Billy wrote:
If you were to compile a list of all the bands/artists/films/books/poets/baking products that people have said influenced Television on this list over the years, you'd end up with a complete history of western (and some eastern) music, poetry, film, art and cake-making. And Tom, when interviewed, would probably say he hated all of them. Just to be Tom.
But Tom has cited a great many influences already. Yes, it was hopeless journalism. Though, clearly, some journalists are not as bad as others.
We know that Tom was influenced by various things during the hippie / Summer of Love era -- Stones, Dylan, and so on. I fancy he'd be interested in the Summer of Love art exhibition in Liverpool that Jay drew our attention to: www.tate.org.uk/liverpool/exhibitions/summeroflove/default.shtm
I'd love to visit that myself, nearly as much as I'd like to attend the Meltdown Festival.
As it happens, I'm listening to a compilation album called "Spirit of Woodstock", which has an amazing number of good songs, spread over six CDs, cost half-nothing. It even includes Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction". So much good stuff, from Beach Boys, Byrds, Canned Heat, Doors, Jefferson Airplane, Hendrix, Mamas & Papas, Van Morrison, Small Faces, Kinks, Sly Stone, Temptations, Troggs... As a budding journalist, I assert that Tom was influenced by all of them. :-)
Here I have to recommend two books that tell a lot about the era. Two autobiographies: "Ringolevio" by Emmett Grogan, and "Sleeping Where I Fall" by Peter Coyote. Astonishing stuff. Both were key figures in the Summer of Love in San Francisco. Grogan, streetwise New York junkie and master burglar (while in his teens), then student in Europe, active IRA member in Ireland, friend of Dylan, responsible for Altamont (according to Sonny Barger of the Hell's Angels), junkie again and again... did so much in his short life (suicide in the 1980s). Coyote, hippie pioneer, friend of Grogan, great actor and writer, and still going strong...
Just now I'm listening to "Hey Joe" by Hendrix -- terrific, as ever. Reminds of something that always puzzled me: On some BBC TV programme, about 1970, Hendrix was doing "Hey Joe" when he suddenly stopped and muttered something like "We're gonna stop playing this rubbish and do something we want to do..." Then they played Purple Haze. Anyone else remember that?
Now, where was I? --JoeT -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.4.1 - Release Date: 02/06/2005 -------------- To post: Mail tv@obbard.com To unsubscribe: Mail majordomo@obbard.com with message "unsubscribe tv"