Caught in a jam in rock’s fast lane
ALTERNATIVE LOOK AT LIFE IN MACC
You can email me at vicbarlow@ icloud.com
GOOD morning my marvellous Macclesfield music lovers.
We all know that rock music originated in the gospel churches of America’s Deep South. We’ve seen those choirs on TV and been carried away at their sheer exuberance.
In 1954 a young white singer named Elvis Presley gave his version of gospel music and the world would never be the same again. Elvis’s style, voice and stage presence opened the door to a generation of new, raw, young performers like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis - and they took the world by storm.
They created stadium rock where huge audiences gathered in the open air to sing, dance (and scream) to their raucous music. American artists brought us huge shows where band members crashed on to stages lit by massive pyrotechnic displays and guitars blasting away. At this point the crowds went absolutely wild. The message was clear: This is America, big bad and rocking.
Contrast that with my experience last weekend at Gawsworth Hall where the amazing Eagles tribute band Talon performed to a packed audience sipping Prosecco on the lawn.
The band was primed and ready to leap run on to the stage.
The crowd were on the edge of their seats (waving cucumber sandwiches) when…Jonathon Richards wandered on stage and began talking about his mother’s plum jam. A flight of noisy ducks flew right overhead expressing their objection intrusion.
God knows what the band made of it all.
I’d love to send a video of this to my American friends showing them how we rock in Britain.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it went viral. to this
A stunning 15th century manor house, a discussion on plum jam, a flight of noisy ducks, cucumber sandwiches and Talon belting out Life in the Fast Lane.
Can you imagine anything more eccentric?
I love it.