Working for the Man
You know how sometimes, against all odds, you find yourself clinging to irrational beliefs? Well, I have this stupid and quaint notion that musicians, scientists, academics, writers etc. should have some credibility, or at the very least pretend to have some.
This foolish, naive belief came into sharp focus over the weekend when I was watching the BBC4 documentary on the history of London based record company/shop/endless-pit-for-me-to-hurl-my-money-in that is Rough Trade. Although by all accounts, success helped turn this idealistic collective of music lovers into an unwieldly compromised mess, Rough Trade have still manged to hang on some semblance of integrity.
I’m not quite sure how they did this, mind you. Their mastering of the hype machine, although launching The Strokes and The Libertines on to the world, arguably helped turn old ‘indie’ into new ‘landfill indie’. Geoff Travis, the man behind Rough Trade, ultimately embraced the ways of the major labels that he so hated. ‘Nice guy’, I found myself thinking during the programme, ‘I can see why he did it – more people needed to hear the music.’ But of course, the old irrational spark in me had to have the final word, spitting out ‘He’s still a sold-out traitor though!’
And so, after watching this tribute to independent spirit, I switched over to More4 and what do I see? A head-shot of our second favourite tiresome rock ‘n roll crusader, Sir Bob Geldolf, talking about safe investment opportunities at NS&I (aka National Savings and Investment). He was quickly followed by Stephen Hawking, Germaine Greer and Alan Sugar, all extolling the virtues of buying premium government bonds in a new ad bankrolled by the Treasury.
Now I know that there is every reason in the first place to doubt the ‘credibility’ of the man behind The Apprentice and the academic who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother, and that world-famous scientists still need to make a living just as much as starving musicians and Rough Trade label bosses, but I still felt that old inner turmoil.
‘Oh, they’re doing an ad for NS&I?’ I wonder ‘Perhaps they feel that they are coming to their countries aid in this time of recession? Maybe they were just offered a sack of money and wanted to buy a new HD-TV? Fair enough.’
But it isn’t long before my irrational mind boots its way in: ‘Sell-outs! They’re just as bad as Rough Trade employing swathes of PR people to package up rock rebellion for the yoof (no matter how good the bands might actually be). They’re all working for ‘the man’! And how much money could they possibly need anyway?! Tossers!!!’
See what I mean. Somebody help me. I need to kill my inner hippy and strangle its twin – inner marytred indie-kid. And anyway, it just doesn’t reconcile with my love of the truly credible Fleetwood Mac and lear-jet owning Eagles.
March 18th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
When I saw Iggy Pop doing that insurance ad, it all became clear.
March 18th, 2009 at 4:13 pm
What, his wrinkly stomach?
March 20th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I really enjoyed that Rough Trade documentary, Cocktails. I was as interested in the things that weren’t said, as much as in those that were. A vat of bad blood persists, I feel. Geoff Travis put me in mind of John Peel’s famous description of Marc Bolan – “a flower child with a knife up his sleeve”.
For all the (inevitable?) selling out, Rough Trade in its glory days was a magnificent thing. Something I could never say about Bob Geldof.
March 21st, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Don’t get me wrong, ISBW, I too enjoyed the doco and yes, the behaviour of those interviewed was fascinating. I hadn’t seen anyone look quite so distinctly uncomfortable as Geoff Travis when he was be questioned about what exactly happened in the 80s for some time.
I think that there is a series on radio 2 at the moment about the history of the record company which would be equally fascinating – despite it always being the same story of youthful passion and aspiration turning into corporate misery!!