Many who was alive in the UK in 1976 will remember the infamous ‘Grundy Incident‘, in which broadcaster Bill Grundy cajoled The Sex Pistols into swearing on TV, witnessed by Siouxsie Sioux (a tag-along guest for the band). John Lydon tells in his autobiography that it was an accident as Queen had cancelled and the band were their label mates.
The consequence and effect was a career in ruins for Grundy and many an incensed parent who were angry that such behaviour and profanity had found its’ way into tea-time living rooms.
The ideas and mindset of punk can still be felt today and in a brand-new documentary WAKE UP PUNK, directed by Nigel Askew, there is a chance for modern audiences to get a context and sense of what it truly meant to be punk at a time when the world of true anarchy was new to the UK and the world.
Vivienne Westwood and the recently departed Pamela Rooke aka Jordan form the backbone of the narrative, which reflects on the legacy with help from Westwood’s offspring, notably Joe Corré, her son with the legendary Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren and other son Ben, who look through some of the fashions and imagery that defined an exciting but all-too-brief burn-out era between roughly 1975 – 1978 when the Pistols and other punk bands in the UK were at the height of their infamy. Bands like U2 and The Police were inspired by the movement and went on to even bigger success in the 1980s and beyond.
However, please be advised that the documentary is not so much a montage of classic punk performances which can be viewed on any number of YouTube uploads and BBC4 retrospectives, but an intellectual and subjective seminar which looks at what punk truly is, something that a lot of the veterans feel has been lost amidst the progressive resentment that the likes of Brexit has yielded to the new and developing younger generations, expanding to look at the likes of climate change and immigration.
The interesting thing is that the ideas that were rejected back in the 1970s are being embraced by many public figures now who have a determination to make things right in the present political infrastructure.
At the heart of it is Westwood, whose very likeable persona remains true to her rebellious roots and talks openly and frankly about her friendships and relationships with the punk icons of the era.
WAKE UP PUNK is a fascinating and competent documentary, with tremendous crossover.
WAKE UP PUNK will be coming to select cinemas from May 5th and will be available on Digital Platforms from May 9th.
For more on the film, please go to:
www.republicfilmdistribution.co.uk/wakeuppunk
#WakeUpPunk
