Thanks
Kaat 72, enjoying this. Entirely new to the chat/forum environment, still kind of on overload, but very fun. I enjoy your writing style (Rebel Without a Cause, for instance) A thorough but concise description, emphasizing the details which support the point you wish to make; Enough detail to bring someone completely unfamiliar up to speed without being patronizing, not so much anyone would get bored, and delivering a sense of the "flavor" of the thing being described, well done.
I will likely fall short of some of these qualities here, but offer a few random thoughts, loosely connected and relevant;
1) The Morrissey song "Suedehead" (not my usual genre, but pretty OK imho); The official video is filled with James Dean iconography, to the point of being a monument, might be worth looking at.
2)The music which has more appeal to me is likely the result of my first concert experience. Mom and Dad took me to see The Band, at the Santa Monica civic center.......At two weeks of age. Parenting styles were different then
Now I'm dating myself, like
crashdamage did earlier in this thread; I must agree with him, there was a particular window of time when there was some really good stuff going on in the world of music; I'm slightly too young to have really seen (remembered) much of it first hand, but it was the kind of stuff that was still in "heavy rotation" on the local "contemporary rock" radio station when I was growing up. Recently I moved back to my hometown, after being away, pursuing a career for 25 years; I tuned to 99.9 FM, and my initial reaction was "Dear God, are they still playing these exact same songs, milking this tired old format ?" Three songs later, and they had reeled me in, landed me back in the boat. I think it was Derek and the Dominos' cover of "Little Wing", followed by "Sweet Jane", the Lou Reed song, and then "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac. I never wanted to turn into an old fart, incapable of relating to the music of the current youth generation, it just seems to happen. Those of us in the previous generation generally fail to see the appeal of the music that the current generation thinks sets the standard. While I strive to see the good in all of it, I have to dig really hard these days to hear much that seems like it will stand the test of time. Sometimes personal opinions arise because one side of the scale truly is far more weighted down with treasure. I imagine every generation wants to distance themselves from their parent's generation, (Rebel without a Cause, anyone?)
And this leads us to #3, for anyone still reading
3) Dad recently celebrated his 70th BD; We had a nice dinner, a few glasses of wine. He related the story of being 18, with the long hair, VW bus, living in sin with Mom, the whole bit, and it was his own father's BD. He gave Grandpa a copy of the then new single "I am the Walrus". Definitely advanced material, not the kind of stuff one would expect someone of the Depression era to immediately embrace. Dad gave it to him mostly to twist the knife, but partly to try and reach out, turn the old man on to something special. It didn't go well, and to this day, Dad just shakes his head, and can't imagine why. That's one of the things that makes it so difficult between he and I at times; I have more than embraced his stuff, yet he can tell a story like that, about his own Father, and still turn his nose up at anything his son puts on his radar screen. I have gone through numerous phases over the years, these days I'm going back and mining stuff like The Stooges, The Clash, (some), selected Ramones songs, and definitely the Pistols. Bringing us to 4.
4) Love it or hate it, the previous four acts and others of that type produced some stuff that at the very least must be considered "interesting" as a study in cultural anthrolpology. Furious rebellion with or without a cause, steeped in the '50's rock and James Dean tradition, and "turned up to eleven". Raw and undisciplined, but not nearly as atonal or unmelodious as many would have you believe. Truly a product of a particular time, place, and experience, an oddly creative channeling of anger and frustration. An enormous desire to send a message, and very little appetite for fame or fortune. A definite signature look and attitude, but (at least in the early days) not an act, affectation, or a dress up masquerade. The image
Kaat 72 posted of the original draft of the lyrics to "Purple Haze" reminded me of a document from the history of The Sex Pistols, which has been reproduced in books. A pay stub issued to the band, signed by Bill Graham. The show was at Winterland, in SF, before the largest crowd they would ever play to, It would turn out to be their last gig ever, and a lackluster performance. And the total take for the band was $66 . This was something that by virtue of its raw honesty, likely will stand the test of time, for a particular audience. Some of the participants were exactly what you would expect; Thuggish, under educated, marginally competent on their instrument. Others were significantly smarter, more introspective, and while not classically trained, capable of wringing a signature sound out of an instrument.
5) Sadly, one of the single most iconic figures of the movement is someone not to be idolized for any reason. As
crashdamage said earlier, "no needles, thank you." Inevitably, a legend is created when you symbolize your entire genre; By consciously cultivating the image of a bad boy rock star. While simultaneously, genuinely living the lifestyle that would later be associated with the entire genre, to the max, and not as a part of an act. By senselessly but inevitably dying of an overdose at 21, fully six years short of the already far too young " 27 club". A perverse goal, to say the least. At least James Dean lived fast, died young, and left a beautiful corpse.
More than I intended, and far more than enough for now, thanks for your kind indulgence to those of you still here.