Rock'n'Roll Britannia documentary on BBC4

Anyone watch this last night? First half of a two parter charting the rise and fall of the rock'n'roll scene in the UK. I'm sure that like a lot of the programmes in this series, it was a lot of old flannel if you're a student of the genre. As someone that has never really immersed myself in this particular scene though, and whose parents were too young and grandparents to have been exposed to the music by them, a lot of it was very interesting. Lots of familiar faces but amazing just how much it seems like an alien world. So you got Cliff looking as scarily young as ever along with Bruce Welch from the Shadows and Marty Wilde and the always awesome Joe Brown, but then odd characters like Vince Eager, who seemed like a very unlikely popstar; the fantastic Cherry Wainer who I now have a totally old lady crush on; Vince Taylor, along with Johnny Kidd one of the few people whose music sounded as dangerous as the Daily Mail made it out to be, and whose look was stunning, did Morrissey rip him off or what?; the Quarrymen who were almost as bad as the Beatles... all worth a watch I thought and as good a way as any to mark the week that Paul Shane died.

Vince Taylor's the one who went bonkers?

Don't really know anything about him, but he looked gorgeously bonkers back then tbh.

Oh yeah, the affable Tommy Steele who looked like the original prototype for all the smirky frontmen in landfill indie bands 50 years later.

Ziggy Stardust supposedly was based on him - Vince that is, not Tommy Steele... obviously

Did not know that!, interesting! Didn't even know he was the Brand New Cadillac guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ICw_XnpoX8

Somebody is bound to make a documentary about the guy one day

SCHWET!

This song is pants but his look is absolutely killer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sonXpSp35M

Sudden urge to go and and buy as much Gene Vincent vinyl as I can carry.

Would make sense if Vince had gone bonkers cos it seems that he's Adam Ant's big hero.

oh look, there already is a vince taylor documentary, high Bowie content too it seems:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6PWloMc6v0

i missed this, must catch up with it, feels like one of the few genres of rock music that still has some mystery and enchantment to it, and one of the few moments in time when being a pop performer was a noble and beautiful career aspiration

First time I heard about him was due to a Golden Earring b-side

I'd never seen Vince Taylor in motion before. He could really move. Camera seemed to love the way he did so too.

I was left trying to remember who got the naffest name in th eLarry Parnes stable, I think he rejected it and was known as something else. Wasn't one of the ones who was interviewed I don't think.

Lord Rockingham's XI girl was pretty cute back in the day. Seemed to have oversized eyes now though.

Lots of enthusiasm and passion - bit sad that the music wasn't v good. Two secs of Little Richard destroys this stuff.