Who's Generation?

Here's a great clip to start off the week. I've been meaning to post about it for almost a month, so you may well have seen it already. Donita Sparks at Firedoglake said it was the most-viewed You Tube clip the week she posted about it (which is where I first came across it), so it's gotten plenty of attention, but if you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and give it a look.

It's far more joyous and uplifting than it would seem to have any right to be. It's the Zimmers covering the Who's "My Generation." The trick is that the Zimmers are elderly Britons who were gathered for a British documentary that's part of a series on the disenfranchised of British society. Old people certainly qualify, and the documentary is due on in Britain some time this month. The documentary maker, Tim Samuels, wanted a big finish for the episode on the aged, so he took some time at Abbey Road, enlisted veteran producer Mike Hedges (who the news identifies as producer for U2 and Dido, but who'll always have a special place in my heart for his work with the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the Beat in the '80s) and video director Geoff Wonfor. According to their MySpace page (they've also got a dedicated website), the single will be released in Britain next week. Apparently in this country, they've so far been on The Today Show and Good Morning America, with more appearances scheduled. I'm not sure their fifteen minutes can last until an album is released in the fall, but more power to them enjoying the attention while it lasts.