It's 60's Night!
A few days ago, anyway, on KTMA, Channel 2, the PBS station here in the Twin Cities. That means old clips and even more it means far out! Old groups singing their old songs at one of the squarest-looking events ever. The bands aren’t bad, actually. The audience is the problem. When boogying, middle-aged white people with money should do so away from the camera’s cruel eye, that’s what I’m saying.
“The music of the Sixties deserves to be preserved.”
That probably explains the gigantic market and huge profits.
“...and public television does that.”
'We’re done preserving Bill Moyers, so we’ve got time. '
“Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve of Destruction’ tells you everything you need to know about the revolutionary tenor of the times…”
That and “Honey.”
“’Abraham, Martin and John’ – every time I hear that song I……mm.”
You what? Turn the radio off? Do a bong?
"Don’t wait!! Pledge Now!! "
Okay, calm down. You’re harshing my buzz.
"With public television, you don’t have all of the......."
What? What don't you have?
"..things… that you have with commercial television…"
Well that seals it. I’ll go get my credit card.
“You hear the opening lines of Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve of Destruction’”-
Okay seriously.
“’the Eastern world’s exploding…’”
Stop.
“It makes you think, the more things change, the more things…… turn around, the wheel keeps rolling.”
That’s not what I think. I’ve never thought that.
“Sky Pilot. War. People Get Ready. Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me. Eve of Destruction. By Barry McGuire.”
I don’t think they splurged for the copyrights on a lot of songs they might have.
“He Ain’t Heavy...”
You can say that again.
“He’s my brother.”
I’m very sorry.
Okay, fine. And yet, there was an old Creedence clip, a song and a half, and if you need me to tell you about Creedence well then you simply don’t have all of the things – sorry, actually you’re very lucky because you have a lifetime ahead of you of listening to Creedence for the first time.
Back in modern times, on stage, the old guys in Steppenwolf were damn good, too. John Kay in particular – transcendent. Transcendent, that is, of this particular event, but still. I liked it. “Born To Be Wild” – unbelievable song. Would make a good national anthem, actually. Of course I say that about a lot of songs.
“The music of the Sixties deserves to be preserved.”
That probably explains the gigantic market and huge profits.
“...and public television does that.”
'We’re done preserving Bill Moyers, so we’ve got time. '
“Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve of Destruction’ tells you everything you need to know about the revolutionary tenor of the times…”
That and “Honey.”
“’Abraham, Martin and John’ – every time I hear that song I……mm.”
You what? Turn the radio off? Do a bong?
"Don’t wait!! Pledge Now!! "
Okay, calm down. You’re harshing my buzz.
"With public television, you don’t have all of the......."
What? What don't you have?
"..things… that you have with commercial television…"
Well that seals it. I’ll go get my credit card.
“You hear the opening lines of Barry McGuire’s ‘Eve of Destruction’”-
Okay seriously.
“’the Eastern world’s exploding…’”
Stop.
“It makes you think, the more things change, the more things…… turn around, the wheel keeps rolling.”
That’s not what I think. I’ve never thought that.
“Sky Pilot. War. People Get Ready. Everybody’s Talkin’ At Me. Eve of Destruction. By Barry McGuire.”
I don’t think they splurged for the copyrights on a lot of songs they might have.
“He Ain’t Heavy...”
You can say that again.
“He’s my brother.”
I’m very sorry.
Okay, fine. And yet, there was an old Creedence clip, a song and a half, and if you need me to tell you about Creedence well then you simply don’t have all of the things – sorry, actually you’re very lucky because you have a lifetime ahead of you of listening to Creedence for the first time.
Back in modern times, on stage, the old guys in Steppenwolf were damn good, too. John Kay in particular – transcendent. Transcendent, that is, of this particular event, but still. I liked it. “Born To Be Wild” – unbelievable song. Would make a good national anthem, actually. Of course I say that about a lot of songs.
posted by Lonesome Payne at
9:59 PM
