The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds

by J.M.R. Higgs

By the time we reached 1990 all options had been tried and found wanting. We could return to the Church, the state, politics, material greed, personal liberation or hedonism if we wished, but we could no longer see them without being aware of their faults. They were damaged goods, still significant but no longer permanent and secure. But what other options did we have? Did we have any? It appeared not. We were out of ideas. And so there was heard a global, existential gasp of generational fear. There was nothing to believe in. This awful period was brief, and we can date it quite precisely. It arrived in mainstream culture in 1991, fully formed and simultaneously emanating from many different art forms. Douglas Coupland’s debut novel Generation X was published in March that year, and the generation it described suddenly found themselves with a name. Another label arrived in July, when Richard Linklater’s no-budget indie movie Slacker reached cinemas. The American comedian Bill Hicks’ career started taking off in the UK, and the generation found their philosopher. Then, in September, their anthem arrived. Nirvana released the single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, and the story of alternative music was changed forever.