Pop Music?

Anthony Burgess in 1968 on pop music

[@fiandrhi]

God I loved Burgess. From my teens, I loved his writing, and I have never stopped. I am in the midst of a 3rd reading of Earthly Powers, and Enderby remains for me the greatest literary character in the history of novels. I love that this video cuts before Zappa has a chance to speak.

[@Melvinshermen]

John Harrington he need more movies

[@therespectedlex9794]

@@Melvinshermen All good books should be televised you mean? That's a bit philistine.

[@liammcooper]

As someone who smokes weed while watching Burgess videos on youtube, I'm not sure what to think.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

Just be comforted that it's an admirable thing in itself.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

Or so he says. And he died of lung cancer, though, to be fair, that was probably caused by his tobacco habit.

[@therespectedlex9794]

@@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry He was supposed to be dying from an inoperable brain tumour, but lasted for years quite well.

[@vinm300]

At the very end Frank Zappa was about to say, "So many books and so little time". Which nicely reinforces and rounds off Burgess's argument.

[@OUTBOUND184]

Not everything he says here is wrong, in fact the majority is bloody right. Some of the commenters seem slightly insecure. Whilst he is generalising, you only have to look around to see fickle youth spurting cliche after cliche. I'm 21 and have been frustrated with my age group since early teen-hood.

[@bobross8424]

in the middle of reading a clockwork orange. stumbled upon this interview while researching burgess

[@frankandstern8803]

This probably inspired the Beatles song Paperback writer. I could understand John Wilson's concern as a writer. Looking at the potential for a generation of zombies sitting around tapping their toes and bobbing heads instead of reading, or learning for that matter. Well........... And the taste in music probably wasn't the point either. Well, not really. Its important to remember that the masses will always survive on the mainstream teet.

[@stevenkoehler6018]

Well said!

[@HCShannon]

Hold the phone that's Frank Zappa at the end!

[@FractalBolt]

I love this man's haircut. I want one like that

[@stevenkoehler6018]

Good luck with that. I don’t see hair like that anymore

[@deirdre108]

"When I was 17, my father was so stupid I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years." Mark Twain

[@unclejunglebass]

damn straight.

[@therespectedlex9794]

Hmm? Well...

[@eddiewillers1]

Personally, I think he nails it on the head here... But bear in mind, the persona of "Anthony Burgess" was one of pompous erudition and, allegedly, not at all like the real John Wilson.

[@nicolafiorillo4048]

really? I had no idea. was this known at the time? was his an act or what?

[@eddiewillers1]

@@nicolafiorillo4048 Well, the Yorkshire Post couldn't tell the difference between "Joseph Kell" and "Anthony Burgess". But even his biographer dug up sources from Banbury Grammar School, where "Mr.Wilson" was the English teacher, who said as much.

[@jimmydonlon6762]

An admirable thing, indeed.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

I'm reminded of that great Beatles tune, "All You Need is Now".

[@SoleMan117]

I'm 17 and I agree that youth doesn't know anything, though this is obviously just me reiterating the same cliche of agreeing wiht authority to make myself appear smart, when in fact refuting authority would make me appear dumb, trapping me in a Catch-22 of endless back and forth along a koch snowflake, extending into eternity. It is as though I am a bright, beautiful, healthy organism on the outside, but the inside of my body and soul is that of a well-oiled machine.

[@NeverAloneForever]

@xwsftassell In his later years he actually denounced his famous novel.

[@alltok]

yes! finally a sensible comment this little bit of speaking hit me like a ton of bricks when i first it i love the beatles and pop music, but there is another side of the coin a side which burgess saw very clearly.

[@IrishClaudius]

@hotbohemianpotato You Write: Burgess - [was] " perhaps not as brilliant or intelligent as he thought he was" yes and what you see here is a performance not discussion and that was the case outside of the piece to camera. It gave rise to the verb "to Burgess" meaning to bullshit -Burgess would call it extemporize una fantasia.

[@videoclog]

Anthony Burgess doesn't seem to realise here that his remark on the massive clichés of the media and pop songs is a cliché in itself.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

How so?

[@juresaiyan]

@davevanbonk best.quote.ever.

[@checkreverse]

Well, I can see you are at least a very articulate 17 year old. I wouldn't say agreeing with authority to make yourself appear smart is a cliche, though. In fact, some people would say the opposite might be the case. Either way, what I believe Burgess is saying here is that youth is not WISE, in the sense that they lack experience, and therefore cannot be a credible source of any sort of wisdom in communion with God. The context: Pop music in the 60s and the power it had to influence people

[@Jazalicious]

@videoclog They weren't at the time.

[@AlMayer1100]

All possible by the invention of computers :) The internet has substituted the thinking.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

Given that he died just as home access to the internet was becoming available, I don't think it figured in his reasoning. Pop culture did exist pre-internet. In fact, his parents were both music hall performers in Manchester.

[@user-mx5yb9dv8i]

Estas personas fueron pensadoras de jovens verdad?

[@xwsftassell]

Middle aged entrepreneurs and exploiters like his publishers per example. Close to God? What a curious thing to say. How "close to God" is or was the popular novel? I've never seen an interview with Burgess were he wasn't having a sh*t-fit about some trifle or other. Shame none of his music is available. I heard some of it on Radio 3 once. It was fantastic.

[@Kaaotikock]

what was the last word he said?

[@eddiewillers1]

It sounds like his last word is 'Finis' = the end.

[@JeffreyStock]

Latin, not Italian.@@johnmulligan455

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

He said, "I take it all back! That Frank Zappa guy is a FN genius!".

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

He thought Frank Zappa's God?

[@Jcolinsol]

Or maybe we are free.

[@hotbohemianpotato]

Poor Burgess -- he's a brilliant writer and a very intelligent man -- but perhaps not as briliant or intelligent as he thought he was. Still, that's some real professional- sounding bullshit.

[@Grimenoughtomaketherobotcry]

I realize that you commented on this video ten years ago, but I'm inquiring about an update. Do you now realize that you are not as brilliant or intelligent as you thought you were?

[@ChopinIsMyBestFriend]

smoke a marijhuana.

[@woo_doggy]

lame