Just finished Ross O'Carroll-Kelly's book, "South Dublin: How to get by on, like, €10,000 a day" a very funny, guide to the the land of conspicuous consumption on the far side of the Liffey. It is not for those of delicate sensibilities... But then again that is true of so much of what passes for popular culture today, be it in South Dublin, South Belfast, South London, or to be fair, at any of the compass points in any of the major cities in these islands.
We may tut at the immorality on our TV screens, radios, newspapers and magazines... But it isn't so much immorality as amorality... As Lily Allen puts it in her recent song: "The Fear"
"I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore..."
There's no concept of wrong... Just what you are prepared to pay for...
It remains to be seen whether this phenomenon will survive the credit-crunch, but until it does, Allen's song, could well be a hymn to the god of the age... the one we see in the mirror...
Not being an afficionado, I'm not sure whether she's being ironic in it - I dearly hope so when it comes to her references to blood diamonds... but then I hear more reports of her behaviour and I'm not so sure anymore... But given the fact that her father was Keith Allen (Sheriff of Nottingham in the BBC's recent appaling "Robin Hood" and long time drug-addict/dealer and all round hellraiser) what should one expect from her...
But anyway, here are the lyrics:
I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I don’t care about clever I don’t care about funny
I want loads of clothes and f***loads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them
I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless.
‘Cuz everyone knows that’s how you get famous
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah I’m on to a winner
I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore
I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore
When we think it will all become clear
‘Cuz I’m being taken over by fear
Life’s about film stars and less about mothers
It’s all about fast cars and passing each other
But it doesn’t matter cause I’m packing plastic
and that’s what makes my life so f***ing fantastic
And I am a weapon of massive consumption
and its not my fault it’s how I’m program to function
I’ll look at the sun and I’ll look in the mirror
I’m on the right track yeah I’m on to a winner
Forget about guns and forget ammunition
Cause I’m killing them all on my own little mission
Now I’m not a saint but I’m not a sinner
Now everything is cool as long as I’m getting thinner
There's enough material in there to keep me going on a sermon or Bible Study series for weeks... My congregation may find the lyrics a little bit "rich" however!
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