Great Pop Things
Encyclopedia
Great Pop Things was a comic strip
by Colin B. Morton and Chuck Death (the latter a pseudonym
for the musician and painter Jon Langford
of The Mekons). It first appeared in Record Mirror
in 1987, transferred to the New Musical Express in 1991, and was also published in LA Weekly
.
The strip was a satirical
faux-history of rock
and pop
music. It lampooned many fashionable groups and singers of the time, as well as presenting the "stories" of established stars. Morton and Langford had a particular liking for rock stars of the 1970s, and presented multi-part histories of such luminaries as Led Zeppelin
, The Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen
, Frank Zappa
and the Rolling Stones. One of their most featured characters was David Bowie
, invariably referred to as "Dave" and depicted (even as a child) with a lightning bolt design on his forehead, similar to the make-up he wore on the cover of his Aladdin Sane
LP. Unlike the real-life Bowie, "Dave" was shown to be particularly proud of his early single "The Laughing Gnome
", which was described as "a mod anthem" and referred to at every opportunity.
The history presented by the strip was hugely inconsistent (even from one panel to the next), though one unchanging "fact" was that Elvis Presley
was "the second white man to invent rock 'n' roll". (The first was Bill Haley
, though as one strip notes, "he wasn't very good at it".) Other running jokes in the strip included a blanket denial that anyone involved in rock music had ever taken illegal substances, the conflation of all progressive rock
bands into a single group with an ever-changing line-up, and the oft-made claim that punk rock
originated in the writers' home county of Gwent
.
Colin B Morton, otherwise known as Carlton B Morgan, is still based in Newport and contributed to Sound Nation magazine from 2003 to 2004.
In 1998, a complete collection of the strips was published with an introduction by rock critic Greil Marcus
.An English TV series of 2008, Star Stories, bears more than a passing resemblance to Great Pop Things.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
by Colin B. Morton and Chuck Death (the latter a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
for the musician and painter Jon Langford
Jon Langford
Jon Langford born October 11, 1957, Newport, Monmouthshire is a Welsh-born musician and artist who is presently based in Chicago. He is the younger brother of science-fiction author and critic David Langford...
of The Mekons). It first appeared in Record Mirror
Record Mirror
Record Mirror was a British weekly pop music newspaper, founded by Isadore Green and featured, news articles, interviews, record charts, record reviews, concert reviews, letters from readers and photographs. The paper became respected by both mainstream pop music fans and serious record collectors...
in 1987, transferred to the New Musical Express in 1991, and was also published in LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
.
The strip was a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
faux-history of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and pop
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
music. It lampooned many fashionable groups and singers of the time, as well as presenting the "stories" of established stars. Morton and Langford had a particular liking for rock stars of the 1970s, and presented multi-part histories of such luminaries as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, The Sex Pistols, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and the Rolling Stones. One of their most featured characters was David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, invariably referred to as "Dave" and depicted (even as a child) with a lightning bolt design on his forehead, similar to the make-up he wore on the cover of his Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane
Aladdin Sane is the sixth album by David Bowie, released by RCA Records in 1973 . The follow-up to his breakthrough The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, it was the first album Bowie wrote and released as a bona fide rock star...
LP. Unlike the real-life Bowie, "Dave" was shown to be particularly proud of his early single "The Laughing Gnome
The Laughing Gnome
"The Laughing Gnome" is a song by David Bowie. A pastiche of songs by one of Bowie's early influences, Anthony Newley, it was originally released as a novelty single on Deram Records in 1967, the track consisted of the singer meeting and conversing with the creature of the title, whose sped-up...
", which was described as "a mod anthem" and referred to at every opportunity.
The history presented by the strip was hugely inconsistent (even from one panel to the next), though one unchanging "fact" was that Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
was "the second white man to invent rock 'n' roll". (The first was Bill Haley
Bill Haley
Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock".-Early life and career:...
, though as one strip notes, "he wasn't very good at it".) Other running jokes in the strip included a blanket denial that anyone involved in rock music had ever taken illegal substances, the conflation of all progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
bands into a single group with an ever-changing line-up, and the oft-made claim that punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
originated in the writers' home county of Gwent
Gwent (county)
Gwent is a preserved county and a former local government county in south-east Wales. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was named after the ancient Kingdom of Gwent....
.
Colin B Morton, otherwise known as Carlton B Morgan, is still based in Newport and contributed to Sound Nation magazine from 2003 to 2004.
In 1998, a complete collection of the strips was published with an introduction by rock critic Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
.An English TV series of 2008, Star Stories, bears more than a passing resemblance to Great Pop Things.
Anthologies
- Great Pop Things (Penguin, 1992, ISBN 0-14-017156-8 )
- Great Pop Things: The Real History of Rock and Roll from Elvis to Oasis (Verse Chorus Press, 1998, ISBN 1-891241-08-7 )
External links
- "The Lester Bangs Story" http://www.jimdero.com/Bangs/Bangs%20Pop.htm
- "The Fall Story" http://www.pipeline.com/~biv/FallNet/comix/index.html
- Captain Beefheart cartoons http://www.beefheart.com/zigzag/pictures/mortondeath.htm
- Reviews http://www.jonlangford.de/gpt.htm