I attended a presentation workshop last week run by Future Foundations along with all the other Extended Project candidates and I learnt a lot about how to present well and different styles that can be used. This should be very useful for the presentation evening and I am happy it will be a good presentation.
I have completed a commentary and evaluation detailing what I have done since I started and evaluating my progress.
My presentation is done though I have slightly shortened it to meet time constraints.
My essay is done.
All is well, final meeting with my supervisor tomorrow before the Presentation Evening.
Thursday 10 December 2009
Thursday 19 November 2009
Essay and presentation done
I have finally got my presentation pretty much perfect having looked at making it creative and eye-catching as well as easy to read and I have a dissertation of around 4000 words. Had a meeting with Ms Price and we agreed that I now needed to focus on documentation of my progress.
During the course of the essay I've had to adapt to increase its content so a few more lines have been studied and some in greater depth. I've also been spending a lot of time reading old interviews with Richey to gain more background which I've located through means of asking other fans on the fan forum to provide me with, they've been very helpful.
During the course of the essay I've had to adapt to increase its content so a few more lines have been studied and some in greater depth. I've also been spending a lot of time reading old interviews with Richey to gain more background which I've located through means of asking other fans on the fan forum to provide me with, they've been very helpful.
Monday 12 October 2009
Presentation done
My first draft of my presentation is now done which is rather nice but will require some altering as I will describe in a bit.
Had a meeting with my supervisor today (12/10/09) which went well but we discussed alterations to my presentation to make it look more accessible and entertaining, there were issues like the number of slides and the colours and sizes of fonts. We also looked at the assessment categories on links to subjects and interests and skills and tools I have used.
For our next session on the 2nd November the plan is for the presentation to be improved and for an accompanying essay similar in style to be ready.
Had a meeting with my supervisor today (12/10/09) which went well but we discussed alterations to my presentation to make it look more accessible and entertaining, there were issues like the number of slides and the colours and sizes of fonts. We also looked at the assessment categories on links to subjects and interests and skills and tools I have used.
For our next session on the 2nd November the plan is for the presentation to be improved and for an accompanying essay similar in style to be ready.
Thursday 24 September 2009
2nd meeting
Had my 2nd meeting with my supervisor on 23/09/09 and we put together a timetable for the coming weeks.
In 2 weeks time: 1st draft of my essay and my presentation which I decided will be a slide show of the lyrics I chose with some of the lines highlighted which I will talk about while presenting.
4 weeks time: To focus on the specific direction and tidy up any issues in our meeting.
6 weeks time: Practise the presentation and check my records are ok
8 weeks time: Final analysis and drafts.
I have started to put together my presentation and have set up timetables of when I'm going to work on the project so I self-manage effectively.
In 2 weeks time: 1st draft of my essay and my presentation which I decided will be a slide show of the lyrics I chose with some of the lines highlighted which I will talk about while presenting.
4 weeks time: To focus on the specific direction and tidy up any issues in our meeting.
6 weeks time: Practise the presentation and check my records are ok
8 weeks time: Final analysis and drafts.
I have started to put together my presentation and have set up timetables of when I'm going to work on the project so I self-manage effectively.
Saturday 12 September 2009
Finally
Bit of a gap in work due to a hectic summer but I now have very short comments on each song lyric I chose, except for Die In the Summertime and Faster which I decided to drop from my list on reflection as they're a little too abstract and hard to talk about in much depth for my level.
During my analysis of the lyrics I spent time researching Stephen Hawking and his views on genetic modification: http://www.greens.org/s-r/20/20-01.html, this website was useful.
Also for 4st/7lb research on anorexia where this site proved useful http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anorexianervosa.htm
Once again http://www.richeyedwards.net/ proved useful.
Here are my starting critiques of each song lyric which will develop into something more like an essay:
Me and Stephen Hawking
These lyrics were written after Richey’s period of depression and self-abuse and although he was still cynical it is clear from almost all the words he left before his disappearance that he was happier and more at ease. The best example lies here in the line ‘overjoyed me and Stephen Hawking, we laugh, we missed the sex revolution, when we failed the physical’. Here we find an example of Richey’s prevailing sense of humour and in the original typed lyrics he has annotated this line, marking it out as a joke. He is mocking himself for being so young and in his prime but being very fragile. The cynicism remains though, the words deal with fears about genetic modification.
4st 7lb
This song is not a direct account of Richey experiencing anorexia but shows his understanding of what it is like to experience mental disorder. The chorus line about wanting to walk on the snow shows the anorexics desire for order and neatness in their lives, hence wanting to be thin and have little impact on their surroundings, they talk of ‘not soiling its purity’ as if they are not worthy to step on something like snow if they will damage it. For the anorexic in Richey’s lyrics, being anorexic is a form of self completion, this is shown in the final line ‘I’ve finally come to understand lifethrough staring blankly at my navel’ and in ‘I’ve long since moved to a higher plateau’. This is certainly what Richey thought of himself, someone who lived in the modern world but was not truly part of it, hence the ‘higher plateau’, another level of existence.
Yes
In these lyrics Richey displays his contempt for the horrors that are allowed to continue in the world such as sex exploitation. His hatred of the corruption that money can bring is expressed in the line ‘in these plagued streets of pity you can buy anything, for $200 anyone can conceive a God on video’ signifying that money can get one anything no matter the moral consequences. Similarly the seeming worthlessness of human dignity in a commercial world is explored in the line ‘he’s a boy, you want a girl so tear off his cock, tie his hair in bunches, fuck him, call him Rita if you want’ meaning that people can be altered and dehumanised if it serves to meet a demand in the market.
Life Becoming a Landslide
With these words Richey talks about his fears of growing up and his views on relationships. The most striking line is that of ‘there is no true love, just a finely tuned jealousy’. Many experts on relationships are in agreement that jealousy is an essential psychological part of a relationship, without jealousy one is detached from one’s partner and would not care if they cheated. Richey has realised this and it occurs to him that the ‘true love’ which so many speak of is purely a perfect balance of the feeling of jealousy. With this knowledge he is immensely cynical of relationships and love and it perhaps for this reason that he never found anyone he really did love. In the previous lines ‘my idea of love comes from a childhood glimpse of pornography’ Richey explains that he believes the illusion of love is created through imagery that we are exposed to as children and are unable to do anything other than take it at face value. His views on growing up and the tragedy of the loss of youth are also explored. The line ‘I don’t want to be a man’ is not a reference to gender despite the glam image the band generated but to not wanting to become an adult. As one becomes older, in Richey’s mind one loses one’s idealism and passion, ‘everyday more numb to agony’ means we become desensitised to suffering, both our own and others because we notice it less. He also talks of our alienation from our families as we grow older, ‘babies in time barely even recognise, words that once stroked now bruising tired lips’. The words our mothers spoke to us to comfort us as children now mean nothing to us and do not have the same effect as they once had. Richey feels that our separation and lack of closeness to our mothers is unhealthy.
During my analysis of the lyrics I spent time researching Stephen Hawking and his views on genetic modification: http://www.greens.org/s-r/20/20-01.html, this website was useful.
Also for 4st/7lb research on anorexia where this site proved useful http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/anorexianervosa.htm
Once again http://www.richeyedwards.net/ proved useful.
Here are my starting critiques of each song lyric which will develop into something more like an essay:
Me and Stephen Hawking
These lyrics were written after Richey’s period of depression and self-abuse and although he was still cynical it is clear from almost all the words he left before his disappearance that he was happier and more at ease. The best example lies here in the line ‘overjoyed me and Stephen Hawking, we laugh, we missed the sex revolution, when we failed the physical’. Here we find an example of Richey’s prevailing sense of humour and in the original typed lyrics he has annotated this line, marking it out as a joke. He is mocking himself for being so young and in his prime but being very fragile. The cynicism remains though, the words deal with fears about genetic modification.
4st 7lb
This song is not a direct account of Richey experiencing anorexia but shows his understanding of what it is like to experience mental disorder. The chorus line about wanting to walk on the snow shows the anorexics desire for order and neatness in their lives, hence wanting to be thin and have little impact on their surroundings, they talk of ‘not soiling its purity’ as if they are not worthy to step on something like snow if they will damage it. For the anorexic in Richey’s lyrics, being anorexic is a form of self completion, this is shown in the final line ‘I’ve finally come to understand lifethrough staring blankly at my navel’ and in ‘I’ve long since moved to a higher plateau’. This is certainly what Richey thought of himself, someone who lived in the modern world but was not truly part of it, hence the ‘higher plateau’, another level of existence.
Yes
In these lyrics Richey displays his contempt for the horrors that are allowed to continue in the world such as sex exploitation. His hatred of the corruption that money can bring is expressed in the line ‘in these plagued streets of pity you can buy anything, for $200 anyone can conceive a God on video’ signifying that money can get one anything no matter the moral consequences. Similarly the seeming worthlessness of human dignity in a commercial world is explored in the line ‘he’s a boy, you want a girl so tear off his cock, tie his hair in bunches, fuck him, call him Rita if you want’ meaning that people can be altered and dehumanised if it serves to meet a demand in the market.
Life Becoming a Landslide
With these words Richey talks about his fears of growing up and his views on relationships. The most striking line is that of ‘there is no true love, just a finely tuned jealousy’. Many experts on relationships are in agreement that jealousy is an essential psychological part of a relationship, without jealousy one is detached from one’s partner and would not care if they cheated. Richey has realised this and it occurs to him that the ‘true love’ which so many speak of is purely a perfect balance of the feeling of jealousy. With this knowledge he is immensely cynical of relationships and love and it perhaps for this reason that he never found anyone he really did love. In the previous lines ‘my idea of love comes from a childhood glimpse of pornography’ Richey explains that he believes the illusion of love is created through imagery that we are exposed to as children and are unable to do anything other than take it at face value. His views on growing up and the tragedy of the loss of youth are also explored. The line ‘I don’t want to be a man’ is not a reference to gender despite the glam image the band generated but to not wanting to become an adult. As one becomes older, in Richey’s mind one loses one’s idealism and passion, ‘everyday more numb to agony’ means we become desensitised to suffering, both our own and others because we notice it less. He also talks of our alienation from our families as we grow older, ‘babies in time barely even recognise, words that once stroked now bruising tired lips’. The words our mothers spoke to us to comfort us as children now mean nothing to us and do not have the same effect as they once had. Richey feels that our separation and lack of closeness to our mothers is unhealthy.
Drug Drug Druggy
Although it is unrecorded whether Richey habitually abused drugs he had certainly taken some in his lifetime. Here, he tells the story of an addict and their dependence on drugs and rejection of everything else in the world.
Spectators of Suicide
Richey portrays a dim view of society here. Lines like ‘cigarettes a lifeline’ refer to the way that we create and cling to items to keep us going in society without which we would give up all hope and will to live. ‘Choking on the billboards’ used imagery of how advertising and products are almost force fed to us and our inability to do anything about it.
Some are obviously more developed than others but these serve the purpose of showing what area of his mindset each lyric deals with. My next task is to write an introduction for the essay which I plan to use as part of my final presentation.
Thursday 16 July 2009
The life and times of Richey
This is a quick little timeline of Richey's life up till his disappearance (i could have done the events in his life after his disappearance but they might have been a tad inaccurate). My sources were http://www.richeyedwards.net/ and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richey_James_Edwards.
22 December 1969 - Richey is born in Blackwood, a small South Wales town near Cardiff with strong socialist roots, the town was synonomous with the miners strike under Thatcher. He comments regularly in later life about the ack of anything to do in small Welsh towns. He goes to his local comprehensive secondary school where he meets the 3 other band members.
22 December 1969 - Richey is born in Blackwood, a small South Wales town near Cardiff with strong socialist roots, the town was synonomous with the miners strike under Thatcher. He comments regularly in later life about the ack of anything to do in small Welsh towns. He goes to his local comprehensive secondary school where he meets the 3 other band members.
1989 - He joins the band after having served as a roadie and starts to primarily write lyrics with Nicky, the bassist. He was unskilled in playing guitar and would only do rhythm and often played live with his guitar unplugged.
May 15 1991 - In an argument with Steve Lamacq over the credibility of the Manic Street Preachers, Richey carves the word '4REAL' in his left arm with a razorblade in a public act of self harm. He self harmed regularly but was fairly open about it.
1992 - The first album is released.
June 21st 1993 - The second album is released.
25th September 1993 - Richey sees his best friend, Nicky get married. Richey never found love despite many one night stands and was described by James Dean Bradfield (singer and lead guitar) as being very cruel and scornful whenever he had a girlfriend.
October 1993- On a tour of Germany, Richey drinks copious amounts of alcohol and stubs cigarettes out on himself. He goes to a health farm.
8th April 1994 - Kurt Cobain kills himself. He was a big inspiration to Richey and the band were inspired by Nirvana's 'In Utero' when making their 3rd album. In the same period one of Richey's old friends hangs himself.
July 1994 - After an apparent suicide attempt Richey goes to the Priory where there is a heavy religious influence. Richey documents this in the song 'Journal for Plague Lovers'. He leaves in September.
29th August 1994 - Their darkest album, 'The Holy Bible' is released, written mainly by Richey the subject matter is very dark and the lyrics very harrowing. The bandhave described the state of mind that they were in when making this album as being the result of hating everything they saw around them as young people and that they could never return to that state of being afterwards.
November - December 1994 - The band tour in support of Suede where Richey is stopped from removing his fingers with a meat cleaver.
19-21st December 1994 - Richey's last gigs with the Manics at the Astoria where they smash all their equipment.
January - February 1995 - Richey's dog dies and he speaks to his parents expressing doubts about the upcoming american tour. He checks in to his hotel on the 31st and checks out on the next day and drives away. He is never seen again. His car is found near the Severn Bridge on 17th February.
23rd November 2008 - After numerous supposed sightings Richey is declared missing, presumed dead at the request of his family.
18th May 2009 - 'Journal for Plague Lovers' is released, an album containing words written by Richey and left to the band shortly before he dissapeared.
Since he disappeared the band continued to put 25% of their earnings into an account for him in case he returned. The case has never been solved.
After having produced this timeline to help me pinpoint how Richey was feeling in different periods and also to reinforce my knowledge of what his life was like I intend next to look at a basic outline of what each of my chosen lyrics mean in relation to the time.
Sunday 12 July 2009
So, which songs?
I have been listening to all the Richey-era songs and follwoing the words in the CD inserts and have chosen the lyrics that say the most about Richeys state of mind though it must be noted that many lyrics were co-written with Nicky Wire (the bassist).
These are the song titles and links to the lyrics.
4st 7lb -This song gives a very harrowing account of a young girl's battle with anorexia and shows Richey's understanding of inner torment and mental disorder.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/4st+7lb_20087707.html
Yes - This very graphic song shows Richey's contempt for a world where people are exploited and so many people live in unfavourable conditions.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/yes_20087719.html
Drug Drug Druggy - A very good account of Richey's addiction.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Drug-Drug-Druggy-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/684A982E07E04D8448256A48002E42A8
Spectators of Suicide - Another song portraying his pessimistic view of the modern world.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Spectators-Of-Suicide-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/7C49131D67A83C6D48256A48002CEA21
Die In the Summertime - Richey's inner turmoil.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/die+in+the+summertime_20087709.html
Faster - Written by Richey about self-harm. This is similar to DITS and 4st 7lb
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/faster_20087605.html
Me and Stephen Hawking - I chose this as it shows Richey when he is much mellower and free from drugs and alcohol, it's the closest he comes to being light-hearted.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Me-And-Stephen-Hawking-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/EED132F92101ECB8482575B40013B716
Life Becoming A Landslide - This is Richey's general take on life and importantly his views on love and growing up.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Life-Becoming-A-Landslide-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/E8D4482029036FE948256A48002E48BA
These are the lyrics I will focus on but I will also not discount the use of other lines and quotes from Richey.
My next step will be to timeline Richey's life to see how he would have been at the times of writing.
These are the song titles and links to the lyrics.
4st 7lb -This song gives a very harrowing account of a young girl's battle with anorexia and shows Richey's understanding of inner torment and mental disorder.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/4st+7lb_20087707.html
Yes - This very graphic song shows Richey's contempt for a world where people are exploited and so many people live in unfavourable conditions.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/yes_20087719.html
Drug Drug Druggy - A very good account of Richey's addiction.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Drug-Drug-Druggy-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/684A982E07E04D8448256A48002E42A8
Spectators of Suicide - Another song portraying his pessimistic view of the modern world.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Spectators-Of-Suicide-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/7C49131D67A83C6D48256A48002CEA21
Die In the Summertime - Richey's inner turmoil.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/die+in+the+summertime_20087709.html
Faster - Written by Richey about self-harm. This is similar to DITS and 4st 7lb
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/m/manic+street+preachers/faster_20087605.html
Me and Stephen Hawking - I chose this as it shows Richey when he is much mellower and free from drugs and alcohol, it's the closest he comes to being light-hearted.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Me-And-Stephen-Hawking-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/EED132F92101ECB8482575B40013B716
Life Becoming A Landslide - This is Richey's general take on life and importantly his views on love and growing up.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Life-Becoming-A-Landslide-lyrics-Manic-Street-Preachers/E8D4482029036FE948256A48002E48BA
These are the lyrics I will focus on but I will also not discount the use of other lines and quotes from Richey.
My next step will be to timeline Richey's life to see how he would have been at the times of writing.
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