No one expects every media personality to declare their political views, or even share an opinion about a news event.
Just because a person is a celebrity doesn’t mean they’re obligated to get behind a cause or a mission.
We can’t all have minds and consciences like Brad Pitt, George Clooney or Sean Penn.
Nor is everyone prepared to pay the price for free expression as did Vanessa Redgrave and many others.
But when you lay claim to writing editorials and opinions for some of the biggest newspapers in the world, then it’s a curious thing when no one in your own country can name one thing you stand for.
All anyone can say for sure about Jian Ghomeshi is that he’s a cheerleader for more funding of the arts. Not surprising really, since he’s an eager recipient of much of that funding. And it suits his current job, exploiting and promoting the fame of other artists.
But as a man who proudly carries the dual identity of an Iranian-Canadian, and feigns to be viewed as a political intellect, he’s sure silent when it comes to the more real and serious issues.
Ashtiani, 42, (a mother of two) will be buried up to her chest, according to an Amnesty International report citing the Iranian penal code. The stones that will be hurled at her will be large enough to cause pain but not so large as to kill her immediately.
But Jian finds enough time to Twitter about himself and Macy Gray, as if it mattered.
As if it mattered at all.
64 Comments
It does seem eerily prescient. Jian’s father dying started the chain reaction leading to his arrest.
“The day Jian’s father passes on, he will implode.”
Anonymous
Posted July 9, 2010 at 7:04 pm
Pretty accurate prediction.
When Jian interviews Sarah Harmer, he says: “It’s weird that you’ve not been here before.” Yup! It was more important for the CBC to here from Kelly Cutrone than Sarah Harmer.
Talk about dropping the ball – where’s the backstage interview with Lady Ga Ga?
Does someone have a problem recognizing popular culture?
Or is the problem more to do with being a second-rate radio producer with no initiative?
Even Denise Donlon would listen to an interview with Lady Ga Ga.
And even Denise Donlon couldn’t figure out to get that interview, let alone Jian.
Just what Lady Gaga needs…more publicity. And what is Jenn Grant doing these days? We don’t know, because she’s only a Canadian artist, not worthy of “Q” notice.
Jian, George, Denise Donlon, Kirstine Layfield-Stewart, et al.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdeIZkZo2PM&feature=player_embedded
Allan, are you referring to the interview with Gagologist that they had today? Just wondering where this came from. To be honest, I didn’t catch it – I tuned instead into “Rutherford” on my local CHED station which had an interview about the controversy about the authenticity of a Da Vinci painting. For those of you in the ceter of the Canadian Universe, Charles Rutherford is fairly typical of the Corus stable of chat jocks. Doesn’t know a climate change denier he doesn’t love. Says “I don’t know” a lot. What he does know, he proclaims at least three times to make sure you get the point. Says things thrice in short sentence. You know, three times.
Actually, he did an adequate job with the interview.
The story comes from the vaunted New Yorker:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/07/12/100712fa_fact_grann
It features Canadian art expert Peter Paul Biro and there are several other Canadian references in it. According the CHED piece, Biro gets slagged (I haven’t actually read it in full but I plan to run out and buy it!). Be that as it may, it is a big Canadian art story and Q is not covering it. Just like they didn’t cover the new 80 million dollar new art gallery we have here in town.
But then, that might require covering high art as opposed to popular culture. Visual Art as opposed to music. But think about that; the CBC being scooped by right-wing radio.
I have a question for the CBC insiders who post to/read this blog. Is there anybody on the Q staff or associated with it, who has an MA, let alone an MFA?
pretentious
Main Entry: pre·ten·tious
1 : characterized by pretension: as a : making usually unjustified or excessive claims (as of value or standing) b : expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature
“the pretentious fraud who assumes a love of culture that is alien to him”
— Richard Watts
Perfectly describes G-ahnn. The Iranian who’s never been to Iran. The Englishman that lived most of his life in Canada. The Canadian who wants fame & recognition in the U.S.
It must be a drag being related to Jian. Every relative who ever says anything even slightly critical is dragged by him into the court of public opinion to be ridiculed.
Congrats to @LisaLaFlammeCTV on new gig! We’ve worked together many times in past and she is, as my father would say, “saw-leed.” (solid) (about 4 hours ago by @jianghomeshi)
Yes, it looks like a tweet that contratulates Lisa, but it actually inflates Jian’s ego, again. Enough about Lisa, back to Jian (& his everpresent father). The day Jian’s father passes on, he will implode.
90% of Jian’s tweets include “we”,”me”,”my” “I” or “I’m”
An Iranian rally in 2009. A convenient bandwagon that just happens to be going right by his door – his home town.
What will it be next year at this time? World Cup soccer?
Everyone in Canada, everyone, supported the green colour during those days and weeks.
There’s nothing controversial about anything Jian said. He’s even quoting from a Sam Cooke song.
He is maybe the epitome of a pacifist. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
After all the hemming and hawing that he goes through to form sentences, and thinking out loud how further to state the inarguable, Jian has a message for the Iranian people …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFuxQWbh5F0
How succinct. And how very trite.
Much like his essential contribution to the world.
There are hundreds of disc jockeys who have interviewed Cindy Lauper.
Will her name now be going up on his bio?
It’s at times like this that you put aside chasing after whatever is popular (and more importantly – in town) and stand up, use the resources available to you, and denounce barbaric customs and laws.
“We’re here.”
Meaning……in Toronto? Not in Iran? On a bench in a park?
Anyone know wtf he means?
It means, we’re not actually going to DO anything to support you, but if you ever manage to sort yourselves out, we’ll be happy to do business with you & interview your celebrities. WE’RE HERE! (we’re just not sure where the hell you are, because as narcissists, no one exists but us).
And “were here” buying your pistachios because we like to support you economically despite our publicly stated opposition to you.
He means, like the other lightweight o’ colour, “We are the change we have been waiting for.”
My browner bro @therealrussellp killed – of course – last nite at Massey (& dj-ing at after-party). Stoked for Mr @LouisCK ce soir. #JFL (about 3 hours ago by @jianghomeshi)
Does jian ever refer to Ian Hanomansing as his “browner bro”?
Them DoodleBops are gigging for a mass of kids in CBC Atrium this sec. Where have i been? It’s all spandex & makeup…like ’70s Bowie, man. (about 5 hours ago by @jianghomeshi)
The Peter Pan Principle lives on in Jian.
Jian openly supported the green side in the contested Iran election. He even spoke at rallies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Y36F3q4dZo
Jian wasn’t born in Iran, nor has he lived or visited Iran. What are his credentials for “being” Iranian? Speaking the language? If you speak French, can you make any claim to influence France’s politics?
Jian likes talking it, but not walking it. Talk is cheap.
needs YOUR signature NOW! please
http://freesakineh.org/
current tally, only 4445
Don’t bring a petition to a gunfight.
Jian may need to tread carefully on some issues, Allan. CNN just fired a reporter for tweeting about the Middle East. Of course, the CBC would never actually FIRE anyone. Just reduce their bonus, a little bit.
We should just let these backwards countries like Iran be backwards and stay out of their business. Gas is 4 bucks a gallon in the US and Canada has to endure the Iranian immigrant Ghomeshi family. The consequences of meddling suck.
Jian doesn’t care how many women they stone. If his Iranian pistachios get delivered to the place in North York where he buys them, then everything is perfect in Iran as far as he’s concerned.
Holy airbrushing, Batman!!!!!!! Where did Jian’s moles and crows feet go?
where’s the man-scarf! ou est le foulard?
I think that’s a picture of Irshad Manji sans glasses
He’s so airbrushed he looks younger than Justin Bieber. And creepy. He could be in the super-airbrushed global news poster.
Is he going for the same combover look as LIGHTS?
Even with a few days of beard growth, all that airbrushing makes him look like a woman.
If the CBC airbrushes a full body picture of Jian, do they airbrush out his penis and testicles too?
Who’s the white dude? Guess he’s only a brown guy when it helps his cause.
Ashamed of his age and his colour?
Why doesn’t Ian Hanomansing bring up HIS brown-ness all the time? Because it doesn’t matter? Because it’s only a part of who he is?
Merci! But mom is expressing disappointment (i.e. pissed) that I didn’t shave. RT @jamarie great new pic on website!! http://www.cbc.ca/q/ (about 2 hours ago by @jianghomeshi)
Well, she’s not the only one….but I thought you just had chocolate on your face & didn’t wash it off. Guess mom doesn’t want everyone to think she raised a slob.
Funny how Cyndi Lauper thought Jian was Italian. I guess she doesn’t follow him on Twitter.
OMG! Jian’s picture on the Q website changed! Dude needs to either shave or grow a beard. He won’t commit to either of those….
Isn’t Lights his beard?
Snap!
Jian’s fans believe that Q is “a show that makes people think & educate themselves” (about pop culture ‘has been’ celebs like Cyndi Lauper?) :
Cyndi Lauper @shebop_aka_cyn commends @jianghomeshi on Q ~ a show that makes people think & educate themselves. Here here! :)
about 1 hour ago via web
I hate to break it to his audience, but Jian is not a patron of highbrow “Arts & Culture” and neither are they if they listen to his show. Jian’s show is a celebration of lowest common denominator pop culture trash. Jian didn’t make an appearance on an American “reality” tv show by accident.
“Q” has become a showcase for every has-been American pop star. And now that it is broadcast in the U.S., it’s just getting worse. I had high hopes for “Q”, thinking it would be a show where all the lost and ignored Canadian artists would find a home. Sadly, I was wrong. Jian really IS our Ryan Seacrest.
“Q”, much like “The Hour”, should be on one of the CTVGlobemedia entertainment channels, not on the CBC. I can’t think of any justification for a taxpayer funded show that is essentially a PR tool for American “celebrities” like Todd Bridges, Kelly Cutrone and every other Hollywood asshole that passes through Toronto.
Good point – culture for the CBC has become Pop Culture. For an example, I recommend the June 17th broadcast if it is still available. It was the day after the Fat Lady Sang for Maureen Forrester, who was eulogised elsewhere for her distinguished contralto career as well as a turn in civil service defending organizations such as the CBC from political interference.
I tuned in to Q to catch how dealt with it. G_yawn led off with 55 seconds of blather about how some people have trouble spelling his first name. Then, he spent 1 minute 25 seconds reading an edited version of the obituary on CBC web site, followed by about 4-5 minutes of her singing Mahler. Then, more than 10 minutes devoted helping a fellow CBC pet, Sook-yin Lee, plug her crappy (according to the Globe’s review) movie. However, how much of this was Gee-Pawn’s decision and how much was the show’s producer?
Actually, I would rather he not take on some high-profile advocacy role. There is no rule that says program hosts have to be activists and it damages CBC’s credibility. Why bother about some lady in Iran getting stoned when, according to what CBC host David Suzuki has been telling us for 30 years, the entire human race will be dead in 15 years due to pollution, er ozone depletion, er climate change? How many clinate changer deniers are out there simply because they are sick of Doctor David Doom? It took Quirks & Quarks years to recover from his hijacking of it to a 1-note environmental plank, not to mention The Nature of The Environment. Then there’s the “Toronto Declaration” types like Judy Rebick who would seek to censor Israeli films at TIFF, yet are perfectly comfortable with Iranian films playing there, not that censoring either makes sense. Once you start advocating, it is hard to stop.
I can’t believe I’m nearly at 100k followers! I recall when I had 455. I’m truly honored you’re interested in what I have to say, thank you! (48 minutes ago by @lights)
Speaking of narcissistic personality disorder….
It’s kind of sad that she has almost 100 thousand followers but she can’t fill up anything larger than a coffee house when she performs her “music”. Apparently her “fans” like her tweets better than her “music”.
Her fans aren’t allowed out of the house after 8:00 pm because they have school tomorrow morning.
& their allowance doesn’t cover the cost of admission.
That’s LIGHTS/Jian’s problem. She will never be able to make a living on her own, because her market has no disposable income – in fact, no income at all – because they are too young to have jobs.
Jian does have an uncanny ability bring every subject back to himself. His tweets could be used for a case study of narcissistic personality disorder.
“Iran. Iran so far away…”
My sincere hope is that he will think about this.
That he’ll consider writing about it, perhaps as another contribution for The Guardian.
Or as one of his weekly columns for the National Post, for whom he’s been writing since 2008, according to the CBC.
Some options if you’re tired of the Lindsay Lohan story: 1. Listen to Q podcast; 2. Debate FIFA decisions; 3. Buy new Shad record; 4. Yawn. (26 minutes ago by @jianghomeshi)
Sorry, Allan. Jian’s a little short on compassion for the plight of his people tonight. He’s got other priorities….
Jean only gives a shit about Iran when it’s a trending topic on Twitter and he can get some attention & publicity for himself from it. Kind of like soccer.
Or when there’s a rally at Queen’s Park & he can give a speech about it.
Yeah, Jian is a vacuous twit, we all know already.
True enough as far as it goes, but why pick on Gee-yawn? Every word of that criticism of Gee-Yawn for being silent on human rights in Iran (or anywhere else for that matter, except for Harvard pseudo-intellectuals in Cambridge, MA, of course–remember the Beer Summit?) could be written about Barry Soetoro. In any event, Barry would bow to the stoners and apologize for any mean things said by human rights weenies against their stoning practices. Not that the CBC will ever make Barry look bad for any of the foregoing.
Why pick on him? Because he’s a tragic figure. If he would man up, be authentic and stop seeking attention like a little boy, he would have a lot more integrity (& credibility). As it is, he is always sabotaging himself either in his career or relationships. Why can’t he be like Ian Hanumansing?
Who cares what some CBC Radio twink thinks about Iran, or anything else? Do we need to hear what Ian Hanomansing thinks about Kashmir or goings on in Sri Lanka?
Expecting these mooks to say anything of consequence beyond the usual “Stuff White People Like” intellectual masturbation that plays so well in the Annex when people with actual responsibility and power (yo, Barry!) sit in their hands betrays an absence of perspective on what’s to be expected from public figures.
Iran needs regime change. It isn’t going to get it until serious efforts are made to support the movement within the country and to actively destabilize the regime. None of that is going to happen because of anything some hipster-wannabe fairy like Gee-yawn says or does. Or Barry, for that matter (that incompetent clown is not even in the game).
Indeed, the @PolarisPrize Short List is hardly representative of all Cdn music. But pleased 4 of my picks made it(!). http://bit.ly/bMbkjx (about 5 hours ago by @jianghomeshi)
Even the Polaris Prize is all about Jian.
…he will also fight for the career of LIGHTS! (if you can call it a career..)
Jian will fight…for the right…to partayyy!
Watching game with a happy olympian @VanKayak. He has an orange shirt on. And an orange flag. And orange glasses. Ahem. #WorldCup (about 3 hours ago by @jianghomeshi)
Jian stands up for…soccer.