The Proclaimers... another reason to love them

[AMouseWithValour]

Sunshine on Leith makes me cry every single time, but who would have thought that they would come out swinging for women's rights?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/efa9ba470db8e0cd

The interview is very punchy, and well worth a read.

'That, though, wasn’t the primary reason that, in May’s Scottish parliamentary elections, Craig didn’t vote SNP for the first time since 1983. That reason was “the anger that I still feel that they passed a self ID bill which was so badly [formulated]”. He’s talking about the 2022 Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill that makes it easier for individuals to change their legal gender. “It’s so badly done that it inevitably led to violent men, including convicted rapists, being sent to women’s prison. For me, that is unforgivable.”'

I'm going to stream the new album as soon as I can. And, as a side note I think they are one of the best bands I've seen.

I suspect he is. I saw part of an interview between him and Davina McCall recently (popped up on my facebook) where she said something like 'You've gone all Dalai Lama'. He has had a lot of therapy over the years and seems to have become really quite sensible. Not seen anything either way but he seems pretty switched on. Saying that, so do lots of them until they open their mouths 😂

Left leaning GC men are very hard to find

How very dare you! 😁

Isn’t Ricky Gervais left leaning? I would think so. He also seems to be GC.

There was a comedy show on in Oxford on Wednesday - Paul Merton and Suki Webster and a couple of other comedians improvising - and they walked off at the end to 500 Miles.

I couldn't help wondering if it was deliberate...

I love both that they did this and also that this is now something famous folk feel they can do - especially with a new album coming out!!
Tide is indeed turning

I know absolutely nothing of them bar 500 Miles. I have just bought their new CD, though. I liked the couple of tracks on that review linked to upthread.

I’ve always loved The Proclaimers. Intelligent wise lyrics from intelligent wise men ❤️

I should think more and more people will be speaking out now. It's becoming easier and easier to smell the victory amidst the bullshit we've been sucking up for the last few years.

Never been a fan of The Proclaimers - and not just because they were once an earworm FOR DAYS. But I will add them to my playlist to compensate them for the one trans fan who feels compelled to cancel them

And what with the BBC is decommissioning Drag Queen - I will even do a happy dance to 500 miles.

Gods I love Alison. Ordinary Girl always gets me wobbly.

I've learnt a new word that I'm sure will be very useful: alethophobia is fear or dislike of the truth.

Does anyone follow Gareth Roberts - OldRoberts953 on Twitter? He has a substack ‘Middle Class Holes - a guide to the most awful semi-posh people in Britain’. Billy Bragg is his latest ‘victim’ and it’s glorious!
https://theageofstupid.substack.com/p/working-class-zeroes-25-billy-bragg?r=44xwv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Gareth Roberts is great - highly recommend his book Gay Shame.

'It quickly becomes the least sexy song imaginable, with all the erotic allure of a GLC pamphlet.
And before the first verse is out - it happens. The lyric that causes your entire body to convulse in embarrassment. ‘And just because you’re gay I won’t turn you away/If you stick around I’m sure that we can find some common ground’. How considerate, Bill, ta very much.
And what exactly does he mean by finding common ground? Sharing our animus for ver Torees? Or perhaps some light frotting in a doorway?'

The frotting gifs are not what I'd expected, tbh. They're making me hungry. Is it teatime?

…and because I cannot my money where my mouth is- their complete back catalogue has been downloaded on Spotify. Same as I did for Roisin Murphy.

Eddie izzard is getting stick from some TRAs because he hasn't said awful things about JKR. I came across an ADHD page that had taken down a post about Eddie and apologised for it, because he had said something that I gather was slightly defensive of JKR or at least not fully castigating her.

So he's a baddie now too

Absolutely love that tweet from Alison Moyet. She is so right.

Have never been a particular Proclaimers fan but may buy their album just to prove a point. Over the past few years, I've bought a lot of books by GC authors (eg Jane Harris and Amanda Craig) just so show my support, so I might as well do the same with music.

It's been really noticeable that so many businesses that have allied themselves with the trans cause have lost money (Bud Lite, Nike etc) while people who ally themselves with the GC cause have flourished (remember the rabbit rescue people getting all those donations?) I think there's a massive difference in opinion between the people who run arts organisations, publishing companies etc, who have cut ties with GC artists, and the buying public, who have all been giving them money.

Sensible, intelligent and forthright. No shit taken. ‘Gon yersels Craig and Charlie!
Here’s my Proclaimers story. I was working in a shop in Edinburgh about 30 years ago (gulp) I was staring out the window bored witless and spotted them crossing the road and heading towards the shop. To my horror the tape that played on a loop in the shop started playing a Proclaimers song. I watched them approach getting ready for mortification but they just walked past… not before one of them caught the eye of the red faced, horrified looking women in the window.

I’m sure they would have just laughed if they’d come in but I was easily embarrassed in those days and was worried that they would think I’d done it deliberately 🫣

I’ve had The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues on a loop in my head since this thread. I’m also a hibee so delighted at their comments. And that they didn’t vote for the SNP. Well done lads.

Newsflash! The Proclaimers’ song has not been cut from the Last Night of the Proms 😀

It was just on, brilliant

Yessir I Can Boogie has just been on. Scottish medley

And the crowd loved it. And I loved Yes Sir I can Boogie!

I’d never heard of Nicky Spence, the philistine I am! He was great.

Herald of Scotland article reflects on the interview

What will happen to The Proclaimers now they have the wrong opinions?

You’ve got to feel sorry for these people really, the poor dears. First, they had to pack away all their Father Ted DVDs, never again to hear the words “I hear you’re a racist now, Father”. Then they had to put away their Harry Potter movies and Dumbledore wands and Hogwarts Lego, never again to hear the word “expelliarmus”. And now – oh, deepest cut – they must remove/hide/destroy every CD or LP or download they have ever had of The Proclaimers and solemnly vow to never again, on a night-out when they’ve had a few, sing with drunken joy, arms around the shoulders of their friends, the words “I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more.” Because it would be wrong.
Or at least, it would be wrong now, by which I mean it was not wrong last week but it is wrong this week because this week we discovered that The Proclaimers have similar views to Graham Linehan who wrote Father Ted and JK Rowling who wrote Harry Potter. This makes things very hard for the sort of people who disapprove of Graham Linehan and JK Rowling because whereas they can all agree that Linehan and Rowling are awful and ghastly and wrong, the Proclaimers were one of us! They sang songs about the evils of Thatcherism! “Bathgate no more/Linwood no more/Methil no more”. Must we now sing “Proclaimers no more”?

https://archive.is/I2UI1

The list of popular songs and books that are cancelled is getting longer all the time. And oddly, remaining popular.