Beat Generation
The Beat Generation was a literary movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized throughout the 1950s. The central elements of Beat culture are the rejection of standard narrative values, making a spiritual quest, the exploration of American and Eastern religions, the rejection of materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration.
Ranking Roger
Roger became a punk rock fan as a teenager and was the drummer in the Nam Nam Boys before joining ska revival pioneers The Beat in the late 1970s. The Nam Nam Boys first gig was with The Beat and his burgeoning friendship with them meant he began to gatecrash their gigs, take the mic and start toasting. He had appeared on stage toasting and singing with them many times before officially joining the band. His energetic style and Jamaican-influenced vocals, paired with Dave Wakeling were crucial in distinguishing the band from the other second-wave ska bands. The Beat released three albums: the critically acclaimed and seminal "I Just Can't Stop It" (1980), "Wha'ppen?" (1981) and "Special Beat Service" (1982).