BBC Radio vs. "Fairytale of New York"

My friends over at The Fyrehaus, a recently revived blog about their shameless musical obsessions, have a finely tuned ear for good songs and an even keener eye for stupid decisions made about them:

BBC Radio 1 has caused quite a stir by censoring the word "faggot" out of a song for radio play. No big, right? Radio does this all the time. Well, not usually on a song that's already 20 years old and they've played every Christmas for those 20 years. Yes, Kirsty MacCol's Christmas single, "Fairytale of New York," which takes place in a drunk tank, hence the offensive terms from the characters in said song, has been censored on BBC Radio 1.

The Guardian says:

As the millions of people who've made it a standard know, Fairytale of New York is an anthem for those left outside capitalism's magic circle - the gamblers, losers, scumbags, maggots and cheap, lousy faggots spending Christmas Eve on the streets or in hospital rather than tucked up in front of the TV with their family and a mince pie. The point of the song is that even in the most degraded of situations, people can find redemption in love, and if that makes the song sentimental (and remember it's called a fairytale) it is also the reason why it still moves people every December.

In the real world, the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl were hardly renowned for their homophobic ways - she covered Cole Porter and Noel Coward for the Red, Hot and Blue Aids charity while Shane MacGowan still hangs around with a marvellously epicene butler. The Pogues also presented gays with a big Christmas present in the video - a cameo role from Matt Dillon, who in 1987 was at the height of his considerable beauty.

Plus an update since this landed on my desk this morning:

Radio 1 controller Andy Parfitt has reversed the decision to censor the song Fairytale in New York. In a statement released tonight, Parfitt said: "After careful consideration, I have decided that the decision to edit the Pogues song was wrong."

What's you're really here for, of course, is Matt Dillon in the video, via YouTube:

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This reminds me that I had a spirited discussion a few weeks back with colleagues current and former about whether NPR was right to leave in Pete Wentz talking about how the kids who were singing along with his lyrics now were the same ones who called him a faggot in high school. I came down on the definitely side of yes, that it made his point much more powerful.

What do you think -- about either of these situations?

Comments

[jim]

I hate the other "F" word, but when Green Day sings "I'm the faggot America, I'm not part of the redneck agenda". I'm not offended. It's like a big middle figure to W and Dick.