If you’ve seen an old 60’s English film, the sort loaded with social commentary, there was probably a scene where the protagonist (usually a young man or woman), anxious to reject the ‘wisdom’ of their parents’ generation, would confront the father figure. He’s usually wearing trousers held up with braces and a vest, his face would typically have a couple of tiny pieces of loo roll to cover patches where he had nicked himself while shaving. There was more social history depicted in these films than you might imagine.
The films documented that the up-and-coming generation were confident and independent enough to challenge their parents. The fact that someone had enough interest in these newfangled ‘teenagers,’ and the resources to make a film about them, is less obvious but equally important. These films were also a vehicle to advertise the music that was often featured, hoping many would rush out and buy the records.
Least obvious is the commentary on how terrible the shaving options were for men at the time. There were two choices: the terrifying cut-throat razor; or, the awful safety razor (at that time, beards were only for weirdos or navy personnel (hippies were yet to be invented)).
Today, there is an impressive range of razors that are excellent. Ergonomically shaped handles with multi-bladed shaving that automatically adjusts to the optimum angle, and even lubricating strips so it all glides easily over the skin. What’s more, the handles are inexpensive. It’s no longer the quality of the shave that does damage, it’s the price of the blades. Eye watering.
In the same period, recorded music seems to have lost all it’s monetary value.
Originally, music was sold as sheet music to be played at home. With the invention of records, musicians could suddenly play a track once and benefit from that performance multiple times. Sales of records mushroomed when the 60s batch of teenagers had disposable income. Some of the musicians got incredibly rich. Gramophones gave way to stereo systems and records gave way to the Compact Disc.
Home taping started to nibble into the market a little, and the computer age made it possible to copy CDs, but it’s the internet that has really done the damage. While a few old duffers still buy CDs and vinyl, and some people pay for streaming services (which pay the artist fractions of a penny per play) there are many that don’t. They simply don’t need to.
The dynamic between live performance and recording has flipped. Where the concerts used to be a way to promote a record, the recorded music now promotes the concerts (no one is going to forego the concert experience because they’ve watched some iPhone footage on YouTube).
I don’t think this is a bad thing: musicians are getting rewarded for putting on a good show and being able to play well.
As artists generate their main income from playing concerts, the down-side is ticket prices have risen steeply. Some tickets prices would keep me in razor blades for years.
A little research will tell you I’m neither famous, nor a recording artist. It doesn’t make me a bad player, it just means i don’t command the sort of fee you might expect for Eric Clapton (who has a beard, the weirdo).