Which brings me to the title of the blog. I am not that old that I remember, or even heard about Mercury Theatre on the Air when I was young. It wasn't until University and seriously getting into 'fringe culture' that I came across the reference to this 1930's radio drama show. That and my older brother's punk rock records.
Dealing with the 1930's radio show first, while it may not be immediately recognised, if I said 'Orsen Welles' and 'War of the Worlds' you might start to get the idea. (Unless you only associate War of the Worlds with Steven Speilberg in which case you can just ... go away). Imagine the times - between the two World Wars and a good way into the Great Depression. It couldn't have been a lot of fun and there wasn't even You Tube! Mercury Theatre on the Air was, essentially, a stage theatre on radio, with interpretations of classics performed for broadcast. Treasure Island, Dracula, Sherlock Holmes and a variety of others, performed for entertainment. Imagine that! What a concept! Welles' radio broadcast of the 'War of the Worlds' alien invasion was a masterpiece of production and played on the public fear of the time to create a real hysteria.
If you want to read all about it and listen to the programs this link is probably a good place to start: Mercury Theatre On The Air
The 1970s, I'm told, were not a lot of fun either, but althought that decade may not have been as bad as the Great Depression, there was plenty of economic and social unrest to create enough gloom and despondency. By the time the 80s arrived, Punk had fortunately sprung up and hippies were becomming an endangered species. Fear and hysteria, however, were still not far away. No one liked change and certainly anything that challenged the established order was frowned upon.
So it was 1983 that Action Pact! released 'Mercury Theatre on the Air!' which always struck me as a somewhat amusing and audacious title, but looking at it now, maybe even more appropriate than intended? Well, they certainly had
something to say and while the fear may not have been from an alien invasion, punk rock scared the public enough!
I missed almost all of the whole punk thing, but was fortunate enough to ride on the coat-tails of my older brother, absorbing the history like a sponge. It was fortunate that we shared the same black humour and taste in music! On
the downside, it meant that all the Ation Pact records were his and not mine. I am sure one day I'll get around to getting my own copy of 'Suicide Bag'!
..and just while I am on the subject of punk and it's waning, it really is a kick in the stomach to hear the likes of the pathetic and insipid Sandi Thom wailing 'I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair'. Unless the flowers were impaled on a spiked mohawk, methinks todays yoof haven't got the faintest idea - which is a shame, as punk ethic was a DIY reaction to tedious prog-rock guitar solos. If you are going to make a reference to the past, at least understand it...
I think I've lost the plot somewhere here, though. I guess, in a roundabout way, I am just wondering: In these days of terrorism, financial crisis and recession, Is the time right for another Mercury Theatre to take to the air?
I really would love to post some Action Pact!, but I can't. Instead I will make do with some Pixies.
Velouria, from the 1990 album Bossanova. The cool thing about this is the use of the theremin, a wierd musical instrument played by waving your arms about - which was the instrument for 1950s science fiction film soundtracks, perhaps best used in 'Forbidden Planet.'
I'm sure I'll come back to this.
The Pixies - Velouria
