Seven More Days That Rocked The World
Thursdays 2300-2330
23 August - 04 October 2007
After the last three hugely successful series, Stuart Maconie returns to explain the impact of seven more momentous days in music.
Programme One - 23 August: The Death Of Kurt Cobain
Born in February 1967 Nirvana’s Kurt Donald Cobain is often cited as one of the most influential musicians of his time. The arrival of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit marked the beginning of a dramatic shift in the early 90’s music scene and years after his death he still continues to intrigue and inspire fans.
On 8 April 1994 Cobain was found dead in his home in Seattle, killed by a self inflicted shotgun wound to the head and since then the circumstances and legacy surrounding his death have fuelled intense analysis and debate.
This week we speak to former band mate Dave Grohl, Joe Elliott of Def Leppard and Perry Farrell from Jane’s Addiction to discover how his death rocked the music world and the impact that it had on his fans and on those around him.
Programme Two - 30 August: Charles Manson - The Tate Murders
This second programme looks at Charles Manson and the Tate Murders and examines Manson’s relationship with music, his connection with the Beach Boys and the cultural impact of his murders.
As the Sixties came to a close, people marvelled at the moon landing, revelled in the sensation that was Woodstock and then fell to Earth with a bang as Charles Manson and his cult, 'The Family', committed some of the most gruesome murders of all time, all but destroying the idealistic hippy ideologies of the time.
Manson was a frustrated rock star who was convicted of conspiracy to commit the murders of actress Sharon Tate (the heavily pregnant wife of film director Roman Polanski) and four of her friends and Leno LaBianca and his wife.
Manson was famed for using music to manipulate his followers, “discovering” hidden codes within songs, most notably in The Beatles’ Helter Skelter, which he said predicted an upcoming race war.
Programme Three - 6 September: The Dixie Chicks And That Bush Comment...
Ten days before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Natalie Maines, lead vocalist of the hugely successful country music trio the Dixie Chicks, was reported to have criticised US President George Bush while performing on stage at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
No one could have predicted the response and backlash that followed.
In this third episode of the series we investigate how the music industry and political world responded to those events four years ago and discover how the highest selling female band in the world coped with such massive public attention. Plus we also feature behind-the-scenes audio extracts from their new documentary Shut Up And Sing which has just been released in the UK.
Programme Four - 13 September: The release of Rapper's Delight
The track Rapper's Delight bythe Sugarhill Gang was a multi-platinum seller and massive radio hit in 1979 and is regarded to have kick-started the phenomenon of recorded hip-hop.
Despite having received considerable chart success, selling over 8 million copies worldwide and inspiring hits by the likes of Blondie and Queen, the music industry as a whole reacted contemptuously; insisting that rap was a short-lived trend, simply a whim or fad.
In this fourth episode we look at how the track inspired a generation; how three local New York rappers plucked from the relative obscurity of underground bloc parties contributed towards rap becoming the biggest selling and most popular genres in music today.
Programme Five - 20 September: Alan Freed – Payola scandal
In this fifth episode we examine the downfall of a broadcasting icon and examine how the one time “king of rock and roll” succumbed to corruption.
Widely credited with coining the phrase Rock and Roll, American DJ Alan Freed became infamous in the fifties for emceeing what is believed to be the first ever rock concert. At his Moondog Coronation Ball, upwards of 20,000 fans crashed the gates, causing rocks first riot and the dance to be cancelled.
With his career blossoming, claims that he accepted payments from records companies in exchange for airplay (in what came to be known as the Payola scandal) meant he was blackballed within the business.
Despite claiming that the money was simply a token of gratitude which had not affected airplay, Freed pleaded guilty to two counts of commercial bribery and was fined $300. Eventually fired from his job and with the realisation that his dream of returning to New York radio was just that, a dream, he turned to drink. His career and personal life left in tatters Freed died a broken, penniless man in 1965 aged just 43.
Programme Six - 27 September: The legendary Sex Pistols gig
In this penultimate episode Stuart Maconie charts how a pioneering punk performance inspired a generation and shaped the rock landscape for decades to come.
When the Sex Pistols took to the stage in Manchester’s tiny Lesser Free Trade Hall on June 4th 1976 their performance arguably changed the world of music. Along with Woodstock and Live Aid the gig has been acknowledged as one of the most influential live sets of all time, due to the power of the music and the effect that the show had on the handful of people who witnessed it.
For the last 30 years the gig has been shrouded in myth and legend with literally thousands claiming that they were in attendance. It has since been found that just 35-40 people could have been present. But amongst those that did were those who would go on to form many of the most iconic bands of the time such as the Smiths, the Buzzcocks, New Order, Joy Division and the Fall.
Programme Seven - 4 October: Ozzy Osbourne biting the head off a dove
This week we examine how a meeting between an international superstar and his record company resulted in one of the most controversial acts in musical history.
Legendary Black Sabbath front man Ozzy Osbourne is renowned for many things, including his wide-eyed dramatic flare as a performer, his loyal fan base and his musical talents which have culminated in him selling over 75 million albums worldwide. However at the height of his alcoholism and drug abuse in the ‘80’s his success became overshadowed by his more scandalous antics.
When wife Sharon decided it would be a good publicity stunt for Ozzy to walk into the office of Epic Records and throw two doves up into the air in celebration of signing his first solo career record deal, no one could have predicted the events that were about to transpire. His plan was to release them into the air to get people to notice him, but when this appeared to fail his strategy suddenly changed. He spared one dove but grabbed the other and bit its head off. Pre-internet, the story spread like wild fire.
In this final episode we look what actually happened that day and how this one ghastly prank ensured Ozzy’s madman persona.
