I didn’t have space to squeeze in stuff about the quiz show scandals or the Charles Manson/ Monkees myth, and give the cliche its become, I’m almost glad I couldn’t fit in a graph about “reality” TV.
Hope you’ll read the whole thing:
[Davy] Jones was one of those funny little musical Anthony Newley/Dudley Moore/Peter Noone fellows that England alone is capable of producing (or was, before the effects of post-rationing nutrition kicked in). (…)
The Monkees and Sex Pistols both illustrate a cosmic artistic law that dictates “fake” art can sometimes spawn great art. (…)
(This law is illustrated equally well by The Godfather, a quickie airport novel written to pay off the author’s gambling debts that inspired a couple of cinematic masterworks. The book is still considered a Mafia Bible by real-life mobsters who apparently don’t know or care that Mario Puzo, who knew nothing of authentic Cosa Nostra rituals, pretty much made them up.)
