LONDON - Forget Kim Jong-un’s nuclear posturing and the latest bad news on the euro. The other drama that is grabbing attention in the European press this week is the fate of Justin Bieber’s monkey.
The teen superstar’s pet simian has been behind bars at a Munich animal sanctuary since it was quarantined by German officials.
The 14-week-old Capuchin monkey, Mally, was seized after Mr. Bieber landed at Munich airport for the German leg of a European tour without proper documentation for the pet.
Mally is reportedly cheerful and is eating well. However, German animal rights groups have criticized the Canadian singer for having such a young animal as a pet and said he could grow up with “serious behavioral disorders†- the monkey, that is.
Britain’s The Sun has meanwhile offered to find Mally “a comfy new home in a British zoo†if Mr. Bieber fails to reclaim the pet, which he reportedly received as a 19th birthday gift last month.
On the premise that all publicity is good publicity, it has been a great European tour for Mr. Bieber, who has been “a source of problems wherever he goes,†according to Grazia, a French style magazine.
A French poll named him the most irritating celebrity of the month in March alongside President François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, the latter’s predecessor.
The star’s image transformation from post-pubescent heart-throb to bad boy has prompted some inevitable generational harrumphing about the vacuity of modern youth culture and demands for him to set a good example for his fans.
“Bieber must face up to his responsibility, also as a role model for many young people,†said Wolfgang Schröder, president of the German Animal Protection Society in a comment on the Mally debacle.
Urging Mr. Bieber to apologize to his 52 million Facebook fans and 37 million Twitter followers, he said, “From the point of view of animal protection he should under no circumstances be allowed to keep the animal that was brought into the country illegally.â€
During the British leg of his Believe Tour, which one reviewer found “dazed and deeply confused,†Mr. Bieber appeared two hours late for one show and had to cut short another after he fell ill on stage.
And he had to be restrained by his bodyguards after getting into an argument with a photographer outside his London hotel.
None of the publicity seems to have dented the ardor of his teenage fans, certainly not in Norway, where Bieber fever has prompted some schools to reschedule exams so that they do not clash with the singer’s April gigs.
So, is there anything new in the Bieber version of youth culture mania, or was it ever thus
Teddy Wayne, the novelist, wrote in a recent New York Times article recording Mr. Bieber’s latest travails, “The response to Mr. Bieber’s crackup says much about our culture’s discomfort with changing notions of childhood, a decade-long shift in values and conventions that he exemplifies better than anyone.â€
He added that “because Mr. Bieber is so ambitious and enterprising, he can also be considered an emblem of the overscheduled, future-oriented Generation Y striver.â€
The Bieber phenomenon in the new socially networked world has not escaped the attention of academics such as Melissa Avdeeff, a Canadian sociologist who wrote in a study:
“Through an examination of Justin Bieber’s popularity in mainstream culture, as mediated through social networking sites such as YouTube and Twitter, the cultural groundedness of pop popularity is demonstrated, as well as the re-negotiation of the barrier between pop artist and fan.â€
Music world veterans such as Sharon Osbourne have questioned whether the Bieber phenomenon will endure or whether his career will crash and burn before he hits 20.
Perhaps the singer should take heart from the experience of the Rolling Stones, Britain’s enduring bad boy band. Mick Jagger will be leading the group out for a concert in London in July, just around the time of his 70th birthday.
