Radio 1 U-turn over Pogues lyric ban

FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK



John Plunkett
Guardian Unlimited,
Tuesday December 18 2007

The Radio 1 controller, Andy Parfitt, has reversed the decision to censor the Pogues' Christmas hit Fairytale of New York after the station was inundated with complaints by listeners.
In what could prove to be the shortest ban in pop history, Parfitt said the broadcaster was "wrong" to bleep the word "faggot" out of the 20-year-old duet with Kirsty MacColl.

Parfitt added that the unedited version of the song would be played from now on.
"After careful consideration I have decided that the decision to edit the Pogues song Fairy Tale of New York was wrong," he said.
"Radio 1 does not play homophobic lyrics or condone bullying of any kind. It is not always easy to get this right, mindful of our responsibility to our young audience. The unedited version will be played from now on.
"I want to stress that everyone at Radio 1 and its music team take the issue of language very seriously and enormous care is taken in ensuring that offensive language is edited from records where necessary.
"I understand absolutely, in a climate where questions about editorial standards are at the fore, the thinking behind this decision. While we would never condone prejudice of any kind, we know our audiences are smart enough to distinguish between maliciousness and creative freedom.
"In the context of this song, I do not feel that there is any negative intent behind the use of the words, hence the reversal of the decision."

Twenty years after it first entered the charts in 1987, Radio 1 management had initially decided to cut the word "faggot" from the duet because it is a word that some members of its audience might find offensive.
MacColl's mother Jean described the decision as "pathetic ... It's absolute nonsense", speaking on BBC Radio Five Live earlier today.
"Really this is too ridiculous. Shane has written the most beautiful song and these characters live, they really live, and you have such sympathy for them," she said.
"These are a couple of characters who are not in the first flush of youth, I wouldn't have thought. They are what they are, this is the way they speak ... It's like a play and it's very amusing and sad, and it's a great song."
Most visitors to the Radio 1 messageboard agreed, with some claiming it was a publicity stunt by the station.

"Totally pathetic," said one. "Radio 1 plays many songs with far more offensive lyrics, and they even employ Chris Moyles."
Another added: "I could have sworn it's Christmas not April Fool's Day. Please don't treat us like fools."
MacColl, who died in 2000, sang the lyric to Pogues lead singer Shane McGowan in one of the most memorable exchanges of the duet: "You scumbag, you maggot you cheap lousy faggot. Happy Christmas your arse I pray God it's our last."
Readers on the MediaGuardian's Organ Grinder blog also said the song should have been left alone.
"Comparing this one innocent line in a 20-year-old Christmas hit to some of the vile, hate-filled homophobic music broadcast by Radio 1's sister station, 1Xtra, I can't help feeling the BBC couldn't have got their priorities more wrong," commented ColinPopshed.

Check out The Pogues big hit for yourself on You Tube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqKUpwurSdo