I have felt for quite some time, that the word, 'development' has a possible euphemistic tone to it; that might betray the reality. It suggests change...and not all change is good. Not all change is a sign of improvement or of progress. Well, taking a diplomatic stance, I would say that somewhere in between lies the answer: between the change that is driven by its own momentum and the money men who fuel the flames...and stagnation driven by vested interests or the fear of the unknown...or of being unsettled and out of one's comfort zone.
We could argue all day about what should change and what should not. All I'll say about it here, is that change happens. In fact, it happens all the time...and it has been happening since we left the pond! Most of us are engaged in keeping up with the changes - as a matter of survival perhaps; because we have no choice in the matter. We don't always understand why things change or where it is headed...only that we must go with it; and that in itself, multiplied by thousands/millions of others taking the same decision leads to something. Resist? Well....
I'm not a retailer; but clearly one can see how the world of music retail has changed over the years. Well, not just in music retail but in other kinds of retail. Would I be correct in thinking that the notion of a high street with shops is an Edwardian concept? Not sure...I must look into it. The truth is that the internet has claimed the high street; and perhaps Covid has sealed the deal. We consumers get what we deserve. If we didn't want it...then we wouldn't get it. Still, I digress...
I was thinking about the demise of Denmark Street in London - the gradual erosion of what many in the music world would consider to be deserving of protected status as a heritage site. At one time, this was the very epi-centre of the British music business: shops, studios, agents, publishers...and so on. But a lot of that has now gone. The future as always perhaps...remains uncertain. As with other places, other towns and cities...the Corporate world is driving things: unelected, non-democratic...but with lots of money, power and influence. The stage design is being changed before your eyes, new stage curtains are being erected...and the props have changed. New scripts and characterisations are handed out, though arguably the plot lines are the same as they ever were.
Perhaps one thing that is lost is community - a feeling of community. Torch bearers must believe in their cause to keep running with the flame in hand. Otherwise, everything is lost...and the generations that come after just go along with whatever is presented to them. Imagine: 'Grandad, what were the Punk Wars?' 'Oh never mind, you weren't there...and it was a long time ago!' Or words to that effect...
But to end with a note of optimism: no matter how much concrete, steel and tarmac is laid down in the name of progress, nature always finds a way to undermine it. As Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull once remarked in his song, 'Jack in the Green', ' I saw some grass growing through the pavements today'
