RIP: Top of the Pops 1964-2006
I was very sad to hear through Dave about the demise of Top of the Pops. It goes without saying that I have many, many vivid memories of watching TOTP during the seventies. Even today, when I hear that Jimmy Page riff I don't think "Whole Lotta Love" I think "TOTP!" As we grew up long before kids had the multiplicity of entertainment choices in their bedrooms, telly was "family time," so most of my memories consist of trying to explain to my parents why Marc Bolan or Thin Lizzy or Sham 69 were cool. It was a bit like watching porn with the missus, but I loved it. When I saw it occasionally on trips to London over the past ten or fifteen years, I could tell it was on its last legs. Perhaps MTV and cable telly in general has made it redundant, but that doesn't make the BBC's decision any easier to take.
So what are your favorite memories of TOTP. Mine:
* Any performance by Kate Bush (I especially remember a performance of "Roll in the Ball" which was very avant garde dance oriented with huge red balls.
* When the Sex Pistols were #1 for several weeks in the summer 77 with "God Save the Queen" and they refused to mention it.
* Noddy Holder performing that Slade Christmas song with Santa suit for a Christmas show.
posted by gatorbob @ 8:17 PM
3 Comments:
Of course, I loved it when my brother was on it. He made many performance on TOTP. They were even on the Christmas Day show.
Family aside, I love the early eighties with Madness, Tears For Fears, etc... and who can ever forget Pans People!!!!
Oh yes, Pan's People. I was obsessed with one of those girls to the extent that I made up a sexy name for her because I didn't know her name. I'm off to Google Pan's People now to see if I can find her.
I remember the artist videos better than the performances on TOTP because they had to lipsink. All those Police videos of them goofing around in the Caribbean.
I guess there was the infamous PIL appearance where John Lydon just wandered around without looking into the camera and then sat down on the floor refusing to pretend to sing. The essence of punk.
I just looked and actually it was a girl Gloria from Legs & Co that was the object of my affection.
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