Olympics Triumph: British History & Culture Smashingly Reduced to a Hollow Echo of Campy Kitsch

Remember when this was the knock on America? That America took everything important and great and reduced it to child-friendly pastels and empty kitschy spectacle?

Although the whole thing is pretty kitschy -- a series of 80s nostalgia acts, combined with tributes to 60s and 70s nostalgia acts, like the Beatles and Bowie -- what's drawing the most ire is Russell Brand's attempt to fuse -- in a family friendly way, you understand -- Willy Wonka with the druggy Beatles anthem "I am The Walrus," around 34:51.

It almost gets weirder at 59:00.

This, they say, is a celebration of British independence and free-spiritedness.

Yeah, America has long enjoyed such celebrations. If this were the Super Bowl, and we were as kitschy-tasteless as Danny Boyle, we'd have Liza Manelli and Justin Bieber dueting on Don't Fear the Reaper.

Danny Boyle is some kind of British patriot, but he's patriotic about odd things: Government welfare benefits and answers to trivia questions.

Note: A commenter says Danny Boyle did not do the closing ceremony, just the opening. My point still stands, whatever the hell it was.

Apologies to Elvis fans for comparing this to Brand. I was trying to think of a Big Vegas Monstrosity, but really couldn't think of one. This is all that I could think of.

Wasn't the Spice Girls reunion, at 48:48, enough?

posted by Ace at 08:15 PM

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