So, who were the bikers in all of this? I have a memory of a movie called Psychomania- from the early 70's- that mixed bikers, the undead and gang warfare...it would come on the television and I was sort of transfixed, disgusted and confused; there wasn't a reference I understood but it was exciting and weird (and awful).
The rockers rode motor-bikes: probably British in those days. Try watching the movie of 'Quadrophenia' - if you can bear it. Much is explained.
Otis was the Man, there was a Stax Revue that visited the UK in '67, I was just a tad too young at 14 yrs to go to see it at Hammersmith Odeon,(probably didn't have the 10 shillings to get in),wonder if Uncle Ian was there, but I have a copy of the poster on my study wall, I can honestly say I never took any drugs of any description in my youth, now booze was a different story.. and Robbie - for me it was always Julie Driscoll for mod birds, what a sort, wow ,
Quadrophenia reflects the era it was made in more than the era it supposedly documents.
Yes, but it will give our esteemed NYC poster some idea of what we're talking about.
It'll give your "esteemed" NYC poster something to do tonight.
You'll have fun spotting the errors...
Yes, Jdemy, Psychomania was a really bizarre one! Toad fixated zombie bikers... can't say it wasn't original. The soundtrack was rereleased a few years back.
I guess while some of you were looking over at American culture I was watching Great Expectations, Brief Encounter, The Avengers, Gorgo, The Man In The White Suit…..
Oh- and Nigel Bruce and Basil Rathbone!
I also was a bit too young for the Stax tour of 1967 but I did buy the LPs Hit67Stax, History of Otis Redding and in 1968 This is Soul on Atlantic. Not bad for a 13/14 year old. Still have the records (just checked) about 6 feet away from where I'm sitting!
I didn't do pills and very little marjuana. Alcohol was my drug of choice from 13/14 years old.
Always loved them. I've been listening to the original radio shows on podcast lately. Absolutely wonderful.
We have a pretty good collection of movies on DVD, although we let go all the silent movies. We begin pretty much with 1929 and the first Marx Brothers at Paramount, move onto James Whale's movies for Universal, through Britain and Hollywood in the 30s, then into the 40s. We have Hitchcock, Lubitsch, Ealing, Powell And Pressburger, John Huston, David Lean and many, many more, kind of ending up with 'Gregory's Girl'. Oh, and all the Basil Rathbone Holmes movies, both for TCF and Universal.
First film I ever remember seeing was 'Darby O'Gill And The Little People'. Scared the shit out of me. So did Margaret Hamilton in 'The Wizard Of Oz'.
Julie Driscoll... my word, thanks for reminding me. I have a book with a collection of photographs of all the artists signed to EMI, and affiliated labels, in the 60s. All the pictures are around the Manchester Square area where EMI's HQ was. Some great pics : Davy Jones and The Lower Third in 1965 high Mod (the perfect French line haircuts,, all in great continental style shoes with espadrille type soles), Georgie F in madras jacket, knit tie and pin-through collar shirt, and Julie, the gorgeous Julie, standing in the middle of the square, those fantastic eyes, a cute cap atop that amazing haircut, and the body... well let's just say she is in skin-tight cord jeans which always make me feel a little bit unnecessary.
We are now so far away from the original mod(ernist) era that establishing facts is completely pointless and unachievable. It's all conjecture, and there to be interpreted however you wish. There's a bloke on Instagram, Wayne Kirwan from Buckhurst Hill, who talks such extensive bollocks it has completely eroded my interest in what was happening 58-62. I know Johnny Simons told me about a small group of modernists in one corner of the Lyceum in 59, mainly Jewish guys, one of whom was Steven Berkoff. They had their scooters parked outside. This have been near the start of it all. It's only 6 years from this to The Who making a din.
And those Jewish blokes in the Lyceum would probably have been from Stepney, Poplar and Bow with easy access to tailors and materials. Ten years later we sometimes went 'up west' to the Lyceum to meet up with like minded individuals from all over town. Always travelled up by the Underground.
Steven Berkoff was an interesting character. I liked his work but thought he would have been dangerous to mix with.
Julie Driscoll for me seemed to 'go weird' very quickly so the 'fancying' didn't last long.
I've read a few of Steven Berkoff's plays and know him from playing villains in dodgy films. He reminds me somewhat of the great Conrad Veidt. That intensity.
Julie Driscoll didn't quite do it for me in the way that Greco or Hardy did.
^ 'The Who making a din'. Indeed. They became even more absurd than the Rolling Stones (bad enough) with their concept albums, equipment-wrecking and general air of wanky self-indulgence. Moon was just about the biggest prick of all time (not like Charlie, who stayed cool and always looked like a gentleman). If any of you doubt my word on this, take a shufti at Ken Russell's film of 'Tommy'. Better still, don't, you'll vomit.
Ought it to have been 'Wherein Lies The Difference?' Very pretentious anyway. Possibly a late Townsend composition, in association with some eastern mystic.
It's not The Who in particular - rock music in general is highly overrated and increasingly dated. I was recently reading some overblown tosh about how incredible The Beatles were. And yet I would say 99% of the people I've met or read who rave about them were there at the time. Now to many of us they sound very dated. I certainly agree that they were (arguably) the best rock band ever - but rock is a bit crap compared to other genres back then (i.e. 60s and 70s).
'Rock' music is probably the biggest load of cack ever foisted upon a gullible, sweaty public. That thread of crappiness runs from much of The Beatles to everything of whatever has been kicking around these past few years: 'death metal' or whatever. But, but, but... There was a period when the Stones sounded sweet (before Brian Jones cracked up and died. The Kinks and Yardbirds remain worth a listen. There are others. I dig some early Beatles but hate and despise John Lennon. But - The Clash, U2, Guns And Roses - no, no and no again.
It's true The Kinks had some good songs. And I suppose they would be categorised as rock.
'Rock' but with that attractive dash of eccentricity courtesy of Ray Davies. 'Lola' and 'Waterloo Sunset' are much admired by me. Also, following Georgie Fame, a Kinks 45 was the first vinyl I bought with my youthful pocket money (1970). The Georgie tune was the awful 'Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde'. I loved it at the time.