Making a joke at the expense of the British press has always struck me as one of the lowest forms of wit. I am, however, indebted to Matt Jones for these two pictures taken while I was breakfasting with Russell Davies at the Shepherdess Café in Old Street this morning. Although the conversation ranged over many fascinating topics, as you would expect when dining with the man who is currently making plans for Interesting 09, this headline from page three of today’s Metro set the tone for some of the meal’s liveliest comments.
This has to be the greatest news headline there has ever been – and I say that as someone who has the deepest respect and love for la Lucha Libre. There is, for example, something respectful about its inclusion of the word ‘are’ that suggests the deaths of champions are being announced – remove it and the statement becomes terse and sensationalist. The story itself is a sad and sordid one, involving the administering of unfeasibly large quantities of prescription drugs to public performers by professionals who really should have known what they were doing – a state of affairs that is not without precedent at the moment.
As a further mark of respect, the Metro should elect to run this same headline on the front page of every issue it publishes for the rest of the year, no matter what the main story might be. There are, I suspect, very few that would not be improved by it.
Above: RD and that July 3 newspaper headline: RD and KH reflecting on its implications. Breakfast at 10.00am, pictures sent by Matt at 11.33, blog post at 12.27. What an age we live in.
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