrub is soul-destroying unless that is all you have ever known and aspired to.

It is perfectly possible to hold down a paid job (even part-time if necessary) and maintain a hygienic and adequately well-organised household.

And no, this does not mean your children subsist on smilies and chicken nuggets, if you get your act together.

The alternative is feeling like you pretty much exist rather than enjoy a full and well-rounded life, and in the process probably make you hell to live with.

Thankfully I have just started working again and the boost to my confidence and self-esteem is immeasurable.

My children (kids?) all agreed that it was high time and that I was much calmer and happier for it.

I’d like to interview Ms DeBattista. Can we get her input on my piece below?

(That is NOT a pun)

Li nara jistona huwa li din il-kanzunetta ma nkitbitx mill-Isqof Mercieq izda minn persuna li suppost ghanda artistrija, li suppost jiprevedi u jhoss sentiment li f’xi waqtiet jistghu jkunu prematuri ghas-socjeta ta’ zmienu.

Fil-kas ta’ din il-kazunetta ma kienx il-kas u r-rizultat huwa dak ta’ kantaliena xi ftit patetika li tiggustifika ragunar antikwat meta s-socjeta llum jehtigilha timxi f’direzzjoni opposta jekk ma tridx li tispicca f’xenarju ekonomiku li ma jkollux biex thallas il-pensjonijiet fost l-ohrajn.

Yes, then they get to bitch at each other and leave the men alone. It is heaven for the men and hell for the women.

Yeah, “ma ngerger qatt”. As if. Full time housewives do practically nothing but. Just observe a gaggle of housewives at the corner grocery store in the morning. It’s invariably a bitch-fest.

My mother was/is a full-time housewife. Her constant complaining is the one primary factor that made me move out asap. I couldn’t take it any more, and I still can’t.

Give me a working woman anytime.

Rumpelstiltskin, have a look at the European job market some time. It makes for interesting reading. Also, when one’s passion has become obsolete or the sector has slowly become redundant there is not much one can do.

Idealising aside, the fact is that most people do a job they would prefer not to be forced to do 40-60 hours a week.

I am no longer a teenager talking to a wise uncle; I don’t need to be given advice on the basis of a fantasy.

I do not hate my job, in fact I’d say it is quite rewarding.

My point was that given the mindnumbingly boring nature of most jobs, I struggle to fathom the bad name given to the work of a housewife/husband. I do not see how most jobs can be considered superior, and by most jobs I mean 95% minimum.

As for workhouses, call it poetic license or dramatisation if you like.