English Revolution
Some pretty folk songs,
some stirring classics,
otherwise just tired ditties,
sung in music halls,
played on washboards.
But then in early 60s
this little stuffy land
changed its tune,
the air got bluesy,
soulful, rocking,
stones began to roll,
burdens lifting,
animals appealing,
unearthing beetles,
rising cream,
singing yard birds,
flying zeppelins.
Forging heavy metal,
merseybeat,
northern soul,
moddish pop
and other new sounds,
from the template
of her cross-Atlantic cousins;
yet implanted
in her own groove,
English outlook,
style and mood;
so too in glam and punk rock,
new romantic,
synth pop, Brit pop,
echoes of the music hall
reverberate.
Madam: Archbishop Fisher (July-August 2024) does not resist the attacks on his church by the political, social or scientific atheists and those who insist on not being told what to do.
Aug 29 2024
6 mins
To claim Aborigines have the world's oldest continuous culture is to misunderstand the meaning of culture, which continuously changes over time and location. For a culture not to change over time would be a reproach and certainly not a cause for celebration, for it would indicate that there had been no capacity to adapt. Clearly this has not been the case
Aug 20 2024
23 mins
A friend and longtime supporter of Quadrant, Clive James sent us a poem in 2010, which we published in our December issue. Like the Taronga Park Aquarium he recalls in its 'mocked-up sandstone cave' it's not to be forgotten
Aug 16 2024
2 mins