Brit pop star (James Blunt) offends Poles

POLAND . The Unofficial Guide

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,834 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 12:27 #1
British Pole-bashing or Polish hypersensitivity? Pop star James Blunt has been accused of peddling tired old stereotypes about Poland after Poles failed to see the funny side of a joke about his hotel in Krakow where he was staying last weekend. http://www.thenews.pl/1/11/Artykul/46658,James-Blunts-Polish-joke-back fires

MEMBER ♂

Edited by: Torq Jun 23, 11, 12:36 #2

Polonius3:

Brit pop star offends Poles

One sentence, two wrong pieces of information:

1) he is not a star (it is, in fact, the first time I've heard of him, so calling him a star seems to be an exaggeration.)

2) He didn't offend Poles - he made a photo of something that he assumed to be a part of his hotel,
which later turned out not to be a part of the building, and even if it was a part of some hotel in Kraków,
I don't see how that would "offend Poles."

The only British star I remember offending Poles, a couple of years ago, was Stephen Fry gibbering about
Auschwitz concentration camp being on the Polish side of the border, but as he is quite brilliant and wrote
one of my favourite books ("The Ode Less Travelled") I decided to forgive him this single moment
of complete and utter idiocy.

Wroclaw BoyThreads: 57 Posts: 5,478 Joined: Jul 3, 09 MEMBER ♂	Jun 23, 11, 12:39 #3
This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure.

milkyThreads: 10 Posts: 1,229 Joined: Oct 26, 09 ♀	Jun 23, 11, 12:41 #4
Polish hypersensitivity

MaaarysiaThreads: 3 Posts: 541 Joined: Feb 27, 10 ♀	Edited by: Maaarysia Jun 23, 11, 12:43 #5
Wroclaw Boy: This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure. I like it, I was really laughing! :) Polonius3: or Polish hypersensitivity? hypersensitivity

milkyThreads: 10 Posts: 1,229 Joined: Oct 26, 09 ♀	Jun 23, 11, 12:49 #6
Wroclaw Boy: This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure. lol

Monia	Jun 23, 11, 12:56 #7
For a pop star like him, that was the most awesome joke he could ever make, in spite of his doped mind , lol .

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,388 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 13:05 #8
Torq: part of his hotel The photo is part of the "Art Hotel Niebieski" I stayed there two weeks ago, there is work going on at the Hotel. Furthermore, James Blunt, was an International star, although his record sales have slumped over the last couple of years.

FlaglessPoleThreads: 7 Posts: 1,394 Joined: Aug 19, 10 ♂	Edited by: FlaglessPole Jun 23, 11, 13:08 #9
Wroclaw Boy: This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure beyond awesome!!!!! LOL thanks WB you made my day:)

milkyThreads: 10 Posts: 1,229 Joined: Oct 26, 09 ♀	Jun 23, 11, 13:20 #10
FlaglessPole: Wroclaw Boy: This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure It's funny, if you look at the comments after video. The 'people' who say the accent is wrong(Ukranian/Russian),or,they don't look Polish etc etc are partially 'the people', the sketch is taking the **** out off.

EdWilczynskiThreads: 3 Posts: 163 Joined: Jun 6, 11 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 13:37 #11
Wroclaw Boy: This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure. My Wife (Polish) also finds it hilarious.

hubabubaThreads: - Posts: 124 Joined: Apr 7, 11 ♀	Jun 23, 11, 13:46 #12
I dont understand all this fuss, just a stupid joke

MEMBER ♂

Edited by: Torq Jun 23, 11, 14:19 #13

warszawski:

The photo is part of the "Art Hotel Niebieski" I stayed there two weeks ago, there is work going on at the Hotel.

Erm...

The derelict building which the singer snapped does indeed adjoin his hotel, and appears to be a further extension.

However, in reality, it is a block of flats, the construction of which ground to a halt many months ago, after an apparently over eager investor overstretched himself.

warszawski:

Furthermore, James Blunt, was an International star

Sorry, never heard of him.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 14:25 #14
Polonius3: British Pole-bashing or Polish hypersensitivity? Abit rude by blunt...unnecessary and offending.

BzibziohThreads: 6 Posts: 3,657 Joined: Oct 15, 08 ♀ [Suspended]	Jun 23, 11, 14:42 #15
Bratwurst Boy: Abit rude by blunt...unnecessary and offending. Bit rude and a lot of unnecessary, but not offending.

ghosty	Jun 23, 11, 14:43 #16
Well he got the publicity for his tour, alright. He went on to say, “It was in Krakow, which, by the way, is a beautiful city." I found the humour in it to be typically British in its self-effacement, the joke's at his expense, ( a millionaire staying in a half-built hotel).

HarryThreads: 62 Posts: 8,508 Joined: May 2, 07 ♂ [Suspended]	Jun 23, 11, 14:58 #17
Torq: The only British star I remember offending Poles, a couple of years ago, was Stephen Fry gibbering about Auschwitz concentration camp being on the Polish side of the border, but as he is quite brilliant and wrote one of my favourite books ("The Ode Less Travelled") I decided to forgive him this single moment He didn't actually say that.

ghosty

Jun 23, 11, 15:10 #18

From his Stephen Fry's Blog

StephenFry:

I seemed to imply that the Polish people had been responsible for the most infamous of all the death factories of the Third Reich. I didn't even really at the time notice the import of what I had said, so gave myself no opportunity instantly to retract the statement. It was a rubbishy, cheap and offensive remark that I have been regretting ever since. I take this opportunity to apologise now. I said a stupid, thoughtless and fatuous thing. It detracted from and devalued my argument, such as it was, and it outraged and offended a large group of people for no very good reason. I am sorry in all directions, and all the more sorry because it is no one's fault but my own, which always makes it so much worse

Monia	Jun 23, 11, 15:19 #19
ghosty: a millionaire staying in a half-built hotel). He is maybe not a millionaire any more , too much money spent an dope , lol .

pawianThreads: 90 Posts: 5,399 Joined: May 30, 08 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 15:20 #20
hubabuba: I dont understand all this fuss, just a stupid joke He made it public for millions of his fans and considered it a good joke. How about such a joke: Thousands of his Polish fans publish this picture for James: and these for his albums: Wouldn`t it be funny? To have the same fun as Blunt did, I am going to follow the signs above. :):):):)

isthatu2Threads: 13 Posts: 5,225 Joined: Apr 3, 08 ♂	Edited by: isthatu2 Jun 23, 11, 18:09 #21
WTF, Ive got a photo of one of the Hotels I stayed in in Krakow,the place was a complete fekking building site...........whats anti Polish???? Is super high blood pressure a common cause of early death in Poland? 17 THOUSAND coments complaining that he is bashing Poland,thats completly fekking bonkers,thats not a handfull of nut jobs,thats something in the national psyche!!!!

BartolomeThreads: 2 Posts: 1,345 Joined: Sep 14, 06 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 20:46 #22
Hypersensitivity of some.

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 20:50 #23
There are rundown parts in many cities so it's nothing new. Maybe it didn't live up to his expectations, that's all.

♂

Jun 23, 11, 20:54 #24

In 1999, he served as an armoured reconnaissance officer in the NATO deployment in Kosovo. Initially assigned to reconnaissance of the Macedonia-Yugoslavia border, Blunt and his unit worked ahead of the front lines directing forces and targeting Serb positions for the NATO bombing campaign. His unit was given the assignment of securing the Pristina International Airport in advance of the 30,000-strong peacekeeping force; the Russian army had moved in and taken control of the airport before his unit's arrival. According to Blunt's own account of the incident he refused to follow orders from NATO command to attack the Russians. There were less intense moments during Blunt's Kosovo assignment, however. Blunt had brought along his guitar, strapped to the outside of his tank. At some places, the peacekeepers would share a meal with hospitable locals, and Blunt would perform. It was while on duty there that he wrote the song "No Bravery".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Blunt

He was born James Blount in a military hospital in Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1978 - eventually losing the "o" to become a chart star.

'Secure job'

After attending boarding school from the age of seven he became one of the youngest holders of a UK private pilot licence.

Both his father and grandfather had served as senior army officers, and Blunt followed his schooling with an Army-sponsored degree in Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering and Sociology at Bristol University.

"Like any parents, mine wanted me to have a secure job with a regular wage and career prospects," Blunt told BBC Norfolk in 2005.

"And the one job my father knew of, that he'd had experience of himself, was the Army, so he could help me in that direction."

Having helped pay for Blunt's degree course, the Army then trained him at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and enlisted him in the Life Guards.

"I didn't always think 'Oh, I'm going to be in the Army,'" he said. "I always thought 'I'm going to be a musician.' The Army was just a delaying thing."

During his four years of service Blunt regularly accompanied members of the Royal Family and stood guard as the Queen Mother lay in state for a week in 2002.

Blunt was promoted to captain and served as a Nato peacekeeper in Kosovo, leading a column of 30,000 troops into Pristina.

While in Kosovo he wrote the song No Bravery, which would later appear on his debut album.

"I wrote it lying by my tank in my sleeping bag with my boots on," he said. "The song is pretty fatalistic. The rest of the album is fatalistic."

Cult US producer

Having fulfilled his army duty, Blunt secured a song publishing deal with EMI after presenting them with "some dodgy demos".

He then performed at Texas music festival South by Southwest, winning the attention of Linda Perry - the ex-4 Non Blondes member famed for writing and producing songs for Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

She awarded Blunt a contract on her Custard Records label and he decamped to Los Angeles to record his album with Tom Rothrock, famed for his production work with cult stars Elliott Smith and Beck.

While recording in the US he spent five months living in the Beverly Hills home of actress Carrie Fisher, a friend of his ex-girlfriend Dixie Chassay.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4701924.stm

PennBoyThreads: 157 Posts: 3,443 Joined: Dec 7, 08 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 20:56 #25
Polonius3: Brit pop star (James Blunt) offends Poles That dummy got 15 thousand + comments back for that remark on his facebook page

warszawskiThreads: 60 Posts: 2,388 Joined: May 21, 10 ♂	Edited by: warszawski Jun 23, 11, 21:01 #26
Torq: Erm... This is the Hotel - http://www.niebieski.com.pl/en/index it is in Salwator by the river.

MEMBER ♂

Edited by: Torq Jun 23, 11, 21:08 #27

warszawski:

This is the Hotel - http://www.niebieski.com.pl/en/index it is in Salwator by the river.

You said...

warszawski:

The photo is part of the "Art Hotel Niebieski"

The article quoted by Polonius says...

The derelict building which the singer snapped does indeed adjoin his hotel, and appears to be
a further extension.

However, in reality, it is a block of flats, the construction of which ground to a halt many
months ago, after an apparently over eager investor overstretched himself.

The link to the hotel's webpage that you posted doesn't help in establishing if the said part
of the building is indeed a part of the hotel (as you claim) or is it, in fact, just an adjacent
block of flats (as claims the author of the article.)

PolskiMocThreads: 7 Posts: 488 Joined: Mar 15, 10 ♂ [Suspended]	Jun 23, 11, 21:13 #28
It was certainly a passive agressive shot at Poland / Hotels in Poland. But, I don't think it deserved that much of a reaction either. So, I guess the anwser is both.-

George8600Threads: 20 Posts: 1,114 Joined: Feb 19, 09 ♂	Jun 23, 11, 21:15 #29
Here's a high res-image of the controversial photo... http://cache.fanity.com/2011/06/20/130856942734.jpg

chichimeraThreads: 3 Posts: 356 Joined: Feb 4, 11 ♀	Jun 23, 11, 21:15 #30
Wroclaw Boy: This is hilarious i think, some Poles may find it offensive im not sure. I couldn't help laughing ;-D

61 [Guests - 44 / Members - 17] users on live forums now

Home \| Unanswered \| Archives \| Random \| Statistics	Time in Poland: 20:51 / May 26
About Us \| Contact Us \| Rules, Privacy \| Poland Advertising	© 2005-12 PolishForums.com

POLAND . The Unofficial Guide	Unanswered \| Archives
POLAND . The Unofficial Guide	Welcome to Poland!	Witamy, Guest \| PF Members \| Gold Members