Eff

They say that if you can remember the 1960s you weren’t there. I can’t remember these 1960s depicted in this book. But then I wasn’t there. I was here. My 1960s bore not the slightest resemblance to the Fugs’ 1960s. I enjoyed reading about their youthful adventures though, as I continue to enjoy their music. The Fugs weren’t the first musicians to set out to “shock” the “squares” with songs that questioned the establishment, sex, politics, war, the legalisation of drugs etc, along with other songs that basically just contained loads of effing and blinding, but they did it more consistantly than most. A radio station bleeped out the numerous swear words from “CIA Man” here to make it “radio-friendly” with the odd result that it virtually became a three minute bleep.

My audio archive contains a number of radio-unfriendly singles and LPs from the likes of Ivor Biggun and Judge Dread to name but two of the more innocuous examples that have yet to be appreciated in the way that Donald McGill postcards, old soft-porn magazines and Bettie Page films now are. Perhaps those records will eventually be collectible enough to appear in an episode of the “Antiques Roadshow” circa 2050. Much current “music” isn’t radio-friendly and is full of effing and yet empty of humour.

Did you notice when this Blog jumped the shark? If it hasn’t already I think it is just about to as my audio archive has recently welcomed a shedload of cover versions (for Adults only though…) of Cee Lo Green’s frankly wonderful 2010 hit “F*ck Yo*”. Some songs sound even better as an acoustic version.