Who plays the pompous government functionary in Pirate Radio?
British DJs such as Johnnie Walker helped launch the music rebellion that spawned a similar underground movement in the U.S. that crested 30 years later. ‘Pirate Radio’ “Pirate Radio,” the movie, isn’t really about pirate radio. It may take place on a boat in England’s North Sea in the late ’60s, but anyone who goes to see the film hoping to learn about the realities of illegally broadcasting music to millions of idolizing fans from the cold and rocking waters of a ship are likely to be disappointed by everything but the soundtrack. “Pirate Radio” is a comedic coming-of-age story. The station in which that happens is merely a backdrop. Pirate radio, as a concept, has long been a subject of interest among music lovers and subversives who see it as a romantic expression of political rebellion played out in musical form. It’s an idea that was born alongside the British Invasion — and its oppression by the U.K. government, which aired only two hours of rock and pop music every week on the
