Well, compared to last night, when we witnessed the magical musical mystery that is the simply magnificent Björk, onstage in Hammersmith. I was chatting to someone last week about live performance, with its inevitable carbon cost. Every night at hundreds of theatres and halls around the country (and the world), actors, musicians and the like hit the stage, many of them having jetted in with their entourage and tons of electrical kit in the bargain. Surely it's more eco-friendly to do a performance once, film it and put it online. True, but there's something distinctly and intrinsically human about live performance. It has a vitality and power you just can't get from a screen, so I think it may be one of the last things the human race is willing to sacrifice if carbon rationing becomes a reality. Maybe we'll just decide to let very talented people have a bigger slice of the carbon pie. But who will judge which acts are 'worthy'? Perhaps instead of a citizenship test, they could craft a musicianship test that would just ensure you have the basic ability to read notes or play an instrument or sing on-key (without electronic 'help'). And in the bargain, maybe when kids are asked what they want to be when they grow up, they'll once again say 'a bass player' or 'a musician' instead of 'a pop star'.

 

Björk is far from a bottom-line-obsessed corporate operator simply totting up the ticket sales. She cares deeply about her art and about serious issues, as she showed at her March concert in Shanghai where she allegedly shouted "Tibet!" after performing the exhilarating Declare Independence, which she sang last night: Declare independence! / Don't let them do that to you! / With a flag and a trumpet / Go to the top of your highest mountain! 

 

We live on a mountain / right at the top / this beautiful view / from the top of the mountain / Every morning I walk towards the edge / and throw little things off / like car-parts, bottles and cutlery / or whatever I find lying around / it's become a habit / a way / to start the day  

Instead of taking that too literally, visit my latest Website of the Week to find out how to dispose of those little (or large) items you no longer have use for... Otherwise you're just another of the Earth Intruders.