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Let's all take Blindboy seriously now...

Sky King

People do know this is a character right? And not an actual person?

Does it strike anyone else as strange that a made-up persona with a fake voice, parody accent and a fking plastic bag on his head is treated like a normal, regular person in debates and current affairs TV shows? And given the same credibility and respect as an actual real person?

Imagine Fr. Dougal Mcguire, Dustin the Turkey and Fortycoats appearing our incisive current affairs shows discussing mental health with Alan Partridge adjudicating.

Or discussing the 8th amendment and feminism with Mrs Brown, The Bottler and Podge and Rodge? It would be treated like a joke (obviously), but when the prank phone call making, glue-huffing, spastic hawk-toting Blindboy talks serious we all suddenly have to sit up take it seriously.

If I was asked to debate on the same show as a parody character I'd be more than a little pissed off.

By all means share your story on mental health or offer an opinion on our education system. But for fk sake would you give us and the other people on the show the respect of doing it yourself, in a real voice? Without a fking bag on your head?

Alternatively if you prefer holding on to the bag, you could try going back to... you know... being funny. And less preachy.

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Dannyriver

frozenfrozen wrote: »

It's double edged. Women heard what he had to say too. Maybe some of them might cop on to the fact that they can't expect an unemployed man from Limerick to wine and dine her?

I think you're picking it up wrong anyway, it doesn't literally mean find a woman to buy you dinner and your life will be better. It's to become at peace with the fact that a woman can be in the position to buy you dinner. Some men would be physically unable to let a woman pay for their dinner because of pride or what they might think others would think about them if word got around that they couldn't pay.

He goes into detail about this in the original interview...

Thank you , you ve saved me the bother of explaining this.

Dannyriver

tomwaterford wrote: »

I won't link it....but a simple google who is blindboy rubberbandits gives an name and pic

DC??

I know that but most people dont google his identity and even if they look at his head once on here...they re not then going to necessarily recognise him 2 weeks later in a busy pub.

Rumpy Pumpy

Dannyriver wrote: »

Tell that to kevin Barry and Danny Boyle, 2 writers who actually achieved something in the field of art rather than being stuck here on boards criticising **** that s just gone over their head.

I’ve read Kevin Barry’s short stories. Blindboy is no Kevin Barry. The short story published yesterday was a poor attempt at satirising ‘hipster’ culture. The first few long-winded paragraphs were ok if broad caricature is your thing, but it some became extremely tedious. Certainly not the sort of thing that would go over the head of anyone with a rudimentary education. The writer also appears to have an obsession with xanax.

As I said, poor fare.

screamer

For a talking plastic bag it sure has a lot to say. I actually turn off the TV when I see that character. Where's the sidekick gone btw?

mzungu

screamer wrote: »

For a talking plastic bag it sure has a lot to say. I actually turn off the TV when I see that character. Where's the sidekick gone btw?

Done an Andrew Ridgeley?

Insect Overlord

screamer wrote: »

For a talking plastic bag it sure has a lot to say. I actually turn off the TV when I see that character. Where's the sidekick gone btw?

Pretty sure Blindboy has been doing the publicity for the pair of them for a long time. He even handled the epic Joe Duffy call, and that was the guts of 7 years ago.

Dannyriver

Rumpy Pumpy wrote: »

I’ve read Kevin Barry’s short stories. Blindboy is no Kevin Barry. The short story published yesterday was a poor attempt at satirising ‘hipster’ culture. The first few long-winded paragraphs were ok if broad caricature is your thing, but it some became extremely tedious. Certainly not the sort of thing that would go over the head of anyone with a rudimentary education. The writer also appears to have an obsession with xanax.

As I said, poor fare.

Whether you think he s **** or not or whether you think he s no kevin Barry is really not the point. Kevin Barry described the book as 'mad wild hysterical and a brilliant debut' that s all Im saying. And I loved the story in the independent and very much agree with Kevin Barry it's a brilliant book.

enricoh

Heard him on radio a while back on about feminism. It was worse than pathetic what he was blabbering on about. Pseudo this, neo liberalism that .
Probably cooking up a storm on campus' and getting them to follow on Twitter though. and thats all that matters! But it was painful listening

Cienciano

Sky King wrote: »

Perhaps I do. I have the same problem being lectured to in a fake accent by either to be honest.

Don't listen to him then. It's as simple as that

Irish Guitarist

I think he's great.

Arghus

chrissb8 wrote: »

The whole point that he can be taken seriously in a plastic bag is what he's trying to get at. Infact I'd say he's an inverse of what we're used to. Men in suits with serious faces talking laughable bulls**t to us. What he's saying is to actually listen to him and don't worry about what he looks like or how he presents himself physically. The idea that we need to be dressed up or propped up in a certain way to be taken seriously when the truth doesn't matter where it comes from. Because it's the truth nothing more or nothing less. I respect that alot. Infact not many people could go on a talk show and hold their own in the get up he puts on.

Also what is wrong with his stances on feminism and the repeal campaign he's right. Alot of young men have a huge amount of respect for him for using his voice to talk about mental health and the issues of feminism to men. He's not a champion but he's said it himself he's had issues with his own mental health and sees a perceived wrong in the trivilisation of mental health in Ireland. And is he wrong? How many young men in Ireland are committing suicide or suffering alone. He's using his voice for something extremely important and not going away. If someone is articulate and has what looks like to me alot of relevant and important things to say their appearance means nothing. Would it matter if he was wearing the bag and was on radio or even in the newspaper?

I would have more people dressed in ridiculous outfits if we could get half the brain blindboy seems to have. This is just another case of get off your high horse and down with the rest of us. You can guess I'm a big fan of his and you can ascertain how wrong you are in thinking he's talking nonsense when he has so clearly struck a chord with many and his "arrogant" msgs of a more utilitarian Ireland. God forbid.

Great post. You hit the nail on the head about Blind-Boy.

He seems to be interested in playing with the idea of what is performance or art and where we draw the line at what is regarded as "serious" or real - so, yes, him making reasonable, coherent and articulate points about real world issues, all the while wearing a Spar bag on his head, is nearly the essence of what he's about.

Ush1

mathie wrote: »

They were funnier when they did comedy over serious stuff?

And more entertaining, less annoying.

Ush1

TheDavester wrote: »

When did they ever do comedy

That balloon prank phone call to the bank is classic stuff.

fxotoole

Sky King wrote: »

Does it strike anyone else as strange that a made-up persona with a fake voice, parody accent and a fking plastic bag on his head is treated like a normal, regular person in debates and current affairs TV shows?

We're living in a postmodern, post truth, celebrity obsessed culture, where the President of the United States, a celeb in his own right, posts random unfiltered musings on Twitter.

So no, it doesn't strike me as strange in the least bit.

lazybones32

Never listened to him, never will. Read written articles about him and not gone on him/them.
I understand daft punk doing the mask thing; Sia too, but a serious gulf in talent exists between those three.

Insect Overlord

lazybones32 wrote: »

Never listened to him, never will. Read written articles about him and not gone on him/them.
I understand daft punk doing the mask thing; Sia too, but a serious gulf in talent exists between those three.

How can you tell there's a gulf in talent if you never listen to him or his work?

Dannyriver

Insect Overlord wrote: »

How can you tell there's a gulf in talent if you never listen to him or his work?

Thank you

Arghus

lazybones32 wrote: »

Never listened to him, never will. Read written articles about him and not gone on him/them.
I understand daft punk doing the mask thing; Sia too, but a serious gulf in talent exists between those three.

So you are basing your opinion on nothing then.

Sound!

Tangatagamadda Chaddabinga Bonga Bungo

Not to sound too gay (I'm totally being gay) but he is actually very handsome. Especially considering he covers his face when performing. Lovely.

I think he is funny. And I personally appreciated what he said on The Late Late Show a couple of weeks ago about dealing with his anxiety issues, it was a very good message and I feel like the interview for real helped some people who watched it. It wasn't the run of the mill interview where someone says I was depressed and now I'm okay. He gave out good practical and helpful information that not enough people know about. It certainly struck a deep cord with me anyway.

My criticism of The Rubberbandit's like others on the thread is the whole social justice warrior shtick that they have going on. Social justice activism is the antithesis of comedy.

lazybones32

Insect Overlord wrote: »

How can you tell there's a gulf in talent if you never listen to him or his work?

Second sentence...i read written articles about him...which quoted him/them.
If he is such a genius, why hasn't the rest of the world picked up on his talent? Given the proliferance of interwebs, they have the platform. Maybe their talent/appeal doesn't resonate outside of the Republic?

Remember Dido? Sang on an Eminem track...her brother and sister (Rollo and Sister Bliss) are musicians too. They are part of Faithless but they do stellar work individually too. Their parents are from Limerick and dido and rollo are their real names. Useless fact but since we're talking of talent to come out of limerick...

Wibbs

Jayop wrote: »

3 of the top 5 threads right now on AH are complaining about people from the left having a voice and expressing it.

I would consider myself left of centre in most aspects. On that score I'd be a "damned commie" to many Americans. In general though I'd be an old school liberal, which might be summed up with "whatever floats your boat so long as it doesn't sink anybody else's" and I would and have happily supported that position with both my taxes and lack of concern about how folks get through their day.

However I draw the line, or at least feel free to question, even laugh at, the one side promotion of painfully parroted and fashionable naive, but hardcore politic masquerading as reasonable discourse spouted by talking heads of usually excessive loudness in the media, especially, but not exclusively when it's on media the same taxes of all of us help fund.

Never mind that such prattle from such simplistic and oft simple minded talking heads only serves to increase the already increasing polarity in western society and drowns out the questioning and much worse the middle ground voices.

Dannyriver

lazybones32 wrote: »

Second sentence...i read written articles about him...which quoted him/them.
If he is such a genius, why hasn't the rest of the world picked up on his talent? Given the proliferance of interwebs, they have the platform. Maybe their talent/appeal doesn't resonate outside of the Republic?

Remember Dido? Sang on an Eminem track...her brother and sister (Rollo and Sister Bliss) are musicians too. They are part of Faithless but they do stellar work individually too. Their parents are from Limerick and dido and rollo are their real names. Useless fact but since we're talking of talent to come out of limerick...

1] Who s claiming he s a genius

2] If the rest of the world picks up on you it proves you ve talent yeah? like westlife is it

3] They ve 430000 followers on facebook and sold out the soho club in london for 30 nights in a row last year, last time I looked London wasn't part of the republic.

topper75

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, young men thrown on the economic scrap-heap by global neo-liberalism just need to learn how to let a woman take them out for dinner.

Fantastic insight, not patronising at all.

Russell Brand, is that you?

smurgen

I find the bandwagon jumping by him irritating to say the least and they're full of double standards.for example they cream the catholic church as much as possible for comedic effect speaking of haunted bread etc,grand but they forever play devils advocate for Islam and never take the piss out of it.when pressed on twitter the cop out is that that's not the religion they were brought up in and cannot comment on it.it doesn't really tally with the whole liberal belief system they champion.catholicism is an easy whipping boy that i feel the use in a bid to look edgy.

Jayop

Wibbs wrote: »

I would consider myself left of centre in most aspects. On that score I'd be a "damned commie" to many Americans. In general though I'd be an old school liberal, which might be summed up with "whatever floats your boat so long as it doesn't sink anybody else's" and I would and have happily supported that position with both my taxes and lack of concern about how folks get through their day.

However I draw the line, or at least feel free to question, even laugh at, the one side promotion of painfully parroted and fashionable naive, but hardcore politic masquerading as reasonable discourse spouted by talking heads of usually excessive loudness in the media, especially, but not exclusively when it's on media the same taxes of all of us help fund.

Never mind that such prattle from such simplistic and oft simple minded talking heads only serves to increase the already increasing polarity in western society and drowns out the questioning and much worse the middle ground voices.

But the simplistic prattling is coming from both side. You have the IONA heads with their daily pieces in all the nationals, you have 3/4 right wing tabloids vomiting their own brand of bile on the populace, you have Kenny and many more on national radio. I don't watch Irish TV so I don't know but surely they're there too.

My point seems to have been missed on you. I'm not complaining about anything other than those who moan about BS from the left (a lot of it is) while at the same time they scream blue murder that their voice is being silenced when it patently isn't given the majority of the print media and a fair portion of the radio coverage is right wing.

Wibbs

in fairness having a placcy bag over one's head is sure to engender a blinkered view on the world...

Insect Overlord

lazybones32 wrote: »

Second sentence...i read written articles about him...which quoted him/them.

It just seems a shame that someone would base their opinion on a person/product/endeavour entirely on other people's opinions, instead of checking them out yourself to find out for sure.

You might well find out that you still don't like them, and that's entirely down to your own tastes and interests, but at least then it would be your educated opinion instead of something you just read in the paper.

Wibbs

Jayop wrote: »

But the simplistic prattling is coming from both side.

1) the "left" is more in evidence and "acceptable", 2) its the increasing polarisation of opinion that concerns me.

My point seems to have been missed on you.

Not really.

I'm not complaining about anything other than those who moan about BS from the left (a lot of it is) while at the same time they scream blue murder that their voice is being silenced when it patently isn't given the majority of the print media and a fair portion of the radio coverage is right wing.

It is and it isn't. It very much depends on one's worldview out of the gate. EG take this here Boards.ie itself. Damn near every week we have people claiming and berating the site and members for being too "left/right wing[delete as applicable] with equal fervour for their strongly heal position.

As for the media in Ireland, only the most obtuse of observers would claim that it is right leaning. It is very much left of centre, including the red tops stuffed under the front seat of a Transit van for the most part. RTE is very much left of centre on almost all matters. The Indo even moreso.

Noveight

Yer man realised there's only so many "Das Limerick citaaay" gags you can make. Cue a very convenient turn towards being a mental health pioneer, much like Niall Breslin did when his music career headed down the S-bend.

Prune Tracy

The Mail and at times, red tops are right-wing. The Indo is right-wing economically.

But I don't know how anyone could deem broadcast here as right-wing. Or left-wing. They're totally in the centre.