An amusing spoof at theSpoof.com with a Birmingham angle:
Shoppers in Birmingham’s City Centre were confronted by the spectacular vision of the city’s Arts Czar this morning. As they feebly attempted to keep their minds on their Christmas shopping their imaginations were captured by the charismatic figure of Theodore Parker Bowles, Birmingham’s Arts Czar since 2000.
Wearing nothing but his specially commissioned pink latex body suit, accessorised with juxtaposing vivid blue codpiece and shimmering nipple tassels, Parker Bowles strutted his stuff along Corporation Street between 10 and 11 am, hoisting a placard demanding “Attention for THE ARTS”.
via D’log who takes it as a cue to look at “the coming Arts Council bloodbath.” He writes:
As I wrote on the 23rd November it seems like the recent official spin about a “rise†in arts funding was actually a smokescreen for cuts. But I didn’t realise how massive those cuts would be.
Sobering stuff.
I was unfortunate enough to witness Theodore Parker Bowles bent over the bronze bull statue in Birmingham’s prestigeous Bull Ring Shopping Centre. How can the council sanction and pay for such useless and inconvenient activities? Not only did the ridiculous display of the Arts Czar’s left buttock halt my shopping, it resulted in the mother of all attacks of indigestion I have had to date and I won’t bore you with the increased bouts of reflux I have suffered ever since. This spectacle ruined my Winterval Dinner!
I am grateful to Created In Birmingham for bringing this episode to the attention of those lucky enough to avoid this most unglamorous promotion of Birmingham Arts. They too deserve to know how their council tax is being spent. I look forward to future exposes.