‘Did we really stay in to watch this lot?’
Top of the Pops moves to BBC2: queue standard 30/40-something reminiscing from Stuart Jeffries.
Those weren’t the days. Bohemian Rhapsody was number one for 12 and a half years. Every few
months, I would stare sidelong at my schoolmates for three minutes
while holding an index finger above my upper lip in homage to Ron Mael
from Sparks. Visually challenged DJs who called themselves things like
the Hairy Cornflake, Kid, Diddy David and (worst of all) Tony Blackburn
surrounded themselves with oestrogen-charged pubescents while they
introduced each new act, in order to act out fantasies that would never
transfer to reality.
It’s funny how our generation really think that we ‘own’ things like Top of the Pops and Blue Peter, and that later generations have only ever been drinking from a greatly diluted cup of youth TV.
Anyway, I think the last time I watched TOTP, Mull of Kintyre was number one. These days my encounters with the charts tend to be when driving back from somewhere on a Sunday afternoon listening to Wes on Radio 1 (who must be worried about his new TV competition). Obviously, the entire top 10 is normally populated by huge stars I’ve never heard of. I am turning into my Dad.