Sunday, October 09, 2005

Viewer Power

I am happy to report that the management of the BBC and Lulu, having read my recent somewhat critical article, have redeemed themselves by broadcasting the excellent programme, "Sounds of the Sixties" on BBC4 this week.

It featured an excerpt from a programme called "Happening with Lulu", featuring Mr James Hendrix, a guitarist of some note.
The BBC had been remiss in the Dylan programme by omitting Mr Hendrix's rendition of "All Along the Watchtower", and failing to display Miss Lawrie's talents to best effect, as I have mentioned before.
It also featured some lively young men called "Pink Floyd", performing to a back drop of their psychedelic light show, which may have been a little more appealing had it not been in black and white.
They were introduced by Hans Keller, who those amongst us aged over eighty will remember as the subject of constant satire by Private Eye, because of his pseudo-intellectual music criticism, his Germanic accent, and his fondness for football. Herr Keller was not over fond of Pink Floyd, thinking that they were a little loud. I need only need to point out that Keller was a fan of Schoenberg to give some indication of the degree of seriousness with which we should evaluate his opinions.
I have to confess that I am not very knowledgeable about modern rock music. I have made a decision not to pursue the study thereof, as I don't really have time, and have yet to tire of my large collection of recorded music. It is therefore with little authority that I claim that the music of the 60s was more vibrant and exciting than that of the current era. It seems that the current crop of young people, with their fixation on the accumulation of material possessions and their degrees in accountancy, business studies and 'meja', will grow into the kind of people who were shocked and bewildered by messrs Hendrix, Zappa and Joplin all those years ago.
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5 comments:

Betty said...

Jimi's version of All Along The Watchtower is still the best thing connected with Bob Dylan, but perhaps the BBC couldn't find any footage of him performing on the likes of Pete Murray's Fingerpopping Pops! or Start The Week With Gyles Brandreth!

Geoff said...

Didn't Lulu teach Jimi to play with his teeth?

Vicus Scurra said...

Do you think that, had Jimi lived, he would now be presenting a tv programme along the lines that Betty suggests happened all those years ago, or popping up as a guest on "Gardener's World"? Would he be a supporter of the Libdems, or the friendly face of "Help the Aged"?
And, Geoff, would he still be able to play the guitar with NHS false teeth?
aiyfbim : And If You Fuck Brandreth, I Mock.

Mark Gamon said...

Pink Floyd? Lively?

Now that's footage I'd pay to watch.

Avgajo. A central American initiation ritual, in which young men ingest large quantities of peyote cactus, throw up, and sit listening to old Jimi Hendrix records.

Geoff said...

I'd rather see Jimi play guitar with his teeth out than Lulu sing with hers in.