Dre-volution at York
In a simple act, Union members can declare themselves ambitious about York and ambitious about its music scene. Voting for this motion in the UGM on Wednesday, will not necessarily have the internationally renowned rap artist, Dr Dre on the next flight to Heathrow; but it sends out a clear signal that we are not happy with just mediocre bands and singers, who are paid large amounts in order to make them come here. If you are going to be spending money persuading artists to stop off somewhere they usually wouldn’t, then why not try better?
By setting your sights low you are expecting disappointment, however, while accepting that international artists are not queuing up to play at York, aiming high is a win-win situation. But even, in the likely event, that nothing comes of this, it is more about the symbolism than the actual end result.
Dr Dre may not be to everyone’s taste in music, but he symbolises the ambition, we, as a student body should have. This is not just a motion submitted to UGM as a joke, it is a serious proposition aimed at drawing attention to York’s dreadful music scene. While this year saw an improvement with Marina and the Diamonds headlining Central Hall at the Big Bang event in Fresher’s week, there were still problems with the number of students being admitted into the venue.
However, although perhaps unintentionally, this motion does raise questions over the relevance and role of the UGMs. Is it possible for YUSU to get Dr Dre? Probably not, but what this motion shows is that you can mandate them to do something that, realistically, is unachievable. It is no use lying down and accepting our limited options in attracting artists, we should aim higher and try harder.
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