I was surprised to learn today that there is an on line petition regarding the Glastonbury festival titled, “Cancel Kanye West’s headline slot and get a rock band” which so far boasts 132,588 supporters. What can they possibly mean and who would they prefer as headliners? And what do they mean by ‘a rock band’?
I look at the festival thanks to the BBC because, quite frankly, the idea of standing around in a crowded field and then sleeping in a tent in all winds and weathers is something I would regard as a penance. And because it appears to have become a middle class bore fest in recent years. The petition seems a little odd to me since I would struggle to refer to many headliners as being “a rock band”. Much as the likes of Coldplay enjoy huge popularity across the land with their unthreatening singalongs, I would hardly call them cutting edge. And last year’s headliners Kasabian? Yes, a rock band, no doubt, but to me a deadly dull, formulaic rock band who have as much to do with Glastonbury as Lionel Ritchie. Oh wait: he’s playing there too. Can we get a petition to stop him playing too?
I have no objection to Kanye West appearing because I have this thing called An Off Button on my television set and if I was unlucky enough to actually be at ‘Glasto’, I’d go and watch something on another stage, like a magician or a sweaty comedian. I don’t actually think he’s any good, but then not being any good didn’t stop Eavis booking all manner of tosh over the years, including the likes of Mumford and Sons.
The space for novelty acts is narrowing since all the likely contenders, with the likes of Rolf Harris and Gary Glitter being in prison, but it seems to my tired old eyes that Glastonbury is losing its way. I don’t think that TV helps very much, despite the fact that I could easily spend all three days just looking at Jo Whiley, because it sanitises everything and concentrates on the big stars of corporate rock.
Don’t worry about Kanye. He’ll get everyone on their feet and to rap along with one of his smash hit records and the petition will long be forgotten. As will he in a few short years, thank god.
