You'll all be fully aware that the music business has been on the verge of imploding following the announcement that Mr Kardashian has been confirmed as a headliner for Glastonbury 2015. That's right, if you've not heard the news, Kanye West will be headlining the Saturday night on the Pyramid Stage at the iconic festival this summer! And how did everyone react to the news of this booking? Well, a bit like Jeremy Clarkson after not receiving a hot meal following a tough day faffing around in cars!
But a whopping 70,000 people have been seemingly outraged by this booking that they have gone to the trouble of signing a petition urging the organizers (Michael and Emily Eavis) to cancel West's appearance at the Worthy Farm event. Why the outrage? Well, in the simplest terms, Glastonbury is traditionally a festival that caters for more rock/indie tastes, with hip-hop and pop being equally despised by the snobby mud splattered masses. Kanye West therefore represents the antithesis of "good music" for many!
However, those of you who keep your brain active may be able to recall that a similar thing happened when Jay-Z was announced for the 2008 festival (seriously, was that 7 years ago?!), and even recall that Mr Z's wife, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, also briefly caused blood to boil by topping the bill 3 years later in 2011. Metallica also irked a few people last year by having the audacity to turn up to play big riffs and sport greasy hair in front of a crowd that would have much preferred to be have been watching the Arctic Monkeys. But Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Metallica all successfully managed to win over the majority of the haters, and we all seemingly lived happily ever after. Until now.
Kanye West has somehow managed to cause new levels of Glasto outrage, probably due to having an ego that King Kong would perhaps think twice about trying to scale! For example, West's recent claim that Beyoncé should have won the Grammy for album of the year, rather than Beck, hilariously claiming that the Grammys should "respect artistry" and give the award to the former Destiny's Child singer. I'm sure you're all aware of how West's argument falls down; Beck of course is a multi-instrumentalist who writes and produces his own material, whereas the 'Crazy In Love' singer has a crack team of writers/producers/stylists/photoshoppers at her disposal to conquer the charts on a whim. In short, the whole 'telling the Grammys how to do their job' thing highlighted the common perception that Kanye wholeheartedly believes that he is at the centre of the universe...which kinda rubs people up the wrong way.
If you've not taken the time to peruse the petition, started by first-time Glastonbury goer Neil Lonsdale, it reads:
"Kanye West is an insult to music fans all over the world. We spend hundreds of pounds to attend glasto, and by doing so, expect a certain level of entertainment.
Kanye has been very outspoken on his views on music....he should listen to his own advice and pass his headline slot on to someone deserving!
Lets prevent this musical injustice now!"
How do I personally feel about Kanye West wrecking all of our lives by appearing in a big field in Somerset you ask? I don't care. Furthermore, I doubt I'd bat an eyelid even if Michael Eavis were to announce that the Sunday slot is to be filled by One Direction caked in vegetable oil, featuring Simon Cowell riding a unicycle in a gimp outfit. I'm not a fan of Kanye West's music (actually, I couldn't even name a song or hum one of his ditties), but I've got better things to complain about. I haven't added my name to the petition, simply because the vast majority of acts confirmed for Glastonbury are pretty damn good, and I've become accustomed to the Eavis family thinking outside the box and announcing one "quirky" headline act each year. Furthermore, I don't think Glastonbury is becoming like another V Festival, which seems to be the main concern for most, and I'm curious to see if Kanye can win me over.
If Kanye isn't quite to your refined taste either, and you're 100% positive that you don't want to witness his headline set, then I'm sure you'd be able to find alternative entertainment at the festival, right? As anyone who has been to the festival will tell you, there's a whole other world to Glastonbury than the Pyramid Stage! Plus, for those of you at home, the BBC has the 'red button' to allow you to select the artist that you'd rather watch instead. Hurrah!
Having said all that, it would be great if Eavis replaced him with Beck over "artistry" issues, right?