In November 1976 the Sex Pistols released ANARCHY IN THE UK on the UK. The revolutionary punk song was immediately banned by the BBC. The British authorities were worried about the sensibility of the royalists. Within the week ANARCHY IN THE UK was # 1 on the charts without getting any airplay.
Describing the social context in which the band formed, John Lydon said that mid-seventies Britain was "a very depressing place ... completely run-down, there was trash on the streets, total unemployment, just about everybody was on strike ... if you came from the wrong side of the tracks ... then you had no hope in hell and no career prospects at all." America was no better post-Vietnam after eight years under the rule of the Silent Majority. I fled the racism of Boston to New York, working at gay restaurants. Naturally I somehow found CBGBs and instantly became a punk.
Hilly Krystal, the owner, stocked the great jukebox with the Ramones, New York Dolls, Blondie as well as JOLEEN by Dolly Parton. We thought we were the only punks in the world and gloried on striking out against everything, but we were wrong and one night in late 1976 someone played ANARCHY IN THE UK and we were not alone. The Sex Pistols changed the scene. Punk was everywhere. LA, Boston, Germany, everywhere.
And still is.
Forty-eight years ago everything changed.
Forever
At least for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment