I just watched Cocksucker Blues, a documentary from 1972 about a Rolling Stones tour of America, directed by Robert Frank. The film has never been officially released. When it was finished the Rolling Stones decided they didn't want it shown, so it's remained in the vaults for the past 39 years, viewable only in bootleg copies. I watched it in ten parts on YouTube.I did enjoy it as a period piece from the 70s, but it wasn't the wildly exciting documentary I anticipated. It does have its moments, including quite a prolonged scene of a woman injecting heroin. There's a lot of traveling, a lot of hotel rooms, some music, brief glimpses of sex and nudity, but the main impression you get is of a lot of stoned people sitting around talking. There isn't much of the young Rolling Stones on stage, though the few live performances are good. I suppose the director was just trying to give an impression of what life on tour was like, in which he succeeds.
I wasn't a Rolling Stones fan while young, but in later life I started to like them a lot more. The tour in the documentary is to promote the album Exile on Main Street, and that's a really fine album, one of their greatest moments.
Cocksucker Blues is an odd choice of title. I suppose it was just chosen to be offensive. Cocksucker is not a common insult in Britain. I've never used it, and I don't think I've ever heard anyone use it for real. (I've probably heard people say it in imitation of an American film or TV show.) The Rolling Stones certainly wouldn't have used the word when they were growing up. In common with the rest of London, they would have insulted someone by calling them a facking cahnt.
And let's face it, Facking Cahnt Blues also has a nice ring to it, no?
ReplyDeleteNow you mention it, 'Facking Cahnt Blues' would sound interesting.
ReplyDeleteMartin, you are so naive .. Jagger was experimenting with his bi-sexuality during the 60's early 70's and his use of that expression would be to 'shock' the []'s but of course he grew up, married, had kids and became a Knighted [] himself so Cocksucker Blues is repressed including the song 'Cocksucker Blues' but he didn't count on the 'intraweb' and it's revealing nature. I also knew a late not too famous camp chubby homosexual actor who shared a bed and a joint with Jagger in the 60's and I am talking full homosexual practices here. If you saw this actor you would be puzzled to understand why Mick Jagger would want to have sex with him but that was the whole point of 'swingin' London in the 60's' .. you just swung without any cares.....
ReplyDeleteAnd My Bloody Valentine supported The Pixies at The Forum/Town & Country Club, Kentish Town in 1987 or 1988 OR you may have seen My Bloody Valentine play with Ut in 1988 at North London Poly where MBV were filmed/interviewed by SNUB TV