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#1 2021-09-16 17:07:58
- Tworussellstreet
- Member
- Posts: 599
On Greil Marcus
Lipstick Traces, Mystery Train... the man who brings heavy thinking to popular culture. As part of my day job I occasionally have to take an author around to do signings at bookshops. One day about 5 years ago I spent the day with Greil, took him to a number of shops ("stores" to our US cousins), and an interview at Monocle radio, tantalisingly close to JS's place. He was cool, laconic, Californian, pretty chilled, told me in the back of a black cab "I'll always hold a huge debt to what John Lydon did with The Pistols". He spotted the Bass Weejuns on my feet "Man those Weejuns take me back to a time and place". I pressed him "Well, we all wore them in 64/65, normally with a soft madras jacket. It was a great time with great music and clothes". I nodded eagerly, thrilled I had got this man of ideas and great theories to abandon himself to the power that clothes can yield. As I saw him off in a black cab at 7pm in Marylebone he smiled at me and said "Thank you for being such a great guide to London". The pleasure really was all mine Greil.
#2 2021-09-17 02:22:34
- A Fine Sadness
- Member
- Posts: 3009
Re: On Greil Marcus
I kind of curse Lydon and loathe what he's become (whilst acknowledging his sad personal life), yet he and Malc led me to Alvin (a lecturer in fashion), who led me to Sartre, who led me to an entire bunch of those authors Kevin Rowland and hated and those he name-checked in that song, erm... Beckett et al. 'Mystery Train' we were aware of post-punk as we thumbed our noses at the mod revival and began listening to, amongst other things, rockabilly, whilst latching onto Dean, Brando and - the more so - Monty Clift (name-checked by 'The Clash').
64/65. Kennedy gone, LBJ in office. He'd have needed some kind of distraction, just as we did from Callaghan then Thatcher.
#3 2021-09-17 03:29:40
- RobbieB
- Member
- Posts: 2219
Re: On Greil Marcus
I admire John Lydon's commitment to his wife and his respect for their marriage vows. In this day and age it is quite sometime.I don't admire his dress sense. I know of an old friend of his who is a tailor and he didn't like it when I pointed out that John wasn't wearing one of his suits when photographed in a supermarket car park wearing dirty track suit bottoms.
Last edited by RobbieB (2021-09-17 03:40:20)
'I am a closet optimist' Leonard Cohen.