Sex, Drugs, and Rock n' Roll

  Great Britain, 1966. The world is stormed by some of the greatest rock bands known to grace an era.  Bands such as The Beatles, The Who, and The Rolling Stones, all eager to shake their fans' eardrums into a welcome deafness. Welcomed by all except the high strung British government who would only allow a mere two hours of rock music on the radio per week. Which is where this film begins, depicting the essentially true stories of the illicit radio stations that broadcast rock ‘n roll to Britain's music buffs from ships in the North sea. These ships transmitted non-stop rock to the deprived public just outside international waters.
     Though based on true events, the film is a fictional adaptation of those events, with a compelling storyline and hilarious ensemble.  We begin with an introduction to the motley crew of "Radio Rock", including "Young Carl", a young man expelled from school for smoking and sent to live on the ship with his Godfather Quentin, without a clue as to the ship's less than wholesome nature and its frequent shenanigans.  There's also The Count, the only American on the ship whose life ambition is to bring the music to the people; Dave the Lothario; Midnight Mark;  Angus the Twitchy, nervous New Zealander; Sweet and sensitive Simon; Bob; News John; and Thick Kevin, who as it turned out is just as thick(dumb) as his name suggested.
     Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n roll seem to be the theme of the ship, and why not? The film is the essence of the Sixties and the sense of rebellion that came with that tremendous decade, and the ship is the core of that rebellion. The ship is a constant party, entwined with the rich lyrics and head busting rhythms of some of the greatest music ever recorded, but then, almost everything that was put on a record in the 1960's was phenomenal. A fair amount of drama ensues when fellow deejay Gavin steals Simon's wife after a mere 17 hours of marriage, which results in Gavin and the Count facing off in a perilous climb up the ship's mast. It all ends well enough with all the deejays forgiving each other after a few broken bones, leaving them to once more commence their frolicking in sin and rock music.
     Switching every so often from the sex and drug infused hilarity on the ship, we're pulled into the complications facing the pirates. Quiet and stoic, and appreciating only classical music, Sir Allister Dormandy, the man in charge of shutting down the pirates' broadcast despite its vast popularity, begins his adamant quest to ban the rock music from the airwaves. He hires a man by the name of Twatt, (the jokes made over his name were never ending), who eventually helps Dormandy to enact the Marine Offense Act and end pirate radio once and for all.
     It seems as though Pirate radio is truly over, with each of the deejays now risking a hefty jail sentence if they continue to broadcast, but the pirates decide that they are willing to fight for the music that they love, and continue broadcasting on the run, leaving their North Sea post behind.  I'd love to tell you what happens next, but I'd hate to give away the brilliantly climatic ending. What I can say is that to truly enjoy this movie you need to do just that: enjoy it. It's not a film to be over analyzed and picked apart; it's simply music loving men enjoying what the count calls "the best days of our lives." It's a film full of passion and comedy all in one, truly a tribute to Pirate radio and to rock ‘n roll, keeping their dream alive onscreen, and the music alive in our hearts.