Tuesday, August 29, 2017

The Summer Of Love, 1967-Out In The Be-Bop 1960s Night- Rock ‘n’ Roll Will Never Die- British Style- “Pirate Radio”- A Film Review

Click on the headline to link to a YouTube film clip of the movie trailer for Pirate Radio.

DVD Review

Pirate Radio, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, directed by Richard Curtis, Focus Film, 2009


First Question: Who put the rock in rock ‘n’ roll? Well, of course, Bo Diddley (okay, okay others too). Second Question: Who brought rock ‘n’ roll to your double-locked bedroom, dank cellar, storage-filled garage, or other secret ear place back in old time battery-operated transistor radio (pre-iPod, alright) days? Well, of course, your local dee-jay who helped you while away your night, your dream-plagued rock ‘n’ roll night, with his (mainly) mile-a-minute-banter, selection of platters (records, pre-CD, DVD, iTune, youtube, you’ve heard about them, right?), and, yes, selected advertising targeted to the newly enriched (maybe) teenager with disposable dollars. Such names as Allan Freed, Wolfman Jack, Murry the K, and Arnie Ginsberg come quickly to mind. And although the music, praise be, outlasted the careers and remembrance of that lot this classic rock period is associated in my mind (and yours too, I bet) with that very dee-jay night. And that, my friends, is the premise behind this very nicely done trip down rock memory land- British version.

In many ways the British 1960s rock explosion paralleled the American classic rock scene, although later than that genre’s American 1950s heyday. The greatest difference, however, is the way that British audiences heard their rock- literally through the pirate radio of the title. Off-shore, out in the ocean depths, white waves splashing against some barnacled old tub of a ship, rock radio. Without getting into the ins and outs of British broadcasting traditions the battle, the age-old battle really, here is between those who wanted to listen to rock and not just in that double-locked bedroom mentioned above, and those nasty governmental officials and their hangers-on who want to outlaw it by shutting down this uncontrolled method. That battle drives the tension and plot line to almost bizarre (by today’s cyberspace standards) ends. But what this film is about is a bunch of guys (mainly, again) who loved to play rock, who loved to present it in their own fashion, and who wanted the fame, fortune (and, incidental sex) that came with heroic dee-jay-dom.

This motley crew is ready to go down with the ship, literally, in order to keep rock freedom alive. Of course there are more than a few gag (British gag, ala Monty Python) scenes that are better left unmentioned but this is a feel good movie with plenty of drugs, sex, and rock and roll on the high seas. Jesus. You might ask what was wrong with that? Ah, come to think of it what was wrong with that? The cast includes Phillip Seymour Hoffman (a very versatile actor when you realize that he also played American novelist Truman Capote in the In Cold Blood execution-driven drama Tru) as the Count, the only American in the lot. But this whole mix of radio personalities is a good out in the seas rock night, late night, early morning and so on. So, here is the drill. Bo (and, yes, others) put the rock in rock ‘n’ roll but the Count and the boys put the bop in the be-bop pirate radio night. See this one.

2 comments:

  1. The trouble with 'Pirate Radio' aka 'The Boat That Rocked' is that it's fiction very loosely based on the story of the UK offshore broadcasters of the Sixties. Many people have come to believe it's factual.

    A number of stations (not just one!) entertained millions of Brits, continentals and Scandinavians via powerful transmitters. The ships were anchored in the North Sea and the Irish Sea and some stations were based on ex-WWII forts in the Thames estuary.

    The original output of the first 'pirate', Radio Caroline South, was fairly staid and MOR (although I can't speak for Caroline North, which being well out of head office earshot tended to do its own thing.) However, at the end of 1964, Radio London sailed in from Miami, bringing the US Top Forty format and jingles, which very quickly cornered the listener market. The Caroline sound had to be revamped to compete. By 1966 (which is when the film is supposedly set) most of the stations were Top Forty-based. It's a tremendous pity the film-makers couldn't stick to the music of that year for their soundtrack.

    The film's theme is 'rock' and overcoming the 'banning of rock music by the BBC and/or government' - which never happened. Sixties Top Forty format offshore stations were all about pop, not rock. The word 'rock' tended in those days to refer to rock 'n' roll of the Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis era. What we did not have before the pirates arrived was any 24-hour music stations.

    Although there was no banning of pop music on the radio, the Musicians' Union felt threatened. It restricted the number of hours of recorded music permitted to be aired, arguing that spinning records took work from its members. Much of the permitted BBC 'needle time' was devoted to the weekly 'Pick of the Pops' chart run-down.

    Teens loved the pirates from the outset. They were new and exciting, outside of the law and playing music all day. As much as listening to the music, we wanted to know what was happening on the ships. (And what was happening on the ships was nothing like the film script!)

    Those of us who love the offshore stations were very disappointed with 'Pirate Radio', as were most of the former DJs, who don't appreciate being labelled sex-maniac drug-takers! There was plenty of that type of action going on in the trendy clubs when they went ashore and very little happening on the ships, where girls were seldom allowed aboard.

    The pirates didn't save the world, but they made big changes to the music industry and the world of broadcasting and caused the government to have a major rethink about what the public wanted as entertainment. (The pirates were forced off the air in August 1967. The national pop station Radio 1 opened at the end of September. Commercial radio eventually arrived here in 1973.)

    The real story is yet to be filmed and it's much more interesting.

    Mary Payne, Radio London Webmaster

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  2. Mary -Thanks for the info-behind the story.

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