I've seen too many TV cock-up clip-shows not to know about when the Sex Pistols went on Bill Grundy's mild-mannered daytime chat show (with Siouxsie Sioux among their entourage) and used a naughty word. Then, prompted by a none-too-sober Grundy, used it again.
The nation was shocked, appalled and outraged at these nasty, rebellious punks with their brightly-coloured, stupidly-shaped hairstyles. “God Save The Queen” did dirty things with the top of the charts (which, at the time, meant something), despite—or perhaps partly thanks to—being banned by the BBC and all self-respecting broadcast institutions (which, at the time, included ITV).
Fast-forward twenty-odd years: wanky pop bands like Fall Out Boy and +44 jump up and down a lot, make vacant-looking faces and use the odd swear-word in an effort to distance themselves from their prospective fans' parents' sensibilities. (& occasionally name themselves after countries' international telephone dialling codes.)
“Omfg loool”, the kids say to their friends; “there well cool”. And so—apathy of “there” versus “their” versus “they're” aside (the former is easiest to type)—the kids become enamored by the wanky pop “punk” bands and buy their records. Or download them, or something. But then they buy their hoodies. Upshot: wanky pop bands get money, fame and all the hair gel they could ever want.
Hooray for cynical marketing!
And I have proof (or evidence at least) that this is just cynical, child-embezzling, marketing spiel designed to line the pockets of the music cabal: The Honda Civic Tour.
The Honda—fucking—Civic—fucking—Tour! (The previous sentence was an attempt to express my incredulity at the entire concept; this sentence is an acknowledgement that it probably failed.)
Now, it may be funkily styled and actually look quite cool; the young-uns of today may actually be buying them in droves; & it may even give your granddad a little fright the first time he sees one; but it's still a fucking Honda Civic. Rebellious it is not. Honda are no free-spirited, authority-eschewing, The Man-it-to-sticking automotive Guy Fawkeses.
I'd even be so bold as to say that they are The Man.
And that where self-proclaimed “punk” bands should be sticking it to The Man, instead they're playing a series of bloody concerts paid for, organised by, & advertising The Man. And that they should have the piss taken out of them for doing so. So:
Aaaaaahahaha! ...Pillocks.
(Hey, let's just ignore the fact that the Pistols have recently performed on many a mainstream late-night American chat show to promote their current attempted come-back, shall we? Or at least let them off this once—even punk legends have to pay for the electric.)
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