I am an anti-christ

I watched the 7 ages of rock last night, recorded from Saturday. This week it was about the late 70s and Punk. Mainly concentrating on the impact made by the Ramones in the US and the Sex Pistols in the UK, it reminded us of what an absolutely revolutionary time this was for both the record industry and for the young people trying to start out with a band. Until this time you either had to be pretty or very musically talented (or both I guess) to have any chance of having your voice or your instrument heard. And then here come these ‘louts’ with no clue how to sing or play properly, who just wanted to make a noise and get themselves heard. Here was a group of people who had had enough of the established ways of becoming a rock star and maintaining a following. One person was quoted as saying that around that time you felt like anything was possible.

This struck 2 chords with me, which, I realise, is one short of the requisite number required to get me into a punk band. Firstly, that I recalled how much I enjoyed the music of that time even though, as I was always more of a Buzzcock than a Sex Pistol, I was  a little intimidated by the real punks and their anarchic message. Secondly how similar that all sounds to the murmurings around emerging church activities.

The church, as represented by Pink Floyd and Genesis, is being subverted by lots of little Johnny Rottens like me, sticking 2 fingers up at their structures and 10 minute guitar solos.

Anything is possible, but no spitting please.