Sunday 18 May 2014

Gary Barlow: Rock God

For all its alleged left-wingery, and its ability to annoy the forces of conservatism no end, rock'n'roll was made up of common or garden proto-Thatcherites, often tax exiles.

The only exceptions were David Bowie and Eric Clapton, way out on the Far Right.

Even those of us who feel a certain vengeful pleasure when we recall our far better musical taste in the 1990s must acknowledge that Gary Barlow stands in the tradition of pop music's Golden Age.

Well, its Silver Age. Britpop was of course its Golden Age.

8 comments:

  1. Speaking of alleged left-wingery, one's thoughts turn to the fledgling One Nation Society. How fares that fine project, David?

    I foresee great things for the One Nation Society. After all, its Director is a charming, charismatic, media savvy fusion of Edmund Burke and Gunnar Myrdal who has secured the backing of respected signatories from across the political and academic world from the outset.

    Just on that latter point, and I don't mean to trouble you with this David, could you post a list of the current signatories again? I'm afraid I'm getting frightfully forgetful in my old age.

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  2. We are waiting for the next list. But it is going rather well, considering that it is only a week old.

    On topic, please.

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  3. Alleged left wingery? John Lennon's Imagine was practically the blueprint for the European Union.

    Particularly the bits about a world with no borders-and a world with no religion.

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  4. Bless.

    His friend Elton John's satirical version of it was better.

    If you knew that, then ... well, you wouldn't be you, would you?

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  5. The Elton John version is very fnny and blisteringly accurate but hardly anybody has heard it. Who knew that you were such an expert, Mr. L? Then again we should have expected that.

    No, pop music was never left-wing. Have you ever met a Tory, Republican, Aussie Liberal, whatever who was born any time after the War and didn't like it? If it had a message, they never got it.

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  6. It had a message, all right.

    And they got it, all right.

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  7. John Lennon's Imagine originally included a line about a World where the wealthy like himself do not pay taxes.

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