If you haven’t tuned in yet this weeks Top of the Pops is a classic. Daltrey being the worlds biggest twat and Tommy Vance proving why Radio was his natural medium.
Note: Daltrey’s casual homophobia was cut but his casual sexism left in.
Roger Daltrey’s love of Disco
Gah!! That’s the modern world in a nutshell. You can’t offend the poofs, but women are fair game.
See you at the clubhouse bar.
I normally watch the TOTP repeats with my young kids, because it’s easier then getting them to go to bed. I was cringing this week at Daltrey: he made a bunch of comments about Legs & Co too that would make your toes curl. More interestingly, my kids didn’t know what to make of Grace Jones, which is exactly as it should be!
Did they edit out the ‘bunch of comments’ as well? I only noticed him saying he couldn’t say what he was thinking because it would be edited out.
It must be a full time job trying to decide what’s unacceptable to our ears these days. Daltrey’s homophobia probably needs to go, fair enough, but his ‘lovely birds’ and ‘bad lady’ – would we want them to be erased from history as well? What about him lying with his head in a teenage girl’s lap?
Then there’s Sue Wilkinson’s You Gotta Be a Hustler; (The only women makin’ it are women who are shakin’ it, They’re faking all their morals on the mat). Should we be protecting our children from that message as well?
It was all his “lovely bird”-isms and that Sue Wilkinson song, was all a bit cringe-worthy, but any discomfort felt was by me as a parent and not by the kids. It didn’t make me turn it off or send them out of the room. This stuff exists and I’m not Ned Flanders. Plus, it’s the whole point of these TOTP shows is that they are watched in context and we can interpret it with our 2015-sensibilities. We’ll be watching again next week (if it’s not the Sky at Night *again*)
Earworm Alert!
I watched the repeat last night, and this song is now stuck in my head
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdqFgOAM8Y0
Sue Wilkinson – You’ve Got To Be A Hustler If You Want To Get On
(Introduced by Rog as “There are some fantastic birds about, and ‘ere is a really lovely one”)
Crikey. Black Box Recorder based an entire career on that one song.
Blimey, you never see Rog and Phil Neville in the same room, do you?
To save time, can we not just destroy all books, music, films and TV programmes made in the last century so that we do not risk offending feminists, snowflakes, beta males, LBGTs and assorted virtue signallers?
No because that would be silly, but we can try to be a little more enlightened in the present.
‘Silly’? Almost as ludicrous as your authoritarian insistence that the past be censored to accord with your, oh so ‘enlightened’, sensibilities.
I’m not censoring anyone. In fact the clip is the uncensored version. The BBC is the censor so have a go at them (again). So try getting your facts right before sticking your oar in.
Where have I suggested that you, personally, censored that clip? You mention, with obvious approval, that the ‘casual homophobia’ had been censored. Then you state, with obvious disapproval, that his ‘casual sexism’ had not been cut. What other inference could one draw from your stance? This sneering at the past as if we were currently living in some golden age of enlightenment is sick-making.
I’ll stick my oar in wherever and whenever I like – unless, you’d like to censor that also.
Any chance you’ll lend me your “Love Thy Neighbour” boxset?
Ooohh. Waaycisst! Can there be any bigger crime nowadays? Sorry, not letting that boxset out of my sight, but you can have ‘Mind Your Language’ or ‘Curry and Chips’ if you like, once my Thai partner has finished laughing at them.
Brendan O’Neill has a great piece on this phenomenon in the Speccy, about the sending of the confederate flag down the memory hole…
If I remember correctly, wasn’t the whole point of Love Thy Neighbour to show up the idiotic fat white bloke’s bigotry ? Joke on him eg. Alf Garnett ?
Is, of course, the right answer.
(as is 26)
Daltrey very much in tune with the dominant spirit of the times. I’m not sure that our current popular culture provides us with any moral high ground to stand on. Having said that, I’ve always thought he is a bit of a dick.
The ‘dominant spirit of times’ still in tune 1988. Richly ironic payoff at the end.
I watch TOTP 1980 for what it is – a popular music programme from 35 years ago.
One or two of the presenters links to camera are a bit too contrived for me, but its TOTP, it was always cringeworthy. I speak as a man who never thought it was anything other than must see TV back in the day.
My values/ opinions have changed over the years & I would hate to be judged today on the things I may have said & done 35+ years ago.
Never did like that Sue Wilkinson song though. Not because it was politically incorrect, but because it was shite.
With you there Jack. It was a long time ago.
As evidenced by the sad fact (s a Nottinghamian) that the second of Nottingham Forest’s two European Cup wins is now closer to VE Day than to today.
Daltrey was cringeworthy all through that programme though.
I can’t have anything but love for Tommy Vance though, the soundtrack of my Friday nights when I was a young lad.
The second of Nottingham Forest’s first two European Cups..
Now you’ve made me go and spit coffee all over my keyboard…
What is European Cup of which you speak? You must follow the example of our broadcasters and refer to it always as the Champions League, even though it wasn’t fucking called that then.
And let’s not forget Forest winning the Capital One Cup in ’78!
How can I forget? I have it tattooed on my Doctor Johnson. Along with a list of all the other winners.
I agree, jack; to be held to ransom today for holding non-PC opinions a third of a century ago is bollocks. Hopefully, most of us had the enlightenment since.
Does anyone know what they did with Elvis Costello’s infamous rhyme for “trigger” in Oliver’s Army? Was it edited for the repeats?
“All it takes is one itchy trigger / Killing people makes my knob bigger” – they can’t possibly have broadcast that on a family show.
Interesting they left the “watch your backs” comment in on the TOTP 1980 documentary at the start of the yet took it out of this one.
That Sue Wilkinson song is god awful. An okay episode of TOTP 1980 but the guest presenter idea seems a bit naff.
One thing I did learn from watching this episode, there was me thinking I was a music expert, that I’d beat all and sundry in pop quizzes, then I learnt that Private Life by Grace Jones was written by Chrissie Hynde, its a Pretenders song. Never knew that. That’s what you get when you’ve never owned a Pretenders album (‘cept for a best of.)
Am I missing something?
When I watch the video, I get “she’s a bad lady” and “watch your backs”.
I got the homophobia, but where’s all the terrible sexism?
You’d have to watch the whole show with our offence-o-meter set to max. He says ‘There’s some lovely birds here tonight’ and something like ‘There’s lots I’d like to say about Legs and Co but the won’t let me’. That about it. It’s probably milder than Sid James or Terry Scott were at tea time on TV in those days. On the other hand, there’s a song encouraging girls to sleep around if they want to get on, and some unedited footage of Ultravox, which is quite shocking to the modern ear.
Probably best to leave the whole show as it is and trust that people can tell that it’s 35 years old and attitudes may have changed since then.
PS every time I see the title of this thread I find myself singing “Fah la la la la, le la la lah.’
It’s come to something when I find myself repeatedly watching 98 seconds of old TOTP footage DESPERATELY searching for something to offend me. I was starting to wonder if I’d missed it – maybe his body language? A particularly sexist jacket?
You got off light. Some people spend their entire waking hours looking for things to be offended by. It’s what the internet’s for.
I really think this 1:38 clip needs to be subjected to much more analysis, such is its epochal significance. There might be a scholarly monograph in this. Suggested titles please….
*fires up Arts and Humanities Research Council app*
Chris Waddle.
Now you’re just being stupid.
Roger didn’t like disco?
Hmmm, just gone up in my estimations for that, it was shite.
Mind, so was what him and The Who were doing then as well!
I’m reminded of Spike Milligan’s comment when told that Vadim, the French film director, had enjoyed carnal relations with, among others, Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve and Jane Fonda – ‘no wonder they called him Roger’
Not only are you a pseudo intellectual and perpetual victim you are now a frigging mindreader. I didn’t infur anything about RD other than he acted like a twat, referring to his general attitude.
And if you don’t think his attitude isn’t one to be admired in any time then I think even less of you than I do now, if that’s possible.
And as for your oar you know where you can stick it.
You’re the perpetually outraged prat; a superannuated Student Grant. Amusingly, your point of view expressed in the OP seems to have been laughed out of court.
‘Perpetually outraged’! Coming from you that’s a bigger joke than you are. Most of your posts seem of that nature. Reading mine back seem pretty harmless. The OP was incredibly neutral IMO.
I would put you in the Littlejohn/Gaunt/Hopkins crowd but at least they get paid for having obnoxious opinions.
So why don’t you fuck off back to the seventies and leave me alone.
Calm down, dear. If I’m ever outraged, it’s because I am passionate about freedom of speech. When you, self-admiringly, display your (faux) outrage, it’s because you’re desperate for censorship of views you disagree with and, most probably, keen to display your right-on credentials.
‘Obnoxious opinions’? Point out one instance in this thread where I have made any direct comment on the actual content of what Daltrey said. As many have already pointed out, it’s a pop programme from the ’80s where a rock star has been asked inane questions. As for ‘obnoxious’, I presume that you mean I hold a different opinion as regards freedom of speech and censorship to yours. Does that make mine ‘obnoxious’? I’d suggest that your inability to accept views or casual statements that differ from your own worldview and your demand that these be shut down verges on the sinister.
OP ‘incredibly neutral’? Daltrey ‘being the world’s biggest twat’; ‘casual homophobia’ and ‘casual sexism’.
Try ‘Comment is Free’ – you’ll get more support there.
“Waaycisst” ?? I already knew you had a Thai partner. As ever, your implacable belief in your ability to judge others and their motives misses by a mile, but what else is new?
Again, what exactly would you be implying otherwise?
Wait – this was the eighties?
The internet is upset about the eighties now?
Do we censor/ban all comments or even whole shows that were deemed acceptable then but are viewed differently now?
The BBC is an organisation obsessed with political correctness and not offending anyone in any way.
In fact Britain as a whole has gone the same way, a country that is scared of its own shadow.
Censoring the Major in Fawlty Towers ‘Germans’ episode was a clear example of the BBC’s ludicrous pc obsession.
This would seem to be veering back into “Showing old TOTP featuring Savile” territory
I think we’ve sort of moved on, though, haven’t we, from the Alf Garnett days ? We’ve come to the realisation that though this cultural thing A.) might otensibly be allied against this unpleasant ideology B.), it’s still possible — and where comedy is concerned almost more often than not likely — for A.) to inadvertently provide the apparatus for B.) to thrive.
I think that we have moved on considerably, but the problem is also more of the intelligence of certain sections of the wider viewing audience/public in the case of satire and caricature. Should comedy be self censoring in order to pander to prejudicial stupidity ?
eg. not to be seen to feed it, rather than mock it ?
Absolutely not. Maybe just that comedians need to think harder, mild caricature having proved self-defeating.
Is it just me, or has comedy become too safe, mainstream, soft cliched targets etc ? There are one or two exceptions, but when comedy became ‘the new rock and roll’ it gradually seems to have become as mainstream and sterile as rock and roll has too.
Bravo. Couldn’t agree more.
It’s funny that, rightly or wrongly, The Oo had quite a hard image – pre-punk, anyway, something that RD capitalised on by doing the McVicar film.
But then after Grace Jones he looks like a sniggering weed.
I loved that Sue Wilkinson song. Yes, I’m a sick puppy.
(oh, and…. “Beta Males”?? I *aspire* to Beta Malehood…)
I’m a VHS male.
Which means I’m slightly less obsolete than you, pal.
Everyone’s slightly less obsolete than me. *sobs*
As usual freedom of speech gets trotted out as the excuse to go back to the ‘good old days’ of the past when you say anything about anybody of a different colour, sexuality or gender and put them in their place. Well you might not have noticed but the Empire has gone, Women go out to work and Homosexuality is legal.
You aren’t ‘passionate’ about freedom of speech. You care only about what you want to say not about anybody else. It’s a bit rich complaining about FOS when you never shut up about it ,when have ever you been stopped saying anything? It’s not my fault you can’t let the past go.
And yes I do read The Guardian (along with many other things) and their readers aren’t responsible for all the ills of the world, most of them are caused by people like you.
I hope you realise that you are the only person on here that I think goes out of their way to disrupt threads like this. I do wonder why you do it?
Eh ? Lost me there.
Obviously my post above is aimed at you-know-who.
Ah. This comments hopping about thingy again.
‘Disrupt threads’ That is, disagree with you. Aside from the fact that your response is the usual, incoherent mess – ‘can’t let past go’, ’caused by people like you’ etc- I do, indeed, care about freedom of speech.
As I have mentioned in the past I am in awe of the standard of writing on this site because I find it very difficult to put into words what want to say.
I’m sorry if you think it is an incoherent mess, perhaps you would like an entrance exam before us lowlifes are allowed to post.
So much for your ‘freedom of speech’!
Nothing to do with anything really, but could Daltrey legitimately be described as a member of the HJH?
‘Happy Jack’ Hitmakers.
I’ll get me coat.
A belated ‘up’ for Mr Double D…
The very odd thing is that I recall, perhaps wrongy, in the ‘Story Of TOTP 1980’ back at Christmas that they showed the clip that has been censored
Yep, I mentioned this earlier in this thread. Makes no sense.
I suspect Rog was there to promote McVicar and was giving it a bit of aggressive mentioning “The Clash, don’t like disco.” That’s not to make apologies for what he said, its how it was back then. But to show on one programme and remove from another is a tad weird.
The biggest miss by the BBC is not showing that summer TOTP80 performance (as shown in the story of TOTP1980) where the studio musicians were miming to Thin Lizzy, Saxon and Leo Sayer.
This all points to everyone watching this here episode. An hour of your life that wont be wasted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuBc4P_gl_s
I watched it. RD was a cocky twat. Simple as that.
Well, yes. That’s all there is to it.
Boys formed groups – and later bands – mainly to get laid. Girls went to gigs not because they liked the music, but because they liked the boys. Girls used to get backstage, and on the tour bus, to have sex with the boys. As a result of all this ignorant, abusive, regrettable behaviour, the human race continued to beget and be begat. Oh dear, in so many ways. At least we men are now in the happy position of being able to apologise generically for getting hard-ons (being cocky twats) without being too worried about it back then.
Anybody mentioned Sister Disco?
Not a bad tune, is that.
No, we are not doing Stonehenge.
I hate casual sexism. If you can’t put your back into it, don’t bother.