Skinheads, Mods and youth subculture

In my medium feed at the weekend was a link to a post titled “British skinheads in the 1980s were young, pissed, and stylish as hell“. I scanned through the pictures, read the accompanying text, and see just a very small slither of a culture and a style that I and my friends wouldn’t have been associated with in 1972, and would have rejected. Yeah some of us were involved it fights at Football matches, it was of it’s time. As I sit here today, my clothes are still inspired and styled by those days, I’m even comfortable with a … Continue reading Skinheads, Mods and youth subculture

British Youth Culture Films featuring Music

Thursdays Robert Elms show on BBC Radio London discussed and took submissions from the listeners on their top-3 British Youth Culture films featuring music. I’d not heard of many of them, so I hit the BBC iPlayer pause button and made a list of all those mentioned. The films are listed as they came up on the show. The most popular films mentioned, including by Robert were Quadraphenia, Take it or Leave It, and Babylon. Quadraphenia (1979) features one Gordon Sumner aka Sting, as we as Phil Daniels and is set in London in 1965. The music is predominantly American acts, … Continue reading British Youth Culture Films featuring Music

Bowie – Changes

Today mark’s the release of a new David Bowie single, Blackstar, also the title track of his 25th Studio album to be released on Bowie’s birthday next year. The Fred Perry Subculture website has an extract from a David Laurie book, called Dare. I have to admit, I found a couple of the claims somewhat troubling. How Bowie & Kraftwerk Inspired The Death of Rock’N’Roll Screams the subhead, and book cover, along with [David Bowie and Kraftwerk] invented modern pop music I admit, I have not read the book. While I can see some validity in the death claim, except … Continue reading Bowie – Changes

Thatchers impact on me

Listening in on BBC Radio London, and watching the social media around Margaret Thatchers death has been difficult. She was polarizing in life, and so in death. Billy Bragg, Morrissey both wrote long pieces on the effect, and impact of what she did. @ragtag aka Karl Roche a former IBM colleague posted a link to Russel Brands piece on Mrs. Thatch. in yesterdays Guardian. Brand makes many good points, especially near the end when he says: The blunt, pathetic reality today is that a little old lady has died, who in the winter of her life had to water roses alone … Continue reading Thatchers impact on me