Soldiering on talking heads. Stream review: Talking Heads: Soldiering On at BBC iPlayer 2022-11-17
Soldiering on talking heads Rating:
9,4/10
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Soldiering On: The Talking Heads
The Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1975. The band consisted of David Byrne (vocals, guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass), and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar). The Talking Heads were known for their unique blend of new wave, punk, and world music, as well as Byrne's distinctive stage presence and poetic, introspective lyrics.
One of the Talking Heads' most famous songs is "Soldiering On," which was released on their 1988 album "Naked." The song is an ode to perseverance and the human spirit, as Byrne sings about the struggles of daily life and the resilience needed to keep moving forward.
The lyrics of "Soldiering On" speak to the universal experience of facing challenges and setbacks, and the determination to keep going despite the obstacles. "There's always something in the way / Something that we have to get through / Some things are hard / Some things are easy / But we keep soldiering on," Byrne sings.
The song's upbeat, danceable melody belies the deep and powerful message at its core. The Talking Heads were known for their ability to convey complex emotions and ideas through their music, and "Soldiering On" is a prime example of this.
The themes of "Soldiering On" are especially relevant today, as the world continues to face unprecedented challenges and uncertainty. From the ongoing pandemic to social and political strife, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and defeated. But the message of "Soldiering On" serves as a reminder that we are all capable of overcoming adversity and emerging stronger on the other side.
In conclusion, "Soldiering On" by the Talking Heads is a tribute to the human spirit and the power of perseverance. Its catchy, upbeat sound belies the deep and powerful message at its core, which is especially relevant in today's world. When faced with challenges and setbacks, it is important to remember that we are all capable of soldiering on and emerging stronger on the other side.
Stream review: Talking Heads: Soldiering On at BBC iPlayer
Get delicious recipe ideas, uplifting lifestyle news, and fashion and beauty tips. Soldiering on, that's what widowed Muriel will need to do - now that Ralph's cardio system has succumbed to all those tasty breakfasts and calorie-rich dinners not a salad man, was Ralph. In lockdown 2020 he created the audio series Isolation Alan, available on Youtube, and performed online in the Voice Box Festival. This problem proves rather more hostile as Muriel is forced to move out of the family home and into a smaller property, and then to sell that too and move into an off-season holiday rental which her son finds too depressing to visit. As Muriel begins to collapse in front of us, Margaret thrives in recovery. The opening stages are quaintly comical, as the widow faces down a long series of genteel charity vultures desperate to get their hands on valuable jumble. Muriel is resilient, resourceful, self-reliant.
Her son is there to help with that - his brisk confidence setting up the dominoes which she can knock over with the swish of a pen on a document here, a document there. Ten of the original pieces will be re-made with the addition of two new ones written by Bennett last year. It's just a catalogue of food, but Harriet Walter delivers her menu along with everything else she does with such relish that the audience is entranced. Muriel is a strong woman, and always has been - a pillar of the community, a regular charity worker, and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels; and looking after her mentally ill daughter, Margare. In need of some positivity? The emotions and subject matters these characters are experiencing are so complex and nothing is always what it seems, which is exciting for an audience, it keeps them on their toes.
Muriel's son Giles appears with papers for her to sign. But certainly a remarkable man, very good with money, but also participating splendidly in several worthy causes and organizations. She retains a small smirk throughout, reminding us that she is in on the joke. Muriel's son Giles appears with papers for her to sign. . The direction to camera makes the audience feel special, almost as if the character is having a private conversation with the viewer alone. .
You may be frustrated by Muriel, but you will feel sorry for a woman suffering for the sake of stoicism. . Soldier on, old girl, soldier on. Nonetheless, the weight of heartbreak and loss, seen most clearly when Muriel is insistent that she is fine, is crushing. In the final scene, in an off-season lodging house by the sea, watching telly all day, not seeing her grandchildren because it upsets Giles to see her there, she refuses to see herself as a victim, she is a survivor.
"Alan Bennett's Talking Heads" Soldiering On (TV Episode 2020)
. Full of insight, wit, daring and compassion, these are stories of individual lives - but of great resonance. But soon there's a liquidity problem, and Giles could be to blame. The play opens as recently widowed Muriel sits in an expensive leather armchair reflecting on the success of a wake for her husband, former forklift truck executive Ralph, which was attended by a wide selection of supportive if boring old friends and acquaintances. .
Muriel is a strong woman, and always has been - a pillar of the community, a regular charity worker, and a volunteer for Meals on Wheels; and looking after her mentally ill daughter, Margaret, has fortified her resolve - so, after the death of her husband, Muriel is well-prepared. Alan Bennett plunges with gusto into the rich texture of do-gooder charity and energetic altruism - the earnest benevolence and helpfulness that has rushed in to fill the gaps in Britain's welfare state left by the barbarian demolition crew. But I suppose all that perfectly mirrors what so many of us are experiencing at the moment, but also reflects the nature of the monologues themselves - people in situations of extreme loneliness longing to be heard and to connect. She is a comfortably off, Home Counties housewife with a cut-glass accent hailing from a generation that was used to coping or, in current parlance, carrying on regardless. And then to have the entire crew give you such a wide berth felt very weird! The monologue being the sponsored cultural entertainment of Covid 19, this is an absolute masterclass in the form. I hope a new generation of actors will get and give as much pleasure as we did twenty and thirty years ago.
TV Review: Soldiering On, Alan Bennett’s Talking Heads
It turns out she is quite a rich widow. In particular, her daughter Margaret is suffering from serious mental health issues that render her socially absent. Lots of people will be coming round to the house after the funeral, so she's been up half the night cooking some toothsome treats for them to nibble on. Instead we see the slow collapse of a woman who is determinedly cheery, and by the end desperately so. Never seen before photos of their puppets in rehearsal can be seen here! All the stuff she doesn't understand, that her husband did when alive with his accountants and lawyers, will go away and she'll only have her daughter, recovering from a nervous breakdown, to deal with. I am so grateful to Alan, Nicholas Hytner, Kevin Loader and the whole team for the caution, ingenuity and wisdom which they have shown in bringing these stories to the screen.
It turns out she is quite a rich widow. Read the review for Paul is a playwright, director, actor, academic, he has a PhD from the University of East Anglia , teacher and theatre reviewer! But soon there's a liquidity problem, and Giles could be to blame. Make the most of your time at home and enjoy Good Housekeeping delivered directly to your door every month! It's there underpinning the carapace of invincibility that eats away the perceptual skills required to see the whys and the hows, it smooths the complacency that places trust too easily, it prepares the ground for a mother to play favourites without considering the consequences. But soon there's a liquidity problem, and Giles could be to blame. Under the direction of Marianne Elliott, Dame Harriet gives a warm, touching performance that, if memory serves well, differs distinctly from that of Stephanie Cole but is equally moving and affecting. It has since been staged to great acclaim across the U. There is a little less bite to Soldiering On than there was in A Lady Of Letters and An Ordinary Woman.
As with the first two episodes, Soldiering On is at once about a kind of person, and a very particular portrait of one woman. . However, helpful Giles manages to prey on her plucky loneliness, insisting that Muriel signs a pile of papers, while still bereaved, and then, even more helpfully, aiding her in an estate duty scam by taking away valuable heirlooms. There is a lot to be said for the relationship a person can have with a piece of drama. The contained nature of Bennett's monologues allowed the opportunity to tell timely and relevant stories while following the latest government guidelines on safe working practices during Covid-19. Suella Braverman, Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will join the cast of the new stage production Idiots Assemble: Spitting Image Saves the World which opens at Birmingham Rep on 1 February, and runs until 11 March 2023. Muriel's son Giles appears with papers for her to sign.
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