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Satellite TV Europe - June 2002
It was 1977. It was the Silver Jubilee and there was a wave of royalist sentiment sweeping the country. However, despite receiving little in the way of radio or TV airplay, God Save the Queen was the number one single and the whole country went on the beer for three days. And you just knew that when Johnny Rotten sang God Save the Queen, the little monkey didn't really mean it. (God Save the Queen is rumoured to be re-released on May 27th).
Now it's 2002 and there is another royal occasion to celebrate/ignore/drink heavily to. And though some may think these are more sterile times musically, when you listen to Ash, Blink 182, Sum 41 or any of the nu thrash bands, the spirit of The Pistols, The Damned and the whole punk phenomenon can be heard raging on.
This ten part series, played out over two consecutive evenings, is tagged as 'The Definitive History of Punk Rock'. It features old masters like The Stranglers' Jean Jaques Burnel, Sham 69's Jimmy Pursey, Alan McGee, The Hives, Factory Records' Tony Wilson and the redoubtable John Lydon himself. The series asserts that punk was an anti-fascist, anti-sexist movement that railed against consumerism and materialism and has had long-term influence on music, art, literature, politics, cinema and fashion. It also says that punk has changed the culture of the UK and beyond forever. Phew, that's a big claim. Oh that the music of the intervening years could be said to have had so much significance.
June 3rd and June 4th from 21.00 on UK Play
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