When I hear the word 'culture'...

Last night's Prom: the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain (with listen again). Uses both possible spellings of the instrument's name.

Article in the Telegraph (with video clip). The clip seems to be from German TV.

The Ukes' web site (no longer as easy to find as it was before the uke went viral).

Lots of stuff on YouTube, most of which, as the Ukes point out on their web site, with samples, is bootlegged, and not as good quality as you'd get by buying their DVD. But try Wuthering Heights; or, short but sweet, Peace Train, with guest vocalist.

Previously in this LJ.

Culture - a good thing in yoghourt

For the record:

Local councillor Nigel Martin passes on, without comment, this invitation to support the City of Culture bid.

I called in at the Empty Shop this morning:

and spoke to the lady there. She was very pleasant, and as helpful as she could be when she really had very little hard information to offer. She did demonstrate very clearly that this is not actually about Durham City, we are just the (World Heritage Site) face of the campaign: a couple carrying a big camera and tripod were in the shop when I arrived, asking where they should go to take photographs of the Cathedral; she didn't know, she was from Barnard Castle.

There's a web site coming in September, it seems. (There's a holding page already, in fact). It always winds me up that the web, which is such an instant medium of communication, always trails behind the other publicity: if you can get posters and T-shirts printed, surely you can get some information onto the web? But of course that's assuming that the site is about information (I'm looking for who is involved, where the budget is coming from, what sort of activities are proposed and where they might take place, the sort of information you woldn't want to print until it's complete, but which you could post incrementally on a web site) whereas in fact, of course, it's advertising.

Anyway, here's the comment I left on Nigel Martin's post (Currently held for moderation):

Thanks for this pointer. I went down to the Empty Shop in the hope of getting answers to some of my questions about this project, but came away with as few facts, and as many apprehensions, as I had when I arrived.

From the presentation at the AAP, and from talking to the very pleasant staff at the Empty Shop, it seems clear that the bid brings together the Tourism department (whose priority is visitors rather than residents) and the County Council (who are committed to action county-wide, not just in the City). Moreover, it defines 'culture' very broadly, covering the whole spectrum of sports and leisure activities.

There is nothing wrong with any of this in itself, but I would be sorry to see funding diverted from actual cultural activities in Durham City into this much larger pot.

I see from the Gala Theatre's new programme that they are backing the bid; have any other arts organisations (DCA? the Local Strategic Partnership?) or practitioners been involved?

If I had a budget to do one thing to improve Durham's cultural standing, I'd put it into a What's On service, a listings magazine for the City and a calendar web site listing what's on today.