03-31-2004, 08:10 AM
From Reuters
^BC-LIFE-BRITAIN-POP@
by Paul Majendie
LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Rock 'n' roll once spawned a
flood of working-class heroes who raged against The
Establishment -- but not any more.
From The Beatles floating on a cloud of dope to The Sex
Pistols mocking the monarchy, it was once all about rebellion.
``I hope I die before I get old,'' sang The Who before
smashing their guitars to smithereens.
Now, from Coldplay to Dido, from Busted to Will Young and
Sophie Ellis Bextor, Britain's pop charts are dominated by the
genteel tones of the middle classes. Plummy voices 'r us in the
hit parade.
So what's going on?
Pop critics point to the rise of easy listening stations.
``These stations dictate what goes into the charts,'' said
Peter Robinson, pop critic at NME (New Musical Express). ``This
is BBC Radio 2 housewife territory. That is now the most popular
radio station in Britain.''
And he argues that rich kids handle fame better. ``Their
lifestyle is already pretty affluent so the influx of money will
not send them bonkers,'' he told Reuters.
Sociologists believe the gentrification of rock is all about
those rich kids wanting a slice of the action in popular
culture.
For Britain's elite private schools are no longer the
monastic bastions of privilege they once were. Following Daddy
into the City or the Army is no longer the automatic choice.
Pop's instant fame is an irresistible magnet.
Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, once used to think
``Gosh, I'm just some public schoolboy with my house colours.
I've got a degree. I'm from a middle class family. I've got no
story.''
But look where he ended up.
Martin married Hollywood A-List star Gwyneth Paltrow while
Coldplay landed a clutch of coveted Grammy music awards.
Busted offers an intriguing mix in the English class system.
Charlie Simpson, who went to fee-paying Uppingham School,
might as well have been from another planet when fellow band
member Matt Jay first heard him.
``To be honest, I'd never met anyone that posh,'' Jay recalls.
``I thought only the Queen talked like that.''
Charlie, whose great-grandfather was head of the Royal
College of Music and is buried in Westminster Abbey, complained
``It's funny how people perceive public schools. They think
everyone who went to one is going to be arrogant.''
Sociology Professor Chris Rojek, author of a book on
Britain's Celebrity Culture, is fascinated by what he calls ``the
gentrification of rock.''
``Those with a rich background no longer go into the
professions. Sex, drugs and rock n' roll are very attractive to
public school boys who dream about this,'' he told Reuters.
``It is not just about money. They have money. What they want
is the cachet of being in popular culture. It has replaced elite
culture which is now very infra-dig and passe,'' he said.
But he complained ``The music is all very passive. It is
just there. I think the working classes have lots more to
complain about. Theirs is the music of vengeance.
``Middle class rock stars are tormented by their success and
wonder whether they deserve it.''
Reut0342 03-31-04
^BC-LIFE-BRITAIN-POP@
by Paul Majendie
LONDON, March 31 (Reuters) - Rock 'n' roll once spawned a
flood of working-class heroes who raged against The
Establishment -- but not any more.
From The Beatles floating on a cloud of dope to The Sex
Pistols mocking the monarchy, it was once all about rebellion.
``I hope I die before I get old,'' sang The Who before
smashing their guitars to smithereens.
Now, from Coldplay to Dido, from Busted to Will Young and
Sophie Ellis Bextor, Britain's pop charts are dominated by the
genteel tones of the middle classes. Plummy voices 'r us in the
hit parade.
So what's going on?
Pop critics point to the rise of easy listening stations.
``These stations dictate what goes into the charts,'' said
Peter Robinson, pop critic at NME (New Musical Express). ``This
is BBC Radio 2 housewife territory. That is now the most popular
radio station in Britain.''
And he argues that rich kids handle fame better. ``Their
lifestyle is already pretty affluent so the influx of money will
not send them bonkers,'' he told Reuters.
Sociologists believe the gentrification of rock is all about
those rich kids wanting a slice of the action in popular
culture.
For Britain's elite private schools are no longer the
monastic bastions of privilege they once were. Following Daddy
into the City or the Army is no longer the automatic choice.
Pop's instant fame is an irresistible magnet.
Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay, once used to think
``Gosh, I'm just some public schoolboy with my house colours.
I've got a degree. I'm from a middle class family. I've got no
story.''
But look where he ended up.
Martin married Hollywood A-List star Gwyneth Paltrow while
Coldplay landed a clutch of coveted Grammy music awards.
Busted offers an intriguing mix in the English class system.
Charlie Simpson, who went to fee-paying Uppingham School,
might as well have been from another planet when fellow band
member Matt Jay first heard him.
``To be honest, I'd never met anyone that posh,'' Jay recalls.
``I thought only the Queen talked like that.''
Charlie, whose great-grandfather was head of the Royal
College of Music and is buried in Westminster Abbey, complained
``It's funny how people perceive public schools. They think
everyone who went to one is going to be arrogant.''
Sociology Professor Chris Rojek, author of a book on
Britain's Celebrity Culture, is fascinated by what he calls ``the
gentrification of rock.''
``Those with a rich background no longer go into the
professions. Sex, drugs and rock n' roll are very attractive to
public school boys who dream about this,'' he told Reuters.
``It is not just about money. They have money. What they want
is the cachet of being in popular culture. It has replaced elite
culture which is now very infra-dig and passe,'' he said.
But he complained ``The music is all very passive. It is
just there. I think the working classes have lots more to
complain about. Theirs is the music of vengeance.
``Middle class rock stars are tormented by their success and
wonder whether they deserve it.''
Reut0342 03-31-04