I woke up early, I sleep so little these days.
Saw the recent news about America.
Yet...
...I refuse to tweet, write, comment about Donald Trump, his policy and the current American administration. I used to be based in Miami in 2008, I covered Obama’s election. But what is happening now in the US is a disgrace and should be commented as such.
Remember George Orwell on journalism...
“Journalism is printing what someone else does not want published; everything else is public relations.”
Don’t publish what the worst leaders say all day long and think you’re empowering people. Our job as journalists is to give people tools to see through their lies! Not to give liars a platform to silence other discourse.
That’s why I wrote a book about cultural history, to tell the story of ordinary citizens who became inspirations for others, created something new and powerfully mirrored back to us the state of the world. Massive Attack did that like no other. It’s a counter-history of our time.
I hope there'll be many other books... To retell the true stories we witness, and not the official discourse on facts, that led us in this political deadlock. But this one was hard enough to write. So that's a start.
It's out next Monday:
This books is the first in-depth study on the band Massive Attack, their members and close collaborators.
Author Melissa Chemam looks into Bristol's past to explore how their city helped shape one of the most successful and innovative musical movements of the last 30 years. She has spent 4 years coming to Bristol to interview over 30 artists in order to retell this story.
She starts by describing the influences that led to the formation of an underground scene in Bristol, infused with punk and reggae, through bands like The Pop Group, The Cortinas, Maximum Joy, Black Roots, Talisman, Restriction...
The author then tells the story of the Wild Bunch, the seminal collective of DJs and graffiti artists that changed bristol completely in the mid-1980s. They were followed by crews like Smith & Mighty, Fresh Four, and joined by graffiti writers such as Inkie and FLX. The Wild Bunch dissolved in 1987 and three of the former members then formed Massive Attack a year later.
Melissa Chemam gives a unique insight into Massive Attack's work - by main members 3D, Daddy G and Mushroom - as well as into their influences, artwork, collaborations and politics. She also described the way they opened the door for a whole scene, including other Bristol musicians and artists like Portishead, Tricky, Roni Size, and street artist Banksy.
Over 30 years, Massive Attack sold more than 13 million albums, incorporated influences from different continents, and redefined the way musicians could remain faithful to their underground roots while challenging the music business with an independent spirit.
