Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Robert on How The Brits Rocked America

Update (July 3rd, 2012): This aired again on July 2nd, and is now available on iPlayer again for the next 7 days. Only for those in the UK, though. (Thanks James & Perfect.Murder)

Also, the original YouTube uploads of the series were deleted, but here are some new links for it: Part 1 - 2 - 3 (with Robert) - 3 (just Robert & Depeche Mode)

Episode 1: 'How the West Was Won' aired Jan. 27th, 2012.
Episode 2: 'Stairway to Heaven' aired Feb. 3rd, 2012.
Episode 3: 'We're the Kids in America' (with Robert's interview) aired Feb. 10th, 2012.

Update: It's now on YouTube - Part 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Photos from @john_malloy: Simon with debbie harry / playing boys don't cry at hurrahs / talking about first NYC gig at hurrahs / rs tonight on how the Brits rocked America.

Reports from @AaronLaw92: "Robert spoke about the popularity of the singles and then their comparison with Depeche Mode." / "Robert just spoke about Debbie Harry and then they showed a bit of a live video of BDC."

The Cure track on Big In America was Inbetween Days from Top of the Pops. (Thanks @honeyinmyveins)

Update (Feb. 10th): A preview from tonight's episode, Robert Smith talks about his hatred of Duran Duran (41:30 in). Stay tuned after this show for Big in America: British Hits in the USA at 10pm which will include The Cure. And after that, be sure to catch the classic Depeche Mode 101 documentary at 11pm. Great night of programs on BBC4! (Thanks Fatpie1664 & AndrewV127)

Update (Feb. 2nd): "An advert has just been on BBC4 and featured Robert - a combination of the love cats video and some recent Robert footage talking - mentions being seduced by America." (Thanks John)

How The Brits Rocked America: Go West is a three-part music documentary series celebrating the 50-year narrative of British music in America.

This series tells the story of the inter-continental exchange of musical ideas, of how the two nations have, and continue to, influence each other's unique sound. It features choice archive footage from The Beatles’ iconic arrival in the US, through Cream, The Who and Led Zeppelin live on the road, and to the Sex Pistols’ last US gig in San Francisco and Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ career-boosting appearance on Saturday Night Live.

It also includes first-hand testimonies from artists across the decades talking about their experiences, from the pilgrim fathers of British rock, including Sir Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page and Jack Bruce, to the latter-day contenders to their throne, the likes of John Lydon, Robert Smith, Simon Le Bon and Adam Ant, who recall how they coped with the challenge of cracking the behemoth that is the US. (Thanks David)

30 comments:

  1. thanks for the tip-off, will set the recorder

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  2. ah cool, hope somehow this ends up on the internet

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  3. Does anybody know what happened to this dvd prject about the Noisy music mouvement (Ride, Lush, My Bloody Valentine...) in which Robert was supposed to be interviewed ?

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  4. Still unreleased. Here's what the Wikipedia entry says:

    "As of October 2011 Eric Green has stated the film is finished and that a kickstarter campaign will be started to help fund its eventual release."

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  5. Thanks Craig, a good news it's still on the run. A fantastic period for British music when America was proposing grunge music with talented bands like Nirvana or The Smashing Pumpkins. It makes me remember how moved I've been discovering in Kurt Cobain's diary he admired Robert (and Morrissey and Michael Stipe) because he was unequaled to write beautiful sad songs. I'm wondering sometimes if they once met or wrote to each other. Robert loved Nirvana and both were Billy Corgan's friends, so... Before the tragedy, one of my dreams was to see them on stage together. I love to see my idols playing together like for David Bowie's 50th birthday. So sad for Kurt. He would have bring so much more to music...

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  7. No appearance by Robert in this episode.

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  8. Thank you, Andrew. Probably won't be on until the Feb. 10th episode dealing with the 80s.

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  9. The interviews were great, featuring many anecdotes and rather sharp opinions. If the episode Robert features in is anything like this last one it'll be very much worth tuning in to.

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  10. Excellent programm, and in the words of Jimmy Page, playing in the US was just like heaven:)

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  11. An advert has just been on BBC4 and featured Robert - a combination of the love cats video and some recent Robert footage talking - mentions being seduced by America ...

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  12. Well, you know, we Americans are very seductive... Can't help it. Glad Robert noticed...:)

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  13. they had a clip of robert talking on bbc 6 music this morning (Friday 41.30 mins in - enjoy)

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072l9k/episodes/2012

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  14. There is another show which directly follows this one called 'Big in America'. Apparently that also features The Cure although I assume it's archived video clips.

    A Depeche Mode documentary follows that. This is why we pay our T.V license people!!! Occasionally the BBC throws out a few gems. Dr Who and Sherlock too :D

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  15. HA! What a funny quote from him. Hilarious!

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  16. I hope someone records / uploads the relevant bits soon!

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  17. You can watch the show on BBC iPlayer after it airs today, if you use a UK proxy.

    Also, Syden1 has uploaded the 2 previous episodes here, and I'm sure tonight's episode will be uploaded as well.

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  18. I thought his comment deserved a good visual - so I made this http://youtu.be/D6Ao66acZLw

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  19. noting new about this ?thanks craig!

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  20. *off topic*
    is it just me having problems with the official site log in?

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  21. I thought it was good - never seen Robert so prominent in a non-cure docu before

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  22. This was good, I was a bit surprised that The Smiths weren't mentioned.

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  24. although i don't know how you skip right over radiohead at the end.

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  25. Thank you so much, whoever uploaded the show on youtube and to Craigers and company for linking it. I really miss Canadian music TV did anything even close to this quality.

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  26. was that true that Kurt admired Robert Smith? where did you get that fact?

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  27. was that true that Kurt admired Robert Smith? where did you get that fact?

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  28. I've just finished reading Andy Taylor (ex-Duran)'s autobiography (I know, I was desperate) and he claims that there was talk of DD and The Cure doing a co-headlining tour in 2003. Aye, right!

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