CONSIDERING the number of bright young agit-rockers who have emerged on current affairs programmes recently it is interesting that the coherent radical pop figure GOllICo from a much generation.
In the mid-sixties ROBERT WYATT was drummer vocalist with the quirky and influential Soft Combining light songs free Jazz straight music they are one of the few 'experimental' groups of that era who do not make excruciating listening today.
In the early seventies he was paralysed from the waist down in a fall but came back with his finest work yet. Rock Bottom written largely from the trauma of his acident is one of his finest records.
Over the years Wyatt became politicised, culminating in his joining the Communist about three years ago. He has recently re-emerged musically producing number recommended) singles the independent label Rough Trade. Here LOCKHART interviews him.
Why the CP?
Havind laiker o people political persuasions on CP admitted had hands.
What vis-a-vis Stalin?
Vis-a-vis just about anything in the history of the labour real anvwnere powel established in the name of socialism.
By joining the CP acknowledging all the mistakes that have been made In the socialism and still savine its worth il To me an eccentric version of hou it looks Cl am not a scientist after all) is that the rise of the Trotskyist left has a psychological basis in the desire Psc aldll temselves burden of having to acknowledge the historv of socialism as il has been handed down to us.
Would yOU conider definitely anti-Stalinist?
No. positive embarrassment hoth to the British ( P and the Soviet Union My view is that there is a primary lause ihat upsets me about the world.
capitalish ire or apeaied ly capitalism advanced dustrial states. If the left on the whole anything Il IS estimating the power of capitalism in the west and the ease with workers united can overthrow it.
I won't altack the Soviet Union except WHeD writing letters 10 Radio Moscou. I'm impressed davulc wi cal Nove a os anıla! threat to what would otherwise he the total onership the western monopolies.
depresses me abour Soviel amon is ine exient lo walcn they imitate western habits to maintain their that I'm in a position to condem the dille/ 112 gone throuch in order to capitalism. profil about the CP's reformist I would not place the amount of taith that the (P estanlishment docsi lhu most earlier and Machine. surrealistic and innovations Robert increasingly Party of for SIMON all the left the avclichl.
DeCn am of Hallic the yourself ment oul vears ago.
the roval family.
ton which temselves thrown the establishment is by import political abroad bv Mugabe is now in.
the Would you describe revolutionary socialist?
have resist I just san one of the edl with the Bolerihs.
sonary. potential of parlament. It seems clear He 1o me that capitalists sorted parliaBy the time the left get there it'Il be about as useful as The CP has a historv of trano to give people experience of administraparliamentary road has never been cut The trouble revolutionaries find when they've UVCI -simply lack of administrative skill. Withinsii like months the revolutionary body has to technicians situation Robert : yourself as a Well yes.. I comd from a world of La film about a Finish onlv members hourg, drop ouls who sempatis.
25! picke na a v evhorting the peasanes and workers of finland to thei dauchier.
was absolutel! right in what he said and the bourgeoisie imported a load of German soldiers and wined (hem out front line yourself. you have an incredible responsibility abour how and who vou exhort. We aren t exactly in the front line in England.
Feminism does not exactly strike me as the CP's strong point?
know lots ot old socialists who don'l and don't understand feminism, but in terms of what ine! were dealing with when they were battle l think they had priorities and they still do. I think the left will find itself in the same position in lifty years time.
1 think what 1 am arguing agains! is probably quite simply ageism. you keep on splitting away when older coc eo e or oo voł oo resources?
The International Marxist Group is comprised mostly of people over Wal. I'm very comforted to hear that and I lose them straight away.
There's no wav CP members will get oft on a Sound just System. I don't think it matters tha they like Gilbert and Sullivan because terms of priorities what's right and wrong in this area and culturally they may be capable ot amazingly racist assumptions dismiss them because of this would be Surely it's one thing not to follow cunturai Tasnions ana another to become less in seems to me that there 's very little thei socialist perspective culture.
Popular culture is and always been politically ambiguous lake a folk song as a piece of music it can be the voice of the underprivileged or a fascist can take that same song and use it as the voice of the heart of his people or it can be tarted up and used on the Eurovision song coniest. I think difficult cultural pursuits to do it on their own.
lists trving to make a contribution to liked monar!
aspirations.
Like would nevertheless enemy absorb.
for CBS really are. by it... such throw aristocracy culture. revolutionary of old ineye off-beat Would terms?
and says, elderly ballet-loving wonderful they Know This finger. and culturally sharp It on popular has It VOU and look Dolese una tory workers?' for people politicised 1 know lots of musicians and arSocialist Challenge the labour movement. . used to makı an assumption that because the music alic whole culture that it was inherently revolubecause celebrated dis possessed people without access ic power. It celebrated their lives anc Pete Townshend saying believe in rock and roll'. I think he think that was a culturall! revolunonary Ining to ao In hind. sight we can all have a chuckle at that.
wnete came from ten to fifteen years ago and we've simply underestimated the - the power of capitalism to I don't go around blaming punks selling out as reminding people just how powerful organisations like We're talking about white male European culture?...
Yes we're talking about the strongest peopie in tne worid..
And most of them are oppressed Yes of course and one of the thing that drew me to the organised lef: from having been a rock musician wa feeling totally betrayed by my ow: ideology just as a rock musician hard ~ to learn the established left because ther har:
cynical attitude toward: popular culture that they don't knoi enough about it to talk about it A big problem the left has is ira al one me mae as assume that capitalism was a revolutionar! torce because it represented the ove:
by ine bourgeoisie ana that during period its culture was revolutiona::
What we call progress has bee brought about by capitalism and prc. ves capitalism is still the most pou etul way ot operating Socialists hars great difficulty with this because !?. can't think of bourgeois culture béir e after 1917 thereto:: anything that comes trom Ameri.. must be reactionary. Which suits a le:
Europeans very well : snobs and don't like a lou: or flashy clothes. So wha: you get is cultural Luddites.
say that effective socialist pop is a contradition in If it doesn't represent a strong work ing class movement it has to be. If ar artist points his finger at something 'Look, 1 have noticed this You think ah yes that's useful. And you've had an insight that's useful But time and again people star looking not at what he's pointed ti but start saying 'This man's got = finger, let's photograp: this incredible finger. And eventual!: everybody tries to grow a finger like That's the history of a: religion every good ide manifests itself as an icon.
What about groups like the Beat and the Clash who have a left pro.
file but no affiliation with working class movements All you can say is their prioritie: aren t vour oriorities.. A positive w'a' of looking at it is to nurture wha there is in common with other people I would say just cut your losses elsewhere. In the Morning Star world you'll find a lot of discussion centred on 'Oh dear how can we local Sun-reading fai.
My attitude to that is instead o: haranguing those people look around the world for where there are totall!
people struggling on the front line and find out what suppor: you can give them.
14 January 1982
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