[Fwd: Re: 70s crap]

[Mark Smith]

Sherwood, Harrison wrote:
> 
> Quoting Andrew:
> 
> >Anyway, I really liked lots of the lousy musician stuff. Even Sham 69
> >sounded quite good live. You really really had to be there. I don't
> >think I have met anyone of my generation from the US who has
> >understood how much the whole thing was wrapped up with British
> >culture.

Snip 

Sherwood responds: 
> This also conjures questions about the nature of boredom and the
> rebellion it engenders: Britain's arose out of deprivation; America's
> out of superabundance. Fair summary?
> 
> "Here we are now, entertain us..."

Yeah.  Pretty fair summary.  It's hard for an American kid to relate to
the Punk ethos when his idea of deprivation is not being able to afford
the latest version of whatever electronic gadget he sees advertised in
magazines.  It's just about impossible for an American to understand the
extent to which we are bound up in a consumerist society, in a way that
Britain is not - yet. The original Punk sentiments arose out of a class
consciousness that does not and will never exist in America.  Urban
deprivation, poverty and hopelessness are not perceived as class issues
here, but as race issues.  Maybe rap is our Punk movement.  By the way,
and this one's for Andrew and anyone else who remembers:  whatever
happened to John Cooper Clarke, the Manchester (I believe) punk
poet/rapper?  I saw him in Edinburgh in 1978 or so, and was blown away. 
He did a song called "Cycle Sluts".  Remember? 


-- 
Beechnut Review	http://www.traverse.com/beechnut
"We don't come here for the atmosphere.  We ARE the atmosphere."
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