If Music Could Talk

Acquired a few music docs in the last bit: Sad Vacation, about Sid & Nancy; Athens, GA: Inside/Out; and Salad Days, about Washington, DC's punk scene in the 80s. I've only watched the first, tho. Have to say that I'm now sympathetic to the view that Sid didn't kill her (which isn't the same as convinced). The combination of his drug-addled state and the parade of iffy people in their lives raises enough doubt in my mind.

There a great couple of lines from one of the interviews on the Some Product LP and I'm typing from memory - but I hope you all get the gist of it.

Interviewer asks where Sid is and then someone (I think Jones) says "He's gone missin'" and the interview asks if that happens a lot and then Lydon says: "Maybe one day it will become peeerrrrmmm-a-nent. Ta, ta, da. Sooorrryyy, Sidney."

Did he kill her? I've never believed he meant to do it (if he did - in fact - kill her) - but who knows. The whole scene did indeed seem to be clouded by way too many drugs and way too many seedy people so anything is possible.

I blame the New York Dolls for bringing that crap over and maybe it would have gotten there anyway - but Sid seemed like a decent fellow before he got strung out (which, I suppose - could be said about a lot of people).

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

14 Feb 2018, 3:06pm

Acquired a few music docs in the last bit: Sad Vacation, about Sid & Nancy; Athens, GA: Inside/Out; and Salad Days, about Washington, DC's punk scene in the 80s. I've only watched the first, tho. Have to say that I'm now sympathetic to the view that Sid didn't kill her (which isn't the same as convinced). The combination of his drug-addled state and the parade of iffy people in their lives raises enough doubt in my mind.

Salad Days is great - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And I agree with you about Sid.

Silent Majority wrote: ↑

14 Feb 2018, 3:03pm

Inder wrote: ↑

14 Feb 2018, 3:00pm

I just looked up John Otway on Wikipedia and he seems really interesting. I'll definitely be checking this out.

My main placing of him is in The Young Ones with a punky guitar version of Body Talk.

I don't know how many times I've seen that but had no idea it was John Otway. My only known experience of him was hearing "Headbutts" on some compilation tape back in the day.

Would like to see that docu though

JennyB wrote: ↑

14 Feb 2018, 5:32pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

14 Feb 2018, 3:06pm

Acquired a few music docs in the last bit: Sad Vacation, about Sid & Nancy; Athens, GA: Inside/Out; and Salad Days, about Washington, DC's punk scene in the 80s. I've only watched the first, tho. Have to say that I'm now sympathetic to the view that Sid didn't kill her (which isn't the same as convinced). The combination of his drug-addled state and the parade of iffy people in their lives raises enough doubt in my mind.

Salad Days is great - I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And I agree with you about Sid.

Watched Salad Days this morning. Quite well constructed and persuasive of the significance of a (long) moment of creativity in a community of dissent. Unless I missed it, tho, there was no mention of the problem of Nazi punks polluting the scene. I also would have liked a bit more attention to straight edge, especially how this idea could go into wildly different areas, from self-discipline and improvement and living life within an explicit moral frame to intolerant puritanism and judgement. The thing that most struck me, however, is how well spoken and often soft spoken the vets of the scene sound decades later. For a genre that was/is all about passion and loud expression, it's always a bit jarring to hear (former) punks speak in a decidedly non-aggressive, but rather soothing manner. It reinforces the thoughtfulness that underlies punk's anger. Anyway, well worth watching and considering.

Does the film have any connection to the book of same name? I loved the book, and that did discuss the Nazi issue.

Flex wrote: ↑

22 Feb 2018, 3:45pm

Does the film have any connection to the book of same name? I loved the book, and that did discuss the Nazi issue.

Spoke? I bought the Kindle version of it this morning ($2—why not?) but haven't done more than flip thru some of the photos.

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

22 Feb 2018, 3:48pm

Spoke? I bought the Kindle version of it this morning ($2—why not?) but haven't done more than flip thru some of the photos.

My bad, the book was Dance of Days, not Salad Days. Same topic tho, obviously.

Flex wrote: ↑

22 Feb 2018, 3:50pm

Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑

22 Feb 2018, 3:48pm

Spoke? I bought the Kindle version of it this morning ($2—why not?) but haven't done more than flip thru some of the photos.

My bad, the book was Dance of Days, not Salad Days. Same topic tho, obviously.

Ah. Same publisher, tho.

Watched this this morning:


This gungy, vermin- and insect-filled studio in Brooklyn where a number of avant NY-based artists (e.g., Afrika Bambaataa, Sonic Youth, Swans) recorded. Musicos will get more out of it than me, but I enjoyed it for the intense, obsessive quality of those involved—artists who are doing their thing, never worrying about how many copies will sell and the like. It's also useful for touching on the politics of geography, especially as the neighbourhood starts to gentrify.

Was on a flight home from Sydney late last night and couldn’t find a film I wanted to watch.
As a result I watched a doco about the recent Bros reunion!! The only thing I remember from first time round was the hundreds of prepubescent girls outside their flat which was just round the corner from where I was living. I thought they only had 2 hits but obviously the rest passed me by.
What was interesting was that both of the brothers had made successful careers for themselves in the US.
Anyway what a pair of absolute wankers. Luke was more like David Brent than David Brent with his philosophical quotes and Mat was just like a teenage girl drama queen.

JohnS wrote: ↑

08 May 2017, 11:22am

There's one rockumentary that everyone HAS to watch, and that's not just because (ahem) I was one of the producers
(well, along with several hundred other idiots who pledged money to get it made)
'Otway - The Movie'

http://otwaythemovie.com/home.html

Let's make this the big one for Otway!

Back in the 80s I used to roadie for a local band here in Reading called The Complaints. They had their own P.A. system and the singer and I used to set It up for other bands to use. One gig at a converted barn in Wokingham called Angies was for Otway. He was brilliant and during one song he climbed on the central beam and was literally hanging above our heads while singing. A maverick performer who deserved more success. I love "Beware of the Flowers" "Really Free" "Middle of Winter" "Headbutts" and his cover of "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". Spoke with him at the bar before and after the gig a lovely easy going guy.

Marky Dread wrote: ↑

24 May 2019, 11:35pm

Back in the 80s I used to roadie for a local band here in Reading called The Complaints. They had their own P.A. system and the singer and I used to set It up for other bands to use. One gig at a converted barn in Wokingham called Angies was for Otway. He was brilliant and during one song he climbed on the central beam and was literally hanging above our heads while singing. A maverick performer who deserved more success. I love "Beware of the Flowers" "Really Free" "Middle of Winter" "Headbutts" and his cover of "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet". Spoke with him at the bar before and after the gig a lovely easy going guy.

Great stuff Marky - hanging from the rafters = vintage Otway antics. Although these days he seems to not bother with his giant set of stepladders at gigs. In his autobiography he describes how he would do anything for attention at school, the bigger the crowd drawn the better - every classroom had one of these characters, right? His on-stage risk-taking certainly reminds me of the daft stunts an old classmate of mine used to do. Only he never made a career out of it.
I've seen Otway live many times and he's always a very genial bloke, happy to hang around the merch table with a pint, and have a chat. And behind the madcap image, he's actually written some good songs.

101Walterton wrote: ↑

24 May 2019, 9:55pm

Was on a flight home from Sydney late last night and couldn’t find a film I wanted to watch.
As a result I watched a doco about the recent Bros reunion!! The only thing I remember from first time round was the hundreds of prepubescent girls outside their flat which was just round the corner from where I was living. I thought they only had 2 hits but obviously the rest passed me by.
What was interesting was that both of the brothers had made successful careers for themselves in the US.
Anyway what a pair of absolute wankers. Luke was more like David Brent than David Brent with his philosophical quotes and Mat was just like a teenage girl drama queen.

Who are the Bros?

revbob wrote: ↑

25 May 2019, 9:17am

101Walterton wrote: ↑

24 May 2019, 9:55pm

Was on a flight home from Sydney late last night and couldn’t find a film I wanted to watch.
As a result I watched a doco about the recent Bros reunion!! The only thing I remember from first time round was the hundreds of prepubescent girls outside their flat which was just round the corner from where I was living. I thought they only had 2 hits but obviously the rest passed me by.
What was interesting was that both of the brothers had made successful careers for themselves in the US.
Anyway what a pair of absolute wankers. Luke was more like David Brent than David Brent with his philosophical quotes and Mat was just like a teenage girl drama queen.

Who are the Bros?

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bros-mn ... /biography

Do not seek out a video. You'll get hives.