FoNY in the UK top 40 for the third year in a row!

[firehazard]

Two possibilities as far as I can see:

1. This is a cunning plan to finally get FONY to its deserved position as Christmas No. 1.

2. The people at BBC R1 are a load of arses.

Well yes, the first one was my initial instinct too, cynic as I am. But it has clearly come as a surprise to everyone connected to The Pogues, including our Press Officer and our Record Company. And anyway, such a scheme would require the complicity of the BBC which, I rather think, would be a tough ask.

Which leaves option 2, I'm afraid.

Yeah, I think my money would have been on option 2. But wouldn't it be good if the whole nonsense did in fact lead to the result of option 1 coming true at last? Here's hoping.

[moose]

The decision has been over turned.

[mctoon]

Just as well Bottle of Smoke wasnt up for for No1 , there would be an uproar

[soulfinger]

Nick Clegg, the newly elected leader of the Liberals was asked his view on the censorship of FONY tonight on P.M. on Radio 4. He said he'd never heard it.

A man of the people leading a party of the people, clearly.

[philipchevron]

Nick Clegg, the newly elected leader of the Liberals was asked his view on the censorship of FONY tonight on P.M. on Radio 4. He said he'd never heard it.

A man of the people leading a party of the people, clearly.

Party mandarins will have him memorising the names of the Arctic Monkeys (are they still hip?) by breakfast tomorrow morning.

[dublinrambler]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20071218/ ... 408_7.html

[RICHB]

Just been listening to a debate on Radio 5live regarding BBC changing the words, some great comments from the listeners, however there are some misguided fools who declared that the lyrics had already been changed to "your cheap and your haggard" i felt like screaming "only if your name is Ronan"

Kirsty's mum hit the nail squarely on the head during that programme. "Oh, for heaven's sake, these are characters!" Quite so, it's reported dialogue, so even if you are liable to be "offended" by the word "faggot", you don't have a case.

A gay man texted in objecting to the censorship of the song "in his name". It wasn't me, but it might have been.

This is what I think happens. Eight or seven years ago FONY wasnt on any Crimbo albums and wasnt even considered in that list of songs along with Slade, Lennon and all the rest (that bloke who sings about the fucking first world war). Then all of a sudden it starts appearing on a couple of cd's and before you know its on every Christmas cd going and therefore starts getting itself on the radio every Christmas along with all the other songs. Then out of nowhere somebody notices (like its hard to notice???) that its got some naughty words and kicks up a big fuss thinking if we can just get these beeped out then we can all have a lovely Christmas and we can sing it to the kids. Now personally I have no problem with my kids singing every single word of the song but if someone else does then just switch it off. The thing is the song doesnt exist to be a nice little Christmas song it exists to be what it is, a fucking great song about two characters having a misserable Christmas which I persume somebody at the BBC has now collared on to. Goddd Peoples Fucking front of Judia

[Guest]

Dunno if this has been posted its a channel four news report on it

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/a ... ne/1204047

[soulfinger]

It seems the guy who instigated the bleep was George Ergatoudis, Head of Music at Radio 1.

This is an extract from his biog from the BBC press office.

"Three years later, George was brought in to help develop a new digital radio station from an embryonic stage. The project developed into 1Xtra from the BBC, the first national radio station aimed at fans of black music, launched in August 2002 with George as Music Manager of the network.

At 1Xtra, George has been in charge of the station's music policy and was responsible for championing and giving the 'first play' to major US artists such as 50 Cent, Pharrell and The Game alongside key UK talent such as Dizzee Rascal, Ms Dynamite, Kano and Lethal Bizzle."

So he promoted a station pretty much exclusively occupied with homophobic, misogynistic rappers. Am I being charitable in thinking this change of tack might be because George has found Jesus or something? Or is he just a two faced spanner?

[LittleCupcakes]

And further information from one of my favorite magazines.

Reason on Faggot

And a picture of Shane to boot.

[firehazard]

All of which idiocy led, I'm told, to Shane being interviewed "in his hotel room" on UK Channel 4 News last night. Jean MacColl being interviewed on the BBC TV News, and a BBC reporter outside the gig at Brixton. Pogues in the news. Who'd think we'd see days like these, eh?

[MacRua]

And yet nobody bets on option #1?

[philipchevron]

Before this topic fades away, joining the turkey carcass in the trash where it belongs, I just remembered last night that my grandmother Emily (1904-1997), the one who was in Cumann na mBan, used the word "faggot" frequently as a general term of disapproval of some other oul wan or other, invariably female, as in "that one's just an ould faggot". I never knew where it came from, but it certainly had nothing to do with homosexuality. I was never able to "come out" to my gran, because she genuinely would not have had the faintest idea what I was talking about. Gran, though she lived most of her life in Dublin, was born in Drogheda, Co. Louth which, if it is today an urban sprawl, was a more rural place in 1904. Indeed, it was still quite rural in 1966, when I spent a blissful Summer there. I daresay the oul wans of Shane's Co. Tipperary were simililarly unfamiliar with "faggots" of the politically incorrect kind.

[Mark_Wafc]

Dunno if this has been posted its a channel four news report on it

http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/a ... ne/1204047

shane looks deep in thought on the picture anyway!

[ginggang]

Looks like Pete Tatchell's has got the hump though.

"However, veteran gay rights activist Peter Tatchell said Radio 1's original actions were right.

"The word faggot is being sung as an insult, alongside scumbag and maggot. In this abusive context it is unacceptable," he said. "


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7150693.stm