Counterculture UK - a celebration

Gillieron Rebecca

Description

What is counterculture?- It's an alternative lifestyle The ideas that spread a revolution A movement that changes the worldThis new collection of essays celebrates the incredible originality of British post-war culture. British Art, film, theatre, dance, literature and music have attracted international recognition, from the Angry Young Men to the Sex Pistols to Grayson Perry. Now gaming, the internet and social media enable creative communities to flourish and either fight for social justice - or just be entertained,.Can we find the creative inspiration to succeed in a post-capitalist future?'a wonderfully scholarly, readable and useful treat on the perils of labelling culture.' Helen Lederer, Comedienne'It is the delinquents, deviants and subversive Counterculturalists that embody the true grittiness of British Culture. Subversive and volatile beings of anarchy, freeing the masses from the commodification of commercialised 'expression'. Lurking in the margins, Mark Edwards in Counterculture UK - A Celebration, expresses the liberated and reactionary nature of dance to mainstream culture through his euphoric exploration of free expression, movement and identity. A sensitive reflection of the youth within the 'northern powerhouse' during socially and politically turbulent times that hyperextends itself to our present day discourses. As dance is digitised through meme and viral media so to does the Counterculturalist, constantly dancing their own revolution and liberating those who dare to be free in expression.' ***** Kristian Gath, QWERTY Theatre'This is a good introduction to a diverse range of topics, some of which, of course, will hold more interest than others, but I think overall most are dealt with in a knowledgeable and capable way. The writers know the subjects well enough that they can provide a clear overview as well as zoom in on the specific events or people who drove the movement or changes within the different fields and I like that we get different voices for each chapter. There is nothing new or revolutionary in the book and the examples provided for most of the topics would be well-known (to the point of mainstream...) to most people, but I still rather enjoyed reading the individual essays and seeing it in a context where the impact of certain events are shown on a variety of different stages.The book can be used as a short starter to the different subjects. If you want to delve deeper, there is not much help in the book, but as long as you are aware of that from the outset, I doubt it will disappoint.' **** - JBM 1776 Amazon 100 Reviewer'I found it interesting when the author questioned the idea of whether "counter culture" declines when it becomes the "culture" and is therefore no longer pushing against anything. I also enjoyed the way the author reminded the reader that the new technology of today's world really helps give space for people to explore their interests/fantasies and share them with others. I wonder where that will take us in the future?' **** Gemma Raishbrook, Amazon

Sujets

• Sociologie, société et politique
• Reino Unido
• Alternative lifestyle
• Cultural studies
• United Kingdom
• Great Britain
• Royaume-Uni

Informations

• Publié par: PublishDrive
• Date de parution: 11 novembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780993220715
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Editors
CHERYL ROBSON is a producer of several short independent films, most recently Rock ‘n’ Roll Island , selected for Raindance Film Festival. She worked at the BBC for several years and then taught filmmaking at the University of Westminster, before setting up a theatre company producing and developing women’s plays. She also created a publishing company where she has edited over fifty books including co-editing Celluloid Ceiling: women film directors breaking through . She has published over 150 international writers and won numerous awards. As a writer, she has won the Croydon Warehouse International Playwriting Competition and has had several stage plays produced.
www.cherylrobson.net
REBECCA GILLIERON is an editor with over 15 years’ experience working on fiction and non-fiction titles for independent publishers. Also a musician, she has played guitar, keyboards, drums and sung in a number of bands (Subway Sect, The Ghosts, Private Trousers), releasing three critically acclaimed albums on high profile UK and US labels with her band Wetdog and touring Europe and the US. Her next move is to start a record label ‘Southend Records’ in the town where she now lives.
First published in the UK in 2015 by
SUPERNOVA BOOKS
67 Grove Avenue, Twickenham, TW1 4HX
www.supernovabooks.co.uk
www.aurorametro.com
Counterculture UK © copyright 2015 Supernova Books
Production: Simon Smith
With thanks to: Ellen Cheshire, James Hatton, Alice Lumley, Tracey Mulford and Lucia Tunstall.
All rights are strictly reserved. For rights enquiries contact the publisher: [e-mail]
We have made every effort to trace all copyright holders of photographs included in this publication. If you have any information relating to this, please contact [e-mail]
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
In accordance with Section 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the authors assert their moral rights to be identified as the authors of the above work.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Cover design © 2015 Joe Webb www.joewebbart.com
ISBNs:
978-0-9566329-6-8 (print version)
978-0-9932207-1-5 (ebook version)
COUNTERCULTURE UK
– a celebration
edited by Rebecca Gillieron and Cheryl Robson
IMAGES
Sunflower Seeds , photograph by Mike Peel, http://www.mikepeel.net CC-BY-SA-4.0, 2010
My Heroes , photograph by Karl Steel, CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0, 2012
Pussy Riot, photograph by Igor Mukhin, CC-BY-SA-3.0, 2012
Jenny Éclair, photograph by J. Mark Dodds, CC-BY-ND-2.0
Omid Djalili and Susan Murray, photograph © Claire Haigh, http://www.clairehaigh.co.uk
Susan Murray and Marcus Brigstocke, photograph © Simon Goodwin, Goodwin Photography, http://www.goodwinphotography.co.uk/
Mark Edward, contemporary dance performance, two photographs © Idil Kazancel, 1996, p. 75
Mark Edward, contemporary dance performances, four photographs © Stuart Rayner, 2007, pp. 79 , 94
Dance floor, Wigan Casino, photograph © Glenn Walker-Foster/Sharron Wolstencroft, 1975
Occupy London tent, photograph by Neil Cummings, CC-BY-SA-2.0, 2011 Sally Potter OBE, Rex Features
Bram Stoker International Film Festival 2103, photograph © Dean Geoghegan
Russell Tovey, photograph by Charlotte Pitchard, CC-BY-2.0, 2009
The Sex Pistols, Paradiso, Amsterdam, photograph by Koen Suyk, CC-BY-SA-3.0, 1977
Johnny Rotten on stage, Nationaal Archief, The Hague, CC-BY-SA-3.0, 1977
The Stratford Rex, Public Domain, photograph by PedleySD, 2008
Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush, photograph by Panhard, CC-BY-2.5, 2009
Stratford Centre, photograph, © Haley Hatton, 2014
The People Show No. 1 , photograph, © Graham Keen, circa 1966
The People Show No. 128 , photograph, © Zadoc Nava, 2015
Complicite rehearsal images, two photographs © Sarah Ainslie, 2015
The Last Adventures publicity image, © Hugo Glendinning, 2014
Tricia Cusden photograph, © Ronnie Temple, 2015
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Rebecca Gillieron and Cheryl Robson
1. ART
How the Rebels Got Rich
Mark Sheerin, arts journalist and blogger
2. BLACK AND MINORITY ETHNIC ARTS
Whose Voice is it Anyway?
oco Khan, writer and culture editor
3. COMEDY
The Changing Landscape of Comedy
Susan Murray, comedienne and MC for two of east London’s best comedy clubs
4. DANCE
Anarchy from the Margins and Free Expression
Mark Edward, performance artist and writer
5. DISABILITY ARTS AND ACTIVISM
Subversion within the Secluded
Penny Pepper, performance artist and activist
6. ENVIRONMENTALISM
A Way of Life
Paul Quinn, writer and editor
7. FEMINISM
Feminist Activism and its Achievements so Far
Hayley Foster Da Silva, digital broadcaster, F-word contributor, spiritual healer
8. FILM
Beyond the Mainstream: Counterculture Cinema
Ellen Cheshire, writer and lecturer specialising in film, TV, media and cultural studies
Subversive Cinema: Cult Film and the Rise of Film Fan Communities
Dr K. Charlie Oughton, academic and author
9. GAMING AND THE INTERNET
Online Culture Leaking Offline
Simon Smith, editor and software technical writer
10. LGBT CULTURE
What’s Wrong with Being a Freak Anyway?
Jack Bright, freelance writer and editor of various LGBT publications
11. LITERATURE
Underground Publishing: Blast and Bless
Ben Graham, author, music critic and poet
13. MUSIC
Mainstream Countercultures: The Ultimate Mix
Em Ayson, freelance writer and cultural commentator
12. NEGATIVE SPACE
Subculture in Boom-time London
Tim Burrows, writer, editor and musician
14. THEATRE
A Radical Loosening of the Fabric of Drama: Countercultural Performance from the 1960s to Contemporary Experimental Theatre
Dr Tim Garrett, academic and journal editor
15. YOUTUBE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
A New Platform
Bella Qvist, freelance journalist, editor and blogger
ENDNOTES
INDEX
Introduction
Rebecca Gillieron and Cheryl Robson
‘Tomorrow belongs to those who can see it coming.’
– David Bowie
What exactly is counterculture ? The term suggests resistance to the norm and has come to encompass everything from alternative lifestyles to large movements advocating social change. Today, in advanced Western democracies, where mass protest seems to have little impact on government policy, the value of group resistance needs to be re-examined. Simultaneously, the ways in which individuals can have a voice and influence society have mushroomed as a result of the new digital age.
The term ‘counterculture’ was originally used by Theodore Roszak in The Making of a Counter Culture: Reflections on the Technocratic Society and its Youthful Opposition (University of California Press, 1969). His analysis of technocracy and its opponents was highly perceptive, identifying a shift from social activism towards a ‘politics of consciousness’.
Alternative groups and communities have existed throughout the ages, including travelling communities who have created and followed their own traditions and cultures for centuries, regardless of larger society and its mores. Religious communities have also long existed, following a spiritual path laid down by founding members which is often critical of the fast pace and competitive nature of the outside world. A more recent example is the Findhorn community and ecovillage founded in 1962 in Scotland. Its community vision is to be:
‘… an international centre for holistic learning, helping to unfold a new human consciousness and create a positive and sustainable future.’ 1
Free Love?
In the UK, as with the US, the period associated most closely with the emergence of counterculture was the decade of free love – the swinging 60s. It wasn’t only the introduction of the contraceptive pill in 1961 – called ‘the greatest scientific revolution of the 20th century’ by some commentators – which made the sexual revolution possible, it was also the emergence of youth culture creating a self-identifying group of young people primed to rebel against the post-war lifestyle of their parents.
With the advent of psychedelic drugs, pro-peace issue-based campaigns like CND and the anti-Vietnam protests, and with an incredible cocktail of radical literature, art and music being created, this decade was an explosive time for ‘the underground’, which was the term used then to describe the countercultural scene.
In publishing, along with the many local publications being produced, Felix Dennis’ Oz magazine and London’s International Times were proving that, although apolitical and suspicious of mainstream political parties, counterculture was largely dominated by leftist, radical values. In art, Situationist artists were advocating lifestyles other than those promoted by capitalism (in the UK Ralph Rumney was the sole member of the London Psychogeographical Association) and the Fluxus movement was set on destroying the boundaries between life and art altogether – as documented by ‘Fluxbritannica’ at the Tate in 1994.
Pink Floyd were introducing trance to the nation and even the global phenomenon of the Beatles, whose origins were in purely crafted pop, embraced psychedelia with a vengeance in both their music and recreational drug-taking. In 1969, David Bowie’s first major hit ‘Space Oddity’ was inspired by Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey , and introduced us to the first of his stage personae, Major Tom. In 1972 he appeared on Top of the Pops in his androgynous Zig