UNDERLINED.’S EDIT. 11
“How my sister said Goodbye”
Journalist Jonathan Freedland and his sister Fiona sat down and filmed her episode of beloved BBC’s Desert Island Disk. They filmed it together while Fiona was lying down in bed during her last days. She had cancer and it was one of her biggest wishes to come to BBC and record her own disk. Her brother fulfilled the wish and they spent a whole afternoon recording it, reminiscing about her life but also their life as brother and sister. This radio episode may be triggering for some so I suggest thinking twice before pressing play. It is immensely emotional and it is a real challenge to finish it without crying or at least shedding a tear. The whole concept of this radio series is guest sharing bits and boobs of life through music choices. That is exactly what Jonathan and Fiona did so beautifully - in less than half an hour, you can hear one of the favourite moments from Fiona’s life with her husband Peter and two daughters.
Full episode is available to listen here.
new order artwork
Peter Saville designed all album covers for Joy Division and then later for New Order. Ever since I was this artwork for the debut of New Order’s record, it influenced my way of thinking about graphic design. On this one, Saville was inspired by Italian futurist painter Fortunato Depero and his front page of Futurismo from 1932. I was drawn to its simplicity and later on, I read about its symbolism. Upper flat F stands for Factory Records, the band’s label and lover L stands for Roman 50. In fact, the latter is the only change in design besides colours and size. Saville’s work is a prime example of how colour can change the whole tone. I have been curious about graphic design for years thanks to its thoughtfulness because absolutely every single line has its purpose and meaning. In addition, I have so much respect for bands like these two who see album artwork as a visual extension of music and not just a nice photo just so it’s not blank. It is obvious that they considered it a separate department and took it equally seriously.
dua lipa at glastonbury
This year was the first time BBC had a live stream of Glastonbury outside of the UK. It was not a 24/7 livestream but just two biggest nights and headliners, Dua Lipa on Friday and Coldplay the next day. As much as I love to follow this festival and would like to be part of it someday, it is not wrong to write some of its visitors tend to be pretentious and snobby. When the organiser announced the lineup, there were many furious comments and just one of them said: I’m going but I’m about as excited about the lineup as I was when my dog died. Looks like an advert for women’s activists. Lipa was clear from the very beginning how much Glastonbury has meant to her. “I’ve written this moment down and wished for it and dreamt it and worked so hard”, she told in between songs. Many questioned her ability to headline this big festival (there were more than 100,000 people) but she handled it without any question. She studied many previous headliners to deliver the best performance she could. This was not her first time performing at this festival. She did it back in 2017 and already managed to pull one of the biggest crowds.
Full set is available to watch here.
podcast the rest is history
Like many other things from edit., I also found this one on Twitter. I know very little about the disco era of music so this came in handy. Historians Dominic Sandbrook and Tom Holland are podcast hosts. Their approach to the theme is very beginner-friendly. It is like listening to a friend casually taking over coffee. Plus, they are really funny. While listening, I found out many interesting events and facts which I had no idea about. I knew before how this decade was crucial for the gay community but was not aware of some aspects they mentioned. Because of the hosts’ professional background, they paint a whole picture of the socio-political situation in the 70s in America which was very different in begging of this decade and towards the end. I would say that this decade is pivotal in modern American history because everything changed when the Watergate affair happened. It reflected on the whole society so music is no exception. Some wanted an escape, at least for a night and there is no shame in it.
dancing queen singalong
Call me corny but concerts with a great crowd are the most magical place in the world where everything seems possible. This clip is from Wembley Park in London after Taylor Swift’s concert. The same happened to me last year exactly here when I was at Harry Styles’ concert. People from windows and balconies around the stadium were waving at us, and security people could not stop smiling. Noting can’t compare to tens of thousands of people singing along after one of the best nights of their lives being who they want to be.
song i couldn’t stop listening
Something shifted in my head after watching Dua Lipa’s livestream at Glastonbury. I can not stop listening to her latest record “Radical Optimism” but an extended version. I listened to the album when it came out but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would considering I played “Illusion” and “Houdini” on a loop when they came out. Songs seemed rushed and I just wasn’t able to click with them even though I was excited about it. But I changed my mind when the extended version was released around the same time as Glasto performance. Lipa’s latest album proves how records can be a victim of cutting songs for radio. Half of the extended versions are over five minutes long which makes them breathe and consequently more danceable. This version of Radical Optimism” is the record that Lipa wanted us to dance to all summer, not the original one.
