April 2014
Welcome to Episode 4 of See Hear podcast, the show dedicated to
music-related film.
Bernie Sticky chose this month’s film, Franco Rosso’s “Babylon”
(1981). Blue (Brinsley Forde from reggae band, Aswad) is a second-generation
Jamaican living in Britain. Like Jimmy the mod in Quadrophenia, he’s surrounded
by circumstances that make him question where he belongs. Like any teenager he
wants to break away from his parents’ values and who appear to have forsaken
their own identity to assimilate in Margaret Thatcher's England. He lives in a
society that is often hostile and racist, either casually or from the organised
police or National Front. The one event he can hang his hat on is the Sounds
System he has put together with his friends the Ital Lions crew, preparing for
a competition against the Shaka crew.
There are a lot of
serious questions and reflections going on in this film, and yet it never feels
oppressive. Blue’s circumstances can be quite dire, yet the buoyancy of the
reggae music and the friendship of the Ital Lions never drag the mood
down. Bernie, Wendi, Tim and Maurice discuss the film, as well as the
events leading up to and following these circumstances in real life. The film
was made less than a year from the infamous Brixton riots. In hindsight, the
events of “Babylon” almost seem like a warning.
The discussion was stimulating and we hope you
join us. You can download or subscribe to the podcast from iTunes, Stitcher, or your podcast app of choice.
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Download episode 4 here.
Proudly part of the Pantheon Network of music podcasts.
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