STRIKING a CHORD: Rock and Politics in the Eighties
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AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW 19 • Paul Weller, Jimmy Sommerville, Sarah-Jane Morris, Billy Bragg and Junior: Slumping for the Labour Parly, STRIKING A CHORD: Rock and Politics in the Eighties artificial product of scheming tune in. drop out". By the early David Rowe capitalists. In between is a chaotic ’seventies, things had changed. While swirl of intermediate positions which I rock ideology nominally retained its will attempt to negotiate. In this article outsider status, the demise of both ock music, tike space, is big. I will focus on three current issues in rocK hippiedom and full employment Very big. It has a huge rock concerning Live Aid, tobacco led to a period of "me generation” R audience, is extremely (and other) sponsorship and Red introspection and a concentration on culturally pervasive and is serviced by Wedge’s political mobilisation of musical and technological virtuosity. a vast leisure industry. Like that other young people. Until punk camc along. Once great arena of popular culture, sport, First, however, a brief again, rock was avowedly subversive, rock has provoked controversy over bacKground.1 RocK is a child of the shocking and overtly political. Safety the relationship between commerce ’sixties. It is the product of a meeting pins, bondage gear, swastikas, tom and culture. between the musical forms which had clothing, spiky haircuts, swearing on been developed in the Yifties with the TV, and songs of urban deprivation all Put simply, there are two sensibilities which emerged within caused a new moral panic.2 But punk polarised positions on rocK. At one post-war “baby boom" youth. RocK also joined the roll of faded rocK styles end of the spectrum of opinion, rocK is was the generation gap, the anti-war and was replaced in public viewed as dissenting, liberatory and movement, the sex and drugs push coasciousness by fads and fashions the authentic voice of contemporary into music. Alternately, it advocated variously described as “new wave”, youth. At the other end, it is regarded direct political protest and the indirect “new romanticism" and “new pop”. as being passive, repressive and the challenge of hedonism — “turn ori. Here there was an emphasis on smart 20 AUSTRALIAN LEFT .REVIEW clothes and “easy listening” music. It “cannot be taken seriously as a outside, and a phenomenon (Live Aid) appeared that rocK had again been co response to the crisis of famine in which was principally a televisual opted by the industry. However, the Africa, especially in Ethiopia", while event in which the members of the live burst of idealism which accompanied W. F. BucKley in the US found the audience were screen extras rather Live Aid and some forceful cause “philanthropic in design” but than protagonists. If we compare liKe expressions of leftist sentiments in could not overcome his aesthetic more strictly with liKe, the concerts for rocK music suggest aht the pendulum revulsion and his concern as to Bangladesh in 1971 set up by George is swinging bacK to a less apolitical, whether “the capitulation of the Harrison were regarded by the amoral and acquisitive rocK. But these middle-aged suggests a cultural organisers of Live Aid as points to how signs may be only mirages or smoke insecurity”. On the left, Greil Marcus not to run a relief campaign. Where screens. We can properly assess them in the US characterised Live Aid as the former was well meaning but only by looking beyond conventional “an enormous orgy of self-satisfaction, poorly administered, the latter was rocK hyperbole and, in the process, self-congratulation" while Australian businessliKe and tightly organised. establish some of the ways in which Shaun Kenaelly argues that Live Aid George Harrison’s guru was no match rocK is simultaneously a product of the was: for Bob GeldoPs millionaire rocK wider society and an important promoter, Harvey Goldsmith, in influence on the shape of that society, A miserable appeal to a generalised bringing home the charity bacon. that society. “common humanity" [which] ensures that Live Aid revealed two major no difficult questions are going to be It is now almost two years since a asKed. The sheer conformism of the qualities of contemporary rocK global audience of around 1.5 billion sentiments shout aloud ... 3 culture. First, the sheer size of its people from over 100 countries constituency indicates that, when (almost twice the 1984 L.A. Olympics It is rather difficult to adjudicate focussed, it is a very potent social audience) watched MicK Jagger, Bob between such disparate views. force. Second, in the ’eighties, it is Dylan, Madonna, David Bowie, Paul However, if we consider Live Aid’s apparent that rocK is rather more McCartney, Sting, etc. all perform on historical precedents, our perspective respectable than in previous decades behalf of Live Aid, raising over US$40 improves. Comparisons were made and is much less the voice of a million in the process for African between Live Aid and Woodstock in generation or movement than a famine relief. “Saint Bob” Geldof, the the euphoria of the moment. Yet, on fragmented soundtrack of contemp organiser, is now a secular Sir Bob, reflection, it is apparent just how much orary events. By way of example, it is while various documentaries and news the social climate has changed in the clear that The Who’s “My Generation” reports have shown relief getting to expressed the generalised feelings of some needy areas and struggling to ’sixties youth. In the late ’seventies, the reach others, crops regenerating after punk band Generation X sang “Your rain, and also continued famine in Most newspaper coverage Generation” as a riposte to what it saw war-ravaged northern Sudan. Aid for was unabashedly well- as the indulgence of boring old hippie Africa has been a mixture of sucess farts. After Live Aid's success in and failure — as we would expect — disposed towards Live Aid, tapping into a diverse audience with and reactions to it have been similarly with an oft-expressed a considerable age span, the varied. Responses to it tend to have appropriate song might be “Whose fallen into two categories. First, there pleasant surprise that the Generation?" is the celebration of the whole affair, egoistic rock music Yet it would be misleading to in particular, its communality and industry had done deny that overt, youth-focussed philanthropy. When a hard-nosed dissent has disappeared completely rock entrepreneur liKe Bill Graham something altruistic for a from the face of rocK. But, again, it is describes Live Aid as the rock music change. much more systematic and hard- industry’s “finest hour. By far” and a headed than in the flower-power era razor-penned critic liKe Julie Burchill which is conventionally held to be the acts as a self-confessed “unpaid high point of rocK’s social impact. It publicist for Mr. Geldof’, then the sixteen years that separate the two has coalesced around a recent forces in favour of Live Aid are events. While Woodstock epitomised movement in Britain called Red considerable indeed. Most newspaper hippiedom — love, peace and drugs in Wedge, although it must be coverage was unabashedly well a large paddock in New YorK State — acknowledged that there are some disposed towards Live Aid, with an Live Aid reflected post-hippie obvious local predecessors — RocK often expressed pleasant surprise that pragmatism, a self-contained fund Against Racism, for example, or the egoistic rocK music industry had raising event in Philadelphia and Midnight Oil’s involvement (along done something altruistic for a change. London linKed by satellite technology. with other bands) in People for Such benevolent responses were Marshall McLuhan would have Nuclear Disarmament. Red Wedge is rejected by sections of the political left relished the contrast between a distinctive, however, because it is an and right. On the right, the Australian happening (WoodstocK) which organised attempt to help elect a Financial Review argued that Live Aid television reported on from the political party. This is the British AUSTRALIAN LEFT REVIEW 21 Labour Party and it follows that we way: “The Young must learn to taKe have to be cautious about the their politics straight, liKe adults, and portability of the phenomenon to not liKe fidgety children who must be Australia which does not, as yet, have cajoled into thinking by concerts and a radical rightwing government. Yet singalongs ... ”4 In addition to such there are obvious parallels in the criticisms is the suggestion that those conditions faced by youth in both young people who attend Red Wedge countries. High youth unemployment, events are there to see their favourite lower youth wages, work-for-the-dole rocK stars and listen to music, and that schemes, tertiary fees, and so on are all the intended “message" goes through realities or pressing prospects. or past their ears. However effective Britain, with a youth unemploy Red Wedge may be in its aims, it is ment rate approaching 30 percent and transparently the product of the an uncompromisingly reactionary predicament of youth in contemp government, was ripe to produce Red orary British society. Yet do the same Wedge in late 1985. Established rocK conditions pertain to Australia and artists such as Paul Weller, Billy can we expect a similar movement Bragg, Sade, the Smiths and Lloyd here? Cole and the Commotions have In one obvious respect banded together with the express circumstances differ in Asutralia purpose of ousting Thatcherism and where the memory of a (conventional installing a Labour government in rather than radical) conservative Britain. The campaign was mounted government still remains and a Labor ihrough a series of concerts rather government has won the last two than through conventional rallies, elections.