Saturday, June 03, 2006
During the Power Ballad, You Held Up An Oil Lamp
I'll be on NPR's Weekend Edition to talk about my article in the latest issue of The Believer on Victorian Rock Bands.
That's right... rock bands. In the 1800s.
You'll just have to trust me on this. And on this.
Like all my favorite articles, this one seems like a ridiculous put-on... but is entirely factual. Two tidbits not in either piece: supposedly (though I couldn't confirm this) the Richardson Rock Band played a command performance for Queen Victoria. This, presumably, makes her the original rocker chick. Better yet, I found old ads in the archives of the newspaper The Scotsman showing a "rock music" act in an 1853 Edinburgh performance by the circus of Pablo Fanque... yes, of "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" fame....
That's right... rock bands. In the 1800s.
You'll just have to trust me on this. And on this.
Like all my favorite articles, this one seems like a ridiculous put-on... but is entirely factual. Two tidbits not in either piece: supposedly (though I couldn't confirm this) the Richardson Rock Band played a command performance for Queen Victoria. This, presumably, makes her the original rocker chick. Better yet, I found old ads in the archives of the newspaper The Scotsman showing a "rock music" act in an 1853 Edinburgh performance by the circus of Pablo Fanque... yes, of "Being For the Benefit of Mr. Kite!" fame....
