As a Brit in the U.S., I have watched the whole Brexit referendum unfold with some interest. I watched on in disbelief as my spiritual homeland rejected the concept of being bound by the European Union, in much the same way a teenager recoils in horror when his dad confesses he doesn't love mum anymore and has taken comfort in the arms of the babysitter.
I shouldn't be too surprised, I suppose, as this has been going on since the creation of NATO after the Second World War. Brits refer to "The Continent" in much the same way an astronomer talks about the Sea Of Tranquility.
The first time my mum made spaghetti Bolognese there was an uproar, although in the true spirit of postwar rationing, it contained some unconventional ingredients, which in retrospect I understood to be leftovers.
British Euro skepticism has its roots in some pretty significant history between the key players: Britain has been at war with France no less than five times, including a full-on invasion in 1066. And don't even get me started with the Germans.
That disdain for our overachieving neighbors couldn't be better exemplified than here in this classic old school commercial:
The rivalry is never better embodied than in soccer, particularly with the English, and there are no prizes for guessing who usually comes off worst.
We've long derided our Teutonic bedfellows, with the same old jokes about them taking all the sun loungers around the pool on that Greek Island Holiday. We even had games to reinforce cultural stereotypes like the infamous "It's a Knockout." Here the Belgians were usually the butt of all the jokes, as seen here:
And they say travel is supposed to broaden your horizons!
I think those of us living in the States might realize we have more in common with our fellow Europeans than it might first appear.
But I think the biggest drawback of our exit from the European Union is our ineligibility to participate in the epitome of Eurocentric muzak schmaltz: The Eurovision Song Contest.
For those who aren't aware, this is the pitting of musical minds against one another in an orgy of (usually) bad pop music. Previous winners include Abba (okay they're actually bloody good), Celine Dion (for Switzerland) and, yes, the fabulous, errr, Bucks Fizz:
So now we can fasten our seat belts and look forward to the possibility of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump cooing at one another in Hotel Xenophobia.
Canada anyone?
Jonny Cragg was born in Hythe England on July 18th 1966. Raised and educated in Yorkshire he chose Leeds as his spiritual home. Whilst at school he learned to play the drums, playing in local bands until opting to study Psychology at the University of East London in 1985.
Almost by accident his first job after graduation was back behind the drums for Leeds band The Hollowmen. They recorded four studio albums, signed to Arista Records, and toured extensively throughout Europe. A press trip to New York served to strengthen his resolve to move to the States, and that finally happened in the Spring of 1993. By the following year, Cragg had formed Spacehog with a group of Leeds expatriates in The Lower East Side: The group went onto sell millions of records, and tour the world to great success. He remains active in the group having made four studio albums to date.
Jonny is also a session musician, producer, writer, DJ and educator. His credits include: The Pierces, Supergrass, Edie Brickell, The Utah Saints, David Johansen and Richard Butler and Marty Wilson Piper, HBO, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.
He has two daughters, Laila and Domino, and lives with his partner in Seattle.
