I arrived back in Nottingham last night just in time to watch the Eastenders repeat on BBC3, and went to bed fairly early (for me). The change of water always plays havoc with my stomach, and the idea of having a nice cup of tea on home turf was what kept me going throughout my journey. Before I went to bed I sorted the music for this week’s podcast and made my notes to save time today. This morning Mandi wanted to go into town and I didn’t so I did a few odds and ends of work and then took Jack to the park. I couldn’t really be bothered straight away with the podcast as I didn’t feel 100% alert, and I was determined that today would be as relaxing as possible.

Maybe it’s an age thing, but I was more excited at the prospect of watching two films back to back on television this afternoon than going out. This is the right time of year for an afternoon film, so Mandi and I had hot popcorn and settled in front of the fire to watch Rock Around The Clock followed by Guys and Dolls. It soon became apparent that Rock Around The Clock was written by a white man determined to re-write the history of rock and roll. There is no reference to ho ‘rock and roll’ as a concept borrowed from jazz, blues, and rockabilly, or how dance halls and radio stations didn’t want to play music by black artists and as a result music buyers were forced to listen to watered down cover versions by ‘safe’ white singers like Pat Boone. In this film, two musicians quit a dance hall band because people are no longer dancing and they drive to New York stopping at a small rural town on the way, where a band are playing an exciting new sound that the kids are dancing to. The band is Bill Haley and His Comets, who according to this account have invented this new craze and are seemingly happy to play for free in the village hall every week. The dance hall pair become managers of not only the band but also a dancing brother and sister team, and set up gigs with other real life bands The Platters and Freddie Bell and His Bellboys. When a top ranking promoter refuses to help they go to legendary radio DJ Alan Freed (playing himself in the film), who puts them on his revues. The big time promoter gives in and Rock ‘n’ Roll wins and they all live happily ever after. Rock Around The Clock is credited as the first Rock ‘n’ Roll ‘exploitation’ film, and the cast (fresh from an amateur dramatic pantomime) all had to be treated for Dutch elm disease after filming due to their wooden performances, it is the sort of film that is brilliant because it is terrible.

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