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I Wanna Be Yours Quotes
I Wanna Be Yours
by
John Cooper Clarke2,406 ratings, 4.16 average rating, 281 reviews
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I Wanna Be Yours Quotes
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“By this time, punk rock had got hijacked by politicos. I think that’s what killed it. Before then it had just been a genuine explosion of naive rebellion, a means for the young to express themselves in whatever way they imagined within the punk-rock guidelines. In that sense, punk was the last real youth tribe, but as soon as it got tied up with the propaganda, narrow politics, and sloganeering of activists, all the fun and imagination was kicked out of it.
Punk rock was no exercise in socialism, I know that for a fact. Most of the punks weren’t at all political: even the swastika stuff was only there to wind people up. The political brigade didn’t understand rock and roll, or really know anything about it: for them, the entertainment was secondary to the propaganda. They didn’t subscribe to the star system which rock and roll thrives on, but they knew a big name when they saw it. The memorable April 1978 Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park in East London, for instance, was due to be headlined by the Tom Robinson Band, but the late addition of The Clash rather usurped their status as top of the bill. A world-class act, just back from the States, they were keen to lend their name to a noble cause. As guest vocalist on ‘White Riot’, the event also provided Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey with the opportunity to cast off the taint of fascism he had so unjustly acquired.
I was very anxious not to be seen as a part of any narrow political agenda, but there was always a danger of that happening in a small place like England. I never wanted to be seen as being in anybody’s pocket. If you’re an avowedly political artist you’re a sloganeer, and that’s the end of it: a base hireling who propagates the ideas of others. The record companies only want your money, but those other people want your heart. To know any artist’s political worldview is unhelpful. It’s unhelpful for the artist, and especially unhelpful to an appreciation of their artistic products. That’s particularly true of actors.”
― I Wanna Be Yours
Punk rock was no exercise in socialism, I know that for a fact. Most of the punks weren’t at all political: even the swastika stuff was only there to wind people up. The political brigade didn’t understand rock and roll, or really know anything about it: for them, the entertainment was secondary to the propaganda. They didn’t subscribe to the star system which rock and roll thrives on, but they knew a big name when they saw it. The memorable April 1978 Rock Against Racism concert in Victoria Park in East London, for instance, was due to be headlined by the Tom Robinson Band, but the late addition of The Clash rather usurped their status as top of the bill. A world-class act, just back from the States, they were keen to lend their name to a noble cause. As guest vocalist on ‘White Riot’, the event also provided Sham 69’s Jimmy Pursey with the opportunity to cast off the taint of fascism he had so unjustly acquired.
I was very anxious not to be seen as a part of any narrow political agenda, but there was always a danger of that happening in a small place like England. I never wanted to be seen as being in anybody’s pocket. If you’re an avowedly political artist you’re a sloganeer, and that’s the end of it: a base hireling who propagates the ideas of others. The record companies only want your money, but those other people want your heart. To know any artist’s political worldview is unhelpful. It’s unhelpful for the artist, and especially unhelpful to an appreciation of their artistic products. That’s particularly true of actors.”
― I Wanna Be Yours
