The Bible Of Badness: Old DEUTERONOMY
Cats.
I hate Cats. I hate the Stray Cats, I hate the Pussycat Dolls, I hate the Love Cats by the Cure. But most of all I hate Cats the Musical. I hate Andrew Lloyd Webber, that is a given, but previously I cannot say I had been troubled by T.S.Eliot. But once his not very good poems were turned into lyrics, well suddenly the mans anagram made sense. This was toilets. Ironically the French word for Cat is Chat, pronounced Shat, which is exactly the process I imagine Richard Stilgoe and Lloyd-Webber’s music did to Eliot’s poetry. All over it.
One wonders why Cats was so popular. Was it the whimsical treatment of highbrow art. Was it a sentimental animal loving British public, soft in the head for cheapo spandex anthropomorphism? Could it be the heart rending (which one would imagine would be painful) rendition of Memories by Elaine Page? No it was none of these. Men took their wives to Cats so they could look at the nubile young dancers dressed up as Cats with barely anything on. In the dark days of the Eighties it was cheaper than going to a strip show, albeit more furry friendly. Of course they were often let down when they truned out and realised that the entire cast were actually dressed like the Cowardly Lion from the Wizard Of Oz.
Which brings us to Old Deutoronomy. The song suggests that he is an Old Cat. Taking the nine lives thing more than literally the track insipidly fits half arsed rhymes together whilst another dancer booted out of the RAD dons an extra pair of whiskers and gets to dance slowly for a bit. But looking closer at the lyrics you’d think it would be possible to note where Eliot leaves, and Stilgoe takes over:
Well of all things can it be really
No, yes, ho, hi, oh my eye!
My mind may be wandering but I confess
I believe it is Old Deuteronomy
But no. That ho-hi sub-Tolkein Tom Bombadil nonsense is in the original! Stilgoe is not responsible*. So not only do I hate music, I think I Hate Poetry now too. And ballet school dropouts with stick on tails. Cos I hate cats.
*For the theme tune to Finders Keepers and the lyrics to Starlight Express he still deserves a slow roasting in hell.
Tanya Headon in FT /I Hate Music • 1,904 views
I really need this extreme anti-music stuff.. It cleanses me after all the raving and the partisan criticism.. You’re just so sure and appealing.. Just when I thought you’d disappeared two years ago :)
What a closed-minded cunt you are. Closed-minded and uncultured. It’s people like you whom I’m unsure whether to get annoyed at, or laugh at.
You’re quite pathetic. Do you really think you’re making a difference by publishing your idiotic thoughts? SHUT. THE HELL UP. YOU FUZZBAG.
And GET a DAMN LIFE!
Dear Amy, would you talk to your mother like that?
Richard Stilgoe had nothing to do with Cats. At least bother to get your facts right before you go slagging something off!
Stilgoe wrote additional lyrics for Jellicle Songs for Jellicle Cats. Which says is ALL!
stilgoe is an anagram of G.S.ELIOT
except the lyrics to Cats were written by Trevor Nunn, which is an anagram of NON-TV RERUN
Didn’t your mother ever sing you a lullaby?????????
You are one of those ballet school drop outs arent you?? You still didn’t even make cats and now you have to have a cry about it so everyone thinks you are cool and that you let it roll off you shoulder hahahaha loser
What the fuck is wrong with you? You obviously have no life outside of ripping on music that is actually quite good. If you would drag your head out off your ass for about three seconds you might just notice that. But so far it appears that you are too much of a god damn idiot to but yourself through the physical ordeal that thinking is for you.
Burn in hell.
Just saw CRAPS. I thought it was the worst musical I’ve seen. No story. Nothing interesting. A bunch of cats dancing for 2 plus hours. I am dumbfounded by the popularity of this thing!
Thought I’d surprise my grandkids and take them to Cats at Artscape in Cape Town. Children are honest and 6 year old Tanya kept looking at me with a quisical but pained expression. “Gran, I want to go home”. The two older ones fell asleep and my daughter in law from Russia asked to be excused at interval, said she’s wait in the restaurant, if possible. No, we ALL wanted to go home! And did so at interval. Are we some cretans? I loved Phantom, Miss Saigon, Les Mis, Lady in Black, various plays on the London circuit and the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Hall in New York. Name-Dropping? I suppose; but “needed” in the context of my comments. I think it is high time fans realize and admit “The Emporer is wearing no clothes” when they glorify this musical!!!
PS. The language and comments by “fans” of the musical!!!; perhaps says it all!!
I thought this article was stupid, and didn’t have a point.You didnt make any points about WHY you didnt like it.
I think Cats is a great musical. No one can deny that it’s costumes are amazing.
I WOULD be innsulting your head off like I did to the others, but it seems as though most of the commentors here have already done that for me. So here’s my two cents:
I DON’T CARE IF YOU HAVE OPINIONS. I DON’T CARE IF WE SHARE DIFFERENT IDEAS ON ONE SUBJECT. BUT WHAT RIGHT DO YOU HAVE TO START CRITICIZING A PERFECTLY GOOD PIECE OF ART, YOU SCUMBAG? IF YOU DON’T LIKE CATS, DON’T GO SEE IT. THERE! PROBLEM SOLVED! SO IF YOU THINK YOU CAN GO OUT FLINGING INSULTS LIKE GERMS, YOU CAN JUST…you can just… um…GO STICK YOUR EMPTY HEAD INTO A VAT OF DOG POOP!