Day: May 4, 2024

A classical singer is to be praised for last week’s rebellion against a sea of illuminated screens

It was after the third song in Britten’s Les Illuminations that Ian Bostridge decided he’d had enough. Wheeling round to face the constellation of screen lights that dotted Birmingham’s vast Symphony Hall, the tenor called the show to a halt. Could everyone please turn off their phones? It was extremely distracting.

After the performance, which was two weeks ago, Bostridge was surprised to find his phone-happy audience had been perfectly within their rights. More than that: they’d actually been encouraged to video him. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) had last year decided to drop “any perceived ‘rules’ of a traditional concert” in a bid to “challenge conventions” and get “young people” interested. Signs in its venues now ask ticketholders to “bring drinks into the auditorium. Clap whenever they like. Wear whatever makes them feel comfortable. Take photos or short snippets of film (and share them with us).”

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The media has only been giving a medium amount of attention to the fact that Donald Trump keeps falling asleep during his criminal trial. But Trump can’t handle even those headlines, so he made the major tactical mistake of angrily denying that he’s falling asleep, which has only served to bring more attention to the story.

So why is Trump taking the bait? He’s apparently embarrassed:

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Trump hasn’t made a smart tactical move of any kind in a very long time. But it’s worth noting that his decisions keep getting dumber and dumber. If you’re doing something as disqualifying as falling asleep during your criminal trial, and the media is only treating it like a third-tier story, the best thing you can do is shut up and hope the media doesn’t elevate it. Instead Trump elevated the story himself.

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