philip goodhand-tait - i think i'll write a song(lp)
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How odd!
I was reading Ian Svenonius' book "Psychic Soviet" last night. In particular I was reading the chapter, Beatles .v. Stones , which talks about the supposed political dispute between Mick Jagger and John Lennon. When discussing the cover of The Rolling Stone's "political" album , Beggar's Banquet, Svenonius mentions the phrase "Bob Dylan's Dream" graffitti'd on the toilet wall with an arrow leading to the flush handle of the toilet in the aftermath of Dylan's "politics are a drag" change of position. Today, the front cover of the Independent On Sunday Review is this:
Seems Lennon produced a cute bit of Dr John inspired unreleased Jagger solo protofunk with The Jim Keltner Orchestra in 1973. I rather like it.
Round about the same cultural time period there were revolutions happening in Detroit. Motown, MC5. Iggy and The Stooges, Alice Cooper, Funkadelic. This was covered in another TV documentary last night called Motor City's Burnin' . An interesting clip was the John Lennon appearance in Detroit which led to the release of revolutionary John Sinclair, the man who was taken out of the political equation for ten years for possession of two joints which he supplied to an undercover cop.
I have found recently that mentioning anything from Psychic Soviet often leads to arguments and accusations of pretentiousness. I take on board the wise words Ian sets out in the Preface.
"The Psychic Soviet may not be used in certain situations, or by certain people, or in certain occasions. Such conditions should be self evident, and we trust that the user shall act responsibly and appropriately if such a circumstance or situation should arise."
OK. Its not set in stone - more a free verse of living volume. The plastic cover smells like old Batman costumes I wore as a kid. Back in the sixties.
I am off to watch Mad Men. Its "Ladies Room" tonight. Last week's "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" had me feeling a slight itch for a cigarette with all the smoking going on! The whole series of documentaries (Ad Men, Selling The Sixties) around the theme of this TV show have been intriguing.
More style than substance at the moment but I like the cultural subtext. You may get something from the traditional predatory professional male at work scenes but I hate to presume.
"He didn't have a political reading of it," recalls Miles today, "he had a much more artistic reading.
I don't think I've ever constructivly thought about this before. I'm beginning to fully understand what you are talking about in the lack of revolution in art at present. The circle starts to spin ...
I love the way you weave, by the way. New materials are introduced, but the end product is seamless.
ooooo, Mad Men, that show fascinated me. It was so accurate right down to the silver rimmed glasses they drank from [we had them] ... I agree about the cigs and drinking ... almost made vice feel romantic.
The cliche is that Jagger was using the dark edge of the time as artistic sustenance...its sort of the soul of the blues.
Lennon, who once said, "avant garde is French for bullshit" rejected Jagger's contact with French film director Godard, yet contrived quite a bit of "avant garde" himself with Yoko. There was a lot of guilt playing out in these people and according to the cultural theory of advertising in the 60s, this was the dark hole at the centre of optimistic consumerism.
When I was discussing Dylan's defection to the "paternal" corporate machine, disowning the "maternal" clique of the folk scene, I had to admit that he still retained an artistic power. The word I used was he became a clown. All that make up and glam the Unholy Rock Trinity then hid behind doesn't surprise me when you consider " Who killed the Kennedys?" in Jagger's lyric.
Dylan and Lennon withdrew. Jagger stepped up to the fire and got burnt.
Svenonius, he who is inspiring these mullings, says of Rock and Roll:
"In its current conservative manifestation it has been a most effective instrument for subjugating foreign markets and ideologies, but as an official expression of the culture it can and must be subverted and utilised in a way that truly best serves the world: to bring destruction to the war machine, to crush the reactionaries and slaughter the High Command as Wagner did, unwittingly from his grave. This awesome power and responsibility, rock and rollers, lies with you"
I had to laugh. Yet he has something. All the political candidates looking for a theme song.
Lennon did embrace the 'avant garde' ... it's easy to hate something you do not understand. Yoko was a charismatic teacher.
Isn't there a black hole in the center of every galaxy? We all spin and get sucked in somehow.
Don't we all have an ever changing array of theme songs? What music are you listening to now? ... and why? ... and where is it taking you? ... where are you taking it?
Have you seen will.i.am.'s tribute to Obama?
Sophie gets to vote for the first time in this election ... while I cover my ears with exasperation, she's listening intently. Everyone should be involved, but it's really about our young'uns taking on the mantles.
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