Time is ripe for another cultural revolution
A new film hits cinemas in the next few weeks. The Boat That Rocked is loosely based around the pirate radio boom of the 1960s, when the airwaves were populated by 'naughty' disc jockeys whose only crime was playing pop music. Such stations both inspired broadcasting innovation and also a cultural revolution.
Written by Richard Curtis, veteran broadcaster and former pirate Johnnie Walker acted as a consultant so expect a dose of reality, as Walker was a star of the renowned Radio Caroline for many years and continued working on the station long after it was outlawed.
Caroline was just one of many pirate stations broadcasting from rusting old ships or forts off the coast.
Other stations included Wonderful Radio London, Swinging Radio England and Radio City. But Caroline was the first to hit the airwaves, having been set up in 1964 by an Irish entrepreneur called Ronan O'Rahilly.
At the time Ronan was the frustrated manager of many musical acts, including Georgie Fame, but he couldn't get the music of his roster played on the BBC. So he launched his own station.
To a nation of pop-hungry teenagers who were permitted very limited exposure to pop music on the BBC, Caroline became an instant teen magnet, blasting out The Beatles, Stones and, of course, Georgie Fame.
Many clones followed, notably Radio London where John Peel and Kenny Everett cut their broadcasting teeth. These pirate stations launched at a time when people wanted more; they were fed up with being told what to like and frustrated they couldn't hear the music they wanted on a wider scale.
Legislation killed off the golden days of pirate radio but these stations did force the Beeb to take action and the pop music networks of Radios 1 and 2 launched as a result.
Today we have plenty of radio stations, though ironically little choice! The music industry is largely to blame, releasing and promoting music created to a carefully crafted formula, but that often lacks passion and originality.
We need another cultural revolution! But until then perhaps we can learn a lesson from the uprising that occurred as a result of the offshore radio pirates of the 60s. They not only changed the country but gave the establishment a kick up the backside too. Never a bad thing in my book.
Cue for a quip...
On the subject of post office queues, Mrs B overheard a corking parting shot in Chichester recently. The woman in front of my good lady, having (finally) been served, was asked by the cashier if she was interested in purchasing travel insurance.
Refusing through gritted teeth, she left the counter with the riposte: "Why would I need travel insurance? I've just used up my entire holiday allocation waiting to send a parcel to Hertfordshire!"
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Weather for Midhurst
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 14 C to 25 C
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Wind direction: North
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 25 C
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