I don’t know why, as my memories of that period involve Loughinisland, Rosemary Mallon, Arlene Arkinson, ceasefires, Bosnian War, Fred and Rose West, Rwandan genocide, Ayrton Senna's death, OJ Simpson, Tokyo subway attacks, Colombian football murders, Omagh, Dunblane, Oaklahoma City, Columbine.
But I get the appeal.
Grunge and rave were dominant youth cultures that felt cutting edge and anti-establishment. The death of Kurt Cobain in April 1994 saw the rise of pop-punk and Britpop. Both reflected a desire to escape from the shackles of what grunge was perceived to have become: dour, nihilistic, inward looking.
In the UK singles chart, 'Love is All Around' stayed at the number one spot for fifteen weeks, while America seemed to be enamoured with the likes of All-4-One, Boyz II Men, Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey and Bryan Adams, as their syrupy love ballads dominated the Billboard charts that year.
August 1994 not only brought on "the end of history" which saw the IRA announcing a ceasefire and Britain entering a period of newfound optimism, but also saw the release of ‘Definitely Maybe’ by Oasis.
A group that even a drooling simpleton like Andrew Tate can understand the importance of:
Utter hot air, of course. But an awful lot of people believe it. People old enough to know better and people too young to understand.
Something David Stubbs understands all too well.
First published in 2016, Stubbs argues that 1996 was driven by a kind of subconscious desire among the population to recreate 1966 (Oasis = The Beatles, Tony Blair = Harold Wilson, Euro 96 = World Cup). As he puts it in the preface:
An interesting thesis. Does it link up?
Yes, but very tenuously.
Each chapter is dedicated to one of the strands listed above and unsurprisingly, considering Stubbs’ background as a music journalist, the best chapters are the ones that discuss music, particularly landmark albums released that year (such as DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing…’) and the cultural phenomenon that was the Spice Girls that walked hand in hand with the emerging “ladette” culture. It’s telling that the author admits disappointment that Geri Halliwell cited Thatcher as “the first Spice Girl”. Pop groups of their ilk are never radical. Meanwhile, there’s a little bit of schadenfreude when Stubbs revisits his middling review of ‘What’s The Story Morning Glory’ and demonstrates how he feels that subsequent events validated his view that Oasis were tired and used up by 1995.Entertaining and insightful certainly, but it feels more like an Alan Partridge esque moment of getting the last laugh.
The chapter on comedy starts off in eye rolling fashion as Stubbs celebrates how political correctness “…did its job in comedy…” before admitting that anti-comedic Labour supporting killjoys “…had become a slightly awkward truism…” at the turn of the 90’s and allows David Baddiel off the hook for appearing in blackface to mock then Nottingham Forest footballer Jason Lee. Interesting. However, Stubbs does understand the importance of Baddiel and Skinner’s Fantasy Football League show and eulogises Father Ted and The Fast Show as being innovative, sharp and hilarious comedies. Quite rightly so, although the closing argument that PC forced comedy to move beyond the likes of Benny Hill doesn’t ring completely true as it’s based on the notion that the alternative comedy boom of the early 80’s was out solely to destroy racist, sexist club comedians, which the likes of Mark Steel have claimed is vastly overemphasised.
While it certainly doesn’t convince me that the 90’s were the last great decade, it is a worthy addition to the growing pile of books that are critically examining this period of time.
David Stubbs, 2016, 1996 and the End of History. Repeater Books. ISBN-13: 978-1910924280
A group that even a drooling simpleton like Andrew Tate can understand the importance of:
The Oasis tour isn’t just about their music. It’s about the height of Britain. It’s about the nostalgia of remembering how amazing Britain was. If you didn’t live it you’ll never understand it and it can’t be explained. A time when you could go down the pub, interact with people you knew and didn’t know and have the best night of your life on 15 quid. A time when there was always something happening, in every city, 7 nights a week. No fear of being stabbed. No fear of being robbed. A time when everyone watched the same TV shows and discussed them the next day. You weren’t desperate to go on holiday like the British are now, there was no need. You didn’t see Dubai or Maldives on Instagram all day, you literally didn’t even know those places existed. You would hang around on a council estate, completely content and want nothing else than to laugh with your friends. Random skin heads would say “you alrite mate?” And you’d either be best friends or in a scrap 2mins later. Nobody got stabbed. Nobody died. It’s just how it was. The pub on Christmas Day. The bus was 30p. You loved everyone you met, didn’t matter the race. The country was united. There was a feeling in the air. Constant electricity. And it’s all gone now. It’s died. All we have are the songs from those times.
Utter hot air, of course. But an awful lot of people believe it. People old enough to know better and people too young to understand.
Something David Stubbs understands all too well.
First published in 2016, Stubbs argues that 1996 was driven by a kind of subconscious desire among the population to recreate 1966 (Oasis = The Beatles, Tony Blair = Harold Wilson, Euro 96 = World Cup). As he puts it in the preface:
…1996 represented the 90’s at their ripest…the year in which it (Britpop) loomed largest and was most overbearing. Oasis in particular, despite not releasing an album that year…so commanding was Tony Blair’s lead in the polls it was clear he was Prime Minister elect…practically an honorary Oasis member…also the year of Euro 96, in which English footballing hopes were bound up with the worlds of both comedy and music…It wasn’t just football that was coming home, but the general sense that after the dark Seventies and the fragmented Eighties, Britain…had rediscovered its mojo…the white heat of a bygone era.
An interesting thesis. Does it link up?
Yes, but very tenuously.
Each chapter is dedicated to one of the strands listed above and unsurprisingly, considering Stubbs’ background as a music journalist, the best chapters are the ones that discuss music, particularly landmark albums released that year (such as DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing…’) and the cultural phenomenon that was the Spice Girls that walked hand in hand with the emerging “ladette” culture. It’s telling that the author admits disappointment that Geri Halliwell cited Thatcher as “the first Spice Girl”. Pop groups of their ilk are never radical. Meanwhile, there’s a little bit of schadenfreude when Stubbs revisits his middling review of ‘What’s The Story Morning Glory’ and demonstrates how he feels that subsequent events validated his view that Oasis were tired and used up by 1995.Entertaining and insightful certainly, but it feels more like an Alan Partridge esque moment of getting the last laugh.
The chapter on comedy starts off in eye rolling fashion as Stubbs celebrates how political correctness “…did its job in comedy…” before admitting that anti-comedic Labour supporting killjoys “…had become a slightly awkward truism…” at the turn of the 90’s and allows David Baddiel off the hook for appearing in blackface to mock then Nottingham Forest footballer Jason Lee. Interesting. However, Stubbs does understand the importance of Baddiel and Skinner’s Fantasy Football League show and eulogises Father Ted and The Fast Show as being innovative, sharp and hilarious comedies. Quite rightly so, although the closing argument that PC forced comedy to move beyond the likes of Benny Hill doesn’t ring completely true as it’s based on the notion that the alternative comedy boom of the early 80’s was out solely to destroy racist, sexist club comedians, which the likes of Mark Steel have claimed is vastly overemphasised.
While it certainly doesn’t convince me that the 90’s were the last great decade, it is a worthy addition to the growing pile of books that are critically examining this period of time.
David Stubbs, 2016, 1996 and the End of History. Repeater Books. ISBN-13: 978-1910924280
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.
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