from the 7” single, Korova Records, 1980Sociologist Erving Goffman spoke at length about what he called the dramaturgical sociology, positing that all human beings were essentially actors in the movie of life, presenting ourselves in the manner to which our setting or role of the moment demands, managing our impressions in the eyes of other observers---even if someone chooses to rebel against the norms in a given culture, one does so as a reaction to the set expectations, and in so doing they act out rebellion in the ways which other “rebels” have already displayed for them, proving thus to be just as inclined to have societal forces guiding their moves. The actors in any given exchange who have power or leverage (the dominant class) often have the ability to exercise greater control over what the subordinate actors do, say, or even think, making a dramaturgical impression of puppetry rather than proper theater. It’s no fun being a puppet, whether individually or as a member of an oppressed group or subculture, and some of us have a greater propensity to resist authority than others; if I had to guess, I would wager that singer Ian McCulloch (the metaphorical ‘Echo’ leading the Bunnymen) is that kind of guy, someone who doesn’t like to be told what to do or how to be cool. He had originally been paired with Britain’s other resident psychedelic mess, one Julian Cope, but neither were willing to back down from one another’s visions enough to fashion that creative tension into a functional template, so Cope fired Ian, and the rest is history; frankly, as much underground cred as Mr. Cope has garnered over the decades, I think it was his loss. The Bunnymen’s guitarist, Will Sergeant, had an atmospheric approach to the lead role that wound up having an enormous impact on everyone from Peter Buck to the minimalist master himself, Johnny Marr. These guys grew in popularity as the decade progressed along, but it’s these early psych-based cuts that I love the best.
