Time in Syria

I always enjoy John O'Leary's blog of rock-and-roll memories loosely marshalled as metaphors for business and life. Not so sure about one sentence of his 28 November entry on one-time-Beatle Pete Best, where O'Leary attributes Best's capacity to move on from his sacking, settle down, raise a family and take a conventional job as a "testimonial.. to his working class values..". What is it that makes any of that behaviour - resilience, family, settling down - somehow specifically working class? If stereotypes are to be applied, one could argue that if anything Best's actions are more middle class. But middle class is still a pejorative term to many, and leads to complete loss of credibility in the "real" world of rock. Anyway, I think this sort of thing, right or wrong, just perpetuates some of the fruitless social divisions that plague the UK to this day. But I love O'Leary anyway for the sheer delight of reading what he writes.

Labels: Viewpoint