Little mention of his importance to the sci fi world - the article lists "The Drowned World" as an 'other novel' when in fact it was a seminal work in the New Wave movement. His importance therein second only to Michael Moorcock, and he was a huge influence on the better-known US writer Harlan Ellison. The term "new wave" came from French cinema (Goddard, Truffaut, etc.) & was applied to Sci Fi almost at the same time. It would be nearly 20 yrs before it would be co-opted by the music industry...and believe it or not, J. G. Ballard had some significant influence there as well:
(courtesy of wikipedia)
Ballard has had a notable influence on popular music, where his work has been used as a basis for lyrical imagery, particularly amongst British post-punk groups. Examples include albums such as Metamatic by John Foxx, various songs by Joy Division (most famously "The Atrocity Exhibition" from Closer), the song "Down in the Park" by Gary Numan and "Warm Leatherette" by The Normal. Songwriters Trevor Horn and Bruce Woolley credit Ballard's story, "The Sound-Sweep," with inspiring The Buggles' hit, "Video Killed the Radio Star", which became immortalized as the first song ever played on MTV.
