This past weekend I caught a nasty bug, which means I spent lots of time on the couch, under warm blankets.  When I would get tired of napping, I’d sit up and drink warm tea, watch feel-good movies, and work on this knit+crochet project.  It is going to be the collar for a dress which is finished…except for this piece.  Stay tuned for a finished garment post.

One of my most fave feel-good movies got another watch– ‘Pirate Radio–The Boat That Rocked‘.  It’s a fave for a lot of reasons, some of which are:

• The unbelievable story of how the British government tried to ban rock and roll radio in the 1960s
• The cool mid-1960s clothes
• The great 1960s rock and roll music
• The cast of cool movie stars, who all portray great characters
• The great ending.

It’s a really entertaining movie.  Here’s the trailer:

For me, the best movies are the ones that give me something new to look up, or read or listen to, to continue the experience after leaving the theatre.  Sometimes it’s a biopic that sends me in search of the biography to read.  (Examples:  Walk the Line, The Aviator, A Beautiful Mind.)  ‘Pirate Radio‘ compelled me to order the soundtrack, and look up some of the gazillion album covers shown in the movie and credits.  Let’s say there were some surprises…

Most importantly, the movie led me to Radio Caroline, the pirate radio station the movie was substantially based on.  The station now streams online.  On finding the station, I became an instant regular listener, and still am.  The station is staffed by real live DJs from the pirate radio days.  Each DJ plays the music he/she wants; new and old.  If it weren’t for them, there are current artists and new music I would never have been exposed to here in the US Midwest stranglehold of corporate radio.  Back in the early days of Radio Caroline, it is shocking ‘who’ we music listeners might never have heard of if it weren’t for pirate radio.

“Without Caroline, we would not have sold a single record.  …  Sometimes the law is more than an ass.  Pirates?  They were angels.” Pete Townshend

“Radio Caroline was more adventurous than most stations around in its day.  It championed bands like the Kinks, who owe much of their early success to Radio Caroline and Tom Lodge.”   Ray Davies  (link)

The Caroline studio today is located in Kent, UK, but several times a year the DJs broadcast from their old ship, the ‘Ross Revenge’, which is now permanently moored in the River Blackwater.  The DJs broadcast, eat, sleep and hang out on the boat, and mix music with their stories and memories from the early days.  During one of these special broadcasts a few years ago, they offered a t-shirt for donation, that I couldn’t pass up.  It was a replica of a Radio Caroline t-shirt worn by Keith Moon.  It’s a fun thing to wear for just the right occasion.

 

(These photos are from the site wornfree.com, that once sold the shirts.)

I could go on and on about what a cool organization it is that keeps Caroline going strong.  But instead I urge you to explore their website, if interested.  They have an extensive online web shop, and they have a fun ‘daily quiz’, of trivia questions.

(Sample Quiz)

In 2017, Radio Caroline commemorated the 50th anniversary of the UK’s enacting of the Marine Offences Act, the law that was intended to shut them down.  Coinciding with that 50th anniversary, the station was finally awarded its own official over-the-air broadcast frequency by the British Government.  Ironically, it was an old BBC frequency.  It was an emotional thing, seeing Radio Caroline finally recognized for its valuable contribution to our culture.

Wikipedia on pirate radio in the UK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirate_radio_in_the_United_Kingdom 

More Pirate Radio.

Coincidentally, Radio Caroline is doing one of its special broadcasts from the ship this coming weekend (October 20-21, 2018).  For your own real-time Pirate Radio listening experience this Saturday and Sunday, go to the Radio Caroline website, and click the ‘Radio Caroline North’ play button in the header.  I’ll be listening as much as my schedule allows.