So It Goes (TV series) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

So It Goes was a British TV music show presented by Tony Wilson

Tony Wilson

Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....

on Granada Television

Granada Television

Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....

between 1976 and 1977. It is most famous for showcasing the then burgeoning Punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

movement. It was named partially in reference to Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was a 20th century American writer. His works such as Cat's Cradle , Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions blend satire, gallows humor and science fiction. He was known for his humanist beliefs and was honorary president of the American Humanist Association.-Early...

's novel Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death is a satirical novel by Kurt Vonnegut about World War II experiences and journeys through time of a soldier called Billy Pilgrim...

.

So It Goes series 1, produced by Chris Pye, gave The Sex Pistols their first ever TV appearance, and featured performances by Patti Smith

Patti Smith

Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....

. It also included occasional non-punk guests such as journalist Clive James

Clive James

Clive James, AM is an Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet and memoirist, best known for his autobiographical series Unreliable Memoirs, for his chat shows and documentaries on British television and for his prolific journalism...

and comedian Peter Cook

Peter Cook

Peter Edward Cook was an English satirist, writer and comedian. An extremely influential figure in modern British comedy, he is regarded as the leading light of the British satire boom of the 1960s. He has been described by Stephen Fry as "the funniest man who ever drew breath," although Cook's...

(hosting a 'Riff of the Month' competition). So It Goes series 2, produced by Geoff Moore, featured performances by The Jam

The Jam

The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...

, The Clash

The Clash

The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...

, The Buzzcocks, The Stranglers

The Stranglers

The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...

and Siouxsie and The Banshees. However, it was an expletive-strewn appearance by Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Though considered an innovator of punk rock, Pop's music has encompassed a number of styles over the years, including pop, metal, jazz and blues...

that Granada bosses found too much, leading to the cancellation of a third series.

Episode guide

The first series consisted of nine editions that ran from 3 July - 21 August 1976. This was followed almost a year later by the second series, consisting of ten editions running from 9 October - 11 December 1977. 1 The series was only ever shown in three ITV

ITV

ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

regions including Granada.

Series 1

Show 1

Broadcast 3 July 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

The 'Opportunity Rocks' spot featured to The Jeff Raven Band, seen performing "I Just Can't Get Next To You" live in concert. Traditional Irish music group The Chieftains

The Chieftains

The Chieftains are a Grammy-winning Irish musical group founded in 1962, best known for being one of the first bands to make Irish traditional music popular around the world.-Name:...

were live in the studio performing "Mná na hÉireann" and "Traditional Song". Peter Blake

Peter Blake (artist)

Sir Peter Thomas Blake, KBE, CBE, RDI, RA is an English pop artist, best known for his design of the sleeve for the Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. He lives in Chiswick, London, UK.-Career:...

and his wife, Jann Howarth, discussed the design of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...

album, as well as how the original idea was conceived and produced.

In a spoof "Where Are They Now?" feature, So It Goes visited Stephen Hawes, a university lecturer in French, to find out he is still a university lecturer in French, and Tom Waits

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...

was live in the studio performing 'Better Off Without A Wife'. After a spoof ad break (featuring old black and white adverts for "Top Brass" shampoo and "All" washing powder), Clive James impersonated Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...

in Brain Damage.

The "As Time Goes By" feature looked back at Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an Amercian pioneering gospel singer, songwriter and recording artist who attained great popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and early rock and roll accompaniment...

performing 'I Gotta Blues but I Too Damn Mean to Cry' at Chorlton-cum-Hardy railway station

Chorlton-cum-Hardy railway station

Chorlton Metrolink station is a Manchester Metrolink station built on the former Cheshire Lines Committee line. The station is one of the first stations opened as part of Phase 3A of the Big Bang extension plans and is built on the site of the former railway station...

in 1964 (assumed to be originally from Granada Television

Granada Television

Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....

's Blues and Gospel Train special).The album of the week in 'Pressed to Kill' was from the Mike Westbrook Orchestra. Closing the show were The Sutherland Bros and Quiver live in the studio performing 'When the Train Comes'.

Show 2

Broadcast 10 July 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Live in the studio, Kevin Ayers

Kevin Ayers

Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...

performed 'Ballad Of Mr Snake'. The featured album in 'Pressed to Kill' was 'Rock and Roll Music' by The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

. Clive James

Clive James

talked about the 'Brain Damage' caused by Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart

Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....

. 'Opportunity Rocks' for Bettina Jonic

Bettina Jonic

Bettina Jonic is a theatre artist, singer, dancer, writer, poet, director, and the founder of London's Actors Work Group.-History:Jonic was raised in Los Angeles, California to Croatian parents. She studied ballet for ten years with Theodore Kosloff and Bronislava Nijenska, then studied music and...

who was live in the studio performing Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...

's 'Like a Rolling Stone

Like a Rolling Stone

"Like a Rolling Stone" is a 1965 song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Its confrontational lyrics originate in an extended piece of verse Dylan wrote in June 1965, when he returned exhausted from a grueling tour of England...

'. Tony Wilson interviewed Roger Dean to find out about his inspiration for creating album cover designs. In 'As Time Goes By' there was a 1967 performance of 'On a Carousel' by The Hollies

The Hollies

The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...

(taken from 'The World Tomorrow: Sound or Music?'). Back in the studio, 'Frankie Miller

Frankie Miller

Frankie Miller is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy in Sacred Heart Chapel...

’s Full House' closed the show performing the 'Doodle Song'.

Show 3

Broadcast 17 July 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

The Noel Redding Band

The Noel Redding Band were an Irish folk rock supergroup that formed in Clonakilty, County Cork in 1972...

were live in the studio performing 'Back on the Road Again'. The design feature was on denim art and Clive James

Clive James

got 'Brain Damage' from the talent in the BBC light entertainment department, Cilla Black

Cilla Black

Cilla Black OBE is an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality, who has been consistently popular as a light entertainment figure since 1963. She is most famous for her singles Anyone Who Had A Heart, You're My World, and Alfie...

and Lulu

Lulu (singer)

Lulu Kennedy-Cairns, OBE , best known by her stage name Lulu, is a Scottish singer, actress, and television personality who has been successful in the entertainment business from the 1960s through to the present day...

. Rogue were featured in 'Opportunity Rocks'. In the studio, The London Saxophone Quartet performed the 'Agincourt Song'. Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Faithfull

Marianne Evelyn Faithfull is an award-winning English singer, songwriter and actress whose career has spanned five decades....

sang 'Yesterday

Yesterday (song)

"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...

' in 'As Time Goes By' (taken from The Music of Lennon and McCartney). The programme's favourite French lecturer was caught outside Dingwalls, and Eddie and the Hot Rods closed the show with a live studio performance of 'Woolly Bully'

Show 4

Broadcast 24 July 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Mr Pugh’s Velvet Glove Show with Ted Milton

Ted Milton

Ted Milton is an English poet and musician, best known for leading the Blurt, an experimental jazz-rock group.Milton grew up in Africa, Canada and Great Britain. He published some early poems in magazines like Paris Review...

appeared in the studio. Also featured were Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople

Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...

, who performed 'Shouting and Pointing'. Lou Reed

Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...

's 'Coney Island Baby

Coney Island Baby

Coney Island Baby is the sixth solo album by Lou Reed, released in 1975. It is also the title of a song on that album. The name presumably refers to the Excellents' 1962 doo wop song of the same name, and/or a 1924 Les Appleton barbershop music song of the same name...

' album was 'Pressed to Kill', and Tony Wilson interviewed the wrong Mark Phillips

Mark Phillips

-Ancestry:-Issue:-Sources:...

. Stephan Micus

Stephan Micus

Stephan Micus is a German musician and composer, whose musical style is heavily influenced by his study of traditional instruments and musical techniques from Japan, India, South America, and other countries around the world...

was live in the studio performing music he had composed himself on the Afghan rubabs. Tony Wilson went to CBS Records

CBS Records

CBS Records is a record label founded by CBS Corporation in 2006 to take advantage of music from its entertainment properties owned by CBS Television Studios. The initial label roster consisted of only three artists; rock band Señor Happy and singer/songwriters Will Dailey and P.J...

in London to see the design department, and 'As Time Goes By' featured Peter Sellers

Peter Sellers

Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...

performing 'A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night (song)

"A Hard Day's Night" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964...

' (taken from The Music of Lennon and McCartney). In 'Brain Damage', Clive James discussed Sarah Miles

Sarah Miles

-Early life and career:Sarah Miles was born in the small town of Ingatestone, Essex, in South East England.She first attended Roedean but at the age of 15 she enrolled at RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...

and Kris Kristofferson

Kris Kristofferson

Kristoffer "Kris" Kristofferson is an American musician, actor, and writer. He is known for hits such as "Me and Bobby McGee", "For the Good Times", "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and "Help Me Make It Through the Night"...

, and 'The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea

The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea , is a novel written by Yukio Mishima, published in Japanese in 1963 and translated into English by John Nathan in 1965.- Plot summary :...

'. Closing the show, Graham Parker and The Rumour

Graham Parker

Graham Parker is a British rock singer and songwriter, who is best known as the lead singer of the popular British band Graham Parker & the Rumour.-Early career :...

were in the studio to perform 'Soul Shoes'.

Show 5

Broadcast 31 July 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Tony Wilson went on location to ask Patti Smith

Patti Smith

why she re-makes old classics. Snooky Pryor performed 'What Have I Got to Do' in the studio, backed by the Victor Brox Blues Train. 'Pressed to Kill' looked at 'Shakti' by John McLaughlin

John McLaughlin (musician)

John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...

. In 'Brain Damage', Clive James discussed Page 3 girls, and singer/songwriter Ross Macfarlane (winner of that year's Melody Maker Rock/Folk Competition) was the star of 'Opportunity Rocks'. Macfarlane performed live in the studio, singing the self-penned song, 'Reflections'. 'As Time Goes By' featured The Doors

The Doors

The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...

(taken from 'The Doors Are Open'). Steve Hawes, So It Goes favourite French lecturer was in the studio. The John Miles

John Miles (musician)

John Miles is an English rock music vocalist, songwriter, guitarist and keyboard player, best known for his 1976 Top 3 UK hit single, "Music".-Career:...

Band were in the studio to perform 'House on the Hill', and Patti Smith

Patti Smith

explained exactly why she plays rock music.

Show 6

Broadcast 7 August 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Introduction by Adam West

Adam West

William West Anderson , better known by the stage name Adam West, is an American actor best known for his lead role in the Batman TV series and the film of the same name...

(Batman

Batman

Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...

). Be-Bop Deluxe were live in the studio performing 'Sister Seagull'. Tony Wilson discussed protest songs and played Victor Jara

Víctor Jara

Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez was a Chilean teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter, political activist and member of the Communist Party of Chile...

's 1974 protest song about the Chilean dissenters imprisoned in a football ground in Santiago

Santiago, Chile

Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...

. 'As Time Goes By' featured The Animals

The Animals

The Animals were an English music group of the 1960s formed in Newcastle upon Tyne during the early part of the decade, and later relocated to London...

performing 'Twist and Shout

Twist and Shout

"Twist and Shout" is a song written by Phil Medley and Bert Russell. It was originally titled "Shake It Up, Baby" and recorded by the Top Notes and then covered by The Isley Brothers. It was covered by The Beatles with John Lennon on the lead vocals and originally released on their first album...

' (taken from studio footage before the recording of Whole Lotta Shakin' in 1964). Alain Stivell was in the studio performing 'Jenovefa'. In the design feature, Tony Wilson went to the Hipgnosis studio in Soho to discuss how they create album covers. Clive James talked about the increasing TV coverage of 'lost' tribes in 'Brain Damage'. Closing the show, Soft Machine

Soft Machine

Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...

were in the studio, performing 'The Tale of Taliesin'.

Show 7

Broadcast 14 August 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Eddie "Guitar" Burns

Eddie "Guitar" Burns is an American Detroit blues guitarist, harmonica player, singer and songwriter...

was live in the studio performing "Bottle Up and Go". Clive James

Clive James

appeared throughout the show as Demis Roussos

Demis Roussos

Artemios Ventouris Roussos is a Greek singer and performer, best known for being the main musical partner of movie soundtrack composer Vangelis and a string of international hit records as a solo performer in the 1960s and 1970s...

. Tony Wilson looked at AC/DC

AC/DC

AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

in the Opportunity Rocks spot - there was a clip of the band performing "Jailbreak

Jailbreak (AC/DC song)

"Jailbreak" is a song by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It is the ninth and final track of their third Australian album Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, released in September 1976...

" - and looked at Andy Pratt's latest album, Resolution. A Band Called O

A Band Called O

A Band Called O were a band from Jersey, Channel Islands. Originally known as "The Parlour Band", playing progressive rock, they renamed to "A Band Called O" for two albums on CBS/Epic and later to "The O Band" for a further albums with UA...

were in the studio singing "Don'tcha Wanna", and Gene Vincent

Gene Vincent

Vincent Eugene Craddock , known as Gene Vincent, was an American musician who pioneered the styles of rock and roll and rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-A-Lula", is considered a significant early example of rockabilly...

sang "Be-Bop-A-Lula

Be-Bop-A-Lula

"Be-Bop-A-Lula" is a rockabilly song first recorded in 1956 by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.-Origins of the song:The writing of the song is credited to Gene Vincent and his manager, Bill "Sheriff Tex" Davis. There is evidence that the song was started in 1955, when Vincent was recuperating from...

" in the feature As Time Goes By (taken from Whole Lotta Shakin, 1964). Also in the studio were Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Kate and Anna McGarrigle

Kate and Anna McGarrigle, were a pair of Canadian singer-songwriters from Quebec, who performed as a duo until Kate McGarrigle's death on January 18, 2010.-Profile:...

, who performed two songs from their eponymous album

Kate and Anna McGarrigle (album)

Kate and Anna McGarrigle is the self-titled 1975 debut album by Kate and Anna McGarrigle.The album includes "Heart Like a Wheel," the McGarrigles' most famous song, which was first released by Linda Ronstadt in 1974...

; "Complainte Pour Ste-Catherine" and "Talk To Me of Mendocino". Patti Smith

Patti Smith

got the final word as So It Goes went on location to hear her plans for a rock opera

Rock opera

A rock opera is a work of rock music that presents a storyline told over multiple parts, songs or sections in the manner of opera. A rock opera differs from a conventional rock album, which usually includes songs that are not unified by a common theme or narrative. More recent developments include...

Show 8

Broadcast 21 August 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Tony Wilson and Clive James presented the show: live studio performances by Matumbi

Matumbi (band)

Matumbi were one of top British reggae bands of the 1970s and early 1980s, and are best known as the first successful band of guitarist and record producer Dennis Bovell.-History:...

performing 'A Woman Like You' and Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias performing 'Old Trust' were featured. A clip of Simon and Garfunkel

Simon and Garfunkel

Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...

was shown and Tony Wilson went behind the scenes of KISS

KISS (band)

Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...

's first British concert (at the Free Trade Hall on 13 May 1976). A botched interview with Zero, the Special Effects Co-ordinator for Kiss, was shown, as was an interview with the band themselves (intercut with concert footage).

Show 9

Broadcast 28 August 1976
Presented by Tony Wilson, featuring Clive James
Director: Peter Walker
Producer: Chris Pye

Featured live studio performances by Gentlemen singing 'My Ego's Killing Me' and The Bowles Brothers Band

The Bowles Brothers Band

The Bowles Brothers Band was a British group from the 1970s, featuring Brian Bowles - guitar, vocals; Sue Jones-Davies - vocals; Richard Lee - bass; Julian Smedley - guitar, violin, and vocals. They were also variously known as The Bowles Brothers and The Bowles Bros...

performing 'Charlie's Nuts'. Peter Cook

Peter Cook

introduced the 'Riff of the Month' competition. Albums of the Week included The Ramones debut album and Southside Johnny

Southside Johnny

Southside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...

. In 'Brain Damage', Clive James attacked the music reviews of Charles Shaar Murray

Charles Shaar Murray

Charles Shaar Murray is an English music journalist. His first experience in journalism came 1970 when he was asked to contribute to the satirical magazine Oz...

. There was a nostalgic look back at Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...

(taken from 'Whole Lotta Shakin' in 1964) in the 'As Time Goes By' section. Back in the studio, Clive James interviewed Peter Cook

Peter Cook

(possessed by his alter-ego 'Clive

Derek and Clive

Derek and Clive is a double act of comedic characters created by Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in the 1970s. The performances were captured on the records Derek and Clive , Derek and Clive Come Again , and Derek and Clive Ad Nauseam , as well as in a film documentary, Derek and Clive Get the Horn...

'). The last studio band, The Sex Pistols, performed 'Anarchy in the UK'. The show closed with location footage of the Dr Hook band getting into a taxi.

Three months after this episode was broadcast, Clive James wrote about his appearance on it in The Observer

The Observer

The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...

, and in particular expressed disapproval of the Sex Pistols, referring to Johnny Rotten -- whose name he had evidently forgotten - as "a foul-mouthed ball of acne calling himself something like Kenny Frightful"."

Show 1

Broadcast 9 October 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Producer: Geoff Moore

A recorded performance of Van Morrison

Van Morrison

Van Morrison, OBE is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician. His live performances at their best are regarded as transcendental and inspired; while some of his recordings, such as the studio albums Astral Weeks and Moondance, and the live album It's Too Late to Stop Now, are widely...

singing 'Venice USA'. There is an archive clip of The Rubinoos

The Rubinoos

The Rubinoos are an American power pop band that formed in 1970 in Berkeley, California. They are perhaps best known for their singles "I Think We're Alone Now" , "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" , and for the theme song to the 1984 film Revenge of the Nerds...

singing Tommy James & the Shondells

Tommy James & the Shondells

Tommy James and the Shondells are an American rock and roll group whose period of greatest success came in the late 1960s. They had two No. 1 singles in the U.S. — "Hanky Panky" and "Crimson and Clover" — and also charted 12 other Top 40 hits, including five in the top ten: "Crystal...

' classic I Think We're Alone Now (source unknown). John Cooper Clarke

John Cooper Clarke

John Cooper Clarke is an English performance poet who first became famous during the punk rock era of the late 1970s when he became known as a "punk poet"...

is interviewed in the studio by Tony, featuring clips of John reading poetry in clubs around Manchester. There is archive clip of a Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

interview (source unknown), following by a recorded performance of The Buzzcocks singing 'What Do I Get?' at The Electric Circus, Manchester. There is a short teaser clip of Sad Café

Sad Café (band)

Sad Café were an English rock band, which formed in Manchester in 1976, as a result of the unification of the rock bands Mandala and Gyro. Sad Café are best known for their song "Every Day Hurts" which reached Number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in 1979....

performing 'Love will survive' at Rafters and we're back to Maunkberry's to hear Van Morrison performing 'Kansas City'. During the end credits, Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...

performs 'Mystery Dance' at Eric's, Liverpool

Eric's Club

Eric's Club was a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on October 1, 1976 in a building basement on Mathew Street opposite The Cavern Club where The Beatles and other bands of the 1960s played, and became notable for hosting early performances by many punk and post-punk bands.The club was...

Show 2

Broadcast 16 October 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Japanese Voice-Over: Misako Koba
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Producer: Geoff Moore

We see clips of Elvis Costello performing at Eric's singing 'Alison' (short excerpt only) and '(I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea'. Ron Haffkine from Dr Hook gives his opinion on 'How to Cope with Superstars'. Appearing live in the studio, John Otway

John Otway

John Otway, is an English singer-songwriter, who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.-Biography:...

and Wild Willy Barrett

Wild Willy Barrett

Wild Willy Barrett is an English folk singer from Hemel Hempstead best known for his collaborations with John Otway. His musical style is witty and his humour onstage is dry. He is known for virtuoso fiddle playing, ability with a great number of stringed instruments, and playing slide guitar with...

perform 'Beware of The Flowers'. Recommended album of the week is a band from Japan, so we see a clip of The Girls singing a cover of 'Honky Tonk Woman'. We're back to Eric's to see Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

perform "Watching the Detectives

Watching the Detectives (song)

"Watching the Detectives" is a 1977 single by English singer-songwriter Elvis Costello. It was his first single that credited his backing band, the Attractions, and gave him his first UK hit single...

" and then on to the Electric Circus to see Penetration

Penetration (band)

Penetration is a punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976. They re-formed in 2001 with several new members.Their debut single, "Don’t Dictate", is now acknowledged as a classic punk rock single and their debut album, Moving Targets , is still widely admired-Biography:The lead...

perform 'Don't Dictate': at Eric's again for one last song, 'Lip Service', sung by Elvis Costello

Elvis Costello

Show 3

Broadcast 23 October 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Producer: Geoff Moore

Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias singing 'Teenage Paradise' at Rafters

Rafters (nightclub)

Rafters was a nightclub located in the St James Building in the centre of Manchester, UK. A number of bands played concerts at Rafters in the 1970s and 1980sRob Gretton who went on to become the manager of Joy Division worked at Rafters...

, Manchester. There is a short interview on VT with Ian Dury

Ian Dury

Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...

followed by 'Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll

Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll

"Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll" is a song and single by Ian Dury. It was originally released as the Stiff Records single BUY 17 with "Razzle In My Pocket" as the B-side, on 26 August 1977...

' (nature VT to accompany the song featuring camels). There's comedy from a couple of 'roadies' –- Arthur Kelly and Gordon Kaye, followed by clips from an Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias rock opera

Rock opera

as they perform 'Snuffin' in a Babylon' and Gobbin' on Life. We go to Liverpool's Eric's club to see Nick Lowe

Nick Lowe

Nicholas Drain "Nick" Lowe , is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer.A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with vocals, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica...

performing 'Endless Sleep' and 'Shake and Pop'. The show ends back at Rafters with Alberto Y Los Trios Paranoias performing 'Death of Rock and Roll'.

Show 4

Broadcast 30 October 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Producer: Geoff Moore

Cherry Vanilla

Cherry Vanilla is an American singer-songwriter, publicist, and actress. After working as an actress in Andy Warhol's Pork, she worked as a publicist for David Bowie, before finding fame as a rock singer. She subsequently became a publicist for Vangelis.-Career:Kathleen Dorritie was born in...

advises us on 'How to Give a Good Head of Hair to Your Boyfriend'. Roy Hill performs 'George's Bar' live in the studio. Tony goes out on location to interview Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop

, and we get to see a performance of 'The Passenger' at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester. We see The Movies performing in Liverpool singing 'Big Boys Band'. The recommended album of the week is from Talking Heads

Talking Heads

Talking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...

and we hear a short excerpt of 'Psycho Killer

Psycho Killer

"Psycho Killer" is a song by American New Wave band Talking Heads from their 1977 album Talking Heads: 77, written by David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. The band's "signature debut hit" features lyrics which seem to represent the thoughts of a serial killer. Allmusic calls it a...

' (visual is a nature VT of tribal men). As the programme ends Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop

sings 'Lust for Life

Lust for Life (song)

"Lust for Life" is a 1977 song performed by Iggy Pop and co-written by David Bowie, featured on the album Lust for Life. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it #147 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.-Music:...

' at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester (end credits roll over performance).

Show 5

Broadcast 6 November 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Film Director: Peter Carr
Producer: Geoff Moore

So It Goes goes out on location to watch The Stranglers

The Stranglers

perform 'Something Better Change' at the Hope 'n' Anchor, London; this is followed by a guide to the world of promotion and pop. Tony interviews Johnny Thunders

Johnny Thunders

Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...

and The Heartbreakers

The Heartbreakers

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, also known as The Heartbreakers, were an American rock & roll band formed in New York in May 1975. The band was part of the first wave of punk rock.-History:...

and a clip of a recent concert by The Tom Robinson Band, performing 'Martin' is shown.
There is an archive clip of Free

Free (band)

Free were an English rock band, formed in London in 1968, best known for their 1970 signature song "All Right Now". They disbanded in 1973 and lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become a frontman of the band Bad Company along with Simon Kirke on drums; lead guitarist Paul Kossoff died from a...

performing 'Alright Now' in tribute to guitarist Paul Kossoff

Paul Kossoff

Paul Francis Kossoff was an English rock guitarist best known as a member of the band Free.Kossoff was ranked 51st in Rolling Stone magazine list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" -Early days:...

who had recently died of a drugs overdose. The recommended single is Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...

’s 'For You', then back on location, The Tom Robinson Band performs "Glad to Be Gay

Glad to Be Gay

"Glad to Be Gay" is a song by British punk rock/New Wave group Tom Robinson Band. It is one of their defining songs, in addition to being considered Britain's national gay anthem since its release.-Song information:...

Show 6

Broadcast 13 November 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Tony Wilson
Anthony Howard Wilson, commonly known as Tony Wilson , was an English record label owner, radio presenter, TV show host, nightclub manager, impresario and journalist for Granada Television and the BBC....
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Film Director: Peter Carr
Producer: Geoff Moore
Featuring in the Studio: Pete Batley

John Dowie

John Dowie (humourist)

John Dowie is a British comedian, musician, and writer. He began performing stand-up comedy in 1969.-Career:Dowie was among the inaugural acts on Tony Wilson's Factory Records label. In 1978 he contributed three comedic songs to the first Factory music release, A Factory Sample, along with Joy...

is live in the studio to perform 'New Wave'. Sad Café

Sad Café (band)

are filmed performing 'Love Will Survive' at Rafters, and then back in the studio John Dowie sings 'British Tourist'. Mink DeVille

Mink DeVille

Mink DeVille was a rock band known for its association with early punk rock bands at New York’s CBGB nightclub and for being a showcase for the music of Willy DeVille. The band recorded six albums in the years 1977 to 1985. Except for frontman Willy DeVille, the original members of the band played...

are at Middleton Civic Hall, performing 'Little Girl' and 'Venus of Avenue D'. So It Goes gives a Play- in-a-day Guide to how to interview a famous rock star, using William Rees-Mogg

William Rees-Mogg

William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg is an English journalist and life peer.-Education:Rees-Mogg was educated at Clifton College Preparatory School in Bristol and Charterhouse School in Godalming, followed by Balliol College, Oxford...

’s interview of Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....

as an example of how not to do it. Recommended album of the week is MX-80 Sound's 'Hard Attack', and there is a short clip of "Facts-Facts". Mink DeVille

Mink DeVille

play out the show with 'Just You and Me' (credits start rolling before the track finishes).

Show 7

Broadcast 20 November 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Eric Harrison
Film Directors: Peter Carr & Colin Richards
Producer: Geoff Moore

Elvis Costello

performs 'No Dancing' at Eric's in Liverpool. Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex

X-Ray Spex

X-Ray Spex were an English punk band from London that formed in 1976.During their first incarnation , X-Ray Spex were “deliberate underachievers” and only managed to release five singles and one album...

is in the studio for an interview with Tony. From a recent concert at the Electric Circus, Manchester, The Jam

The Jam

perform 'In the City', and 'All Around The World'. Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters

McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...

performs 'Blues Had a Baby' at the New Victoria Theatre

Apollo Victoria Theatre

The Apollo Victoria Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Wilton Road near Victoria station in the City of Westminster. Opened as a cinema and variety theatre, the Apollo Victoria became a venue for musical theatre, beginning with The Sound of Music in 1981, and including the long-running...

in London. The Play-in-a-Day Guide tells how to make promos for TV, showing promo material of The Troggs

The Troggs

The Troggs are an English rock band from the 1960s that had a number of hits in UK and the US. Their most famous songs include, "Wild Thing", "With a Girl Like You", and "Love Is All Around"...

and Reg Presley singing 'Lazy Weekend'. Recommended album of the week is 'Never Mind The Bollocks' by the Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...

, and it's back to the Jam at the Electric Circus for 'Slow Down', and 'Taking My Love' (credits start rolling before the end of this song).

Show 8

Broadcast 27 November 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Malcolm Clarke
Producer: Geoff Moore

The Pirates perform 'I Can Tell' at Belle Vue in Manchester. The So It Goes guide to how to spot good management comes next, followed by XTC

XTC

XTC were a New Wave band from Swindon, England, active between 1976 and 2005. The band enjoyed some chart success, including the UK and Canadian hits "Making Plans for Nigel" and "Senses Working Overtime" , but are perhaps even better known for their long-standing critical success.- Early years:...

performing 'Neon Shuffle' at Middleton Civic Hall. We look back at The Sex Pistols performing 'Anarchy in the UK' in an earlier episode of So It Goes. CP Lee

CP Lee

CP Lee is a musician, author, broadcaster and lecturer from Manchester, England.-Biography:Christopher Paul "CP" Lee is a writer, broadcaster, lecturer and performer who started playing in the North West folk and beat clubs of the 1960s with his band Greasy Bear and became a lynchpin of the punk...

and Albie Donally are live in the studio performing 'Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry Fields Forever

"Strawberry Fields Forever" is a song by The Beatles, written by John Lennon and attributed to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership. It was inspired by Lennon's memories of playing in the garden of a Salvation Army house named "Strawberry Field" near his childhood home."Strawberry Fields...

' as only they know how. Siouxsie and the Banshees perform 'Make up to break up' at the Elizabethan Ballroom, Belle Vue, while a young Mick Hucknall

Mick Hucknall

Michael "Mick" Hucknall is a British singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the British band Simply Red, and is recognisable for his smooth, distinctive voice and wide vocal range, as well as his red curly hair.-Early life:...

watches from the audience. The recommended album of the week is from The Fall and we hear Animal Games

Animal Games

Animal Games was the one and only album recorded by the British punk band London. Recorded throughout 1977 at the IBC Studios in London, the album was actually released in February 1978 after the group had disbanded...

by London

London (band)

London were a four piece punk band formed in London in 1976 and were best known for their wild stage act. The original line-up was Riff Regan , Steve Voice , Jon Moss and Dave Wight . They were managed by Simon Napier-Bell and recorded two singles, a 4 track EP and an album for MCA Records in 1977...

(played over a nature VT of zoo animals). XTC

XTC

end the show singing 'All Along the Watchtower

All Along the Watchtower

"All Along the Watchtower" is a song written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. The song, which has been included on most of Dylan's greatest hits compilations, initially appeared on his 1967 album John Wesley Harding. Over the past 35 years, he has performed it in concert more...

' (credits start to roll before the end of the song).

Show 9

Broadcast 4 December 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson, with help from Matthew Corbett
Matthew Corbett
Matthew Corbett is an English television personality best known for The Sooty Show and laterly Sooty and Co. He is the son of Harry Corbett...

and his sidekicks Sooty
Sooty
Sooty is a British glove puppet bear and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The children's television show which bears his name has continued in various forms since the 1950s and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the...

and Sweep
Sweep
-Cleaning :* Chimney sweep* Street sweeper* Swept quartz, a cleaning of quartz crystal from alkali metal ions-Sports: * Sweep * Sweep , winning a five game series 3 games to none, or winning a seven game series 4 games to none; typically fans bring brooms to ballparks or ball courts in the final...
Studio Director: Malcolm Clarke
Film Director: Peter Carr
Producer: Geoff Moore

Dave Edmunds

David 'Dave' Edmunds is a Welsh singer, guitarist and record producer. Although he is primarily associated with Pub rock and New Wave, and had numerous hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has always been towards 1950s style rock and roll.-Early bands:As a teenager Edmunds first...

is at Eric's in Liverpool and performs 'I Knew the Bride'. Due to the departure of Howard Devoto, Tony shows a brief clip of The Buzzcocks performing 'Orgasm Addict' (Howard left to form Magazine

Magazine (band)

Magazine are an English post-punk group active from 1977 to 1981, then reformed in 2009. Their debut single, "Shot by Both Sides", is now acknowledged as a classic and their debut album, Real Life, is still widely admired as one of the greatest albums of all time...

, who are shown performing 'Motorcade' at the Elizabethan Ballroom, Belle Vue, Manchester). Tony looks at 'I Left a Woman Waiting' from the Cohen and Spector album 'Death of a Ladies' Man'. Dave Edmunds performs "I Hear You Knocking" and there is a clip of John Cooper Clark performing 'Kung-Fu International' at the Elizabethan Ballroom, Belle Vue, Manchester. Closing the show, Magazine

Magazine (band)

perform 'Shot by Both Sides'.

Show 10

Broadcast 11 December 1977
Presented by Tony Wilson
Studio Director: Nicholas Ferguson
Nicholas Ferguson
Nicholas Ferguson born 2 June 1938 in London, United Kingdom, is an artist and Television director.-Education:Ferguson's artistic career started at the Chelsea College of Art before moving on to University College London's Slade School of Art...
Producer: Geoff Moore

We see a clip of the now infamous 'John The Postman

John the Postman

Jon the Postman is a punk rock singer from Manchester. Among his various jobs, the best known was that of a postman, hence the nickname.-Biography:...

' performing at the Electric Circus, Manchester. Album of the week is Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Richman

Jonathan Michael Richman is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 1970 he founded The Modern Lovers, an influential proto-punk band. Since the mid-1970s, Richman has worked either solo or with low-key, generally acoustic backing...

Live, and we listen to a little of 'I'm a Little Dancer' (audio only over stock footage). The founder of Beserkley Records

Beserkley Records

Beserkley Records was an independent record label based in Berkeley, California, from 1973 to 1984. Beserkely is usually regarded as a powerpop & rock and roll label; during the seventies, the band released albums by Earth Quake, Greg Kihn, Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers, The Rubinoos, and...

Matthew Kaufman gives his 'Play-in-a-day' guide to 'What is Beserkley?' Ian Dury

Ian Dury

Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...

is live in studio for a recital in tribute to Charlie Mingus. Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse

Steel Pulse is a roots reggae musical band. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, in Birmingham, England, composed of David Hinds , Basil Gabbidon , and Ronald McQueen .-History:...

perform 'Makka Spliff (The Colly Man)' and 'Ku Klux Klan' at the Elizabethan Ballroom, Belle Vue, Manchester and The Clash

The Clash

perform 'Capital Radio' at the same venue. After a few quick questions, Ian Dury

Ian Dury

Ian Robins Dury was an English rock and roll singer, lyricist, bandleader and actor who initially rose to fame during the late 1970s, during the punk and New Wave era of rock music...

recites the 'Bus Driver's Prayer' and The Clash

The Clash

play out, performing ‘Janie Jones

Janie Jones

Marion Mitchell , better known by her stage name, Janie Jones, was an English singer. She became renowned for being a madame in London during the 1970s, and was jailed for her involvement in the BBC Radio One 'sex for airplay' payola scandal...

’ at the Elizabethan Ballroom once more (end credits roll before the end of the performance).

24 Hour Party People

In the movie 24 Hour Party People

24 Hour Party People

24 Hour Party People is a 2002 British film about Manchester's popular music community from 1976 to 1992, and specifically about Factory Records. It was written by Frank Cottrell Boyce and directed by Michael Winterbottom...

, the set of So It Goes was recreated, with Steve Coogan

Steve Coogan

Stephen John "Steve" Coogan is a British comedian, actor, writer and producer. Born in Manchester, he began his career as a standup comedian and impressionist, working as a voice artist throughout the 1980s on satirical puppet show Spitting Image. In the early nineties, Coogan began creating...

playing the part of Tony Wilson. Some Wilson references in the film are not historically accurate however: for example, Coogan as Wilson introduces The Sex Pistols singing Anarchy in the UK by saying it is "two minutes of the most important music since Elvis walked into The Sun Studios". In fact, Wilson's introduction to them on the actual show was that they were "one of the most reviewed and most reviled rock phenomenon [sic] of recent weeks".

External links

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