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Punk rock memories by Gary Boyle
Photo courtesy of John Clewley
Read the following story by John Clewley from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
The Bangkok Post music columnist shares his memories of England’s punk music scene.
NO MORE DINOSAURS Manchester in the mid- to late-1970s was dark and miserable. I was in university in Manchester during these years, beginning my studies in 1973 and graduating in 1977 at the University of Salford. In my final year, I stayed in the residence halls and despite the stress of final year thesis writing and final exams, plenty of students had already picked up on the rapid rise of something called "punk rock".
Above my university room on the third floor, George Banting, now a research professor, had taken to punk music with great enthusiasm — he bought many of early singles and EPs, including what is sometimes regarded as the first self-produced punk record, the Spiral Scratch EP by a band called the Buzzcocks, released in January 1977.
We could hear George bouncing around the room to the manic sounds of punk that within a year had replaced "dinosaur rock", as punks liked to call it (rock music and stadiums, big shows and endless guitar solos were among the complaints of the punks), and the concerts were a lot of fun.
A SEMINAL SHOW By 1977, the Manchester punk scene was ready to explode. I should just mention here the infamous June 4, 1976, Sex Pistols’ gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. The few who attended included musicians who would later become famous like Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto of the Buzzcocks, Morrissey of The Smiths, Mark E. Smith of The Fall, Bernard Sumner of Joy Division and New Order and producer Martin Hannet. The show changed popular music in England forever. I did not attend this show; I missed it as I was doing a summer job in a factory in Sheffield.
Here’s one chord, here’s another. Now form a band. That was the DIY philosophy — it kicked off punk in the Northern cities and paved the way for indie rock.
BANGKOK BUZZCOCKS This memory has surfaced because frontman and songwriter for the Buzzcocks Pete Shelley died last week at the age of 63 and there has been a lot of social media commentary from music fans in South East Asia, many of whom it seems were inspired to pick up a guitar by songs like the classic “Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have)” and “Harmony In My Head”. If you had told me in 1976 that indie bands in Singapore and punks in Thailand and the Philippines would love the Buzzcocks I would have thought you were crazy.
Many of Shelley’s songs endured the test of time. At the Buzzcocks Nov 28, 2009, show at Club Culture here in Bangkok, many people in the audience were able to sing along. The band did a version of “Boredom” that still lingers long in my memory. Pete Shelley no longer looked like the snarling young man he was back in the mid-1970s but the band rocked. I’m not a great fan of rock music but the Buzzcocks and later The Clash are exceptions for me.
And with punks trying to hold a concert here a few weeks ago to play for freedom, the authorities shut them down. That rebellious punk spirit which kicked off in London and Manchester remains alive and well, miles away from where it began.
Vocabulary enthusiasm (n): a strong feeling of excitement and interest in something and a desire to become involved in it manic (adj): full of activity, excitement and anxiety
Section 1 Read through the story and answer the following questions. 1. Where did the writer graduate from? ……………. 2. When was the first self-produced punk record released? ……………. 3. Punks liked ‘dinosaur rock’. True or false? ……………. 4. When was the Sex Pistol’s Manchester concert? ……………. 5. The writer was at the concert. True or false? ………….....
6. According to DIY philosophy, how many chords do you need to form a punk band? a. One. b. Two. c. Three. 7. Who wrote the Buzzcocks’ songs? a. John Clewley. b. Pete Shelley. c. George Banting. 8. How many people attended the Bangkok Buzzcocks concert? a. 1970. b. 2009. c. The story doesn’t say.
Section 2 Underline one grammatically incorrect word in each of the following sentences. Then, write down the grammatically correct word in the space given. 9. In Manchester in 1977 everyone seem to be very thin. …………… 10. Many punks had brightly colour haircuts. …………… 11. The Bangkok audience was oldest than in Manchester. …………… 12. The show was a great successful. …………… 13. Pete Shelley will be greatly mist. ……………
Section 3 Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given. I ….14…. in June 1977 and, unable to secure a grant for postgraduate studies, I got a job as a bus conductor for the City of Salford, taking ….15…. on buses, and even going as far away as Bolton on the No.8 bus (the ….16…. ride with 56 stops). I mention this because I would go straight to punk gigs from the bus and be ….17…. on my "look" — slim trousers were in fashion after a decade of wide flares. I also had a great bus partner, driver Mike Arshad, who ….18…. came from Pakistan and ….19…. me about Pakistan food and music.
14. a. graduated b. graduate c. graduation 15. a. fairs b. fayres c. fares 16. a. long b. longer c. longest 17. a. thanked b. complimented c. commented 18. a. firstly b. initially c. originally 19. a. taught b. teach c. teacher
Section 4 Find a word used in the story that matches the following definitions. 20. Very unhappy or uncomfortable. 21. Pressure or worry caused by the problems in life. 22. Very fast. 23. Well known. 24. A set of beliefs or an attitude to life that guides someone’s behaviour.
For the answers, find the story online at www.bangkokpost.com/learning If you have any questions or feedback, please contact the Editor at [email protected]