UFO Info Week-End

It’s a testament to the affection in which Ian Dury was held that Friday night’s somewhat incongruous show

It’s a testament to the affection in which Ian Dury was held that Friday night’s somewhat incongruous show was a sell-out and that such a stellar line-up could be persuaded to pay their respects to a man whose finest chart days were 20 years ago.
Rightly so. Dury was more than an English eccentric with a fruity voice and a nice way with words. He represented an England we all like to believe is out there, where respect for each individual and tolerance of each other’s foibles are distinguishing national traits, all leavened with a healthy dose of scepticism.The diverse bill seemed to be made up of just about everyone who has ever appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks,most of whom performed a song backed by the Blockheads. The first part of the evening was like a mini-festival, with standouts being former Blockhead Wilko Johnson and Mick Jones of the Clash performing “Train In Vain”. Chas ‘n’ Dave were, however, satanic, though thecockneys bulldozing their way to the front seemed to like it.Madness always were the true heirs to Dury. Their short set was a delight, a sing-a-long “It Must Be Love” a real treat.The Blockheads have always been a remarkable group, the nearest this country has ever come to matching the slickest American studio teams.

An opening ” Wake Up and Make Love To Me”, fronted by Neneh Cherry, started the relay. Wreckless Eric did a good version of “Clever Trevor” and Chas Smash of Madness sang the ever languid “What A Waste” in a gruff voice which evoked our absent friend, while Kathy Burke performed “Billericay Dickie” quite brilliantly, confirming her as the Joyce Grenfell de nos jour. Surprisingly Saffron of Republica was more of a Vera Lynn figure leading the crowd through “Mash It Up Harry”. Of the comedians on show Mark Lamarr’s screaming version of “Blockheads”, which culminated in a leap into the moshpit (he missed), was outstanding.Robbie Williams appeared at the end, sporting Lamarr’s old haircut, and got a spotlight to himself to sing “Sweet Gene Vincent”, as two generations of pastiche collided. The evening ended with the entire cast on stage for a rendition of “Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll”. It was an unforgettable sight.We lost a national treasure in Dury. And on Friday night, remembering him, £50,000 was raised for his favourite charity, CancerBacup..

Film censors faced calls yesterday to overhaul the classification system for children’s cartoons after a study of every feature-length animation ever made found the genre has become increasingly violent. Film censors faced calls yesterday to overhaul the classification system for children’s cartoons after a study of every feature-length animation ever made found the genre has become increasingly violent.
Child health experts in America said that on average the amount of death and mayhem has risen by more than 50 per cent since the release of the first cartoon movie in 1937, Disney’s classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.The report, produced by Harvard University’s school of public health, said the genteel narratives of childhood favourites, such as Dumbo and Winnie The Pooh, have been replaced by U-certificate “nasties” with large amounts of aggression and destruction. On average the amount of violence has risen from six minutes per film in the 1940s to 9.5 minutes in the 1990s.A 1998 film, Quest for Camelot, was found to be the most violent of 74 cartoon films for children, with scenes of killing or fighting making up 28 per cent of the running time. One scene, in which a two-headed monster is repeatedly cleaved in two, was noted by the authors as typical of the images being seen by youngsters.The report saidthat nine of the 10 most violent films were made in the past 10 years.The researchers used a broad definition of violence, ranging from “funny” – Dumbo shooting peanuts from his trunk – to “sinister” – the mother deer in Bambi being shot by a hunter.Kimberly Thompson, one of the authors, said cartoon killings and beatings could still influence the attitudes and behaviour of the children.”A ‘U’ rating does not now automatically signify a level of violence acceptable for young viewers,” she said.

“Parents should not overlook video cassettes and movies as sources of exposure to violence. While the amount of slapstick violence is relatively constant, the amount with intent to injure has increased. The authorities should consider changing the age-based ratings to a system based on content.”The study pointed to the Disney hit, A Bug’s Life – the second most gory film (19.3 per cent of its content judged to be violent) – as an example of one that should have its violence highlighted to parents. It tells the tale of an ant colony fighting for survival against malevolent grasshoppers.Ms Thompson and her colleagues said a system used by several websites, which rates films on categories including violence and gore, was what parents wanted.But the British Board of Film Classification defended the current age-based system, pointing out that violence or the suggestion of violence has long played a part in children’s entertainment.