July 10th – What happened to the rock ‘n’ roll
rebellion? In the upper echelons of the genre what used to define a rock star
was a trail of destroyed hotel rooms stretching from here to the planet Gozo,
swimming pools full of Rolls Royce’s and wide-screen TV’s, a booze tab equivalent
to the GDP of a medium-sized developing nation, a drug horde sufficient to
challenge Pfizer’s distribution depot, levels of male or female company that stretched
from here to maternity the activity of which meant the use of copious amounts
of Dexedrin was obligatory; that and an intake of fluids (other than booze)
that would put a seriously thirsty elephant to shame. Now what?
Now it’s all about stars in pavements, on walls, in books,
it’s about honours dished out by the very people rock music was meant to be
railing against, it’s about awards, gongs, recognition…money…fame…money and money…
And what about the lower echelons?
Where is it that the line is crossed? I mean, I can remember
doing a whole month of free gigs for a Brighten Up Balsall Heath festival…a
whole month…for free – street parties, playing off the back of a flat-bed truck
and having to search a dozen homes before we’d found someone who’d managed to
pay their electric bill and so still had the power turned on, which is all they
had, power, the only furniture in the
house was a coffee table and six orange crates – we did concerts in Balsall
Heath Park, at the back of pubs…anywhere
we could fit in and find power. It was run by a group of students (unpaid) and
I can remember thinking that this was how it should be in society; people
helping people for no other reason than the helping of people. Anyway, that’s
all gone now, post Thatcher and Blair. You see, the free festival’s rebellion
came from completing the events in spite
of the council’s objections, gerrymandering, obstruction and hostility, and also
by squatting in a house owned by folk who owned twenty or thirty such places
and kept them empty so they could demolish and rebuild with money from the
government (their friends) and then either sell or let at exorbitant prices (in
Balsall Heath?) you know, folk who were old enough to know better but young
enough not to give a fuck about anyone but themselves. From the house (free HQ)
the festival was run in conjunction with the local people. We painted houses,
did running repairs, cleaned houses, streets, derelict areas, gardened,
entertained and in some cases fed the locals whilst giving the establishment
figures the run-around.
That sort of thing now shows itself in the Children In Need type of event where the
stars come out and give their time from their incredibly busy schedule (gaining huge
PR benefits and ads in the interim) supposedly all for nothing…for free… Not
knocking the event and its outcomes, just whish we could drop the;
‘Look at me and what I’m doing for these poor people’
attitude of many of those taking part. You wanna really make a
difference? OK, do the event for free really. No expenses paid, not for
travel, food, clothes…anything (it can come out of the voluminous pocket holding
the salary you get paid…won’t even make a dent).
The knighthoods, MBE’s and gongs that are dished out; do they
return them? Do they buggery. They become establishment creatures from the
moment the envelope from Her Maj drops on the coconut matting. You want a
sample?
OK.
1) On this day in 1989 the Monkees get a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame…nothing self-congratulatory about that except that this
accolade brought the band’s four members together for the first time since they
split up – wouldn’t do a reunion for their fans (fuck them) but, for a
spotlight moment? You betcha!
2) On this day in 2008, The Who…remember them, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Acid Queen, Teenage
Wasteland…? The Who gathered together (those that were left that is…which
was two of them) to bask in the VH1’s Rock Honour.
3) On this day in 2009, Robert Planet (sorry, Plant) was
given a CBE by Prince Charles…that’s Robert-TV’s out of windows-Percy’-rock ‘n’
roll excess; that Mister Plant…a CBE…which he accepted…from HRH FFS!
4) On this day in 2012 Slash (G&R Slash) accepted his
star on the Hollywood Walk of fame; didn’t lift up the slab and smash it over
some guy’s head in a drug-gorged frenzy, nope, he accepted it
from…Charlie-fuckin’-Sheen! Both, apparently, were drug and alcohol free at the
ceremony…now what sort of a ceremony would that have been then?
See, nothing, nada, zilch, sweet F-A that even resembles rock
star behaviour…ah, but, wait a moment; what’s this galloping over the horizon?
ON THIS DAY IN: -
1968: The Nice are banned from the Albert Hall for burning
the Stars and Stripes on stage as an antiwar protest.
1969: The funeral for Brian-pill-popping-egocentric-Jones was
held; he was found face down in swimming pool.
1981: Jerry lee Lewis underwent the first of two emergency
operations for a bleeding ulcer caused by prolonged use of booze.
1986: Jerry Garcia slipped into a diabetic coma but recovered
five days later and was back on the road.
1978: Bill Wyman stumbles off the stage and is knocked unconscious
at a gig in Minnesota
1979: Chuck Berry was sentenced to jail for the second time
for tax-evasion.
Now that’s more like it! I think we can surmise, when looking
at the date range of the two section above that rock ‘n’ roll aint dead it’s
just that, for the past ten years, apart from the odd fit, it’s been slumbering
in the arms of establishment recognition.
Answers to Yesterday’s Quiz:-
1) Other than Rory Gallagher, name the other two members of
the band Taste? – Richard
McCracken and John Wilson (I do believe they went on to form the band,
‘Stud’.) My thanks to Milo at 'Shadowplay' for fuller and far more pertinent information: Messers Eric Kitteringham and Norman Damery were the original members. I get a slap on the wrist for being wrong; Milo gets points deducted for being a know all!
2) What was their name before they became Black Sabbath? – Earth
3) A music video set in a bar paired two unlikely people (one
a motorbike maniac the other a witch) in a search for love; who are the two
people and what’s the name of the track? – Cher and
Meatloaf – Dead Ringer for Love
4) Gimme and ‘F’ –
Gimme and ‘I’ – Gimme an ‘S’ – Gimme an ‘H’….. Track and band, please? – Country
Joe and the Fish – Feel Like I’m Fixin’ to Die Rag
5) Name the two related artists who recorded a song about the
Encino ladies? – Frank Zappa and Moon Unit
6) Gary Moore recorded a version of Shapes of Things. Who did the original and in what year? – The
Yardbirds – 1966
7) Arthur Conan Doyle knew where 221b was and he wasn’t the
only one; who and where? – Jerry Rafferty – Baker Street
8) The dog that barked in the beginning… Track and band,
please? – Been Caught Stealin’ – Jane’s Addiction
9) A difficult balancing act and a difficult instrument to play
in any century, even for a farmer; Band and track, please? – Jethro
Tull – Livin’ In the Past
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