I remember that when I was taking a degree in politics and history at U of T a memory of the student Parliament at St John’s was triggered one day in class.

I was in a lecture on the Canadian political system and the professor was talking about the “spending power” of the federal government. Because the federal government has more tax-raising powers than the provinces it can raise more revenue and it can use some of this money to influence matters that, constitutionally, are actually within the jurisdiction of the provinces. The example the professor gave was in the area of health: the federal government might approach the government of a province, let’s say New Brunswick, and say, “We know that you’re planning to build that hospital in Fredericton. Of course, it is entirely up to you where you site it. But, if you build it in Saint John instead we’ll pay for half of it. But don’t let that influence you in any way.” Well the government of New Brunswick would have a pretty hard time turning down an offer like that. The money they saved could go on something else or might mean they could start construction sooner.

My learning style is often based around understanding enough about a concept to be able to say, “Ah, now I get it. It’s just like when…” Of course, it isn’t always “just” like. Sometimes it’s actually more a “bit” like. And I remember a girlfriend once saying in an exasperated tone, “But it’s absolutely nothing like that at all!” Anyway, when the professor gave the example, I remember thinking, “Ah, now I get it. It’s just like the amplifier issue in grade eleven.”

For my first two years at St John’s in Selkirk, the music played through the sound system in the H building pretty much reflected popular rock music of the time. I can remember heavy metal groups like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Black Sabbath. There were sort of folk rock groups like the Strawbs and the Moody Blues. David Bowie got quite a bit of play –Hunky Dory and Diamond Dogs. Someone who put on the records (I think there was a Music Crew though it may have been an unofficial voluntary body) must have been nursing a broken heart because Mick Ronson’s “Empty Bed” played a lot. Of course, the big boys featured prominently – Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, the Stones, the Doors and the Who. And some folk music as well – Kris Kristofferson, James Taylor and Carole King.

Which was great for me because my musical exposure was pretty much confined to top 40 stuff and the Beatles. This was a whole lot of new sounds with lyrics about more than just romance – different from the kind of stuff that featured on those K-tel collection albums.

I’m not sure if there was an over-riding view on our music that was held by the teaching faculty at the school. At that time rock music was still seen as a bit counter-culture and most of the musicians were known to abuse a wide range of legal and non-legal substances. There might have been concern that the musicians might, through their lyrics and who knows, backward tapes, have been subconsciously urging us to do the same. Or maybe staff were thinking about their stewardship over us – would our parents have let many of us listen to this at home? When my brother came home for Christmas during his first year at the school (the year before I went), he wanted the Rolling Stones album “Goats Head Soup” for a present. I remember going to the record section of Eaton’s with my mother to get it. When she saw the cover she had a fit of the vapours and asked me if there wasn’t anything by a “nicer” group – I think she meant the Carpenters (of course they turned out to have their own problems too). I’m pretty sure I overheard the term “brain rot” being used by one or two masters. I think there was concern that students might sometimes be spending spare time lying on their beds listening to the music when they could have been indulging in more wholesome pursuits.

If there was such a concern, the school was provided with a golden opportunity to deal with it in September of 1975. It turned out that when leaving the school for the summer in June, one of the boys had borrowed the amplifier. However, the loan turned out to be a long-term one, as the boy – and thus the amplifier – didn’t return in the fall. (And just to say fella, there’s no statute of limitations in Canada and they could still charge you now, almost 40 years later.) Well it wasn’t as if the thing was ensured and the need to acquire a new amplifier was one of the first matters of business for the new Parliament.

I can’t remember exactly how much a new amplifier was going to cost. I think it was close to $200. However much it was, the amount was beyond our means. At this point, the Governor-General (i.e. Mr Wiens) asked for permission to address the House. He offered funding from the school’s coffers to pay for half the cost. This sounded like a good deal to the Members and the House passed the motion with a majority. The amplifier was purchased shortly thereafter.

But through this Act of the Parliament, the Governor General had effectively gained half ownership of the music system. The influence that came with this half ownership was soon employed to introduce rules about what was played. And the “no” list included pretty much anything that could be even loosely regarded as rock’n’roll. No student at the school had any records that met the criteria. But many of the masters did.

We now spent our days listening to stuff we’d never heard of. The Kingston Trio singing songs like “Hang down your head Tom Dooley” and “Bad Man’s Blunder,” the Limeliters “Have some Madeira my Dear” or the New Christy Minstrels featuring Barry McGuire belting out “Green, green, it’s green they say, on the far side of the hill. Green, green, I’m going away to where the grass is greener still.” There were soundtrack albums and some classical music. And I’d almost forgotten Johnny Horton: “In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Colonel Jackson down the mighty Mississip.” Oh and who could forget that Red Sovine album of truck driver songs – what was it called – something like “Truck Drivin’ Fool” with “Six Days on the Road” and “Phantom 309.”

It certainly wasn’t what we were used to.

The next year’s Parliament, led by Prime Minister Rob Keegan, managed to negotiate a new deal with the Governor-General, which I think allowed more current music but disallowed anything with electric guitar. So, taking the small amount of money available, Rob and Pat Williams headed into Winnipeg to find music fitting the new criteria to add to our library. They could only buy a few albums. I can’t remember all of them but they did get Carole King’s “Music” album and Hall and Oates “Abandoned Luncheonette.” I think maybe because it was in the bargain bin and money was scarce, they also picked up a Frank Sinatra album that included “My Way” and “It Isn’t Easy Being Green.” And they bought Stompin’ Tom Connors “Live at the Horseshoe” which included “Bud the Spud.”

While the music censorship was a matter of resentment for a large number of us, the reason that the non-rock music on the masters’ records (that formed the bulk of what we now listened to) had been popular in its day was that, for its genre, it was catchy stuff. I’m not saying that people were embracing it whole-heartedley or would not have preferred to go back to the “pre-ban” days, but the stuff that was now being played seemed to get under people’s skin a bit. I remember the lunch line-up listening to the soundtrack of Paint Your Wagon and singing along with the line “Gold fever, can’t get enough of that yellow stuff.” And I have a foggy memory of Pat Williams and Mungo Treilhard on the lacrosse field singing the “I think she’s got it, I think she’s got it” line from My Fair Lady. Some of the songs were quite witty. We smiled at the line in “Bad man’s blunder” where the singer says that the judge gave him 99 years “But it could have been life.” We quite liked Frank Sinatra and loved Stompin’ Tom.

From a Parliamentary point of view I guess it was a lesson in the dangers of passing hasty legislation. In the end, I don’t think it hurt us not to listen to rock music any more than it hurt us not to have TV. And that maybe was more the reason for introducing the “ban” than any worry about us getting corrupted by what we were listening to – there were a lot better things to do with our time than getting too obsessed with popular music. I have to confess that although I still listen to Led Zeppelin and the Beatles, today you’re just as likely to find me listening to jazz or classical music. I even have the Kingston Trio album.