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Showing posts with label punk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label punk. Show all posts
Wednesday, 3 October 2012
Friday, 28 September 2012
Wednesday, 4 July 2012
Embrace Your Inner Nerd.
Relaying a story of a recent happening.
Are we all becoming nerds, or geeks these days?
Wednesday, 27 June 2012
It's Like Punk Never Happened.
Have you noticed how many old Punk songs are being used in adverts these days?
Turning rebellion into money?
For some reason the audio decided to detach itself from the video & go out of synch part way through this vlog. I have no idea why. Sorry about that.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
I Guess You Had To Be There?
The shock of the new & how that shock recedes over time.
Warhol Is Here:
http://www.dlwp.com/WhatsOn/ExhibitionDetail.aspx?EventId=1335
De La Warr Pavilion:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_la_warr_pavilion
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Oh Cancer, Up Yours!
This morning i heard the very sad news of the death, from cancer, of Marian Joan Elliott-Said aka Poly Styrene.
As is so often the case these days, i heard the news via Twitter.
Poly Styrene was the lead singer in the influential Punk band X-Ray Spex. Their first single "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" created quite a stir when it came out back in 1977, as i well remember.
The sight of a young girl, with braces on her teeth, singing those words with such feeling, both upset and inspired people in equal numbers.
Poly Styrene subsequently became a role model for many young women throughout the years, even up to the present day. But especially back in those heady days of the late 1970's.
I still have my copy of their big hit single "The Day The World Turned Dayglo' by the way. In orange vinyl no less. It sits in it's rightful place amongst all the classic Punk 45's from that time and it still packs a punch now.
Unfortunately, i never got to see X-Ray Spex live. I did get close though. I went to see them in Liverpool, at the famous 'Erics' club in Matthew St. But, the gig was cancelled for some long forgotten reason.
Poly Styrene had only recently released a brand new album 'Generation Indigo'. It's a good album and one i can thoroughly recommend. She had even been promoting the album as much as her illness permitted. Even to the extent of giving interviews from her local Hospice.
Through Tweets, Facebook updates and interviews, she said she had been looking forward to getting out there to promote the album even more and to get back singing again.
Sadly, that will no longer happen.
But, what makes Poly Styrene's death all the more poignant for me, is the local aspect.
As has often been reported. Marian got into Punk music & effectively became Poly Styrene, after seeing the Sex Pistols play on Hastings Pier, way back in 1976. Supporting Budgie would you believe?
In recent years she made had her home in St Leonards On Sea, my own home town.
I pass her house most days and used to see her about on the street quite often. Although i never actually plucked up the courage to speak to her. Weird isn't it?
Because of my involvement with Hastings Rock radio station, i have been listening to Poly Styrene's new 'Generation Indigo' album quite a lot recently and picking out tracks to play on my Local Music Show, on the station.
Only the other day, i sent off the track "Thrash City" to be placed onto the stations 'A' List, for when Hastings Rock comes back on the air this Saturday.
Now, unfortunately, those songs will be played as a tribute.
As i mentioned earlier. Poly Styrene had been in St Michael's Hospice, not far from her home.
It is no co-incidence that the charity Hastings Rock radio station now supports during it's broadcasts is, St Michael's Hospice.
We support St Michael's Hospice because of the wonderful work that they do, because they are local and also because we all know somebody who has been affected by cancer.
Unfortunately, that has been brought home to all of us in the Hastings musical community, with the sad passing of Poly Styrene.
At least we will always have her music to remember her by.
R.I.P Marian Joan Elliott-Said (Poly Styrene) 1957-2011.
Oh Cancer, Up Yours!
As is so often the case these days, i heard the news via Twitter.
Poly Styrene was the lead singer in the influential Punk band X-Ray Spex. Their first single "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" created quite a stir when it came out back in 1977, as i well remember.
The sight of a young girl, with braces on her teeth, singing those words with such feeling, both upset and inspired people in equal numbers.
Poly Styrene subsequently became a role model for many young women throughout the years, even up to the present day. But especially back in those heady days of the late 1970's.
I still have my copy of their big hit single "The Day The World Turned Dayglo' by the way. In orange vinyl no less. It sits in it's rightful place amongst all the classic Punk 45's from that time and it still packs a punch now.
Unfortunately, i never got to see X-Ray Spex live. I did get close though. I went to see them in Liverpool, at the famous 'Erics' club in Matthew St. But, the gig was cancelled for some long forgotten reason.
Poly Styrene had only recently released a brand new album 'Generation Indigo'. It's a good album and one i can thoroughly recommend. She had even been promoting the album as much as her illness permitted. Even to the extent of giving interviews from her local Hospice.
Through Tweets, Facebook updates and interviews, she said she had been looking forward to getting out there to promote the album even more and to get back singing again.
Sadly, that will no longer happen.
But, what makes Poly Styrene's death all the more poignant for me, is the local aspect.
As has often been reported. Marian got into Punk music & effectively became Poly Styrene, after seeing the Sex Pistols play on Hastings Pier, way back in 1976. Supporting Budgie would you believe?
In recent years she made had her home in St Leonards On Sea, my own home town.
I pass her house most days and used to see her about on the street quite often. Although i never actually plucked up the courage to speak to her. Weird isn't it?
Because of my involvement with Hastings Rock radio station, i have been listening to Poly Styrene's new 'Generation Indigo' album quite a lot recently and picking out tracks to play on my Local Music Show, on the station.
Only the other day, i sent off the track "Thrash City" to be placed onto the stations 'A' List, for when Hastings Rock comes back on the air this Saturday.
Now, unfortunately, those songs will be played as a tribute.
As i mentioned earlier. Poly Styrene had been in St Michael's Hospice, not far from her home.
It is no co-incidence that the charity Hastings Rock radio station now supports during it's broadcasts is, St Michael's Hospice.
We support St Michael's Hospice because of the wonderful work that they do, because they are local and also because we all know somebody who has been affected by cancer.
Unfortunately, that has been brought home to all of us in the Hastings musical community, with the sad passing of Poly Styrene.
At least we will always have her music to remember her by.
R.I.P Marian Joan Elliott-Said (Poly Styrene) 1957-2011.
Oh Cancer, Up Yours!
Monday, 28 February 2011
Iron Maiden: Flight 666.
Today i watched, once again, the documentary "Iron Maiden: Flight 666" A film i first saw about a year ago.
On first viewing i have to say i was very impressed and watching a second time around has just re-inforced that feeling.
I am a big music fan and especially a fan of Rock music. So, a film about Iron Maiden, one of Rock musics biggest bands, was bound to attract me.
I must admit though that Iron Maiden are not my favourite band. I actually find a lot of their music quite samey and repetitive. But, i have always had a lot of respect for them, both as a band and as a group of musicians.
And this documentary shows exactly why that is.
Iron Maiden grew out of what was then called the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). A movement that started towards the end of the 1970's and spawned bands such as Def Leppard, Saxon and Motorhead and also helped inspire later bands such as Metallica and Guns N Roses.
Yes, it was a re-emergence of Rock music, but the NWOBHM took a lot of its inspiration from the Punk Rock bands of the mid 1970's. These NWOBHM bands would probably never have come about without the Punk Rock movement that had gone before.
The Punk movement showed these young British Heavy Metal and Rock music fans that they too could go out and form their own bands, produce their own music and even start their own record labels.
It also furnished them with a different attitude to many heavy metal bands that had gone before them. An attitude and approach which helped enable these new bands to break through to bigger and better things. Something that might not have been possible in the past.
Iron Maiden probably exemplify this as well as any of those other bands i mentioned earlier and that still shines through today.
Somebody in the film states that Iron Maiden don't give a fuck what others think about them. They are not trying to impress anyone, they are just being thenselves and remaining true to themselves.
This is one of the reasons that Flight 666 is such a good watch.
What you see in the film are a band at the top of their game. A band that have the utmost respect for each other and for the people who work with and around them.
They are a team, almost a family and that makes a huge difference to how a band works.
I have watched many music documentaries and films over the years and there is usually at least a hint of inner tension within the band. It is very hard to hide. But, nothing like that shows up here, in fact quite the opposite and this line up of the band have been together for many years now, decades even.
This in turn, transfers itself to the audience, who are amongst the most loyal i have ever seen. Some of the crowd scenes and audience participation, during the live footage, is amazing.
Many fans shown in the film describe Heavy Metal as a kind of religion and it is pretty obvious that Iron Maiden are viewed as Gods by many of them.
A couple of scenes in particular stick in my mind, both from South America.
It is obvious that Iron Maiden are huge in South America and the reaction to them borders on the hysterical at times. A fact recognised by the band themselves.
Bruce Dickinson, the bands singer, says to the crowd in Mexico that "The further south we go, the hotter it gets" and by that he means the reaction of the audience, not the weather.
He is not exaggerating either.
Part of this, i think, comes from the fact that Iron Maiden were one of the first heavy metal bands to play in South America, way back in 1985.
The fans have not forgotten that.
Also, Iron Maiden were actually banned in countries like Chile in the past, due to religious concerns and so had not been able to play live there. Therefore, when they do come to town, it is a very special event.
One gig in Puerto Rico, their first ever in the country, becomes a virtual pilgrimage for many fans, some of whom have come across the border from neighbouring countries just to see their idols.
A fan interviewed in, i think, Columbia becomes very emotional just thinking about seeing his favourite band.
Another male fan is seen at the end of a gig, clutching a prized drum stick to his chest, crying. He is later seen hugging his tearful girlfriend.
It really means that much to them.
I have seen this kind of emotional response to a band, or act before, but very rarely in this modern era. And these are grown men crying too, not besotted teenage girls.
For me Flight 666 is worth seeing just for the live crowd scenes alone. You are drawn into the emotion of the occasion. And, if you like that kind of thing, the music is pretty damn good too.
But, this film also reminded me of several reasons why i have such great respect for Iron Maiden:
- They haven't lost their sense of humour, despite all that goes on around them.
- The bands Boeing 757 jet, flown by Iron Maiden's singer Bruce Dickinson by the way, is called "Ed Force One", after the bands mascot, Eddie.
- As the title of the film suggests, the 757's call sign was "Flight 666". The number of the beast and the title of one of the bands most famous songs.
- Iron Maiden are a great British export and are still proud of and retain their British roots. You only have to see the amount of Union Jacks, England football shirts and West Ham United items amongst the crowds worldwide to see what effect and influence that can have.
- The have achieved what they have without any real radio, tv, or press exposure. They have done it the hard way. They have done it their way.
- Their "Don't give a fuck" attitude. I may not be their greatest fan, but they do what they believe in and they do it very well.
- And last, but by no means lest, they bring a smile to my face and you can't say fairer than that can you?
On first viewing i have to say i was very impressed and watching a second time around has just re-inforced that feeling.
I am a big music fan and especially a fan of Rock music. So, a film about Iron Maiden, one of Rock musics biggest bands, was bound to attract me.
I must admit though that Iron Maiden are not my favourite band. I actually find a lot of their music quite samey and repetitive. But, i have always had a lot of respect for them, both as a band and as a group of musicians.
And this documentary shows exactly why that is.
Iron Maiden grew out of what was then called the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM). A movement that started towards the end of the 1970's and spawned bands such as Def Leppard, Saxon and Motorhead and also helped inspire later bands such as Metallica and Guns N Roses.
Yes, it was a re-emergence of Rock music, but the NWOBHM took a lot of its inspiration from the Punk Rock bands of the mid 1970's. These NWOBHM bands would probably never have come about without the Punk Rock movement that had gone before.
The Punk movement showed these young British Heavy Metal and Rock music fans that they too could go out and form their own bands, produce their own music and even start their own record labels.
It also furnished them with a different attitude to many heavy metal bands that had gone before them. An attitude and approach which helped enable these new bands to break through to bigger and better things. Something that might not have been possible in the past.
Iron Maiden probably exemplify this as well as any of those other bands i mentioned earlier and that still shines through today.
Somebody in the film states that Iron Maiden don't give a fuck what others think about them. They are not trying to impress anyone, they are just being thenselves and remaining true to themselves.
This is one of the reasons that Flight 666 is such a good watch.
What you see in the film are a band at the top of their game. A band that have the utmost respect for each other and for the people who work with and around them.
They are a team, almost a family and that makes a huge difference to how a band works.
I have watched many music documentaries and films over the years and there is usually at least a hint of inner tension within the band. It is very hard to hide. But, nothing like that shows up here, in fact quite the opposite and this line up of the band have been together for many years now, decades even.
This in turn, transfers itself to the audience, who are amongst the most loyal i have ever seen. Some of the crowd scenes and audience participation, during the live footage, is amazing.
Many fans shown in the film describe Heavy Metal as a kind of religion and it is pretty obvious that Iron Maiden are viewed as Gods by many of them.
A couple of scenes in particular stick in my mind, both from South America.
It is obvious that Iron Maiden are huge in South America and the reaction to them borders on the hysterical at times. A fact recognised by the band themselves.
Bruce Dickinson, the bands singer, says to the crowd in Mexico that "The further south we go, the hotter it gets" and by that he means the reaction of the audience, not the weather.
He is not exaggerating either.
Part of this, i think, comes from the fact that Iron Maiden were one of the first heavy metal bands to play in South America, way back in 1985.
The fans have not forgotten that.
Also, Iron Maiden were actually banned in countries like Chile in the past, due to religious concerns and so had not been able to play live there. Therefore, when they do come to town, it is a very special event.
One gig in Puerto Rico, their first ever in the country, becomes a virtual pilgrimage for many fans, some of whom have come across the border from neighbouring countries just to see their idols.
A fan interviewed in, i think, Columbia becomes very emotional just thinking about seeing his favourite band.
Another male fan is seen at the end of a gig, clutching a prized drum stick to his chest, crying. He is later seen hugging his tearful girlfriend.
It really means that much to them.
I have seen this kind of emotional response to a band, or act before, but very rarely in this modern era. And these are grown men crying too, not besotted teenage girls.
For me Flight 666 is worth seeing just for the live crowd scenes alone. You are drawn into the emotion of the occasion. And, if you like that kind of thing, the music is pretty damn good too.
But, this film also reminded me of several reasons why i have such great respect for Iron Maiden:
- They haven't lost their sense of humour, despite all that goes on around them.
- The bands Boeing 757 jet, flown by Iron Maiden's singer Bruce Dickinson by the way, is called "Ed Force One", after the bands mascot, Eddie.
- As the title of the film suggests, the 757's call sign was "Flight 666". The number of the beast and the title of one of the bands most famous songs.
- Iron Maiden are a great British export and are still proud of and retain their British roots. You only have to see the amount of Union Jacks, England football shirts and West Ham United items amongst the crowds worldwide to see what effect and influence that can have.
- The have achieved what they have without any real radio, tv, or press exposure. They have done it the hard way. They have done it their way.
- Their "Don't give a fuck" attitude. I may not be their greatest fan, but they do what they believe in and they do it very well.
- And last, but by no means lest, they bring a smile to my face and you can't say fairer than that can you?
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Monday, 22 November 2010
Friday, 1 October 2010
AudioBoo: The Way We Were - Sex Pistols & Me
Some thoughts about those heady days & my own experiences.
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Never Mind The Bollocks...
Having just heard about the very sad death of Malclm Maclaren the ex manager of the Sex Pistols, at the age of 64. I thought i'd get my own obituary in early.
Now, i know that Malcolm Maclaren was not universally liked & for a number of reasons. But, it has to said that without him, the world of music would most likely be a very different place.
Ok, so he didn't write any of the music of the Sex Pistols. But, he did effectively put the band together & certainly guided them during their early days. Without him, the Sex Pistols would not have been the force in British music that they turned out to be.
It is generally accepted that he was the driving force behind many of the bands publicity stunts, their dress, style & much of their confrontational manner. And if not, he certainly encouraged it & got the maximum amount of publicity out of it. That publicity helped to get the Sex Pistols music & the whole Punk idea out into the open & into the media.
The Sex Pistols were a focal point for the whole Punk & New Waxe movement, especially here in the UK. Yes, they stole bits of it from the USA. But, it was only when the Sex Pistols exploded onto the music scene that the whole Punk idea really kicked off. The Sex Pistols showed that Punk Rock was more than just a small youth movement of angry young kids.
The Punk ethos changed the whole world of music & art generally & those changes are still being felt today. The whole Punk movement helped encourage thousands of young kids to try & express themselves. Something a lot of them had never thought possible before. Suddenly anything seemed possible & the whole world was starting to take notice.
Out of that movement came so many bands, writers, artists, film makers, magazines etc etc & a whole new do it yourself culture & way of thinking. As i said earlier, the ripples of that explosion of talent are still being felt today. You only have to listen to the influences quoted by so many of todays movers & shakers, to hear the influence that the Punk movement had on them.
Speaking as somebody who was aged 19 in 1977 & who bought the original 45 of "Anarchy In The UK", i don't think it's stretching things too far to say that without the Punk movement of the late 1970's, the world would be a very different place today.
Whilst Malcolm Maclaren might not have responsible for all of that. He certainly played a very big part in bringing about those changes & for that i am very grateful.
Never mind the bollocks....that's the truth.
R.I.P Malcolm Maclaren.
Now, i know that Malcolm Maclaren was not universally liked & for a number of reasons. But, it has to said that without him, the world of music would most likely be a very different place.
Ok, so he didn't write any of the music of the Sex Pistols. But, he did effectively put the band together & certainly guided them during their early days. Without him, the Sex Pistols would not have been the force in British music that they turned out to be.
It is generally accepted that he was the driving force behind many of the bands publicity stunts, their dress, style & much of their confrontational manner. And if not, he certainly encouraged it & got the maximum amount of publicity out of it. That publicity helped to get the Sex Pistols music & the whole Punk idea out into the open & into the media.
The Sex Pistols were a focal point for the whole Punk & New Waxe movement, especially here in the UK. Yes, they stole bits of it from the USA. But, it was only when the Sex Pistols exploded onto the music scene that the whole Punk idea really kicked off. The Sex Pistols showed that Punk Rock was more than just a small youth movement of angry young kids.
The Punk ethos changed the whole world of music & art generally & those changes are still being felt today. The whole Punk movement helped encourage thousands of young kids to try & express themselves. Something a lot of them had never thought possible before. Suddenly anything seemed possible & the whole world was starting to take notice.
Out of that movement came so many bands, writers, artists, film makers, magazines etc etc & a whole new do it yourself culture & way of thinking. As i said earlier, the ripples of that explosion of talent are still being felt today. You only have to listen to the influences quoted by so many of todays movers & shakers, to hear the influence that the Punk movement had on them.
Speaking as somebody who was aged 19 in 1977 & who bought the original 45 of "Anarchy In The UK", i don't think it's stretching things too far to say that without the Punk movement of the late 1970's, the world would be a very different place today.
Whilst Malcolm Maclaren might not have responsible for all of that. He certainly played a very big part in bringing about those changes & for that i am very grateful.
Never mind the bollocks....that's the truth.
R.I.P Malcolm Maclaren.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Mott The Hell?
'Allo.
This morning i was listening to the singer Morrissey being interviewed, by Kirsty Young, for the Radio 4 programme "Desert Island Discs". One of the 8 tracks chosen for his imaginary desert island was "Sea Diver", a song from 1970's UK band, Mott The Hoople.
Nothing unusual in that, maybe, except for the fact that Mott The Hoople are hardly the most well known band on the planet. But, it just happens that, at the moment anyway, wherever i turn, the name of Mott The Hoople seems to keep cropping up.
I was recently reading a biography of Joe Strummer, primarily known as the lead singer with UK punk band The Clash. It turns out that The Clash were very much influenced by Mott The Hoople, in their early days. Band member Mick Jones, especially, was a big fan of the band before his days in The Clash.
The Clash even, quite purposely, arranged for ex Mott The Hoople producer Guy Stevens to produce their most famous album, London Calling.
Mott The Hoople were a big influence on a number of the early UK Punk bands. Partly because they were also seen as a kind of early Punk band themselves. A band who wrote about ordinary things.
They obviously also had an influence on 1980's band The Smiths as well, judging by Morrissey's record choice this morning.
For my own part. I vividly remember Mott The Hoople from my own teenage years.
Although, never a huge fan of the band, i do remember seeing them on Top Of The Pops playing their David Bowie written breakthrough single, "All The Young Dudes".
From that point on, i bought all of their single releases, many of which i still have as the original vinyl 45's.
I remember being especially proud to get hold of their "Roll Away The Stone" single, the day before it was officially released & rushing home to play it.
A very good friend of mine at the time went to see Mott The Hoople in concert, supported by a new young band called Queen. He said we might hear more about them in the future!
Recently, apart from reading that Joe Strummer biography, i have also re-bought Ian Hunter's classic rock 'n' roll story, "Diary Of A Rock 'N' Roll Star". One of the truly great books about the music business.
I was originally given a copy as a present by an ex-girlfriend, way back in 1974, when the book was first published. A fact i had forgotten all about, until i noticed an inscription, in pencil, in the back of my original copy, which i'd taken down off of the book shelf the other day.
It's a book i have read & throughly enjoyed on several occasions & i was thinking of reading it yet again. After discovering that my original was not in the best of health, i decided to treat myself to a new copy.
So, a series of coincidences have conspired to get me thinking & reminiscing about Mott the Hoople & my own teenage years, once again. And yet another coincidence is the fact that the band recently reformed & performed two gigs in London.
And, yes, i am listening to Mott The Hoople as i type this. The memories are flooding back.
Music has a way of taking you back to places you thought you'd forgotten about.
"It's a mighty long way down rock 'n' roll"
This morning i was listening to the singer Morrissey being interviewed, by Kirsty Young, for the Radio 4 programme "Desert Island Discs". One of the 8 tracks chosen for his imaginary desert island was "Sea Diver", a song from 1970's UK band, Mott The Hoople.
Nothing unusual in that, maybe, except for the fact that Mott The Hoople are hardly the most well known band on the planet. But, it just happens that, at the moment anyway, wherever i turn, the name of Mott The Hoople seems to keep cropping up.
I was recently reading a biography of Joe Strummer, primarily known as the lead singer with UK punk band The Clash. It turns out that The Clash were very much influenced by Mott The Hoople, in their early days. Band member Mick Jones, especially, was a big fan of the band before his days in The Clash.
The Clash even, quite purposely, arranged for ex Mott The Hoople producer Guy Stevens to produce their most famous album, London Calling.
Mott The Hoople were a big influence on a number of the early UK Punk bands. Partly because they were also seen as a kind of early Punk band themselves. A band who wrote about ordinary things.
They obviously also had an influence on 1980's band The Smiths as well, judging by Morrissey's record choice this morning.
For my own part. I vividly remember Mott The Hoople from my own teenage years.
Although, never a huge fan of the band, i do remember seeing them on Top Of The Pops playing their David Bowie written breakthrough single, "All The Young Dudes".
From that point on, i bought all of their single releases, many of which i still have as the original vinyl 45's.
I remember being especially proud to get hold of their "Roll Away The Stone" single, the day before it was officially released & rushing home to play it.
A very good friend of mine at the time went to see Mott The Hoople in concert, supported by a new young band called Queen. He said we might hear more about them in the future!
Recently, apart from reading that Joe Strummer biography, i have also re-bought Ian Hunter's classic rock 'n' roll story, "Diary Of A Rock 'N' Roll Star". One of the truly great books about the music business.
I was originally given a copy as a present by an ex-girlfriend, way back in 1974, when the book was first published. A fact i had forgotten all about, until i noticed an inscription, in pencil, in the back of my original copy, which i'd taken down off of the book shelf the other day.
It's a book i have read & throughly enjoyed on several occasions & i was thinking of reading it yet again. After discovering that my original was not in the best of health, i decided to treat myself to a new copy.
So, a series of coincidences have conspired to get me thinking & reminiscing about Mott the Hoople & my own teenage years, once again. And yet another coincidence is the fact that the band recently reformed & performed two gigs in London.
And, yes, i am listening to Mott The Hoople as i type this. The memories are flooding back.
Music has a way of taking you back to places you thought you'd forgotten about.
"It's a mighty long way down rock 'n' roll"
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