Oh, BBC. You do so much good, but sometimes you act like a stodgy bastion of 1940′s uptight morality.
The broadcaster has censored portions of The Pogues‘ Christmas classic, Fairytale of New York. The song, a duet between Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan and late singer Kirsty MacColl, is a bittersweet look at a relationship gone sour on Christmas Eve. At one point, the two lovers trade insults, and MacColl calls MacGowan a ‘faggot’. The BBC, in its infinite wisdom, has deemed this offensive and dubbed it out of the song.
Which is totally riduculous. It’s a narrative song, and part of it’s character is the frank language. Said Jean MacColl, Kirsty’s mother:
“These are a couple of characters. 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.”
The BBC’s decision is particularly strange, as they’ve been playing the song, uncensored, since 1987.
So, in the interest of preserving a great tune about the vagaries of love and, somewhat tangentially, Christmas, please enjoy the original uncut video in all its boozy splendor.
UPDATE: Praise Zod! The decision to censor The Pogues has been overturned.
In England, isn’t a “fag” a cigarette?
So, what? She’s calling him a filthy habbit, that’s bound to give you yellow teeth, stained fingers and ultimately an early death?
Good for the BBC. That IS offensive.