Lost in the Hustle

So, I popped into HMV to acquire the new KISS album and, (sigh...), well... Despite hitting No. 3 in the US Billboard Album Chart, it has to be said that the first few spins reveal a rather sub-par attempt. It sounds more underwhelming than I'd expected: the tired efforts of 4 old men surfing the wave of brand recognition onto an increasingly deserted beach. A re-tread of overly familiar riffs accompanied by lyrics so bad they could have been penned by any 6 year old who has English as their second, or indeed third, language. There aren't even any extras to mitigate the disappointment. Their last album, Sonic Boom, came with an extra CD of re-tooled KISS Klassics and a DVD which featured a live performance from Argentina.

But what does it matter? This stopped being about the music long ago. The 3D cover looks pretty fantastic.

My week was saved by my sister, who finally returned my Hustle DVDs. I'm watching the final ever episode as I type this. Hustle is right up there with The Persuaders in the fun, timeless, slick entertainment stakes. The style, the gloss, the plot twists, the breaking of the fourth wall, the lavish London locations, the guest stars, the sharp suits, the gratuitous tap-dance routines and Napoleon Solo from The Man From U.N.C.L.E. rendered this a supreme televisual experience.

It's a massive shame they won't be making any further episodes as there haven't been too many BBC series with a Black British lead, but it does mean that Adrian Lester - the real reason why I watched this programme - can get back to ripping it up on stage. He's doing Othello at the National next year and I can't wait to see what he does with Shakespeare's Moor.

In the meantime Mr Lester is warming up by winning rave reviews for his performance in Red Velvet at the Tricycle Theatre. Written by his other half, the playwright Lolita Chakrabarti, it concerns the celebrated 19th century black American actor Ira Aldridge: the first actor to play Othello who didn't have to black up. At the time of Aldridge's first performance the abolition of the slave trade had just been enforced, but racist attitudes still prevailed and thus he attracted a vicious ire from the press based solely on his complexion. Described as "Gentleman of colour," and an “unseemly nigger”, The Times said of him,

“Owing to the shape of his lips it is utterly impossible for him to pronounce English.” 

The scathing reviews saw the London theatres block his further employment and so he made his career in regional theatre before eventually leaving England to become a star in Eastern Europe and one of the world's most celebrated actors, receiving £60 per performance.

Two ironies here;

1) 147 years after Ira's death Eastern Europe is a far less racially tolerant place, as evinced by the monkey chanting Serbian football fans at the recent England's Under 21 match.

2) Attitudes here have changed little. This weekend will see Premiership striker Jason Roberts of Reading boycott the Kick It Out campaign in protest of the leniency shown towards John Terry after he racially abused Anton Ferdinand. And ethnic minorities are still referred to as "People of colour," because, of course, Caucasian Pink isn't a colour, it's the default setting.

3) Whereas Ira came to England from America to sustain his art, British Black actors are travelling in the opposite direction for roles of substance. Morgan Freeman suggests, "The British film (and television) industry needs to catch up with the times."

Mr Lester has intimated that he'd like to get back into film, which means he too will be disappearing across the Atlantic pretty soon following Parminder Nagra, Chiwetel Ejiofor, David Oyelowo, David Harewood, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, and Idris 'The Man' Elba.

Upcoming band stuff means I won't make it to the Tricycle Theatre before the present run of Red Velvet finishes, but I'll be cheering Mr Lester on when he takes on Othello, wishing him bon voyage and keeping my fingers crossed for a Hollywood career which is bound to include the big screen adaptation of Hustle.