Censorship in Scotland

The Glasgow Gallery of Modern Art is hosting a retrospective of contemporary art based on issues of sexuality – and are censoring the exhibition as a result of criticism.

The Guardian UK reports that the exhibit, which attempts to raise awareness of gay, lesbian and transgender issues, has banned children from attending and has moved some of the more provocative works to a lesser known venue in another part of the city.

The censorship comes after the gallery faced criticism and pressure from religious and cultural groups.

The exhibit, titled sh[OUT] , features the work of artists including David Hockney, Robert Mapplethorpe and Catherine Opie. The exhibit opened in full force back in April, but scaled back its most controversial pieces after receiving letters of complaint. The amended show runs until November.

The Jedi face discrimination

Adherents to the religion of Star Wars may have to find a new place to buy their groceries. When an adherent of the Jedi Church wandered into a Tesco in Northern Wales, he was refused service for not removing his hood, according to The Sun UK.

England has a strange history of banning hoods, when back in 2005 shopping malls outlawed hoodies to cut down on violent shenanigans in commercial centers. The Jedi faith apparently requires members to cover their heads at all times, which is getting tricky when an aspiring Jedi wants to buy a can of beans for lunch.

This particular Jedi, upon being removed from the supermarket, cited the burqa worn by Muslim women and claimed prejudice. A Tesco representative responded with a bit of Jedi theology: “Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda and Luke Skywalker all went hoodless without going to the Dark Side.”

Monkey’s prefer Monkey Music, Metallica

Scientists interested in the way monkeys hear music made a surprising discovery. Tamarin monkeys, when tested with different sounds, from Bach to Tool, only responded to Metallica, the Guardian UK reported.

Researchers wanted to discover if human sounds could elicit response from the monkeys and, while most sounds didn’t, Metallica’s boring blend of power chords and ear-piercing solos had the effect of calming the monkeys. Metallica was the only human music that changed the monkeys’ behavior, while music composed of monkey-made sounds would get a response from the Tamarins.

The sound test was designed to see if animal calls and human music were associated in gaining emotional response from primates, and to learn about how evolution is related to the creation of sounds and music.

Perhaps we should have left the apes in Metallica behind with the Stone Age.

Punkers go prancing

Two weeks ago The Uniter reported that Alice Cooper named Green Day as one of his top picks for hard-rocking American rock ‘n’ roll bands. This week, a musical version of the band’s 2004 album American Idiot made its debut, according to RollingStone.com. The iconic punk rockers were pleased with the frolicking rendition of the album.

The musical, which opened in California, was staged by the Berkeley Repertory Theater and directed by veteran stage-man Michael Mayer. The musical takes a few narrative liberties, including setting the action in Jingletown, USA.

Alice Cooper must be proud of his favourite band, what with actors prancing around in campy costumes and singing their heart-wrenching songs like Jesus of Suburbia and Wake me Up When September Ends.

Published in Volume 64, Number 4 of The Uniter (September 24, 2009)