Billy Bragg; Still Suitable for Miners Book Review Good Reads

Billy Bragg: Still Suitable for Miners: The Official Biography by Andrew Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Billy Bragg is one of those blokes who could be described as a national treasure. He has entertained with his own songs influenced by Punk and Folk music. He has been involved in many political campaigns through the eighties to the present day. This book is the updated 2007 edition of the biography that describes his time in the army and the time in his early band Riff-Raff at the height of Punk. It also covers his family background and the early death of his father. This influenced him to write the song ‘Tank Park Salute’ on’ Don’t Try This at Home’.

He emerged in the 1980s in the days of Margaret Thatcher and the Cold War, just before Glasnost and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bragg was influential in the formation of Red Wedge and suggested the name from a poster by the Russian constructivist El Lissistsky (Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge). This was the group of comedians and musicians who were attracting the youth vote for Neil Kinnock and The Labour Party. Red wedge included performers such as Porky The Poet – better known today as Phil Jupitas, The Style Council, and amongst others Tom Robinson and Jerry Dammers. Red Wedge was successful in upping the youth vote but it was also a victim of the in-fighting at the time between those trying to elect a Labour government after years of conservative rule, and those like Militant and The Labour Party Young Socialists who were more obsessed with ideology that could sometimes be counter productive. This is best summed up by Paul Weller who was unsure whether to be involved in Red Wedge. In one amusing story he said he was made to feel guilty for talking about each other’s shoes, as clothes are a ‘bourgeois trapping’. The term ‘Champagne Socialists’ was later used in a similar way a dig at MPs with Upper Middle Class lifestyles and socialist convictions. Weller became apolitical after this and went on to a solo career but Bragg continued his involvement in various political campaigns.

The early days of Bragg on Go-Discs includes label mates the Housemartin's. The Housemartin's managed to mix pop with politics but Bragg became concerned about the attention that fame can bring. This kind of attention led to the decline of the Housemartin's when the press started to run celebrity type stories, particularly The Sun who ran a story that two of the Housemartin's were gay (a crime in the eyes of the tabloids at this time). The story was untrue but it was a warning about the price of fame. Bragg though managed to survive this world and left Go-Discs when it was in the process of being taken over by the major label Polygram. Bragg’s performances on Top of The Pops stood out against the world of DJs like Steve Wright and the false party like atmosphere. He made sessions for Peel in the BBC studio and Peel Mansions, and made appearances on Question Time and even The Weakest Link (surprising himself by getting to The Weakest Link Champion of Champions).

Although he disagreed with Tony Blair’s support for the war in Iraq he continued to work with Labour MP’s realising that it’s difficult to work with politicians to try and change things without getting your hands dirty. He became involved in Lords Reform and Charter 88. He made a DVD to send to MPs called ‘Apathy into Action’ and suggested reforms in ‘a Democratic Lords: The third stage’ this was in association with the Fabian Society. He has supported tactical voting and helped the Liberal Democrats in 2001, arguing that voting for a traditional party wouldn’t change things and it would unseat Oliver Letwin. He more or less took over the stories in the local newspaper the Bridport news during the elections. Bragg also got into book writing. He had been disillusioned by the way people in his old home town returned BNP members into power in Barking, After writing the album English Half English and the single ‘Take Down The Union Jack’ he later wrote the book ‘The progressive Patriot’ to continue his obsession on English identity after appearing on TV discussions about this subject.

Bragg continues to make music. He still loves Woody Guthrie after his association with Woody Guthrie’s daughter Nora and the band Wilco recording songs with them. He is also hosting a Woody Guthrie Centenary shortly at The South Bank Centre. He continues to write for The Guardian and for his own blog. He still supports many causes such as electoral reform and he supports new artists like Frank Turner who continue the tradition of libertarian pop singers. This is a great book and makes me glad that we still have people like Billy Bragg who continues the tradition of protest singers.

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