Baron Farkoff

There are'nt many jobs that require a penis or vagina. All other jobs should be open to everyone.

Anyway,wasn't this thread about the COUNCIL being male dominated?

(insert sexual organ based joke here)

Is there a female equivalent of the funny handshake brigade,I wonder?

Simple lines,Intertwining.

It's going to be so much fun,watching folk running around the new building trying to find out which room is where,and seeing if such and such a facility is free for the next element of their new project;and giving nicknames to various bits of kit and favourite rooms,just like first day at a new school.

Folk dragging keyboards down corridors, getting confused by which cable goes where,seeing if someone is free to help out with the lights on the stage for the video of the new song they have just recorded in the studio. Just like in school,nothing will really be in the right place and it will probably feel like the crystal maze just trying to get stuff done for the first little while.

And where's Dave/ Jim/ Pete? They said they'd be here by eleven!Guess I'll just have to have a coffee and write some new lyrics while I wait,oh look it's Jonny,hey Jonny,do you want to be in a band? You do? Cool. Billy/Freddy/Mac/Buddy said they'd help out on geeetar. What's that ,your sisters a rapper? Cool! Gotta go, Jordan needs a bass player for something.... when are we rehearsing? Can you film rehearsal for me,we need a video for our demo to send to Tom Waits? Nice one, see ya later!

Good stuff,wii man. I would have loved to have seen Queen,and the stranglers in their prime;and only witnessed the star in its' death throes.

The atmosphere of the North Star can sadly never be re-created in this sanitised,smoke free,sponsored by orange phones age, but that is the new reality of the entertainment world. Rock stars these days are powered by mineral water and strawberry smoothies,rather than David Bowies' cocaine-and-milk diet of the seventies. Just look at Madonna and her evolution from 80's take-anything material girl to todays muscle bound amazon.Proof that you need to adapt to survive and thrive.

But as I said,this is the new reality. My own jedi training was in Whisky and Zeppelin,and has had to adapt accordingly to this new and often confusing truth.The rock'n'rollers of tomorrow need careful nurturing to prevent them from becoming another round of cliches like the woeful Winehouse and dreadful Doherty.

With respect,could you tell me what has gone so badly with Mareel?

You are dead right about one thing: It Is not too late to be relevant,and we can do this by giving our support to these plans. I don't have a crystal ball that can see if the place will make money, and even with more industry knowledge than most I can't tell you with 100% certainty that it will be the magic bullet that slays all the monsters in the night.

But I CAN tell you that,despite the schemes perceived shortcomings, it will be a fabulous investment for these isles,repaying its'cost to the community many times over in ways that can and can't be measured in money.

The North Star wasn't really fit for purpose by the end of its legendary life,and sadly had to be put down,but this will not be its b'stard child coming home with a pregnant girlfriend and asking to be bailed out.Even when the building was not up to the task, the atmosphere in the Star was great, if not a patch on its' heyday. Yes,the people make the atmosphere,and at present there is nowhere to make an atmosphere happen.

Creative types are known for being spontaneous,and need a permanent setup which is dedicated to a wide variety of needs. Having to adapt to the restrictions of sports halls and suchlike is just the same as a young band who can only practice in the garage when the parents are out in the car.

Black bic biro are really blessed in that they had a garage for their own exclusive use available to them anytime and kitted out to the best of their own ability. Just imagine if everybody had access to a space like that. It wouldn't be perfect for everyone, but it would be a world away from the current level of deprivation experienced by many of Shetlands talented,pasionate film-makers and musicians. And at a cost of about a fifth of the new school, let's give 'em a chance,eh?

God, I sound like a bloody politician.

Oh yeah,and milk does solve a lot of problems:prevents scurvy and ricketts,and provides good nutrition for pregnant women to make sure the children of the future are fit and healthy.Cheers!

Yes,sheepshagger,I am sure.

Both Liverpool and Glasgow suffer from the collapse of the manufacturing industries,and the problems that then devlop there.

What excuse do you need to pump money into a run down area? Thankfully shetland doesn't yet share in the problems associated with this,but this is the first generation of kids on the Island faced with the menace of cheap heroin being easily available,and unless some thing is done to stop this,then housebreaking and signing on are going to be a regular feature here,as these kids give up on education and start focusing on ways to keep their habits going into a pathetic adulthood.

One studio I know has an excellent system where people on the dole are sent there to train in various aspects of the music biz so they can turn their lives around and improve their chances of becoming employable in an increasingly competitive job marketplace. I believe it was called the new deal for musicians,and was very successful for many people.What do you mean that they can't find anything good to say about these places? Have you asked the residents of these two cities?I'm sure that if you told a Glaswegian that there was nothing good about their city you would have a rather strong response,don't you think? Mareel would be multi purpose in itself,operating on all levels of culture and cusioning Shetland from the harsh realities of change affecting everyone nowadays,and which this Island is woefully unprepared for. This I know,coz I've lived in the big bad world.Since I moved my soothmoother self here,the problems of modern Britain have been ever more apparent encroaching into Shetland life. I say-what are we going to do about it?Knock back something positive and argue some more about what to do to while keeping head in sand and wishing all the nastiness of reality would just go away. Drug gangs are running all over this island precisely because of that attitude,and I won't shut up and let that happen. I find some peoples lack of reality and vision more than distasteful, it is disgraceful. Please, if I am wrong,tell me how and why,and what you propose to do about it instead of pointing fingers at other places saying "see, other places are bad,we are not like that here".Got news for you,this place will be bad too,and soon,if big positives don't get a chance.The current system ain't working.

I may be wrong here,but did I not read somewhere that Councillor Wills' Boat once sported a pro-Mareel banner? The words "turn" and "coat" spring to mind here.What do his comments about being a rock with 20,000 people on it mean,exactly? This is the same island that the great Tom Waits rang up to see if he could get a slot at the folk festival, only to be told to send in a "demo".Allegedly,but that is the rumour.

Anybody see the BBC prog "Emmylou Harris' 10 commandments of country"? That's the sort of gig Shetland could get if there were only somewhere to put it.Of course,we could shoehorn her into the sportshall,but remember folks,to wear your gym pumps!

Wii man,could you enlighten us as to who or what is a "subsidy junkie"?

Is this a special kind of junkie even more repellant than a heroin junkie? I've never seen one in the flesh,but I'll bet they are really scary and would do a heck of a lot more damage to the reputation and culture of this fine place than a load of smacked up fools stealing from their neighbours to feed their habits,and are infinitely more repugnant than fleets of wobbling drunkards beating up people in the street and making dear old ladies fear to step outside of a saturday afternoon. Show us a picture of one so we can pin it up with a bounty notice,and hunt these varmints out of town!

The "obsession" with football pitches exists because thats all there are here.Wondering about your template for argument,The Beatles, because they have not existed since 1970. I will apologise for being rude,beacause there really is no need,and what I said was factually wrong-you don't believe in the current plans but do believe in a music venue in principle.What I take issue with is your level of expertise in being able to decide such matters for other people when your own knowledge of popular culture seems to begin and end with one band from the sixties.I'll ask politely again,What is your background in such matters?

I was at the meeting in the library when the plans were unveiled.Were you?If you had suggestions on how to make the plans better,why did you not become involved in a positive way at that point instead of giving everyone the benefit of your wisdom now,when it is far past the time when such wisdom is relevant? The right tool for the right job,sir.

By the way,Abbey road is practically a museum nowadays;there are far better studios all over the place which only exist because the Beatles broke the mould and brought Pop Culture closer to the world as a whole.I have spent part of my career at some of them,and so know what I am talking about.

I don't know about whingeing,but your comments seem to me to be hugely arrogant and out of touch-about fifty years out of touch.The cavern club was the best available at the time,and there was no such thing as high tech.with the collapse of the global recording market,any pro act will tell you that all the money is in live gigs,and if there's no venue,there is no opportunity to make money,simple as that.

Nowadays Liverpool has many fine venues,all properly equipped to enable bands of all levels to play together and mix and learn and grow.That's why Liverpool is the European Capital of Culture this year:it's inbuilt into the population there to support people in new cultural ventures,and you don't hear the peple there muttering about how things are not needed and will never work-they are up for it,and give things their full support!

To say that Shetland deserves a world class venue isn't whingeing,but for you to say that everyone should do without it and make to with the pitiful state of investment in music at the moment is certainly the sort of blinkered,revisionist, philistine pig ignorance that acts like The Beatles had to break through fifty years ago.I was wondering,what is your own level of experience within the artistic community,Wii Man?Do you have a background in the entertainment industry?

You seem scared that investment in music will not earn a return,but I don't see Lerwicks' six football pitches doing a roaring trade or receiving international acclaim,do you? You'll also notice that the three acts you mentioned no longer live on Shetland.Black Bic Biro in particular have gone to Glasgow because that is one place where the Scottish music scene is properly invested in,and they can reach an international audience from there.With a music hub on Shetland,other talent might not have to do this.Also,what about the acts which may be of equal talent who have given up because there was no support network at home? It's true that Sheltland has amazing instrumental teaching facilities in schools,but the gap between that and the world stage is vast.Why is a music college in Aberdeen advertising in the Shetland Times this week? Because there is a gap in the market.They have to go to Aberdeen to take things to the next level,and have then left their home behind.Playing a few country halls is the natural ceiling here at the moment.Then what?

Come on people,let's keep it real. If this plan gets put down now,Shetland will probably never get the facilities it deserves.why all the bickering about what kind of cinema projectors to use etc?It seems fairly obvious that all the equipment needs to be the best available or it may be out of date by the time the thing gets built.It also seems to betray a real lack of pride in shetland:if Shetlands' music and film making talent is as good as people here think it is,then why not give it the very best,not stifle any chance of creativity by supplying substandard gear,and cutting corners without need?Come on,sport has been massively invested in from the oil wealth while music has received vey little, and sport brings in next to no money to these islands.

The cost of transforming a sports hall into a music venue and back to meet health and safety legislation is enormous,and I would guess it is a major headache to the folk who run their fine sports centre.Do they want the responsibility of running a music venue as well? I'd guess not.

The comment about needing to isolate children from the real world and the opportunities it contains is ludicrous and I would suggest betrays a lack of Knowledge of what actually happens in the real world in which we all live in today.Children being removed from an over stimulating environment,Christopher William Thomson?Where do you suggest we hide them?Stimulating education does not make children numb,it helps them grow.I know,I am a parent,and have been a teacher of music accross the UK for many years,and have played in many, many professional bands who have performed in proper venues all over the world.

I know a band who came here to play a while ago as part of a Scottish tour, who,after playing in properlly equipped and organised venues were pretty disgusted with the low quality facilities available here,and will probably never come back.Now,you could argue that scrabbling around for amps half an hour before the show adds to the quirky charm of the place,but to a hard working band on a well run tour,It's just a pain in the backside.With a music venue properly equipped,everyone could reduce their long term costs and make it a surprising pleasure to play here ,not make a three day slog to a rock in the North sea a waste of everybodies' time.That,Mr Thomson,is the real world:the one inhabited by professionals.We are trying to give an opportunity to Shetlands'professionals of tomorrow.As you said yourself,you don't intend to settle here;is this because the facilities in the field in which you currently play in as an amateur don't meet the standards that you require for yourself?If you don't intend to be part of the future of Shetland,why are you wasting time engaging in argument with the rest of us who do?

Politics not having anything to do with idealism?What absolute cobblers!The idea that we can make things better by putting our faith in elected representatives is the bedrock of politics,and surely a definition of idealism.Yes idealism doesn't run economies:people do,and people are the investors in the politics of their local area by choosing where to spend their money,and the people of the future need investment

Sorry,but the "children of the past" thing is absolute toss:those kids didn't grow up in a world connected by a world wide web,or on an island which is being flooded with heroin by drug gangs from big cities..Idle hands and the devils' work.Anyway,it's not just children that need entertaining,and to state that this can be achieved by us sitting around using our imagination leads to self abuse and disenfranchisement of many kinds.Think logically;people get together,use their imagination and have the idea to make music.They then need a suitable place in which they can make that happen.Some people then use their imagination to come up with the idea of a "music and cinema venue"which can be used by all to enjoy,create,teach and learn.That is called culture.Shetland does not need another multi purpose hall,as it has several.It needs a purpose built facility such as this.Can't argue anymore for now;got to go play music.

Absolutely spot on,JA.And while I'm in ranting mood,who the hell does this man called... no I'd better not,I don't want to get personal with anyone over this because there is no need.Given enough rope...

A lot of very clever and careful people have worked very hard for a very long time to try and get this right,but that in itself is no reason to go ahead with the project.Shetland has never had anything like this before,and if this plan gets scuppered it probably never will.It is up to the community to get involved and make a success of all the elements being incorporated into this project:if it doesn'twork that will be a crying shame ,as the bitter voices howling that itwill never work will have been proved right.But we must have the opportunity to try.This is about more than the cost of a cinema ticket and a place to see some music:it's about making sure the people of shetland have something solid in their future to cement the community values which nearly everyone in this gorgeous place shares.Everone likes a bit of music and a good film,but not everyone has the opportunity to learn how to create them.With the death of Peerie Willie,shetland has no representation on the world stage.Black Bic Biro are as good as anyone making music today,and they are just getting started,but what about folk who will be inspired by them?Where do they get to learn their craft while mixing with people who can raise everybodys game?Nowhere at the moment,and at the very least ,Mareel will provide that.Paul Wellers' drummer Steve White came here to do a clinic,and I saw a town hall packed with children who all play drums hanging on his every word.Let's let them have a place to express their inspiration which is free of the damnable drink culture which seems such a cancerous part of this Islands' thinking,and show off the INCREDIBLE talent contained here properly,without having to wait until everyone else has finished their game of badminton.

People keep on about "doing up an existing venue".What venue? There are a bunch of community halls with very limited facilities,and absolutely no provision for education whatsoever.If people want to learn the skills to have a career in the media world then they have to leave the islands and at the moment,there is very little reason to come back.This place is perceived as something out of the "wicker man" to a lot of people on Mainland Uk,and with articles like certain councillors getting drunk and ranting about "soothmoothers"in public places,very little is being done to change that perception.Its a few million quid,be real,compared to most councils in Britain,Shetland is rolling in money.I hear stories of children as young as 13 using heroin in school.Is this perhaps because there is absolutely nothing here to keep them entertained and educated?It's disgusting to hear narrow minded folk arguing over political chump change with such ferocity and lack of care for their childrens' futures.And anyway,the people who are fighting so hard against it are probably just punters ,not people involved in the enormous industries of music and film.They may or may not use these facilities,but thats not the point:there are plenty who would love the opportunity to who actually know about such things and have nowhere to do it.There is no dedicated venue on shetland.Remember the fuss in the paper about peoples shoes being the wrong type for dancing athe clickimin?That is because it is a SPORTS HALL.The fairly prestigious event that is the Folk Festival has to make do with a SPORTS HALL.Any band wishing to play here has to work their schedule around a sporting event,or possibly a jumble sale or coffee morning.I keep hearing about Shetlands "world class" music.Well it gets treated like a second class item as far as I can see.

The times are changing,and Shetland needs to change too,or it won't need an old peoples home because this generation will either have fled or be dead.Blah Blah Blah.

Has any one noticed the reports on the news of the beer industry being in trouble and the many pubs that are closing down because their regulars just aren't going anymore.Who needs pubs anyway?For the price of six pints you can buy three crates of beer in certain supermarkets,allowing you to get really quite drunk in your own home and smoke at the same time.I would be interested to see the figures for domestic violence since this ban has been introduced.People used to have a level of restraint when drinking in public,this has dissappeared of late.Now people just sit at home in their little boxes doing smack.Divide and conquer...

Is anyone else as shocked as I am by the arrest of a British schoolteacher in Sudan for allowing a child in her care to name a teddy bear after one of her classmates?Forty lashes?I don't get it:why are parents allowed to call their children after a "prophet" but those children do not have a right to call their toys whatever name they please?I find it very difficult to understand how,in the year 2007,people have their right to free expression curtailed with laws that threaten them with physical harm.I do not want to offend anyone,but also I will not be bullied into behaving a certain way by others and their beliefs.Get that poor woman out of custody at once,I say;she is a teacher,not a dangerous gun toting,book waving fundamentalist.Please excuse me if I appear Ignorant,I am just deeply concerned for the wellbeing of someone who has not tried to hurt anybody,she's just trying to help the kids of Sudan get an education.