...is the title of a new Radio 4 series exploring, er, the links betwen poetry and historical events. Not the most obvious place to look for a top notch music documentary, but Sunday's episode was just that. Shakespeare scholar Jonatahan Bate talked to the mighty Linton Kwesi Johnson, whose fusion of dub (provided by Dennis Bovell) and poetry soundtracked The Brixton Riots of 1981.Listening, I was taken back to my first exposure to LKJ, which was courtesy of Radio 3 (honest!) in the late 70s. Though I lived only 60 miles from Brixton, this dark, dread-filled sound laced with stories of police brutality, bereaved mothers and random, racially motivated violence felt like it was coming from another planet. It was one of those moments; though to paraphrase Morrisey this was music that said nothing to me about my life, it kind of fleshed out the TV coverage of burning police cars - this was like proper news from an alternative source. LKJ wasn't just talking about this stuff, he was living it. And the music...this was miles away from Bob bloody Marley; spacey, bassy and beautiful. I went out and bought the records, but it kind of felt like I shouldn't be; I felt they weren't meant for me. I always expected to be asked questions at the till ("Sorry lad, that's not for the likes of you. How's about the new Cure album?").
I sort of still feel like that. A couple of years ago I saw LKJ in a lift at Broadcasting House. I really wanted to tell him that nearly twenty years ago his words had somehow touched a white Grammar school boy living in Kent, but I somehow didn't quite have the guts.
And if I ever see him again, I still won't have them.
No comments:
Post a Comment