Monday, June 09, 2008

I'll slap your face (if you don't agree with me)


Jonathan King is a tit.

We all know it. Not only is he a tit but he's also a convicted paedophile, has incredible delusions of grandeur, is an insufferable bore, takes credit for almost the entire history of pop and is odd looking to boot.

However, while he's been responsible for a lot of shit, some silly stunts and some crap TV shows, and is a horrendous self-publicist, he's also produced some great records.

So we're going to separate the rhyme from the crime and fete the following:

Johnny Reggae/The Piglets
Sugar Sugar/Sakkarin
Loop-di-Love/Shag
Clap and Shout/Shag
I Am An Astronaut/Ricky Wilde (apparently King had a huge interestin Wilde, then about 8. Wonder why?)
Everyone's Gone To The Moon/Jonathan King
It's Good News Week/Hedgehoppers Anonymous
The Sun Has Got His Hat On/Jonathan King
It Only Took A Minute/100 Ton & A Feather

...and a new discovery, the twee-ly named Rubatummy by Flannelcat.

I know he's behind this because it's off that Bubblepop: 20 Pop Oddities compilation, a UK records thing that is of course King's own label. It doesn't seem to namecheck King anywhere, probably for the best. UK records is the home of some of my favourite songs and artistes: 10cc, Terry Dactyl & The Dinosaurs' Seaside Shuffle, First Class' Beach Baby, Carl Malcolm's playground favourite Hey Fattie Bum-Bum and more.

So as I say some great hits. Forget the twat behind it, just enjoy the music and think of something, anything, else.

8 comments:

Chris Hughes said...

I used to like Entertainment USA. Even if he did seem to be interviewing Hall and Oates every week.

Clair said...

..and that's the reason I liked it, Chris....

Bright Ambassador said...

I heard yesterday that The Sun Has Got His Hat On mentions the word 'nigger'.

Coincidentally I'm re-reading Charlie Brooker's Screen Burn book at the minute and just this morning was a review of a documentary made by Jon Ronson about Mr King. A week later King wrote an open letter to Brooker to explain himself, still proclaiming his innocence.

I'd forgive him an awful lot because he used to play AC/DC's Whole Lotta Rosie on No Limits regularly. And he interviewed them On Entertainment USA.

Jon Peake said...

Yes, I liked Ent USA too, as it introduced me to some great songs like Dreamweaver by Gary Wright.

It was No Limits I couldn't abide.

Mondo said...

Didn't he do 'One For Me One For You' too.

I never liked Jonathan King, but not as much as I never liked Simon Bates.

Have you read Simon Garfield's 'The Nation's Favourite' great insight into the world of Bates - he's also written 'The Wrestling' a top read about British wrestling (Simon Garfield that is- not Simon Bates)

All the classics are in there, and Kendo Nagasaki's on the cover

Jon Peake said...

I have read the Radio 1 book. That would make a great BBC4 drama.

Clair said...

I once spent a very queasy half-hour with a nylon-shirted Mr Bates in his flat opposite BH. Yech.

Louis Barfe said...

Years ago at the Jermyn Street Theatre, Alex Lowe did a great one-man show based on 'The Wrestling' and 'The Nation's Favourite', one before the interval, the other after. Just shoving a couple of cameras in front of him as he recreated it would be a very cheap and worthwhile exercise.

Labels