Prenumerera på RSSAtt gå vilse är en del av resan…
… eller hur Vaseline kan vara nyckeln till en lång och framgångsrik karriär
En inspirerande föreläsning och multimediashow med Steve Blame, en av MTVs förgrundsfigurer och ikoner från 80- och 90-talet
When Jean Genet, the French author and poet was in prison in 1967 he was brutally beaten by his prison guards because he had a tub of Vaseline on him. Their association with this most harmless of objects invoked their anger and fury. Genet concluded that an object has immense power.
According to sociologist Dick Hebdige, it is the combination of these objects, or the symbols that they invoke, which define each individual subculture. The Punk era had many – safety pins, spitting, nihilism, cut-up graphics – individually each could describe a part of another subculture but together they can only define Punk.
When Steve Blame wrote his book – Getting Lost is Part of the Journey – he realised that each and every pop star has their own form of Vaseline, their own ‘symbols’ that define them. Often these are things that are deep inside their psyche. Michel Gondry, the French film and video director, has spoken about how an artist needs to find out what is deep inside them and work with it or against it. Think Madonna – her need to redefine Sexual Mores, Lada Gaga and the idea of inclusiveness – that we are all freaks yet the world also belongs to us. Tina Turner, her triumph over adversity. The Stones, the epitome of Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll. And Kurt Cobain, whose nihilistic persona led to the only conclusion his life could have.
In his multi-media show Steve Blame shows how pop stars are defining their own form of Vaseline. And how a re-definition of their own brand may need to take place to stop it fading and dying.
With archive footage from MTV and musical accompaniment from DJ Dennis Bigell, Steve will read excerpts from his book and relate stories to show how Vaseline is an important component for everyone from pop stars to politicians. He will also show how, through the book, he realised what his own form of Vaseline is and how it needed to be redefined for today.
This re-definition informs each decision he now makes. And the next step, he says, is to combine all these elements into Getting Lost is Part of the Journey – a multi-media book.
Vaseline is not just something that just a brand needs. It’s what you will all need to be successful in this world.
Steve Blame – Short biography
Author, TV Format Developer, Screenwriter, Presenter
B.A Mathematics & Physics M.A Screenwriting.
1987-1994 Editor & Moderator MTV News.
Responsible for output of MTV News (Europe) including all features and scripts, pro-social campaigns and all major interviews (From Madonna to McCartney, the Dalai Lama to Gorbachev and about 500 others). Presenter of MTV News, Live political debate shows (Free Your Mind, Vote Europe), Personality shows (Take the Blame, The Steve Blame Show), recorded bulletins and location reports from around the world.
1994-96 Program Director Viva 2.
2003 Executive Producer Tango TV (Luxemburg). TV Format Developer: Where is the Money? (Eyeworks & 2STV) – nominated for Rose d’Or (2005)
Author: Getting Lost is Part of the Journey (2010)
Lecturer at PopAkademie (2011)
Spiegel Columnist (2011)
MSN Columnist (2011)