Sunday, November 15, 2009

THE PRISONER: Its Influence On Music, TV, and Comics


...with MUSIC PLAYER!

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"I loved THE PRISONER, which was a very odd sort of hybrid of sci-fi, mystery and character, and certainly there are elements of THE PRISONER in both ALIAS and LOST."
-J.J. Abrams

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THE PRISONER is uniformly hailed as one of the smartest and most innovative TV series ever made.

It is also one of the most influential, inspiring decades of popular culture including Rock music, television shows, and comics. Its sophisticated use of symbolism and ambiguity has excited fevered debates to the present day, inspiring such shows as Twin Peaks, Life On Mars, Mr. Robot, and The OA.

Everything comes around again and here's a charter course of the loop.

Chapter links:
aTHE PRISONER Series
bTHE PRISONER: Its Influence On MUSIC,
with Music Player!
cTHE PRISONER: Its Influence On MOVIES And TELEVISION
dTHE PRISONER: Its Influence On COMICS

This article is Spoiler-Free.

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a


T H E
P R I S O N E R
:
The SERIES




Patrick McGoohan plays a nameless secret agent who resigns.

He is abducted to an unknown location called The Village, a mod and cosmopolitan 'rest home' for those who know too much.

THE PRISONER Opening Credits; music by Ron Grainer (1967)


THE PRISONER: "I am not a number"(1967)


He is renamed Number 6, but rejects it vehemently and defends his identity against a rotating parade of interrogators called Number 2.

Will he get out, and who is Number 1?

ROVER


THE PRISONER was 17 episodes that fought fiercely against the encroaching corporate/military state, and ended with one of the most surreal, challenging, and outrageous epilogues ever broadcast.

Its relentless defence of the rights of the individual against a repressive state has made it a timeless classic.

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b


T H E
P R I S O N E R
:
Its Influence On MUSIC




The series' bold use of Mod Futurism, theatrical style, anti-authoritarianism, and personal rebellion ensured it as a constant inspiration for decades of Rock music.

Here are songs and videos directly homaging it.

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THE PRISONER

Featuring:
The PRISONER soundtrack, Johnny Rivers, The Beatles, The Clash, The Times, Devo, Iron Maiden, XTC, The Chameleons, Imperial Drag, thenewno2, and more!


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Patrick McGoohan first achieved fame in a previous spy series called DANGER MAN. Running from 1960 to 1962, the show preceded the smash success of the James Bond films, which then ironically reignited the series from 1964 to 1968.

When the series was re-broadcast in the USA as Secret Agent, Johnny Rivers scored a resonant Pop hit with the new title theme "Secret Agent Man". It's widely theorized that the series' hero, spy John Drake, later becomes the nameless former-agent designated as Number 6 in THE PRISONER series, which brings chilling poignancy to this song's lyric, "They've given you a number, and taken away your name".

JOHNNY RIVERS -"Secret Agent Man" (1966)


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THE PRISONER was filmed in Portmeirion, a Welsh village designed like a baroque puzzle of Mediterranean styles by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis across 50 years. His direct refute of cold and symmetrical modernism for the ornate, complicated, and unique paradoxically created a postmodern and cosmopolitain futurism out of the classic past.

McGoohan recognized its rich metaphoric complexity on a vacation visit, seeing it as the ideal backdrop for his visionary series, familiar and yet alien. The village has been used many times over the years in music videos as an homage to the show.

Here's the Mod Revival band The Times giving our man a leg up...

THE TIMES -"I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape" (1982)



Altered Images also filmed their video for "See Those Eyes" (1982) in Portmeirion.

During this same period, there was a Mod/Garage band called The Prisoners who may have been named after the series.

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Iron Maiden paid tribute to THE PRISONER twice...

IRON MAIDEN -"The Prisoner" (1982)


IRON MAIDEN -"Back In the Village" (1984)


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In 1987, Jools Holland did a TV spoof called The Laughing Prisoner, written by Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. It featured guest appearances by musicians performing in Portmeirion, including XTC and Souxsie And The Banshees.

XTC -"The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul" (1987)


XTC -"The Meeting Place" (1987)


SIOUXSIE AND THE BANSHEES -"The Passenger" (Iggy Pop cover, 1987)


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This SUPERGRASS video was also filmed in Portmeirion with subtle winks at THE PRISONER...

SUPERGRASS -"Alright" (1995)


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The live performance album/dvd "Hullabaloo" (2002) by Muse uses imagery that was inspired by THE PRISONER...

Top: a free man
Bottom: Muse


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The final episode of THE PRISONER, "Fall Out", featured The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" in the score. The influence of mod clothing styles, mid-'60s pop, and The Beatles still rings through the sounds, fashions, and videos of The Times, Altered Images, XTC, and Supergrass.

Fittingly, here is George's son, Dhani Harrison, cheekily taking the name of his band thenewno2 from the series and a lot of its rebel outlook in this video...

thenewno2 -"Choose What You're Watching" (2008)






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c


T H E
P R I S O N E R
:
Its Influence On MOVIES And TELEVISION





THE PRISONER's themes of fascistic control, identity and individualism, mysterious internment, and interrogation and rebellion have resonated ever since.

It clearly inspired many film works, including TV series like Nowhere Man, The Simpsons, Persons Unknown, Wayward Pines, Mr. Robot, and The Oa; and films like THE TRUMAN SHOW and (quietly) ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.


Nowhere Man intro (1995)


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The Simpsons did a hilarious tribute/parody of THE PRISONER, in which Homer was exiled to The Village and met Number 6 (Patrick McGoohan himself).


The Simpsons: "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes" (S26/E06; 2000)


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THE TRUMAN SHOW trailer (1998)


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THE MATRIX (1999)


In THE MATRIX, Neo runs through an apartment where the first episode of THE PRISONER, "Arrival", is playing on a television. This is a direct nod to thematic parallels in the film.

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Life On Mars, Season 1 trailer (2006)


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In 2009, THE PRISONER was reimagined in an alternate vision for a 6-episode mini-series, starring Ian McKellen, Jim Caviezel, and Hayley Atwell. The series loosely implied connections to the original, while also being primarily an elseworlds take on the general concepts.

THE PRISONER Mini-Series (2009)


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Persons Unknown, trailer (2010)


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Wayward Pines, Season 1 trailer (2015)


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Mr. Robot, Season 1 trailer (2015)


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The OA, Season 1 trailer (2016)


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Homecoming, trailer (2018)


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d


T H E
P R I S O N E R
:
Its Influence On COMICS



Jack Kirby, the architect of most of the great concepts of Marvel and DC, loved the PRISONER series. It directly influenced the epic 4-issue storyline of FANTASTIC FOUR #84-87 (1969), set in the sinister Latverian villages of overlord Doctor Doom.


FANTASTIC FOUR #86 (May 1969),
by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Joe Sinnott.


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Marvel Comics actually attempted to do a comic adaptiation of THE PRISONER in the mid-'70s... or rather, two.

They did a partial pass with writer Steve Englehart and legendary artist Gil Kane, before Lee suggested that Kirby do a take on it instead. Incredibly, despite the pedigree of the famed creators involved, neither version was ever released. The dialogue-heavy panels and static scenes didn't lend themselves to the kind of action that Marvel felt their readers craved.

> Dangerous Minds

Pencilled page layout by Gil Kane.

THE PRISONER,
written and pencilled by Jack Kirby,
inks by Mike Royer.


The two versions finally saw print in a deluxe hardbound book published by Titan Comics in July, 2018.

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V FOR VENDETTA (1982-'88),
by Alan Moore and David Lloyd.
Note the bubble chair in panel 3.

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In 1989, DC Comics published a superior illustrated sequel to the series called "THE PRISONER: Shattered Visage", by Dean Motter and Mark Askwith. The 4-issue prestige series carefully homaged and extended all the best aspects of the story, and was universally acclaimed by fans with attention spans.

The series reads like a perfectly scripted and storyboarded maxi-series ready to be made. Ahem.


THE PRISONER: Shattered Visage,
by Dean Motter and Mark Askwith.

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In 1991, illustrious author Neil Gaiman paid subliminal homage to THE PRISONER in his script for MIRACLEMAN #21, abetted by xerographic art by Mark Buckingham.

> Read it here.


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THE INVISIBLES #17 (Feb 1996),
by Grant Morrison and Phil Jiminez.

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The moment before Mina
kicks James Bond's ass in
THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN: The Black Dossier (2007),
by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill.

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"THE PRISONER: The Uncertainty Machine" (2018), a contemporary sequel by Peter Milligan and Colin Lorimer, printed in four issues and a collected edition.

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"You still have a choice.
You can still salvage your right to be individuals.
Your rights to truth and free thought.
Reject this false world of Number Two.
Reject it. Now!"


"Be seeing you!"



© Tym Stevens



See Also:

JOHN BARRY: The Influence Of The JAMES BOND Sound On Pop Music, with 2 Music Players

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY - Its Transcendent Influence on all Pop Culture!, with Music Player

TWIN PEAKS: It's Influence On 25 Years of Popular Culture, with 5 Music Players

How SPAGHETTI WESTERNS Revolutionized Rock Music! , with 3 Music Players

How STAR WARS Is Changing Everything!


Saturday, November 14, 2009

ROCK Sex: "Good Times!" - Chic > SugarHill Gang > Queen > Defunkt > Ting Tings



ROCK Sex is all about the throughline that runs through everything.

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Chic conquered Disco with a tight propulsive rhythm section [Bernard Edwards (b), Tony Thompson (d), and Nile Rodgers (g)] and bright pop harmonies (Norma Jean Wright, Luci Martin)...

CHIC -"Good Times" (1979)



Sugar Hill Records used that as the backbeat for THE breakthrough Rap song emceed by The Sugarhill Gang. The music was played by Keith Leblanc (d), Skip McDonald (g), and Doug Wimbish (b), who went on to become the avant-Funk group Tackhead.

SUGARHILL GANG -"Rapper's Delight" (1979)



Freddie Mercury loved that hard beat and the emerging HipHop so much that he corraled Queen into one of the biggest hits they ever had...

QUEEN -"Another One Bites the Dust" (1980)



Defunkt came out of the NYC PostPunk scene, with an edgy mix of James Brown rhythms, Sonny Sharrock guitar, and Charles Bukowski-esque lyrics. This acerbic deconstruction of "Good Times" contrasts prostitution and addiction against the Reagan whitewash of the American Dream.

DEFUNKT -"In the Good Times" (1981)



And here's that rhythm again in this dance club hit by Ting Tings from England.

TING TINGS -"Shut Up and Let Me Go" (2008)



"I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie
to the hip hip hop, ah you don't stop
the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie
to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat!"


© Tym Stevens



See Also:

"APACHE", HipHop's Sacred Secret Beat! - Bongo Band > Bambaataa > EVERYONE EVER

"Amen Break" - How 6 Seconds From 1969 Propel All Modern Music


ROCK Orgy: "Genius of Love"


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Friday, November 13, 2009

ROCK Sex: "I Wanna Be Your Dog!" - The Stooges > Sonic Youth > Las Vulpes > Nirvana



ROCK Sex comes unleashed.

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The original...

THE STOOGES -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (1969)




New York Punk.
RAMONES -"Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" (1976)


London Punk.
SID VICIOUS -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (1978)


No Wave.
SONIC YOUTH -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (1983)


Spanish Punk.
PARALISIS PERMANENTE -"Quiero Ser Tu Perro" (1982)



Spanish Punk.
Instead of "come on" she may be saying "cabron", which is even better...

LAS VULPES -"Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra" (1983)


Rock.
JOAN JETT -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (1988)


Grunge.
NIRVANA -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (live, 1989)


Alt-Country.
UNCLE TUPELO -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (circa 1990)


Industrial.
MISS KITTIN AND THE HACKER VITALIC -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (live at 2002 Montreux Jazz Festival, 2002)


Electro.
EMILIE SIMON -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (live, 2010)


Dream Pop.
KATY GOODMAN + GRETA MORGAN -"I Wanna Be Your Dog" (2015)



Go ahead, chant with me:

"Now I wanna read your Blog/ now I wanna read your Blog...!"



© Tym Stevens



See Also:

DON'T TREAD ON ME: The Original Punk of 1960s Garage Rock, with Music Player!

ROCK Sex: Rock Revolution = Busted Amp! - Ike Turner > Burnette Trio > The Kinks > The Beatles

"You Can't Hurry Love" - The Supremes > Iggy Pop > The Jam > David Bowie

"Nightclubbing" - Iggy Pop > Human League > Grace Jones > Nine Inch Nails > Oasis


The Real History of Rock and Soul!: The Music Player Checklist


Thursday, November 12, 2009

New FACEBOOK pages for STARSTRUCK Comics!



STARSTRUCK, the illustrated Sci-Fi masterpiece where Riot Grrls take over the galaxy, has new pages on FACEBOOK!


> Starstruck official website



We all know that the '80s renaissance of comix included WATCHMEN, DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, AMERICAN FLAGG, MIRACLEMAN, and LOVE & ROCKETS.

But easily as bold, much more ambitious, and far more funny was STARSTRUCK. Yet the acclaimed series by Elaine Lee and Michael Kaluta was criminally overlooked. And let's face it... it's because it starred kickass funny women instead of terse aggro men. Now it has returned in monthly issues with expanded art and stunning color.

Time to catch up to the better revolution and support STARSTRUCK today!

> IDW Publishing



© Tym Stevens



See Also:

1.
The Return of STARSTRUCK! Or, Riot Grrrls Conquer the Universe!,
the triumphant return of STARSTRUCK Comics
2.
STARSTRUCK Strikes Back!,
the History of STARSTRUCK from Stage Play to Comics
3.
The Big Bang of STARSTRUCK: The Roots and Branches of Elaine Lee & Michael Kaluta's space opera;
how it synthesized all Sci-Fi culture into something new, and predicted everything we've enjoyed since