Borkowski Weekly Media Trends: Matty Healy, Couttastrophe Continued, UFOs & More

PLUS Lana Del Ray

Coutsastrophic Learnings

As the Coutts scandal comes to an ignominious end that may well mark it in history as Nigel Farage’s second greatest career victory, the wider trends and forces that drive such catastrophic hubris have raised the possibility that the banking industry has something of an epidemic on its hands.

At the heart of the ‘Couttastrophe’ was a focus on doing all the wrong things really well. As the Farage scandal was unfolding Alison Rose was more focused on posting nutritionless world salads about ‘Purpose’ (when not kowtowing to the government) on LinkedIn, than on insuring that a bank under her watch was adhering to its own professional standards. This Silicon Valley-inspired obsession must surely have been a factor in her mind-numbingly unwise decision to give the BBC an inaccurate briefing. For some companies ‘Purpose’ means adhering to an amorphous set of progressive values; for Coutts and Rose it ultimately manifested as slinging mud at an ‘anti-progressive’ scapegoat in the hope of scoring cheap points.

The depressing update on the investigation into the HBOS Reading scandal in Monday’s Times adds to the view that in pursuing ‘Purpose’ banks have lost sight of their actual purpose. Rather than assisting the investigation – ultimately a crucial step in ensuring improved practices and restored integrity– HBOS’ parent company Lloyds is accused of filibustering the collection of evidence -- seemingly inspired by Boris’ lost passwords or Rebekah Vardy’s agent’s phone ‘falling’ into the North Sea.

Here's the rub. ‘Purpose’ is the corporate shibboleth for ‘making the world a better place’. Banks exist to help people and institutions manage their finances and if they do that with independence, integrity and humanity – and communicate that fact effectively- surely there can be no higher ‘Purpose’? Once upon a time the potential for banks to do good for society inspired George Bailey in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’; would we be as inspired by a modern remake if George spent his whole time on LinkedIn bleating about “purpose-led strategy”? It would be naïve to think the 21st century banking industry can produce an army of George Baileys, but its leaders could do with having a long think about what ‘Purpose’ should mean to their institutions."

Matty in Malaysia

Matt Healy, the enigmatic frontman of The 1975, has never shied away from controversy, as demonstrated by his frequent appearences in this newsletter!

Having broken onto the global stage back in 2013 with a mega-hit, debut album, the band’s follow-up albums never quite had the commercial success, pushing them to court attention through more provocative means. In his latest move, Healy paused his performance in Kuala Lumpur to share a kiss with his (male) bassist, Ross MacDonald.

Kissing people during their performances has become a regular feature of the band's current tour - halfway through the hit song "Robbers," Healy takes a moment to smooch a lucky member of the audience, regardless of gender. However, this time, the kiss took place in Malaysia, where homosexuality carries a harsh 20-year sentence. Within moments, the band's remaining set and the entire weekend festival they were headlining were promptly canceled.

Despite a busy news week, the stunt has garnered remarkable coverage, across the BBC, Times and other mainstream outlets. This is particularly peculiar given this isn't even the first time Healy has pulled such a move! Back in 2019, he kissed a male fan during a gig in Dubai, where homosexuality is also illegal. The act was filmed, putting the fan at considerable risk of arrest, so Healy's decision to put his bassist in the spotlight this time at least shows a glimmer of learning!

The recent event adds to a tumultuous few months for the singer. Earlier this year, he landed in trouble for making perceived racist remarks on a podcast. Coincidentally, these remarks surfaced at the same time as rumors circulated about a possible rekindled romance between Healy and Taylor Swift, leading many to question whether Healey had sufficient "woke" credentials to make the romance official.

With this context in mind, some wonder if Healy's kiss was a calculated PR move to bolster his "woke" image and justify peforming somewhere like Malaysia. Better fans than us maintain that it was a genuine protest against Malaysia's outdated laws. Whichever side you take, one thing is certain - 10 years after they first hit the world stage, Healy has managed to get us all talking about him again...

Waffling With Lana Del Ray

A chance celebrity sighting is always fun. Many a friend of a friend has seen Cynthia Nixon on the New York subway or a Made in Chelsea cast member somewhere, well, in Chelsea. Seeing a celebrity outside of their element, however, is something way more exciting, something that not just any rich and famous would run the risk of. But then Lana Del Rey is not your regular celeb.

Spotted by lucky fans at Waffle House in Florence, Alabama, the singer was seen wearing the chain’s uniform and serving breakfast and coffee. The particular location of the cult joint where Lana was seen was particularly unglamorous, down the street from a car wash. AL.com has established that the singer isn’t in town to record music at any of the local studios. In fact, nobody seems to know why Lana would be in Alabama at all, let alone flipping waffles at a diner.

Despite the randomness of this encounter, it doesn’t seem out of character at all. Throughout her career, Lana Del Rey has been meticulously crafting her small-town-all-Americana persona, purposefully avoiding the glitz and glamour of celebrity LA living (one might recall her telling a reporter at 2020 Grammy’s that she got her dress for the gala ‘at the mall’). The lyrics to her songs, whether they refer to dating older men, living in camper vans or working service jobs tend to evoke a lifestyle a singer of her stature could live only vicariously. Perhaps this stint at Waffle House is Lana taking the notorious method acting approach and extending it to music – or, perhaps, she is just a millionaire cosplaying as an average Southern Joe. Either way, it is curious that she managed to confuse the public so much that at this point, working at Waffle House raised only a singular eyebrow and not much criticism. 

An Out of This World Hearing

In a rare bipartisan hearing, US lawmakers convened a landmark panel on UAPs – colloquially known as UFOs, following a former intelligence officer-turned-whistleblower’s claims that the US government has possession of alien vehicles recovered from a crash site.

It’s no surprise that the public hearing generated huge interest online and around the world, with UFOs long permeating pop culture, and films such as Men in Black, E.T and War of the Worlds, reflecting some of humanity’s hopes and darkest fears when considering the prospect of alien life.

And there’s no sign of this fascination for extraterrestrials dwindling in the US. A new Ipsos polling found that one in ten Americans report that they have seen an unidentified flying object, and 42% of Americans believe in UFOs. But before there could be any hysteria around talk of little green men, the former officer made it clear to Congress that he prefers the term “no-human” rather than alien. However, the very fact that the hearing took place, shows an acknowledgement that mysterious sighting deserve scrutiny at the highest levels of government.

Over the course of a few hours, the hearing produced no confirmation of alien life or bombshell revelations, but the allegations from witnesses gave a general sense that a cover-up exists somewhere in the US government. All three witnesses had previously spoken to the media about their sightings and experiences, but this was public testimony under oath.

Asked whether the U.S. government had information about extraterrestrial life, one whistleblower said the US likely has been aware of non-human activity since the 1930s but was unwilling or unable to share information in a “public setting”. Among the witnesses was a retired US Navy fighter pilot, who reminded the world about his infamous encounter with a 'Tic Tac' shaped UFO 15 years ago. Of course, you can find similar claims from conspiracy theorists in certain corners of the internet, but what makes these claims particularly newsworthy is that the main witness and decorated veteran, had been in a position where it’s considered that he would know.

After more declines to give further details, and a refusal to repeat claims about a football-field-sized spacecraft, the allegations have understandably been met with skepticism by scientists. Professor Brian Cox also weighed in on social media saying that what he saw, was people saying, “extraordinary things without presenting extraordinary evidence”. Amongst a news cycle reporting on searing heatwaves and wildfires it’s notable how much attention this story received, if that if we don’t pay enough attention to what’s happening on our planet in real-time, we won’t have a place left for aliens to visit.