Voice of a Generation

The late 60s, early 70s were a time of great changes, volatile and tumultuous, of Woodstock, Dylan the Beatles, hippy power, flower power…with hopes for a better future. After the war, a new generation flexed their muscles and wanted a new voice. With the introduction of recorded music it was now possible for anyone to have a voice, and many did. In 1960 four young African-Americans held a sit-in movement at a Woolworth's lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Within weeks the movement spread to Nashville and other cities, and the SNCC was born committed to change through non-violent direct action. They had little media support but they redrew the boundaries, and showed the power of mass action.
'Everything that happened subsequently in America in the sixties emanates from their movement. Dylan, the folk revival and the youth culture in general were all transformed by it's emergence.' Wicked Messenger, M. Marqusee
And the song became tied in with this movement too. Before that songs were little more than accompaniments, but now the song became a clear and vivid expression of the voices of change. Songs such as 'We Shall not be moved' and 'We Shall Overcome' (originally Tindley's ' I Shall Overcome'). Dylan is one of the first song writers, drawing on Folk music traditions, with songs like 'the answers are blowing in the wind' and 'Masters of War'. Did the new political movements use the popular young folk singers, or did the singers use the politics of the time to publicise their music? Dylan saw the song more as a ' challenge' than an expression of protest. 'Too many of these hip people are telling me where the answer is, but oh, I don't believe that. I still say it's in the wind and just like a restless piece of paper, it's got to come down some time....But the only trouble is that no one picks up the answer when it comes down, so not too many people get to see and know it..... and then it flies away again..... I still say that some of the biggest criminals are those who turn their heads away when they see wrong and know it's wrong.' notes on Broadside 1962
Then came the rock bands – drawing from the black blues, challenging the accepted norms and where any rules go - while making it their own and voicing new attitudes, ideas and rebelling against the accepted. During a war its necessary that feelings are repressed and rules are rigid, but suddenly there was a feeling that perhaps war is not the answer.
Times they are a changin'
In the 60s the beatniks in Greenwich Village NY latched on to this revolutionary thinking about how things might be different. They were glad to think differently to the government and the establishment. In a society that values consumerism and shopping above those things inside us we loose sight of who we are and what's important in life. It becomes all about the gloss and shine on the outside. The beatniks didn't care what they wore, how long their hair was or how much money they had. They cared about being real and authentic, culture, art, beauty and being free to express yourself.
Dylan got caught up in this movement. But you could live in Greenwich village then if you were a poor busker, except he did crash at many peoples houses and lived at venues where he sang. 'Dylan belonged to a different school. He was never the kind of folksinger who sought to disappear from the song and present it as an artefact. His approach, from the beginning, was with the blues singers for whom adding yourself to the tradition was what the tradition was all about.' Wicked Messenger, Musqusee. Dylan's understanding of authenticity was enhanced by Robert Johnson's collection of recordings 'King of the Delta Blues Singers' John Hammond stumbled upon Johnson's recordings in the Columbia storeroom and was startled by their power, and he introduced Dylan to this album. ' Johnson's words made me quiver big-ass truths wrapped in the hard shell of nonsensical abstraction' - an anguished complexity.

The Noughties
From Iceland comes a very indie band Sigor Ros, who make up their own language, and perform with so much upbeat energy that they make you feel like youve just won the World Cup kind of euphoria. With a striking video about old people recapturing that love of life that sense lifes worth living.
Now 2009 we have a fragmented media with so many channels and online news etc. Where is there for the free thinkers, the bohemians that they can afford to be!.... Glasgow? Can young people rebel against parents who rebelled themsleves against puritan rigid ideals! The Artic Monkeys write directly as young kids and about their everyday experiences. Franz Ferdinand do dance rock for girls to dance to, and Coldplay a fairly relaxed coffee shop sound. But what are the new sounds really telling me?
QUOTE: ".. These are fragile times. Fragile times call for eccentric music. Music that makes you understand yourself. Music that makes you understand other people. Music that rips skulls out of skulls. My friends, it's party time. Music that is "about stuff" is lame. What the world needs now is music that has no message other than "Just be your eccentric self and freak out if you want to. It's cool. We won't judge you."
Music today has no specific agenda. In the 60s, the Black Civil Rights movement struggled against overwhelming obstacles, for equal rights. This struggle informed and inspired Dylans work. Todays world appears in chaos with an overwhelming array of choices and the developing world fighting each other for oil supplies. Bush has played right into their hands, rather than closing down the hatches and working towards renewable energy. There are many possibilities and many problems. We live in interesting times I hope, were joy springs from odd places and despair hits us at every turn.