Yet another sad loss. This time Terry Hall of The Specials, Special AKA, Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield and more.
It wasn’t until I saw reports of his death that I discovered he had been subjected to a horrific ordeal as a schoolboy.
His musical legacy is assured, though.
With The Specials he helped to bring back the mid-sixties ska sound. The band was also significant for being multi-racial and addressing social issues.
With Fun Boy Three the musical emphasis changed – see a previous entry in this category here but I always liked this rather pessimistic song from that band.
Fun Boy Three: The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum
However, many consider this – even more gloomy – track The Specials’ masterpiece.
The Specials: Ghost Town
Terence Edward (Terry) Hall: 19/3/1959 – 18/12/2022. So it goes.
I happened to be listening to Radio 2 when Jonathan Ross’s Saturday programme on that station came on yesterday. (I know, but Sounds Of The Sixties had just finished.)
Before Ross spoke there was broadcast the official announcement of the adjudication on the Ross/Brand Sachsgate affair – which said the BBC had been fined £150,000 over the to-do and gave an email address to see the whole judgement.
Ross’s first words were to the effect, “Why do you never have a pen when you need it? Did anyone get that email address? I can’t read enough of that.”
He then proceeded to play The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum by The Fun Boy Three.
Has Ross learned nothing? The clear implication is that the ruling was given by lunatics. It hardly shows contrition, nor any amendment of ways.
This is like Barry Ferguson and Allan McGregor making their rude gestures. It compounds the original offence.
There are two defences. One is that Ross did not intend to imply any such thing and that the song he played was a mere coincidence. Except he commented to that effect after it had finished; thereby only increasing the suspicion he knew exactly what he was doing. The other defence is that he himself was the target of the lunatics reference and then, the implication is that the BBC is mad to allow him to remain on air. (Which it obviously is, in either case.)
