Sonic Attack First played ?

[William Duffy]

J Strobridge wrote:
>
> Andy C writes:
>
> > Thanks Bernard,
> > BUT
> > I'm really interested in finding an exact date, I'm trying to track
> > down MM's inspiration for the song.  I'd thouht I'd tracked it
> > to press reports in September 1972 but thats looking to late now.
> >
> > Andy C
>
> In that case you might have to go quite far back.   My recollection
> (and it may come from the "Do Not Panic" book) is that Moorcock would
> join up with Hawkwind in the pre-Hawkwind period while they were still
> playing under the flyover at Ladbroke Grove and recite poetry with them
> and that one of the things already written was Sonic Attack.   It's
> genesis I'm sure was the Cold War period in the 60s when most people
> genuinely expected to be wiped out in a nuclear holocaust at almost
> any minute.    There were Government instructions issued explaining what
> you were to do in the case of a Nuclear Attack such as put paper on the
> windows to reflect the blast and hide under the kitchen table with a
> couple of mattresses for protection and not come out until the Radiation
> All Clear sounded.   Can't remember the date of this lot but I think
> there was a black and white Govt. Public Information film made about
> it all as well.   It was an extremely bizarre period!
>
The film you may be referring to could be the Peter Watkins classic The
War Game, which was made I think in 1967 for the BBC, but was banned and
not shown by them until about 20 years later, around the time of some
BBC anniversary.

William