I said I would post one more Human League song, and this is it. I posted this one for three reasons, firstly I don't think the a-side version on this single is readily available, and secondly the a-side is a cover of a 'Gary Glitter' classic (shame he turned out to be a perv - kind of makes it bad to like any of his songs) and I wanted to tell a story about the best audience heckle I have ever heard. The third reasons will come at the end of this story.I went to see Bauhaus at Guildford University circa 1980 and Gary Glitter was supporting, the audience was a mixture of punks and goths. Glitter blasted through all his songs to a pretty appreciative crowd (obviously it hadn't got out about his private
life yet), when he came to 'The Leader of The Gang' he launched into it and in the chorus he is singing:'I'm the Leader. I'm the Leader, I'm the leader of the Gang I am"
and then he stops, its totally quiet.....
..... he looks at the audience, waits for a while.....
...... and then shouts
"Whose The Leader?" (Expecting the audience to shout back "You're The Leader")
..... More quiet......
and then someone in the audience (I wish it was me) shouts....
"Not you, you Fat Bastard"
Well it made me laugh (still does).
So now I've told the story here is the third tenuous link to why I posted this.....
What's the best audience heckle you've ever heard? (In the comments please)
Band: The Human League
Label: Virgin
Year: 1980
Tracks:
1. Rock 'N' Roll
2. Being Boiled
3. Dancevision
Ripped from glorious scratched vinyl:
If you like this you can get another version of Rock 'N' Roll mixed with Iggy pops Nightclubbing (pretty good actually) plus the rest of the album (which is also very good), then get this:
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13 comments:
I'll get back to you with the best heckle I've heard gary, gonna have to do some serious brain memory training, nothing springs into my mind straight away, plus I'm still chuckling over that Garry Gliter one, classic.
I can't think of a best heckle either. Too busy cleaning the Tea I've just spat out all over this keyboard!
Nice one Gary. That one made me chuckle.
Longy
Gary Glitter might well have some problems in his private life but whatever he gets up to these days (or got up even then, who knows?) shouldn't detract from the fantastic records he made. I mean, if we blanked all the good records made by people who did less than savoury stuff then we'd never get to listen to anything (although I understand that Katie Melua is reasonably spotless so far).
Best heckle I ever heard: some bright spark at a Huggy Bear show shouting "less structure!".
Sorry 45revolutions, but there's a cutoff point for bad behaviour -- and paying for child prostitutes and all sexual abuse of children is it. That's why so many sports arenas don't play "Rock N' Roll" anymore, and with good reason.
I have to say I'm with Anon. I love much of Glitters stuff, I even saw him when I was a kid in the early 70's, but I would hate to think I was putting any money in his direction that could end up being spent on child prostitutes.
Oh, you're gonna say that about the boy King too, next. But everyone needs a copy of "Johnny Reggae" in the house.
aaahhh you got me now 45 revs. Johnny Reggae, your right, I'll have to go and dig that one out now.
Not so much a heckle, but at a Johnathan Richman show in Montreal, circa 1992, an obviously accented english speaker, "Why you no eat vegetables?" Richman was flummoxed -- he couldn't begin to answer. It was entirely surreal.
Hi Anon, I like it, I agree not a heckle but very good,
This wasn't a heckle either, but involves Gary Glitter. I saw him at the Hammersmith Palais (now the Mothercare/Swan Vesta Palais or something) when he first started playing decent size venues again (early 80's, I'm guessing), but when he was still having to work hard to win over the 75% of the crowd who were there to see him as a curiosity. And bloody hard work it was, too. Gary having to keep drumming it home that he was the leader; the - initially reluctant -audience slowly coming round to believing the be-wigged, white and silver spandex suited fat bloke...And eventually, he did it...Gary stood tall at the front of the stage shouting I am the leader...the crowd responding with "Gary, you're the leader" or something (sounds like the Neuremberg Rallies, I know)... Gary standing Jesus-like at the front of the stage, arms outstretched, face towards the heavens, beer gut towards the audience...Then...a bloke next to me does a huge green flob right on Gary's belly! Gary looks down at it. The audience look at Gary. Gary and audience go "Eeugh!" in the last act in unison before watching him try to wipe it off with a towel, as the atmosphere vanished. Not pleasant, but funny nonetheless...particularly with him being a nonce.
Hi John thanks for that, it made me laugh. Now I have two Gary Glitter stories. I told your one to some guys at work and they were all laughing as well.
Check our Wayne County for put downs for hecklers. He's even included them on records, including one whole song devoted to a very direct put-down. F**K OFF. The end of that goes..... if I remember.... 'If you don't wanna ride my meat-rack, honey.... Stay outa my bread-line'.
I remember having to record an Elvis impersonator once for a local radio station. Best explain, this kid wasn't bad but, the comical side to it was him being Jamaican. On the button with everything: the music; the white Vegas jump suit; the Presley slur (inc... "I than' yuh vuhruh much" after each song - as all comics try doing). Very entertaining too.
So, the scene is set in a mining village somewhere near Sheffield, (Yorkshire, England). It's a club formely owned by one of the Walker Brothers (the stand-ins after Scott went Jacques Brel).
Heckler: P*ss off (unrepeatable word)
'Elvis': It's one of those nights, is it?
Heckler: Tha' can' do Elvis, thee, lad, tha kno's. Only white 'uns can do Elvis. Bleedin' (unrepeatavle word -repeated).
'Elvis': Amazing! Your impersonation of a wazzock is spot on, pal. All you need now is your award from KKK. On with the music, this one is 'Love Me Tender'.
That was sometime around 1980 and you never forget something like that. Nice round off to this was talking with 'Elvis' afterwards. I needed all the usual info to go on file. We shared the same birthday to the year, same hospital, same ward. So, my 'twin' is Elvis.
Excellent Fyresign, I just read it out in the office, had everyone laughing here.
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