1.34. Music and musicians. Punk.

Read some information about the history of punk music and find the names of Punk groups.

In the early 1970s all the big groups played at huge outdoor pop festi­vals and in a few concert halls that were so big that it was difficult to see the stage. This was true of the "underground" groups of the late l950s like Pink Floyd and Yes, other groups surviving from the sixties like The Rolling Stones and the Who, the newer heavy-metal bands like Led Zepppelin, Deep Purple and Status Quo; and new stars like David Bowie, Elton John and Rod Stewart.

Punk was the opposite. It was simple, work-class music, the angry music of young people who left school but couldn't find a job — people who hated the "intellectual" music of middle-class hippies. The idea was that anybody could play punk music. All you had to do was buy a guitar, learn three chords, and start a group!

Punk began in the sum­mer of 1976. It was both a kind of music and a style. The style was de­signed to shock people: short, spiky hair, dyed in bright colours and ridicu­lous torn clothes held to­gether by pins.

The most important punk group was The Sex Pistols, led by singer Johnny Rotten, They be­came famous — like The Rolling Stones twelve years earlier—by using "bad language" on televi­sion and by "behaving badly" in public.

Other successful punk groups included The Clash, The Damned, The Stranglers and The Boom-town Rats. Their music was simple — often like heavy-rrietal music -- but their words were often angry and political.

Other more musical groups appeared at the same time, usually called "new wave" groups, in­fluenced by reggae, jazz and other forms of music. Most of the best pop mu­sic from the late1870s came from new wave groups like EJvis Costello, Jan Dury, The Police and The Pretenders.

But like all successful groups, the leading punk and new wave hands be­gan to play large con­certs, to develop their mu­sic and to grow apart from their fans. There will probably be another punk movement in a few years, again calling for simple music to he played in small clubs.

Exercise

Find in the text the following:

1. the difference of punk from other styles of rock ;

2. the names of the singers;

3. the origin of punk.

1.35. Theatre superstitions

Read the text and find out what superstitions are popular with actors.

The average person might be somewhat superstitious with some things, but thespians are known for their superstitious nature. Probably the most well known superstition involves William Shakespeare's Macbeth, which is often called "the Scottish play" by actors. The superstition says that any group putting on this play will suffer bad luck, ranging from minor mishaps to major catastrophes! Not just performing the play is bad luck, though - if anyone mentions Macbeth in a theatre or recites quotes from the play, BEWARE! In addition to this most famous superstition, hundreds of other theatre superstitions and rituals exist. Some are normal, others are crazy. Take a look at this list.

• Do not wish another actor good luck — instead say "break a leg." This comes from "bending a knee" (for taking a bow).

• It is bad luck for an actor to receive flowers before the play begins, though flowers given after the play has ended is considered good luck.

• Only fake flowers will be used on stage. Real flowers must be replaced too often because they can't get enough light, plus some actors may be allergic to them.

• It is unlucky for an actor to knit while on the side of the stage. This is because knitting needles are pointy and can rip expensive costumes, or the needle may fall on the floor and cause someone to fall onstage.

• It is unlucky to use real mirrors or real jewellery onstage. Why? Because both items can cause problems with the onstage lighting, so fake mirrors and jew­ellery should be used.

• Before an actor takes the stage for the first time, it is good luck for him/her to be pinched for luck This comes from the old wives' tale that pinching is good luck.

• It is considered bad luck to speak the last line of the play anytime before open­ing night. This is because a production is never complete until it's performed for an audience, so the completing line of the play shouldn't be spoken before an audi­ence sees the play.

• If an actress trips on the hem of her dress, she should pick it up and kiss the hem for good luck.

• You should not whistle while you're in the theatre, especially in the dressing rooms. It is said that someone will soon be out of work if whistling occurs in the theatre.

• Actors are very superstitious about ghosts and the theatre. Most theatres are

reported to have at least one ghost roam­ing about. Monday night is considered Ghost Night. Most theatres don't have productions on this night so the ghosts will have their own night to per­form their plays.

Words:

superstition - суеверие average - средний, обыкновенный thespian - актер (устар. или ирон.) to involve - касаться, затрагивать, быть связанным (с) to put on a play - ставить пьесу to suffer bad luck - быть преследуемым неудачами ranging - (from) варьирующийся (от) minor mishap - мелкая неприятность catastrophe - беда, несчастье, катастрофа to mention - упоминать to recite a quote - произносить цитату Beware! - Берегись! to wish good luck - пожелать удачи to bend - сгибать bow [bau] - поклон fake [feik] - фальшивый, искусственный to replace [n'pleis] - заменять to be allergic - (to) иметь аллергию (на) to knit [nit] - вязать

on the side of the stage - за кулисами knitting needle - вязальная спица pointy - заостренный, острый to rip - рвать jewellery - драгоценности item - предмет to pinch - ущипнуть old wives' tale - поверье complete - законченный audience - публика to trip (on) - спотыкаться (о) hem - подол, подпушка to whistle - свистеть dressing room - гримерная to occur - случаться, происходить theatres are reported to have at least one ghost -утверждают, что в каждом театре есть по крайней мере одно привидение to roam - бродить