Network 21, Pirate TV circa 1986

Transmitting on Pirate Satellite! No really, Network 21, Pirate TV circa 1986

Something I missed probably because I was either in deepest Shropshire or deepest Surrey…but the only ever London pirate tv station Network21 transmitted in 1986 just under ITV for a year in 1986…and the program was arts based and they lobbied (unsuccessfully, although nighttime TV and cable/satellite probably answered some of those needs) for community access to TV, and even got city funding…remember this is a time where Kiss was a successful pirate, it could have been possible.

Genesis P even pops up at some point, and Brion Gysin in this clip, along with EVP phenomena, Rolling Stones in drag, pop performances and Warhol’s Trash, amongst many. This is truly experimental, weird, funny, odd, dated, amazingly good and amazingly low-tech TV.

TV COULD have been like this, instead we get the shit that is X-Factor and Big Brother. Sigh.

Sadly it got raided on it’s first birthday.

(I would usually say thank you to Boing Boing for this, but weirdly their post about Mr Gysin doesn’t even mention the amazing and very interesting source of the video, which I tracked down after a short hunt. Like hello? Maybe Pirate TV grows on trees in Cory’s world? 😉 Or he can’t receive it up in his balloon :-P)

Comments

2 responses to “Transmitting on Pirate Satellite! No really, Network 21, Pirate TV circa 1986”

  1. mixmaster morris avatar
    mixmaster morris

    They were initially a pirate radio station, and I used to do a monthly show for them, as did Coldcut… the TV shows came later, and I believe they went out on BBC2s frequency after the station shut down …

    1. Tim avatar

      Oh wow – didn’t realise they were a pirate radio show too…I came to pirate radio late in the early 90’s 😉 Coldcut too? Would love to hear those shows…

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