Welcome back my friends to the flamboyance that never ends, as Fabulously Flamboyant Friday proudly delivers yet another light-loafered, groin-polished googly from the gasworks end of musical magnificence.
Tonight, dear reader, as we respectfully mark International Laver Bread Day, Semi Colon Day and, of course, Puffin Day, we’ll take a fond look back at a few musical mavericks; a few musicians who have earned the displeasure of the left-leaning arts and media mainstream, by wandering off the reservation and neglecting to piously mouth all the necessary left-wing platitudes – Not Arf!
The guardians of mainstream thought and acceptable opinion can be rather quick to pass judgment and equally swift to administer punishment – particularly if they consider you to be one of their own. If you doubt the veracity of that statement, just ask the former BBC presenter, Danny Baker, who effectively trashed his own career in 2019 by posting an online image of a couple with a monkey tagged with the message ‘Royal baby leaves hospital’. Baker (whose right-on credentials were impeccable and who really should have known better) posted this image soon after the announcement that Meghan Markle had given birth to Archie, her first nipper. The chatterati were appalled, the self-righteous outrage poured forth, Baker was promptly sacked and, unfortunately,* has since struggled to rebuild his shattered career.
*I say “unfortunately”, because I have a genuine soft spot for Mr. Baker. When the magnificent (if somewhat irascible and deeply curmudgeonly) musician, John Martyn, sadly passed away in 2009, Danny’s spontaneous tribute to the great man (on his BBC London show) was one of the most moving pieces of radio I have ever heard. A clearly shocked Baker, who had only just discovered that Martyn had passed, abandoned his planned programme (to the complete and utter confusion of his co-host) and what followed was an entirely unscripted, spontaneous and thoroughly shambolic, two-hour tribute to the memory of a truly great artist and a much missed musician. It was deeply touching and a very special broadcast.
Musicians, of course, face similar risks to Mr Baker if they slip up or have the temerity to step out of line and wander off the reservation. This was brought sharply into focus by the fallout surrounding the recent Festival Republic announcement that Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) had been booked as the headliner for their planned Wireless 2026 Festival. This news did not go down well with the chatterati and was in fact greeted with outrage in certain quarters. In the eyes of many, Ye was guilty of behaving in a deeply inappropriate manner and, as a result, had recently published a full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal to apologize for comments seen by many of his critics as anti-Semitic. Ye, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, firmly denied this accusation and many of those around him have suggested his comments were made while he was in the grip of a severe manic episode.
True or not, the damage was done and the backlash was swift. Sponsors withdrew support from the festival, our Glorious Leader called the booking of Ye “deeply concerning”, and the UK government surprised us all by proving it was perfectly possible to defend our borders against the ingress of those deemed undesirable, by refusing Mr. West leave of entry into the UK. As a result, Ye was out and the summer festival was swiftly cancelled.
This reaction is a world away from the deeply beige and equally sensational seventies, when a young David Bowie was quoted as saying “I believe very strongly in fascism”, “Adolf Hitler was one of the first rock stars”, and that “Britain could benefit from a fascist leader.” Back then, the music industry simply shrugged its shoulders and excused his comments as either deliberate theatrical provocation, the drug-fuelled ramblings of coke-addled idiot or, quite possibly, a fair bit of both.
Traditionally, of course, the music industry, like most of the entertainment industry, has reliably if somewhat superficially been a left wing one. I say superficially, because despite all the pious and right-on political correctness, it’s clearly an industry that’s strong with the powers of crony capitalism and rapacious corporatism. Nevertheless, it’s often hard to find musicians who are willing to express views or show support for any non-approved thoughts, opinions, politicians or policies.
However, it does sometimes happen. I well remember the clutching of pearls and the splutterings of outrage when Eric Clapton, back in the mid-70s, had the temerity to voice his support for Enoch Powell. And he seriously irritated the mainstream thought police, during covid, when he announced he was suffering some thoroughly unwelcome adverse reactions to his covid vaccination. To make matters worse, he stated he was against covid lock-downs and would never perform in a venue that required his audience to be vaccinated. When he later joined forces with Van Morrison, to release a protest song voicing their joint opposition to covid restrictions and lock-downs, his pro-Enoch comments from the 1970s were swiftly exhumed, dusted off and widely re-circulated. He had stepped out of line and was quickly labelled as a conspiracy peddler of the highest order and a mean and nasty racist of the lowest.
Back in 1978, a couple of years after Eric made his Enoch comments, the Canadian rockers, Rush, had sections of the UK music press spitting feathers for discussing their admiration for the thoughts and works of Ayn Rand, described in New Musical Express (NME) as the “high priestess of the ultra-right reds-under-the-bed brigade”. Almost 50 years later, it’s still an amusing article to read, with the suitably appalled journalist seemingly unable to believe his ears as the lads criticised socialism and collectivism in general, praised Laissez-faire capitalism and extolled the benefits of personal independence, individual responsibility and simple hard work. Neil Peart’s criticism (Peart was the band’s primary lyricist) of socialised healthcare systems – in particular the blessed rNHS – and his comment that “you’re living in the best example! Look at Britain and what socialism has done to Britain! It’s crippling!” didn’t seem to go down too well either. The interviewer was suitably appalled by these seemingly beyond-the-pale opinions and eventually engaged Godwin’s Law saying “work makes free. Didn’t I remember that idea from somewhere? “Work Makes Free.” Oh yes – it was written over the main gateway to Auschwitz concentration camp”. The interviewer closed the article with a firm stamp of pompous and self-righteous disapproval: “Make sure that next time you see them, you see them with your eyes open, and know what you see. I, for one, don’t like it.”
None of this, of course, had the slightest impact on the rise of Rush, who went on to enjoy enormous and sustained international success. Nevertheless, The Grauniad was still cheerfully banging on about the band’s association with Ayn Rand as recently as 2015, when Rush announced their 40th anniversary world tour.
More recently, the summer of 2023 proved to be particularly irksome for the mainstream left: Jason Aldean managed to top the US Billboard charts with Try That in a Small Town, a song described by critics as a paean to the evils of vigilantism; and Oliver Anthony’s country protest song, Rich Men North of Richmond, also managed to top the US charts and was heavily criticised, apparently because it was mean about overweight welfare recipients and government taxation policies. To make matters worse, around the same time as these two chaps were storming the charts, Hollywood released Sound of Freedom, a film about child sex-trafficking that was immediately accused by the left of laundering Q-Anon conspiracies. All this appalling right wing ruckus prompted The Grauniad to breathlessly ask, “why is right wing music suddenly storming the charts?
Anyway, it’s high time we grasped the nettle, girded our loins and got down and dirty. Because we can’t possibly examine the subject of musicians with non-woke thoughts and opinions, without grasping this golden opportunity to consider the unparalleled musical genius and firm favourite of all right-thinking Puffins – the musical God known to us unworthy mortals as Morrissey.
It’s fair to say that Morrissey, the former Smiths frontman, has become something of a polarizing individual. This is largely due to his outspoken (and often no-f****-given) attitude to British identity and culture. From supporting Brexit, criticizing immigration, condemning both halal and kosher slaughter, he has faced accusations of bigotry and racism and seems to deeply irritate all the right social commentators with consummate ease.
He’s received flak for his comments on London’s demographic changes and his criticism of London’s mayor; he’s been criticised for supporting politicians on the political right and for claiming that “England is a memory now”; and when he was accused of being a racist, he argued that calling someone a racist was simply a way to stifle free speech and shut down debate – and he has frequently dismissed his critics as members of the loony left.
To be clear, Morrissey has always firmly denied the accusations of racism that have been levelled against him. Things finally came to a head in 2007, when Morrissey became embroiled in a major controversy with NME magazine over an interview-based article entitled “Big mouth strikes again”. Morrissey was less than impressed with the article, claiming it portrayed him as a racist due to the contextual distortion of his comments and opinions regarding UK immigration and British identity. He asked for an apology from the NME, which was not forthcoming. So Mozza decided he wasn’t going to take this assault on his character lying down and engaged the services of m’learned friends.
He eventually sued for libel, alleging NME had twisted his words and misrepresented his opinions to make him appear racist. In response, NME defended its coverage as fair comment on a matter of public interest. The subsequent legal battle was long and convoluted indeed, with Morrissey eventually emerging triumphant in 2012. NME were subsequently required to issue a public apology, stating they did not in fact believe that Morrissey was a racist.
And I think we’ll end our Morrissey section with one of my favourite of the many splendid quotes that have been attributed to The Magnificent Mozza: “The rhino is now more or less extinct, and it’s not because of global warming or shrinking habitats. It’s because of Beyoncé’s handbags”.
And I believe a quick mention of “The Nuge” is in order here: Ted Nugent, the 65 year old American rocker, notorious bonker, board member of the National Rifle Association, champion of the Second Amendment, lifelong gun enthusiast, a crusader against drugs and a die-hard Republican who allegedly told Hillary Clinton to “suck my machine gun”.
He once said of vegans, “If you wanna be responsible for the most death possible, become a vegan [because] the plough and the disc will dismember and mutilate everything in those gazillion acres – every squirrel, every gopher, every ground-nesting bird, every snake, every turtle, every animal in that field [will be] slaughtered”. His opinion of greenies and environmentalists is apparently not much higher, once saying: “You have to have s**t for brains to believe this global warming bulls**t”. He is, unsurprisingly, not particularly popular with the lefties in the music and entertainment industries.
And now, let us consider the case of the Mumford & Sons’ musician, Winston Marshall, who, back in 2021, announced he would be quitting the band after committing the heinous crime of posting a Tweet praising a book by Andy Ngo. Marshall congratulated Ngo on the publication of Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy and called him a brave man.
The online backlash from the Twitterati was immediate and substantial, and Marshall was quick to apologise: “Over the past few days, I have come to better understand the pain caused by the book I endorsed,” adding “I have offended not only a lot of people I don’t know, but also those closest to me, including my bandmates, and for that I am truly sorry. As a result of my actions, I am taking time away from the band to examine my blind spots.” He later posted “I realize how my endorsements have the potential to be viewed as approvals of hateful, divisive behaviour. I apologize, as this was not at all my intention.”
Several conservative figures were critical of Marshall for apologizing, with Glenn Beck (the American conservative political commentator and radio host), asking “who will have the guts to say, it is OK to disagree with me, even vehemently, but it is not OK to bully people into compliance”. Andy Ngo also commented on Marshall’s apology, tweeting, “I grieve for those who are made to suffer because they dare to read my work, or talk to me”.
And so we inevitably turn our attention to Roger Waters. In recent years his comments and concerts have apparently produced police investigations in Berlin, demonstrations in Britain and regular accusations of anti-Semitism. Waters firmly denies these accusations, pointing out his criticism is aimed at the policies of the state of Israel and not at Jews or their faith.
His onstage imagery, particularly his “SS-style” leather trench coat, emblazoned with allegedly quasi-fascist crossed-hammer symbols, apparently prompted a German police investigation that stemmed from German laws forbidding the display of Nazi symbols and their restrictions on hate speech (with suitable exemptions for artistic and educational purposes). Waters’ riposte was quite simple – “It’s called theatre, darling”
The costume of course derives from Pink Floyd’s concept album, The Wall, whose protagonist, Pink, descends into swirling maelstrom of madness, alienation and delusional fascistic fantasy. To add to the pearl-clutching, another staple of Roger’s shows has been a flying inflatable pig, adorned with the Star of David (although I believe this particular prop has long-since been dropped from his shows).
Waters has apparently accused the White Helmets (the Syrian Civil Defence volunteer rescue group) of being a fake organisation that provides propaganda for terrorists, saying “if that body exists and they go and help people [then] I support them wholeheartedly with every fibre of my being, but all the evidence points to the fact that this is not the reality”.
Waters has apparently suggested Israel was behind the installation of Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party and suggested the party was completely controlled by the Israeli lobby; and when a Labour MP accused Waters of using his performances to stoke division and asked the AO Arena in Manchester to reconsider hosting Water’s show, Waters allegedly accused him of making things up “because you were told to by your masters in the foreign office in Tel Aviv”.
David Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson, took to Twitter/X to label Waters as being “anti-Semitic to your rotten core. Also a Putin apologist and a lying, thieving, hypocritical, tax-avoiding, lip-synching, misogynistic, sick-with-envy, megalomaniac”. Gilmour added, “every word demonstrably true”. Hmm… Not much chance of a Pink Floyd reunion then, methinks…
Anyway, I think that’s probably quite enough of my inane wittering for this evening, so I think we’ll wrap things up with a big ol’ chunk of Pink Floyd, recorded on July 2nd, 2005, when Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright temporarily buried the hatchet and reformed Pink Floyd to perform together for the first time in over 24 years. The event in question was the tedious Bob Geldoff’s Live 8/Make Poverty History shindig in London’s Hyde Park, when an estimated world-wide audience of around three billion people tuned in to watch what would prove to be the final performance of the classic Pink Floyd line up that had produced such memorable albums as Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall.
So, TTFN to one and all. May all your pillows be tasty, your gardens inclined and your puddles well jumped. Goodnight – and may your frog go with you – Not ‘arf!
Featured Image Native American Chiefs 1865 Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
References:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/13/rush-nme-interview-1978-rocks-backpages
https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL16207326/
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/eric-clapton-s-covid-vaccine-conspiracies-mark-sad-final-act-ncna1281619
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/eric-clapton-won-t-play-venues-if-they-require-vaccinations-n1274740
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/eric-clapton-vaccine-lockdown-racist-comments-1239027/
https://people.com/music/eric-clapton-racist-rant-resurfaces-after-lockdown-protest-song-van-morrison/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thin_White_Duke#:~:text=While%20being%20interviewed%20in%20the,the%20Rock%20Against%20Racism%20movement.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2007/dec/04/morrisseyresponds
https://www.nme.com/news/music/morrissey-206-1278793
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/morrisseys-15-most-outrageous-quotes-198156/
https://www.surgeactivism.org/articles/ted-nugent-vegan-son-animal-deaths
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Nugent
https://theconversation.com/unpacking-the-controversy-behind-roger-waters-latest-tour-207380
https://consequence.net/2018/08/roger-waters-white-helmets-social-media/
https://www.nme.com/news/music/roger-waters-manchester-gig-should-be-banned-says-mp-3448591
https://x.com/davidgilmour/status/1622735222562226176
https://www.nme.com/news/music/david-gilmour-attacks-former-pink-floyd-bandmate-roger-waters-social-media-3393588
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/25/the-guide-rich-men-north-of-richmond-conservative-pop-culture
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/aug/21/rich-men-north-of-richmond-us-chart-history
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/aug/25/the-guide-rich-men-north-of-richmond-conservative-pop-culture
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mumford-sons-winston-marshall-andy-ngo-1139278/
https://spectator.com/article/winston-marshall-is-more-than-a-martyr/
© Ivory Cutlery 2026
