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Digger examines what the stars think of the Internet.

                  

                  For people of 'our generation' the Internet seems to generate 
                  distinct, some might say extreme, reactions. There’s the 
                  "I can’t be bothering with all that nonsense" 
                  brigade, the "I love it, it’s great, I really don’t 
                  know what I did before it came along" fraternity and the 
                  "It’s a danger and a menace" school to name but 
                  three. These attitudes are not unique to us mere mortals either. 
                  Many of the stars that made our 1960s what they were and whom 
                  I have had the pleasure to interview seem to fit into these 
                  categories.


Peter Noone	Eddie Phillips	Annette André

A lot of sixties musicians have recognised the potential and power of the Internet, and not only as a marketing tool for their latest reunion tour or C.D. but also as a means of direct contact with their grass-roots fans, still loyal after all these years. Peter Noone, The Yardbirds, Peter & Gordon, The Animals, The Hollies, Spencer Davis and many others have a keen interest and even a hands-on approach to their web presence so that, for the first time ever, it is now possible to get accurate news and information from the horse’s mouth. Peter Noone’s thoughts on the web sum up the immediacy of the technology: "The whirled ( sic ) has been changed for ever as it is instant". Eddie Phillips, ex-guitarist with cult group The Creation, is a staunch fan of the Internet and its usefulness in this regard: "I think it's essential. That's what's been sad about all the other years. You know, you get some people that really dig what you're doing and never get a chance to speak to you. I think it's great that this has come along. Opens it up doesn't it?"

Some see the danger signs and are keen to warn us of the de-humanising effects of all this technology. Annette André, star of many of the cult TV series of the sixties, notably Randall & Hopkirk, told me from her home in New York state: "The idea of typing things in and communicating with someone by typing all the time absolutely turns me cold…….. There are people who literally do not move out of their houses. They shop on-line and the huge sales on the Internet through women have gone up so much - it's just frightening. It's so much easier to shop. The days when I want to look at a screen to shop instead of getting in my car.........."


Jane Merrow	Peter Wyngarde	Hunter Davies

But Actress Jane Merrow, who also was a regular in many cult TV series as well as starring with Katharine Hepburn and Peter O’Toole in The Lion In Winter sees the Internet as an indispensable and valuable research tool as well as a worldwide window on her thriving recruitment business ( http://www.merrow.co.uk ):

"I think it's FANTASTIC for looking up things. I'm thrilled with the web site my fan built. I just think that the whole thing is fascinating, I mean it's definitely changing our lives".

There are those that see the value of the Internet but prefer to let others do the hands-on, such as Peter Wyngarde who leaves the management of his impressive web site to his friend Tina Bate: "…..most of the work, all the research and everything is hers, for which she has my blessing. As for the Internet itself, unfortunately, I don't get much time to ‘surf’, and so don't have any particular favourite sites".

And then there are those from the old guard, such as official Beatles biographer Hunter Davies, who is content, for the moment, to rely on his ageing stand-alone Amstrad. No email or search engine options there, of course, but also no junk mail or endless waits so every cloud has a silver lining. As Hunter says: "I’m in the steam age……. I’ve got an Amstrad – it’s going in the Victoria and Albert museum when I’ve finished".

For all its faults, and it has many, the Internet allows communication, access to information and an immediacy hitherto unimaginable. For sixties fans specifically there is a wealth of great sites, forums, news groups, auctions and so on to fulfil our wildest dreams. Hopefully over the next few articles I will be able to help readers identify some of the best features and fun corners of the Internet as well as help them steer clear of some of the pitfalls and darker areas. In my view, we are so fortunate to have lived through the sixties when it seemed we could do anything. But we are equally fortunate to now live in a time when there are so many opportunities available to us through this technology in all its forms.

Digger ran the 1960s British Pop Culture website which is now being integrated into this website
(photographs from author's personal collection)

www.retrosellers.com

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