Why does Liverpool boycott the Sun?

March 31, 2009 Robin Brown 4 Comments

Footy, Life in Liverpool, Liverpool media hillsborough, kelvin mackenzie, Liverpool FC, the sun

I’m not going to get in the detail of the Hillsborough disaster, which is nearing its 25th anniversary in April.

I was 11 at the time and don’t remember a lot about it, aside from finding the names of the roads and ends associated with the tragedy disturbingly memorable. Liverpool Guild of Students, of which I was a member, had a memorial on the wall as a tribute to a student lost on that day.

I do not and cannot really relate to the way Hillsborough affected Liverpool, so I have no right to intrude on, or share in, that grief. That emotion is obvious every day when another stack of Sun newspapers goes unsold in Liverpool.

I was playing cricket last year when I expressed surprise that someone had brought along a copy of the Sun and subsequently spent some time explaining why to some local Liverpool lads. They were as shocked by the story as I was that they didn’t already know.

All of which brings me onto the role of the Sun and more specifically, Kelvin Mackenzie.

Saying Gary Neville a good role model for Liverpool youngsters ‘a mistake’ admits Tory Shadow Home Secretary

March 28, 2009 Robin Brown 1 Comment

Footy, Life in Liverpool, Liverpool politics chris grayling, gary neville, LFC, Liverpool, mufc, role model

It’s no wonder the Tories have been keeping their mouths shut over the last couple of years, when the likes of Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling can propose Manchester United and England defender Gary Neville as a good role model for Liverpool youngsters.

It’s such a mind-bogglingly strange thing to say, even before you factor in the fact that Neville plays for the most hated football in the country, and the fact that there is probably no-one more hated by Reds and people in Liverpool generally. Here’s why:

“I can’t stand Liverpool, I can’t stand Liverpool people, I can’t stand anything to do with them.”

Grayling went on to admit that he shouldn’t have said Gary Neville, he meant to say Ryan Giggs instead. Liverpool fans are unimpressed.

Liverpool’s new 09 skyline logo: redux

March 27, 2009 Robin Brown 1 Comment

Capital of Culture, Liverpool media, Regeneration branding, finch, How Do, Liverpool, liverpool logo, liverpool vision, phil redmond, ripple effect, uniform

There’s some fascinating stuff over at How Do regarding the conception of the new logo, which has been given a rather mixed reception.

Since my media nodes, and time, are naturally limited I failed to get any sort of inside scoop, but How Do reports a number of interesting factoids, including:

• Finch was originally to be awarded the pitch without it being put out to tender, resulting in some understandable consternation from other agencies in the region

• A second pitching stage saw three agencies bidding for the roll-out of the branding and launch, using the logo already designed by Finch

• An original strapline reading ‘Alive with Imagination’ was removed when it met with ‘a pretty poor reception from everyone unfortunate enough to have seen it’

• A number of companies competed for various components of the brief, which seems bafflingly complicated

• Phil Redmond has had nothing to do with the branding. He is apparently in a huff after disagreeing with the direction of the branding

Liverpool’s £70K 2009 logo

March 26, 2009 Robin Brown 11 Comments

Capital of Culture, Liverpool media, Regeneration 2009 logo, finch, Liverpool, liverpool logo

“So, we need a logo that mixes the old with the new, the vibrant with the classical, old architecture versus the new architecture. The Beatles AND The Wombats, The Cavern AND Cream, Protestant AND Catholic, Liverpool AND Everton, Yosser Hughes AND Danielle Lloyd, Yin AND Yang, forward not backward, blue and, er, light blue.”

“And we need to have some horrible tower blocks in it for, y’know, business and shit.”

“How about a two-tone pictures of some cool Liverpool landmarks, plus those shit tower blocks?”

“Wouldn’t that look like the Thames TV logo?”

“Yes. But lets get some slebs in to tell us what they think of it. Say Abby from The Zutons, that bloke from Cream, some woman who owns a boutique and the director of the school for Tropical Medicine.”

“What have they got to do with it?”

“Absolutely nothing, but we’ll call them brand ambassadors and say they form a wide cross-section of Liverpool society.”

“Love it! OK, I’ll send this down to design. By the way, how much are we going to charge for this?”

“Oooh. 50 grand? Plus £20K for research. There’s a recession on after all…”