NO documentary in Argentina (help needed)

today a friend of mine contacted me because he was making a number of small documentaries for TV about bands and, as he knew i was a big NO fan, he asked me for help. the idea is taking an album and use it to understand, from various disciplines, how important it was in a certain time and space. in this case they chose Substance to understand the whole electronic/dance scene until our days. i know Substance is not really an album but what can i do? they already chose it.

one of the sides of investigation is the sociologist one. and i don´t know much about the social/political activities of NO members. i know they were on the miners' strike concert, Academy video (Aids?) and i know about War Child last year. then i have no clue. so if anyone has anything to teach me about that i´d be more than grateful. and if anyone know exact dates and images about it please tell me where i could find them.

on the other sides of investigation i´m quite well because i already studied both NO and the punk movement in terms of image and music, so i think i can cover that with no problems. also, i have records, videos and other stuff to support the dialog with images. the basic columns are the music and the image and their causes and effects, plus some lyrics analysis and some sociopolitical context. but if anyone has any ideas to help i´m all ears. ;)

i found this:

8 February, 1986. New Order play a benefit gig in aid of the labour councilmen of theMilitant Tendency, From Manchester With Love, at Liverpool Royal Court.

what was this gig about?

sorry to ask, but what exactly is a "councillor" and what do they do?

thanks, conor. very interesting what you pointed here

Originally posted by Clockwork C The “political” (although I would consider it more social) element of the band proberbally came from the Wilson / Gretton element . Gretton was a Situationist and libertarianism seemed to be the order on the day around the factory offices (see 511), howevermuch this informed the band is debatable. I cant imagine Hooky sitting around talking about détournement, and have always suspected that Wilson was more new labour than old French intellectual. This “quirky” outlook proberbally suited the image more than the substance.

is there any evidence of Gretton´s political actions? i mean, articles, interviews, anything that could confirm this? because the members of the band could have not been strictly political although "neworder" as a whole, as a concept, as a separate entity was managed by Gretton. then (i´m thinking out loud here) the image we perceived over the years was what Gretton wanted to show us, with his ideas and thoughts. as Neil Tennat said in NOstory Rob was NO´s attitude, he was the consciense that made them stay with their original ideals. what do you think? is this possible or iam pushing too far?

So basically, Id read the Jon Savage article. He describes how JD filled the gap between old labour and new Tory. His book “England’s dreaming” is really really good too. I presume they didn’t change much between 1980 and 87.

you mean the Heart & Soul booklet? i´d have to find someone who has that one...

Didn't they also do WOMAD?

I always thought it was for charity, shame on me ;) I just checked, it's World of Music, Arts & Dance...

I also think the Manchester United album 2-3 years ago was for charity (the exclusive remix of Touched By The Hand of God)

WOMAD stands for World of Music, Arts and Dance, expressing the central aim of the WOMAD festival - to bring together and to celebrate many forms of music, arts and dance drawn from countries and cultures all over the world.

WOMAD was originally inspired by Peter Gabriel: "Pure enthusiasm for music from around the world led us to the idea of WOMAD in 1980 and thus to the first WOMAD festival in 1982. The festivals have always been wonderful and unique occasions and have succeeded in introducing an international audience to many talented artists.

"Equally important, the festivals have also allowed many different audiences to gain an insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music. Music is a universal language, it draws people together and proves, as well as anything, the stupidity of racism."

As an organisation, WOMAD now works in many different ways, but our aims are always the same - at festivals, performance events, through recorded releases and through educational projects, we aim to excite, to inform, and to create awareness of the worth and potential of a multicultural society.

The WOMAD Festivals

Since the first festival in 1982, WOMAD has presented more than 90 events in 20 different countries and islands.

Having established its presence in the UK, WOMAD's unique nomadic indentity evolved gradually during the eighties. In 1988, the festival began to be presented internationally, with initial events in Denmark and Canada. Since then, WOMAD's worldwide profile has grown quickly, now embracing events in Australia, North America, South Africa, Japan and in several European countries each year.

The festivals are often weekend-long, family-oriented, active and diverse musical events, featuring simultaneous performances on two or three stages, including participatory workshops and special events for children, as well as musical and dance sessions hosted by many of the visiting artists.

thanks again, conor. i just read the whole article about Rob. really interesting and "educational".

now i have doubts is the band played in those charity gigs because they were fully concerned or because Rob told them to. or at least helped that concern to grow. you know, i always read about the band´s political apathy and all the testimonies confirm that. Rob seemed to be more "emotional" about those matters. though i could be wrong.

Originally posted by CTB Sounds like an interesting project, Alejo. Another thought came to mind, from NewOrderStory, when Barn is being interviewed (while having a haircut), he says he fancied writing a song about James Anderton once, as he was becoming "a particularly annoying spot on the behind of Manchester" or some such, however Barn said he just couldn't write a song 'about' something (hugely paraphrased, apologies).You can find out more about Anderton here: http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/celebs/politicians6.htmlNot sure this is of help, but it might be worth a look.CTB

So who wrote Flicker?

well, thanks to Mr. Paul Henderson who sent me the program of the 8thFeb1986 concert for the 47 Liverpool councellors. really interesting.

it has the whole explanaition of the facts that lead the councellors to make that protest. it´s a very left oriented speech (i´ll paste the facts, if you want). but New Order´s attitude is not really what i expected. in fact i kind of find it naive. look for yourself what they decided to say in the program:

in a way it´s very "neworderish" but... well, you know!

btw, those NO pics are great! something like drawings or cartoons. they don´t seem "real" pictures. more like someone drawing them from them pictures.

Originally posted by substance it seems more like a photocopied version with some sort of "vertical simetry" effect (check the nose shadow on both sides...make it easier, put your hand on each picture in a way you only get to see half a face...)

you´re right, i didn´t notice that! i really like the effect

Originally posted by Detweiler 3.63 5/12/86 New York 1018 Club (for Ruth Polska's family)

i couldn´t find any info about Ruth Polska and family. anyone knows what was the problem here and why they needed a benefit concert for?