The new makeover at Air Malta has hit the headlines. Inevitably the discussion has centred on the cost (€2m) and not on the content. The press chose to highlight the fury of the pilot’s union when it complained that such an expense was not justified given the sacrifices that workers are being made to bear . You do have to wonder how these people expect the airline to become more competitive by retaining a tired livery and marketing plan. Attempting to transform the airline’s competitiveness will inevitably cost money – it’s either that or compete with an outdated marketing plan.
The rebranding exercise looks great. I especially love the idea of combining the marketing of the airline with the marketing of the destination. Selling Air Malta and Malta at the same time is an excellent idea – and the colourful livery that is a call to the exotic, sunny nature of the island is a brilliant move all round. Coming as it does in the middle of this August rush that has been reported up north – with British and other clients rushing for last minute escapades to the sun that never came – the marketing exercise might just be the start for a strong selling point: come to the land of Sun, Culture and friendly people.
The airline might need to target more regions that are currently orphaned of its reach and full of potential sun-seeking tourists – and I obviously have in mind the Grand Region of Lorraine, Luxembourg and Rheinland-Pfalz. The Luxembourg airport might be too prohibitive thanks to the Luxair monopoly but Nancy-Lorraine and Frankfurt Hahn airports are cherries that are ripe for the picking. The same probably applies to other unconventional destinations that have developed a regular customer thanks to the new hubs promoted by low-cost airlines.
In the meantime a good two thumbs up to air malta for a job well done.
A tribute to Adam Yauch – the Beasties MCA – at the Hollywood Bowl on the 4th of May 2012. You may not like Coldplay, you might not L.U.V. Madonna but the extent of the impact of the Beasties is still being gauged. And for not too weird a reason I am still in shock. Here’s a mini collage of tributes I found here and there…
“The Beastie Boys were one of a kind, and so was Adam. They were all an important part of my musical history. And integral to the musical revolution that was happening at the time.” – Madonna
“I think it’s obvious to anyone how big of an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others.” – Eminem
It must have been a Wednesday in 1988. I know that it must have been 1988 because I have a feeling we were two second formers and there is a high probability that it was a Wednesday because that was our day off school. On that day back in 1988 my friend and I met at his house just off Gzira seafront and we retired to his play-room on the roof/attic to generally fool around and plan our next war games on Manoel Island (for such was the busy life of a twelve year old then).
I still recall the ruffling through the latest acquisitions of wartime memorabilia from the Sunday Monti in Valletta and the checking out of various gadgets that he would have obtained from Canada. There under a “naughty” poster of some anonymous model’s bum we got up to our usual nonsense. Then he got out the tape deck. He had a song that he wanted me to check out. A couple of revving of forwards and backwards to the right spot then there it was…
A couple of electronic xylophone notes then their voices came in “Girls” – a childish tune with a basic beat and a style that I would learn years later was fascinating to the frat boy era. It was a silly song about Girls and about how we all crave them “to do the dishes… to clean up my room.. to do the laundry and in the bathroom” and how preferably they would come two at a time.
I was hooked. Of course the miracle wonders of a double deck cassette tape meant that before long I would be one of the first young kids in Malta to own a copy of the infamous album Licensed to Ill. Together with bootleg copies of Eddie Murphy’s “Raw” and “Delirious” (thanks to other Canadian friends – ah the beauty of returned emigrants) Licensed to Ill would become my prized musical possession and would signify the beginning of a lifelong fixation on the Beastie Boys (or Beasties).
That was the album that included such immortal hits as “No Sleep till Brooklyn”, “Hold it now Hit it” and of course the galactic “Fight for Your rights to party”. That tape was burnt playing over and over in many a walkman or tape deck or car. In truth car plays were few and far between since rarely did the driver (aka Dad) concede to playing the masterpieces on a family outing.
I was hooked. I finally had a band I liked and the legends (urban or otherwise) about their antics reached me in drips and drops in pre-internet days. I still recall early London trips in which I “discovered” earlier works such as the “Cooky Puss” EP or their punk earlier works. I remember unwrapping Paul’s Boutique and listening to the full length on a catamaran ride in summer from Sliema to Marsalforn.
I’ve got all their albums. I mean all of them. I grew up with Ad Rock, MCA and Mike D and when a few years ago I got to see them perform live in Brussels it was the final step in a rite of passage that had lasted a couple of decades. The Beastie Boys were less about musical taste and lore and more about fidelity. I never quite understood their multiple directions in musical experimentation but then again I never considered myself anything like a music guru – what with my eclectic tastes.
The Beasties never sounded half as political as RATM, their hip-hop claim to fame only recently began to unravel fully in the mainstream with the rediscovery of the monumental jewels in the Paul’s Boutique album. They would have loved to disown their most instantly recognised hit (Fight for your rights to party) and cannot surely be called a highly productive music band on the whole. Yet they are legends. Inducted in the Rock Hall of Fame in April 2012 they have a place among the great milestones of musical history.
The death of Adam Yauch aka M.C.A. at the young age of 47 has shocked many of us who were prepared to enjoy more Hot Sauce in the coming years. A legend of hip-hop – a third of the group of white Jewish boys from Brooklyn who revolutionised hip hop – has left us. His “time to get ill” is come and gone but we like to think that the mark he has left on the music industry is still going strong.
RIP MCA
RIP Nathaniel Hornblower
Interesting in reading about how one album came to be a milestone in hip hop and pop music generally: check this out
So, we’ve been noticing that other blogs (Ramonadepares that’s you) have been going off interviewing bands in general and in particular. The last interview with the greatest band to hit Malta since the Beangrowers demiscegenated into something new got our attention. Here at J’accuse we like to do things strangely every once in a while – a bit like our obsession of using the “we” instead of the “I” – and we thought “Hey, we want an interview with the Shh! too”. So we sent a set of questions to the better better half of the band who incidentally happens to be a very good copy of Mirko Vucinic and said clone of Montenegran genius obliged us with answers.
So. Ladies and gentlemen. Here is our half-baked interview with Ian Schranz the handsome man in the band the Shh! Also, may I add that the photo was unceremoniously stolen from another musician’s posterous collection – a certain Oliver the D. There.
1. Why?
It was an accident, i promise.
2. Bovril or Marmite?
Bovril when sick… marmite when healthy
3. Christina Hendricks or Dite von Teese?
Christina mamma mia!
4. Pastizzi or Ftira?
open rictotta pastizz in a ftira, cooked. ! 2012 (c) Ian Schranz
5. (complete the phrase) music is ….
….the sound cows make to say that they’re unwell…
… … (so so so bad… .. but almost a eureka moment….)
6. (complete the phrase) mike spiteri is….
probably still alive and healthy hatching his plans in an underground
bunker in the Nevada Desert.
7. (complete the phrase) Peter and Jane…
meet a horrendous end, when Peter failed to notice that the truck was
signaling to go right..
8. Subbuteo is for sissies. Discuss.
Real men play Scrabble!
9. If Men are from Mars and Women from Venus … homosexuals are from….
the rings of saturn…
10. When?
it was at about 10:30am.. i was at church…
The original song is in French (scroll below for video). I have tried my luck at translating it. Yep. Just for fun.
I.N.R.I – la tordue
kollu tort tiegħek dan
kollu tort tiegħek
dawk kollha li jiġu għandek
qatt ma jiġu lura
fik inwaħħlu ħabib
fik inwaħħlu
tiġġennibx hekk ħabib
tiġġennibx hekk
hawn m’għandniex tluq falz
l-ebda tluq falz:
tlett ijiem wara u tiġi lura
u tiġi lura
darba biss immutu aħna
aħna darba biss immutu
bla nejk ħabib
bla nejk
aħna kemm tmur għajna bina
u daqshekk inlissnu kliem
huma dawk ta’ madwarna
li jkollhom id-dwejjaq
aħna kemm nagħmlu ninni
fis-sodda tal-blat
(l-ebda relazzjoni tafx
ma dak is-Sur Xmun)
aħna nitilqu mingħajr ċerimonji
lejn dawk li diġa…
m’aħniex kollha xi tfal
ta’ missierek
pom,pom,pom…..
ibqa’ fuq is-salib qed ngħidlek
ibqa’ fuq is-salib
l-ispirtu s-santu hawnhekk
qatt ma hu se jaqbad
x’hemm daqshekk sabiħ fid-dinja l-oħra
qed nistaqsik hekk
u meta forsi nitilgħu…
aħjar bqajna ngħixu hawn isfel
jekk b’xi diżgrazzja
nasal għandek
jekk b’xi diżgrazzja
jekk b’xi żball
insib ruħi fl-ikħal
bi żball
allura nitolbok
qaddis allatwajjeb jekk
darba biss
mhux drawwa
jekk bi żball
niżbalja id-dawra
jekk bi żball
nispiċċa għandek
allura nitolbok
għall-aħħar darba…
J’accuse rarely ventures into the field of culinary blogging or, for that matter, of restaurant reviewing. We do drop a mention of a place that has tickled our senses every now and then but we very rarely sit down to blog simply to write poems and sing songs about one particular establishment. Well the time has come to do so and that is because this restaurant nestled in the heart of Sodom (aka Paceville) merits every bit of attention your eyes, your palate and your pocket can afford. This is not a restaurant review – we do not purport to be vested with that kind of expertise – this is a standing ovation that was virtually imposed by the delivery of good food in circumstances that exalt the importance of normality.
It goes without saying that Malta’s Best Restaurant (as per J’accuse) is based in Paceville. Sandwiched between on the one hand the shooter-shop clad steps that lead to the ex-O’Caseys (now a shisha bar of minimal furbishment) and on the other the ever popular Eden Cinemas that still enjoy the virtual monopoly of Hollywoodian vision on the islands is a lovely mainly fish restaurant that serves Italian inspired delicacies. The motto chosen by this establishment is “arte nel cibo” (art in food) and believe you me that art it is and food you will get.
If like me you hate the fancier side of eating out (and by fancy I mean the silver service rubbish with a waiter dedicated to topping your glass every time you dare sip out a few millilitres of the liquid) then fear not. At this restaurant you will get all the attention you deserve with the ubiquitous presence of a few ultra-efficient serveurs. Wine will be topped, chilled, decanted or whatever tickles your viticultural nerves without too much of that formal kow-towing that tends to transform a formal night out into some rigid masonic ritual.
La carte is simple without too much fluff. At the end of the day your choice is mind-blowingly basic – fresh fish or (if the creatures of the sea are not your idea of mmm) then chunks from beasts of the land are available in different forms therein to sink your teeth. Do listen to what the knowledgeable persons have to say about the specials of the day but if you are particularly curious to find out the best of what this kitchen has to offer then you will love the Menu Degustation – best ventured into in groups of 6+.
I will not describe the food itself nor the creations that I and my happy companions tasted on that particular night. I will only urge you to take a special evening out and head straight to Sciacca – for that is the establishment’s name. Sample the art that is all around you – from an unintrusive but pleasant decor to the simple delicacy of every morsel that is on offer. The only gripe I could find is the missing Gewurztraminer from the wine list – but that is a very personal gripe and peccadillo and the Australian Riesling was just fine in its stead.
So there you go. Head over to Sciacca today, or tomorrow, or as soon as you can. Trust me. It’s worth it.
Sciacca – arte nel cibo – is in Paceville, St. Julian’s.
