Two Of My Favourite Singers: Defaced!

Last Friday, I was wandering the streets of London without a care in the world. Well, that makes it sound a bit too random and whimsical, I was actually walking home from an exhibition at Whitechapel Art Gallery (was intending to do a post today on it, but haven't really got much time, so I'm doing a less serious one). And on the billboard that usually displays festival bills with bands called things like Horsemeat Disco, I happened to glance at two of my favourite singers' tour posters displayed next to each other! What joy! The union of glorious musicians! However, there was a twist...

GRAFFITI!!!

Yup, someone with a hundred tons of imagination and zero of environmental respect has gone and defaced RiRi and T-Swizzle, putting my love of music and graffiti head to head. But which do I love more?

DEFACEMENT #1: RIHANNA

Imaginative Street Art Rating: 

The sheep is a bit random here, not quite sure what it's supposed to be symbolising, if anything. It's just like someone's doodle, that can be done elsewhere than Rihanna's head. But the "Art Is Trash" slogan is a different story. At first, it obviously seems like hate against Rihanna's music, but it seems to me as though, because it's Ri's own speech bubble, it's HER rebelling against conventional art and doing her own thing. Relevant, truthful and most importantly, not hateful. Overall, I give the art 7/10, with marks deducted for the  probably mean and profane thing previously stuck over Rihanna's face.

Disrespect To Music Rating (N.B. The higher the mark, the more disrespectful to music):
If you look at the white sticky marks around Rihanna's face, it's obvious that there's been some poster there before. Maybe it was an ode to Rihanna, or maybe it was condemning here for life, or maybe it was totally irrelevant like the sheep. Either way, it was stuck over Rihanna's face, which loses marks, but the artist had the respect to take it down, which adds them. The slogan will add marks, and the sheep will lose them, and that brings the disrespect total to round about 6/10.


DEFACEMENT #2: Taylor Swift

Imaginative Street Art Rating:

Less interesting, this one. Just some band wanting to advertise by sticking their poster over Taylor's face (I made the picture a bit bigger to show exactly what the poster was). There's so much more you could do with this poster: dip-dying Taylor's hair pink, drawing murals on the fence in the image. Just sticking a picture over a fellow artist's face because your band doesn't want to pay for an ad slot is NOT funny, NOT clever and most importantly NOT imaginative. I'm generous, I'll give it 2/10.

Disrespect To Music Rating (N.B. The higher the mark, the more disrespectful to music):

Where do I start? Hate against Taylor, superiority, it's all here. Not least zero respect for Taylor's personal desire to display her face. Maybe they could've stuck it on the fence or the grass or something, but the face? It deserves 10, but I'll give it 9/10.

So overall, what were the ratings?

ISA: 4.5/10

DTM: 7.5/10

Apparently, my love of music prevails over that of graffiti...

-DP :)

But Loving Him Was RED...

Well done all of you out there who recognise the reference to the title track from Taylor Swift's fourth album. You are awesome people. Not that you non-Swifties aren't, but you will be glad to hear that that's not all I'm posting about today. I'm sure you're all aware that tomorrow's Red Nose Day (otherwise known as Day When We All Come To School Humiliatingly Dressed In All Red, all in the name of charity), so I thought I'd mention some cool things about the powerful, dangerous, attention-seeking and in Chinese tradition prosperous colour that is red (I know its the second symbolism post in a month, but I guess that's what I'm interested in right now). 

I know I said I wouldn't talk about Tay-Tay too much, but as I've probably said before, she is my absolute favourite artist ever, and also one of my greatest role models and the person who inspired me to write songs. Her latest album was named after the colour of death and love that always apparently appeared in her mind after break-ups in her life as a teenager and young adult. But my favourite song on the album is not one of the break-up ones (although I do like Red, Begin Again and Starlight) but rather a song called The Lucky One, which is about how fame can affect young people like Taylor. Here's a video for you to sing along to:

Now for the actual history and symbolism of the colour red. The word actually comes from an Inuit word for "like blood". It of course has many shades, my favourite being the bright red of the little cardinal bird with the quiff. As well as being dangerous, powerful and prosperous, it's also symbolic of freedom; some Chinese and American brides wore red instead of white during their country's revolution. It's also thought to be a courageous and inspirational colour, worn much in mediaeval battles, and I think that's the connotation I associate with most. Especially when I look down at the scarlet skinny jeans I'm wearing for Red Nose Day, I can see it's more of a brave and call-the-shots colour than others (even when my favourite colour is actually green).

Sorry I haven't posted for almost two weeks, it's not really in keeping with my New Year's Resolution to blog more often :\. On a more positive note I'll leave you with my once-scarlet-headed other musical inspiration Rihanna on her iconic Loud album cover (she had the most legendary hairstyle in history in my opinion. Why did you ever leave this mesmerising colour for brown, Rihanna?) , and the icons of Red Nose Day (aww, they're so cute! Little dinosaurs on your nose :)).

Enjoy your humiliating Red Nose Day guys!!!

(N.B. None of the images or videos in this post are mine)

-DP :)