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Tuesday

Punk Britannia...slight return

While on the subject of the BBC's 'Punk Britannia' season, both the John Cooper Clarke and The Adverts documentaries were excellent.  Although I found it curious to see Attila The Stockbroker pop up on 'We Who Wait', but not on the JCC film.

Clearly Attila and TV Smith are kindred spirits, who've undoubtedly shared a stage in their time.  But the heavy use of comedians to offer us a view of the impact of the Bard Of Salford, was a bit one dimensional.  Of course Johnny Clarke influenced them, but what about the 'ranting poets' who followed hot on his Chelsea booted heels?

Attila and the late Seething (later Steven - and Susan for that matter, but that's another story...) Wells were chief amongst the protagonists.  It was under this banner that a certain Porky The Poet got his first audience as well. He's better known as Phil Jupitus these days.

As for the man who brought us 'Russians in the DHSS' and 'Libyan Students from Hell', he's still doing it - much like TV Smith you suspect, gigging out of a suitcase and just about breaking even.

Now that's punk rock - and long may they continue.
 

Still Censored - after 35 years!

Despite myself, I am enjoying some of the BBC's 'Punk Britannia' coverage - if only as an antidote to the tedious House of Windsor soap opera.

But, listening to the eminently reasonable Gideon Coe's contribution this evening, it was surprising to hear that The Damned's 1976 Peel session - played in full and still sounding stunning - was censored.  The F-word being rather more subtlety edited out than the traditional BBC beep that graced it at the time of the original broadcast.  But censored it was.

Apparently the word fuck is not acceptable at almost 10 o'clock at night on 6music.

Hmm, what exactly has punk rock changed then?

Saturday

Buzzcocks - Ever Been Onstage With Someone (You Shouldn't've)?

Oh dear.  A rather worrying review of the much vaunted - and now it seems - controversial, Buzzcocks 'Back To Front' gig in Manchester last week, on Louder Than War. It seems Mr. Diggle 'hit the sauce more than usual' as a friend and fellow Buzzcocks fan put it.

That same friend saw Buzzcocks in Dublin recently and reports that Stevie D (to give him his football nickname) was 'fairly restrained'.  Let's hope Joe Whyte's view that "the sooner Shelley dumps Diggle, the better" doesn't prove to be the case - however understandable the sentiment may be in the light of the "poor, under-rehearsed shambles of a gig" he witnessed.

Shelley & Diggle have often been likened to a bickering couple, who despite everything, know they are better together than apart.  I've seen it myself some years ago at a fairly unpleasant 'punk all-dayer' with Diggle reveling in the drunken chaos, while Shelley looked like he couldn't get off-stage soon enough.

The body language that night suggested a band that was falling apart, but they carried on then, although the fallout from a high profile home town gig may be harder to patch up.

Buzzcocks recent albums (particularly 2003's self titled 'Buzzcocks') have been excellent.  But 'Flat Pack Philosophy', their most recent set of new material, was released in 2006.  Perhaps it's time to get back in the studio and get off the nostalgia treadmill?

A Real Jubilee...

‘Let out all the prisoners, ‘cause that’s a Jubilee’ sang The Stranglers in 1978 on ‘Do You Wanna?’.  Never gave it much thought at the time, as it was possibly one of the weaker track on the superb Black And White album.  Their best in my view, but other opinions are available.

These days, a quick search on the 'net and it turns out they had a point.  The concept of a Jubilee is mentioned as far back as Jewish and Christian fables, apparently.  Not sources I am particularly inclined to credit with much accuracy, but clearly the idea has been knocking around longer than the monarchy.

The idea of a Jubilee being a period of remission and forgiveness, occurring once every fifty years, when slaves would be freed, debts wiped clean and prisoners pardoned, is certainly a more interesting concept than Brian May playing his guitar on top of Buck House, or whatever nonsense is being planned this time.

So how about, for this Jubilee, making all the subjects of this country into citizens? Or wiping out international debt?

Thought not.  Have a Bank Holiday, wave your plastic flags and be grateful to the ruling classes.