Monday, July 31, 2006
ain't nothin gonna breaka my stride
The final Top of the Pops last night was a national disgrace. I don't expect that many people watched it, but if ever I've seen a cobbled-together-at-5.05-on-a-Friday-evening embarrassment, then this was the worst.
Two programmes comprised the farewell, one new, one three years old with 10 new minutes tacked onto the end. Unbelievably, the new programme cadged all its clips from the old programme. I sat through the second programme open-mouthed as I was shown the same clips for the second time in three hours.
The nadir of the evening was being told by TOTP's most recent producer that, 'I'm not that sad about it, my favourite band was The Clash and they always refused to appear on Top of the Pops'. The insinuation here is that, for *real* music fans, Top of the Pops is purely a fluff-pop carousel and all of the proper fans were seeking out the gigs on a Thursday night, keeping it real.
(NB Joe Strummer was forever trying to hide his middle-class credentials from an unsuspecting fan base; his refusal to appear on TOTP was part of this act. Plus he ended up going on TOTP post-Clash, with Black Grape).
But what of the evening's pinnacle? Of course Matthew Wilder singing Break My Stride! Better than pogoing in the Free Trade Hall any day of the week.
update: Matthew Wilder now writes songs for Disney films. He's in work! Hurrah!
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16 comments:
You really shouldn't have let it worry you.
I was fairly surprised at their front in having any programmes commemerating TOTP. They should have just slid it off the schedules - we probably wouldn't have noticed.
Well, that's what happened with TOTP 2, although an executive claimed last night that it still exists.
Nothing beats '25 Years of Top of the Pops' (1988).
So how was the wedding, you old scold?
;)
bloody marvellous! I was representing my branch of the Phipps clan. We danced to Motown all night and ate CHOCOLATE ORANGE wedding cake!
i thought that documentary was well weak. having john peel pop up every two minutes was a pretty blatant reminder that it was basically just a repeat. however jimmy savile's interview bits made up for it.
Jimmy S is quite underrated in an era when 'kerrrazy' equals 'young and smiley'. Footage of Gnarls Barkley's recent performance was evidence that if bands were to put some effort into it, they could come up with the defining version of their song in a live setting (on TOTP or elsewhere).
I've got some TOTP2s that Pato videoed for me: Depeche Mode doing Just Can't Get Enough with plastic trumpets, Legs and Co dancing to Rip It Up by Orange Juice (literally ripping it up and starting again). Too many people are po-faced about pop music itself - it's meant to be fun and celebratory, not miserable and 'real'.
"Too many people are po-faced about pop music itself - it's meant to be fun and celebratory, not miserable and 'real'."
!!!!!!!!!!!
If you want misery, listen to Tristan and Isolde or Dido and Aeneas. Too many bands are leaving fun at the door.
You're so po-faced about your fun!
Not po-faced, just enthusiastic!
No! You're still like, "tut! tut! have fun because I tell you to!"
okay - I concede: in promoting fun I am leaving fun at the door.
Fun is highly personal (this much is obvious from the looks I get when I get up and dance to music I like).
No! You're still like, "tut! tut! have fun because I tell you to!"
erm, that's entirely your interpretation, Al. laura is just being her ultra enthusiastic self as opposed to the apathetic wasters who shrug their shoulders, mooch around a bit then buy Editors and razorlight records!
Patinho
Of course it's just my interpretation! Everything I say is! Everything you say is your interpretation, goes without saying.
Listen, y'all know that I think Laura's great. What you two don't understand is how your (I'm sure genuine) enthusiasm can come across as a bit preachy and elitist.
How can these fools not like David Dundas! etc.
But hey, one love.
"How can these fools not like David Dundas! etc."
exactly! ;)
Paytes
My enthusiasm comes from years of thinking, 'what's that tune?' on e.g. Heartbeat and avidly consuming TOTP2/25 Years of TOTP etc.
Saddo.
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