- Holidays in the sun

'Everything for human happiness

Today I offer a totally obvious tune to mark 20 years since the fall of the Berlin wall. However, it has not been all fun and games since the wall came down:

‘Everyone had a job, school lunches were free, after-school care was free, people were generally happy, necessities were extremely cheap, and there was more community spirit than there is nowadays. In those times, there were no Joneses to keep up with.’

Carlo Alcos (good article)

The poster to the right was made to commemorate 30 years of the GDR, in 1979, thus contemporary to the tune you’re going to listen to.

The following documentary was made 10 years after the fall of the Berliner Mauer and makes for very interesting viewing.

What we see in the aftermath of reunification is quite clearly idealogical and cultural imperialism. I like the idea that someone would get upset about the little flashing red and green men at traffic lights being changed to Western design. Why did everything have to change to meet the West?

'The GDR: The socialst state of workers and farmers'

Medicine made out of Berlin Wall granules?

Some of my students, all of whom were born in the early ’90s, grew up in the old East and remember posters like these on the walls in their schools, even years after reunification. I guess that although people were happy to see the wall go down, not everyone enjoyed having their culture usurped.

Now, on to the greatest Sex Pistols song of the lot, this being taken from the 1978 Festive 50 broadcast.

Sex Pistols – Holidays in the sun (1978 Festive 50)

The subject matter may seem obsolete but the song itself sounds as fresh as it ever did. I hope you agree with me that this is the pinnacle of the Pistols’ work.