No Fun, No Fun !! Politics

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As we have seen the late seventies saw the far right starting to gain credibility in the UK with the real possibility of them gaining some political power. Adding to this in music Eric Clapton made some casual racist remark and Bowie appeared to be flirting with fascism. For once there was clear cut right and wrong. Defeat the far right and ally music to the forces of good. All well and fine. However with the Nazis on the run the broad based movement turned in on itself and suddenly music did become no fun as the potential finger of suspicion was pointing everywhere. The vague references to anarchy and revolt gradually crystallised into concrete dogma not to enlighten but to criticise and prescribe. Welcome to the witch hunt. Sexist ?  Racist ? We'll find you.

 

 

 

  While we all rallied to the fight against racism under the Rock Against Racism and Anti Nazi League banner little did we know the political machinations of The Socialist Workers Party were grinding their insidious way into the heart of the crowd. With never any realistic hope of gaining  any political power they managed, through a sleight of hand, to rapidly assume rock'n'roll power in the rising tension of the times.

You see not everyone wanted Troops out or CND or thois or that but an Anti Nazi League. What kind of person must you be not to support it.  The enemy thats what! With the mobilisation of a radical punk army behind them the implied  slogan 'if you are not for us then you must be against us' made them powerful figures in rock. Double page spreads in the music weeklies and high profile carnivals and marches meant that the hint of racism could kill a band dead.

 

 

Part of the ANL's political radicalism lay in its total acceptance of punk's rough sound, the music of bands like the UK Subs, Ian Drury or Jimmy Pursey's Sham 69. Yet Rock Against Racism did not simply adapt itself to the existing punk sound. Rather it sought to change and develop punk music.

Who fuckin asked it to chnage our music? Bands like 'Fourth Reich' basically disbanded or changed name because of their name. The Cortinas were questioned as to the intent behind 'Fascist Dictator' No more was there a lind of McCarthyism present than in the NME with those two lovable SWPers Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons setting themselves up as witch finder generals. Lets slur the Stranglers and so on.

True to form though like all good commies from the Russian to the Spanish Revolution they turned round in The Boy Looked at Johnny and knifed the bands them made in the back for a quick buck!

And like all good commies where the dogma was the political commissars weren't far behind to mop up the stragglers. Did I say dogma ?? Welcome to the comedy. Looking back at the what these people said and did I can't stop laughing. But back then this was serious and there were reactionaries and racists to root out and burn. Principal players David Widgery, Red Saunders and Lucy Toothpaste; the political arbiters of our musical tastes. Uninvited guests.

 

 

 

 

 

 Oh yes. the brotherhood was then joined by the sisterhood. Comrades we give you Rock Against Sexism  (see article links below). Bands that been vetted for racism were to be further vetted for sexism where bands would be invited to sign an anti sexist contrct before a gig! Horror of horrors a band, The Fabulous Poodles, had played an anti racism gig but some of their songs may have offended women !!! It was serious stuff. At conferences motions were passed and on and on it fucking went in its own ludicrous way. Unsurprisingly this attempt to find the most boring right on bands in the universe failed and RAS collapsed in debt. True to form they blamed Polytechnic Student Unions for charging too much for gigs and they suggested forcing them to charge future anti sexist gigs less. Right on comrade.

'Rock Against Conferences'
 Graham Lock NME 16.12.78

 

Things were so complicated. What bands could be used to give the message "There's no point us putting on Judas Priest when they strut around with their bollocks hanging out." On Motorhead "neither would want the other." On Adam & The Antz "We finally decided it would be alienating for us to put them on, so we just did an interview with them in Temporary Hoarding instead" (and what a witch hunt that was).

When it came down to it RAR and RAS chose the bands they liked pure and simple:

"The thing is RAR is trying to get involved with people we're all into and interested in, instead of doing  things we just feel  we ought to be doing...What it comes down to is RAR has certain predilections in terms of music, and its therefore certain bands that are going to get used."  (NME 24.3.79)

Wow that was militant ! In other words through their censorship they were to choose what we were to hear. There were plans for an RAR record label ..just imagine the artistic freedom that would have been there.  The truth of the matter is that Motorhead were one of the least racist bands around and ironically were the greatest supporters of Girlschool the only all female hard rock band around. Judas Priest wanted to play an anti racist benefit as did Blondie but oh no coz they weren't politically sound. Getting complicated eh ?

Motorhead & Judas Priest - Their services weren't required ... bollocks or otherwise !

 

 

 

 

 

Music in '79 was not fun. After year zero  punk music was splintering. While on one side punk was developing into a hardcore version of itself others developed the the tinny scratchy guitars and thought themselves funky and right on. Any elements that might hint at racism, sexism or even rock (poor old Penetration) meant musical suicide or derision. God bless those pariahs The Stranglers who casually and  symbolically bared their arses to both camps and carried on doing what they did best; playing music and getting up peoples noses. You don't have to prove anything. Some of your best friends don't have  to be black to prove yourself not racist.  By the end of '79 we had rock with its fingers in every political pie from saving whales to CND. And did we learn from this ? Did we fuck coz years later another ludicrous gang of shit for brains would give us Red Wedge.  Billy Bragg ? Style Council ? Best case I've heard for bringing back hanging !

 

 

 

Click the images below to view them enlarged

 

'Love Sex, Hate Racism' 
Martha Zenfell NME 7/4/79

Temporary Hoarding 
Interview With Adam Ant 1979

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilariously all those right on RAR boys gigs with black reggae groups hit a bit of a stumbling block when it was realised that Rastafarian beliefs treat women with what could be regarded as  contempt. For instance a menstruating women is regarded as sick, must be kept out of sight and is not allowed to contaminate the rasta man's food by cooking it. A woman's body must be covered at all times and  "women who have abortions are using their bodies for "internal cemeteries" (Boy Looked At Johnny P90. Burchill & Parsons) "I'm more opposed to The National Abortion Campaign than I am to the National Front." was the quote from Black Slate bassist Elroy. Nice going Elroy ! As Burchill & Parsons point out however the most successful reggae song of the time was the most excellent No 1 hit single 'Uptown Top Ranking' sung by ...Althea & Donna ...two girls who weren't covered at all times. 

As the confusion progressed the scene was set for more aggressive agitators like the menstrual fixated Ludus and  those lovable  political comedians Crass. "Shaved Women are the traitors" my arse. The heady days of The Slits at The Roxy seemed a long time ago!

The excellent artwork for The Buzzcocks 'Orgasm Addict' cover by Linder Ludus

Chris Schuler in in the History Of Rock Revolution Rock Issue writes "The idea of generational conflict has served to distract rock's rebels from the more fundamental inequalities of race, class and gender. Until rock could rid itself of the idea that a young strutting white male- be it Elvis Presley or Joe Strummer - was somehow 'rebellious', it seemed it would never realise its full potential as a popular music capable of effecting serious social change."  This sort of muppet journalism characterised the late seventies and early eighties. Rrock can be intelligent and political but the moment its ets itself an agenda and allows it to be prescribed its not art and its not rock'nroll. Its as much cloud cuckoo as any set of Yes or Led Zeppelin lyrics.  Where did it all go wrong ?