Paul Morley in the Observer sums up what has always been my attitude to big music festivals.
A confirmed non-visitor year in, year out to Glastonbury, and music festivals in general, for reasons to do with a general distrust of the open air, of camping, of hippies, of whatever the new versions of hippies are, of celebrity festival chic, of the existence of a regularised music festival season that blends in with Wimbledon, Henley and Ascot, of the mainstreaming of pseudo-hipness, of the mangling of pop-loving generations, of the corporatisation of cool, the vulgar, taming caricaturing of idealist, alternative spirit, the obliteration in rock of any elements of subversion and the turning of popular culture into one mass extended vacation, made me either extremely old-fashioned or too damned avant-garde and fussy for my own good.
My own opinion of music festivals has always been informed by the line in the Rolling Stones song ‘Rocks Off’ which opines that: ‘The Sunshine bores the daylights out of me.’
However, looking at the pictures of other HP’ers having good honest fun at this year’s event I have to admit that I may be wrong (see, it can happen). So, if you find yourself stuck behind a computer in a dark room on this lovely afternoon and have anything to say about Glastonbury, the acts, or festivals in general then please be my guest below. (And what time is Ray Davies on anyway?)
