The Pink Floyd Paradox
With typical contrariness, during the 1980s, a large swathe
of Liverpool’s youth embraced the trippy
and mellow sounds of 60s and 70s hippie music. The social fabric of Merseyside
was being destroyed by a combination of Tory economic policy, hard drugs, crime
and poverty. Yet in amongst the ruins, both Liverpool FC and Everton FC were
the most successful teams in the country and Liverpool’s music scene was as
vibrant as it had been during the 60s.
Politically, the L8 riots and the rise of the Militant
Tendency led the city to be isolated and under attack not only from the Tories but
Kinnock’s Labour Party too. Added to this, the tragic events at Heysel and
Hillsborough, Merseyside became a place that was demonised and synonymous with
decline.
Notably from our end (Pun intended) members of The End
fanzine staff had succumbed to the influence of the demon weed and were adding music
from the likes of Genesis, Bob Dylan, Zappa, Neil Young and on the local scene,
Groundpig to their Clash and Undertones collections at this time.
The so-called ‘retro-scally’ subculture left a lasting
legacy in the city yet has rarely been explored in any detail. ‘The Pink Floyd Paradox’
is a condensed history of this momentous decade told by Phil Thornton (author
of Casuals) and his fellow ‘Guttersnipe’ fanzine creator, Ste Connor with
contributions from various stoner scals and cosmic casuals.
It’s a joy to have a hard copy book version rather than digital, it’s
a fascinating take on the scene and we cannot recommend it highly enough.
You can order a copy for £10 including P&P by
contacting :
or email lendsyerodds@gmail.com
