Coming to you from the bustling Camden canalside (hence the kinda ghetto sound quality) Murdofleur talks heroism and politics with Ismail Enashe. What with Ismail being fresh from the Labour Party conference we decided to take Gordon Brown as a case study, asking whether he can turn his public perception around and lead Labour to an heroic victory. We also – via a discussion of the Portrait Gallery’s kind of cosy and backslappy ‘Gay Icons’ show – argue rote praise of unanimously respected personages is a cop-out, and that engaging with the legacies of more problematic and contradictory figures and moments might be more good for culture and politics both. Activists, agitators, propagandists and statespersons feature prominently both in our discussion and our playlist, whether it’s via reverential samples of Thomas “TNT” Todd or recitations from the homicidally misandric Valerie Solanas’ S.C.U.M. manifesto.
And if you want more music, the links to the right will yield Tina Weymouth cataloguing the members of her dream band, a Soviet sporting anthem and a Dutch hardcore commingling of Thatcher, Prokofiev and Doctor Who. In other words there should – whatever you personally happen to believe in or hold dear – be something to inspire you to selfless acts of derring-do.
Spotify Playlist [link to spotify]
- The Congos – Congoman
- Madvillain feat. Viktor Vaughn – Fancy Clown
- Daft Punk – Teachers
- Public Enemy – Fight the Power
- Matmos – Tract for Valerie Solanas
- Ciccone Youth – Addicted to Love
- The Kinks – David Watts
- The Flaming Lips – Waitin’ for a Superman
- Dunaevsky and Churkin – Fitzkulturnaya
- Neophyte – I Will Have That Power
