Ever since we Brits had a to-do with the folks over at America in the 18th Century we’ve never quite been able to see eye to eye and this stretches into our mutual attempts at cultural expansion. We have constantly been back and forth in the race to reign culturally supreme, pushing our necks over the finishing line only to be dragged back by an overly ambitious C-Vulture clad in stars and stripes, how crass.
But don’t label me a Anglo-snob too quickly as it’s a fair assessment that we are the classier nation, we bore Shakespeare for the love of Jemima … oh come to think of it, even he might have been a fraud. In fact who are we to judge, we also home John Barrowman, a vision of all things jazz hands with a small concept of actual entertainment (soz).
So, maybe America isn’t crass, instead they’re justifiably confident. There are some things, painful though it is to admit, that America is just better at. Satire is their domain. Whereas we cling on to the wit of Have I Got News For You, an influence which sadly dissipates as soon as we switch over to the intelligence-ridden Total Wipeout, some of the US’s most influential liberals are comedians. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have stood high over questionable republicans for years, and embrace their role of “satirist”. They mock but they also inform and whether you see it as right or wrong that some people gain their main intake of news through comedy, the fact remains that they are significant because they don’t take no shit. Stateside, comedians are idols and ours are panel show fodder, saying the right words and pressing the right buzzers for the fast track to arena comedy, depressing.
When you become ready to commit you’re life to a box-set the first ones on the list are probably American with programmes like The Wire and The Sopranos topping the most wanted lists and tend to highlight the archaic nature of our “classic shows”. Recently, however, things have shifted and we have awoken from our creative coma with British cinema at a peak as Submarine and Attack the Block are critically acclaimed for their originality and it’s no secret that behind the biggest US shows is often the most underrated British talent as the God-like status of gawky Blackadder star and silver fox, Hugh Laurie goes to prove. So, it may even be fair to say that America has been craving the British influence, putting aside the rivalry for a slice of our eel pie.
Since the dawn of Western culture there have been battles depending on whether you screamed for the lip curling sexiness of Elvis or for the freakishly talented mop tops of The Beatles. The arts are competitive in their nature but our tête-á-tête with the good folks over in the US of A is healthy and even necessary to keep culture at its best. We have even learnt to play to our strengths as both countries are co-dependent in our love of good culture. We say potatoes and they say potahtoe but let’s call the whole thing off.
