Did I mention I loathed the 90s?
Anyone watch Pop on Trial, the 90's with Stuart Maconie, Caitlin Moran, Goldie and Paolo Hewitt on BBC 4? Oh. My. God. The. Smug. Goldie's the only one I didn't want to throttle. He seemed a lot more interesting than previously suspected. Hewitt, Moran and Maconie represent everything I hated in the British music press in the 90s. The insular, anti-European, suspicious of anything attempting to be more than entertainment vibe. No mention of U2, of course - the band that arguably dominated the early 90s world wide. Paolo 'I'm so far up the Gallagher's arse my face looks like I'm permanently smelling poo' Hewitt especially I wanted to gag. I don't know who said it and I'm paraphrasing but, yeah, the 90s... all about Thatcher's children run amok. Fuck Oasis and Loaded and lads and ladettes.
I've just finished watching the third episode (of three) of Pop Britannia. It covered similar ground, though more intelligently, following the emergence of British pop from the 50s and its ongoing theme of art vs commerce.
When they covered the Britpop years, it was basically just a three-way contrast between the art-driven social realism of Blur & Pulp and the "back to rock 'n' roll" basics of Oasis - both as a reaction to early 90s US grunge.
Damon Albarn - famously permanently at loggerheads with Noel Gallagher - came across very well, I thought. Very perceptive, with real insight. I wish I liked his music more than I do. Must give it another go.
The programme ended on a really positive note: Alex Kapranos marvelling at the explosion of talent (and specifically, regional identity) even since Franz Ferdinand started back in 2002. It seems we're in another golden era.
They probably should let musicians do the talking in these programmes, rather than music journalists. Musicians tend to grow. Journalists turn sour and stuck in whatever was the hey day of their lives.