The Week - UK (2021-02-13)

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THEWEEK 13 February 2021

Sinatra’scoldshoulder

NancySinatraisashowbiz

legend,saidKateHutchinson

inTheIndependent–butshe

hasn’talwaysbeenmadeto

feellikeone.Afterafaltering

start,hercareertookoffinthe

mid- 1960 swhenshedyedher

hairblonde,putonamini

skirt,andadoptedasultry

singingvoice.Butevenafter

shehadastringofhits,she

wasneveracceptedbythe

moversandshakersinthe

1960scounterculture.“My

contemporaries,girlsingers–

theysortoflookeddownon

me,”shesays.“Idon’tthink

theyknewwhattomakeofme

andmyso-calledcareer.[So]I

wasn’tallowedin.”Itwenton

foryears.Sherecallsattending

aneventattheClintonWhite

HousewithSherylCrowand

StevieNicks,“andtheygave

meacoldshoulder”.Partly,

shethinksthey didn’tthink of

heras an“authentic”artist;

buttherewassomething

elsetoo. “Peoplehavepre-

conceivedideasofhow Igot

here.Nepotism.”

Keepingtreestidy

TaylorMali–akathePlastic

Bagman –refuses towalk

underrubbish:for thepast two

years,hehas spent hisspare

timegoingaroundhis home

cityofNewYork, removing

plasticbags trappedin the

branchesof itstrees.It started

whenhis wifewasbotheredby

thesight ofabag lodgedina

treeoppositetheirapartment

inBrooklyn: heattachedaclaw

to atelescopic pole andused

it todragthebag out. “Ihad

mademywifehappy,somy

daywasmade,”hetold

GabrielCoheninTheNew

YorkTimes.“Idecidedtosee

ifIcouldmakesomeoneelse’s,

too.”Hestartedtakingthe

poleoutwithhimonwalks;

thenhesetupawebsitewhere

peoplecouldreportbags.To

explainhisunusualhobby,

hequotesthephilosopher

EdmundBurke:“Nobody

madeagreatermistakethan

hewhodidnothingbecause

hecouldonlydoalittle.”

Dementiatookmywife

NormanTebbitwasthe

enforceroftheThatcherera,a

manwhowasusedtobeingin

control,saysJennyJohnstonin

theDailyMail.Butwhenhis

wife,Margaret,wasdiagnosed

withdementianineyearsago,

hefoundhewashelplessinthe

faceofherillness.Hehadto

watchasMargaret,aformer

nurse,graduallydeteriorated,

untilthe diseasefinallykilled

her:she diedin December,

aged86.“Ittookhermind

and thenit tookher life,” says

Tebbit,89. “Theworldclosed

in onher.”Itwasnotthe first

traumathecouple had

endured.In 1984 ,they were

bothinjuredin theIRA’s

bombingoftheGrandHotel

in Brighton.Margaret fell

throughfourfloors,and was

leftparalysedfromtheneck

down.Seeinghersuffering

then was tough,hesays, but

“dealingwithdementia isvery

differentfromdealingwith a

physicaldisability. It’smore

difficult tocopewith.It doesn’t

matterwhatwillyou exert,you

can’tchangethat person being

destroyedbytheillness.”

In the gaming world, Tyler Blevins–aka Ninja–isabona fide

superstar, said David Marchese in The New York Times Magazine.

Owing to his skill onFortnite,and hi spuckish commentary, he has

amassed 16.7 million followers on Twitch–astreamingservice

wher epeople can watch him playing. He makes $500,000amonth.

But at 29, he is starting to feel he needsabreak –not leas tfromhis

desk. “Physically, sitting and streaming in one spot for eight hours

aday, it’salot.” Then there is the relentless abuse that pours in as

he is playing. “Streaming makes you super self-conscious,” he

says. “You have to be the most sure person on the planet if you’re

going to get into this and not be completely torn apart.” But he

doesn’t think it’sagaming issue: the problem is internet culture.

“People are behind the screen. They say what they want and can

get away with it. Your information and data are precious and

should remain private, but it sucks that there are kids who can

say racist things and be incredibly aggressive and threatening to

women online and have zero repercussions.” Ultimately he reckons

it comes down to parenting: too many parents haven’t taught their

children how to behave, and are failing to make sure they are

behaving. “You want to know who your kid is? Listen to him

when he’s playing video games when he thinks you’re not.”

Viewpoint:

Food coffins

“My daughters, along with most of

their generation, have bought into the

green agenda, part of which is not

wasting stuff.Iapprove of this, so

when we have finished our meals, we

religiously pack up all the leftovers in

Tupperware and clingfilm-covered

bowls.Afteraweek of this, the fridge

is anecropolis of little food coffins.

Regrettably, nobody wants to eat any

of these mummified relics. So once a

weekIgothrough the fridge and

throw it all away, and the cycle starts

again. The process seems to me a

microcosm of environmental policy:

alot of moral enthusiasm and

impressive gestures up front, but not

much follow-through.”

Emma Duncan in The Times

Farewell

NaimAttallah,publisher

and parfumier, died

2February, aged89.

HalHolbrook,stage

and screen actor, writer

and director,died 23

January,aged 95.

Geor ge Shultz,US

Secretary of State under

Ronald Reagan,died

6February, aged100.

Leon Spinks,boxer who

won theheavyweight

title in1978, died

5February, aged67.

Mary Wilson,original

member of Motown’s

The Supremes, died

Book:AHistory of the Worldin 10 0Objectsby NeilMacGregor 8February, aged76.

Luxury:hot sauce *Choice if allowedonlyone re cord

Castaway of the week

This week’s edition of Radio 4’sDesert Island Discsfeatured

entomologist and broadcaster George McGavin

1 Love,Reign O’er Meby PeteTownshend,perfo rmed byTheWho

2 TheDark Islandby Iain McLachlan, performed by the Band of

the Black Watch

3*CelloConcerto inEminor Op.85by Elgar, performed

by JacquelineduPré, with theLondon SymphonyOrchestra

(cond. John Barbirolli)

4 NightLament,traditional with lyrics by Kate Rusby,performed

by Kate Rusby

5 To Begin at theBeginningfromUnder M ilkWoodby Dylan

Thomas, performed byRichard Burton

6 Keep Talkingby David Gilmour, Richard Wright andPolly

Samson, performed by Pink Floyd

7 Sola, Perduta, Abbandonata(fromManon Lescaut)byPuccini,

performed by Maria Callas

8 Cantus Arcticus, I:TheBog,byEinoj uhani Rautavaara,

performed by theLeipzigRadio SymphonyOrchestra (cond. Max

Pommer)

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ENEDICT EVANS/AUGUST