The link takes you to Billy Bragg’s topical song, Never Buy The Sun, recorded on Saturday (this is Monday), and directed at the News International affair … phone hacking, bribing police, covering up.
For background, after the Hillsborough stadium disaster, The Sun newspaper accused Liverpool fans (Scousers) of urinating on the dead and picking pockets. These lies were swiftly withdrawn and they admitted they were total fabrications. To this day, so many years later, The Sun sells very few copies in Liverpool 12,000 a day, which is ludicrously small for a city of the size. Independent newsagents still refuse to stock it.
“Tonight” the BBC early evening news magazine in the 1960s had a topical song every night. There was Robin Hall & Jimmy McGregor, Leon Rosselson, and the one I remember best, Cy Grant. Cy Grant had it easier because he did a daily topical political calypso (so didn’t have to think too hard for a tune). When I first heard “while calypso singers laugh at him” I thought Bob Dylan might be referencing Cy Grant … he’d spent time in England.
Then David Frost took up the idea on “That Was The Week That Was” with Millicent Martin singing a topical jazzy song weekly. It’s a tradition that’s got lost, but goes back to Shakesperean England where topical ballads could get you arrested.
I was taken with Billy Bragg’s immediate musical response, as this Sunday we declined to buy The Sunday Times for the first time in years, and decided to let our iPad App for The Times lapse. The only way the public can react is not buying their stuff.
Yep I agree totally. I too cancelled my on line sub to the Times and now entertain myself with the Guardian and its comment pages.
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