Snuggly-wuggly

[poliphilo]

I like Christy Moore.

But what was this awful twee song he was singing on TV last night?

Something about how the lizards will sun themselves on the concrete beams and rabbits nest in the discarded trolleys when the shopping mall closes for the very last time.

I tried looking for the lyrics on line but they weren't to be had. The Song was called Peace in the Valley- not to be confused with Johnny Cash's spiritual of the same name.

So while I may be a little wide of the mark with the rabbits, it was just that kind of cuddly, cutesy pap.

Sentimental.

Not thought through.

Because really, Christy, the shopping mall is here to stay. And it's here to stay because it's an improvement on what we had before. OK, I'm not that keen on malls either- but that's because I don't much like shopping and if I have to shop I'd rather do it in a mall than on a village high street with the trekking from premises to premises and the limited stocks and the queuing and the jacked-up prices.

And if you really want snuggly-wuggly bunnies, there are plenty of them in the field over there.....

Comments

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I love Christy Moore, and I thought he was the biggest name they showed from Cambridge, and was surprised that they made so little fuss over having him on that programme. But, you're right, the less said about that song the better.

I don't actually disagree with the sentiment: there is something to be said for supermarkets, I think, but not for shopping malls.

But the song was dreadful: Jonathan Richman's Corner Store (there's a wonderful rendition of the lyrics, complete with doo-wop here.) says it better...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Supermarkets- yeah!

It seems to me that the definitive critique of mall culture is in Dawn of the Dead.

Nothing sentimental there.....

Twee...

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

That's such a wonderful word. I think we should import it.

Re: Twee...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You mean you don't have it?

Ah, but it's indispensable.

Re: Twee...

[lblanchard.livejournal.com]

I have it now.

Actually, I've heard it before, but today it made more of an impression for some reason. Possibly because I looked it up and learned that its origin may be from "tweet" as in a widdy baby's attempt to say "sweet." Eeeeeeuw, snuggly-wuggly indeed!

Re: Twee...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought about its origin.

Like you say- eeeeeeuw!

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Our malls are being replaced by strip-malls (I've never thought about what that means, but now I am guessing it means stripped of enclosure), which are in essence the old-time shopping experience of a parking lot and stores along a sidewalk.

I've weaned myself of malls. I hate them: they depress me, with the dull-eyed crowds of people, the noise, the boring stores with always the same bland wares.

We have a bright new area in west Knoxville called Turkey Creek, and many new stores are being built there. Everything's shiny clean, there are trees and fountains and interesting shops. Best of all, there's a flagship movie theater that features wonderfully comfortable seats and a digital projector!

It's eleven minutes from my house, requires no interstate driving, and I love it.

I haven't been in a mall for a year now, which is quite a shift for me.

--

I must say, I kind of like the idea of animals taking over an abandoned mall. I haven't heard the song, but I liked the image of a lizard sunning itself on a beam.

[jenny_evergreen]

I'm not positive, but I think strip mall refers to the all-in-one-line aspect.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Trust me- the song is dreadful- no matter how promising the idea may sound.

I reckon there are malls and then there are malls. We have a town-centre mall here in Oldham which is a bright cheerful space with some really classy stained glass (by a local artist with an international reputation.)

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I'm going over to our Turkey Creek this afternoon, on a pilgrimage for a new notebook and to see a movie in the lovely mega-cinema!

(The theater offers a card that gets punched each time you buy a ticket; after so many points you get a free Coke, and finally--oh, I'm almost there!--you become a Gold Member and get double points!

The seats in the theater are wonderfully comfortable, and rock. The sound system is thrilling and rich. The decorations are tasteful Art Deco. There are fresh flowers in the restroom, and some fancy blow-dryers that can dry your hands in four seconds--they sound like jet engines taking off! I love the place.)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a really splendid cinema.

These days I do most of my movie-going in my own back room. I've never been altogether convinced of the superiority of the big screen.