The Sex Pistols and Economic Development

I will never, ever forget the day I first heard Never Mind the Bullocks. Ir didn't take me long to cut off my pony tail, put the acoustic guitar back in the case and take the electric one back out ... Their legendary Manchester concert attended by just 42 people changed the face of popular music and popular culture. I actually got share the stage with Tony Wilson and discuss creativity and economic development. Toronto's Accordion Guy finds useful and important lessons in the organically innovative nature of that gathering compared to the way economic developers or public officials approach things (h/t Tara Vinodrai):

The Sex Pistols concert was influential because it was set up by musical innovators and attended by musical innovators. Can you imagine what would’ve happened had it been organized by Manchester’s City Hall?

It probably would’ve gone like this: City Hall likely would’ve organized it as a showcase of Manchester musicians who performed in inoffensive, accessible, “safe”, commercial, “radio-friendly” styles. The guest list would’ve been organized by the chamber of commerce and would’ve included the media, representatives from major record labels and talent agencies, politicians friom all levels of government, local business owners, people from the tourism industry and of course, major media outlets.

None of the “nobodies” who attended the Sex Pistols concert would’ve been invited.

In the end, the city would have declared the event a success, but in the long run, it wouldn’t even rate as a footnote in musical history.

Your thoughts?

Comments

[hayden fisher]

Yep, concur. That's why I love your "messy urbanism" construct.

[hayden fisher]

...and, come to think of it, that's pretty much how the Founding Fathers created America...garage-style. It's hard to walk through those hallowed Philadelphia halls without wondering what it would have been like to have sat in that room with a small group of people from all walks of life and perspectives and said, hey, do you want to startup a new country, let's tell King George and the establishment of his time to go F themselves...after throwing all of their tea into a harbor. Amazing both as a dynamic process and the indelibly sturdy static pattern and model it left behind. We should never forget our organic origins.

[hayden fisher]

...and, come to think of it, that's pretty much how the Founding Fathers created America...garage-style. It's hard to walk through those hallowed Philadelphia halls without wondering what it would have been like to have sat in that room with a small group of people from all walks of life and perspectives and said, hey, do you want to startup a new country, let's tell King George and the establishment of his time to go F themselves...after throwing all of their tea into a harbor. Amazing both as a dynamic process and the indelibly sturdy static pattern and model it left behind. We should never forget our organic origins.

[Steve]

Exactly.

Subsidized, contented artists are boring. They contribute little. Yet, governments seem to think its a good idea to subsidize them when it's actually a big waste of money.

[Michael Wells]

Yes, maybe, no. Artists have always been subsidized, from Leonardo & Michelangelo through the commissions for today's choreographers, etc. I don't think the government money is the problem, it's the delivery. For example the Canadian Film Board has done great things over the years. Maybe the trick is to provide the funds then get out of the way.

In the U.S. there certainly is timidity, the NEA and NEH are afraid of their shadows after decades of Christian Coalition attacks. Probably true elsewhere as well, and as the writer says if the authorities get too involved it's death by duck nibbling.

I have a friend who makes a good living as a painter selling through galleries. But her big mural commissions are all for public buildings, so far as I know.

On the other hand, the most fun art in Portland is small scale and spontaneous -- but they all have other jobs. And yes, the messy urbanism is key to new things happening.

Ironically, as Portland gets lionized as a creative center, whenever there's a study of how to encourage the arts everyone says more government funding. But in forums when musicians, playwrights and artists are asked why they moved here, they all say two things: Low cost of living and acceptance of differences.

[hayden fisher]

Michael, you NAILED this. Government should be making funds available for art, not administrating the art-making process. This should be tied to economic development. The federal government student loan program provides nearly everyone an opportunity to obtain a student loan regardless of liquidity, cash reserves and other lending criteria. Similar loan programs should be available to artists and entrepreneurs generally so that the people with the drive, talent and ambition have access to the capital necessary to fuel their dreams.

Lenders are the worst. And the private equity venture capital companies are largely jokes too at the small business level. I'm on my 2nd case against two vulture capital firms that literally stole two small businesses by cash-crunching them and then stealing them in a down market cycle. I beat them handily the first time and will beat them even worse this time; but only after some very zealous and fearless advocacy. The government should be backing the small businesses, whether they be art galleries, restaurants or startup technology companies, as a means of economic development; and then stay out of the way. Certain criteria should be in place obviously; but the government could actually make money on this too via low-interest revolving loan programs. If we really want to provide opportunity to people other than the already rich, this is the way to do it.

[Mike Linacre]

Hayden wrote: "the government could actually make money on this too via low-interest revolving loan programs."
Wouldn't it be better to have the government provide the start-up capital (and then be a silent partner) for a "Grameen Bank for Artists"?
http://www.grameen-info.org/

[hayden fisher]

Interesting proposition, although there probably needs to remain at least a dotted line between the government/lender and the artists and entrepreneurs. And, if the government derived revenue from the program, the offset could allow it to stop taxing productivity.

Here's the really sad point about the piece above, the vulture venture capitalists I'm dealing with are lending SBA GOVERNMENT FUNDS. They're using OUR TAX DOLLARS to engage in such chicanery.

[David Barrie]

Thoughts? Local Government may not have organized this particular gig but they did create the opportunity for a whole lot of other related stuff at the time - like sponsoring left-wing writing, performance and protest, allowing free concerts in parks, the Notting Hill Carnival and also so messing up how the country was run to allow anger to thrive. It seems a bit smug to me to transpose critiques of 'the support economy' and 'enabling' state to a time when the economy had almost collapsed, anarchy ruled and hippies, liberals and well-meaning geographers would have had the s*i* kicked out of them.

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