More error than era

Most of you, I'm sure, when you think of the 1960s, - if you think of them at all - think of a ghastly decade ruined by hippies.

In part, you are right.

Hippies did ruin the 1960s by having long hair and by not wearing shoes.

Especially the latter.

There is absolutely no reason ever to leave the house unshod, and yet just this last weekend, I saw a fellow in Port Chalmers enter a café wearing no shoes at all.

I almost tapped a passing police officer on the shoulder to ask him to do something about it.

Looking back, I don't know why I didn't.

Allowing this sort of thing to go on is just the thin end of the wedge.

You wait and see.

But I digress.

Some parts of the 1960s - especially the early bits - were good enough.

Next Saturday on UKTV at 8.30pm, the film We'll Take Manhattan looks at the first year or two of that decade, before things got out of hand.

We'll Take Manhattan is the story of the love affair between photographer David Bailey and model Jean Shrimpton, and a wild week they shared in New York to complete what became a classic photo-shoot.

Bailey also shot pictures of some fairly famous types in swinging London, including Terence Stamp, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Cecil Beaton, Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol and even East End gangsters the Kray twins.

He is, of course, a bit of a geezer, and a bit of a wide boy, with an eye for the ladies.

Early on he is seen re-arranging the dress of one young model in the most unusual fashion.

"You look beautiful, that's it, lovely - straight at me, straight at me ... " he calls to his models, a little like Austin Powers.

Shrimpton was said to be the world's highest paid model and the most photographed model in the world.

She was dubbed "The It Girl", "The Face", "The Face of the Moment", and "The Face of the '60s".

Her father wasn't keen on Mr Bailey, who, unfortunately, was married.

"I haven't worked all these years to raise a daughter who's a slut," he tells her.

Anyway, the lovers head off to New York, take some pictures, between them invent the 1960s, miniskirts, youth culture, and all that sort of thing.

As I have explained, apart from those aspects of the decade, nothing else good happened.

Here are some facts:We'll Take Manhattan was written and directed by John McKay, who was also behind Life on Mars.

Shrimpton is played by Karen Gillan, who was in Doctor Who.

The show is quite good.

Good evening.


-Charles Loughrey.

 

 

In part, you are right.

Hippies did ruin the 1960s by having long hair and by not wearing shoes.

Especially the latter.

There is absolutely no reason ever to leave the house unshod, and yet just this last weekend, I saw a fellow in Port Chalmers enter a café wearing no shoes at all.

I almost tapped a passing police officer on the shoulder to ask him to do something about it.

Looking back, I don't know why I didn't.

Allowing this sort of thing to go on is just the thin end of the wedge.

You wait and see.

But I digress.

Some parts of the 1960s - especially the early bits - were good enough.

Next Saturday on UKTV at 8.30pm, the film We'll Take Manhattan looks at the first year or two of that decade, before things got out of hand.

We'll Take Manhattan is the story of the love affair between photographer David Bailey and model Jean Shrimpton, and a wild week they shared in New York to complete what became a classic photo-shoot.

Bailey also shot pictures of some fairly famous types in swinging London, including Terence Stamp, The Beatles, Mick Jagger, Cecil Beaton, Rudolf Nureyev, Andy Warhol and even East End gangsters the Kray twins.

He is, of course, a bit of a geezer, and a bit of a wide boy, with an eye for the ladies.

Early on he is seen re-arranging the dress of one young model in the most unusual fashion.

"You look beautiful, that's it, lovely - straight at me, straight at me ... " he calls to his models, a little like Austin Powers.

Shrimpton was said to be the world's highest paid model and the most photographed model in the world.

She was dubbed "The It Girl", "The Face", "The Face of the Moment", and "The Face of the '60s".

Her father wasn't keen on Mr Bailey, who, unfortunately, was married.

"I haven't worked all these years to raise a daughter who's a slut," he tells her.

Anyway, the lovers head off to New York, take some pictures, between them invent the 1960s, miniskirts, youth culture, and all that sort of thing.

As I have explained, apart from those aspects of the decade, nothing else good happened.

Here are some facts:We'll Take Manhattan was written and directed by John McKay, who was also behind Life on Mars.

Shrimpton is played by Karen Gillan, who was in Doctor Who.

The show is quite good.

Good evening.


-Charles Loughrey.

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