3 posts tagged “the sixties”
You know, I just can't put my finger on it, but I've always held a bizarre fascination with Brit-rock. It all began with my exposure to the early days of MTV at a very young age. Before this new medium shaped the music landscape for the 1980's, America was living in a post-disco and classic rock depression. There was a lack of excitement and innovation in Top 40 radio at the time. MTV changed all of that by giving exposure to British new wave bands who had little to no exposure on American Top 40 radio at the time. As a result, bands like Duran Duran capitalized on the new medium with edgy, arty, special effects driven music videos that captivated American audiences with the unsual sounds of the synthesizer and the outlandish fashions. Needless to say, I was hooked and the rest is history.
The First Brit Invasion: The Mods (1959-1964)
Without the Mods, The Beatles wouldn't have been half as successful. The Mod subculture grew out of post WWII Britain as the economy in the late '50s began to boom. Mod (short for modern) was a youth movement characterized by teenagers on the cutting edge of fashion and music most noted for their progressive attitudes, lifestyles, and androgynous ways of dressing (both boys and girls). Boys wore suits with narrow trousers and pointed toe shoes, while girls cut their short and darkened their eyes to portay a more "boyish" image. They were all-night pariters (fueled by amphetamines) at obscure underground London nightclubs. The music of choice were bands influenced by everything from American jazz and R&B to Jamaican bluebeat and ska. Bands like The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, The Kinks, The Pretty Things, The Downliners, and The High Numbers (later to achieve success as The Who) were immensely popular. By 1966, Mod was a mainstream phenomenon in England popularized by designers like Mary Quant, models like Twiggy, and TV shows like Ready, Steady, Go!, filtering its way into American culture by extensive media coverage. By the late '60s, Mod fell into decline and gave way to the burgeoning hippy culture that had taken hold of America, as well as the beginnings of glam.
The Second Brit Invasion: The New Romantics (1979-1982)
By the late '70s, the punk scene which exploded just a few years earlier in America, Australia, and Britain began to fracture and implode creating new subgenres and subcultures, most notably new wave (a music genre which fused elements of punk, funk, glam, ska, and disco). By 1980, a new movement in fashion and music was in full swing throughout Britain. The New Romantic movement was a reaction to punk (inspired by glam), and was characterized by effeminate clothing (frilly "fop" styled tops, cosmetics for men, jack boots, pirate-inspired regalia, and post-Edwardian designs). The New Romantics were nightlife scenesters spotted at various nightlcubs throughout the UK. Two clubs in particular were The Rum Runner in Birmingham and The Blitz in London which were both extremely important during the movement (The Rum Runner was home to Duran Duran, while The Blitz was home to Steve Strange of Visage and Boy George of Culture Club). Anthems of the movement included "Fashion" and "Ashes to Ashes" by David Bowie, as well as "Fade to Gray" by Visage. The synthesizer was an essential element in music for the New Romantics. By the early '80s, the New Romantics were exposed to America by a new music medium called MTV, which catapulted acts like Duran Duran, Human League, and Spandau Ballet to mainstream success. The video for "Planet Earth" by Duran Duran personifies the movement. By the mid '80s, the New Romantics themselves had fractured into new subcultures.
The Third Brit Invasion: Cool Britannia (1994-1999)
Britpop is a subgenre in the alternative rock scene of the 1990's characterized by its nostalgia for British garage-rock and pop bands of the 1960's. Britpop was also a partial reaction the the heavy rock-laden grunge scene in the US. Unlike previous British subcultural movements, Britpop was not really unified as a single 'scene,' but rather as a lumping together of multiple artists by the media. With both the British and US press claiming a third Mod revival in the UK, the hype served as a springboard for immediate attention to bands like Blur, Oasis, Pulp, Elastica, The Stone Roses, Suede, Kula Shaker, The Charlatans, The Verve, and Shed Seven. According to British jounalist John Harris, Britpop began with the release of Blur's "Popscene" and Suede's "The Drowners" in spring of 1992. However, by 1994, Britpop turned the tide back on grunge dominance. The release of the albums Parklife by Blur and Definitely Maybe by Oasis created a sensational media firestorm and instigated the already existing rivalry between the two bands. The fashion of the period was characterized by a very bohemian look with retro styles from the '60s and '70s. Indeed Britpop received so much international exposure, that it generated an interest in British culture in general, spawning the term "Cool Britannia." However, by 1999, much of the interest had waned, and the movement was considered officially over.
The Fourth Brit Invasion? (2006-Present)
In late 2004, rustlings of a revived British rock scene fluttered about. Bands like Kasabian, The Libertenes, Franz Ferdinand, and Kaiser Chiefs lay at the forefront of a new movement. By 2005, The Dead 60s (with their classic Mod music elements) and The Rakes (with a heavy post-punk influence) began to gain attention. It is even rumored that Hedi Slimane (former designer for Dior Homme) designed a whole collection around The Rakes. By 2006, a huge influx of Brit bands poured over stateside including Razorlight, The Futureheads, The Kooks, Klaxons, New Young Pony Club, The Horrors, Friendly Fires, etc. In this latest Brit invasion, the medium of choice has been the Internet, particularly social networking sites like Myspace.com (which in itself has been instrumental in generating downloads from the web and sales to the iTunes Online Music Store by giving relatively unknown bands massive exposure). Brit bands of today are generally considered to be affiliated with the indie rock scene (which as a genre has been around since the 1980's, but has become its own subculture in the 2000's). Indie rock as we know it today was born out the early '00s new wave revivalist and electoclash scenes. It has a heavy influence in post-punk and new wave aesthetics. The fashion is a melding of subculture retro looks from the past fourty years with emphasis on Mod and new wave styles (super skinny pants and jeans, mop-top straight hairstyles, pointed toe shoes, headbands, '80s-inspired regalia, etc.).
After the past four years of revived slip-on VANS in an array of patterns and colors (most notably the signature checkerboard design - now mainstream and commonplace), another VANS staple has begun to reemerge over the past year. The lace-up version that began as a '60s trend, and became a huge fad among early '90s hipster teens, has made quite a comeback.
For me personally, it marks the first full revolution in fashion from my teen years. I owned a pair of the lace-up style in 1992 (I was 17). Of course, back then only solid colored designs were available, and one wore them with stovepipe styled jeans (as a reaction to fitted '80s denim), or vintage wide bottom trousers from the late '60s and early '70s. These days, they are being worn with super skinny jeans (which are available in a range of colors including black, white, gray, cream, teal, lime, and red - another early '90s trend minus the skinniness). Also, today's version of the lace-up comes in a variety of patterns and color-block designs.
WARNING - Just because it's a current trend, doesn't mean you need to go out and jump on the bandwagon. With most everything, it has about a three-year shelf life, so by 2010, it will be mainstream and undoubtedly DONE.
Okay, so, as usual I take every movie review with a grain of salt until I actually see it. And yet again, I disagreed with most of the reviews that have been written about Factory Girl. The film was exactly what I expected after all the information I’ve read, as well as documentaries I’ve seen on both Edie Sedgwick and The Factory throughout the years.
I think the reason a general audience would be disappointed by the film is because they are expecting to see a movie about a bubbly it-girl from the sixties who inspired (if not served as a muse) for one of the twentieth century’s most innovative and controversial artists. On the surface and in the media, it appears this way, but it’s not quite the case.
The film exposes the debauched and decadent Factory, and it’s so-called artistic virtuosos. Edie is both fascinated and attracted to a side of life she’d never experienced before. She sees Warhol and his Factory as place filled with creative genius, fostering a new movement in thinking and lifestyle, and she wants to be a part of it. Warhol’s instant infatuation with her beauty, personality, and stylishness only boost Edie’s confidence in her sense of belonging to something larger than herself.
After the glitz and gloss of a scene on the edge of fashion, music, and art are stripped away, the true empty nature of The Factory is revealed…a haven of superficial drug addicts collectively living and following a conceptual lifestyle which they, themselves, may not necessarily believe in. Before Edie is even aware of it, she begins drowning in this lifestyle. By the end, she has become so immersed in the subculture and it’s vices (mainly extensive drug use) that she loses all sense of self, as well as the person she used to be when she originally arrived in New York. She realizes that Andy and The Factory objectified her as a piece of art rather than regarding her as a real person or friend. The film continues it’s tragic downturn until her untimely death at the young age of 28 in 1971.
As with most films that move me emotionally, it strikes a personal chord. I’ve been the vulnerable Edie, as well as the opportunistic Andy. However, I mostly identify with Edie because I’ve had very similar experiences on a smaller scale. I know what’s it’s like to be known by no one, then suddenly known by everyone in a scene you thought was so artistically, culturally, and socially valid. You become engulfed by self-importance and self-validation because of these “friends.” And like Edie, I began to lose myself in it, not really knowing what I was doing or where my life was headed… Fortunately, I did not become addicted to drugs, but I did become obsessed with trying to hold on to the adoration of virtual strangers. When I was fresh out of college at 24, I had absolutely no debt whatsoever. I didn’t even owe my school a dime in student loans. By the time I was 28, I racked up a debt so massive, it’ll take me years to repair my credit. Plus, I’d begun to realize that a lot of those “friends” were not in love with Chuck, but an idea of Chuck or image of Chuck that just wasn’t me at all. When I met people who didn’t know me, but knew of me, I put on a show to uphold that image… However, I always worried that once they met me, they lost interest quickly… And the same happened with potential boyfriends. My 28th and 29th years were my lowest points in which a chain reaction of tragic events in my personal life happened one right after the other… I seriously couldn’t understand how I fucked up my life so much (and so fast). Reality hit me like a Mack truck. However, by the time thirty rolled around, I began to pull myself out slowly. To this day, it’ll take me years to get back to the person I was when I graduated college, but it was a learning experience I had to go through, I guess. Watching this movie almost brought me to tears when I realized what the potential outcome could’ve been.
As far as acting is concerned, Hayden Christensen proves once again that he can’t act his way out of a paper bag (as evidenced previously in the Star Wars prequel trilogy). However, what he doesn’t deliver in acting, he definitely makes up for in looks! I mean, he’s the hottest Bob Dylan I’ve ever seen! On the other hand, Guy Pearce’s performance is Oscar-worthy! I mean, it’s uncanny (if not a bit creepy) how well he captures Andy’s personality, demeanor, and overall look. Though I don’t have much of a basis for comparison for Sienna Miller’s performance, I will say she did a great job. She definitely captured the New England upper-class society accent perfectly.
All in all, despite all the reviews, controversy, and lawsuits, I highly recommend the film. Just keep in mind that it is a depiction of her personality, as well events based on available biographical information. Warning: It’s a bit depressing, so if you don’t like dark movies, you won’t like it.
For Atlanta audiences, Factory Girl is now playing at Landmark Theater in Midtown next to Apres Diem.
