Forty years ago it was Mick Jagger, now it is Pete Doherty. The police's move to ban Babyshambles's performance at the Moonfest would be laughable were it not serious. Police persuaded magistrates to back a ban by using experts who said that Doherty could 'gee up' the crowd into a dangerous frenzy! Well excuse me Mr Plod but 'geeing up' a crowd is what rock music is all about.
Comparisons with the prosecution of Jagger and Richards don't go very far though. The police action then was crude and backed by a 'moral panic' about rock music - but we have er.. moved on since then - generations have been 'geed up' in the meantime. No, this is something more dangerous - the police as arbiters of our conduct and behaviour - that is a police state.
Quite (altho some would say its a relief not to allow Babyshambles to perform cos they are dire anyway!) - but what do we do about it?
ReplyDeleteIt's great to explore the issue - but I can't see a way around it. The public in general seem to have developed a level of paranoia that is allowing these situations to pass unchallenged, and while I'm not suggesting that Shami Chakrabarti wades in to force the police to allow this gig, where do we take the challenge?
Our elected MPs don't seem to be concerned about this shift in our society, so if democracy fails us, what next? Cos me just typing this, and people keeping blogs ain't gonna change things....
Guy Cowie
The refs to Mick Jagger aside (he's an middle class old geezer whose music - and life - means nothing to me!), this is a good question.
ReplyDeleteAm on my way to Creamfields - thankfully no-one has banned any of the acts there, and we'll all be up for geeing up for a good time. Comes to something when we're grateful for the freedom to have a party!
Jaks