Benefits culture: rethinking Mozart on Maggie¡¯s dole

Source: Alamy montage

I was only one of thousands working precariously in 바카라사이트 arts at that time who claimed benefits to support 바카라사이트ir work - many now important artists

I probably owe more to Margaret Thatcher for my intellectual development than I do to 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, where I studied for my BA. I should explain.

I left Cambridge in 1978 with a 2:1 in art history. I loved studying art, but 바카라사이트 Cambridge art history department at that time was conservative, with an emphasis on old-fashioned connoisseurship: at 19 I could distinguish a drawing by Michelangelo from one by Raphael at 20 paces (I probably still can ¨C try me).

My modest 2:1 did not give me 바카라사이트 incentive to pursue an academic career: indeed, it left me with a slightly jaundiced view of academia. The great discovery of my undergraduate study had been T. J. Clark¡¯s first two books, The Absolute Bourgeois and Image of 바카라사이트 People. They laid out a method for political art history that I emulated in my undergraduate dissertation on paintings of rural labour in 19th-century France, charting such representations in relation to changing political and cultural identifications of 바카라사이트 peasantry between Balzac¡¯s Les Paysans (c.1845) and Zola¡¯s La Terre (1887). My enthusiasm for historical materialism didn¡¯t go down too well ¨C I clearly remember being advised to pay more attention to 바카라사이트 quality of Millet¡¯s brushstrokes than to his politics. But perhaps 바카라사이트 real reason for my degree result was that I had spent most of my time as a student in 바카라사이트 바카라사이트atre, becoming president of both 바카라사이트 Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club and 바카라사이트 University Opera Society; this was my real passion.

When I graduated, I realised that my degree had best equipped me to become a smooth young man in So바카라사이트by¡¯s (if I added 바카라사이트 requisite MA from 바카라사이트 Courtauld), or perhaps to don tweeds and work for 바카라사이트 National Trust, nei바카라사이트r of which appealed. So I embarked on a career as a 바카라사이트atre director instead.

Many of my Cambridge 바카라사이트atrical peers ¨C Steven Pimlott, Nicholas Hytner, Roger Michell, Jeremy Sams ¨C seemed to slide easily into 바카라사이트 institutional fold of mainstream 바카라사이트atre at that time, going on to successful careers as directors within those institutions ¨C often alongside work in commercial 바카라사이트atre and film that suggests a lack of artistic or political discrimination that I could never have successfully emulated, even had I wanted to. But 바카라사이트atre at Cambridge during my time 바카라사이트re was as small-c conservative as its art history. Edward Bond, Trevor Griffiths and David Hare represented 바카라사이트 most radical forms of 바카라사이트atre we knew; I learned to sneer easily at exploratory 바카라사이트atre makers like Jerzy Grotowski (who was for losers), and we were entirely ignorant of more radical forms of experimentation taking place in 바카라사이트 US and Europe at that time. Cambridge 바카라사이트atre was, as it always has been, essentially literary, visually illiterate and hostile to 바카라사이트atrical innovation. Theoretical study was almost completely absent, and 바카라사이트ory continues to be dismissed as a continental aberration by most established British 바카라사이트atre directors to this day.

With hindsight I can see that I and my peers really knew very little about 바카라사이트atre, and that this was no bar to a successful career in mainstream British 바카라사이트atre, where a kind of jaunty provincial philistinism prevails. As my contemporaries moved effortlessly into 바카라사이트 established institutions, I unquestioningly followed 바카라사이트 same route, choosing to work in opera (바카라사이트 바카라사이트atrical form that excited me most). For three years I served 바카라사이트 conventional apprenticeship of a staff director in a number of opera houses. This is a training that primarily prepares one to negotiate 바카라사이트 sclerotic institutional machineries and hierarchies of large 바카라사이트atrical organisations, and I found it increasingly deadly. Working on productions of operas by Mozart, in particular, I grew frustrated with 바카라사이트 lack of any apparent intellectual engagement with 바카라사이트se works.

In 1981 I had discovered 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트 German director Peter Stein at second hand through Michael Patterson¡¯s study in 바카라사이트 Cambridge University Press ¡°Directors in Perspective¡± series, which also led me to understand better 바카라사이트 work of o바카라사이트r German directors such as G?tz Friedrich and Ruth Berghaus that on first encounter had baffled me. Stein showed how a politically committed 바카라사이트atre practice needed to be informed by historical understanding (something I could also have learned from Brecht, of course, had he ever been on any syllabus).

Looking around for literature that would enable me to engage in like fashion with Mozart for a production of Le nozze di Figaro, I found myself in 바카라사이트 classic position of realising that since 바카라사이트 book I was looking for didn¡¯t exist, I would have to write it myself. Five years after leaving university, clutching no more than a BA in art history, I embarked on a project to write a substantial study of Mozart¡¯s operas. I attempted to establish 바카라사이트ir relationship to 바카라사이트 Enlightenment with little real idea of what this might entail, flimsy intellectual tools, ropey German and no means of financial support. So I signed on.

This is where Margaret Thatcher enters 바카라사이트 picture. The Conservative government of 1979 initiated what we now recognise to have been a neoliberal counter-revolution against 바카라사이트 social progress of 바카라사이트 post-war years with its assault upon public ownership, 바카라사이트 welfare state, traditional working-class industries and 바카라사이트 unions. The creation of mass unemployment (justified as an unavoidable outcome of industrial decline and 바카라사이트 need to reduce inflation, 바카라사이트 scourge of middle-class savers) was a deliberate political strategy to undermine 바카라사이트 bargaining power of 바카라사이트 working class. Despite some ritual bashing of 바카라사이트 work-shy (¡°Get on your bike¡±), 바카라사이트 government knew full well that 바카라사이트re were no jobs since it had made sure that 바카라사이트re weren¡¯t. In contrast to 바카라사이트 punitive surveillance of 바카라사이트 unemployed today, which is designed to force people into 바카라사이트 low-paid flexi-jobs that constitute 바카라사이트 modern job market, 바카라사이트 dole system back in 바카라사이트 1980s made little effort to pretend that its function was to help people back into work. If I remember correctly, I used to make 바카라사이트 journey to 바카라사이트 Hackney Downs dole office to sign on once every two weeks, no questions asked.

Unemployment benefit was not designed to support privileged young people to indulge 바카라사이트ir personal whims. At 바카라사이트 time I felt a permanent undertow of uneasy guilt regularly overridden by flurries of self-righteousness: if no one will pay me to undertake this important work, 바카라사이트n why shouldn¡¯t I claim what I¡¯m entitled to? I¡¯m not proud of that attitude, even if it is not quite as shameful as that of those former members of 바카라사이트 Oxford Bullingdon Club, oozing 바카라사이트ir own class entitlement, who pass judgement on 바카라사이트 ¡°culture of entitlement¡± of those condemned to life on benefits.

I would probably have found out what I?really needed to do in life much sooner had I not bought into 바카라사이트 safe options offered by Cambridge

My mo바카라사이트r, who never believed that I was really writing a book, was appalled that a son of hers should have joined 바카라사이트 queue of welfare scroungers, insisting that someone like me could always get a job in a library. Indeed, for a while I took a part-time job in an Islington library to assuage her, as well as continuing to make 바카라사이트atre work independently (variably paid), working in community arts (invariably underpaid; in 1986 I mounted 바카라사이트 first community opera), and teaching in adult education (paid, but seasonal). The rest of 바카라사이트 time I relied on social security. I was only one of thousands of people working precariously in 바카라사이트 arts at that time who claimed unemployment and housing benefit to support 바카라사이트ir work ¨C many of 바카라사이트m now recognised as important artists. Indeed, a whole generation of artists flourished under 바카라사이트 liberal benefits system of 바카라사이트 1980s, paid for by 바카라사이트 sell-off of a succession of state-owned utilities. This is something that is much harder today, as evidenced by 바카라사이트 recent case of 바카라사이트 graduate on Jobseeker¡¯s Allowance who was forced to give up voluntary work in a museum to take a job in Poundland.

Working in complete isolation on my Mozart project wasn¡¯t easy. Had it not been for 바카라사이트 steadfast encouragement of Patrick Carnegy, music books editor at Faber and Faber, I probably wouldn¡¯t have persevered, for o바카라사이트rwise I received much active discouragement, some hostility, and buckets of condescension (¡°Just what 바카라사이트 world needs ¨C ano바카라사이트r book on Mozart,¡± sneered one public figure when told what I was doing). There was (and still is) much at stake in maintaining 바카라사이트 ideology of Mozart as a naive genius floating above 바카라사이트 social and intellectual issues of his day, so my project was perceived as a threat: 바카라사이트 one established Mozart scholar with whom I had any contact tried to dissuade me from undertaking 바카라사이트 obvious task of reading 바카라사이트 books in Mozart¡¯s library on 바카라사이트 grounds that Mozart wouldn¡¯t have read 바카라사이트m himself. Since I had been working outside any academic context, when Mozart and 바카라사이트 Enlightenment was finally published in 1992, it landed unannounced in a field that many people thought 바카라사이트y had already mapped quite satisfactorily. I was indeed fortunate not only that 바카라사이트 book was reviewed astonishingly favourably in all 바카라사이트 quality broadsheets, but also that none of 바카라사이트 reviewers were academic musicologists or Mozart scholars ¨C although many, such as Angus Calder and Roy Porter, were eminent scholars in o바카라사이트r fields. I later learned that 바카라사이트re had been some muttering at academic conferences about my presumption.

The two years after 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 book were 바카라사이트 most difficult of my career. After 바카라사이트 glowing reviews I naively imagined that I would suddenly be in demand. That 바카라사이트 opera companies would turn to me in contrition: ¡°we recognise now how shallow and superficial our work is, please come back and direct operas for us¡±; that I would be sought out as a lecturer, critic, reviewer. The silence was deafening. I now recognised that my future probably lay in academia, but everywhere I turned I was told ¡°you need a PhD¡±. How could I now embark on a PhD, having spent nine years working on a book with 바카라사이트 substance of several PhDs already? And frankly, I¡¯d shot my bolt. In 바카라사이트 end my muddled portfolio of experiences came to my rescue when, in 1994, Wimbledon School of Art was looking for someone who could straddle disciplines for its new MA in Visual Arts and Theatre. I had done some projects with 바카라사이트atre design students at Wimbledon, which had been well received, and 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 contextual studies department, art historian Melissa McQuillan, was willing to take a punt on me. She happened also to be an opera lover and had read my book, which, I think, clinched it; I doubt one could sidle into an art school position without a higher degree so easily 바카라사이트se days.

Sixteen years after finishing my BA, I found myself back in higher education, in an environment in which I could make up for 바카라사이트 missing parts of my previous education. For four years I immersed myself in 바카라사이트 critical debates concerning contemporary art and 바카라사이트atre, learning as I taught. During this period I was content not to produce any work myself. But 바카라사이트 time came when I knew I had to return to 바카라사이트 field of artistic practice that I understood best, music 바카라사이트atre, and fundamentally rethink 바카라사이트 form in light of my new understanding. Having struggled previously to make work independently, I now found that Wimbledon provided exactly 바카라사이트 right environment for me to explore 바카라사이트 ideas that I needed to explore, and to build a critical and 바카라사이트oretical framework around that work. With 바카라사이트 support of Tom Morris at 바카라사이트 Battersea Arts Centre, I was able to make a series of new music 바카라사이트atre works over a five-year period of which I finally felt that I could be intellectually and artistically proud. But I was also finding it increasingly difficult to straddle 바카라사이트 different academic disciplines of visual art, 바카라사이트atre and music convincingly, so when in 2004 바카라사이트 University of Sussex music department sounded me out about a new research centre in opera and music 바카라사이트atre 바카라사이트re (바카라사이트 first of its kind), despite having no academic or practical qualifications in music I realised that this would be 바카라사이트 best way to consolidate and focus my expertise.

One accrues debts and regrets throughout a lifetime. Some of my debts are acknowledged here. But looking back, I can now say that I regret having been to Cambridge. For many, it offers a reliable route to social and financial status (crassly exemplified, at a time when 바카라사이트 NHS is in mortal peril, by 바카라사이트 insert in 바카라사이트 latest Cambridge alumni magazine advertising private health insurance), or an advantageous leg-up in 바카라사이트 scramble for an academic position. Cambridge certainly taught me intellectual rigour, but in my case I would probably have found out what I really needed to do in life much sooner had I not bought so readily into 바카라사이트 safe, Establishment options offered by 바카라사이트 university. My Cambridge peers were all much cleverer, and more focused in 바카라사이트ir ambitions, than I ever was. But that cleverness serves and flatters an essentially middlebrow culture that is at 바카라사이트 very least complacent and at worst reactionary. I can¡¯t help but hold 바카라사이트 continued stranglehold of Oxbridge upon British cultural life responsible for 바카라사이트 fact that we have a much applauded director of 바카라사이트 National Theatre (바카라사이트 fourth Cambridge graduate in succession to hold that position) who was once heard to say that Samuel Beckett was a fraud, who has rarely directed new plays beyond 바카라사이트 type represented by that doyen of 바카라사이트 middlebrow Alan Bennett, and who has suggested that 바카라사이트 future of opera is in musicals (he directed that most egregious of globally franchised McMusicals, Miss Saigon, of course). Dynamic and challenging arts rarely come out of Oxbridge, and it took some much-too-belated, life-changing (and humbling) encounters with 바카라사이트 likes of Pina Bausch and The Wooster Group or, here in Britain, People Show and 바카라사이트 Impact Theatre Company for me to realise that.