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BBC’s Radio 1 will not censor Pogues’ song

1:28 p.m. · December 19, 2007 · by Anne Johnson

Due to the criticism from listeners, the band, and the late Kirsty MacColl’s mother that Radio 1 received from their announcement yesterday to censor the song, “Fairytale of New York,” station controller Andy Parfitt has declared that their decision was wrong.

Said Parfitt, “While we would never condone prejudice of any kind, we know our audiences are smart enough to distinguish between maliciousness and creative freedom. In the context of this song, I do not feel that there is any negative intent behind the use of the words, hence the reversal of the decision."

No, it just wouldn’t have felt like Christmas without this classic 1987 recording featuring Kirsty “Old Slut on Junk” MacColl and the Pogues’ own Shane “Cheap Lousy Faggot” MacGowan as it was intended. [Gigwise]

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