This Nation's Saving Grace
January 26, 2006 3:42 PM   Subscribe

...or why I wish I lived in England, part 6. The Mancunians return gravitas to Christianity's most holy holiday.
posted by klangklangston (43 comments total)
 
Hoax or not, don't you think this is a cooler idea than tying Jesus to a bizarre Easter Bunny ritual?
posted by Rothko at 3:48 PM on January 26, 2006


I dunno. I like the image of the "Oh, you've got blue eyes," duet, but I also like colored eggs.
In sum though, Bez pushes it over into "cooler." I mean, his job was to dance and smoke crack!
posted by klangklangston at 3:53 PM on January 26, 2006


"The climax of the event sees Jesus sing the Smiths classic song Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now as he is being flayed by Roman soldiers."

Please let this not be a hoax. Please?
posted by y6y6y6 at 3:57 PM on January 26, 2006


I wept at the beauty of this. We need this.
posted by beaucoupkevin at 4:03 PM on January 26, 2006


Guardian doesn't do hoaxes; surely real
posted by A189Nut at 4:04 PM on January 26, 2006


Holy crap! We're gonna need more drugs for this. I gotta go makes some calls.
posted by Zorro on Doughnuts at 4:05 PM on January 26, 2006


I want more Buzzcocks songs, and Mary Magdalene should sing Orgasm Addict.
posted by fleetmouse at 4:20 PM on January 26, 2006


What no, "I wanna be adored?"
posted by idontlikewords at 4:24 PM on January 26, 2006


...or "Love Spreads" or "I Am The Resurrection" for that matter...
posted by idontlikewords at 4:25 PM on January 26, 2006


What's stopping you from moving?
posted by keswick at 4:30 PM on January 26, 2006


Language barrier.
posted by klangklangston at 4:33 PM on January 26, 2006


Jesus rocks...
posted by mickeyz at 4:36 PM on January 26, 2006


I knew they were going to up date Godspell!
posted by QIbHom at 4:53 PM on January 26, 2006


Ian Brown's just got to break out "I Am the Resurrection"!
posted by scody at 5:27 PM on January 26, 2006


What about 'Hallelujah' by the Happy Mondays? I'm mean they've already got Bez...
posted by ob at 5:28 PM on January 26, 2006


24 hour easter people.
posted by 3.2.3 at 5:34 PM on January 26, 2006


Reverend Black Grape... In the Name of the Father...
posted by idontlikewords at 5:40 PM on January 26, 2006


No Jesus singing "I Started Something I Couldn't Finish"?
posted by bunglin jones at 5:40 PM on January 26, 2006


It just ocurrs to me... This event is must be like some total mindfuck for this guy.
posted by idontlikewords at 5:44 PM on January 26, 2006


from the "this guy" link... "Why would the Stone Roses write a song about oral sex and include lyrics about astral travel and metaphysics? Hmmm? I believe that they are using the sexual references as metaphors for something else. Think about it. "I'll live until I die" is a YIN YANG statement. "Thirty minutes brings me round to her number 9." 69=yin yang."
posted by idontlikewords at 5:46 PM on January 26, 2006


Fantastic! With any luck they will broadcast this thing every easter from now until the end of time, so we don't have to endure that nauseating cartoon about the kid who loses his dog Waldo & discovers the "true meaning" of the holiday.

ps. Mark E Smith for Pilate!
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:38 PM on January 26, 2006


I would pay cash money to see this production put on in... oh, almost anywhere in the USA, but especially some of the regressive states.

I'll believe it when it happens. I can't believe the BBC would go there, and I can't believe it would be tolerated with much grace.
posted by five fresh fish at 9:28 PM on January 26, 2006


jeez, that sounds inanely stupid.
posted by moonbird at 9:39 PM on January 26, 2006


I love the Smiths, but that's one of the handful of their songs I DON"T like.
posted by brujita at 9:42 PM on January 26, 2006


Mark E Smith for Pilate!

Mark E Smith for God-ah!
posted by influx at 12:05 AM on January 27, 2006


This sounds almost like a revival of the medieval mystery plays. Something similar has been done several times at the National Theatre, except they used folk-rock music rather than The Smiths, et. al.
posted by e-man at 12:06 AM on January 27, 2006


Tony Wilson for Pilate!

Non-Mancs interested in some of the people and music mentioned can check out 24 Hour Party People, a Michael Winterbottom film depicted the rise and fall of Manchester's Factory Records over the last thirty years.
posted by alasdair at 12:16 AM on January 27, 2006


Y'know, skimming this article.... are we really sure that Hunter Thompson is actually dead?

Just sayin'.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 1:04 AM on January 27, 2006


I'll believe it when it happens. I can't believe the BBC would go there, and I can't believe it would be tolerated with much grace.

Well they're quoting not just the BBC producers but also the very enthusiastic Canon of the Manchester Cathedral - "This is contemporary, it's urban, it's relevant, it's on the street. I support it 100 per cent." And it says it has the broad support of both the Church of England and the Roman Catholic Church in the area.

So no it can't be a hoax. They wouldn't be able to get away with making up those quotes.

(Story is in other papers too)
posted by funambulist at 1:26 AM on January 27, 2006


Of course cynics will say it's just another excuse to keep milking the Madchester cow, likely to be followed by yet more reissues and repackages of back catalogues, DVD's, compilations, and endless reruns of "I love the 1990's" and "I got smashed in 1991". But Easter is not a time to be cynical!

So who's going to play Jesus? I'm guessing Ian Brown is a more likely candidate than Shaun Ryder?
posted by funambulist at 1:29 AM on January 27, 2006


Frank Sidebottom as Judas.
posted by sgt.serenity at 1:55 AM on January 27, 2006


Ian Brown is from Warrington, not Manchester. If you're from the north west but not from Manch making a point of telling people you're not from Manch seems to be important. A bit like how the typical Yoirkshire response would be "From Leeds? Am I fuck."
posted by vbfg at 2:16 AM on January 27, 2006


But then Robbie Williams is from Stoke and he seems to be involved, if only through the use of one of his songs, so scratch that...
posted by vbfg at 2:25 AM on January 27, 2006


Mark E. Smith as Jesus: "Crucifix coupling harangue-ah"
posted by gene_machine at 3:21 AM on January 27, 2006


Spoilt Victorian Jesus
posted by vbfg at 3:59 AM on January 27, 2006


Ian Brown's just got to break out "I Am the Resurrection".

From the original link:
"The event will end with the resurrected Jesus singing an as yet undisclosed song from the top of Manchester's town hall"

Pretty much a given really ;)
posted by anagrama at 4:23 AM on January 27, 2006


I don't know what to make of this. It's a "Jesus Christ Superstar" on (more? different?) drugs.

Hope they release a DVD.
posted by kryptondog at 6:55 AM on January 27, 2006


Jesus in Gethsemane: "Twenty twenty twenty-four hours to go..."
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:36 AM on January 27, 2006


Superb.

A bunch of sad old middle aged fuckers reliving the glory of their youth. I'd totally fit in.
posted by Keith Talent at 7:47 AM on January 27, 2006


Ha, that's brilliant, although sadly no sign of John the Postman. Still, it's almost enough to make me want to visit Manchester again ...
posted by Len at 8:09 AM on January 27, 2006


Len: Maybe the 'as yet undisclosed song' is John's 25 minute Louie Louie. Wouldn't make a blind bit of sense, but it would be a sight to see!

Note to self: buy digital telly receiver before Good Friday.
posted by jack_mo at 9:25 AM on January 27, 2006


A hologram of George Formby as God.
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:19 AM on January 27, 2006


Lets all take some more acid and discuss this later , when the keyboards are melting.
posted by sgt.serenity at 10:19 AM on January 27, 2006


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