Finer is a musician/composer from Stoke-on-Trent. He was a founding member of the Pogues and co-wrote the song “Fairytale of New York”. In 2000, he launched Longplayer, an electronic composition commissioned by Artangel that is designed to run for a thousand years without repeating. The piece forms the basis of a public discussion between George Soros and Alain de Botton that takes place at the Royal Geographical Society, London SW7, on 12 September. For more information visit: http://www.longplayer.org
- 1 Does art make a difference? On an individual level, yes. Whether that adds up to anything more is another matter. I hope so.
- 2 Should politics and art mix? Ideally, each should be implicit within the other.
- 3 Is your work for the many or for the few? For both. For all.
- 4 If you were world leader, what would be your first law? Well, that’s never going to happen, nor would I want it to. So, in this hypothetical spirit of outlandish speculation, it seems fair to implement utopian measures. I would divest power to the responsibility of the individual, each being capable of rational thought and mutual respect.
- 5 Who would be your top advisers? Jeremy Rifkin, S N Goenka, my family and friends, anyone possessing the wisdom of the past and hope for the future.
- 6What, if anything, would you censor? I’d not censor anything, but I would regulate ringtones. The Ministry of Public Sonic Space would offer a large choice of natural sounds and harmonically related tones, transforming the present polyphonic, deregulated mess into a rich music of chance.
- 7 If you had to banish one public figure, who would it be? There are so many to choose from, where does one start? As well as most world leaders, let’s be rid of Richard Branson, his ubiquitous “V” and his vile trains that aspire to be planes.
- 8 What are the rules that you live by? Don’t trust experts, never take no for an answer, follow dreams and don’t mess up other people’s lives.
- 9 Do you love your country? I love people rather than countries.
- 10 Are we all doomed? Only if we passively accept that we are.
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